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 :)

  

  

  

Butternut Squash Soup

There are pros and cons to every situation including being in a long-distance relationship. While certainly more cons than pros if you ask me, the one good thing is that I am able to continue my absurd love affair with garlic. I used to prefer food very bland without salt, pepper, garlic, or any herbs or spices. These days, my taste buds have adapted, and I can barely eat anything without garlic. I found some organic elephant garlic at the store recently, so I knew I had to try it. As you can see, three of the cloves took up my whole hand, but I still used the entire head. Sauteed sweet onions with loads of garlic makes the perfect base to almost any soup or meal, so you know this is going to be a good one. Aside from the wonderful taste, garlic has antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. These are more than enough reasons for me to eat garlic every day! 

Tonight's recipe was inspired by my Aunt Lauri's butternut squash soup. I took out the milk and tweaked it a bit. If you prefer a thicker/creamier soup, you can mix in 1 cup of coconut milk after blending the soup. This soup is perfect for the fall, but you can't go wrong any time of year with this recipe!

Butternut Squash Soup: Serves: 8-12, Prep time: 20 min, Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
- 6lbs. butternut squash, peeled & chopped
- 2-3 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 3-5 small vidalia onions, chopped
- 1 head elephant garlic, peeled & chopped
- 8 cups organic chicken stock
- salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat
2. Add onions and garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft and fragrant
3. Add squash and broth to the pot, and bring to a boil
4. Lower heat to low, and cook 45-60 minutes until squash is soft
5. Puree with immersion blender or transfer in batches to a blender or food processor
6. Eat up!

  

  

Coconut Carrot Sweet Potato Soup

Did you know that I am obsessed with soup? Well, I am - it is really that simple. There is something so comforting about hot soup in the winter. Check out this interesting article about the importance of eating "warming" foods in the winter. Soups with hearty vegetables will keep your body energized and full of nutrition during the coldest months.  

I have decided that I need to create at least one soup for every color of the rainbow, so today's creation is a beautiful orange concoction. The flavors in this are absolutely incredible, and the recipe couldn't be easier. I would've added cinnamon as well, but I keep forgetting to restock when I go to the store. If I haven't convinced you to buy an immersion blender yet, go buy one! This is the one I have http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13485062 (thanks Mom!), and it is perfect. If you don't want/need all of the attachments, you can pay a bit less just for the blender itself. It's the holidays people - make it happen!

2012 is winding down, and I don't know about all of you, but I have had the most complicated/transitional year of my entire life. It isn't over yet, and while I reflect on all that happened and all that will come, I plan on curling up in my favorite chair and eating a bowl of this beautiful soup. Soup therapy always does the trick... enjoy! 

Ingredients:
- 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 large sweet onions, chopped
- 2+ Tbsp. chopped garlic

- 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed

- 6-7 large carrots, peeled & chopped

- 1 quart low sodium organic vegetable broth (I use Pacific)
- 1 can low fat coconut milk (I use Trader Joes - only ingredients are coconut milk and water)
- Fine sea salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large soup pot
2. Add onions, garlic, sea salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often
3. Add sweet potatoes and carrots and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes
4. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil
5. When it boils, cover the pot, and let simmer over low heat for 30 minutes
6. Let the soup cool for a few minutes
7. Using the immersion blender (or whatever else you have), blend the soup until thick and smooth
8. Add the can of coconut milk and stir until well combined
9. Top with some toasted (unsweetened) coconut flakes if you'd like!

  

Goodbye Soup w/ Pork Carnitas

There's no better excuse to cook a great meal than a party for a dear friend. While I'd prefer to be celebrating at a welcome-home party, I had to settle for a going-away feast. My friend/coworker/mum Ryan shipped off for Dubai last week for a 2-year assignment overseas (here we are - that's me stuffed into his armpit). 

He came to Boston for a last hurrah, and we had our friends over for some Mexican-inspired paleo eats. Ryan chose the theme, and we prepared some spiced cantaloupe, veggies & guacamole, and grass-fed beef stuffed sweet peppers for appetizers:

It is important to note that Ryan made the beautiful lettuce "flower" as the veggie centerpiece (I want to make sure I do not receive any credit for this masterpiece).  The main course was lettuce wrap tacos stuffed with crockpot pork carnitas and topped with a strawberry/pineapple/avocado salsa. The meal was wonderful, the company couldn't have been better (thanks Heather and Kenny!), and we had a great time. After a whirlwind of a week full of amazing adventures, I returned home to Boston and was hungry like usual. All I had in the house was about 5 pounds of leftover carnitas in my crockpot and about 8 large sweet peppers. I decided that I needed a little "goodbye soup" for the soul, so I created the following recipe. I ate it all week and even discovered that soup for breakfast is amazing... don't just trust me, try it!

Pork Carnitas Ingredients:
- 2 4-5lb pork loin roasts (can also use pork shoulder or butt)
- 2 large onions, sliced
- Chopped garlic (I must have used at least 10 cloves)
- 1 container of cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups of broth (I used chicken)
- 4 bay leaves
- Sea salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and any other spices you want to add!

Instructions:
1. Lay sliced onions and chopped garlic in the bottom of the crockpot
2. Put your pork on top (I did fat side up)
3. Season very generously with all seasonings
4. Add box of cherry tomatoes and broth
5. Cook on low for 10 hours
6. Shred the pork with kitchen tongs and stir so juices mix - keep warm and serve when hungry!

Ingredients for Goodbye Soup:

- 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil or other paleo fat

- 2 onions, chopped

- 5-10 cloves garlic, chopped (can you tell I love garlic?)

- 8 large sweet peppers, chopped 

- 1 large can (32 oz.?) organic roasted tomatoes with basil

- 4 cups chicken broth

- Sea salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat fat in a large saucepan and add onions and garlic

2. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and fragrant and then add chopped peppers

3. Add sea salt and pepper and stir every couple of minutes for about 5-10 minutes until peppers begin to soften

4. Add can of roasted tomatoes and chicken broth

5. Bring pot to boil and then cover, turn to low/medium-low, and cook for 30-45 minutes

6. Take pot off heat, and after it cools slightly (~10 minutes), use immersion blender to blend the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can blend this in batches in your blender or food processor.

7. Serve with a dollop of shredded pork carnitas

8. Rename Goodbye Soup to See-You-Later Soup (way better ring to it...)