Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup

One of the most disappointing things when cooking is when you find a recipe that you are super excited about, make it, and it turns out to be a total flop, which is what initially happened with this recipe.  Bound and determined not to give up on what I believed to have the potential to be a great soup, I decided to try it again with a few [major] modifications.

I first came across this recipe in an article about Dr. Andrew Weil that was published in Whole Living Magazine. The article introduced his new cookbook that is filled with healthy recipes from his popular restaurant "True Food", along with the recipe for this very soup.  Not only did the recipe look delicious, it also inspired me to head out and buy the book that very day. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I made the soup and not only did it look nothing like the photo in the book, it was severely lacking any sort of flavor.

The first red flag was that the recipe called for 3 quarts of water (or 12 cups for those of you that are conversionally challenged).  From my previous experience with making tasty soups that include coconut milk, I will use 1 quart vegetable broth, and one can coconut milk with the corresponding spices, which will usually lead to a flavorful bowl of goodness. For the first attempt, my hesitation (along with my lack of a large enough stockpot in which to fit a bunch of veggies and 12 cups of water) led me to cut the water back to 8 cups. Turns out I should have listened to my gut and gone with the 4.

Wood-fired veggies. 

Thankfully, I'm not one to walk away from a good soup, so I gave it another go.  In this updated recipe, I used one quart veggie stock (instead of the 3 quarts water), and I threw caution to the wind and used regular coconut milk instead of the light stuff...The way I look at it, if you're going to get fat from consuming too much coconut milk, you have yourself a problem-One 14-oz can in a large batch of soup is not going to make you bust out the elastic-waist pants.

Our snowy pizza oven-March in Minnesota!

Now let's talk about the roasted veggies.  I'm fortunate enough to have a husband who built a great wood-fired pizza oven in our backyard (I know...*swoon*), so I was able to roast the veggies in our outdoor oven which gave them a nice smoky flavor.  However, if you don't have access to a wood-fired oven, roasting them in a conventional oven is just fine-The purpose for roasting the veggies is to give a bit of that lightly charred flavor, but be careful not to burn-There is a pretty distinct line between "lightly charred" and "burned". 

At the end of the day, this soup ended up being chalk-full of flavor with a nice creamy finish and a bit of a kick-One that will warm you up on a cool evening. 

                                                          Eat Healthy, Stay Happy!

Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup

Serves 4

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 small bulb fennel, diced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 poblano chile, seeded and diced

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 quart vegetable stock

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup white wine

1 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

2-3 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

1). Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Toss veggies and oil in a large bowl and then arrange in a single layer on a prepared sheet and broil, tossing once halfway through, until browned-About 12 minutes. 

2). Transfer roasted veggies to a large pot and stir in spices, salt, wine and veggie broth. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

3). Remove soup from heat and whisk in coconut milk.  Let simmer on low for 10 minutes or until heated through.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro and scallions before serving. 

Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque with Lacinato Kale and Ezekiel Croutons

I am a Pinterest nerd. While perusing Pinterest last weekend, I came across a recipe for Rustic Tomato Rice Kale Stew.  After drooling over the pictures and reading the ingredients, I quickly determined that I liked the jest of the recipe, I was just craving something more creamy...And without peas, because to be perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of peas.  But that's the fun part of cooking!  You can take a recipe and make it your own by adding different ingredients and spices.  Unlike baking, cooking isn't fussy; it's all about exploring flavors and experimenting with new recipes. Sometimes you flop, sometimes you hit a home run-And thankfully, this recipe was a home run.

The fire roasted tomatoes, chili powder, garlic and cayenne pepper give this bisque bold flavors with a nice kick while the lacinato kale, carrots, leeks, cashew cream, and Ezekiel bread croutons make this a hearty dish worthy of the title "comfort food."  

Lacinato Kale

The cashew cream allows this dish to be reminiscent of the most dreamy bisque without the nightmare of the cholesterol and calories in your traditional heavy cream and roux bisque. This is just another example of how you don't have to give up your favorite flavors or foods when you make healthy changes to your diet. 

Speaking of healthy, for those not familiar with lacinato kale (also called Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale), you may recognize it as part of Italian dishes such as minestrone and robillita.  The great part about this type of kale is its not only nutritious (it contains loads of vitamins A, K and C, as well as a healthy amount of calcium and iron) it also retains it's firm texture when cooked allowing it to be a hearty component of any dish that's lucky enough to include this amazing leafy green. 

The Ezekiel Croutons that I included are basically just Ezekiel bread English muffins that I sliced in half, topped with a sprinkle of shredded Daiya "mozzarella" and baked at 375 for about 10 minutes and finished with 2 minutes under the broiler. If you don't have any Daiya, you could also coat the bread with olive oil rubbed garlic and fry in a pan until crispy.  I use Ezekiel bread because it is really the only type of bread I don't react to.  It is made of sprouted grains so it is easier to digest than your conventional wheat-based bread, and it is also super nutritious as it is a complete protein and contains 18 amino acids including the 9 essential amino acids . 

As we wind down the winter season, keep your friends and family happy with this belly-warming crowd-pleaser.  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Eat Healthy, Stay Happy!

Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque with Lacinato Kale

Serves 4

28oz can fire roasted tomatoes-pureed in a blender until smooth. 

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup cashew cream (see below)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 large red onion-diced

1 large carrot-peeled and sliced

1 leek-sliced white and partial green

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 heaping Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

dash cayenne pepper. 

In a large soup pot, saute the onion, carrot and leek in the olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  

Add the vegetable broth and pureed tomatoes to the sauteed vegetables along with the spices and stir until well mixed.  Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 15 minutes.  

Add the cashew cream and season with salt (about 1.5 tsp) and pepper to taste.  Continue to simmer on low for 10-12 minutes, or until heated through.  

Ladle into bowls and top with Ezekiel bread croutons.  

Cashew Cream:

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup water

1Tbsp nutritional yeast

1tsp sea salt

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1cup raw cashews

Add the cashews and water to a blender.  Let soak for 20-30 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

The Skinny on Juicing

Juicing; It's not just for feisty men in blue jumpsuits. So what's the hype?  I've been juicing for years, and there is rarely a day that goes by where I'm not drinking some sort of green concoction first thing in the morning.  I juice simply because it is super nutritious, gives me energy, and is a great start to my day. Some say juicing allows your body to digest the enzymes and minerals found in our fruits and vegetables more easily. It's also an easy way to benefit from consuming a wide variety of fruits and veggies in a relatively short period of time.

So why not just buy the bottled stuff available at your grocery store and call it a day? Although these drinks are fine in moderation, they are also pasteurized which means they are heated to kill bacteria which also kills the natural enzymes and healthy elements of the juice itself.  Many of the store-bought juices also contain unwanted ingredients such as added sugars and preservatives. Juicing eliminates these processes and unnecessary ingredients while giving you the freshest juice possible, right in your own home.

  I am often asked about juicing, and the conversations initially start with prospective juicers asking if I have any "good recipes."  For me, the fun part of juicing is running a bunch of fruits and vegetables through my juicer and coming up with new blends, but for those of you who are not quite ready to be so daring, here are a few tips and a couple recipes to get you started.

"Hot Toddy"

1). Buy organic. (I list this as number one because it's the most important.) First of all, any fruit or vegetable that you don't peel should be organic.  And don't kid yourself, washing and rinsing non-organic fruit (although helpful), doesn't get rid of the pesticides or herbicides that have been sprayed on the fruit or vegetable.

2). Choosing your juicer: There are a few different types of juicers.  The first, and least expensive is a centrifugal juicer.  This type of juicer grinds and strains the fruit at high speeds-Some say this type of juicer is less efficient because the heat generated from the high speed can essentially decrease the amount of enzymes in the finished juice. I had a centrifugal juicer that I used for nearly 3 years until I upgraded to a slow juicer.  I gave it to my sister and it still works great.
The second, is a masticating juicer which "chews" the food...You most often see masticating juicers used for things like wheat grass.
And last, but certainly not cheap least, is a triturating or "slow" juicer.  This type of juicer is generally more expensive, but it is also more efficient as it presses the produce for maximum juice that allegedly contains more nutrients because of the process.
Bottom line, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on your first juicer. Buy what you can afford and know you made a good decision as they all essentially do the same thing.

3). Experiment! As I mentioned before, creating new juice concoctions is half the fun, so experiment with your juicer! I usually add more vegetables than fruit because for me, the whole point is to incorporate as many green veggies as possible.  But the good thing is, it's totally up to you...The sky's the limit!

Eat Healthy, Stay Happy!


The Green Ginger:
Serves 2
4-6 large kale leaves
1 large handful of spinach
1 cucumber
2 inch piece of ginger
1 apple

Run ingredients through your juicer, mix well and divide between two glasses.

The Virgin Mary
Serves 2
2 ripe tomatoes
2 cups fresh spinach
2 ribs celery
2 large carrots
2 limes
1 cucumber

Line the rim of your glass with celery salt, garnish with a celery stalk and add a few drops of Tabasco or cayenne for an extra kick!

Hot Toddy
Serves 1
2 lemons
2 inch piece of ginger

Juice the lemons and ginger.  Add the juice to a large mug and fill the reminder with hot water, a tsp of honey and a dash of cayenne pepper-It'll clear your sinuses and warm you up on a cool day.


*On a side note, if you're in to documentaries, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead is a documentary about a man named Joe Cross who was unhealthy, overweight, and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease. Like me, Joe decided to take his health into his own hands and researched diet as a viable treatment option to achieve a balanced, more healthy well-being. The documentary is an inspiring tale of healing and how he was able to help others become more healthy through his own journey.

Homemade Almond Milk

When I first saw a recipe for homemade almond milk I thought "UGH! That seems really labor intensive."  But that's only because I didn't allow myself to get past the "soak almonds for 4 hours" part of the recipe, which is silly, because it's only soaking almonds in a bowl...It's not like it instructed me to "soak almonds in a bowl while resting it on your feet as you stand on your head reciting text from War and Peace in your best Sean Connery voice for 4 hours straight."  Seriously.  Talk about over reacting.

Anyway, I'm glad I finally gave it a try and I'm really glad I did because you will never find me buying the store-bought stuff again. Not only is it super easy to make, it's fresh and is also more flavorful and void of some of the funky ingredients/preservatives found in the store-bought milk.

Almond milk is great in cereals, smoothies, hot coco, and is an acceptable replacement for other milks in cooking and baking. I like to flavor my almond milk with a hint of vanilla, but if you're feeling particularily adventurous, you can spruce it up with cinnamon, or even make it chocolate by adding raw coco powder and upping the maple syrup for the corresponding 

sweetness.

All you need to create your own delicious almond milk (besides the ingredients of course) is a high speed blender, a nut milk filter bag (my husband hates it when I talk about my nut bag-But I do it just to bug him, naturally), and a container in which to store your milk.

Eat Healthy Stay Happy!

Almond Milk
1cup raw almonds-Soaked for 4 hours
4 cups filtered water
1Tbsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp natural vanilla extract

Combine almonds and water in a high speed blender, blending on high for about 2 minutes.  Pour the contents of the blender into a nut milk filter bag over a large bowl (or cheesecloth) and squeeze all the remaining water out of the bag.  (You can reserve the pulp for baking, or for smoothies)
Rinse out your blender, pour the filtered milk back into the blender adding the remaining ingredients.  Blend on low until mixed.
Pour your finished almond milk into a glass container.  Best when chilled-Will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho

Ahhhhh…Summertime. When summertime graces us with all her glory here in Minnesota it’s time to hit the local farmers market for fresh fruits, veggies, and other seasonal fare…Which also means it’s time to turn off the range and enjoy these wholesome foods in their fresh, natural state.

There are a few seasonal recipes I start dreaming about as soon as the weather warms…one of those recipes is this Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho featured in Sarma Melngailis' first [un] cookbook "Raw Food Real World". I bought this book five years ago when I ate at her takeaway bar, One Lucky Duck, in Manhattan. I was completely blown away by the flavors of the food that I had to learn more. When I came home, my husband bought me a VitaMix (for my birthday-Best. Birthday. Present. EVER.), a year later came the Excalibur dehydrator...and the rest is history. The way I look at it, eating fresh, raw food just makes sense.

Diced, sliced, and chopped! 

When I caught wind that there was a second book about to be published I pre-ordered that book like it was nobody's business and was thrilled when I received my autographed copy by Sarma herself (EEEEEEEEEEEEE!).

Anyway, on to the good stuff. As far as gazpacho goes,  I’ve never been a huge fan as I’ve always felt like I was just eating spoonfuls of salsa, but this recipe is different. The watermelon base filled with diced watermelon, tomato, red pepper, and cucumber is extraordinarily refreshing. Plus, the ginger and jalapeno add a kick, while the cilantro adds even more flavor. As Sarma writes in her book, “I'm sure this sounds totally cliché, but this soup is like summertime in a bowl.” And she is right…It is summertime in a bowl.

Bonus?  It’s super easy to make and yields a batch large enough to enjoy throughout the week…So instead of spending time in your kitchen cooking, get out and enjoy the sunshine with a bowl of summertime!

Summertime in a bowl...With a HUGE piece of cilantro...Clearly, I need to work on my food photography. 

 Eat Healthy, Stay Happy.

Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho
Sarma Melngailis
Raw Food Real World

Ingredients:
3 cups watermelon, seeded and pureed in a blender
1 cup seeded watermelon, diced small
1 cup seeded tomato, diced small (about 2 medium tomatoes)
1 cup peeled, seeded cucumber, diced small (from about 1/2 English cucumber or 1 or 2 whole Kirbys) 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, diced small
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 small handful cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 green onion, white and 1 inch of green, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

In a large glass bowl or container, combine the watermelon puree with the diced watermelon, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, lime juice, cilantro, ginger, jalapeno, green onion and salt. Stir to combine.

Nacho Kale Chips

Nacho Kale Chips

Yeah, I know...two Kale recipes in a row…I don’t know what to tell you, except my love for kale abounds; and there really isn’t too much to say about this next recipe except that these kale chips are fantastic FREAKING AWESOME. The only problem I had with them is trying not to polish off the entire batch in one sitting. Nom nom.

 We all know that kale is packed with nutrition as it contains omega 3’s, is a good source of fiber and has been shown to help fight inflammation, yadda, yadda, yadda…But let’s get on to the good stuff… The creamy sauce that the kale is marinated and dehydrated in is so flavorful with the chili powder, coriander, onion and fresh pepper and carrot, while being spicy enough to make up for the fact that these aren’t actually “nachos.” The cashews in the sauce provides the creamy consistency and nice kick of protein while the nutritional yeast adds the “cheesy” flavor and is packed with amino acids and B vitamins.

Kale getting ready for the dehydrator

 If you don’t have a dehydrator you can make these in the oven…I prefer to use my dehydrator because it allows the food to maintain its complete nutritional value when it is gently heated at or below 115 F. The moment you heat foods above (many say 120 F) you start to kill off the natural enzymes in the food necessary for digestion, while also depleting the nutritional content in the food. With that said, if you decide to make these in the dehydrator it will take 6-7 hours of dehydration time. So, if you’re jonesing for some of these little morsels of goodness, like, NOW, preheat your oven to 275 F, throw the bite-sized sauce-coated kale leaves on a baking tray, wait 15-20 minutes and “voila”! Kale chips.

 And if you REALLY want some kale chips and don’t want to do ANY of this, then try these. (I will warn you, they are a bit pricey, at $7.00 for a 2oz bag-or a big savings of 12 for $80-hello sarcasm- You can make yourself a whole lot’a kale chips for that…Just sayin'.)

 Now, on to the recipe…I made a few changes to the original recipe I found on Raw Food Recipes. I’m not a big fan of cumin so I substituted onion powder for the cumin and I upped the chili powder to ½ tsp instead of ¼ tsp. I also sprinkled a little sea salt over the top before I put them in the dehydrator. So far of the 3 people that tried them, all 3 gave them a raving 2 thumbs up (which would be 6 thumbs total for you mathematically challenged folk), so I must have done something right. You can play with the heat factor by adding more cayenne or less depending on your taste…Whatever blows your skirt up.

Eat Healthy, Stay Happy

  Nacho Kale Chips
 1 large bunch of curly kale
3/4 cups cashews, soaked 2-4 hours
1 TBSP and 1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp coriander
 2 TBSP nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp stone ground mustard
1 TBSP scallions
1/4 cup carrot
1/4 cup red pepper
1/2 clove garlic

 Wash your kale, remove the leaves from the stock and tear them into bite-size pieces. In your blender combine the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. In a large bowl, pour the dressing on to the kale. Massage the dressing into the leaves to coat-I do this with my hands as it is the best way to get the leaves evenly coated. Spread out on Teflex sheets and dehydrate at 110 for 6-7 hours.

Vegan Creamed Kale

Who would have thought the dish that would bring me back to post on my woefully neglected blog would be a recipe involving kale, let alone creamed kale. That's right. Creamed kale.

I first discovered this recipe while perusing the deli at Whole Foods…It was lunchtime, I was hungry and out of the corner of my eye I saw a tag for “Vegan Creamed Kale.” First of all, I am always looking to incorporate more greens into my diet in a creative and innovative way. Secondly, I felt as though us "vegans" received the short end of the stick when it came to creamed veggies. Needless to say, my interest was piqued. So when I sat down to test the plate of goodness that lay in front of me, I was pleasantly surprised.

Let’s talk for a moment about kale. You know, the stuff that for years was nothing more than a garnish on a plate at your local Applebee’s. As far as its origins, kale is a member of the Brassica family of vegetables that includes cabbage, collard greens and Brussels sprouts, all of which are known for their richness in anti-oxidants and phytonutrients. The health benefits of consuming kale are innumerable. Kale has not only been proven to reduce inflammation (something to do with omega 3’s and Vitamin K which is a key nutrient to help regulate our bodies inflammatory process), but the fiber properties have shown to help lower cholesterol and kale has also been touted as a major player in the detoxification process. Kale also contains cancer preventative nutrients called glucosinolates…Need I say more?

There are many different ways you can consume kale and reap the many health benefits it has to offer. I like to juice kale and incorporate it into my morning green juice with an apple, orange, ginger, and cucumber. I also love to make this salad, which features not only the good green, but also shredded carrot, daikon radish, and red pepper, cilantro, parsley and mint all covered in a delectable orange ginger dressing…Yum.

But honestly, if you’re looking for something down-home that you can serve as a side with just about anything, the following recipe courtesy of our friends at Whole Foods is an excellent way to incorporate this superfood into your diet.

Eat Healthy, Stay Happy.

~jenni

Vegan Creamed Kale
Serves 4

Ingredients

½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup raw cashews (the recipe calls for ¼ cup, but I used a little more to make the sauce thicker)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp mellow white miso
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped kale or other dark, leafy green (I use a bag of frozen kale, Whole Foods brand comes already shredded)

Preparation

Heat broth in a large skillet over medium heat. Add white onion and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor, add almond milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, onion powder, miso, nutmeg and pepper flakes and puree until smooth.

Transfer blended mixture back to skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in kale and continue simmering, tossing often until kale is just tender, about 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

( In the above photo, I served my creamed kale with veggies I sauteed in my Pistachio Pesto.)