vegetables

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Easy Veggie Soup

March 8, 2012 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 8 comments

More vegetables! I absolutely love blended, creamy soups, and despite the warm weather yesterday was craving something hot and comfy. A veggie soup was just the thing, light enough for the weather but a little bit comforting too. This “recipe” would work with all sorts of vegetables. I totally eyeballed it and used what I had in the house.

I started by thawing about two cups of frozen cauliflower.

And cleaning and chopping eight large carrots. (There were more than just the carrots in this pic; I can count. Winking smile )

One large white onion, cut into thin slices, tossed with a glug of olive oil went into the pot. I set the onions cooking low and slow while I boiled some water and prepped my potatoes.

I used four fairly large potatoes, skins and all, boiled until soft.

When the potatoes were ready, I opened a can of cannellini beans, drained them, and tossed them into the pot which now contained the cauliflower, onion, oil, carrots, one jalapeno, and ground black pepper.

I poured in just enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables and let them all simmer until soft.

And then I got distracted by my open windows, warm breezes, and blasting music. I figured a dance party was more important than photographing dinner.

The rest of the process included pouring the contents of the pot into the blender and blending until smooth. It was a bit of a hassle and mess to pour it in to the blender, but I find I am often disappointed by my immersion blender. It just doesn’t do the trick.

The soup was delicious, smooth and velvety with flavor from the chicken stock and onions. It was definitely one of those dishes that required several bowls to be satisfying; something with it might have rounded out the meal a little better. I actually made frozen fries at 10:00 pm because I was still hungry. I was really dreaming about cheesy bread again though.

I guess this soup gets two thumbs up as an appetizer or a side. I would definitely make it again.

Has this lovely weather changed your food cravings yet? I for one can not wait for tomatoes, corn, strawberries, and watermelon, but I will be happy to get through asparagus, ramps, artichokes, and fiddleheads first.

Technorati Tags: Food, recipe, soup, vegetables

Tags: Food, recipe, soup, vegetables

Vegetarian Sunday Cooking

December 8, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 5 comments

As the weather gets colder, and the daylight dwindles, it’s nice to have a few comfort food recipes on hand. What’s even better is trying not to fall into that winter trap of eating tons of cheesy carbs and meat (not all the time anyway) that constitute traditional comfort food. With our health and waistlines in mind, I spent Sunday slowly developing a Moroccan-inspired veggie stew for dinner and three days of lunches. I love when I am prepared for the week!

When we need a huge grocery haul, we often go to Market Basket. We really should just go there all the time. If you can tolerate the crowds and the slippery, sawdusty floors, you can get some incredible deals! Next time I need to wear shoes with better soles though; I almost fell trying to get up the momentum to push our cart!

Anyhow, the end result of our shopping trip was fabulous, lots of veggies for eating and juicing. My Moroccan-inspired stew was full of lots of bold flavors, lots of nutrients, and bright colors.

Ingredients

4 cups chopped carrots

4 cups chopped butternut squash

2 cups chopped sweet potato

3 cups chickpeas (cooked)

any other leftover veggies you have – I tossed in about 3 cups of steamed broccoli and string beans

8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 habanero peppers, fine chopped, seeds and all!

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed as much as possible or roughly ground in a spice grinder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste

2 cups chicken or veggie stock

1 cup orange juice

Once everything is chopped and ready, start the garlic, onions, and habanero off in a little olive oil, just until sizzling a little. Add in the firmer veggies, the carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash, pour in half of the chicken stock, and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. After that time, add in the rest of the liquids, the tomato paste, the chickpeas, and the spices. Stir from the bottom repeatedly to break up the tomato paste and to bring up the garlic and onions. You want everything to get coated in the liquid.

Cover and lower the heat to as low as it will go. Simmer for about 45 minutes, then add in the softer veggies. Stir, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes or so. Shut the heat off, and leave the stew on the stove, covered until ready to eat.

Giving this stew a couple of hours before we ate it meant that the flavors really got together and the sauce thickened up a bit. And since I left it in my Le Creuset, it actually stayed warm enough for us to eat without reheating!

Every bite of this dish was surprising. I loved all of the spices, the pop of citrus from the orange, and the richness that the tomato provided. Each mouthful included a different array of vegetables, and it warmed me from my toes.

It was, of course, even better the next day and the day after. A delicious lunch really can make the day a million times better!

Technorati Tags: butternut squash, healthy, recipe, spices, vegetables, Vegetarian

Tags: butternut squash, healthy, recipe, spices, vegetables, Vegetarian

Pumpkin Chili

November 22, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 14 comments

It’s Ireland day! Just about 3/4 of the day working, packing, and getting ready for our houseguests/ cat sitters, and then we will be heading to the airport and off to Shannon. The time between when we check into our flight and step out of Shannon airport is one of my all time favorite things in the world. We always grab a bite to eat and a glass of bubbly to toast our trip. I even enjoy settling into my Aer Lingus seat, watching movies, and trying (never successfully) to get a few hours of sleep. I’m most excited when we start our descent, get through customs, and walk through the familiar automatic doors to see my wonderful father in law waiting for us. But the best moment comes when we step outside. Feeling exhausted and dry from the flight, we literally come back to life when we are hit with the cool, misty air and smell of turf fires. It is the best smell ever. We follow our drive to Galway with a big Irish breakfast, and then we go to sleep for a few hours, the best sleep ever. And tomorrow, we will be busy getting ready for my husband’s Masters graduation followed by dinner at McSwiggan’s, followed by drinks with his friends. Happy times!

I know I said I had enough pumpkin weeks ago, but I may have changed my mind after making this chili for a cozy weekend dinner. With another Boston Marathon on the horizon and training to start when I return from Ireland, I am trying to get my eating back on track a little too. My diet has taken a big turn for the worse, with random handfuls of tortilla chips and takeout meals making up a lot of what I eat. This body needs more veggies and fruits!

But it also really needs comfort food, and since we didn’t do much grocery shopping due to our upcoming trip, I was able to make this chili from a well-stocked pantry and freezer.

Somehow I only took pictures of the ingredients and not the final product. . . but it looked like chili.

Even though I am lacking in the photo department, I love this recipe, so I’ll share it anyway.

Ingredients

1 red onion, finely chopped

6 cloves garlic, crushed and topped

1/2 can pumpkin

1 can black beans

1 can tomatoes, I used the last of my delicious Muir Glen Organic, a small can. If you want to make it more tomato-based, you can use two cans or one large one.

1 –2 cups frozen sweet corn

2 cups frozen butternut squash

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

a dash of garlic powder

a dash of cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons olive oil

I got started by adding the onion and oil to my French oven and sautéing it until it started to soften. I then added the garlic and let it cook for a minute before pouring in the tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, corn, and butternut squash. I gave it all a good stir, added the spices, turned up the heat until the chili started to bubble, then turned it down to the lowest heat, letting it simmer and occasionally stirring for about 30 minutes. I had two bowls right away, each topped with pickled jalapenos. I would have added Greek yogurt if we had any left; sadly the 30 containers of Fage we bought during the super sale are gone.

The pumpkin really brought the chili together, giving it a nice body, a little sweetness and creaminess, and lots of nutrition. I felt really good after eating; I really, really need to make a point of eating during the day, and eating well.

Are you eating a little more healthfully as we lead up to the biggest eating holiday of the year? Gobble gobble.

Technorati Tags: chili, dinner, Food, pumpkin, recipe, vegetables, Vegetarian