carrot apple ginger soup

Between the garden and the bunches arriving the past two weeks in the CSA box (which JR didn't touch when I was in Seattle - I've never really figured out how/what he eats when I'm not here to cook...), I found myself with a fridge suddenly overrun with carrots earlier this week. Overrun with carrots and not exactly sure what to do with them.

I had soup on my mind. It has been cold and rainy - the kind of weather that calls for something hot to be simmering on the stovetop. I love unabashedly autumn thick, burnt-orange colored soups: butternut squash, kabocha, pumpkin. It struck me that carrot soup would have a similar sapphire tone. I scanned the kitchen to determine what else to incorporate. Onion is a soup-staple from my perspective. The apples and ginger root on the counter sounded like they would combine for a good flavor profile, so into the pot they went. The soup was healthy, tasty, and came together relatively quickly. If I had more time, I might have roasted the carrots first to bring out their natural sweetness. I'll try that next time.

Carrots from the garden.

A note on organic carrots: when I was scanning carrot soup recipes online, I noticed that many call for peeling the carrots. If you are vegetarian and use organic carrots (especially from your own garden), I would actually advise against this. Organic dirt is one of the few non-animal sources of B12, a vitamin important for brain and nervous system function. The small amount of organic dirt in your carrot's skin may actually be beneficial.

Carrot, Apple, Ginger Soup

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

8-10 medium organic carrots, chopped

3 medium apples, peeled & chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, minced

4 c. vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. honey

1 generous pinch of sea salt

toasted walnuts & cream for garnish

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add carrots, apples, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots begin to soften. Add broth, honey, and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes, until carrots are fully cooked.

Use an immersion blender (or an upright blender, processing the soup in batches as needed) to puree the soup to a smooth consistency. Serve topped with toasted walnuts and cream.

One year ago: eggplant pizza

apple peanut butter oatmeal cookies

It is apple season in Washington State. Red delicious, golden delicious, cameo, granny smith, pink lady, jonagold, braeburn, fugi, gala... with so many varieties, it's no wonder that apples are the state fruit. The majority come from the 185,000 acres of orchards nestled in the eastern foothills of the picturesque Cascade

Mountains.

I have the luxury of Washington apples grown even closer to home*.

*Closer to my mom's house in Poulsbo, WA, where I'm visiting currently.

The apple in my cookies traveled approximately 15 feet from tree to kitchen. (How's that for eating local?!?) It grew on the Gravenstein tree in my mom's front yard.

This was a true kitchen experiment, where I mixed and matched ingredients that sounded like they would go together, with hopes of getting something that would hold together and taste good in the end.

I'm going to count the endeavor a success. Because there's no cane sugar, these don't have the sugary-sweet taste of typical American baked goods. I think this makes the flavors of the peanut butter, apple, and oats stand out more. I'd recommend enjoying a warm cookie or two with a cool glass of milk.

Apple Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

1/2 c. coconut oil, melted

1/2 c. pure maple syrup

1/4 c. natural peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 c. rolled oats

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt*

1 large apple, peeled and grated

*Reduce salt if the peanut butter you're using contains salt.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack in top 1/3 of oven.

Combine coconut oil, maple syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add dry ingredients to wet. Stir to combine. Fold in apple.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden, flattening with a fork after the first 3-4 minutes.

One year ago: roasted pumpkin penne

maple-infused french toast

This past Monday, JR returned from his morning running group with a loaf of bread. One of his running mates had made it for us as an early housewarming gift. It was a hearty round that definitely contained whole wheat flour, with an interesting flavor hinting possibly at rye or anise.

I've been eating it all week long.

Initially, we dipped it in olive oil at dinner. Then I ate a couple mornings for breakfast toasted with butter and honey. On Thursday, I chopped and toasted part of the loaf into croutons for a salad. This morning, we finished it off in the form of french toast.

Maple-Infused French Toast

Serves 2

1 Tbsp. butter, divided

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

4 eggs

3 Tbsp. maple syrup, plus more to serve

1 Tbsp. milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 slices of rustic bread

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add half of butter and apples. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples soften and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add spices and stir to distribute. Keep warm over low heat while you prepare french toast.

Combine eggs, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining butter to skillet, spreading it with a spatula to cover the pan. Dredge bread one slice at a time into egg mixture, then arrange in skillet. Cook until the first side begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook other side until it begins to brown.

Drizzle french toast with a spoonful of maple syrup and top with apples.

One year ago: squash risotto

fig, apple, brie panini

It's my first full day back home after a 3-week stay in Seattle at my mother's. In the middle of unpacking, laundry, catching up on snail mail, and doing all of the other things one does after returning home from being away, I found time to play with one of my new toys - a Cuisinart Griddler. Here's what I did:

Fig, Apple, Brie Panini

Serves 2

baguette*, cut into 2 4" pieces then sliced in half, or 4 slices rustic bread

fig jam

brie

dried figs, thinly sliced

apple, thinly sliced

Spread jam on baguette or bread. Follow with slices of brie, figs, and apples (in that order). Top with other half of baguette. Repeat to make second sandwich. Grill in panini press 3-4 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

*No, a baguette is not what one would typically use for a panini, but it's what I had on hand, so I put it to good use!

apple oat muffins

It is officially fall. Though we're in the middle of a heat wave in San Francisco, there is that difference in the air that comes with the change of seasons. The tomato plants have ceased to generate new fruit. The trees are beginning to redden. I'm sad to see summer go, but excited for the new crops that will ripen in the coming weeks and months. Kale. Butternut squash. Persimmons.

The farmers' market this morning featured primarily the remains of the summer crops - peaches, figs, zucchinis - they don't look quite as amazing as they did at the peak of the season. When I purchased my basket of figs, I was warned that this may be the last weekend they have them this year. Though the market in general looked more like summer on its way out than fall on its way in, there was one fall crop that looks like its already in full swing - apples.

I received an email from my friend Dave in Seattle about a week ago, in which he raved about the Gravenstein apples from Pike Place Market (I've been keeping my eyes open for them since reading this, but haven't seen any at our local farmers' market):

If you're unfamiliar, Gravensteins are only the best baking apples known to mankind. (If you or any of your readers don't believe me, have them ask their grandmothers. If grandma says otherwise, she's losing her memory.) Recipe? Core an apple 3/4 of the way through. Stuff it with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans or walnuts, and add a pat of butter on top. I'm trying a recipe that adds currants, so we'll see how that is, and I replaced part of the brown sugar with honey in one of my apples. I plunked the apples in a Pyrex dish that had some hot (almost boiling) water covering the bottom, then into the oven at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Nothing to it!

I came away from the market this morning with 6 beautiful Gala apples. JR announced that he no longer likes apples (not really sure where that came from, since he used to eat at least one a day). With this new knowledge, I decided that putting at least some of them into something would probably be my best way to ensure that all will be consumed. When scanning the pantry, pondering what to do with my apples, oats jumped out at me as the perfect match. I briefly considered making apple-oat pancakes, but landed on muffins, since they could be consumed over the course of a couple of days. The apple-oat combination made me think of the packets of instant oatmeal I used to eat as a child. You can consider this to be a grown-up, portable version of apple cinnamon oatmeal (wrapped in muffin paper, instead of a paper pouch). Enjoy!

Apple Oat Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffins:
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. oat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unrefined coconut oil
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 large egg
1 c. plain greek yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

Topping:
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
3 Tbsp. oats
1 Tbsp. maple syrup

Mix the dry ingredients (oats through salt) in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix the coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, and yogurt in a large bowl until well blended. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just mixed. Fold in the apple. Spoon batter into a paper-lined muffin tray.

In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients. Sprinkle over muffins.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden.

Tonight, I may try out Dave's recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!

caramelized apple, sage, and goat cheese salad

I'm on a sage kick. This salad is one of my new favorite things. I've made it three times this week (I'm not kidding). I made it for the first time last weekend and pretty much haven't been able to stop eating it since!

The recipe is from Donna Hay's The Instant Cook. One thing I really like about this cookbook (besides the beautiful pictures) is that there are variations for many of the recipes. The main salad featured (the following one is a variation of it) is "caramelized pear and rocket salad". I actually tried the original with pear and blue cheese when Marika was over last night. It was good, but I think I like the apple, sage, goat cheese variation even better. Here's how it goes:

Caramelized Apple, Sage & Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4

4 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. brown sugar (I used light muscavado)

1 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves

2 apples, cored, and quartered

1/2 cup walnuts

5 cups baby spinach

5 oz. goat cheese

Heat the butter, vinegar, and sugar in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the apple, walnuts, and sage and cook for 4-6 minutes, until the apple begins to soften. Place the spinach on serving plates and top with warm apple mixture. Spook over the pan juices and top with goat cheese.

apple almond french toast

I'm going to be honest. I was working from home last Wednesday and was having a hard time concentrating on work. Then I noticed the apples in the bowl on the dining room table were looking a little past their prime. Totally distracting. I needed to do something about that. So rather than force myself to sit and type up the recommendation I had been putting off, I took a brief reprieve and slide into the kitch.

(It turns out that this was actually quite productive - after taking a little break to deal with the apples, I was able to sit down and power through my work with new found fervor. Perhaps the fact that my stomach was newly full helped as well.)

This was one of those times in the kitch when no recipe was involved. I let my taste buds and the ingredients I had on hand guide me (which helps explain why I was cooking with liqueur at 10am!).

Apple Almond French Toast

Serves 2

Apple topping: 

4-6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 c. water

3 Tbsp. muscavado sugar

1 Tbsp. almond liqueur

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add apples and liqueur and mix to coat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes (stirring occasionally), until apples are soft and liquid is absorbed. If you run out of liquid before the apples are soft, add a little more.

French toast:

1 Tbsp. butter

4 eggs

2 Tbsp. whipping cream

2 Tbsp. almond liqueur

4 slices bread

slivered almonds, toasted

Whisk together eggs, cream, and liqueur in medium bowl. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add half of the butter. Dredge the first slice of bread in the egg mixture, letting it sit 10-15 seconds to absorb some of the eggs. Flip to coat second side. Transfer the coated slice to the hot pan. Repeat with second slice of bread. Cook the two pieces 2-4 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Repeat process with third and fourth slices of bread (you can keep the first two pieces warm in a 300 degree preheated oven, or return them briefly to the hot pan to reheat immediately before serving).

Serve the french toast topped with warm apples and toasted almonds. (Optional: a dallop of cream whipped with a splash of almond liqueur. Yum!) 

crockpot beans to cry for

It is morning as I begin to write this. As with many Sunday mornings of late, I find myself online perusing recipes and in the kitchen chopping ingredients in preparation for the evening's meal. 

This morning the chopping brought me to tears. Literally. 

No, it wasn't at anything crazy, but rather a fairly usual suspect when it comes to kitchen crying - an onion. What was strange is that I don't think I've ever gotten teary eyed from an onion before. 

Why do people cry at onions, anyway? I googled it. It turns out that when you chop an onion, it breaks the onion cells, releasing into the air an enzyme that reacts with the eye (interestingly, it's the same enzyme that makes them so tasty!). Normally, I shield myself from these enzymes with my contacts. But this morning, I stood in my kitchen, wearing glasses and chopping while tears streamed down my face.

So, it is in the honor of the onion that I name tonight's side dish:

Crockpot Beans to Cry For

Serves 6-8

If you thought far enough ahead to start soaking the beans over night, you can jump right into the put-it-all-in-the-crockpot step. But if you're a late planner like me, follow the shortcut described below.

1 lb. dried kidney beans, rinsed and sorted

2 apples, cored and diced (no need to peel)

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. molasses

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. brown mustard

1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

1 tsp. salt

In a large pot, cover beans with water. Bring to a slow simmer. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes, until beans just start to soften. Drain.

Add beans and other ingredients to crockpot. Add enough water to cover the beans. Cover and cook on low until the beans are very soft, about 8 hours. Check periodically and add more water if needed to keep the beans from drying out.

A couple of notes: 

1. This recipe makes quite a lot. I'll be freezing half of it (possibly more) for consumption at a later date.
2. In response to JR's complaints of late that he wants spicier food, at the put-it-all-in-the-crockpot step, I also added some hot pepper sauce. More can be added later in the cooking process per your taste, if you really want to spice things up.

Tonight, the beans will serve as a side dish for our California veggie burgers. If I close my eyes, I can pretend I'm enjoying it at a BBQ at the beach... but the satisfaction is fleeting - I open my eyes to find it's still winter and I'm still wearing wool. 

Let me know what you think!