Best Cauliflower Soup

Recently, I found myself with a refrigerator full of cauliflower. You may be wondering how, exactly, one finds themselves with a boatload of cauliflower. Well, I belong to a CSA and this year, I volunteered to be one of their drop-off sites where people from my area come once a week to pick up their box of local organic vegetables.

Once in a while, a CSA member will not pick up their box of veggies and I am left to give it away or use it. You may think this is a great deal for me - it is, except when you find that you have more cauliflower (and apples and acorn squash) than your family can eat (just one head of cauliflower is probably more than my family wants to eat)! 

I hate to waste anything and start trying to find ways that I can cook with it and/or freeze it so I can enjoy the produce right through the long months of winter. Making soup is the perfect solution and I absolutely loved this soup - I've made two double batches of it so far!

I've eaten this soup for dinner, I've eaten it for lunch, and I've even eaten it for breakfast! Soup is a surprisingly satisfying mid-morning breakfast served with a piece of buttered multi-grain toast. 

And don't be surprised if you see a few more soup recipes here in the future. I've got some good ones to share with you!

Cauliflower Soup

from Ree Drummond at Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 stick Butter, Divided
1/2 whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
4 Tablespoons All-purpose flour or gluten free flour

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream,
2 - 4 teaspoons salt, to taste

Shredded cheese for garnish (also optional)

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Whisk in the flour and cook about one minute. Add the cream and whisk to combine. Add mixture to the simmering soup and allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary to achieve desired consistency.  Check for seasoning. Blend with a stick blender to desired consistency, or puree half the soup in a blender and add back to rest of the soup for a creamy and chunky soup (I like to have some big pieces of tender cauliflower in the soup).

Sprinkle some grated cheese on top, if desired.  Or sometimes I'll sprinkle with a little curry powder for an Indian twist.

Serve immediately, for breakfast even!

Soup can be refrigerated for one week, or frozen for 6 months.

Fattoush {Middle Eastern Chopped Salad}

I beg your pardon! Fat what?

Fattoush is not a fat anything, but a delicious salad made with chopped vegetables like tomatoes and cucumber, feta cheese, olives, herbs, and grilled pita wedges. It's the Arabic version of the Italian Panzanella salad. It's also the perfect summertime salad to serve alongside some grilled chicken or kebabs. This version of fattoush includes some grilled zucchini and red pepper strips which add some heartiness to the salad.  If you have some purslane handy, throw some of that in as well! Omit the pita bread if you are gluten-free.  This is one delicious salad.

Grilled Zucchini and Bell Pepper Fattoush

adapted from Epicurious

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

On the grill
3 medium orange or red bell peppers (about 1 pound), stemmed, seeded, quartered
4 to 5 slender zucchini (about 1 pound), trimmed, cut lengthwise in half
2 (5- to 6-inch) pita breads, each cut horizontally into 2 disks, or two 6x4x1/2-inch slices country white bread (omit if gluten-free)
Olive oil (for grilling)

For the dish
1 (8-ounce) cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 cherry tomatoes, each halved
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 4-ounce piece feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (scant 1 cup)
Ground sumac for sprinkling on top, optional

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush peppers, zucchini, and bread on both sides with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Grill peppers and zucchini until slightly charred and just tender, turning often, about 6 minutes. Transfer vegetables to foil-lined baking sheet. Grill bread until lightly charred and just crisp, turning often, about 3 minutes. Transfer to sheet with vegetables and cool. Tear bread into 1-inch pieces. Vegetables and bread can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Cut peppers lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut zucchini lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in large bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, olives, mint, and cilantro and toss to combine. Add bread pieces. Whisk 1/2 cup oil, lemon juice, and cumin in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Add dressing to salad; toss to coat. Add feta and gently mix into salad.
Transfer salad to large bowl.  Sprinkle ground sumac on top, if using. 

Slow Cooker Chili and Cornbread

In my last post, I mentioned how we were still waiting for that big snowfall. Well, we finally got some snow and the kids got their snow day! Of course, the kids think the snow day came because they went to bed with their jammies inside out and slept with a wooden spoon under their pillows. (Think about this the next time your wooden spoons go missing!)

I couldn't have planned it better. The snow day happened on Wednesday - the perfect mid-week break. We got just about 6 inches of snow - enough to get you out of school and plenty for sledding, but not enough to break your back trying to shovel it all. The snow started to fall and after an hour, we had about an inch already.

This bird's no dummy - this is just where I would hang out too if the snow was coming down that quickly - a nibble of food whenever you get hungry and a roof to stay dry - or maybe the little bird is just trying to peek through my kitchen window to see what's baking. 

Slow-Cooked Chili

Serves 10

Note: This is your basic chili recipe, tried and true. The recipe came from my husband's Aunt Donna.  It freezes well too, so you could make this when your green peppers are plentiful in your garden and freeze it until the cold weather comes along. 

2 pounds ground beef

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 16-ounce cans beans of your choice, undrained, or one cup
         soaked and cooked dried beans (I like a mixture of black beans and pinto beans)

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin
Optional Toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, green onion, avocado chunks

Brown the ground beef in a pan and discard the rendered fat. Transfer the browned meat to the slow cooker. Using a clean pair of kitchen shears, coarsely slice the tomatoes into smaller chunks right in the can and then add them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 to 10 hours. (Or simmer everything on low heat on the stovetop for 2 or more hours.) Add a little water if the chili seems too thick, or cook uncovered toward the end of cooking time if the chili seems too thin. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools. 

Amish Cornbread

Note:This cornbread is the best - moist and delicious - and super easy. The cornbread recipe came from my good friend at Joy Beadworks who came upon the recipe when buying cornmeal from an Amish grower at a farmer's market. Make the cornbread the day you are going to eat it, or it will become dry. (Nothing a few seconds in the microwave and a spoonful of honey can't fix though.) 

1 cup coarsely ground corn meal
1 cup flour or 1:1 gluten free flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tblsp. milk
4 tblsp. avocado oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (The original recipe stated 450, but that seemed a little high to me.) Spray an 8" square baking pan with Pam.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the milk mixture; stir until blended. Pour into pan, bake for 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is lightly browned.

Hummus and Veggie Wrap

These vegetarian wraps are simple to make and so delicious.  Substitute homemade cassava flour wraps or collard wraps for a gluten-free version.  If you're looking for more healthy fat, add some diced avocado.  Bacon would also be a delicious addition.

Whole Wheat Hummus and Veggie Wraps

Makes one wrap

Ingredients:

Whole wheat lavash wrap (I purchase mine from Trader Joe's)

3 tablespoons of your favorite organic hummus

a handful of Organic Baby Lettuce leaves or greens of choice

a handful of Diced Seedless Cucumber

a handful of Diced Tomatoes

a sprinkling of thinly sliced scallions

a sprinkling of crumbled Feta Cheese

Place the wrap on your work surface with the long side toward you. Spread with entire wrap with hummus and sprinkle with the other ingredients, leaving a border without filling along the far end. A little goes a long way, and too much filling will make it hard to wrap up. Starting with the edge closest to you, start rolling the wrap tightly. Cut in half and enjoy a healthy, delicious lunch!

Cranberry Walnut Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite salads. It's a quick salad that requires no chopping of veggies and can be on the table in no time. It's sweet and tart and just plain delicious. 

Cranberry Walnut Salad

Organic Spring Greens Mix or your favorite greens

dried cranberries

walnuts, crumbled with your hands 

crumbled blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta

Place all ingredients in a bowl in the amounts you desire. Now that was easy!

Champagne Vinaigrette

from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food

1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar, or your favorite vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. While whisking, add the olive oil, a little at a time, until the dressing tastes balanced. Toss with your salad and serve immediately.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

Tomatillos look like green tomatoes, but they are quite different. When they grow, they have a thin papery husk around them. They are green when fully ripened and used mainly in Latin American cooking. Tomatillos are the basis of Salsa Verde or "green sauce". They are crisper than a tomato and have a tart taste with a hint of lime flavor.

I'd never heard of or tried a tomatillo until they showed up in my CSA box a few years ago. If I didn't want to waste them, I needed to find a use for them. The internet is a great resource for recipes using unusual ingredients. Elise at Simply Recipes has posted several recipes which use tomatillos. Her latest was a Tomatillo Chicken Stew...I added a can of Cannellini beans and now I call it Tomatillo Chicken and Bean Stew. I liked the added texture provided by the beans but you can leave them out if you like. The tomatillo sauce was a little spicy for me - I guess the jalapenos I used were pretty hot. Next time I'd add a little chile, taste, and then add a little more if needed. I added lots of cilantro and a dollop of sour cream to cool it down a bit. It was delicious with a touch of unusual!

Tomatillo Chicken and Bean Soup

from Simply Recipes
Tomatillo Sauce:
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos
1-2 jalapeño chile peppers, or 2-3 serrano chili peppers (include the seeds if you want the heat, remove them if you don't want the heat), stems discarded, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp lime (or lemon) juice
Pinch of sugar
Stew:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cup chicken stock 

1 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
2 cups tomatillo sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro (about one bunch, rinsed and chopped, stems and leaves)

1 Make the tomatillo sauce. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Broil for 5-7 minutes until blackened in spots. Let cool enough to handle. Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended. If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.

2 Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and adding more olive oil when necessary, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side. Then use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over and don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits at the bottom of the pan. 

3 Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. 

4 Add the browned chicken, the tomatillo sauce, chicken stock, beans and oregano to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add the cilantro to the stew in the last minute or so of cooking.
Serve over white rice, accompanied with sour cream if needed to offset the heat from the chiles. The stew will thicken as it cools.

Summer Corn Chowder

Aaaah...the first corn of summer...so sweet and crisp! I really think the best way to eat it is simply steamed with butter and salt, but why not mix things up a little and make some chowder? This meal came together in a flash. All of the ingredients were in season and I happened to have them on hand, which is necessary for the way I plan meals (I don't).


Most of the time I cook on the fly with what I've got in the pantry and fridge/freezer. Sometimes I think I'd love to change that habit and actually plan a week of meals, shop for that menu, and know exactly what to cook on which days. But that can be tough when you have an ever-changing schedule and kids going every which way. There is not always time to cook the meal you have planned. Belonging to a CSA also complicates a planned menu, because you don't know what you'll be getting from week to week. And so I'll continue as I have been...my huge aresenal of recipes comes in handy!



Removing corn from the cob can be tricky. I picked up this method somewhere along the way of teaching myself how to cook. No special gadgets needed (my drawer is way too full of gadgets!) First, you need a sharp knife. Then place a small bowl upside down into a large bowl and rest the bottom of the cob on the small bowl as in the photo above. This allows the corn kernels to be caught in the larger bowl without the bowl getting in the way of your knife.

Summer Corn Chowder with Bacon
From Bon Apetit June 2004
Serves 6

6 slices bacon, chopped
6 cups fresh corn kernels(cut from 6 to 8 ears)
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh fennel bulb (can omit if desired)
1 cup diced yellow or green zucchini or crookneck squash (about 2)
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes peeled russet potatoes or unpeeled red potatoes
3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/4 to 1/2 cup whipping cream
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add corn, fennel, zucchini, and potatoes to drippings in pot; sauté 5 minutes. Add 3 cups broth and simmer uncovered over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer 3 cups soup to blender. Holding blender top firmly, puree until smooth. Return puree to soup in pot. Stir in cream and cayenne. Bring chowder to simmer, thinning with more broth if too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into bowls and sprinkle with bacon and chives.