Ever since I sat down and really looked at what we were spending on take-out, I have been on the search for quick, easy, and delicious meals to make for those late nights.  Pasta is always a good fall-back on dish to have around the house.  We do enjoy making our own pasta but for emergency meals, I always keep some dried pasta on hand, just in case.  Another staple that I keep in the freezer is a little pancetta;  it is a great addition to eggs, salads, and pasta.  My take on Pasta Carbonara has become a regular guest at our dinner table.  This recipe is a little salty.  A little spicy.  A little creamy.

When I mentioned my new found late night nibble to a couple friends, they all asked the same thing, “aren’t you afraid of using raw eggs?”  I had never really thought about it before, and in all honesty I did not want to start worrying about it;  but, I wanted to serve this dish to some dinner guests, and figured this would be a good time to figure out a way to avoid the “raw egg” issue. For this recipe I coddle the eggs with the boiling pasta.  Then before serving, I toss the pasta with the coddled egg yolks, and then add the sizzling hot sauce, and the cheese, lightly tossing just to combine, to make a creamy sauce that hugs every strand of pasta.  This is going to become your fall-back-on recipe;  I just know it!

Recipe:  Pasta Carbonara

*serves 4

What you need:

• 8 slices pancetta, small dice
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
• pinch dried chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian Parsley
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• kosher salt, to taste
• sprinkle of fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 coddled eggs, yolks only (I don’t like the texture of the runny whites with the pasta)
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked according to directions
• handful shaved parmigiano cheese

What you need to do:

In a large saucepan, heat water to boiling, and cook pasta according to directions.  2 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking, add the eggs to the cooking pasta. Cook the eggs for the last couple of minutes with the pasta.  Remove from the water, set aside, and drain the pasta.

While the water is boiling, and the pasta is cooking;  heat a large frying pan, over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, and the pancetta;  cook, over medium heat, until the pancetta begins to get a little crispy;  about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, and chili pepper, stir;  over medium heat, cook until lightly golden;  about 2 – 3 minutes.  The bottom of the pan will begin to crust a little. Add the wine, and deglaze the pan.  Cook over low heat, until reduced; about 10 minutes.  Add the parsley, and the butter.  Stir, and cook, over medium high heat, for 1 minute;  slight bubbles will begin to form.  Remove from heat.

Working quickly as you do not want to lose any heat, add the drained pasta, and the coddled egg yolks to a large serving bowl, and toss using two spoons.  Add the hot pancetta sauce, and cheese;  toss quickly until creamy.  Season with salt, and a generous sprinkle of black pepper.  Serve.  Eat.

If you like this recipe, check these out:

Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara with Poached Egg

Asparagus and Chicken Pasta Carbonara

© Denise for Chez Us, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Carbonara, Chili Peppers, Coddled Eggs, Easy Dinner, Garlic, Pancetta, Parmesan Cheese, Pasta, Pasta Carbonara, Spicy

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Pen to paper;  fingers to keyboard.  I have started this sentence over about 10 times.  The thoughts are there, the words just are not coming to me.  You may have noticed that we have been away from Chez Us for a couple weeks.  No, we have not stopped eating.  Life just kind of grabbed a hold of us (me) and I needed some time to regroup.  I think we (I) are back.

During my break from life I needed some comfort food.  I was sitting, drinking coffee and staring at my computer last week, when a childhood memory that I had not thought about floated into my mind….. Campbell’s Cream of Tomato Soup with grilled Velvetta cheese sandwiches.  God, I use to love the two; creamy soup and gooey fake cheese sandwiches.  I loved how the butter would brown the edges of the bread (white bread, too) and the gooey Velvetta would just ooze everywhere.  Now, the soup.  Nothing is better than creamy tomato soup but add a pat of butter to it and you have heaven.  My grandmother on my father’s side would add a big pat of butter to the soup.  I loved watching it bob up and down in the bowl, the edges melting into the creamy soup, leaving little pools of butter.  I would always slurp up the buttery parts first.

Those memories are what I needed to stir up this fantastic soup recipe.  I used canned tomatoes, only because the fresh ones are not quite there yet.  As well I threw in a red pepper to give it some added depth.  I skipped the cream, too, the thing with pureed soups, you really don’t need it.  And I replaced the butter pat with fresh basil. I did serve it with grilled cheese but this time it was on country bread with a spread of French Tapenade and Gruyere cheese.  Same buttery edges though! It was delicious.  It was comfortable.

Recipe:  Roasted Tomato Soup

Did you ever enjoy a Velvetta Cheese Sandwich as a child?  Or as an adult?

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Campbell's Soup, Cream of Tomato Soup, Easy Dinner, Grilled Cheese, Recipe, Roasted Tomatoes, Savory, Soup, Tomato, Tomato Soup

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The past two weeks have been heavy meat eating weeks.  Don’t get me wrong, we love to eat and we love to socialize with our friends over food, but, it has been a little nutty.  This week we decided to take it a little easier with some meals that we could extend over a few days.   Quiche was one of the first meals that came to mind.

I love making my quiche crust-less.  Yes, it makes me feel less guilty about all those eggs and cheese.  If you don’t mind a crust, please by all means do use one.  I used the same recipe that I use for all of my quiche recipes but I made a few minor adjustments. This particular quiche was heavily scented with fresh thyme.  I used some zucchini blooms as the main veggie ingredient.  The addition of grey salt and a sprinkle of espelette pepper brought all of the ingredients together.  Served with a green salad and warm bread, it was the perfect meal.

Recipe:  Zucchini Blossom Quiche

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cream, Crustless Quiche, Easy Dinner, Eggs, Espelette pepper, French, Quiche, Recipe, Vegetables, Zucchini Blossoms

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I received an email from a reader a few weeks ago asking if I had an asparagus soup recipe.  The email captured my attention immediately as Loreen started talking about how it was almost asparagus season in Northern Nevada.  This brought me back to a childhood memory of picking asparagus with my Aunt Adele, when I was about 4 or 5 out at the Woodward Ranch.  I remember that day well, we were around the back, near the kitchen window, and the area was really wet.  She had an apron on and we were swashing through the water, snapping tender slim pieces of asparagus.  I remember loving it.  I continued to read Loreen’s email while cherishing this memory.  The next paragraph was her introduction to me about how we were related.  I had to go back a couple times to re-read what I thought I had read.  There was a distant cousin who found me through Chez Us.  What a small world….. the Internet continues to amaze me.

I love asparagus soup but it is one of those things that I normally only order when out.  We were both pleasantly surprised at how delicious this recipe came out.  It really did not need the cream as the texture was perfect;  but, it could not be considered cream of asparagus soup without it.  Thank you, Loreen, for inspiring me to make this soup!

Recipe:  Cream of Asparagus Soup

click the above link for a downloadable recipe

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asparagus, Cream of Asparagus Soup, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Recipe, Soup

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

It was evident at the market this past weekend, that the last of the winter time squash are just barely hanging on.  Butternut squash is definitely one of my favorite things to cook during the cold winter months.  I love it roasted, cooked with risotto, served alongside a nice pork roast, steamed with a little butter and most of all as a soup.  I made this wonderfully creamy soup with a rich chicken stock, lots of toasted cumin, caramelized onions and a little carrot.  I was craving meat and spicy but did not want the flavors to overpower the sweet butternut squash, so I decided to slowly cook slices of Portuguese chorizo and use it as a garnish.  It was …. delicious, so delicious, that I am thinking I may have to make a couple batches to freeze so we have some lazy evening suppers!

Recipe:  Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Chorizo

1 medium butternut squash, about 3 pounds, peeled and cut into chunks

1 yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

cumin, did not measure, used by taste, approximately 2 tablespoons

6 cups rich chicken stock

kosher salt, to taste

fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

1 portuguese chorizo, cut into thin slices

handful of fresh thyme, for garnish

black sea salt flakes, for garnish and flavor

drizzle of olive oil or the yummy fat from the chorizo, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft.  Add the garlic, stir.  Add the butternut squash and cook over medium – low heat until caramelized, about 20 minutes.  Add the cumin, stir.  Add the stock and simmer until the squash is tender and starting to fall apart.  While this is cooking, you can pan fry the chorizo slices until crispy.  After they are cooked remove from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and lay on a folded paper towel, this will absorb extra fat.  When the squash is cooked, puree the mixture in small batches in a food processor.  It will be very hot so be very careful.  Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Put into soup bowls and garnish with chorizo, thyme, black sea salt flakes (if desired) and a drizzle of olive oil or the oil left from pan frying the chorizo.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Butternut Squash, Chorizo, Chorizo Croutons, Dairy Free, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Portuguese, Recipe, Soup, Squash

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

I have been seeing a lot of white bean soup out there in the big virtual kitchen.  Unfortunately, they have all been pureed.  What about keeping those pump white beans together and creating a creamy soup?  That is exactly what I did here.

One of my food goals for this year is to stop using canned products as much as possible.  I am trying to cook up a batch of beans every other week and then tossing them into the freezer.  Don’t be scared, you too can do this.  It is simple.  I soak the bean of choice overnight and then cook them the next day.  I don’t add anything except a clove of garlic and some fresh herbs and water, of course.  After I am finished cooking them, I drain them, put into containers and then into the freezer.  We have fresh beans, which taste a lot better than canned, for at least a couple weeks.  The texture and the taste is really outstanding and it is completely worth the time.  This week the bean is the white bean!

Recipe:  White Bean Soup

30 ounces of white beans or two cans of white beans

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 carrots, scrubbed and sliced into chunks

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 cups of veggie stock

fresh thyme, handful, gently crushed

kale, washed, dried and thinly sliced

kosher salt, to taste

good olive oil, to drizzle

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot.  Add onion and carrots, cook for about 10 minutes, until soft.  Add the beans, the stock and the fresh thyme.  Cook for about 1 – 2 hours, depending on how crunchy you like the beans.  I feel that the longer, the better as the flavor really develops.  I cooked for 1 1/2 hours.  During the last 15 minutes, gently smash with the back of a spoon or a masher.  Don’t puree, you want texture.  Right before serving, stir in the kale and gently warm for about 5 minutes.  Season.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beans, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Kale, Recipe, Soup, Thyme, Vegetables, White Bean Soup, White Beans

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Remember those beautiful chanterelles we received?  Well we had two fairly good sized ones left, which left us with the delemma of what to make.  We both love grilled steaks with mushrooms … need we say more!

The chanterelles are so flavorful that they really do not need too much added to them.  I sauteed them simply with olive oil, thyme, a little shallot, garlic and then finished it off with butter.  Perfect companion for these beautiful grass-fed steaks!

These chanterelles would also be lovely on a piece of toasted baguette.

Recipe:  Sauteed Chanterelles

2 medium sized chanterelles, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon butter

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan.  Add the shallot and garlic, give a stir and cook for about 3minutes, to soften.  Add chanterelles.  Stir.  Lower heat and cook until soft and golden, about 15 minutes.  Stir on and off during this process.  Add thyme and butter, stir.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chanterelle, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Mushroom, Recipe, Steak, Vegetables

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Some friends of ours went chanterelle picking over the weekend – 100 pounds later, I scored a pound!  This was definitely one of the best birthday gifts I got – notice how I said one, the best was the weekend away with Lenny!

I decided to use half of the mushrooms to make a savory tart for dinner.  I wanted the flavors to be delicate as not to overwhelm the earthy chanterelles.  I decided I would make a savory pastry dough with fresh marjoram and a heavy dose of fresh cracked black pepper.  I created the tart with layers – dough, shallots, cheese and then the chanterelles.  I slowly cooked shallots with olive oil until they were a nice caramel color – not crispy, still soft but a golden color.  Then I added a layer of blue cheese that was made with goat’s milk and finally the creme de la creme of the tart – buttery chanterelles.  I served the meal with a simple salad dressed with dijon, a side of radishes and a very nice glass of red wine.

I forget how lovely a simple tart or quiche is for dinner, it makes the perfect meal when served with a simple salad.  Delicious!  Fresh!  Beautiful!

Recipe:  Chanterelle and Blue Cheese Tart

Tart Dough

2 1/2 cups flour

pinch of salt

handful of fresh herbs – I used marjoram but have used rosemary, thyme and verbena

8 oz. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup very cold water

Put flour, salt and herbs into a food processor.  Pulse to just mix up.  With processor running add the butter one piece at a time, until all of the butter is used and the mixture is mealy.  Slowly drizzle the water in, until the mixture comes together.  Pulse a couple times.  Remove from the food processor and roll into a disk.  Put into the refridergator for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.

Filling

1/2 pound chanterelles, brushed clean of any dirt and thinly sliced

3 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

a wedge of blue cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

maldon salt, to taste

Heat oven to 425.  Add olive oil to a large frying pan, gently heat.  Add the shallots, stir and lower heat.  Cook until soft but a nice golden color.  Remove from heat and set aside.  In the same pan melt the butter.  Add the chanterelles, stir, lower heat and cook until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Butter a tart pan.  Roll out your dough and form into the tart pan.  Spread the layer of shallots over the dough.  Then crumble the blue cheese over the shallots.  Last sprinkled the buttery chanterelles over the top.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Lower heat to 375 and bake for 20 minutes.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Blue Cheese, Chanterelle, Easy Dinner, Mushroom, Recipe, Savory, Tart, Vegetables

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

One of the first blogs I ever came upon was Chez Pim and the post that popped up was all about Pad Thai.  Who was this Pim?  How did she make such a beautiful Pad Thai?  I made a mental note to make this recipe one day, as it was one of Lenny’s favorite dishes and then I continued reading about the girl Pim.  I loved her culinary adventures that were delicious in one breathe and wrapped around somewhere exotic in the next – a girl after my own heart.  You see we are a bit a like, I love to eat, cook, drink and travel.  One just has to utter the words, TRIP, TRAVEL,and SUITCASE with a sprinkle of good food promised and I am there – does not even have to include a passport but that just makes it even more exciting.

We had the chance to finally meet Pim at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event last year.  She was adorable, taking us under her wing and showing us around the event;  she was exactly as we thought she would be in person ….. sweet!  Over the course of  a couple glasses of bubbly, we got to know more about her as well as the “book” she was working on;  we even got a sneak peak.  It was lovely – full of Pim charm and enticing foodie wisdom.  We could not wait to get our hands on a couple copies!  Her book came out in the summer but we did not get a chance to get a copy until she was up in the city speaking at Omnivore Books.  Not only were we able to attend the event but she agreed to let us capture it so that we could share her foodie adventures with you – I will not tell you about it, you must watch it!

I have loved reading the book, it is warm, personal and full of interesting tid-bits about her life as a “foodie”.  As well she includes many fantastic recipes.   What I like about her advise is that she is not preaching to you about how to become a foodie, rather she is sharing her experiences through her sweet opinionated self and you can take it or leave it.  She will take you on a adventure with every chapter that will leave you salivating for more!

Now back to Pad Thai …. as I mentioned it is one of Lenny’s favorite dishes.  I on the other hand have always been one to take it or leave it.  I just have never found a place in the city that makes it like they do in Thailand.  When I first came across her post, I had a very good feeling it would be good!  So, I invited a couple friends (who have been to Thailand and also love Pad Thai) over and then I grabbed “The Foodie Handbook” turned to page 66 and headed to Clement Street to get ready for our Pad Thai party.  Her recipe is simple.  The hardest part was finding the translator in the markets – *smile*.  It is such a great dish to make with friends … pour a few glasses or Reisling and let the fun begin.  We all agreed it was the best Pad Thai we have eaten outside of Thailand;  slightly salty, a little sour and sweet all tossed together with a “bite”  of heat to warm it up.  Add noodles, seafood and crunchy bean sprouts and chinese chives to balance it all out!    In all honesty this was the first time I actually wanted more Pad Thai …. the next day!

You are hungry?  You want the recipe?  Pim has been so kind to donate a copy to Chez Us so we can share it with one of our readers.  Just leave a comment below telling us one of Pim’s favorite childhood memories (in the video) and tell us about your favorite Pad Thai experience, for a chance to win her book.  We will be announcing a winner on March 5, 2010, so please leave a comment by midnight on March 3.  Can’t wait for the drawing then you can purchase her book here.

And the winner is …………. drum roll please …………….. Kristina at Former Chef!

Congrats Kristina!!!  I, too, loved this story about driving to Hua Hin – so me!

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian Inspired, Chez Pim, Dinner, Easy Dinner, noodles, Pad Thai, Thai, The Foodies Handbook

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Creamy yellow lentils are simmered with your soup basics (carrots, celery, onions) and flavored with sweet butternut squash and spicy Basque chorizo to make this cozy winter time soup.  Add a perfectly poached egg and you have the perfect meal to warm your soul after a cold day outside.

Bea over at La Tartine Gourmande inspired me to make this meal for us.  As soon as I saw the photo on her site, I knew we had to eat it as it has two of our favorite ingredients, lentils and chorizo and one of Lenny’s favorite additions to any meal, the runny egg.  I did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe as I used what we had on had, as well Bea’s recipe calls for white lentils and I have yet to find them.

You will love this filling soup – it is comforting, spicy and sweet all in one bite!

Recipe:  Yellow Lentil Soup with Chorizo

* inspired by Bea’s recipe

2 cups dry yellow lentils

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, scrubbed clean and sliced

1 14oz can diced tomatoes, would have used fresh but they looked terrible

1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 leek, white part only, chopped finely

4 twigs of thyme

3 stalks of parsley

4 cups veggie or chicken stock, I used veggie as I had that on hand

4 cups cold water

3 chorizo, sliced into circles

2 poached eggs

In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, leek, celery, thyme and chorizo and sweat for about 5 minutes, stirring every so often.  Do not brown.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add the lentils, carrots, butternut squash, parsley stalks, water and stock.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring heat to low, to keep warm.  Prepare poached eggs.  To serve ladle soup into a serving bowl and top with poached egg.  Sprinkle a bit of paprika over the top.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Basque, Chorizo, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Lentils, Recipe, Soup, White Lentils, Yellow Lentils

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The fourth appetizer we have for our Super Bowl Healthy Eats Series is spring rolls with a green garlic and soy dipping sauce.

We love making spring rolls as a healthy appetizer.  As well they are great for a light meal.  Spring rolls  are like a salad burrito – everything you should be eating in a nice tidy roll up.  Sometimes we will grill meat or seafood and roll that up with all the crisp veggies.  This time we grilled some eggplant as well as portobello mushrooms that were lightly seasoned with a little sesame oil and salt.  I normally make a dipping sauce that uses fish sauce but we wanted to keep within our vegetarian diet so I made this soy based sauce with some green garlic that I picked up at the market last weekend.  As well we cheated a bit and served a store bought peanut sauce but if you would like to make one check out Maria’s recipe, it sounds and looks amazing!

Recipe:  Green Garlic and Soy Dipping Sauce

1 green garlic stalk, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 small jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

Put everything in a small bowl and whisk or put everything in a small jar with a lid (as we do) and shake.  Let set for about 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe:  Spring Rolls

1 carrot, scrubbed clean and either grated or cut into thin matchsticks
1 red pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
1 cucumber, cut into thin matchsticks
red leaf lettuce, washed and dried well
bean sprouts, washed and dried well
1 portobello mushroom, thinly sliced
1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
fresh basil leaves
fresh mint leaves
round rice sheets

Prepare all of your vegetables and set aside.  Heat a stove top grill pan and drizzle a bit of sesame oil in it.  Add the mushrooms and eggplant, in batches, and cook until soft.  Set aside.  Have a bowl full of hot water, it will cool down as it sits.  One at a time dip a rice sheet into it, for not more than 3 – 4 seconds.  Lay the rice sheet on a cutting board or a work surface.  Place a small amount of a lettuce leave on the rice paper, then your vegetables and a few herbs on the near side of the rice sheet, closest to you.  Do not over pack the sheet or it will not roll.  Start rolling away from you, gently pulling a bit of the rice paper over the veggies – roll, tuck in the sides, roll, tuck in the sides.  Continue making rolls until you have used all of your ingredients.  Cut each roll in half and plate.  Serve.  Eat.

If you want to use the traditional fish sauce here is the recipe that we like.

If you would like to see a tutorial on rolling, this is the best we have found.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Green Garlic, Healthy Eating, Healthy Super Bowl Food, Recipe, Soy Sauce, Spring Rolls, Vegetables

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Cauliflower and sweet potatoes are seasoned with fresh turmeric and coconut milk to make this creamy winter time soup.

I had seen a recipe somewhere for a soup that had cauliflower, sweet potatoes and coconut milk in it;  but, I cannot find the book anywhere.  I decided I would create my own version and I wanted it to be light and somewhat curry like.  I was lucky to find some fresh turmeric last week and thought it would be the perfect addition to this soup.  I have never worked with fresh turmeric before and I was not sure what to expect.  Fresh turmeric looks like ginger, actually, rather knobby but orange.  I decided to use a microplane and zest it with the onion while it was cooking – the color was brilliant a beautiful bright yellow and the scent ….. YUM!!   After I pureed the soup I added a small amount of coconut milk, only enough to really bring out the flavor of the turmeric and to create that nice warm Thai inspired flavor I was after.  It was a success.  Not only was this soup fantastic the first night, the second evening it was even better.

Recipe:  Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

1 head of cauliflower, washed, stemmed and cut into chunks

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small knob fresh turmeric, zest or use dry turmeric, to taste

4 cups veggie stock

1/4 cup  coconut milk

kosher salt, to taste

cilantro, garnish

harissa, garnish

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onion and garlic, cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the turmeric, stir.  Add the cauliflower and sweet potato, stir and cook for about 15 minutes, until very fragrant.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a low simmer and cover.  Cook until the veggies are soft, about 30 minutes.  Process in a food processor, in batches, returning to medium saucepan.  Gently reheat over low heat, stir in the coconut milk.  Season with salt. Garnish with cilantro and the harissa.  Serve.  Eat.

© Denise for Chez Us, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian Inspired, Cauliflower, Dinner, Easy Dinner, Fresh Turmeric, Healthy Eating, Recipe, Sweet Potato, Vegetables

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh