Parsnip Soup w/ Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Great news, followers! My blog is not dead. It was simply hibernating for a bit while I figured out some pretty monumental life decisions. I wasn't feeling as creative with my cooking (and time was limited), so I remade a ton of my old recipes to make things quicker and easier. In the midst of the craziness, I quit my job at McLagan and accepted a new position at PepsiCo! It is going to be a huge change, and I am thrilled to start this next chapter. I have this week off before I start to get things organized, so I am hoping to share some great new recipes with all of you.

I was feeling very jealous of Grace and my other Boston friends who visited the Sunday SOWA market today because the farmers market here in Stamford just doesn't even compare. I go and support them every week, but I am pretty convinced that a lot of the fruits and veggies are not local. There wasn't a parsnip to be found yesterday, so I went to the grocery store to pick some up so I could experiment with a new soup. I try to make a new soup every (or every other) week in the Fall/Winter to have ready-made meals handy. This recipe is incredibly flavorful with amazing fall tastes, and the spiced pumpkin seeds add the perfect crunch.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Parsnip Soup w/ Spiced Pumpkin Seeds: Serves 4-5, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 75 min

Ingredients:

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- 1 large sweet onion, chopped,

- 6 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 bunch green onions/scallions, chopped

- 1 bunch celery, chopped

- 1 XL carrot, peeled & chopped

- 3 XL parsnips, peeled & chopped

- 4 cups organic chicken or veggie stock (no sugar added!)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds

- 1 tsp. olive oil

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp. paprika

- 1/2 tsp. cumin

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat

2. Add onion, garlic, and scallions and saute about 10 minutes until fragrant

3. Add celery, carrots, and parsnips. Stir well to combine and cook another 5 minutes

4. Add stock and bring to a boil

5. Cover and reduce heat. Cook for 1 hour

6. Meanwhile, heat 1tsp. olive oil in a small pan over medium heat

7. Add pumpkin seeds and toss to combine

8. After 1-2 minutes, add cinnamon, paprika, and cumin

9. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant and then let cool

10. When soup is done, let cool slightly and blend with immersion blender or food processor

11. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I just added some pepper)

12. Serve piping hot with ~1Tbsp. of spiced pumpkin seeds on top! Happy Fall :)

  

  

  

Sweet & Savory Moroccan Chicken

Who likes moving? Most people assume that I love to move given the fact that I am about to move into my EIGHTH home in 6 years, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While I love to be out and about and travel, I truly am a homebody, and I appreciate a good sense of stability and home more than anyone. I'm hoping that move #8 is a lucky one, because it has been a rocky road for sure! Today was quite a day, and my apartment is upside-down. I met a few interesting characters from Craigslist, and I successfully sold the majority of my furniture. Now I just need to get through 5 whirlwind days of travel for work, and I will officially be in the home stretch. My blog will be a bit neglected over the next week or two, but I am almost up to my 100th recipe, so you should have plenty to keep you busy in the meantime.

Tonight's recipe is thanks to a trifecta of inspiration: a chicken tagine dish that my friend Kat made to one of our ladies' night potlucks, all of the amazing spices in the food in Dubai, and my new favorite restaurant in Naples called  Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro that I tried with mom and Ron. My entire apartment smelled heavenly while this cooked, and it couldn't be any easier. You will love this dish! 

Sweet & Savory Moroccan Chicken: Serves 8, Prep time: 15 min, Cook time: 40 min

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs
- 1 sweet onion, sliced
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 8 oz. dried apricots
- 8 oz. dried plums / prunes (get pitted!)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Rinse chicken, pat dry, and arrange in 2 pans
3. Add sliced onion and garlic
4. Drizzle the olive oil on top and mix to combine
5. Add all spices
6. Top with apricots and plums
7. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through with no pink

  

Crockpot Chicken Chili w/ Beets & Kale

While my affair with chicken is on hold for now, I do have a fantastic recipe to share. I had originally dreamt up this beet chili on Valentine's Day, but you may remember that I completely destroyed the beets (and the pot) that they were cooking in. I decided to give it another try using the crockpot to avoid any issues. 

I ate beets for the first time about 6 months ago, and now I can't get enough of them. I even ate slices of a raw beet while I was chopping them, and they were delicious! The texture was like a beautifully crisp apple, and the flavor was so rich. Anything with this much color is good in my book. I experimented with some cumin and paprika in this recipe to give it a little chili flavor. I will try this out again with extra spice and a non-chicken alternative (ground lamb anyone?). Eat your beets for vitamin C, folate, beta-carotene, manganese, potassium, and iron. Not too shabby for a cold winter day!

Crockpot Chicken Chili w/ Beets & Kale: Serves 8-10, Prep time: 30 min, Cook time: 6 hours

Ingredients:
- 2 lb. organic chicken breasts (frozen or fresh)
- 2 sweet onions, chopped
- 2+ Tbsp. chopped garlic
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 3 large beets, peeled & chopped
- 2 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 qt. organic vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 Tbsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes until soft
3. Pour the cans of tomatoes on the bottom of the crockpot
4. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the tomatoes
5. Cover the chicken with the onions and garlic, and then top with cumin, paprika, and pepper
6. Add the beets on top and then pour the broth over everything
7. Cook in the crockpot for 5 hours on high or 7-8 on low
8. Take the chicken out, shred it, and then return it to the pot
9. Add the chopped kale into the crockpot, cook on low for 10 more minutes, and then serve!

 

 

Spiced Meatballs w/ Balsamic Fig Reduction

Happy Saturday! I had a great week in Stamford and am Back in Boston. I realized that I haven't been home for a full week since before Thanksgiving, so it is nice to be back. I have had quite the whirlwind with friends, family, holidays, vacation, and work trips, and now it is time to get back in the swing of things. I checked out the Cambridge Winter Farmers Market today with Chris which was awesome. It's closer than the one in Somerville and just as big. We made friends with some of the farmers and got great stuff. I bought a couple new things that I haven't tried (anyone tried kohlrabi before?), so I will be experimenting with some new recipes this week.

I am off to Bikram yoga for a 10-day trial at Bikram Yoga Boston. I have had some wonderful experiences with Bikram in the past, but I have also had a few nightmare classes. When I went in Naples with mom, I think she almost punched the teacher in the face at one point. Between the instructor, the damp smelly carpet, and the atmosphere, it wasn't pretty. Fingers crossed for this studio!

Today's recipe is a slight variation of an amazing recipe from Practical Paleo. You can check out information on the book here. I got the cookbook as a holiday gift from Evan & Catherine, and it is amazing. These meatballs smell great thanks to all of the spices, and the fig compote is absolutely delicious. I have never made a reduction before (seemed a little intimidating), but it was actually one of the more simple recipes to make. Try this out as an appetizer at your next dinner party to wow your guests!

Spiced Meatballs w/ Balsamic Fig Reduction: Serves 4, Prep time: 10 min, Cook time: 25 min

Ingredients:
- 1lb. ground lamb or grass-fed beef
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. allspice
- Sea salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 6-8 dried figs, sliced (I used organic extra large Turkish figs)
- 2 sprigs of fresh organic rosemary

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix the meat and all spices together in a mixing bowl
3. Form into 16 small meatballs, and lightly brown the edges in a pan over medium heat (about 15-30 seconds per side)
4. Bake on a foil-lined sheet for 20-25 minutes until cooked through
5. While baking, add vinegar, water, figs, and rosemary to your pan on the stove
6. Simmer (I cooked on a level 3 of 10) for about 15 minutes or until the compote reduces. It will seem very watery at first, but over time, it will turn into a thick sweet compote.
7. Serve the meatballs fresh out of the oven on top of the compote

  

P.S. I swear the meatballs weren't hot pink... the camera got crazy!