My Machuca....

About two years ago, I visited Roatan, Honduras.  I went on a tour of the island, expecting the usual photo opps and shopping stops.  I didn't expect one of the best culinary experiences of my life...but I sure got one. Our last stop was at a little Garifuna village where the women were making a traditional soup called Machuca.  I've dreamt about it ever since.

I remember asking our tour guide on the way back how to make it, and she gave me her basic recipe; I've not forgotten it: mashed plantains, coconut milk, fish stock, peppers, onions, cumin, coriander and fish.  Of course the Garifuna women don't have Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, so they make their own coconut milk from shredding and soaking coconut meat, and their own fish stock from simmering fish heads, shells, bones, conch, etc.  I'm sure this is why their Machuca was so delicious and memorable.  This weekend was cold and rainy, and my thoughts ventured to sunny vacations, so I figured it was time to bust out a little Machuca.

Here's what you need.....

Black plantains (they're sweeter and so ripe that they need very little cooking), coconut milk, seafood stock (I'm not buying fish heads, sorry), onion, bell pepper, Serrano pepper, garlic, cumin, coriander and fish (preferably snapper, but any white fish will do).  Traditional Machuca also contains yucca, but it takes a long tome to cook and it wasn't in my guide's recipe, so I left it out, but if you're looking for authenticity, go for it - just boil that first until soft, then add to the soup later.

Start by slicing the plantains in half, peeling the flesh from the skin and chopping.  Place in a pot of boiling water along with about a teaspoon of chopped garlic (boiling the garlic helps mellow the bite of raw garlic).

My plantains were super ripe and soft, so I only had to boil for about 5 minutes.  When done, drain really well (cook the rest of the soup while it drains) and mash with the garlic and a pinch of salt.

To prepare the soup, sauté the onion, bell pepper, Serrano, and garlic in coconut oil until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the fish into bite-sized pieces.  The Garifuna often will fry fish and place that in the bowl with the soup poured over, but I opted for just simmering fresh fish pieces in the soup before serving.

When the onion mixture is soft, add cumin and coriander and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes. Then add coconut milk and seafood stock, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Add the fish and cook just until opaque and cooked through, stirring often to turn the fish, keeping it in the hot liquid.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and just before serving add a splash of lime juice.

Now the  presentation..... take a handful of the plantain mash and form into a ball.  Place that in the middle of the bowl....

...then pour the soup mixture all around the plantain ball.  We had ours served like this, but often the Garifuna people will serve the mashed plantains in a separate bowl on the side.  I really prefer it all together, taking a little spoonful of the plantains in each sip of soup.  The combination of sweet, spicy, creamy and tart (from the lime - so don't be stingy) is incredible.

Man, I need another culinary vacation......

Machuca (Suzanne Style)
Serves 4

2 black plantains, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons chopped garlic, divided
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 Serrano chili pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 can coconut milk
2 cups seafood broth
1 lb snapper or other white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

• Place the chopped plantains and 1 teaspoon garlic in a pot of boiling water.  Boil until softened, about 5 minutes.  Drain well while you prepare the rest of the soup.
• Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, Serrano, bell pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon garlic.  Sauté stirring occasionally until softened, about 3-5 minutes. 
• Add cumin and coriander and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Stir in coconut milk and seafood stock, and bring to a gentle boil.
• Add fish and stir occasionally, turning the fish pieces to keep under the liquid until opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes. 
• Meanwhile mash plantains in a bowl with a pinch of salt.  Form plantain mixture into 4 balls and place in each of four bowls.
• When fish is cooked, season soup with salt and pepper and add lime juice to taste.
• Pour soup around plantain ball and serve immediately.

Cook Happy!

Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup

I have to be honest, there are just some veggies I don't dig so much.  They all seem to fall into the same family of cruciferous vegetables: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli.  I think it may be one of those childhood things - my Irish grandma was a wonderful baker, but when it came to cooking, her one big move was boiling.  She boiled veggies to the point where I wasn't even sure what I was eating.

So it wasn't until recently that I decided to find ways to prepare those veggies in a way that I would enjoy.  Roasting is a great way to do this.  Roasted Brussels sprouts with a little olive oil, salt & pepper is now a fave of mine.  Toss a little pancetta on top and it's hard to resist.  Roasted cauliflower with oil and curry powder takes it to a whole new level.  And then there's this broccoli soup....

I love it because you need very few ingredients - broccoli, onion, potato, garlic, broth and cheese (and many of them you probably already have at home). And they produce such great flavor that when we made it in one of my cooking classes last week, everybody went back for seconds!

Like most of my soups, I start with sautéing onions in olive oil and then add a little garlic once the onions are soft.  With this soup, I also added a chopped Yukon gold potato - this helps make the soup nice and creamy.  The potato helps me avoid adding cream since I'm going to add a big hit of Gorgonzola at the end, but if you're feeling decadent, you can add some cream instead.

Next, I add the broccoli florets - the smaller you cut them, the faster your soup will be ready to puree.  Cover the broccoli with chicken or vegetable broth - if you want to keep it vegetarian, use vegetable broth, but I find that chicken broth give the soup the little bit of fat that makes the flavor pop.

After it simmers for about 15-20 minutes, puree it in a blender. Remember that when you're pureeing something hot, you want to take the little insert out of the top and loosely cover with a clean towel, so the top doesn't explode and you end up with more soup on your ceiling than in your bowl!   Here's my new favorite tip, when you think your soup is smooth enough, keep going; give it another minute.  This is what gives it a velvety smooth texture.  Then return the soup to the pot and stir in your Gorgonzola (or Stilton or blue, whatever you like).  Taste it before seasoning - the cheese adds salt, so you may find that you don't need much more salt.  I usually end up adding a good healthy pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon).  We made wild mushroom crostini to go along with it, but even a warm sourdough for dunking works.  I think you might go back for seconds, too.....

Broccoli & Gorgonzola Soup  

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onion

1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 ½ lbs broccoli, cut into florets

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

4 ounces Gorgonzola

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and potato, and sauté 8-10 minutes until softened.

·         Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

·         Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes.

·         Add stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

·         Transfer soup in batches to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

·         Return to pot and stir in cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leave me a comment and tell me....what is your favorite winter soup????

Cook Happy!

Romanesco Soup

Baby, it's coooold outside!  When the temperature drops, my thoughts turn to soup.  I went to the farmers' market on Sunday and found a few things that I wanted to play around with.  One of those was a Romanesco cauliflower (sometimes called Romanesco Broccoli or Roman Broccoli).  I've seen it over the years, but never worked with it before - and I was in one of those moods......

Romanesco is an edible flower from the same family as broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts. But it's much cooler looking (unless you're my friend Michael who's creeped out by it).  I thought of just sautéing it or roasting it with some olive oil and lemon, but that's a little boring.  And then it got so cold today, and I had soup on the brain.  I use regular cauliflower for soups when I cook for people who are lactose intolerant, because it makes the soup creamy, without the use of cream, so I knew this would make a velvety soup, with a nuttier, softer taste than cauliflower.
So I'm in!

Whenever I'm winging it, I always think about what flavors will go with the main event.  Some things naturally go together.  I made a list of everything that came to mind: leeks, celery, garlic, lemon, dill, curry (could go in so many different directions), coconut.  And a plan started to come together.  With my trusty notebook in hand, I went to work....

 First things first, you have to thinly slice your leeks, and then pop them into a bowl of water to get rid of any dirt inside.  People ask me all the time about leeks and green onions, and which parts you can use.  With green onions (I call them scallions, just to bug my friends) you trim the very ends and you can use the whole thing.  However, only the white and light green parts of leeks should be used, though the dark green stalks are great to add to your homemade stock.

 Cut up the Romanesco into small florets, trying to keep uniform sizes so that they cook evenly.

I sautéed the leeks and celery, then added some garlic.  In goes the Romanesco and a small Yukon gold potato (extra creaminess).  Then I added 4 cups of chicken broth.  If you want to keep it vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth, but I really like the little bump of flavor you get from the fat of a chicken broth (oh come on, fat is your friend - as long as you don't spend too much time together!).

 

This is usually my approach to making a soup, if I'm making it up as I go along.  I save the additional seasoning until after I puree it, and then I can play around with different ideas.  I take a little bit of soup in a bowl and add different herbs, spices, acids and see what I like, this way I don't run the risk of messing up the whole pot of soup.  The curry powder was a little heavy for me, and the dill took away from the flavor.

 

I wanted to keep it bright, so I landed on apple cider vinegar, lemon zest and goat yogurt (gives a nice tangy punch, and most people who are lactose intolerant can handle goat milk/cheese/yogurt.  It's very close to mother's milk, so our bodies can accept it better than cow dairy).   

 

Now, when I think of soup, I often think of grilled cheese sandwiches (OK, not doing this for my lactose intolerant clients).  It's the comfort thing, I guess.  And it works!  Today I whipped up a grown up version: melted brie, apple and rocket on sourdough with a hit of Dijon mustard.  Oh BABY! 

 

When was the last time you tried something new?  Ready to branch out?  Give this soup and sandwich combo a try.....and you can thank me later.

 

 



 

Romanesco Soup

Serves 6

 

1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

2 leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced and cleaned

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 lb. Romanesco cauliflower, cut into florets

1 cup chopped Yukon gold potato (about 1 medium)

4 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons plain goat yogurt

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

• Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
• Add leeks and celery and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until softened.
• Add garlic and sauté one more minute.
• Add Romanesco and potato and stir to coat.  Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes until Romanesco is tender.
• Working in batches if necessary, puree soup in blender.
• Add yogurt, lemon zest, apple cider vinegar and salt.  Puree again to combine.
• Taste and season with additional salt if desired.

 

 

Yum it up!

Celery Soup....Yes, Celery Soup

I know I say, "You just gotta trust me!" a lot on this blog, and here I go again. 

Celery Soup?  Why on earth would I make celery soup?  Well, I had been making mineral broth for one of my clients, and I had quite a lot of celery left over in my crisper bin.  I chopped it up in salads, added it to salmon burgers, tossed into my stir fry, but I still had so much left over.  I always look at that as an opportunity to do something new.  Why not soup?

I started out by melting butter & olive oil in a pot, then tossed in onion, celery and baby red potatoes. 

 

 

After they were good and tender, I added some homemade chicken broth and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  If you're a vegetarian, you can use vegetable broth, but I have learned that some simple soups, like this one, benefit from the fat that you get from the chicken broth.  Next I pureed the soup in my Vitamix until smooth (the potatoes help give it a creamy texture without the cream), returned it to the pot and added lemon zest, apple cider vinegar and fresh dill.  As always, I hit it with a couple pinches of salt and tentatively took my first taste.  Delicious!  My mom was in town, and was less than thrilled when I told her what I was making for lunch (I'm fully aware that celery soup sounds dull....but turns out, it's not!).  Even she thought it was "divine" and asked if there was enough left over for lunch the next day.  High praise, believe me!

 

So, "trust me!" and give this a try the next time you find yourself with excess celery (or virtually any other veggies for that matter, just pick different herbs to go with what veg you have on hand).

 

 

 

 

Creamy Celery Soup

Serves 4

 

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup chopped yellow onion

6 celery stalks, sliced

1/4 lb baby red potatoes, quartered

3 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch fresh ground pepper

• Heat oil and butter in a saucepan over medium high heat.
• Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened.
• Add celery and potatoes and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth.
• Return soup to pot and add vinegar, dill and zest.
• Season with salt & pepper.

Yum it up!



 

Cooking Without......

I feel so fortunate, for so many reasons.  But today I feel especially fortunate because it was one of those days when I get to cook therapeutically for a client.  I have a couple clients that I cook for who just don't like cooking.  I have a couple clients who want to feed their families healthy meals and just don't have the time to do it themselves.  But I also have a couple clients who need "healing" meals.  One is a single mom going through chemotherapy for breast cancer.  The other had a heart attack and has had to drastically change his diet.

I cooked for the latter, and his family, today.

I love cooking.  I love cooking for other people.  But I get a special kind of joy when I cook for someone who needs and wants "therapeutic" meals.  When I went through the Natural Chef program at Bauman College, I never intended to cook for people suffering from heart disease, cancer or any other chronic disease, even though that's what the program is designed to teach you to do.  That was just a beautiful bonus of my learning there; and now that's what I love doing the most. 

Here's the thing.....for my client today, I cannot use any oil, any sweetener, any salt, or any animal protein.  When I told my students at Bauman College this, the first (obvious) question was, "how do you make food taste good?!"  I mean, these are the things that we chefs rely on to make food taste delicious.  But it can be done.  You can cook" without" and still make great-tasting food.  This particular family requests certain dishes again and again.....and three out of four of the family members don't need to be on this kind of diet, and are probably used to eating food "with."

So what do I use?  Well, I saute veggies in stock instead of oil.  I use lemon juice and zest at the end of cooking to bring up the flavors, like salt does.  When some sweetening is needed, I use dates.  I also add lots of herbs and spices, ginger, garlic, onions, etc.  It can be done, people.  Just give it a try one night....

I made roasted spaghetti squash with a homemade mushroom marinara, vegetable green curry and brown jasmine rice, carrot-ginger soup (with roasted cashews to "cream" it up), and roasted beets with fennel, orange segments, mint and walnuts.  Easy Peasy.  Did I mention...no oil, no salt, no sweeteners, all vegan.  and yes, family approved!  In fact, the eldest son came in as I had just packaged it all up and put it away.  I said, "All your faves are in the fridge."  He went immediately to it and scooped up a bowl of spaghetti squash and sauce....didn't even heat it up.  Then he moved onto the beets and said, "I don't know what you do to these beets, but they're the best thing I've ever eaten."

And I walked out to my car one happy girl.....so thankful, so lucky, so fulfilled.

Try to cook "without" tonight...trust yourself; you can do it.  Here's a start....

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

·         Preheat oven to 375°.

·         Cut squash on half and remove seeds.
·         Place on baking sheet and bake rind side up for 30-40 minutes.
·         Remove from oven when softened and when cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape out the flesh.

 

Marinara Sauce

3+ tablespoons vegetable stock

1 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, including juice
1 8 oz can tomato paste
1 medjool date, cut in half, pit removed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon pepper
Lemon juice to taste

• Heat stock in a saucepan over medium high heat. 
• Add onion and sauté 5 minutes. 
• Add garlic and sauté2- 3 more minutes, until lightly browned. Add more stock if necessary. 
• Add remaining ingredients (except lemon), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. 
• Remove date halves.
• Add lemon juice to taste.

Happy Cooking!

Don't Knock Chicken Soup!

I'm emerging from the ashes!!  For months I managed to dodge that nasty cold/flu that everyone around me was getting.  Then Tom and I went  a lovely, romantic Caribbean cruise, and we both got hit with that bug halfway through.  SERIOUSLY????!!  So much for our romantic get-away; the Love Boat turned into the Coughing & Hacking Boat!

I pushed through and still went cave tubing and zip lining (that cold isn't ruining my vacation!)

 

 ...but when I got home, I was flattened!  My energy was zapped.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  It's one of those vicious Catch 22's.....no energy to cook or grocery shop, and no energy because I wasn't eating.  After a few days, I decided enough was enough.  I had to cook, and I needed chicken soup!

There's some actual science that supports the old wives' tale that chicken soup helps relieve cold and flu symptoms....the aromatics used are powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients, the bones add essential minerals, and the heat itself helps loosen up congestion.  And come on, it's just good old-fashioned comfort food, right?  That makes you feel better with each bowlful.  So off I went to the store for chicken soup ingredients.

Not one to go with the usual suspects, I decided to make Chicken Tortilla Soup.  I thought a spicy version of chicken soup would help sweat out this dang thing....

I started with a base of onions, leeks, jalapeno peppers and garlic.  When they were softened and fragrant, I added shredded rotisserie chicken, black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken stock and smoky spices, and let that simmer away

 Meanwhile, I heated a little olive oil in my cast iron skillet (just enough to cover the bottom), and pan fried corn tortillas that I cut into strips. 

I added some chopped cilantro, lime zest & juice, and a pinch of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon; I've measured my pinches!) to the soup and let it cook for a little bit longer. And now it's time!!  You can lay some of the tortilla strips in the  bottom of the bowl and ladle the soup over them, but I like to  float them on top for a crispy bite.  Add a little dollop of Greek yogurt (or sour cream, if you're one of THOSE) on top, and this is definitely not a bitter pill to swallow!!  Sure, it won't cure me, but it makes me feel warm and just a little bit better.

Sick or not, give this yummy soup a try......

Chicken Tortilla Soup                                                                                                         Serves 6

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 cup chopped onion

2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1 leek, white and light green part thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (about 3-4 cloves)

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon ancho chile powder

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Zest and juice from one lime

Salt to taste

4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

Greek yogurt for garnish

·         Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

·         Add onion, jalapeno, leek and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened.

·         Add chicken, tomatoes, black beans, broth, cumin, coriander, and chile powder.

·         Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

·         Add chopped cilantro, lime zest and juice, and salt to taste (about ½-1 teaspoon).

·         Continue cooking for 5 minutes, uncovered.

·         Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

·         Add tortilla strips and cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned and crisp.

·         Ladle soup into bowls, top with tortilla strips and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Soup's On!

I'm working on my ideas for fall classes, and soup comes to mind first.  It's one of my most popular classes.  Tonight I used two of my favorite birthday gifts, my new ceramic knives and my Vitamix, to create a delicious smoky corn bisque.  If you're not familiar, a Vitamix is essentially a blender on steroids.  It can cut through anything, make frozen desserts and drinks, hot soup, even pizza dough (trying that soon!).  As for ceramic knives....all I have to say is go out an get one!!  They are so sharp and so lovely that I'm looking for any excuse to cut stuff since I received these on Monday.

I start most soups with a mirepoix, a classic French combination of two parts onion to one part carrot and one part celery.  This is a classic base for many sauces, soups and stocks.

As soon as those flavors start blending and heating up, I am immediately taken back to my grandmere's kitchen.  This was the foundation for so much of her cooking.  It's the smell of home and it warms my heart instantly.  I cooked the onion, celery and carrot for about 8 minutes until softened.  Then I added a tablespoon of chopped garlic and one chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper.  If you're going to puree your soup, don't worry too much about your knife skills, but try to keep the pieces about the same size so that they will cook evenly.

Next I added fresh corn from four ears.  Cut the kernels off the cob and then use the back of your knife to scrape the cob and get all that sweet milk into the pot.  Next add vegetable stock, six cups in this case.  Six cups of stock turns into eight cups of soup once cooked and blended.  I also added a cup of chopped cauliflower, which is a brilliant way to make a soup creamy without adding any cream.  I added a couple pinches of salt, brought it up to a boil and then reduced the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, I added a teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme from my garden and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. I let that hang out for another 5 minutes to infuse the soup with that smoky herb flavor.

Then into my new best friend, my Vitamix.  Whether you have one or a blender or food processor, doesn't matter.... just puree the soup in batches until smooth.  Put it back in your pot and add 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  This one is going on the books for October's classes....so creamy, smoky and smooth.

Smoky Corn Bisque
Serves 8

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups fresh corn kernels (use frozen when corn isn't in season)
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium high heat.
• Add onion, celery and carrot and saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until softened slightly.
• Add jalapeno, garlic and salt and saute an additional 2 minutes.
• Add corn and stir to combine.
• Add broth and cauliflower.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add smoked paprika and thyme and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup until smooth in a blender or food processor.
• Return to pot and add white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
• Garnish with thyme sprigs.

What's your favorite soup????

Happy, squash-lovin' girl!

Look at the cute little (well, not so little) eight ball zucchinil.  And guess who grew it all by herself???  If you know me, you're impressed, because as previously reported, I have not been blessed with a green thumb.  I watched this plant grow for months, excitedly saw lots of blossom sprouting....but no zucchini.  I kept watering and watching, but nothing. Then the other day I walked out and peeked beneath the mountain of leaves and saw 3 not-so-little eight balls.  All my nurturing had finally paid off.

There is something so gratifying about walking out your back door and picking something you grew yourself, and turning into something delicious.  My plan for this guy is to stuff it and bake it.  Haven't quite figured out with what yet, but stay tuned...

In the meantime, I have a tasty Summer Squash & Corn Soup that I created for a cooking class yesterday.  My summer squash plant offered up its first beauties this past week, and I immediately got the idea for a fresh summer soup.  With sweet corn popping up at the farmers' market, it seemed like a likely match.  Here's a little tip for getting the kernels off the cob: if you've got a bundt pan, place the ear of corn (husk removed, of course) on the middle thingy (technical culinary term) and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels loose into the bowl.  Then run the back side of your knife down the cob to release all the delicious "milk" from the cob.  If you don't have a bundt pan, you can just turn a coffee mug upside down in a large bowl and get the same effect.  If you don't have a coffee mug or a bowl, well then, you have issues!  Why are you reading a food blog????

Summer Squash & Corn Soup

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 lb. yellow summer squash, diced

1 cup chopped yellow onion

½ cup chopped celery

2 cups fresh or frozen corn, divided

2 cups Straus family half & half

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons chopped chives

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Salt & pepper to taste

·         Heat coconut oil in large pot over medium high heat.  Add squash, onion and celery to pan and cook until vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes.

·         Place 1 cup of corn and the milk in a blender and process until smooth.

·         Add milk mixture, vegetable broth, thyme, chives, and paprika to the cooked vegetables.

·         Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

·         Place half the soup in a blender and puree until smooth.  Add back to pot and continue cooking 5 minutes.

·         Stir in remaining cup of corn and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Yum it up!

Posole...My Way

This year I'm making an effort to try new ethnic dishes.  I find that my ethnic cooking classes are the most popular, but after a year of doing them I'm getting a little tired of the same dishes.  They may not be exactly as you order it in a restaurant, but if they make it onto one of my class calendars, I can promise that it'll be delicious, and probably a lot healthier than the restaurant version.
My first experiment this year is Posole, a traditional Mexican soup/stew.  It is usually made with pork, but I decided to make a vegetarian version.  In order to get my serving of protein, I added black beans and brown rice to the recipe.  The bean-rice combo gives you all the essential amino acids normally found in animal protein, and something to keep in mind is that you don't need to eat them together in one meal.  You can get the same benefit from eating rice and beans separately in a 24 hour period.

I started by roasting a pasilla pepper on the gas burner.  If you don't have a gas stove top, you can roast peppers under the broiler, turning to blacken all sides.

After the pepper is peeled and seeded, I added it to a blender (or food processor) with tomatillos, a couple jalapeno peppers, chopped onions, garlic, cilantro, baby spinach or kale leaves (sneak in extra nutrition whenever you can!), cumin, coriander, chili powder, Mexican oregano (regular oregano is OK, if it's all you have), and a couple cups veg broth.

It's looking pretty already... and we know how I love pretty food!

Next, rinse and drain 2 cans hominy and 2 cans black beans.  Canned beans and vegetables are full of sodium, so be sure to always give them a good rinse.  Hominy can be found in most grocery stores with the canned vegetables.  It's simply corn that has had the bran and germ removed.  Normally I'm against that concept; that's how we turn healthy whole grains into much less healthy white rice or "enriched" pasta, but I give hominy a pass.  In the summer, however, when fresh, local corn is in season, I would substitute that and add garbanzo beans for texture.

Put the hominy and beans in a large pot with 4 more cups veg broth and the green pepper mixture.

Simmer for 30 minutes and add 1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice.  Continue to simmer for 10-15 more minutes.  When ready to serve, add the juice of one lime, ladle into bowls and top with a bit of pepper jack cheese.  It's got a bit of a kick to it, so reduce or omit the jalapeno peppers if you're not a spicy girl like me.  This recipe will make 8 servings (even if I'm eating it!), and just gets better and better each day....if you can make it that long without eating it all!

Vegetarian Posole
Serves 8

1 pasilla pepper
1/2 pound tomatillos, husks removed and cleaned
2 cups baby spinach or kale leaves (stems removed if using regular kale)
1 cup chopped onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
6 cups Trader Joe's low sodium vegetable broth, divided
2 15-oz. cans hominy, rinsed and drained
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
Juice of one lime
Salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, optional

• Roast pasilla pepper over a gas burner (or under the broiler), turning until all sides are blackened. Place in a bowl and cover for 15 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, peel skin, remove seeds and chop.
• Add to a blender (or food processor) along with tomatillos, spinach or kale leaves, onion, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, spices and 2 cups of broth.  Process until smooth.
• Pour mixture into a large pot and add hominy, black beans, and remaining 4 cups broth.
• Simmer for 30 minutes and add rice.  Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes more.
• Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon each should work)
• Ladle into bowls and top with pepper jack cheese, if desired.

A Scrumptious Season

Pretty soon it'll be all root vegetables, winter squash and kale, but right now the season is giving us a nice bridge.  So I put together a yummy Farm to Table class tonight.  Let's start with Dill-Spinach Dip, getting rid of my old childhood friend, mayo, and substituting Greek yogurt.  So creamy good.... dill and lemon zest gives it a bright flavor, and water chestnuts give it a nice crunch.

Next, I'm back in soup mode with Butternut-Apple Soup.  There are so many great ways to make a butternut squash soup: with curry, with cream, with green chiles, with sage, with roasted red peppers.  My favorite remains the old stand-by, with apples.  I like Granny Smith for their tartmess.

For the main dish, we made Orange Glazed Salmon with Basmati Brown Rice and Herb & Panko Stuffed Tomatoes.  I'll be so sad when tomtoes go away.  It's a loooong lonely winter and spring without these lovelies, so get them in while you can.  I'll still let canned tomatoes into my house every once in a while for tomato soup, but I'll miss eating the real thing in salads, salsas, on crostini, and roasted like tonight.

Couldn't imagine giving you just one recipe, so here they all are..... Enjoy!

Spinach-Dill Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

6 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained (or 5 bunches fresh leaves)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest

½ cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Pinch salt

¼ cup chopped water chestnuts

·         Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

·         Add shallots, scallions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

·         Stir in spinach and cook about 2 minutes.

·         Place spinach mixture into a food processor; pulse until roughly puréed, about 5 pulses.

·         Add lemon juice, zest, yogurt and dill, and pulse to combine.

·         Add water chestnuts and season with salt to taste.

Butternut Squash Soup     Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 3-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon minced ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Pinch nutmeg or cayenne

·         Heat oil and butter in a medium stock pot over medium heat.

·         Add onion and celery and sauté 5-8 minutes until tender; careful not to let them brown.

·         Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.

·         Add squash, apples, and broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes.

·         Add maple syrup and ginger, stirring to combine and cook 5 minutes more.

·         Season to taste with salt & pepper, and add a pinch of nutmeg (for sweet) or cayenne (for spicy).

·         Use an immersion blender to puree (or a blender or food processor).

Orange Glazed Salmon   Serves 6

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from 2 valencia oranges)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 ½ pounds salmon, cut into 6 pieces

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

·         In a small bowl, combine marmalade, juice, mustard, zest, garlic, ginger, and maple syrup.

·         Season salmon with salt and pepper and place in a large Ziploc bag.  Cover with marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Citrus juice begins to “cook” protein, so don’t marinate for more than 1 hour)

·         Preheat broiler and place salmon (discard marinade) on baking sheet or roasting pan.

·         Broil 6-8 inches from heat for 5-8 minutes until opaque and cooked through.

Roasted Stuffed Tomatoes   Serves 6

3 large heirloom tomatoes

1 ½ cup panko

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons+ olive oil

Parmesan cheese

·         Preheat broiler.

·         Cut tomatoes in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds and flesh.

·         Place in a baking dish or pan and broil until lightly browned, just a few minutes.  Let cool.

·         Set oven temp to 350˚.

·         In a bowl mix panko, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper; add enough olive oil to moisten the mixture.

·         Fill cooled tomato halves with panko mixture, drizzle with a little olive oil, and top with a shaving of parmesan cheese.

·         Bake 5-10 minutes until browned.