carrot soup

This lovely, hearty soup is perfect for a winter’s day. The citrus and yogurt add a punch of freshness and provide a pleasant foil to the root vegetable’s earthiness. In my experience, the soup was quite flavorsome without adding salt or pepper. Also, up to a cup of water can be added after blending for desired thickness.

Based on a recipe I found in Glamour magazine, this soup boasts beta carotene, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Carrots are “the friendliest skin food around” according to the magazine’s editors. And who doesn’t want a delicious way to repair and defend skin cells?

serves 4

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tbsp. ground ginger

zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 ½ lbs carrots, peeled & chopped

2 cups water

4 cups low-sodium veggie stock

½ cup orange juice

½ cup plain light yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

to make your soup:

*heat the oil and butter over high heat

*lower heat to medium and add garlic, onion, ginger, lemon zest, coriander, cumin, & cinnamon, cooking for 5 minutes, stirring constantly

*increase heat to medium high, add carrots and water, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

*add stock and simmer for 30 minutes

*using an immersion blender, completely blend the soup

(if using a blender, work in batches with cooled soup)

*add orange juice and yogurt, stir until well-blended

*add salt & pepper to taste

serving suggestion:

*soup can be served hot or cold

*garnish with 1 tsp. yogurt and/or a sprinkling of chives
*serve with a vinaigrette salad and garlic bread or croutons

minestrone

Diabetes runs in both sides of my family so I’m trying to learn more about prevention and treatment through diet for myself and loved ones. Lately I’ve tried several diabetic-friendly recipes, with mixed results. But this soup is mighty tasty, and it makes a ton!

Minestrone is a traditional Italian dish made up of a variety of ingredients. This dish is low-calorie, heart-healthy, and diabetic friendly. Substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock to make this dish vegetarian. 

adapted from The Mediterranean Diabetic Cookbook by Amy Riolo

serves 10 (1-cup servings)

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 Yukon gold potato, chopped into bite-size pieces

8 cups low-sodium organic chicken stock

2 zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 large tomatoes, chopped

½ lb. string beans, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 (15 oz.) can no-salt added cannellini beans

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

pepper to taste

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

to make your soup:

*heat olive oil over medium heat

*sauté onion, carrots, celery for 5 minutes

*add parsley and garlic, cook for another minute

*stir in cabbage, potatoes, and chicken stock, bring to boil

*stir in zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cannellini beans, and vinegar

*cover and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour

*add salt and pepper to taste

*blend half of soup with an immersion blender

serving suggestions:

hot, topped with Parmesan cheese

nutrition per serving:

exchanges: ½ starch, 2 vegetable, ½ fat

calories: 130

fat calories: 30

total fat: 3.5g

sat. fat: 1.1g

cholesterol: 5mg

sodium: 475mg

total carbs: 19g

dietary fiber: 5g

sugars: 5g

protein: 8g

cranberry and apple braised pork chops

This creation made use of Thanksgiving leftovers and pork chops I had in the freezer from my CSA, making it delicious and inexpensive. In fact this was so good I’ll be making it again from scratch and trying it with different apple and wine varieties.

Local, natural, sustainable agricultural just tastes better, and these chops didn’t disappoint. Despite being frozen, this pork was incredibly tender and flavorful. With more chops, this dish could easily have served 4-6 people.

serves 2

salt and pepper

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1-2 cups cranberry sauce

1 cup wine (I used Estancia Pinot Noir)

2 all-natural pork chops, ½” thick

1-4” stem fresh rosemary, stem discarded

1-4” stem fresh thyme, stem discarded

1 cored and sliced granny smith apple

to make your chops:

*rub both sides of the chops with salt and pepper and marinate with a little cranberry sauce 8 hours or overnight

*preheat oven to 350

*in a saucepan, warm 1-2 cups cranberry sauce and 1 cup wine over low heat

*in the Dutch oven, sauté onions and garlic in a little Olive Oil over medium heat about 5 minutes

*make room for and sear both sides of chops until golden, about 5 minutes total, transfer chops to plate

*add apples to onions and cook for 5 minutes

*place chops on top of apples and cover with thyme and rosemary leaves

*spoon warmed cranberry sauce over chops

*cover and cook for 45 minutes, uncovering the last 5 minutes

serving suggestion:

with cornbread stuffing

maple cranberry sauce

This recipe comes from the ‘big cookbook’ (it’s at least 3” thick) my mom gave me years ago which has become my bible of sorts for all things cooking and baking. There are a million ways to make a cranberry side dish for a Thanksgiving meal but this one is extremely simple and a good balance of sweet and tart flavors.

Walnut halves have been omitted from the original.

adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

serves 10-12

12 oz. fresh organic cranberries, well-rinsed

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup raspberry-cranberry juice (not from concentrate)

Grated zest of 1 orange

to make your sauce:

*combine all ingredients and bring to boil

*lower heat to medium and cook until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes

*skim off any foam, allow to cool, cover, and refrigerate

serving suggestions:

*with your Thanksgiving feast of course!

marinara sauce

Marinara sauce has been a love of mine since I was a kid sharing family meals at Anna Maria’s, a beloved family-owned Italian restaurant in Santa Monica. Marinara over shells is my favorite, but I have been known to eat it just by the spoonful. Never have I a made a worthy version from scratch, until now.

This recipe incorporates celery and carrots. And while I’m not sure how authentically Italian these ingredients may be, they seem to be valuable additions to the tomatoes, delivering a rustic flavor. I substituted half of the tomatoes for fresh tomatoes and wine. This sauce is hefty, despite being meatless.

adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis’ marinara sauce recipe

serves 4-6

½ cup EVOO

2 small onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

1-28oz. can Hunt’s crushed tomatoes

4 fresh, large paste tomatoes, sliced

1 cup red wine

2 dried bay leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

to make your sauce:

*heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onions and garlic for 10 minutes

*add carrots, celery, salt and pepper, and stir occasionally another 10 minutes

*add tomatoes and remove from heat

*blend with immersion blender

*bring to simmer, add bay leaf and red pepper

*cook on low heat, uncovered, for one hour

*remove and discard bay leaves before serving

serving suggestions:

*freshly grated parmesan and homemade garlic bread, buon appetite!

butternut squash soup

Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook and an immersion blender have been on my wish list for some time and when I received both as birthday presents, I couldn’t wait to use them. Searching her book for a soup recipe with blending in mind, this one seemed spot-on for a fall afternoon.

Garam masala provided depth of flavor to this thick, savory soup. Most likely owing to the dark vegetable stock, the russet tint was not entirely appealing. G.P. offers a vegetable stock recipe, but I opted for store-bought. Another grocery item to save time is the peeled and diced butternut squash available at Trader Joe’s.

Since everything will be blended, there's no need to toil over perfectly-sized chopped veggies. The immersion blender was quick easy to use. It has become my new favorite kitchen gadget and I’m looking forward to more applications. This recipe was sized just right for two people with leftovers for an entire other meal.

A native of Central America, Butternut Squash is easy to grow. Due to its nutty taste and orange flesh, this winter squash is considered a type of pumpkin and used as such in Australia. Butternut squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin E, as well as a good source of fiber, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium.

adapted from ‘Butternut Squash Soup’ from My Father's Daughter

serves 4

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 large yellow onions, peeled and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

½ tsp sea salt

several turns of fresh ground pepper

½ tsp Garam masala

6 cups butternut squashed, peeled, seeded, cubed

32 oz. vegetable stock

to make your soup:

*melt butter in the olive oil over medium heat

*add onions and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

*stir in salt, pepper, Garam masala and heat for another 2 minutes

*add squash, stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes

*add vegetable stock and bring to a boil

*lower the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes

*remove from heat for 15 minutes

*blend soup with immersion blender

*heat for another few minutes, salt to taste, and serve

serving suggestions:

*a fried green tomato salad and sweet vinaigrette would nicely complement the savory nature of this soup. also, cheesy croutons would be a most welcome addition.

white bean & chicken chili

It’s fall ya’ll! And I had house guests last weekend, so I made one of my favorite cold weather soups. This dish is always well-received and the leftovers are absolutely delicious. I recommend adding one more jalapeno for an additional kick and making cheesy jalapeno cornbread to go along with it.

The last time I made this chili, instead of simmering for 30 minutes, I baked the chili at 250 degrees for about an hour. The broth/wine proportion and volume is open to interpretation. I’ve made this without wine and/or with less liquid volume and still had great results. As always, home-grown, locally sourced, free-range, and organic ingredients make everything better!

serves 6-8 
1 onion, diced
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
1 rotisserie chicken, bones removed, chopped
28 oz. petite diced tomatoes
3 (15oz.) great northern white beans
14 oz. fresh salsa (I used Jack's Special Medium Salsa)
24 oz. chicken broth
1 cup white wine
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
juice from ½ of a lime
1 Tbsp. cumin

to make your stew: 
*sauté the onion and pepper in a little olive oil until softened
*add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
*reduce heat and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes

serving suggestion:
serve with cornbread, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced jalapenos