Carrot Parsnip Soup

The Ingredients

4 carrots

3 small parsnips

6 oz. light coconut milk

4 oz. water

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

curry powder

turmeric

caraway seeds

adobo

cumin

nutmeg

coriander

Scrub, peel, and boil carrots and parsnips in a pot. They cook quicker when cut into small pieces. Save 4 oz. of this water and keep in the pot. Add coconut milk, ginger, and spices. Use an emulsifier to make a purée. Enjoy! (By the way, this is completely vegan!)

Purée in the pot

Ready to eat

Sweet Potato Latkes

The Ingredients

1/2 sweet potato

1/2 sweet onion

3 springs of fresh parsley

2 eggs

1 tbsp panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp flour

salt 

pepper

light olive oil

Pre-cooking

Wash and scrub your sweet potato WELL. Use a grater ot shave it down into small, thin slices. Place into a bowl. Dice 1/2 sweet onion and add to the bowl. Chop 3 springs of parsley and also add it to the bowl. Mix in two eggs, 2 tbsp flour, and 1 tbsp panko bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients- the flour, bread crumbs, and eggs should coat and thicken the ingredients so they all stick together. In a pan, add 2 tbsp of light olive oil and heat at med-high. Scoop out the mixture and fry 2-3 minutes on each side. The recipe makes 12 small latke patties. They're delicious with organic apple sauce! 

Post-cooking

Served with apple sauce

Sautéed Jerusalem Artichokes

The Ingredients

5 Jerusalem artichokes (my collection includes some mini ones)

adobo

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

pepper

parsley

Wash and scrub your artichokes thoroughly. The little knobs can be cut off, but no need to peel. (I just discovered these artichokes are also delicious raw!) Cut into thin slices and set aside. In a saucepan, put 2 tbsp olive oil on low heat. Use a garlic press for your clove of garlic and sautée the artichokes lightly, turning them over as needed to prevent burning. They should be crispy. Add adobo and pepper to taste.  Use dried or fresh parsley to garnish and add some extra flavor. A great alternative to potatoes, and with a shorter cooking time, who wouldn't love them?!

Organic Farm Delivery!

I love fresh produce. 

Today, I got some organic produce thanks to Mike's Organic Delivery. He even sends out emails with recipes! Featured: sweet potato, green cabbage, Jerusalem artichokes, arugula, baby spinach, beets, parsnips, fuji apples, bosc pears, sweet onions. Look out for some recipes with the fruits and veggies above! 

Goat Cheese and Chive Pasta with Chicken and Spinach Sausage

It's all in the Pasta  

1 lb. goat cheese and chive-filled pasta

baby spinach

2 tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves

thyme

sage

parmesan cheese

Trader Joe's chicken and spinach sausage with fontina cheese (2)

I picked up this delicious, handmade pasta from the market nearby. Super expensive, but absolutely delicious! It only takes about 2-3 minutes to cook. The fresher the pasta, the quicker it cooks! Strain the pasta and set aside. 

Cook your  Sausage links by boiling or sautéeing them lightly at low heat with olive oil.

Make sure you don't add too much oil and that the heat isn't high if you decide to sautée, as the oil can pop out and burn you.

While this is going on...

In a pan, add butter and garlic (use a garlic press for the cloves). Once garlic darkens a bit, add the spinach and herbs. Add herbs, then cover pasta with the mixture. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Chicken with Red Pepper and Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Warning: this recipe is for multi-taskers! Also, this is a great way to use up some delicious canned goods or Italian ingredients in a jar that are pre-marinated.

The Chicken

1 chicken breast

1 garlic clove

herbes de provence

light olive oil

sea salt

Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch strips. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on low-med heat. While the oil heats up, use a garlic press for your garlic clove and add garlic to the oil. Turn up the heat and cook chicken for 7 minutes, about 3.5 minutes each side. Toss in salt and herbs to taste. Drain the excess oil and set chicken aside. 

Post-cooking

The Pesto

10 kalamata olives

1 full roasted red pepper

10 sun-dried tomatoes in oil

2 marinated artichoke hearts

5 marinated mushrooms (Trader Joe's- with vinegar)

2 garlic cloves

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

pepper

Add all ingredients into a food processor. The pesto should be nice and thick so it coats your chicken and pasta nicely. Set this aside, as you will get to this later. 

Post-food processor

The Pasta

Add salt to a couple cups of water. Bring water to a boil and add half a box of pasta. I used Barilla mini penne. They took around 8 minutes to cook- definitely make sure your pasta is "al dente" because it makes it easier to digest and is absolutely delicious. Strain the pasta and set aside in a bowl.

Heat your pesto in the pot used for pasta. Add chicken and pasta. Serve with parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

The final product!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

The Cookie Batter 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients into a bowl. The batter should be very thick, but note that the baking soda will allow it to rise quite a bit and be fluffy once baked. Preheat oven at 350 degrees and bake for around 20 minutes. 

The ingredients

The batter

Pre-baking

The Icing

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Once the cookies have been baked and cooled, mix all ingredients into a bowl. Lightly pour the mixture over your cookies to taste. The icing will harden and add a nice touch of sweetness, but this is optional since the cookies are already delicious without it!

Post-baking

Final touch: the icing!