Spiced Carrot Ginger Soup

It started out yesterday with a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Ugh. No! I popped two Ester-C tablets, hoping that they would keep the cold at bay. No luck. By this morning, my nose had become a leaky faucet. I wanted to snuggle deeper down into the covers and stay in my pajamas all day! Something sounded good...something warm and comforting, but spicy enough to kick this bug out of my system. Spiced Carrot and Ginger Soup. 

Carrots and ginger both contain important properties for boosting your immune system. According to an article on the LiveStrong website, dated December 2, 2010, "Carrots contain vitamin A and vitamin B1, which are two important vitamins for keeping your immune system healthy and able to fight off infection. Adding carrots to your diet while you have a cold may motivate your white cells to work more efficiently at ridding your body of the virus causing your symptoms." Read more here.

"One of the benefits of ginger is its effects on congestion and its abilities to help fight colds. The use of ginger for combatting the common cold has been a staple of Ayurvedic medicine for centuries and was popular even before scientific research began revealing how powerful ginger truly is. For those who are suffering from congestion or a cold, consuming ginger may be extremely advantageous." Click on this link for the entire article.

So, with those two amazing ingredients as the base of this recipe, my cold symptoms should be gone in an.....Ha...haAChooO! Sorry. Let's just get to it...

Ingredients:

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/4 cup sliced carrots

1 Tb. vegetarian chicken seasoning mixed with 2 cups water, or 2 cups vegetable stock

1/8 tsp. turmeric

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. cumin

pinch red pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups pureed acorn squash (You could use butternut, too.)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

In a medium pot and over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until it begins to clarify. Add minced garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Allow to sauté for a minute, then add sliced carrots. Continue to cook until carrots begin to soften. Add broth and spices, including red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Cook until carrots are completely soft.  Add pureed squash, coconut milk, orange juice, and salt during the last few minutes of cooking. Transfer all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour back into pot and bring to a simmer. Check for seasoning and salt if necessary. Serve immediately. This was especially tasty with some hearty croutons!

Enjoy while I nurse my aching joints! :0)

Yield: 3-4 servings

Walnut Fig Scones with Citrus Glaze

Fall is here, whether I'm ready for it or not. I spent the morning going through my children's clothes and pulling out their shorts and t-shirts to make room for the toasty warm sweaters and fleece pajamas that will fill their dresser drawers now. With the gusty winds and brisk temperatures comes the desire for something warm and comforting. Pumpkin...walnuts...figs...come to mind when I think of Fall.

A friend of ours knows that our family likes unusual foods and graciously gave me the inspiration for these breakfast treats. A jar of Dalmatia Fig Spread. I thought, "What kind of neat experiment can I come up with using fig spread? We love it served with scones. Whole wheat toast makes a pretty good accompaniment, too. What would happen if I mixed fig preserves into a scone dough?"  These emerged as a result. I added grated apples, walnuts, and a hint of molasses.  I also incorporated whole wheat flour up the ante on the fiber content. The top has a nice citrus glaze with a bit more fig preserves to really enhance the flavor. 

We had mixed reviews in our home after the initial taste test. Our toddler ate two of them right away. My small group ladies and I enjoyed them, too. Our 6-year-old, however, took one small bite and put the scone aside. I take it fig isn't her favorite flavor. :0) 

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (half white, half wheat or 2 cups white to 1 cup wheat)

1 Tb. baking powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. allspice

1 cup peeled, grated apple of choice (I used 1 Golden Delicious)

1/2 cup coarsely ground walnuts

3 Tb. Fig preserves

6 Tb. Earth Balance margarine

3/4 cup Almond milk

1 Tb. ground flax seed, mixed with 3 Tb. water

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, sugar, salt, and allspice. Cut margarine into flour mixture until it looks like the consistency of small peas. Make a well in the center. In another small bowl, combine grated apple, walnuts, fig preserves, almond milk, and flax seed-water mixture.  

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir well to combine. If the dough appears to be too soft (like muffin batter), add a bit more flour until it's easy to handle. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times to incorporate flour. Shape into a 8 x 8 square about 1-in. thick and cut into to wedges or squares. Place scones about  3/4-in. apart on a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 16-18 minutes or until toasty golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before spooning the citrus glaze over.

Citrus Fig Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 T. fig preserves

1 T. orange juice, or enough until you reach the desired drizzling consistency.

These are really best eaten the same day. 

Blackberry Scones with Lemon Drizzle - Sunday Bonus

I usually like to make something a bit more special for breakfast on Sundays. I have more time, and Daddy is home to enjoy breakfast with the family. So this morning, I made coconut and citrus scented oatmeal and these blackberry scones. I looked online for a recipe for blackberry scones and found one that I augmented quite a bit. The concept was good, but I like a bit more depth of texture in my scone, so I added cornmeal and whole wheat flour to the white flour it called for. The drizzle on top...Oh, man. It makes the flavors come alive. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup frozen blackberries

1 Tb. flour

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 Tb. cornmeal

3/4 Tb. baking powder

3 Tb. sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

6 Tb. Earth Balance margarine

1 cup canned coconut milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tb. Earth Balance margarine

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Pour blackberries into a small bowl and toss them in 1 Tb. flour. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Cut in margarine or mix with fingers until the texture of the mix is pebbly. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients. 

In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, stir together canned coconut milk and vanilla.  Add all at once to the dry ingredients. (My daughter enjoyed helping me with this part!) Stir together with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times until it's somewhat smooth. Add blackberries. I did this by making a small disk shape with my dough and pouring the blackberries into the middle of the dough disk. I then folded one side of the disk over and lightly pressed down, repeating with the other side of the dough. Gently pull and press the dough maybe a total of 4 times before shaping into an 8-in. round circle about 3/4 in. thick.

Cut the dough circle into 8 wedges and place wedges onto ungreased cookie sheet, leaving about 1-in. space between each piece. Cut 1 Tb. of Earth Balance margarine into small pieces. Place a small dab of margarine on each wedge before popping them into the oven to bake. Bake for approximately 21 minutes, or until the tops are beautifully golden brown.

Remove from oven. Drizzle warm scones with the following lemon icing and allow to cool for a few minutes to harden the icing. 

Lemon Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

3-4 Tb. lemon juice

Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Add lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time, stirring well, until you get a nice thick drizzling consistency. The icing should cling to the spoon a little bit like honey. 

Enjoy on these blackberry scones or  blueberry cornmeal scones.

Cranberry Walnut Applesauce Muffins

Making good food for my family brings me this sense of satisfaction that nothing else quite can. I felt that satisfaction after making these muffins. They are hearty, moist, and super tasty! And the fact that they have applesauce in them makes me even more happy. The applesauce allows the muffins to retain their moistness, without eggs or a large amount of oil. The recipe does call for oil, but you could experiment with all applesauce (just substitute on a 1 to 1 ratio: 1/2 a cup of applesauce to 1/2 cup oil, etc.).

I originally made these with dried cranberries and fresh pears, and they were delicious. The next time I made them, I added ground English walnuts instead.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tb. ground flax seed mixed with 6 Tbs. water

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/3 cups applesauce

1/2 cup cooking oil (or increase the amount of applesauce by 1/2 cup)

2/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup ground walnuts

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners, or spray lightly with cooking spray. You may not use all the liners, but be prepared just in case.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. In a separate bowl, combine flax seed mixture, brown sugar, applesauce and oil (if using). Add wet ingredients to dry, and fold and stir gently to combine well. Mix in cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. I used a large ice cream scoop and one scoop was a perfect fit. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown or a toothpick or skewer inserted into a muffin emerges clean. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from tins and serve warm.

My toddler son has requested these for breakfast the past two mornings in a row.

"Mommy, muffin." "Charlie, would you like a muffin?" "Yes, pease." "Ok, baby, you can have a muffin!" (Smiling on the inside, because I know he's getting the good stuff.)

Enjoy!

Lebanese Style Lentil Soup

We used to attend a small group designed especially for families when we lived in Salt Lake City. It was one of those delightfully necessary things that every parent with small children knows: a safe place to go to socialize with other adults while your children play with other children and their (exciting/new) toys. :0)

One cold winter evening, we slipped and slid across town to the host's (Lisa and Glenn, you know who you are!) home where we were greeted with this amazing lentil soup, amongst other steaming soup choices. The combination of flavors were delicious and I asked to have the recipe. It's still one of our favorites.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup brown lentils

8 cups vegetable or vegetarian chicken stock

1 large potato

1 bunch fresh or 1 lb. frozen spinach (or you could substitute chard)

1 medium onion, diced

4 T. olive oil

1/2 cup coarsely chopped (washed) cilantro or 1 tsp. ground coriander

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

salt to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper or Pepper Like Seasoning from The Vegetarian Express

1/2 tsp cumin

3 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon juice
Lemon slices (optional)

Instructions:
Rinse lentils well. Combine lentils and stock in a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Peel potato and cut into small cubes. Add to lentils. Cover and simmer about 20 more minutes. Wash fresh spinach well and cut into strips. Add to soup, cover and continue cooking until lentils are tender (about 20 more minutes). Meanwhile, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is soft and semi-clarified. To the onion mixture, add 1/2 cup cilantro and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion/cilantro mixture to soup during last 5 minutes of cooking. Stir in salt to taste (maybe about 1 1/2 tsp), pepper, cumin and lemon juice.

(Side note: I prepared this last night and didn't have cilantro. I altered the directions to suit my situation. I had 1 lb. frozen spinach, so I added it to the onion/garlic and sautéed them together with the 1 tsp. dried coriander. It was good, but the fresh cilantro is better.)

Make this a complete meal with crusty artisan bread and a tossed green salad.

Makes 6 servings (1 2/3 cup size)


*This is a family recipe from L. B.

Orzo with Wilted Spinach

I love orzo. It cooks quickly, is versatile, and has such a cute little shape! One of my first experiences with orzo pasta was with my (then) fiancé on Valentines Day 2004. He took me to J. Alexanders, a fantastic restaurant in Denver. A steak house, there was not much on the menu to suit our vegetarian dietary preferences, but they did offer a delectable variety of vegetarian side dishes such as a mountain of smashed red potatoes, haricot vert with almonds, steamed broccoli, braised red cabbage, heirloom carrots, and this amazing orzo salad. It was a mouthwatering blend of dried fruit, pasta, wild rice, sweet peppers, etc...You'd really have to try it to believe me. ;0) We finished off our meal with a gigantic piece of warm carrot cake too big for the two of us to finish. I've attempted to replicate that salad many times, but just can't seem to get it right. That's ok. I'll save the experience for the next time I visit J. Alexanders. 

This recipe is a respectable nod to orzo as a side dish. I made this dish this afternoon for dinner with a vegetarian chicken cacciatore and toasted whole grain baguette. It's lemony fragrance really enhanced the cacciatore. 

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 cup orzo pasta, dry

15 oz. vegetarian chicken broth (I used 1 Tb. chicken seasoning to 15 ozs. water)

1/2 medium onion, roughly diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups fresh spinach, washed and cut into strips

2 tsp. fresh basil, julienned

1 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Juice of half a lemon

Salt

Pepper (opt)

Instructions:

Drizzle about 2 tsps. olive oil in bottom of medium saucepan. Add dry orzo. Warm over medium high heat until orzo begins slightly brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Allow to cook until tender, approximately 18 minutes. 

Meanwhile, start your spinach. Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until fragrant and beginning to clarify. Add spinach and basil. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Add lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper, if using. Cook a moment longer to allow the flavors to combine. Remove from heat and seat aside. 

When orzo is tender, add spinach mixture, stir and fluff combination. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Serve warm.

Serves 4.

Quick and Easy: Roasted Mini Burritoes

If you're a busy mom like me, you might be able to identify with this frequent scenario: We come home from the store, the kids are starving, and I've got to think quickly -- "What am I going to make for lunch?" My youngest is pulling on my pant leg, letting me know he needs to eat soon, and my eldest is scouring the fridge for something to tie her over. Hmmm. Now is when a quick and easy, throw-together meal comes in handy. Enter roasted mini burritos. A less-fat cousin of the crisp bean burrito from a certain fast food restaurant, this version is super satisfying and baked, not fried. 

As vegetarians, our family relies on beans, nuts, tofu, and vegetarian meat substitutes for protein. My daughter will not eat the meat substitutes. This is fine, because while they are a slightly better alternative to meat (lower fat, etc.), they are not the absolute best for us (highly processed and full of sodium). But, it does make life a bit more difficult when planning quick meals. So, this mini crunchy burrito using fat-free refried beans, is perfect for her little body. 

Ingredients:

My new favorite

12 fajita size flour tortillas

1 can fat-free or vegetarian refried beans

1/4-1/3 cup roasted corn salsa (I LOVE San Antonio Farms Roasted Chipotle Corn & Lime Salsa from Costco)

1/2 cup grated dairy free cheese (opt.)

Cooking spray

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375. Wrap tortillas in a paper towel and warm slightly in microwave for about 20 seconds. 

In a small mixing bowl, combine refried beans and salsa. Spread about a tablespoon of bean mixture into the center of tortilla, sprinkle with a pinch of cheese (if using). Working from one edge of the tortilla, roll up, leaving both ends open. Spray burrito with cooking spray and lay on a cookie sheet. Continue process until all tortillas are gone. Bake for approximately 5-7 minutes or until the tops are nice and golden brown. 

Remove from oven, allow to cool for a minute, then serve with a nice green salad. You could top it with a bit of store-bought enchilada sauce for a wet burrito, or serve it plain with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream substitute.

My kids love them and that makes me happy. :0) 

Yield: 2-3 per person