Vegetable Lasagna

I love lasagna, especially vegetable lasagna. This one is filled with veggies and lower-fat cheeses, so is actually fairly healthy!

Vegetable Lasagna (approx. 12 servings)
2 cups diced zucchini (do not peel)
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 oz.)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dry red or white wine
3 T. chopped fresh basil
1 9 oz. bag baby spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
1 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and wine in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and set aside.

3. Cook spinach (+ up to 1 tsp. water, if needed) in a large pot at high heat for 3 minutes, until just wilted (still bright green). Drain and chop coarsely, combine with cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.

4. Assemble the following layers in a 9 x 13 x 3 in. baking dish (listed top to bottom):
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1 cup pasta sauce

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350F until noodles are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Black bean soup is one of my favorite meals - especially with some crusty bread on the side. If you use dried beans for this recipe, make sure that you leave plenty of time for soaking (at least 8 hours, or overnight) and simmering (about 2 hours) before you plan to serve the soup. Leftovers can be divided into single or multiple serving portions and refrigerated or frozen for later use (e.g., lunches or dinners for the week ahead).

Black Bean Soup (~ 10 - 12 servings)
1 lb. dried black beans [or 4 14 oz. cans black beans]
1 T. olive oil
4-5 carrots, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground black pepper
8 cups liquid (I used 4 cups vegetable stock + 4 cups water)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. lime juice
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, diced tomatoes, or other garnish
*If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5-6 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. If using dried beans, sort and wash beans in cold water. Soak beans in 6 cups of water for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard soaking liquid.

2. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for 1 minute, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in cumin, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add beans, liquid, and tomato paste. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 hours, until beans are soft. (You may want to cover soup for the first hour or so, then remove the cover to allow soup to thicken while it simmers.)

5. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Serve with desired garnish(es).

Vegetarian Lentil Stew

With December here and temperatures barely topping 40, I've resigned myself to winter arriving in DC. However, winter is not all bad (Christmas, Inauguration Day, and hearty soups all come to mind as good things about winter...). Earlier this week I had a nice bowl of lentil soup and it inspired me to pick up the makings for some legume-based dishes for the coming week. Today I made vegetarian lentil stew, which is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein.


Vegetarian Lentil Stew (6-8 servings)
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4 carrots, diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
1 lb. lentils, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
9 oz. bag spinach, stems removed and leaves chopped
* If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add lentils, vegetable stock, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover, allow to simmer until lentils just begin to soften, about 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

3. Stir in spinach [if needed, add up to 1 cup water to replace liquid soaked up by lentils] and continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

4. Serve!

Cranberry-Orange-White Chocolate Chip Cookies

A couple of years ago I found a recipe for pumpkin raisin ginger cookies on the side of my Pillsbury Quick Bread mix and quickly added them to the rotation of my fall and winter cookies. Using pumpkin quick bread mix means that these cookies can be whipped up in a jiffy for parties, snacks, and gifts. Inspired by my success with the pumpkin raisin ginger cookies, I branched out to the cranberry quick bread mix and came up with...

Cranberry - Orange - White Chocolate Chip Cookies (approx. 18-24 cookies)
1 box cranberry quick bread mix
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix all ingredients together (may be slightly crumbly). Form into balls (about 1.5 inch diameter) and place on an ungreased or foil-lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to lightly flatten balls.

3. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

My Word Cloud

from Wordle (get the full picture at http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/356020/cooking)

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

As I've noted previously, cranberries are among my favorite holiday dishes. Earlier in the month, I experimented with cranberry relish; today, I am returning to an old favorite, orange ginger cranberry sauce. This recipe requires little prep work aside from opening the bag of cranberries and measuring out a few other ingredients and can be whipped up in about 15-20 minutes, so it is perfect if you are in a hurry and need to put together something fast.

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup orange juice (with pulp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring often.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering (and stirring often) for about 10 minutes.

3. Remove sauce from heat and mash using a potato masher. Allow to cool and thicken, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins

I've posted a few times previously about ways to spruce up out-of-the-box quick bread mixes (here and here) - today I'm adding the recipe for a batch of banana-chocolate chip muffins that can be made using banana quick bread mix as the base. Eat these plain or serve with peanut butter (or another topping of your choice).

Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins (approx. 18 muffins)
1 box Pillsbury Quick Bread mix, banana flavor
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease (or line with baking cups) approximately 18 muffin cups.

2. Stir together quick bread mix, milk, eggs, applesauce, mashed banana, and chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, about 1/4 cup batter per muffin cup. If any muffin cups are not filled with batter, fill about halfway with water (this will even out baking).

4. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove muffin tins from oven and cool for about 30 minutes, then remove muffins to wire rack to finish cooling.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

Whether you've made zucchini - apple bread or another quick bread, picked up some scones or muffins from the store, or need a topping for pancakes and waffles, this maple pumpkin butter is a perfect accompaniment to your Thanksgiving breakfast spread. During the baking you'll need to stir the pumpkin butter quite often, so you might want to make this while already in the kitchen for other reasons.

Maple Pumpkin Butter
1 29 oz. can solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup apple cider
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
dash of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Stir together all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue stirring as mixture comes to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Transfer mixture to an 8 x 8 baking dish and place in 350F oven. Cook for approximately 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until pumpkin butter has thickened and any liquid has cooked away.

4. Remove from oven and cool. Transfer to glass jar or other container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Zucchini - Apple Bread (and tips for sprucing up some out-of-the-box quick breads)

With Thanksgiving houseguests soon making their appearances, the time is right for preparing a few quick breads to have on hand for snacks and breakfast treats. Preparing this zucchini - apple bread takes a little time (mostly because of the time needed to grate the zucchini), but isn't something that you'll find in the ready-made quick bread mixes available at the store. If you are a bit pressed for time and are looking for ideas on how to spruce up some of the prepared mixes, scroll down to the bottom of this post for some ideas using pumpkin and cranberry breads.

Zucchini - Apple Bread
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely grated zucchini (do not peel before grating)
1/4 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan [or 3 3 x 5 inch mini loaf pans] with non-stick spray.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and applesauce. Pour zucchini mixture into flour mixture and stir until batter is just moistened, then pour into prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes [for mini loaves, 35-45 min] or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling on wire rack until completely cooled. Wrap tightly in plastic or aluminum foil to store.

Easy spruce-ups for quick breads
When I called down to my uncle's house to ask what he'd like me to contribute for the big meal on Thursday, the first thing that he asked for was some of my "magic breads." While these quick bread might be magic, they aren't too difficult to make - in fact, they only require choosing your favorite mix-ins and adding them to a ready-made box mix (like Pillsbury) before baking!

Pumpkin Quick Bread
- 1/2 cup butterscotch or chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
- use apple cider instead of water in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)
- use applesauce instead of oil in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)

Cranberry Quick Bread
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- use orange juice instead of water in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)
- use applesauce instead of oil in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)

Cranberry - Apple - Raisin Relish

Next up in the preparation for Thanksgiving is a new (to me) variation on an old favorite - cranberry relish. Cranberry dishes are one of my favorites in the holiday meal (along with sweet potatoes) and making one is remarkably easy - not quite as simple as opening a can of jellied cranberry sauce, but much more rewarding (and tastier, too!). I found this recipe in Sunday's Parade magazine and made a few adjustments to reduce the sweetness and up the spice.

Cranberry - Apple - Raisin Relish (about 3.5 cups)
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice (with pulp)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. chopped fresh ginger or ginger paste
1 T. balsamic vinegar

1. Mix together cranberries, apples, raisins, sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, and ginger in a large saucepan or stockpot.

2. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until cranberries begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes). Using back of spoon, lightly mash mixture to break cranberries open.

3. Remove from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. Transfer to glass jar or other container, cover, and refrigerate.

Orange Velvet Soup (Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Rutabaga)

One of the best things about living in Central New York during graduate school was being in Wegmans country - one of the best grocery stores that I have ever shopped. When I moved to the DC area, I was quite excited to find that Wegmans had followed me, opening stores in some of the outlying suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. The selection of produce is great - and in addition to the many whole fruits and vegetables available, there are also a number of packaged peeled and sliced options ready for cooking. Today I found both butternut squash and rutabaga, and with a few other ingredients, put together this "orange velvet" soup to combat the chilly November days. To give the soup an extra kick, I used a bottle of pumpkin ale as part of the stock.

Orange Velvet Soup (6-8 servings)
12 oz. rutabaga, peeled and cubed
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato / yam, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
3 cups stock (broth, cider, water, etc.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 12 oz. can fat-free evaporated milk

1. Combine rutabaga, squash, and sweet potato in a large stockpot, add water to cover the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to mash. Drain (reserve some water for stock, if desired).

2. While vegetables are cooking, saute onions and apple in a small amount of olive oil.

3. Mix rutabaga/squash/sweet potato and onion/apple together and puree using a food processor or potato masher. Return vegetable mixture to stockpot.

4. Add stock, cinnamon, and nutmeg to vegetable mixture. Simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

With Thanksgiving coming up in less than two weeks, the race is on to choose and test dishes for the big feast. One of my favorite side dishes is vegetables roasted in walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. This dish can be prepared and baked ahead of time and warmed in the oven for a few minutes closer to the time when you are ready to eat.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables (6-8 servings)
1 large sweet potato / yam, peeled and cubed
1 large fennel bulb, leaves / stalks removed, sliced
2-3 medium red potatoes, cubed
8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
4 large shallots or 1 medium onion, sliced
2 T. walnut oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Toss all ingredients together in a large (13 x 9) baking dish until vegetables are well-coated with oil and vinegar.

3. Bake at 425F for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir once or twice while baking.

Dining on Lake Tahoe: Evergreen

From Reno-Tahoe

This past Saturday I found myself in Reno, NV with a day to explore the area before having to catch a red-eye flight back to the east coast. Given that I'd already seen plenty of the casino where I'd been attending a conference and downtown Reno didn't have much to offer, I decided to drive out to Lake Tahoe and take a lap around the shoreline.

The lake has a circumference of 72 miles, so circumnavigating the lake in the space of several hours is quite do-able. Starting out at Incline Village, NV in the morning and driving clockwise around the lake (with lots of stops for photo ops, of course) brought me to Tahoe City, CA just in time for lunch. The weather was beautiful and I was hoping to find a restaurant where I could look out over the lake while dining.

I found a great lunch spot in Evergreen, which bills itself as "a casual restaurant...with a view of Lake Tahoe from every table." Given that much of the vegetation ringing the lake is indeed evergreen, the view of the lake certainly isn't unobstructed, but combined with people watching along the main street and a friendly waiter, there was plenty to keep me entertained while I ate my lunch. I had the special of the day - beef chili with onions, cheese, and an artistic piping of sour cream - and found it to be the perfect meal for a day on the lake. The chili was made with both red and black beans, plenty of beef, and was spicy without being overly hot. The menu also included many other delicious sounding appetizers and entrees (roasted young beets, grilled portobella mushroom sandwich with goat cheese and roasted peppers, sauteed duck breast with roasted plums and wild rice), for those looking for a larger meal. If you ever happen to be out in Tahoe and are looking for a place to eat, Evergreen is definitely worth a try.

Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake)

When dessert time came at my grandparents' house, there were usually several desserts waiting in the refrigerator or on the sideboard. Of all of the delicious desserts that my grandma made, one of my very favorite was her apple cake. It is a fairly simple recipe, requiring just three ingredients - but it does require several hours for the cake to cool in the refrigerator, so you may wish to bake the cake the night before you plan to serve it and chill it overnight. Depending on how much time you'd like to put into this recipe, you can either make your own applesauce (see my recipe here) or use chunky applesauce from the store.

Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake) (8-16 servings)
3 cups applesauce
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or breadcrumbs)
8 oz. whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 320F.

2. Butter or use cooking spray to coat all sides of an 8x8 baking dish (or other oven-proof dish). Layer graham cracker crumbs and applesauce in pan, 1/2 cup of crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs.

3. Bake at 320F for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until completely chilled throughout.

4. Slide a knife between cake and edge of pan, then turn out onto a large plate. Frost with whipped topping. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Not-Quite-Vegetarfrikadeller (Root Vegetable Bake)

The Wikipedia article about frikadeller mentions that vegetarians can now enjoy a meatless version of frikadeller and links to a recipe for vegetarfrikadeller. The recipe is in Danish, although that wasn't too difficult to handle, given the wide variety of internet resources that can be called upon to aid in translating Danish to English and metric to units more familiar to folks in the US. However, when I started in on the recipe, I was quickly foiled by the amount of shredding necessary to create the fine-grained mixture needed to create vegetarfrikadeller. Perhaps if I had a full-sized food processor, grating beets, parsnips, and carrots would prove to be fairly easy, but in this case, I decided to use the ingredients I had to create a slightly simpler dish. So in this post, I present two recipes - first, the root vegetable bake I actually made, and second, a translation of the recipe for vegetarfrikadeller mentioned above, should anyone with better shredding or food processing abilities like to give it a whirl.

Root Vegetable Bake (10-12 servings)
3/4 lb. parsnips, cut into thin strips
3/4 lb. beet, cut into thin strips
3/4 lb. carrot, cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven the 350F.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large (9 x 13) baking dish and spread evenly in dish.

3. Bake at 350F for one hour, stirring twice. If vegetables are still too crisp, increase heat to 400F and bake until desired tenderness is reached.

Vegetarfrikadeller (translated from Danish recipe)
(note: some measurements have been slightly adjusted to account for differences in measurement systems and the desire to make units more simple)
1 lb. parsnips
1 lb. beets
1 lb. carrots
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1-2 bouillon cubes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
2-3 T. flour

1. Shred parsnip, beet, and carrot and mix with eggs.

2. Heat milk and dissolve bouillon cubes, add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and flour.

3. Combine vegetable and milk mixtures, pour off excess liquid.

4. Shape into balls with a tablespoon and fry in butter or vegetable oil, 10 minutes per side.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

Growing up, my mom would occasionally have a few days (or even a week!) off of work, and if my dad and I were lucky, she would use some of her vacation time to prepare a "golden week of food" consisting of meat pies, sweet potatoes, and (if we were really lucky) frikadeller. Frikadeller, or Danish meatballs, are the national dish of Denmark and can be made with beef, veal, pork, lamb or a combination of these meats. These aren't the kind of meatballs that you serve with spaghetti, though - frikadeller stand pretty well on their own, swathed with a bit of gravy and complemented by rødkål and some potatoes or rice. If you have leftovers, frikadeller reheat well and you might even consider making frikadeller sandwiches.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs) (6-8 servings)
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, veal, pork, or lamb - or a mixture)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (or allspice, cinnamon, or other spice)
1/2 cup milk
1 T. flour or bread crumbs
1 onion, diced

1. Combine meat, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, milk, flour / bread crumbs, and 1/2 of onion in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Caramelize other half of onion in a deep frying pan.

3. Shape meat mixture into balls about the size of an egg and place in pan with caramelized onion. Add enough water to cover meatballs, boil meatballs for 20 minutes. Cook in batches if necessary, add more water to maintain level. [Alternative: Flatten meatballs slightly and fry in butter or vegetable oil, 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.]

4. Remove meatballs from water and add flour to water in pan, stir to dissolve and continue heating until gravy is desired thickness.

Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage)

When I think back to the many days spent at my grandparents' house, one of the strongest memories I have is of the various smells associated with my grandmother's cooking and baking. On entering their house on the day of a big meal, one of the scents sure to greet visitors was that of Danish red cabbage (rødkål), a sweet and sour cabbage preparation that serves as the perfect accompaniment to frikadeller (meatballs), medisterpølse (sausage), or other main dishes.

Rødkål takes a few hours to prepare and cook and can easily be reheated, so you may wish to prepare this a night in advance and then warming at low heat the next day while finishing up cooking whatever other dishes you are preparing.

Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage) (enough for a crowd)
1 medium head of red cabbage (about 3 lbs.), shredded or cut finely
3 T. butter
1 T. sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 medium apples, peeled / cored / finely chopped
1/2 cup red currant jelly (I grabbed seedless raspberry from the store by mistake - it also works!)

1. Melt butter in a large pot / kettle over medium-low heat and add sugar, stir until it dissolves in butter. Add cabbage and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that cabbage is coated in butter / sugar mixture.

2. Add vinegar, water, salt, and pepper and simmer (covered) for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is very tender.

3. Add apples and red currant jelly (and if necessary, additional vinegar, water, or sugar to balance flavor). Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Danish Food Festival, Part II

Last week, I posted a short piece about the Danish food party I was planning in honor of my grandfather, who was born 100 years ago yesterday (November 1). But since it was my grandmother who actually did the cooking in the family, the party was also in honor of her. So...

To Chris and Irene Rasmussen, Skaal!

The menu at the party included:

• Danish cheeses: Havarti, Danish Blue, and Fontina
• Aebleskiver (Filled Pancakes)
  
• Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage)
• Root Vegetable Bake (with bonus recipe for Vegetarfrikadeller)
• Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
• Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake)
• Danish Butter Cookies
• Halloween Candy Cache Brownies
• Beverages: Carlsberg Beer, Apple Cider, Wine
  

Curried Pumpkin Soup (spicy!!!)

I've already said in previous posts (also here and here) that squash is one of my favorite foods. Pumpkin is also a squash, and today I tried my hand at making pumpkin soup. I decided to try making a curried soup, and I definitely came out with something spicy! The soup goes great with crusty whole grain bread (see the photo). A few variations to try: for the liquid, try using vegetable broth, apple cider, or pumpkin ale (I used 3 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup apple cider); if you don't like your food too spicy, reduce the amount of curry and red pepper flakes in the recipe below.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (6-12 servings, depending on serving size)
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 ribs celery, fined chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
4 cups liquid (vegetable broth, apple cider, pumpkin ale, etc.)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (regular or nonfat)

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Use a food processor to puree mixture.

2. Combine pumpkin, curry, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger, liquid, and onion / garlic / celery mixture in a large pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve!

Applesauce

In preparation for the aeblekage (Danish apple cake) I am making for next weekend's Danish food festival, I made a hug pot of applesauce today. If you happen to have a hand crank apple peeler/corer/slicer handy, preparing the apples is much faster and easier. You can vary this recipe by using different kinds of liquids (e.g., cider or other fruit juice), adding additional types of fruit (e.g., cranberries), or stirring in little red cinnamon candies instead of using stick cinnamon.

Applesauce (a lot!)
8 pounds of apples
2 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks, 2 1/2 inches each
1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)

1. Peel, core, and slice apples and place in a large stock pot with water, cinnamon sticks, and sugar. Cover and simmer until apples are soft and can be mashed (30-45 minutes).

2. Remove cinnamon sticks and mash using a potato masher (for chunky applesauce) or process in batches in a blender or food processor (for smoother applesauce). If desired, continue to simmer uncovered to thicken sauce.

Danish Food Festival

Next weekend I am throwing a Danish food festival to celebrate the 100th anniversary of my grandfather's birth. Christian Rasmussen was born in Odense, Denmark (Hans Christian Andersen's hometown) on November 1, 1908 and emigrated to the United States as a young man. Chris settled in Detroit, MI and married Irene Petsch (the daughter of German immigrants) in July, 1933. They had three daughters - Ann Marie, Karen Lee, and Sallylou. By the time my mom came along in 1950, Chris and Irene had moved to Sandusky, MI, where they had a small dairy farm.

When my mom graduated from college, Chris and Irene sold the farm and moved to a small island in Caseville, MI year-round. The "house on the big water" is where I spent many a holiday, family birthday, or plain lazy summer afternoon. Their tiny house was always full of delicious smells - frikadeller, roasts, pies, cakes, or whatever else my grandma happened to be cooking or baking that day. When it was time to eat, Grandma would send me out to call folks to the table with "vaske spise!" (wash up and eat!)

I'm planning several of my favorite Danish dishes for next Saturday's party - so stay tuned for the recipes! I'll be making aebleskiver, rødkaal, frikadeller, vegetarfrikadeller (okay, my grandma would never have made vegetarian frikadeller, but I'm intrigued and will try it), and aeblekage.

Squash Soup

Squash is one of my favorite foods, and squash soup is one of my favorite autumn dishes. For this soup, you can use any of the hard winter squashes (e.g., butternut, acorn, etc.) - many grocery stores sell peeled and sliced squash if you don't want to do it yourself, or you can get frozen cooked squash in the frozen foods section. If you are using fresh squash, boil it until tender (10-15 minutes, or until a fork can easily be inserted), drain, and mash with a potato masher. Depending on what liquid bases and add-ins you have on hand and whether you use a food processor or not, you can play around with this recipe to make it more savory or more sweet and smoother or chunkier.

Squash Soup (4-8 servings, depending on serving size)
2 lbs. winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.), cooked and mashed
2 cups liquid (apple cider, vegetable broth, water, etc.)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large ribs celery, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large apple, cut into chunks
1 can (~ 14 oz.) whole kernel or creamed corn (drain if using whole kernel corn)
1 rind parmesan cheese
1 T. chopped fresh dill (or dill paste)
1 tsp. cinnamon
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup milk (optional)

1. Combine squash and liquid in a large pot; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to combine squash and liquid.

2. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Add apples and continue to saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add onion / celery / garlic / apple mixture, corn, parmesan cheese rind, dill, cinnamon, and pepper to squash mixture; simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. [If you'd like a slightly creamier soup, add 1 cup milk at this point and simmer - but do not boil - for an additional 10 minutes.]

4. Remove parmesan rind (if it has not completely melted). Use a potato masher or food processor to blend soup; ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill.

Simple Apple Pie

This weekend I was up in Syracuse to visit friends and go apple picking (one of my favorite fall activities). After a morning spent picking and tasting apples, drinking cider, eating donuts, and generally having fun, my friend Susana and I settled down to the (not too) hard work of making an apple pie. The recipe we used is very simple and quick to make - adjust the sugar and spices to your taste and to the apples you are using (we used jonagold apples - fairly sweet and crisp, with just a touch of tartness).

Simple Apple Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
6 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 - 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. butter, cut into small pieces
a few pinches of flour

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate and trim to edge of pie plate. Sprinkle flour lightly on crust.

3. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Spread a layer of apples in the pie plate, sprinkle sugar mixture, add another layer of apples and sugar, repeat until all apples and sugar mixture are used. Dot top layer with cut butter.

4. Unroll second pie crust and place on top of pie, fold edges under bottom crust and seal edge of pie. Cut 3-5 slits in pie crust to vent.

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes more.

6. Enjoy warm or cooled!

Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins

One of my favorite "bases" to begin baking with is Pillsbury's Quick Bread mixes. They come in a variety of flavors, each of which offers many possibilities beyond just quick bread. The mix that I use most often is pumpkin, and that's what I used today in making muffins to take into the office tomorrow. This recipe uses plain (unsweetened) applesauce instead of oil, so it cuts out some of the fat while keeping the muffins moist - and adds a nice apple undertone to this fall treat.

Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins (12 muffins)
1 box (14 oz) Pillsbury Quick Bread mix, pumpkin flavor
1 cup milk
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease or line 12 cupcake cups.

2. In a large bowl, stir together quick bread mix, milk, applesauce, ginger, and eggs. Stir in raisins and pecans.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

4. Bake 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Cool in pan 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash

Continuing on the squash theme from the last post, my other foray into squash today used acorn squash...

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash (2-4 servings)
1 medium acorn squash (~ 1.5 lbs.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 T. butter or margarine (melted)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

3. While squash is baking, mix maple syrup, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

4. Remove squash from oven and turn cut side up in the dish. Brush maple syrup mixture over cut side of squash and spoon remaining mixture into center of squash. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is soft.

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

The weather in DC has started to cool off (although the forecast is to go back up to the 80s for at least a day or two this coming week) and the fruits of the autumn harvest are beginning to appear at the farmers markets and grocery stores. This week, I dug into the squash harvest...

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash (~ 6 servings)
1 medium spaghetti squash (~ 3 -4 lbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. butter or margarine, cut into several pieces
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes (until squash is tender).

3. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then use a fork to rake squash pulp out of shell so that it forms spaghetti-like strands.

4. Toss squash, cheese, butter, and pepper until well mixed.

Caramel Crispy Squares

A few weeks ago, I picked up a box of Caramel Delight Fiber One cereal, thinking that it sounded good. While the flavor was decent, it wasn't quite sweet enough to offset the extra-fibery taste of the cereal (35% of your daily recommended fiber intake!). At about the same time, I got a bag of marshmallows that turned out to be a bit stickier than I would have liked. And so the caramel crisy squares were born!

Caramel Crispy Squares
2 T. butter or margarine
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 cups Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Microwave the butter in a large bowl until melted (about 45 seconds).

2. Add marshmallows and toss, microwave 1 minute, stir, and microwave 1 more minute or until marshmallows are melted.

3. Stir in cereal and butterscotch chips.

4. Turn out onto a large sheet of waxed paper and press out until layer is about 1.5 inch thick. It will be very sticky, so do you best. (Alternative - press into greased, foil lined 8 x 8 pan.)

5. Allow to cool, then cut into about 12 squares.

Peach Pie

I'm still working through the peaches from a few weeks ago - I'm now on to the fruit that I put up in the freezer. This time around, inspired by a great deal on pastry cut-out tools at Williams-Sonoma ($1.99!), I decided to try peach pie.

Peach Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
6 cups fresh or frozen peaches (thawed), peeled and diced
a few pinches of flour

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Add peaches and ginger and stir together. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate and trim to edge of pie plate. Sprinkle with a few pinches of flour.

4. Unroll second pie crust and use leaf-shaped pastry cutter to cut out three pieces near center of crust. Dot crust with water and affix leaves to alternate with cut out areas (see photo above). [If you are not using pastry cutters, cut three to five slits in crust after placing it on pie and sealing edges.]

5. Pour peach mixture into pie crust, place second crust, fold edges under bottom crust and seal edge of pie.

6. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust during the first 25 minutes of baking. Cool pie on a wire rack after removing from oven.

7. Slice and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Sangria

Last weekend brought with it a Gipsy Kings concert out at Wolf Trap and the need to use up the last of the fresh peaches, nectarines, and blackberries that I picked the previous weekend. So I thought...What better way to spend a night under the stars listening to flamenco than with a lovely batch of sangria to sip?

The wine that I used is from a Michigan winery (Tabor Hill) and is not available outside of the state. So if you're in Michigan, I encourage you to get some - and if you aren't in Michigan, call on your friends who live or visit and ask them to bring you some.

Sangria (serves 4-6, depending on how much you all drink!)
1 bottle Tabor Hill demi-red or other semi-sweet red wine of your choosing
1-2 fresh peaches, peeled / pitted / diced
1-2 fresh nectarines, pitted / diced (you can leave the skin on or remove it)
1 handful fresh blackberries
1 20 oz. bottle Sprite / 7-Up (regular or diet)

Mix wine and fruit together in a large pitcher, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Add Sprite / 7-Up just prior to serving. Serve with a ladle or long-handled spoon so that folks can get the fruit!

Sunday Brunch - Bombay Club

If Washingtonians know how to do one weekend activity really well, it is brunch. This weekend, I found a new favorite Sunday brunch spot - The Bombay Club in downtown DC. I'd been to Bombay Club for dinner before (excellent!), and was quite excited to find that the restaurant also offered a Sunday brunch buffet.

The buffet includes a sumptuous selection of Indian cuisine - appetizers, lamb, chicken, egg, vegetables, lentils, rice, naan, salad, fresh cut fruit, and dessert. The main dishes were hot enough for those in the group who like their food spicy, but those in the group who don't like their food as spicy were also able to find plenty to like. This week's selection included one of my favorite Indian desserts, gajjar ka halwa, a sweet made from carrots. Perhaps I'll try making it myself one day!

The set price for the buffet is very reasonable for brunch in the city - $20/person, or $25/person for the champagne brunch (including champagne or mimosas throughout the meal). In addition, this is one of the nicest settings for brunch in town - a piano player providing light background music, attentive wait staff, and a beautiful dining room.

Peach - Ginger Crisp

My other baking adventure after returning from the farm today was peach - ginger crisp. It's getting late, so I'll skip the commentary and just post the recipe...

Peach - Ginger Crisp (10-12 servings)
6-8 cups sliced / cubed, peeled peaches*
3 T. sugar (or equivalent amount of Splenda)
1 cup oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 T. fresh ginger (or ginger paste)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Mix peaches and 3 T. sugar. Spread in bottom on 13 x 9 baking pan.

3. Combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter and ginger until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

5. Serve warm, top with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.

* This is also great with apples, apples + cranberries, blackberries, etc.

Blackberry Pie

At the berry patch today, we were dreaming of many potential treats while picking blackberries. While some of the group headed home to can, I decided to use some of my berries in my first attempt at making a lattice-top pie. Aside from a few oddly-sized strips, it turned out quite tasty!

Blackberry Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
5 cups blackberries (or other berries)
3/4 cup sugar (or 9 packets Splenda + 3/8 cup sugar)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

3. Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon, sprinkle ~ 2 tablespoons on pie crust.

4. Toss berries in remaining dry ingredient mixture until well-coated, then dump into pie crust.

5. Cut second pie crust into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place strips across top of pie in woven lattice pattern. Trim strips to size of pie, then fold extra crust from bottom over and seal edge of pie.

6. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust edge - remove halfway though. After removing pie from oven, cool on a wire rack.

7. Slice and serve - top with ice cream or whipped topping!

Fresh Berries and Peaches

This morning several of us went out to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, Maryland to pick blackberries, peaches, and nectarines. Picking fruit is one of my favorite weekend outings - and today was no exception, as you can see from the photos! I got lots of fruit and after several hours of baking, cutting, and bagging, I've ended up with...

• 1 blackberry pie
• 1 peach-ginger crisp
• 9 cups of frozen blackberries
• 21 cups of frozen peaches
• 3 cups of frozen nectarines
• lots of fresh berries, peaches, and nectarines for snacks during the week

Stay tuned for more pictures and recipes for the pie and crisp!

In the meantime, take a look at my freezer...

S'mores Mix

This past weekend I traveled back to Michigan to visit with some of my friends from my days as a Girl Scout camp counselor. Ahh, the life of camp...mosquitoes, swimming in a lake, showering outdoors, living in a cabin (or platform tent!), and cooking over a campfire.

The best thing about camp (aside from the friends and memories, of course!) is seeming unlimited access to s'mores. But my days as a camp counselor are done, and I don't often have access to an open campfire over which to toast marshmallows (a critical ingredient). I could try to puff the marshmallow in the microwave (although that would mean losing the ability to turn the marshamallow into a ball of fire, which is also a critical part of making s'mores) or go to Cosi to make s'mores. There are also some commercially-available substitutes that give you s'mores flavor without the campfire (and without the mess), including Ritz Bits S'mores Sandwiches and Pot Tarts S'mores. Which got me to thinking...how can I capture the essence of s'mores without the campfire and without the sticky mess that comes along with the best (and gooiest) of s'mores? Looking in my cupboard, I found the solution using a few ingredients I just happened to have laying about...

S'mores Mix
Use equal parts of all ingredients, depending on how many servings you need

Miniature marshmallows
Chocolate chips
Bite-sized graham crackers (e.g., Honey Maid Honey Bees, Teddy Grahams, Golden Grahams cereal)

Toss all ingredients together and serve!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earlier this week, the New York Times went on a hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie and offered a recipe that they say is great. I'm sure it is, but my favorite chocolate chip cookies are made using a recipe that I adapted from the top of the Quaker Oats canister. The recipe was originally for oatmeal raisin cookies, but I've used the base to make everything from raisin to chocolate chip to white chocolate cranberry to chocolate butterscotch.

p.s. If you need a quick fix and don't want to make up a whole batch of cookies, I suggest picking up one of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at Potbelly.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (4-5 dozen cookies)
1 cup (two sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 cup chocolate chips*

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulate sugar until creamy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

4. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, then add to liquid mixute and mix well.

5. Stir in oats and chocolate chips until fully mixed.

6. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

8. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack.

*or raisins, or 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or 1/2 cup cinnamon chips + 1/2 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, etc.

Lemon Blueberry Cloud

It's summer time, which means that picnic season is in full swing. So, what's a girl to bring to the party? Today, it's lemon blueberry cloud, a fluffy and fruity summer dessert.

A few notes - I like to play around with recipes a lot, substituting in one type of fruit or flavoring for another. So, if you're not a fan of lemon or blueberry, this recipe can easily be modified to accommodate the flavors you do have a taste for. Also, don't be afraid to use the sugar free, fat free, or reduced fat versions of the cottage cheese, whipped topping, and gelatin if that's what you prefer (that's what I use).

Lemon Blueberry Cloud (enough for a picnic / potluck)
1 16 oz. container cottage cheese (small curd)
1 box (4 serving size) lemon-flavored gelatin [or 1-2 boxes of your favorite flavor]
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 quart blueberries [or 3-4 cups fresh or frozen fruit, or 1-2 15 oz. cans, drained]
1 8oz. container whipped topping, thawed

1. In a large bowl, mix cottage cheese and gelatin powder until thoroughly blended.

2. Add miniature marshmallows and 3 cups blueberries (reserve remainder of quart for garnish). Stir until marshmallows and blueberries are well coated.

3. Fold in whipped topping and mix gently until well blended. Do not overmix!

4. Top with remaining blueberries and additional miniature marshmallows. Cover and chill for several hours or until picnic time.

Gazpacho!

After a few weeks of blissfully cool weather in DC, summer has returned with a vengeance - heat, humidity, and torrential rainstorms. Which means it is the perfect time to make up a big batch of gazpacho. And with today marking Spain's appearance in the EuroCup finals, it's a great time to make this traditionally Spanish soup.

Some interesting facts about gazpacho - did you know that this cold soup was originally made from stale bread, olive oil, garlic, salt, and vinegar? It wasn't until after 1492 and Columbus' voyage to the New World that tomatoes and bell peppers made it back to Europe and the soup evolved into the form we are more familiar with today.

The gazpacho I made up today is fairly simple, although does require a fair amount of chopping - so if you're out of practice, you might want to stretch first ;) Or if you have a food processor, just chop things a bit chunkier and throw all of the ingredients in together and blend until smooth.

Gazpacho (4-6 servings)
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones that also have green chiles)
1/2 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 large ribs celery, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (green, orange, red, or yellow - use different colors to make your soup prettier)
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves & stems, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups vegetable juice

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until fully mixed or use a food processor to create a smoother soup (process in batches if necessary). Seal and place in refrigerator for several hours. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: If you are making this soup for lunches, as I usually do, make sure to keep any leftover vegetable juice on hand for later in the week, when you might find that the veggies have soaked up more liquid - and thus a few dashes of juice are necessary.

Bananas

Perhaps the worst food news of the day...the month...or my entire life was delivered in this Op-Ed from yesterday's New York Times: Yes, We Will Have No Bananas (see picture at left).

Looks like we'll soon be forced to explore other varieties of banana - and I'm all for it! While in India this past winter, I had some wonderful small, sweet bananas that had a slight honey flavor and were very smooth. I wonder what else is out there?

Banana Dogs!

A couple of years ago my mom and I were pondering that age-old question...What can we do with these left-over hot dog buns? Both of us start our mornings with a banana, love peanut butter, and voila! we dreamt up the banana dog. [Yes, I realize that many people think that they invented the banana dog...but within our family, my mom and I were the innovators.] My dad was a bit slower to warm to the idea, but I've received intelligence that he does occasionally partake of a banana dog.

One of the best things about the banana dog is that it makes a tasty, healthy, and portable breakfast or snack. Peel the banana, pop it into a hot dog bun, add your favorite toppings, and you are good to go - just don't try to carry it onto the Metro, where you might get fined for trying to eat and commute. Also, the banana dog is fully customizable, and if you have many mouths to feed you can create a banana dog toppings bar (late night movie marathon with friends? breakfast for a kids' sleepover party?).

Banana Dogs
Basics:
hot bog bun (whole wheat preferred)
medium-sized banana

Toppings: (add as many or as few as you would like)
peanut butter (or almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.)
cream cheese
marshmallow fluff
jelly (or jam, preserves, etc.)
honey
chocolate sauce (or caramel sauce, etc.)

1. Toast hot dog bun, if desired. While bun is toasting, peel banana and cut to proper size (eat the ends that don't fit on the bun).

2. Spread toppings on the bun, or put banana in then add the toppings - your choice!

3. Enjoy!

Cool Cucumber and Green Tea Soup

Lucerne (the "store brand" at Safeway) makes a light green tea yogurt that I've used previously as a fruit dip. I thought that it might also make a good base for a cold cucumber and yogurt soup, so I whipped some up for the coming week's lunches. A small taste test reveals that...this was a great idea!

Cool Cucumber and Green Tea Soup (4-5 servings)
2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 cup green tea yogurt + 1 cup plain yogurt (or 2 cups plain)
2 T. fresh dill, minced (or dill paste)
1 T. fresh ginger, minced (or ginger paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice
pepper and salt to taste
1 cup water (if desired)

1. Mix cucumbers, yogurt, dill, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and stir until the cucumber pieces are coated with yogurt.

2. Use a food processor or blender to puree the mixture in batches. If the mixture is too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached.

3. Chill for at least 1 hr. and serve. Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill or thinly sliced cucumbers, if desired.

Some good meals from the past

Here are a few snapshots of good meals that I've had while traveling...

Enjoying the taro in Hawaii


Dinner at LMB in Jaipur, Rajasthan (India) - Emera ordered the thali, and boy was it big!


The cake and other assorted desserts at Emera and Ian's wedding at Wells College in Aurora, NY

Chilled Peach Soup

The past week or so has confirmed that summer has come to Washington, DC. Last Saturday, as the temperature flirted with triple digits and the city suffered through an early heat wave, visions of Whole Foods chilled soups danced in my head. Last summer I lived a mere half block from Whole Foods, and running across the street to pick up a quart of gazpacho or chilled peach soup was but the work of a moment. I've moved since then - it's about half a mile to Whole Foods from my new apartment - so if I walk over there, I expect to come home with a loaded sack.

Unfortunately, the recent tomato salmonella scare had triggered a decision to pull all fresh gazpacho from the shelves - strike 1. The shelves were also woefully lacking containers of chilled peach soup - strike 2. The store employees also had no idea if or when these summer staples would return to the refrigerated case - strike 3.

All was not lost, however. Instead of resigning myself to eating fresh French bread with no accompaniment, I decided to try my hand at making my own chilled peach soup. I had to use canned peaches, since I didn't have any fresh peaches on hand, but this did have the added benefit of less time spent peeling and slicing! Overall, the experiment worked out pretty well - and cost quite a bit less than the $5.99 Whole Foods charges.

Chilled Peach Soup (2-3 servings)
1 15 oz. can peaches or 3 cups fresh peaches (peeled)
1 cup yogurt
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Dice peaches into small (1/4") cubes.

2. Combine peaches, yogurt, lemon juice, almond extract, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher/ricer until well blended. If the soup is too thick, add syrup from canned peaches, orange juice, or white grape juice until desired thickness is reached. (For those who like a smoother soup, use a blender or food processor for this step.)

3. Chill for at least 1 hr. and serve. Garnish with fresh mint, cinnamon, or peach slices, if desired.

I used peach yogurt when I made this, which made the soup even peachier - others may wish to use plain yogurt or to experiment with other flavors of yogurt (apricot mango? raspberry?). I'm also considering making a larger batch of this soup, using half peaches and half mangoes for the fruit portion.