Clean Eating: Creamy Mushroom Soup

This is a very simple, very delicious recipe that I adapted from a Weight Watchers Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe.



Ingredients:

1 lb of Cremini Mushrooms (sometimes called Baby Bellas)
1 head of Cauliflower
1 32 oz box of Vegetable Stock
1 Onion, medium sliced
3 Garlic, cloves
1 Tb Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

Directions:

1. Chop cauliflower into smaller florets and put into a pot with the vegetable stock over medium heat.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and  layout the mushrooms (destemmed), the sliced onions and the three cloves of garlic (still in their paper) on the a sheet pan. Make sure the mushrooms are upside down to catch the good mushroom liquid



3. Cook both the cauliflower and the mushrooms for 45 minutes to an hour or until the cauliflower is fork tender.

4. Take your mushrooms out of the oven and remove the three garlic cloves.  Put contents of the sheet pan into the pot with the cauliflower.  Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the pot.

5.  Either using an immersion blender or regular blender puree up the batch.

6. Take a second and check the consistency of the soup.   You may need to add some vegetable stock to thin out. 

7. Take off the heat and add Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard.  Stir until combined. Enjoy!

Family Favorite Beef and Bean Chili

Chili is one of my family's favorite dinners. Though it took me more than a few tries to find one that pleased everyone!

Ingredients:

1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Tb Canola Oil
1 Can Whole Tomatoes, 28 oz
2 Tb Chili Powder
1 Tb Cumin
1 Tb Garlic Powder
1 Tb Smoked Paprika
1/4 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Tb White Vinegar
1 lb Ground Beef
1  Can Black Beans, 15.5 oz
1 Can Pinto Beans, 15.5 oz
1 Can Kidney Beans, 15.5 oz
3/4 cup Frozen Corn Kernels

Equipment:

5 Quart Pot
Blender or Handheld Submersion Blender:  In the directions I discuss using a blender, though I often make it using the handheld because it's easier.   If using a handheld blender then you would brown the meat first, drain, then remove to another bowl while you build the sauce.  After you blend in the pot add the beef back in.


Directions:

1. Rough chop garlic and onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.



2. Add the salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ground cayenne pepper and can of tomatoes.  Crush the tomatoes with your hand before you put them into the pot.  Cook until onions are soft about 15 minutes. 

3. Remove the sauce to the blender and blend until smooth. 




4. While the sauce is blending, saute the beef in the sauce pan until browned.  Once cooked through add the blended sauce back to the pot.




5. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Add more salt if tastes flat)

6. Add all of the beans and corn and cook on low for 20 minutes so that flavors get a chance to meld together. 

7. Serve with some corn bread and enjoy!

Ebelskiver/ Pancake Puffs

The story of how our family got hooked on Ebelskiver starts with an infomercial and a determined little boy.

  A few years ago Max became obsessed with getting a Pancake Puff Pan he had seen on an infomercial. He wouldn't let it go! Anywhere we went that had an "As Seen On TV" section, Max would run over and beg us to get the pan. We didn't bite ...until we happened across the cast iron Lodge Ebelskiver pan.  What in the world is Ebelskiver???  We were intrigued, so finally Max was going to get his wish of getting to eat a pancake in puff form. 

 

Ebelskiver are a Danish treat that due to the Pancake Puff pan and Williams and Sonoma have gained popularity in the United States.  This recipe is not a traditional recipe more pancake than puff but is absolutely delicious!

Warning:  This is a more involved pancake process than you are probably accustomed to but are so delicious that you won't be able to make them any other way from now on!

adapted from the Cook's Illustrated Pancake recipe
Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup milk
6 Tb Butter, unsalted

Unusual Equipment: 

Ebelskiver pan (although this batter works great as a regular pancake too.)
Chopsticks

Directions:

1.  Put cast iron Ebelskiver pan on medium heat while putting together batter.  In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Mix to combine. 



2. Measure out your milk and add separated egg yolks to milk.  (put your separated egg whites into a clean, dry metal bowl that is bigger than you think you need)



3.  Add your milk mixture to the flour mixture.  Gently fold liquid in.  About 10 stirs should do it. 




4. Whip the egg whites until you have soft peaks and then gently fold into the batter.



5. Melt 4 TB of butter and fold into the batter last.



6.  Cut the remaining 2 TB of butter into 7 little pats and put into the hot pan.  Quickly after start scooping in batter.  (If you are interested in filling the puffs then fill halfway, put in your filling then cover with batter.)



7. The key to a successful flip is making sure the bottom is cooked enough.  You want to wait until the bubble holes on the top of the pancake pop and stay open.  (This is also a helpful trick when making regular pancakes)


 

8.  Using your chopsticks (or knitting needles if you're really old school) start to push on the side of a puff.  It should slide out with a formed pancake cup on the bottom.  Flip this cup over having the rest of the batter in the cup to come out.

Note:  This is a technique that might take you a minute to get.  I suggest not making these for a group the first time you try.  The first batch gets a little mangled until you get the hang of it.


8. Continue to flip over the rest of the puffs and cook a few more minutes on the other side until puff is completely browned.  You don't need to do anymore flips but I tend to because I'm impatient!

9. Once done just take the pan and pop out the puffs into a bowl.  While you are finishing the batch cover the bowl with a tea towel to keep the puffs warm.




10. Without filling and using the Lodge pan, you'll get 21 puffs (3 batches)! You don't need to rebutter the wells for the additional batches, just the first one.  After you end up with a big bowl of pancake fun...the only thing left is to top with syrup and enjoy!!

 (If you're wondering Grade B is my favorite)





































(What up Vermont??)

Apple Cobbler

With this past year's wonky weather we were lucky to squeeze in an apple picking trip before this year's short season ended.

Now, with all of these delicious apples on hand it was time to add the beautiful smell of them baking into the house.  Max and I had different opinions about which form our baked apples would take.  He wanted pie and I wanted crisp (because I'm lazy and was so not into rolling out dough) so we compromised and settled on Cobbler.  The best of both worlds!

Apple Filling:

8 (or so) medium apples
1/2 cup Apple Cider
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
3 Tb Butter

Cobbler Topping:

1 1/3 cup Flour
2 Tb Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
5 Tb Butter, cold and unsalted
1/2 cup Milk


1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and peel your apples.  Slice them up and put into an unbuttered 9 x 12 " baking dish and pour apple cider over the top.



2. Mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (use apple filling measurements) and sprinkle over the top of the apples.  Stir gently to distribute evenly.

3. Cut up 3 Tb of butter and lay over the top of the apples.

4. For the cobbler topping, use the same bowl that you mixed the apple filling flour mixture in.  Add the flour, sugar and baking powder (using the cobbler measurements) and give a quick mix.

5. Cut up the 5 Tb of butter very small and cut butter into the flour mixture. 

    (This can be done with two knives, a pastry cutter or my preferred method is to take a fork and my fingers and quickly break up the butter into the flour until you have pea sized pebbles of butter evenly distributed through the flour.)



6. Add milk and stir about 10 times until just incorporated. 



7.  This is where you can take some creative freedom:  You can, using a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and cut whatever shapes you'd like to cover the top of the cobbler or you can drop the biscuits freestyle over the top.  You can also do an egg or milk wash and sprinkle with sugar for added pizazz.

As this was a family collaborative dessert and I wasn't about to add any unnecessary steps, we chose to go rustic this time and drop them over the top.



8.  Bake for 50 minutes until browned and delicious!



Top with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Messy Day Fun: Corn Starch Goo

After a week of rain, a general feeling of restlessness was felt all over the house. I needed to find something to lift our spirits.  In our house nothing lifts our spirits like getting really messy! It is something that an almost nine year old and an almost two year old have fun doing together and for us that is really important.  


 

If you want to measure and use this messy fun as a science experiment, I suggest you check out this site!  We have done the lesson part before, today we just wanted to have fun!  Mad Scientist kind of fun!!

So, with this particular activity no measurements are required! 


I am going to take a moment to suggest that you wear some clothes you don't mind getting messy and highly suggest you do this activity outside.  .  It washes easily out of anything it touches but it covers everything if you are doing it right!



You want to pour enough water into the cornstarch until it starts to feel like tough goo.  One way to know you have the right consistency is to grab a glob and squeeze.  It will turn hard as a rock in your closed hand but will turn to soft goo again when you open it.  We also like to make a ball and throw them on the ground where they will instantly lose their shape and ooze into a blob.



With a seven year age gap, I get near giddy to see my kids both having fun doing the same thing!





Don't worry about your kids eating any either...cornstarch and water...totally edible!



Goo turned into paint with more water being added and our walkway got a make over!



Baths, showers and a hose rinse for the walkway and all was back to normal!  If you find your family getting a little restless in the future why not try a little messy fun!  Sometimes it's just what's needed.  

Fennel Garlic Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

I love the combination of fennel and garlic and a slow roasted chicken.   Just typing it now is making me want to go to the fridge and pull out the left overs.  Just yummy!  This is a very easy one pot roasted chicken recipe that doesn't take a lot of hands on time but comes out tasting like it did!!

Ingredients

5lb Chicken

5-6 thin skin potatoes

1 onion

3 Tb Fennel Seeds

3 cloves Garlic

1 Tb + 1 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Olive Oil

 

Equipment:
 

Heavy Cast Iron Pot:  I have a very loved Le Crueset that I use but any heavy oven safe pot will do (no teflon coated).  If you don't have one you can use a baking dish. 

Mortar and Pestle:  One of my new favorite kitchen gadgets of yore.  I'm sure not all of you have one of these (why would you?).  If not just chop up garlic and mix with garlic, salt and oil.  When adding the fennel seed to the mixture run between fingers to break open the seeds a big.  Mix all together.

 

Cutting Board/ Sheet Pan:  This is my favorite set up for cutting up a roasted chicken or any other cut of meat that is sure to send fatty liquid onto my counter.  I know a lot of people suggest using a cutting board with a well but those inevitably overflow.  Just get a sheet pan put a few paper towels onto it and then a cutting board that fits into the sheet pan on top.  Voila!  Clean counter!!

Sharp Knife: For obvious reasons!

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and pull out chicken.  Remove giblets and pat dry. ( No rinsing the chicken, read about that here).

 



 

 

2. Slice up onions and spread onto the bottom of pan or dish. Quarter potatoes and spread on top of onions.

 

3. Using the mortar and pestle crush garlic and salt into a paste. Add seeds and and crush just to release aroma. Add oil to create a paste. (if not using a mortar and pestle see the equipment not above)

4. Spread paste liberally all over the outside and inside of chicken. Tie the legs together (don't worry about getting fancy and put on top of the potatoes in the pot. Cook at 425 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with out a lid until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast and 175 degrees in the thigh or until the juices run clear when pricked.



5. Set up carving board set up. (See equipment for set up) and pull chicken out to rest on the cutting board for 15 minutes.

 

6. Give potatoes and onions a good stir to coat in fennel and garlic chicken fat. Remove with a slotted spoon to serving platter, taste and sprinkle with salt if needed.



7. Slice up chicken and serve with the potatoes and a simple greens salad topped with your favorite vinaigrette. 



Don't forget to save the carcass to make the best Chicken Stock ever!!

Roasted Vegetable and Brown Rice Soup

Though this soup is not most visually alluring soup, it is so,so tasty.  The roasted vegetables bring a depth and flavor concentration that make it hard to remember there isn't any meat in there!



Oh..and it's easy too!


Ingredients:

2 quarts of Chicken Stock
2 medium Broccoli Crowns
2 small Zucchini
2 Carrots
10 Mushrooms
1 Onion
1 clove Garlic, chopped
3 Tb Sesame Oil
2 Tb Tamari
3/4 cup dried brown rice

Ingredient Explanation:  Store bought chicken or vegetable stock are good substitutes for the real thing.  Make sure you get stock though and not broth.  Tamari is a wheat free soy sauce substitute.  Soy sauce works great here too. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop the broccoli, zucchini, carrots, mushrooms and onion in your favorite soup eating shape.  I prefer a medium chop. 


2. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil on the sheet pan and add your chopped vegetables all mixed together.  Add chopped garlic and top with a bit of sesame oil and a drizzle of tamari. 

3. Put the vegetables into the oven for 40 minutes and while those are roasting, bring chicken stock to a boil in a pot big enough to hold the stock, rice and vegetables.

4. Once stock is boiling add brown rice and turn down to medium low.

5.  After 20 minutes stir the vegetables.  At 40 minutes the veggies will be ready to add to the stock.  They may look a little past done but that is when they are perfect!


6. Cook for 20 more minutes to bring the flavors together and to get the rice to the appropriate consistency and then you are done!  Enjoy!