carrot

{Recipe}: Sweet and Smoky Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

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This past weekend the Hubz and I went out for lunch at Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup where I debated between two soup/chili options and ultimately ordered a big cup of chili  while  the Hubz had the hot/cold bar.  The other soup that I was hotly debating over was a Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup which became my inspiration for last nights dinner.  Having no idea what else was in Stone Soup’s Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup my inspiration was limited to sweet potatoes and carrots and the fact that it was a creamy pureed soup.  I decided that I would go for a smoky sweet flavoring for the soup and serve it up with a nice green salad (and a veggie frankfurter for him).

Sweet and Smoky Sweet Potato-Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 2 large garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar (or substitute with red wine vinegar)

Directions:

  1. Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.
  2. In a medium heavy bottom pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add in the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
  3. Stir in the carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
  4. Stir in the garlic, chipotle powder and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
  6. While the broth is simmering remove the sweet potato from the skin and mash together in a bowl.
  7. Place the broth and sweet potato in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in two parts depending on the size of your machine) and process until smooth.
  8. Return to the pot and season with salt, pepper and umeboshi vinegar.
Why use umeboshi vinegar?  Umeboshi vinegar helps to balance flavors by adding a little tartness to your dish. I always use it to balance the flavors in my soups, sauces and with tomato recipes. Have you ever made a recipe and tasted and gone “there just something missing but I’m not sure what” well I recommend adding a little umeboshi vinegar to your recipe and my experience is 9 out 10 times it is just what the recipe needs.  Now a little goes along way so start with 1/4-1/2 teaspoon because you don’t want to overwhelm the other flavors in your dish.

 

Three Quick & Easy Recipes

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I have actually been doing a lot of cooking lately however I have failed at making much that I deem “blog worthy”. Last week was a lot of quinoa and veggie bowls with salad, Saturday morning we had tofu scramble with homefries and yesterday for lunch I made a mac and cheese with gluten free pasta that turned out too dry. I did find last nights dinner to be successful and I took the time to actually grab a photo of what I made.

Since we get our CSA on Wednesday’s Sunday until Tuesday usually ends up being unplanned meals because we never know how much of things we are going to receive. Last night I decided to use up the remaining potatoes, bright lights chard, dill and a cayenne pepper. I also found one carrot, one beet and half an onion that all needed to be used, and so they were.

Garlicky Chard, Creamy White Beans and a Dilly Root Veg Mash

Garlicky Chard
Makes 2-4 servings

  • 1 bunch bright lights chard (or any kind of swiss chard you like)
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the chard and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve!

Creamy White Beans
Serves 4-6

  • Two 15oz cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, minced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons white wine, vegetable broth or water
  • 1 cayenne chili, minced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
  • 3 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
  • salt and pepper

In a medium pot heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the beans and white wine, cook until liquid is gone. Add in the chili, dill, cream cheese and salt and pepper, stir until combined. Serve!

Dilly Root Veg Mash
Serves 2-4

  • 3-4 medium sized new potatoes, washed and quartered
  • 1 large red beet, peeled, washed and quartered
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • 2 heaping tablespoons chopped dill
  • salt and pepper to taste

Place the potatoes, beet and carrot in a pot and fill with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until fork tender. Drain and return to the pot; add the remaining ingredients mash together to combine. Serve!

Recipe: Root Vegetable Samosa with Spicy Cranberry-Pear Sauce

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Root Vegetable Samosa

with Spicy Cranberry-Pear Sauce

Makes approx 12 samosas, serving 4-6

Ingredients:

  • For the Samosas:
    • 1 sweet potato, small dice
    • 1 parsnip, small dice
    • 1 carrot, small dice
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 2 tsp cumin
    • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
    • 2 tsp madras curry powder
    • 1/2 tsp hot paprika
    • pinch of cayenne
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 package of phyllo dough (usually found the freezer section and contains too rolls)
    • 1/3 cup melted vegan margarine
  • For the Sauce:
    • 1/4 cup of onion, minced
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 pear, minced
    • 3 thai chilies, minced
    • 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
    • 1/2 cup cranberries
    • 1/3 cup brown sugar
    • 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
    • 1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl toss the sweet potato, parsnip and carrot with the olive oil and spices.  Pour out on to a sheet pan in a single layer and make for 25-30 minutes; until fork soft. Place back in the bowl and set aside until ready for filling.
  2. To make the samosas first line a baking sheet with parchment then  place one sheet of phyllo on a board brush the  phyllo sheet lightly all over. Place another sheet of phyllo over the first one and repeat. Repeat a third time.
  3. Next, slice the layered phyllo sheets into two columns. Place a spoonful of the filling on the bottom edge of one column, and fold the phyllo dough in triangles like a flag. If the filling spills out, just tuck it in with your fingers and keep rolling. When you finish, use your fingers to brush some extra margarine on the outer layer for a golden brown color when baking.
  4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all the filling is gone (makes approx. 12)  Bake for 30-35 minutes until brown and crispy.
  5. For the sauce heat 1 tablespoon of olive in a medium skillet on medium-high heat.  Add in the pear, onion and chilies; cook for 8-10 minutes until the pear and onion start to caramelize.  Stir in the sweet soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in the rice vinegar and cook for 1 more minute.  Stir in the cranberries, brown sugar and the ketchup and cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened and is bubbly. Place the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth.

Serve the sauce warm with the warm samosas.