whole grains & vegetable soup

Yesterday I woke up and my eyeballs hurt. I was also walking around like a zombie. Despite having a good night's sleep, I just couldn't seem to wake up, so doing things like talking to clients and working on design mock-ups took incredible amounts of effort.

I'm fighting a cold bug and I don't want it to win, so for lunch I whipped up this vegetable and whole grains soup. Loaded with dark leafy greens (kale to the rescue?), garlic and anything else I could find from the crisper and pantry, it was the perfect meal. And today I feel better. I don't know if it was the soup, or the copious amounts of water I drank, or even the vitamins that I popped, but for the sake of a happy ending, let's say it was the soup!

As today is Wednesday, you can find this cold-busting soup recipe over at Poppytalk. And if you have any leftovers, you can always eat this as soup. Or you could do what I did this past summer and turned soup leftovers into veggie burgers. Your call.

farm fresh dinner: new potatoes, braised greens and a beet salad

This weekend we got out into the country. On Saturday there was a hike to Lindeman Lake (don't listen to your guidebook, it's definitely not "easy") and afterward, there was time to check out a few local farm markets. I was hoping we could find a flat or two of local strawberries, but since we were nearing the end of the afternoon, everywhere seemed to be sold out. Our first stop was Wisbey Veggies in Chilliwack where I walked out with 2 very full bags full of local farm fresh produce for $20. Beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, snow peas, new potatoes, carrots, raspberries, zucchinis and mushrooms...all locally grown, all so delicious. A few minutes away, we discovered a goat cheese dairy selling all kinds of goat cheese products from ice cream to yogurt to gouda! I walked away with cheese curds (not goat) and some goat cheese feta. I was already imagining all the menu possiblities.

On Sunday, after a big breakfast and a little garage sale snooping, we decided to head out to visit our CSA farm in Langley for their open house weekend. It's a beautiful farm and we got a great tour from the very enthusiastic farmer, Stephen. We also got to pick out some seedlings to take home and harvest some of our own rhubarb and greens (kale, mustard, chard and arugula)! We even dug into the farm's cooler and into a tub containing mouldy leeks. Stripping off the gooey outter layers revealed a perfectly good leek, so we took a few of those home too. I think it's safe to say that when you harvest your own food, it tastes so much better and you get bragging rights which is always a good thing.

After looking through my haul on Sunday evening, I got to work. First I tackled the beets. I knew I wanted a beet and arugula salad topped with feta. Recalling a similar salad I made last summer, I decided to stick with a good thing but still make a few tweeks here and there. The beets were incredibly sweet and worked so well with the feta and the tangy dressing. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing. For the new potatoes, I took the simple road. Boiled, buttered and sprinkled with fresh herbs from my garden. The mint made this dish and made the potatoes sing. I couldn't leave well enough alone, and as i gathered the beet greens, I decided to make use of the kale and chard as well, braising them simply with the leeks and a lemon. It was a farm fresh dinner from start to finish.

buttered new potatoes with mint & parsley
8 new potatoes
1 T fresh mint, chopped
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 T unsalted butter
kosher salt & black pepper

Boil potatoes in water until tender. Drain. Coat with butter, fresh herbs and salt & pepper. Serve.

beet & arugula salad with goat cheese & pecans
8 baby beets, quartered or cut in half
arugula, torn
1/4 c goat cheese feta
2 T pecans, chopped
1 T sour cherry jam
1/4 c olive oil
1 t dijon mustard
2 T cider vinegar
salt & pepper

Boil the beets until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool slightly so that removing the skin from the beets isn't too painful. Further chop the larger pieces of beets, if necessary. Set aside. Mix the dressing by combining the jam, olive oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scatter arugula on plate, then the beets, feta and pecans. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

braised greens with leeks & lemon
2 lbs of assorted greens (chard, kale, beet greens is what I used)
1 T olive oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
3 leeks, sliced thinly
zest & juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Rinse the greens very well to get rid of any dirt hidden within the leaves. Remove the tough ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the greens and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute the leeks and red chilies until fragrant. Add in the toughest leaves first (kale) and then the chard and then the beet greens. Reduce heat. What looks like a massive amount of greens will soon wilt into a very manageable amount. Add in the lemon juice and zest and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and stir about until all the leaves become wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Serve.

easy breezy: 3 super quick n' affordable pasta recipes

Today I give you three recipes. They're quick, they're easy and they are definitely affordable. All of 'em taste good too. These aren't fancy and they don't make the prettiest of photos (thank you Poladroid!), but they're hearty and warming which makes them nice even as winter is slowly turning into spring.

This is a nice simple vegan recipe which uses Israeli or Mediterranean couscous, the large grained tastier cousin of plain old couscous. I bought a bag of it and didn't know what to make. So I hopped online and found myself at Apartment Therapy and this recipe jumped out at me. I decided to change it up a bit by adding salsa and beans and skipping the balsamic vinegar. I also had kale so I used that instead of the chard. Cornelius wasn't a fan, but he hates all couscous. Whatever, I liked it a whole bunch.

israeli couscous with kale
(recipe adapted from Apartment Therapy)
1 3/4 c vegetable broth
1 1/4 c Israeli couscous
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 t whole cumin, crushed
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 bunch of chopped kale
1 can of beans, drained (black beans, chickpeas, cannelli beans)
1/4 c fresh salsa
salt & pepper

Heat broth in a medium sized saucepan until it reaches the boiling point. Add in couscous, remove from heat and set aside. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in garlic, cumin and onion and saute until soft (but not brown!). Add in the kale and saute until it starts to wilt, about 5 minutes or so. Add in the cooked couscous, beans and the salsa and let cook for another few minutes. If it's dry, add a bit of broth or water. Serve.

I love using pasta and chickpeas together. It's a coupling that just works. This is a variation of something I've made many times. It ain't the prettiest, but it's tasty and cheap and tastes great. Usually, I top this with grated Parmesan, but I didn't have any on hand and it still got rave reviews.

bowtie pasta with chickpeas & spinach
250 g bowtie pasta
2 T olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 bunch of spinach, rinsed and torn
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried red chilis
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Make pasta according to package directions. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add in onion, celery, garlic and hot peppers. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft. Add in the can of chickpeas and lightly mash about half the chickpeas. Add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water to the chickpea mixture if it becomes too dry. Season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is almost ready, add spinach into the pasta pot, letting the spinach wilt. Drain pasta/spinach, reserving some of the pasta liquid, and add it all into the pan with the chickpeas. Simmer for a few minutes and stir so that everything mixes nicely. Serve in deep bowls and top with Parmesan if desired.

I love new cookbooks and this recipe is adapted from the book Apples for Jam –a relatively new book in my collection. It's pretty and the recipes are simple and homey, however, it is organized by colour which isn't the most practical when it comes to like, cooking. It does make it fun to browse, though. This recipe was taken and adapted and worked out wonderfully. It's perfect weeknight food and might even qualify as nice enough to share with good friends over a bottle of wine. However, it is really good, so maybe you just want to be selfish just this once and keep it to yourself.

spaghetti with tomatoes, oregano, ham & parmesan
(adapted from the book Apples for Jam)
2 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried red chilis
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 t dried oregano, crushed between your palms
salt
400 g spaghetti
6 slices of parma ham (or prosciutto) cut into thin strips
grated Parmesan cheese to serve

Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan, adding in garlic and dried chilis. When fragrant, add in tomatoes, oregano and salt. Use the back of your wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes as you stir and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti in salted water. When the pasta is done, add in the parma ham into the sauce and let it heat through. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir. Serve pasta in deep bowls topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

happy new year: pasta with sausage, kale and lentils

In some cultures, it's traditional to eat lentils on New Years day for good luck, but I decided to get my lentil luck on a little early early and end 2007 off right. I found this recipe on epicurious but changed it to add in some greenery in place of some of the sausage. The kale went really well with the dish and it's definitely something I'll make again. It's the makings of a new year's staple, I think!

For the cheese in this dish, I used an organic Parmesan that I bought at a pretty amazing Vancouver market, Tosci & Co. It's the oldest Italian market in Chinatown (and I'd venture to say in this whole city) and I had always been afraid to step inside since you have to ring a bell to be let in. I must have been crazy to worry about that because it's pretty much my favorite store now. I wrote a post about it over at Bazaar on the Food Network Canada site. Take a look and leave a comment!

pasta with sausage, kale & lentils
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped
3/4 c dry red wine
2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled
1 can of lentils, drained & rinsed
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
500g pkg of short pasta (I used bowtie pasta)

1. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, peppers and sausage and stir about until the sausage is brown. Add in the kale and saute until softened. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in lentils and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Return cooked pasta to pot. Add sausage-lentil-kale mixture, cheese and toss to coat. Add enough reserved pasta cooking water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with additional cheese if needed.

is it spring yet?

The weather is playing tricks on me. One moment the sun is shining brightly fooling me into spring and the next it's dark and rainy. I just don't get it! The cherry blossoms and daffodils are out despite a crazy rare snow storm last Friday. Spring may very well be around the corner but when it's chilly it's nice to cozy up to a bowl of hot soup. Tonight was one of those nights. I was easily tempted by 2 white bean and kale soups by fellow bloggers, Rorie's Ribollita and Crystal's White Bean & Kale Ragout. How lucky I was to have a can of white beans in the cupboard and a bunch of veggies in the crisper. Here's my version based on both of these lovely sounding recipes!

white bean & kale soup
2 T olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1/2 head of garlic, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1/2 tin of diced tomatoes
4 leaves of kale, chopped
1 tin of white beans, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
vegetable broth

4 slices of rye bread
1 T butter
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and potatoes and heat until onions look wilty. Add tomatoes and enough broth to generously cover vegetables. Add salt, pepper and red chili flakes, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes or so.

2. Add chopped kale and white beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

3. In a fry pan, melt butter over medium heat and add crushed garlic and bread. When toasty and golden on one side, flip bread over and toast until crisp.

4. To serve, add 1 garlic toast in bowl and pour soup over top.