Potato leek soup

A great "Comfort Food" soup, and so easy to make!
 

Potato Leek Soup Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large leek, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, chop.
• 3 stalks celery, chopped fine  (I like to include the tops of the tender small stalks)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 4- 5 cups water
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 4 potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 c frozen corn
• 1 t. Italian seasoning ( I use Dean Jacob's Italiano Grinder, it has garlic, basil, sea salt, fennel, oregano, marjoram, bell pepper, crushed red pepper and comes with a grinder lid, so herbs always taste fresh!!  See photo) 
• Salt & Pepper

 

Method

1 Cook leeks in oil in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stir frequently so they don't brown, just get soft.

2 Add water, broth cubes, corn and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft.  Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan, or use a immersion blender until half the mixture is pureed, with still plenty of chunks.    Add the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste. 

 

Yield: Serves 4-6, although recipe is easily doubled for a crowd.

My favorite "palette"!

Stir fry and forbidden rice

This rice is called forbidden rice referred to also as longevity rice and was reserved for emperors of china. It has a wonderful roasted nutty flavor and deep purple color and is a natural source of antioxidants called anthocyanins. It only takes 30 minutes to cook. Give it a try!!

I cooked a stir fry tonight with onions, green peppers, yellow peppers, chopped kale, carrots, celery, basil, and cashews with a little sea salt and tamari. This goes Great with the rice and can be fixed while the rice is cooking.

Curried cauliflower and sweet potato soup

Wish I knew how to turn this picture the right way, but you get the idea!  A perfect soup on a snowy day - we got no where near the 13 inches plus they said we would probably get, but at least there is a couple inches out there and still lightly coming down.  This makes your home smell wonderful!
 Pam

1 large onion, diced 1 teaspoon cumin 1 tablespoon ginger, minced 1/8 t. cardamom 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups vegetable broth 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 tablespoon mild curry powder (use a good quality organic if you can!) 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized flowerets 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas) 1 15-ounce can organic diced tomatoes 2 cups water 1 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste) 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste, I added a little more) 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

Add the onion to a heated non-stick stock pot and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin, ginger, cardamom, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, sweet potatoes, curry powder, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook over low heat until sweet potato softens, about 20 minutes. Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, and tomatoes and another 2 (or more if you like a brothier soup) cups water. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper, cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 30  minutes. Stir in the peanut butter for a creamy yummy flavor.  I like to mash a few of the vegetables with the back of a spoon so the soup will get a little thicker.  Although its ready to eat, I like to let it sit a while and then serve it later. The flavors will get stronger and mingle as it sits.

Grilled Mango and Black Bean Tortillas

This makes around 4 servings, so perfect for a quick lunch, and very filling!  Here's what I used:

Filling:

1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced
2 ripe avocados
1 T chopped red onion
1 can seasoned black beans, drained thoroughly  but not rinsed
1/4 cup sliced black olives
2 T chopped tomatoes
Juice of one lime
Sea Salt to taste

Gently mix the above ingredients
(I love them this way, but a little fresh cilantro and ground cumin would spice it up more if you prefer more flavorful)

4 large whole grain organic tortillas

Grill one torilla brushed with a tiny bit of olive oil in a non-stick pan until toasty brown and remove.  Put another torilla in the pan in the same manner and add the filling and top with the grilled torilla you just made on top of mixture toasted side up.   (or use a torilla maker if you have one!)  Warm for a few minutes, and repeat, and plate.  Picante, mango salsa, or pico de gillo are nice accompaniments, but I like them just plain!

Enjoy!  Pam

Easy Polenta Dish

 

This is a quick and easy, very filling dish, with lots of colors and flavors.  I think it would be good with some artichoke hearts too, but I didn't have any on hand to try.



One tube organic polenta or if you have the time, make your own and refrigerate until cool
1 T. Olive Oil
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups spinach or other greens
1/2 cup sliced black olives and green olives
1/2 c. tomatoes ( I also used some sun-dried tomatoes chopped up small)
1 T capers
2 T sun-dried tomato paste
2 T. chopped basil
2 T.  Water
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and add onions, cook until tender, add garlic and spinach and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes,  olives, capers, paste, basil, water and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes, then add polenta (I used basil flavored) chopped up in small cubes and cook until polenta becomes soft and heated through, and begins to break up (about 5-6 minutes), add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Split Green Pea Soup with Fennel

This is a mild soup, no strong flavors, but very tasty.  I was getting tired of the spicy curry based ones that I used for lentils, and decided to just experiment, and am very happy with the results.  This soup is loaded with fiber and a great source of potassium and iron.  I would imagine if you had some fresh fennel and chopped it in with the veggies, it would be really good too!

4 stalks organic celery, chopped fine
4 organic carrots, finely diced
1 large white onion, finely chopped
1 16 oz bag organic split green peas
2 vegetable boullions and 5 cups water or 5 cups vegetable stock
1 t ground fennel seed (I grind it fresh for more flavor) or more to taste
Himalayan Sea Salt, Pepper
1/2 Lemon

Saute onion, celey and carrot in a heavy pot.  Rinse and sort peas and add to veggies.  Add Water and boullions (or stock) and fennel seed and simmer covered on low until tender, about 35 - 45 minutes. Check and see if you want more fennel.  I added some more since I loved it in this soup!  Stir and mash some of the peas to thicken.  When serving, I sprinkled with carrot shreads, a squeeze of fresh lemon and salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Pam