cauliflower cheese soup

A lot has happened in the three years since I lasted posted! My mom battled stage 4 cancer and survived a bone marrow transplant in 2014. As a result of my research on anti-cancer diets, I became a pescatarian. In an effort to be healthier, my plant based diet no longer includes beef, pork, or poultry. I don't miss that stuff. Ever.

Lately, I've been reading Super Immunity by Dr. Joel Fuhrman which has confirmed some of what I already knew about immunity and the importance of an anti-inflammatory diet. However, the book also goes into depth about the power of cruciferous vegetables, so I'm trying to incorporate cauliflower into meals whenever I can. It just so happens the hubby likes cauliflower so this is a win-win.

This soup was relatively easy to make and so velvety smooth and creamy I know I'll be making it again soon! We don't eat cheese very often but the Borough Market Cheddar Cheese I found at Whole Foods was fantastic. This meal felt like such comfort food and was very filling.

adapted from Jamie Oliver's Recipe

serves 6-8

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

2 medium onions

2 cloves garlic

8 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large head)

olive oil

1-3/4 quarts vegetable broth

sea salt

fresh ground pepper

8 ounces cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon prepared English mustard

nutmeg (for garnish)

to make your soup:

*peel and roughly slice carrots

*slice celery

* peel and roughly chop onions

*peel and slice garlic

*cut cauliflower into 1/2" slices

*heat broth in stock pot until boiling

*heat oil in large sauce pan on medium

*add all chopped and sliced ingredients and cook for 10 minutes with lid askew, stirring occasionally

*grate cheddar cheese and set aside

*add the veggies tot he stock pot and and bring to boil

*reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

*remove from heat and season with salt and pepper

*add the cheese and mustard

*using an immersion blender, pulse soup until silky smooth

*divide between serving bowls and garish with nutmeg

pork & cider stew

This is the perfect fall stew! The flavor is rich and savory, but also crisp and sweet because of the cider. I made this a few weekends ago, and ate the entire stew over the course of just a few days. I purchased my pork at Porter Road Butcher and highly recommend the use of local and/or organic meats.

 

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

serves 4-6

2 stalks celery

2 medium onion

2 carrots

olive oil

1 heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 x 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 sprigs fresh sage

1 pound diced stewing pork (about 3/4" - 1" cubes)

2 cups medium-dry hard cider (I used Woodchuck 802)

to make your stew:

*preheat oven to 350

*trim off ends of celery and roughly chop

*peel and roughly chop onions

*peel carrots, slice lengthwise, and roughly chop

*place dutch oven over medium heat

*add the veggies, herbs, and 2 lugs of oil to the dutch oven and cook for 10 minutes

*add the pork, flour, booze, and canned tomatoes

*stir and season with salt and pepper

*bring to boil, put the lid on and stick it in the oven for 2 ½ hours

*with 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, remove lid and stir in a bit of water if the stew looks dry

serving suggestion:

serve atop brown rice

nutrition per serving:
calories: 364
carbs: 18
fat: 19
protein: 17
iron: 10
sugar: 10

spicy spaghetti

i love this spicy spaghetti! add some chopped tomatoes from the garden; this is a great way to use home-grown produce. quick and easy, this dish went from chopping to serving in just 30 minutes. i'm looking forward to the leftovers!

also, this meal is very inexpensive. if you grow your own peppers and basil as i have, each serving of this dish costs about $1.00. for the money, this meal was satisfying, healthful, and tasty!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe

serves 4-6
2 cloves garlic
1 pound dried spaghetti (i used Capellini)
1 fresh red chile
olive oil
small bunch of fresh basil
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh spinach, stems removed
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 oz. fresh grated parmesan cheese

to make your pasta:
*peel and finely slice the garlic
*finely slice the chile
*pick the basil leaves off the stalk and put to one side
*finely chop stalks
*bring large pan of salted water to a boil, add spaghetti, cook according to package
*put dutch oven on medium heat, add 2 lugs of olive oil
*add garlic, chile, and basil stalks, stir
*when the garlic browns, add most of the basil leaves and canned tomatoes
*turn the heat up to high for one minute
*season with salt and pepper
*drain spaghetti in colander, transfer to the dutch oven, add spinach and stir

serving suggestion:
serve in bowls topped with torn remaining basil leaves and parmesan cheese.
Chianti works well with this meal.

chicken and white wine stew

you may never have thought to put chicken in a stew before, neither had i. but, true to form, the combination of chicken and white wine does not disappoint. this stew ended up being one of my favorite Jamie Oliver recipes to date, albeit one that i tweaked considerably.

a note from the meat department: the butcher at my neighborhood Kroger would not skin and dice my chicken thighs as the original recipe calls for. so, being short on time and weary of raw poultry i decided to cook the chicken first and sort out all the messy details later.

my stew was probably more delicious for having left the skin on; though this probably decreased the healthfulness quotient slightly. the original recipe calls for adding raw, skinless, diced poultry to the cooking veggies. also, there is no bacon in the original recipe; another boon to flavor (and hindrance to health, perhaps).

this is a simple recipe from the ingredients standpoint, as most everything i already had in the pantry/fridge. this was my first time cooking with chicken thighs and wow, the dark meat is tasty! i was also pleasantly surprised to find that chicken thighs are relatively inexpensive compared to other meats and other chicken parts.

however, this is not a ‘quick and easy’ recipe. it always takes some time to chop veggies, but the additional step of removing chicken bones at the end was a pain. although probably less painful than removing them on the front end. all in all, this was an excellent dish to enjoy on a snowy wintry night!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

serves 4-6
2 stalks celery
2 medium onion
2 carrots
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 x 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ handful fresh parsley
1 pound chicken thighs
2 cups white wine
1 slice bacon
pad of butter

to make your stew:
*preheat oven to 350
*with dutch oven over medium heat, fry one slice bacon in butter for a few minutes
*place chicken thighs, skin down in the bacon/butter and season with salt and pepper
*brown the chicken on both sides and remove chicken and bacon to a plate
*trim off ends of celery and roughly chop
*peel and roughly chop onions
*peel carrots, slice lengthwise, and roughly chop
*finely chop parsley
*add the veggies, herbs, and 1 lug of oil to the dutch oven fry for 10 minutes
*add the flour, booze, and canned tomatoes
*stir and season with salt and pepper
*add the chicken and bacon
*bring to boil, put the lid on and stick it in the oven for 1 ½ hours
*with 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, take the chicken out, remove all bones, and shred the meat
*add water if the stew looks dry
*return shredded chicken to the dutch oven and continue cooking the last 30 minutes uncovered
*add more salt/pepper if needed before serving

serving suggestion:
serve with Hawaiian rolls

chili con pavo

the original recipe is a chili con carne (made with ground beef); however, i planned to make this recipe the last time we were expecting snow and by the time i got to the grocery, ground turkey was the only option. i've enjoyed turkey chili before, so i knew this substitution would be sufficient.

chili is one of my favorite things to cook, but this was my first time using cinnamon. while cooking, the scent of cinnamon was very strong. i was skeptical the chili would be too sweet tasting but the vinegar adds a nice balance. this chili had a wonderful, distinctive flavor and was probably lighter with the turkey substitution.

another favorite of mine is chili over pasta. on the second day, i added 16 ounces of canned tomato sauce and italian herbs to the leftover chili which yielded more of a pasta sauce consistency. i served that over rotini pasta topped with cheese and it was fabulous as well!

adapted from Jamie Oliver's 'Food Revolution'

serves 6
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic
2 medium carrots
2 celery stalks
2 red bell peppers
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon chili powder
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 x 15oz. can garbanzo beans
1 x 15oz. can red kidney beans
2 x 14oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 pound ground turkey
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

to make your chili:
*peel and finely chop the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery
*halve the peppers, remove stalks and seeds and roughly chop
*place dutch oven over medium high heat with 2 lugs olive oil
*add all your chopped veggies
*add chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon with a good pinch of salt and pepper
*stir every 30 seconds for 7 minutes until softened
*add the drained garbanzo beans, drained kidney beans, and the canned tomatoes
*add the ground turkey, breaking larger chunks up with a wooden spoon
*fill one of the tomato cans with water and add to the pot
*pick the cilantro leaves and place them in the fridge
*finely chop the stalks and place them in the pot
*add the vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and pepper
*bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a simmer with the lid slightly askew for one hour, stirring occasionally

to serve your chili:
Jamie Oliver recommends serving his chili con carne over rice with guacamole. we enjoyed the turkey chili with cornbread, oyster crackers, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and jalapenos.

to make the cornbread:
use a package of jiffy cornbread and make according to package. mix into the batter a handful of shredded cheese, 1/2 cup of cream corn, and diced jalapenos; bake as directed.

Pan-Fried Glazed Pork Chops

these chops had a great flavor, despite the fact that i probably over-cooked them slightly. my crackling wasn't entirely successful, since the chops i found were very lean. we had them with a salad, baked potato, and rolls; looking back i probably would have served them with a sweet potatoes instead. this was a really quick dinner, and one i plan to make again.

adapted from Jamie Oliver's 'Food Revolution'

serves 2
2 x 8-ounce pork chops
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
4 sprigs of fresh sage
mango chutney
honey

to prepare your pork:*trim the skin off the edges of each chop to turn into crackling
*cut each strip of skin lengthwise into 2 strips, ending up with 4
*make cuts every 1/4" along the fat remaining on the chops
*rub both sides of the chops (and strips of skin) with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper
*pick the sage leaves off their stalks and toss gently in olive oil, set aside

to cook your pork:
*put a frying pan over a high heat and add strips of skin
*move them about the pan and remove when golden , crisp, crackling
*lay both chops flat in the pan and give them 4-5 minutes on each side, turning every minute
*when they're golden, add a few sage leaves to the pan
*let them crisp up and cook for about 30 seconds, then remove them to a plate
*spoon a large tablespoon of mango chutney mixed with honey over each chop
*keep turning the chops over so they get nicely coated
*remove the chops to a plate and let them rest for a minute or two

to serve your pork:
*serve your chops on a plate, with the crackling and the crispy sage leaves

le french [dutch] oven

My dutch oven is actually a ‘French Oven’, according to Le Creuset. But since everyone else calls it a dutch oven, that is what I will call it in this blog. My dutch oven is a Le Creuset 5 ½ quart masterpiece in Cherry. Acclaimed for their performance, Le Creuset cookware is also a thing of beauty.

According to Le Creuset, “The cast iron provides superb heat retention and distribution, and the enamel is hard-wearing and non-reactive, making the number of recipes that you can do in this pot endless: anything from savory rice to braised chicken to mouth-watering cake. Your imagination is the only limit!”

I had the fine fortune this year of not only acquiring this beautiful piece of cookware, but also these wonderful cookbooks: Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. With these tools I hope to cook delicious food. Bon Appétit!