Vegetable Soup

Because it's cold outside...

I refuse to eat soup from a can. It's way to easy to make. I wanted something really healthy so I decided on a garden vegetable soup. I made a huge pot, and I'm sure that this soup, oatmeal, fruit, and veggies will all get me through my exams.

The recipe called for only a few vegetables, so I added all of the vegetables I had laying around--zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and roma tomatoes. I'd recommend following the recipe. If you add more vegetables, you'll need to add a little more water.

I had never cooked with saffron before, but I like it!

Recipe- Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, white and green parts, chopped
1 pound diced, unpeeled boiling potatoes
1 pound diced carrots
1 tablespoon kosher salt (omit if you are on a low-sodium diet!)
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 quarts chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 pound green beans
4 oz. spaghetti, broken into pieces
1 cup pistou

Pistou recipe
4 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
24 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Saute onions in large pot in olive oil for 10 minutes over low heat. Add the leeks, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and saffron, and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add the green beans and spaghetti, and bring to a boil. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
2. Puree all of the pistou ingredients in a food processor to make a paste. Whisk 1/4 cup of the pistou into the soup. Serve the soup with more pistou, if desired. Store remaining pistou in air tight container.

The next soup I'm making will be lentil soup. Stay tuned! (And subscribe if you haven't already. )

Mashed Potatoes

A 10 pound bag of potatoes were on sale at my neighborhood grocery store for 99 cents! I couldn't pass it up. So, you will probably see a number of potatoe recipes in the coming days!

I was too lazy to peel the potatoes before I cooked them, so I just scrubbed them under cold water, poked them with forks in several places, and placed them on the oven--directly on the rack. I baked them at 425 until they were tender (about 55 minutes).

I then removed the potatoes from the oven, and their skin came off very easily. I put the skinless potato chunks in my potato ricer (see pic). You obviously do NOT need a potato ricer to make mashed potatoes. But, I DID need a potato ricer when I attempted to make gnocci (Italian potato dumplings) earlier this summer.

I have made mashed potatoes many times before, but having a potao ricer made it SO easy. You just put the potatoes in the ricer, and then squeeze the handles. The potatoes come out as tiny, rice-like pellets. I then added a few tablespoons of butter. I had some half and half left over from something else, so I poured the half and half in, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring, until the mashed potatoes reached the consistency I wanted. Then, salt and pepper to taste. TOO easy. Take about 90 seconds after you have "riced" the potatoes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash--a great way to spice up your vegetable rotation!

I bought a butternut squash from the market about a week ago. They just seemed so Fall and festive. I figured I’d let it decorate the kitchen until I was ready to do something with it. I’ve never cooked with butternut squash before—I actually didn’t even know what one looked like inside or tasted like. Well, it looks like the inside of a pumpkin. I needed a side—a vegetable—to go with my dinner last night. I get so tired of eating the same vegetables--broccoli, carrots, repeat. I found a quick, easy recipe for roasted butternut squash. Butternut squash is super healthy—it’s loaded with Vitamin A. It’s also really filling.

Though the squash was the color and texture of a sweet potato, don’t be fooled! Prepare your taste buds—squash are not as sweet as a sweet potato. I kind of liked it. The glaze that I prepared was really yummy—I don’t know if I would have eaten the squash without the glaze. I used sage, but you can add rosemary or thyme or a teaspoon of hot sauce instead. i think the sage and maple syrup made a really nice flavor together.

Again, this recipe is super easy and requires no special equipment.

Preparation Time: About 10 minutes

Cooking Time: About 40 minutes

Difficulty: Super Easy

RECIPE- Roasted Butternut Squash

1 Butternut Squash

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 teaspoons fresh sage, rosemary, or thyme; or 1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 425. Cut the stem off of the squash, then cut it in quarters, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Line a baking sheet with foil, and place the squash on the baking sheet.

2. Microwave the maple syrup and butter until the butter melts. Stir in salt and hot sauce or herbs.

3. Pour half of the sauce over the squash, letting some pool in the seed cavity. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the squash to coat it in the sauce, and arrange the pieces cut side down. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. Remove. Turn the squash so that the other side is down. Cook for another 15 minutes or until the squash is brown and tender. Transfer the wedges to a platter and drizzle with remaining sauce.