blended winter veggie soup

i know its a mouthful, but these winter veggies blend together to make a beautifully creamy mixture that is slightly sweet and spicy.  i have made many soups like this one before, like the carrot garlic soup i made a few years back or the spicy carrot apple ginger soup that i made when i first started the blog, but i had never stumbled upon this mixture before a few weeks back.  the ingredients found each one weekend when i wanted to make a strong gingery soup with all the vegetables i had in my fridge, and the result was so tasty i have made it two or three times since.  the base is strongly flavored with garlic, onion, shallot and ginger, while it is filled out with the creamy texture of blended carrot, butternut squash, and parsnip. if you use vegetable broth it can be made vegan!

it keeps really well in the fridge up to one week, so make it on the weekend and it will serve as lunch several days in a row.  just bring a jar of it to work or school and heat it up in the microwave or hot plate, it can make a quick meal in just a few minutes flat.  it also freezes well or can be made ahead to bring to a dinner party.  just dress with a little feta or crumbled goat cheese, and a leaf of something green – like the baby russian kale leaf i used above.  you can even garnish with a crispy kale chip or a toasty piece of bread.  enjoy while its winter!

carrot ginger butternut & parsnip soup
1 large chunk of ginger
1 large onion
5-6 cloves of garlic
2 large shallots
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
juice of 1/2 small lemon
32 oz stock
1 lb carrots
3/4 lb parsnip
1 lb butternut squash
1 c water
1 tbsp liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce (optional)

peel and remove the ends of the garlic cloves, shallots and onion.  what i do to save a lot of time is toss the skinned garlic, onion and shallots in a large food processor with the washed piece of ginger (chopped a few times) and pulse everything together until they are chopped into evenly small pieces.  this saves a lot of time since you aren’t mincing everything individually and it allows all these ingredients to cook much more quickly.

its a good idea to also chop up the vegetables to have ready.  wash and top the carrots and chop into about 1/2 inch pieces.  do the same with the parsnip, but it will need to be chopped in a few more pieces towards the top where it gets thicker.  for the butternut, most of the squashes i buy are larger than one pound, so i use a medium-sized one with a long thin neck and chop about 6 inches off the top.  this way it is an easy piece to peel and cube.  set the chopped vegetables aside in a large bowl.

heat up a large pot over high heat and add in the minced garlic, ginger, onion, shallot mixture along with the olive oil and salt.  reduce to med-high heat and fry for about 10-15 minutes or until the onion is translucent.  when most of the liquid has cooked off add in the lemon juice and let it cook a minute or two.  then add in the stock and chopped vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat.

once bubbling, cover and reduce heat to med-low.  let simmer for 45 minutes.  then cut the heat, add in the extra cup of water and let cool at least 10 minutes before blending.

you can blend with an immersion blender right in the pot, or in batches in a regular blender.  just remember when blending hot liquids in blender you should pulse at first and hold the lid on tight to prevent it from splattering everywhere.  mix all the batches back together and add additional water if you’d like it to be thinner.  you can add the liquid aminos, tamari or soy sauce at the end if you’d like a little more flavor, but you can taste it first to determine if you want it.  depending on how flavorful your stock is, you might not need it.

yields 4-6 servings

blood orange sorbet

blood oranges have been so tasty this year and i’ve had plenty around thanks to sweet tree farms.  i have been trying them out in lots of different recipes, like my blood orange mimosas, natural blood orange soda, and blood orange and poppy seed spelt muffins, but i knew i had to try this recipe when i spotted it here.  i made it to accompany the flourless chocolate cake i posted earlier in the week, and they paired fabulously.

this recipe is simple to make if you have your own ice cream maker.  it really only calls for 2 ingredients – blood orange and sugar – since the juice and zest both come from the oranges and the wine is optional.  if you are not familiar with the taste of blood oranges i find them to taste like oranges with a berry twist, in fact this sorbet tasted a lot like a raspberry orange flavor, delicious!

because it is vegan and a beautiful pink hue, this sorbet would make a perfect valentine’s dessert for your sweetie with dietary restrictions.

blood orange sorbet
3 c blood orange juice
3/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
2 tsp white wine
zest of 1 blood orange

juice the blood oranges and strain to remove any seeds or pulp.  for a 5 lb bag of blood oranges i got a little over 2 cups so i filled out the rest with the juice of regular navel oranges.

in a small sauce pan over high heat quickly melt the sugar into 1 cup of the juice, while stirring.  when the sugar is dissolved remove it from the stove, mix with the rest of the ingredients and chill thoroughly (in the fridge for a few hours or freezer for at least 30 minutes.)

once the mixture is chilled follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to prepare the sorbet, then further freeze in an air-tight container for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

mini flourless chocolate cakes

i was prompted to try this recipe after enjoying a very delicious flourless chocolate cake from the village bakery in atwater village.  when i looked up recipes online i found that they are quite easy to make, with only 5 ingredients!  the chocolate flavor is very intense and the texture quite fudgy, so you won’t miss that flour at all.  you can whip these up before dinner and they will make for a really special dessert, especially for valentine’s day.  just top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and any beautiful fruit you can find.  because these little treats are so rich, it’s a good idea to serve them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.  enjoy!

flourless chocolate cake
4 oz (a little over 1/2 c) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick of butter
3/4 c organic sugar (evaporated cane juice)
3 eggs
1/2 c cocoa
powdered sugar and fruit to top (optional)

preheat the oven to 375F

melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler (a medium-sized bowl over a small sauce pan with a small amount of water simmering in it.)  when everything is evenly melted remove it from heat and stir in the sugar.  then one by one, crack in the eggs and whip them in as well.  then sift in the cocoa powder and whip it in as well.

grease a spring form pan.  if you use small ones like i did you can divide the batter into 3-4 parts and bake them separately for 15-20 minutes – or until set in the middle.  if you are using a larger pan (8 or 9 inches across) then bake closer to 25 minutes.

let cool before removing from the pan, sprinkling with powdered sugar and topping with fruit.  serve warm or at room temperature.

yields 3-4 servings

grammy’s kugel

i’ve been holding onto this recipe for a while now.   we made it over the holidays when we were back east at my boyfriend’s house.  i just haven’t found the time in my busy work and school schedule to share it with you all since i’ve been back.  but it is quite a treat!

i had never had kugel before, a traditional jewish dish, but it was one of the things that my boyfriend requested specifically upon returning home.  it is one of those dishes that just tastes like childhood and puts a big smile across your belly at first bite.  his mom showed me how to make his grammy’s original recipe, so thanks to her for sharing this family recipe, showing me step by step, and waiting patiently while i snapped copious photos.  luckily her version isn’t too sweet, compared to other recipes i’ve seen which use 2-3 times as much sugar.  i would describe it as a baked noodle pudding that is very creamy, slightly tart and sweet, and pure comfort food.  enjoy it on your next special occasion!

lochen kugel
12 oz egg noodles
16 oz cottage cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
3/4 c sugar
4 eggs separated
graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon sugar to top
more sour cream to garnish

preheat the oven to 350F and put your butter in a sauce pan over low heat to melt.  then boil and drain the noodles.  wait at least 10 minutes for the noodles to cool off.

separate the eggs and whip the whites until they hold their peaks.

once the noodles are cool you can mix in the cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla, sugar, egg yolks and most of the melted butter (save a little for the top.)  fold in the egg whites until just incorporated and pour the mixture into a greased 13 1/2 x 8 inch pan.

mix your graham cracker crumb and cinnamon sugar mixture in a small bowl (approximately 1/4th cup of crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.)  sprinkle the crumb and cinnamon sugar mixture over the kugel evenly, then pour the rest of the melted butter over to finish.  cover with foil and pop in the oven.

bake for 45-60 minutes or until the center is set.

let cool slightly before slicing into squares.  serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.  you can make it ahead of time and warm it in the oven.

yields 12-15 servings

whole lemon and ginger tea with honey

between the farmers market and chinese medical school, i get a lot of different recipes relayed to me in short little snippets – usually no more than 15 words or so.  off the top of my head i think of the sweet pickled carrots and daikon or the okra and miso marinara, both of which the farmer i work for told me about.  but there are many, many more that have found their way into my diet.

this recipe is one someone at my school gave me on a day i was looking particularly run down.  she asked “are you okay?” and when i explained that no, i wasn’t exactly feeling that great, she handed me two fresh plump lemons out of a big bag she had filled from her tree at home.  she told me “bring it home, wash it well, cut up and boil.  make sure you add honey.”  i did just that, but added a knob of ginger for good measure.

the combination of lemon, ginger and honey are really lovely this time of year.  they can soothe coughs or sore throats, settle upset stomachs, boost your immunity, and warm up a chilly body.  it is becoming quite a routine for me to make one of these in the morning.

whole lemon and ginger tea with honey
1 whole lemon
1 large thumb of ginger
about 2 c water
1-2 tbsp honey

chop up the ginger and whole lemon (peel and all) into thin slices, add to the water in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer.  let cook over med-low heat for 15-20 minutes.  strain the liquid into a large mug and stir the honey in while it is still hot.  enjoy!

yields 1 large serving