Baby, it's cold outside!

When I used to live and work in downtown Portland, one of my favorite things to do on a cold and rainy day was walk next door to the local deli and buy a hot cup of soup. My favorites were the thick creamy soups such as chowders, or butternut squash soup. When I got my new recipe book, I was so excited to make a great soup recipe, but was disheartened when I learned that you need a food processor to blend it nicely. Luckily, a department store accidentally advertised the wrong price for a brand new one, so I was able to afford a new member for my small kitchen appliance family.

The two soups below are bipolar opposite variations of a squash soup. The first is a sweet and caramelized soup that reminds me of a bite of pumpkin pie in autumn. The second is a fierce spicy soup that reminds me of the bright colors of the changing trees.

-Sarah

Sweet Butternut Squash Soup
From “Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons” by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi
Ingredients for: Caramelized Squash Seeds
1/2 cup butternut squash seeds (from squash below)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Ingredients for: Soup
1 butternut squash or pumpkin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 small buttercup or red kuri squash
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs of marjoram
3/4 cup boiling water
Pinch of saffron
1 large leek, white part only, cut into thin rounds
1 teaspoon salt
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups vegetable broth, warmed
3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Caramelized Squash Seeds:
Preheat the oven to 375*F. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, discarding the fibers. Rinse the seeds and dry on a clean cloth. Mix all the seed ingredients in a small bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with sunflower oil. Spread the seeds out on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Let cool.

Soup:
Using about 1 tablespoon of butter, dot the insides of the squash halves. Season with salt and pepper, and place a sprig of marjoram in each. Place in a roasting pan, skin side up, and add 1/2 cup of water. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Let cool slightly in the cooking juices. Put the saffron in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside. Heat the remaining butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat until beginning to bubble then add the leek, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Mix in the sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger, and saffron mixture. Stir well. Pour in the broth, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop the flesh out of the squash and add to the soup, along with the liquid from the roasting pan. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes Puree the soup in a food processor. Return to the pan and add the milk, nutmeg, and a little more water if too thick. Taste, add salt if necessary, and gently reheat. Serve hot, sprinkled with cilantro, coarsely ground black pepper, and the caramelized seeds.

Spicy Pumpkin and Chile Soup

From “Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons” by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

1 potato or sweet potato, diced

1 mild green chile, seeded and sliced

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

5 cups vegetable broth

Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons plain yogurt, optional

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the pumpkin, potato, and chiles. Cook until the pumpkin turns golden at the edges, 5-6 minutes. Toast the coriander and cumin in a small pan over low heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Grind with a pestle and mortar. Stir the toasted spices, red pepper flakes, and paprika into the pumpkin mixture and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add the broth, cover and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup in a food processor. Return to the pan and stir in the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper, and additional pepper flakes for extra spice, if desired. Reheat the soup gently and stir in most of the cilantro. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, add a swirl of yogurt, and serve.

Baked Pasta with Eggplant

I did not grow up eating eggplant, and I don't know why, because it is so delicious! Michael doesn't like eggplant, so the only time I get it is when we go out to eat at a fancy Italian restaurant. Luckily, since I do all the grocery shopping and cooking, I was able to sneak some eggplant into the home for a fancy meal in! I enjoyed this meal with a nice glass of red wine.

I did not let the eggplant drain for an hour, and I also found that I left too much oil on the eggplant. The next time I make this, I will attempt to pat-dry the eggplants of the oil prior to placing them in the baking dish. Other than that, this meal was one of my favorites so far.

-Sarah

Baked Pasta with Eggplant

From “Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons” by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, each weighing about 1 pound, thinly sliced

Coarse sea salt

3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1 cup olive oil, for frying

1 pound bucantini or spaghetti

Tomato sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Leaves from 1 small bunch fresh basil, torn

1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chilled butter, shaved

Put the eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Let drain for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a large frying pan until very hot Fry the eggplant in small batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Put the eggplant in a single layer on the bottom and sides of the baking dish.Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the tomato sauce, oregano, basil, and cheese. Season with pepper. Spoon the pasta into the baking dish, taking care not to displace the eggplant. Top with the remaining eggplant. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Polenta in Cheese Sauce

I have always been attracted to cheesy meals. The moment I saw the photo in the recipe book, I knew that I had to make it. This meal was delicious and tasted like fondue! I served it with a bed of broccoli. Michael didn't care for the fondue as much as I did, but it could have been the fact that the recipe calls for home-made polenta, and I skipped that step and bought pre-made polenta. I highly recommend this recipe, and if you want to skip the polenta, you can make the cheese sauce and dip things in it like fondue.

-Sarah

Baked Polenta in Cheese Sauce
From “Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons” by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 pinch of nutmeg
6 oz (180 g) Gorgonzola cheese, chopped
6 oz (180 g) Emmental (or Gruyere, or similar) cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (60 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese.


Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. When it stops bubbling, add the flour and cook over low heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Begin adding the milk, a little at a time, stirring until the sauce is smooth. Season with a little nutmeg. Turn up the heat and add all three cheeses, and handful at a time, stirring until smooth. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Oil a baking dish large enough to hold the polenta and sauce in a double layer. Cut the polenta into 1-inch cubes. Cover the bottom of the dish with half the polenta and pour half the sauce over the top. Put the remaining polenta on top and cover with the remaining sauce. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot.

A is for Apron

My birthday is dia de los muertos. Growing up, I was dragged to Church to pray for dead people. After church one year, I was serenaded by a group of missionaries to "las mañanitas." Most years, I woke up to pan de muerto for breakfast. Some may find these rituals a bit weird, but for me, it is all in celebration of my birthday. Recently, my mom made me an apron with dia de los muertos fabric. On the backside of the apron is cute paisley fabric for the rest of the year.

My mother is the Queen of sewing. I would bet all the money in the world that if you walked into her home at any given time this upcoming year, you'll find at least 3 or more sewing projects scattered around the house. There was not a time from my childhood that I can remember that my mother wasn't holding a needle and thread. Here is a link to my mom's quilt blog. When I got married and bought my own home, my mom gifted me with a sewing machine. Now, my mother and I both know that I don't use this machine. I can't even thread it. But she gave it to me none-the-less, probably hoping that one day I would plug it in and sew something. Perhaps she would even be happy if I just hemmed a hole in a shirt, or something. (I must add that for the past 5 years I've brought all clothes that needed mending to her house.)

To get into the Christmas spirit, today I decided to give sewing a try and make my own apron. Tonight, my mother met me at Jo-Ann fabrics and helped me pick out matching fabric. I guess she was pretty excited that I was finally going to sew something, because she brought me a cutting board, ruler, and a rotary cutter. The entire project took me over four hours, but don't let my mom know since it probably is supposed to be a 15 minute project. And I finally know how to thread my machine. In fact, I was so proud of myself for learning how, I used three colors of thread for my apron. The front of the apron is a fabric called "Candy Cane Dots." The back of the apron are cupcakes. While this story isn't followed with a recipe tonight, you can be assured that I will wear this apron as I cook new meals for your reading pleasure!

Cream Cheese Filled Cupcakes

Cream Cheese Filled Cupcakes

I love-love-love the cupcake craze. Everyone these days makes cupcakes, and I love looking at photos of the imaginative treats my friends have created. It is so fun to bake and eat cupcakes, so I decided to give it a try. The only thing I cannot figure out is a great frosting recipe, so if you have one, please share! If you are worried about making cupcakes, a word of advice: it doesn't matter if you're good or bad at making cupcakes, as long as you have a little bit of fun in the process!

As a side note, I would like to put a link to my cousin's blog: Lauren's Blog Check it out to see some beautiful, creative, and imaginative cupcakes!

I have heard that boxed cake mixes are just as good as home-made cake recipes, so I always use boxed cake mixes when making cupcakes. Once I pull them out of the oven, I cut out the middles and fill them with my Cream Cheese Filling. Once filled, I top them, and then frost them! See my photos below on how to fill a cupcake.
-Sarah

 Step 1:

Angle your knife and cut a cone from the top of the cupcake

Step 2:

Cut the point off the cone so the top is a flat disk

Step 3:

Fill each cupcake with your favorite filling

Step 4:

Place the disk back onto the top of the cupcake, then frost the top.

The end result:

Couscous and Vegetables, Breaded Asparagus, Cumin Rice & Tomatoes

I like to joke that I grew up a vegetarian. I remember eating vegetables stews, beans, and pastas. On occasion we would get bagged frozen chicken, but that was the extent of the meat I ate growing up. It was a real treat when once a year I would get to eat steak at my Uncle's house. But since I didn't eat a lot of meat as a child, it isn't hard for me to embrace vegetarian eating. While I don't think I'll go completely vegetarian, I think I can easily go a few weeks without eating meat with all these great vegetarian recipes! Below are a few meals that Michael and I thought looked good and tried this week.

The Cumin Rice With Tomatoes was a good meal, and I had a ton of left-overs that tasted great as well. The only thing I would caution you is that I ended up with a lot of excess water after boiling the rice, so I ended up draining the excess water, which isn't called for in the recipe.

The Breaded Asparagus recipe calls for a mint dip, which I didn't try, so I omitted it from the recipe below.

The Couscous with Seven Vegetables was difficult for me to actually start, because I couldn't find fava beans. After trying multiple grocery stores, I opted for edamame instead. Also, if you don't have Saffron and don't have $20 to spend on a jar of spice, you could opt out of using it. It tasted good, but you can add extra flavor to the vegetables and leave the couscous plain if you wish.

-Sarah

Cumin Rice With Tomatoes

From "Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons" by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

6 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

4 cups boiling water

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley + extra sprigs to garnish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tomato, thinly sliced, to garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, cumin seeds, and garlic and saute until the garlic turns pale gold, 3-4 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes.

Stir in the rice and pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, 10-15 minutes.

Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with slices of tomato and the sprigs of parsley. Serve hot.

Breaded Asparagus

From "Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons" by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs

Directions:
Cook the asparagus in a large pot of salted boiling water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and dry carefully on a clean towel.
Beat the eggs and Parmesan in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep saucepan. Test the oil temperature by dropping in a small piece of bread. If it immediately bubbles to the surface and begins to turn golden, the oil is ready.
Dip the asparagus in the beaten eggs and then in the bread crumbs, making sure they are well coated.
Fry the asparagus in small batches until golden brown, 3-4 minutes each batch.
Drain on paper towels.

Couscous With Seven Vegetables

From "Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons" by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups water

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

2 cups couscous

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads

2 tablespoons butter

2 large onions, finely chopped

3 carrots, thinly sliced

1 yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh fava beans

2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1/2 medium green or white cabbage, finely shredded

1 (14-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1/4 cup raisins

Fresh cilantro to garnish

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil and salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon).

Stir in the couscous and saffron and mix well.

Remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes.

Add the carrots, squash, zucchini, fava beans, tomatoes, and cabbage and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes.

Stir in the garbanzo beans and raisins and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Spoon over the couscous and serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

A birthday gift to me

For as long as I can remember, I've always attended school. There is not a point in my life where I wasn't stressed about homework, classes, and teachers; until about 8 months ago. Since then, I have spent relentless hours attempting to find a hobby. Friends, family, co-workers, and strangers alike gave me their two-cents on which hobby would be the best at filling my new-found free time. But as much as I tried to find a hobby, I quickly learned that nothing feeds my soul like school did... until now. Apparently my new hobby is cooking. A few days ago, I decided to buy myself a birthday gift: some new cookbooks. Typically books are not something I'd enjoy for my birthday, but I know that they equate to good food and a happy belly, so I went ahead with the purchase anyway. Below are a few of the recipes that I found in these new books, and a few of my own in addition.

My first meal is loosely based on meals I had in Italy. The pasta was cooked as directed on the package, then cooked a few minutes more in olive oil, then sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. The salad included cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. The potato recipe is listed below, although I didn't use capers in my meal.

The second meal is a leek pizza. I added more than the recipe called for, including mushrooms, and would consider adding artichokes the next time I make this recipe.

-Sarah

Pan-Fried Potatoes with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
From, "Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons" by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds whole small new potatoes
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt
6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Recipe:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the potatoes, and cook until almost tender, about 10 minutes (depending on their size).
Drain well and cut in half.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with the paprika and season with salt. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and capers. Sprinkle with the oregano and saute for 1 minute more.
Serve hot.

Herbed Leek Tart
From: Better Homes and Gardens Garden Fresh Meals
Ingredients:
9 medium leeks, thinly sliced (3 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red sweet pepper
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or dried basil, crushed
1 1/2 cups Gruyere cheese or Swiss chese (6 ounces)
1 15-ounce package rolled refrigerated unbaked piecrust (2 crusts)
2 tablespoons chopped almonds or walnuts

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. For filling, in a large skillet cook leeks and garlic in hot oil about 5 minutes until tender. Remove from heat; stir in sweet pepper, mustard, and herbes de Provence. Cool slightly; stir in shredded cheese. Set filling aside.
2. Unroll piecrust according to package directions. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piecrust into a 12-inch circle. Transfer piecrust to a baking sheet. Spread half the filling into the center of the crust, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Fold border up and over filling, pleating to build up a crust. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the nuts over the filling. Repeat with remaining piecrust, filling, and nuts.
3. Bake about 25 minutes or until crusts are golden. Cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets. Cut each tart into 12 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.