Easter week was busy, as holiday weeks seem to be. We were away at my mother's for Easter. It was wonderful to spend time with the family, eat well and celebrate the resurrection. Life is good. We didn't come home until Monday afternoon, so Emily didn't cook until Wednesday. Her aunt has been in possession of our Fish Taco recipe for some time, but she wanted to see the method, and try them first, which I absolutely understand.
I had heard about fish tacos for ages, but, loving beef tacos, couldn't quite imagine them. Emily talked me into going to Taco Time one day a year or so ago when we were shopping. I figured for $2.50 I could try a fish taco and not be out much if I decided they were not for me. As it turned out I thought they were quite tasty and came home and did an internet search for a recipe. When I emerged from the rabbit hole that recipe searching on the internet can be I had found I recipe I thought would work. It has had a few modifications, but has become a favourite in our household. I'm not a fan of reheated fish, but these I will do a leftover lunch the next day.
Emily waited until her aunt arrived to make the marinade, while I assembled the coleslaw for a topping. I used packaged coleslaw and bottled dressing, but to the dressing I added a splash of lime juice and a generous pinch of chili powder to give the dressing a nice kick.
Once my sister arrived Emily combined vegetable oil (she used canola, but I usually use olive oil) lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Into this mixture she added several Basa filets, and after about 15 minutes took them out to the barbecue.
The fish did not take very long to cook and before long we were enjoying our tacos. Into soft shells (which I prefer to the hard ones, but use what you like) we put a filet half, topping it with peach mango salsa (a nice change, a little sweeter, than traditional salsa) sour cream and the spicy coleslaw.
I suppose you could add in any other toppings you like, but the simplicity of these flavours is rather nice. I neglected to take a picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it. They are delicious, fast and easy.
Fish Tacos
Juice of 1/2 a lime (1- 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 medium clove of garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Combine & marinate mild white meat fish filets (basa, tilapia, cod, etc) for about 15 minutes. The marinade can be doubled easily if you are doing more than about 3 filets. Grill, bake or pan fry the fish until done. Top with peach mango salsa (or whatever you like) sour cream & coleslaw.
Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It's not about nutrients and calories. It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity. Louise Fresco
Monday, April 4, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Skillet Sweet Potatoes
My post is a trifle late this week. It was a busy week filled with preparations for Easter; baking hot cross buns and steeling myself from eating all the lovely chocolate treats I bought for the kids. We spent the weekend in Cardston celebrating and feasting with family, and as wonderful as that was it is good to be back home.
I had purchased steaks on Sunday last week, along with the shrimp I prepared for Sunday supper. Emily decided that she could manage the barbecue and I suggested she do the sweet potato recipe I discovered last week. While she peeled and diced a pair of sweet potatoes (yams, actually, but whatever...) I seasoned the steaks with a seasoning blend I make myself.
I helped her measure a couple of teaspoons of coconut oil into a large skillet. She added the sweet potatoes, tossing them gently to coat. Once the potatoes were coated with the oil she sprinkled them with a mixture of sea salt, cinnamon and parsley. I thought I had been a trifle sparse with the test batch, so I decided to add a little extra cinnamon to her salt mixture....but the bottle slipped, and I wound up adding far too much! Oops. Still they turned out ok.
I helped Emily light the barbecue, and once the steaks were on she came in to prepare some broccoli to steam. She also wanted corn, but decided 1 can was not enough. For the record two cans is far too much.
Nonetheless, errors in measurement and judgement aside, dinner was delicious.
I had purchased steaks on Sunday last week, along with the shrimp I prepared for Sunday supper. Emily decided that she could manage the barbecue and I suggested she do the sweet potato recipe I discovered last week. While she peeled and diced a pair of sweet potatoes (yams, actually, but whatever...) I seasoned the steaks with a seasoning blend I make myself.
I helped her measure a couple of teaspoons of coconut oil into a large skillet. She added the sweet potatoes, tossing them gently to coat. Once the potatoes were coated with the oil she sprinkled them with a mixture of sea salt, cinnamon and parsley. I thought I had been a trifle sparse with the test batch, so I decided to add a little extra cinnamon to her salt mixture....but the bottle slipped, and I wound up adding far too much! Oops. Still they turned out ok.
I helped Emily light the barbecue, and once the steaks were on she came in to prepare some broccoli to steam. She also wanted corn, but decided 1 can was not enough. For the record two cans is far too much.
Nonetheless, errors in measurement and judgement aside, dinner was delicious.
Skillet Sweet Potatoes
1 sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
ground cinnamon to taste
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Peel & dice the sweet potato into bite sized pieces (about 1/2" cubes)
Over medium heat heat the coconut oil. Once the oil is hot add the sweet potatoes, stir to coat all the potatoes with the coconut oil, then add the salt, parsley & cinnamon. Mix well.
Cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes. Don't let them burn but make sure they get nice & crispy. Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your potatoes and the heat of your stove.
*We doubled this, one sweet potato is not enough- unless you buy a very large one.
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Prairie Casserole
It's been a busy week again, and the time change, losing that hour of sleep, did nothing to help. While it does mark the beginning of Spring and has not really upset my internal clock much since my kids were babies (when the time change meant meal times & naps were slow to re-coordinate)
I'm still trying to get my feet back under me though. The flu hit me hard and I"m still battling a lack of energy.
Emily had seen this recipe in my notebook last week and thought it looked good. As it happens it is good. I haven't made it in ages because I don't want leftovers for too long, but now that Emily is eating almost adult sized portions and taking leftovers to school it isn't such a big issue. And if there is still too much I make TV dinners to freeze for Peter to eat when he's working.
When I got home from work Monday I suggested Emily start cooking, since the casserole takes 30 minutes to bake, plus cooking & prep time. While she chopped the onion I grated the heels of a couple of blocks of cheese.
The recipe calls for a 6 ounce can of tomato paste or sauce. Since I rarely use these things, and often simply omit it from this recipe I had neglected to buy it. But Emily wanted it, so I dashed off to the store, leaving her to start browning the ground beef with the onion and starting water to boil to cook the noodles.
Once the water was boiling I handed Emily the package of broad egg noodles. She glanced at her recipe and told me it called for "flat noodles", not egg noodles. I explained that the egg noodles were what I usually used, and they are indeed flat. I have, incidentally, used rotini in a pinch, and once even used rice.
Once the meat was browned she spooned it into a casserole dish and then stirred in two cans of tomato soup, the cheese and the cooked noodles, along with a can of corn. As I helped her stir (It is easier to mix everything in the skillet, if you choose a big, deep one) I noticed she had forgotten the tomato paste!.
While the casserole baked Emily did the dishes, cleaning up her considerable cooking mess.
Dinner was, as always, very good. The casserole tasted the way I remembered it. It was one of my favourites for pot luck suppers once upon a time.
I'm still trying to get my feet back under me though. The flu hit me hard and I"m still battling a lack of energy.
Emily had seen this recipe in my notebook last week and thought it looked good. As it happens it is good. I haven't made it in ages because I don't want leftovers for too long, but now that Emily is eating almost adult sized portions and taking leftovers to school it isn't such a big issue. And if there is still too much I make TV dinners to freeze for Peter to eat when he's working.
When I got home from work Monday I suggested Emily start cooking, since the casserole takes 30 minutes to bake, plus cooking & prep time. While she chopped the onion I grated the heels of a couple of blocks of cheese.
The recipe calls for a 6 ounce can of tomato paste or sauce. Since I rarely use these things, and often simply omit it from this recipe I had neglected to buy it. But Emily wanted it, so I dashed off to the store, leaving her to start browning the ground beef with the onion and starting water to boil to cook the noodles.
Once the water was boiling I handed Emily the package of broad egg noodles. She glanced at her recipe and told me it called for "flat noodles", not egg noodles. I explained that the egg noodles were what I usually used, and they are indeed flat. I have, incidentally, used rotini in a pinch, and once even used rice.
Once the meat was browned she spooned it into a casserole dish and then stirred in two cans of tomato soup, the cheese and the cooked noodles, along with a can of corn. As I helped her stir (It is easier to mix everything in the skillet, if you choose a big, deep one) I noticed she had forgotten the tomato paste!.
While the casserole baked Emily did the dishes, cleaning up her considerable cooking mess.
Dinner was, as always, very good. The casserole tasted the way I remembered it. It was one of my favourites for pot luck suppers once upon a time.
Prairie Casserole
1/2 package flat noodles (broad egg noodles) 1 can niblet corn
1 cup sliced onion 1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped (optional)
1-6 ounce can tomato paste or sauce 2 cans tomato soup, or 12 ounce can tomato juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 cups grated cheese
Cook the noodles according to the package directions, drain & set aside. Meanwhile brown the beef, onions, pepper & garlic. Combine all the ingredients in a 3 quart casserole dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Chinese Noodle Casserole
I spent much of last weekend shuttling Emily to and from a birthday party and making giant cookies for the Grade six band bake sale this past Thursday. A triple batch of my favourite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe made a full 25 cookies 6" across. They were a hit at the bake sale too, it seemed.
Emily wanted to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, but they can't go to school because they have a nut-free policy. I put her off, but she decided, since they were no bake, she could make them on Monday while I was at work, since she had (another!) day off school. I can't help but wonder if I could get a day off for spiritual development....
While I was making supper Sunday night I found myself hungry for an old favourite. I looked up the recipe and decided Emily could manage it, so instead of asking her what she wanted to make, I simply took ground bison out of the freezer and told her this was the menu.
Monday afternoon I got a call at the office. "Mom, what is a "oz"? I went on Google and asked how much was 12 oz of chocolate, but Google's being dumb."
I had to laugh. She was looking at my handwritten recipe, that calls for 12 ounces of chocolate chips, which I have abbreviated "oz". I explained that oz was short for ounce, and she needed about a cup and a half of chips.
Later that afternoon, once I was home, she started preparing the casserole for supper, assuring me she could do it by herself. It wasn't long before she asked me if I'd chop the onions for her, until I reminded her she said she was doing it alone. The chewing gum trick still doesn't work.
The recipe she was using is another handwritten one, copied years ago out of a newspaper. I kept my transcription brief, details were not necessary I didn't believe. At least not until Emily asked if she was supposed to cut the celery up. I laughed and told her that no, she could just stick a whole stalk into the casserole. Then I explained about leaving out words when I copy recipes because to me some things just go without saying. She chopped the celery.
We had a similar conversation after she collected her ingredients. I had written "Brown onion, celery and beef..." and she asked what she should brown it in. I asked her what she thought - a mixing bowl? the kitchen sink? the microwave? A skillet she decided. From there it was smooth sailing, until she cut her finger on a soup can lid. I bandaged her up and sent her back to the stove. She did manage to make dinner all by herself, although I did help pour the meat and sauce into a casserole dish.
As she was cooking Emily noticed another recipe on the facing page, and commented that it looked good too. She's right, it is good, and will be on this week's menu.
Emily wanted to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, but they can't go to school because they have a nut-free policy. I put her off, but she decided, since they were no bake, she could make them on Monday while I was at work, since she had (another!) day off school. I can't help but wonder if I could get a day off for spiritual development....
While I was making supper Sunday night I found myself hungry for an old favourite. I looked up the recipe and decided Emily could manage it, so instead of asking her what she wanted to make, I simply took ground bison out of the freezer and told her this was the menu.
Monday afternoon I got a call at the office. "Mom, what is a "oz"? I went on Google and asked how much was 12 oz of chocolate, but Google's being dumb."
I had to laugh. She was looking at my handwritten recipe, that calls for 12 ounces of chocolate chips, which I have abbreviated "oz". I explained that oz was short for ounce, and she needed about a cup and a half of chips.
Later that afternoon, once I was home, she started preparing the casserole for supper, assuring me she could do it by herself. It wasn't long before she asked me if I'd chop the onions for her, until I reminded her she said she was doing it alone. The chewing gum trick still doesn't work.
The recipe she was using is another handwritten one, copied years ago out of a newspaper. I kept my transcription brief, details were not necessary I didn't believe. At least not until Emily asked if she was supposed to cut the celery up. I laughed and told her that no, she could just stick a whole stalk into the casserole. Then I explained about leaving out words when I copy recipes because to me some things just go without saying. She chopped the celery.
We had a similar conversation after she collected her ingredients. I had written "Brown onion, celery and beef..." and she asked what she should brown it in. I asked her what she thought - a mixing bowl? the kitchen sink? the microwave? A skillet she decided. From there it was smooth sailing, until she cut her finger on a soup can lid. I bandaged her up and sent her back to the stove. She did manage to make dinner all by herself, although I did help pour the meat and sauce into a casserole dish.
As she was cooking Emily noticed another recipe on the facing page, and commented that it looked good too. She's right, it is good, and will be on this week's menu.
Chinese Noodle Casserole
1 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped celery
1 can tomato soup 1 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 can mushroom soup
4 ounces chow mein noodles
Brown onion, celery and beef in a large skillet. Stir in soups and soy sauce along with 3/4 of the noodles. Stir to combine and pour into a medium sized (1 1/2 quart) casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining noodles. Bake, uncovered 45 minutes at 350F
* I like lots of noodles so I add several generous handfuls rather than measuring.
Reese's Bars
2 1/2 cups Graham wafer crumbs 1 cup melted margarine
12 ounces chocolate chips 2 3/4 cups icing sugar
1 cup peanut butter
Melt the chocolate and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients and press into an ungreased 9x13" pan. Pour the chocolate over. Refrigerate, cut into squares before completely cool, after about 15 minutes in the fridge. Decorate each square with a peanut if desired.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Parmesan Crusted Stuffed Chicken
Another week has flown by. Spring seems to be upon us, in the flower bed I can see my tulips bravely emerging from the accumulated detritus of the past several months, and their hopeful appearance has me starting to feel the itch to go out and dig in the dirt. I know it is early March and winter will probably make one or even two more rages at us before retreating again for summer's tenure. So I'll ignore that itch and leave the snow shovel & block heater cord out for another week or so, a superstitious concession I'm sure but I still believe in Murphey's Law.
Anyway. Emily spent the weekend with her dad and when she got home Sunday night dug around the internet for a recipe for Monday's dinner. Although I believe I have made this before, with a friend after a long day cooped up with small children during a mid winter power outage. But, as always, I digress.
I did a quick survey of the pantry and made a grocery list, stopping at the store on my way home.
I sliced the chicken breasts almost in half for Emily, creating a pocket. Rather than buying expensive pre-shredded cheese I bought a block of mozzarella shredded a mixture of it and cheddar cheese. I showed Emily how to trim the asparagus spears and left her to it. Once her ingredients were prepared and assembled I showed her how to lay a couple of spears of asparagus on the chicken breast along with some shredded cheese, then folding the breast closed again. Assembled on the pan she topped the chicken with Parmesan and baked it for about 20 minutes.
While the chicken baked I made a salad and had Emily steam the remainder of the asparagus. As a side dish she made a packet of stuffing mix, although I think a wild rice blend would have been a nice compliment too.
Dinner was delicious again. So good in fact, I forgot to take a picture. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Parmesan -Crusted Stuffed Chicken
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (Italiano)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 400F.
Make a cut in the long side of each chicken breast, making sure not to cut it all the way through.. Fill pockets with asparagus and shredded cheese.
Place on a greased baking sheet, top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 20 minutes, until the chicken is done.
Anyway. Emily spent the weekend with her dad and when she got home Sunday night dug around the internet for a recipe for Monday's dinner. Although I believe I have made this before, with a friend after a long day cooped up with small children during a mid winter power outage. But, as always, I digress.
I did a quick survey of the pantry and made a grocery list, stopping at the store on my way home.
I sliced the chicken breasts almost in half for Emily, creating a pocket. Rather than buying expensive pre-shredded cheese I bought a block of mozzarella shredded a mixture of it and cheddar cheese. I showed Emily how to trim the asparagus spears and left her to it. Once her ingredients were prepared and assembled I showed her how to lay a couple of spears of asparagus on the chicken breast along with some shredded cheese, then folding the breast closed again. Assembled on the pan she topped the chicken with Parmesan and baked it for about 20 minutes.
While the chicken baked I made a salad and had Emily steam the remainder of the asparagus. As a side dish she made a packet of stuffing mix, although I think a wild rice blend would have been a nice compliment too.
Dinner was delicious again. So good in fact, I forgot to take a picture. You'll just have to take my word for it.
Parmesan -Crusted Stuffed Chicken
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (Italiano)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 400F.
Make a cut in the long side of each chicken breast, making sure not to cut it all the way through.. Fill pockets with asparagus and shredded cheese.
Place on a greased baking sheet, top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 20 minutes, until the chicken is done.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce & Bang Bang Chicken
It's been a couple of weeks since I posted.....the cold I thought I was getting the last time I posted turned into a full blown flu and I spent the rest of the month too sick to think about eating, much less cooking. I managed to get to work and cope with busy days, but found I had little appetite. Throw in a few nights of Emily out babysitting and it became a multi-day stint of convince cooking and subsistence. Thank goodness Emily can prepare herself a basic meal or two.
Anyway, I survived and even got my voice back, finally. Yikes, this was one nasty bug. Glad it's over.
Sunday I was scrolling through my emails when Emily glanced over to see what I was doing. Being anti-social and reading email on my phone, of course. I needed to go to church, but by the time I got there I was feeling like I should have taken another day on the couch. Oh well.
One of the emails showed a series of recipes. Emily pointed to the one titled "Bang Bang Chicken" and declared that was what she was making for dinner the following day. I gave it a quick once over and decided it was doable. Turns out she thought it was "Big Bang Chicken", as a nod to the TV show.
Later that afternoon I asked her what she was making to go with her chicken. "Noodles with sauce," she informed me. I probed further- what kind of sauce? I wanted to steer her to something complimentary. "The kind you eat," she told me. Damn. She's becoming fluent in sarcasm & throwing my lines back at me.
I found I was thinking spicy peanut sauce, so I did a little digging and found a recipe. It had vegetables in it too, so that was one less decision to make. Emily thought it sounded good, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store.
When I got home from work I suggested to Emily she prepare the sauce for her noodles first, and set it aside, and then start on her chicken. While she measured peanut butter, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar & line juice into the blender I chopped a couple of scallions for her and peeled and grated a chunk of fresh ginger. As she measured in the final ingredients I started chopping the broccoli and trimming snap peas to add to the pasta. While the recipe directs the vegetables to be steamed separately and spooned on top of individual servings of noodles I told Emily we were going to save one pot and add the vegetables to the pasta when it was almost done.
While we waited for the water to boil I showed her what size to cut the chicken breasts into and helped her created her batter. I advised her to batter & bread all the chicken and then cook it. Once the chicken was done she dumped the whole bowlful into the hot oil. I was doing dishes but quickly found some tongs and removed most of it, explaining she needed to cook a few pieces at a time. She was sure she had ruined dinner, but I encouraged her, it's a mistake anyone could make, but crowding the pan is never a good idea. She kept frying and I prepared the sauce for her, combining mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey and hot sauce.
Before long dinner was done. I think Emily needs a few more lessons in timing, but her meal was good, and was equally delicious for lunch several times this week. There was only enough chicken for lunch on Tuesday, but the noodles were certainly a meal in themselves.
As you can see it was too good to wait and take a picture!
Anyway, I survived and even got my voice back, finally. Yikes, this was one nasty bug. Glad it's over.
Sunday I was scrolling through my emails when Emily glanced over to see what I was doing. Being anti-social and reading email on my phone, of course. I needed to go to church, but by the time I got there I was feeling like I should have taken another day on the couch. Oh well.
One of the emails showed a series of recipes. Emily pointed to the one titled "Bang Bang Chicken" and declared that was what she was making for dinner the following day. I gave it a quick once over and decided it was doable. Turns out she thought it was "Big Bang Chicken", as a nod to the TV show.
Later that afternoon I asked her what she was making to go with her chicken. "Noodles with sauce," she informed me. I probed further- what kind of sauce? I wanted to steer her to something complimentary. "The kind you eat," she told me. Damn. She's becoming fluent in sarcasm & throwing my lines back at me.
I found I was thinking spicy peanut sauce, so I did a little digging and found a recipe. It had vegetables in it too, so that was one less decision to make. Emily thought it sounded good, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store.
When I got home from work I suggested to Emily she prepare the sauce for her noodles first, and set it aside, and then start on her chicken. While she measured peanut butter, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar & line juice into the blender I chopped a couple of scallions for her and peeled and grated a chunk of fresh ginger. As she measured in the final ingredients I started chopping the broccoli and trimming snap peas to add to the pasta. While the recipe directs the vegetables to be steamed separately and spooned on top of individual servings of noodles I told Emily we were going to save one pot and add the vegetables to the pasta when it was almost done.
While we waited for the water to boil I showed her what size to cut the chicken breasts into and helped her created her batter. I advised her to batter & bread all the chicken and then cook it. Once the chicken was done she dumped the whole bowlful into the hot oil. I was doing dishes but quickly found some tongs and removed most of it, explaining she needed to cook a few pieces at a time. She was sure she had ruined dinner, but I encouraged her, it's a mistake anyone could make, but crowding the pan is never a good idea. She kept frying and I prepared the sauce for her, combining mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey and hot sauce.
Before long dinner was done. I think Emily needs a few more lessons in timing, but her meal was good, and was equally delicious for lunch several times this week. There was only enough chicken for lunch on Tuesday, but the noodles were certainly a meal in themselves.
As you can see it was too good to wait and take a picture!
Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce
3/4 lb spinach linguine or whole wheat spaghetti 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cups broccoli florets 2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups snow peas 1 scallion, cut into pieces
2 cups sugar snap peas 3/4" piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup peanut butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. In the final few minutes add the broccoli and then the peas, or steam them separately. Drain and rinse the noodles.
Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat, about three minutes, until they are fragrant.
Prepare the sauce by pureeing together the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallions, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes until smooth.
Just before serving toss the pasta and vegetables with the sauce. Top with the toasted peanuts (chop them if desired).
Bang Bang Chicken
1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon hot sauce
3/4 cup flour salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cornstarch 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" cubes
1 egg 1 cup Panko/bread crumbs
Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce 2 teaspoons hot sauce
Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
Whisk together the buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt & pepper. Heat about 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture then into the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
Working in batches add the chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate,
Serve immediately, drizzled with the sauce, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Carrot Soup (Four Ingredient Lentil Soup)
Ah, February. Groundhog Day, my birthday, Valentine's Day, the heart of mid-winter, the midst of cold & flu season, much maligned, February. Incidentally, I did not see my shadow on Groundhog Day (my birthday, and so I have long considered myself an honourary Groundhog) so we should have an early spring. Never mind that I leave the house before sun up. As it happens I did not see my shadow when I was out & about later in the day either. Gusty Chinook winds had blown clouds across the sky, so it was warm, if not sunny. Much as I have a tender spot in my heart for February I will not be sorry to see winter bid us adieu for another year.
Emily wasn't sure what she wanted to cook this week when I asked her. Feeling rather bleary myself, settling full into the cold she had brought home from school I suggested this soup, or perhaps baked potato soup. She quickly opted for this one. I was pleased. It is quick to make, easy and sounded like just the thing to ease my symptoms.
When I got home from work she had tidied the house & put away the breakfast dishes. I helped her find the recipe, which I keep telling myself I should transcribe into one of my notebooks so I can find it easily. I found it in a Kraft Foods "What's Cooking" magazine, but who can ever remember which one? Thankfully, because I like this recipe the page was turned down and the magazine a little crusty with spilled ingredients, it was relatively easy to locate.
Emily decided to test the theory she'd read that chewing gum while chopping onions helps keep you from crying, Initially she declared it to be true, but as she kept chopping decided otherwise. Personally I still think running the peeled onion under cold water for a minute or so is the best trick. At least it works for me.
Teary eyed she got the chopped onion into a pot then found the carrots in the refrigerator. The recipe calls for two large carrots, Emily held up two smallish ones and asked if she should use more. I suggested four. I guess it depends on what you think a large carrot is. I usually use three or four, depending on what's in the fridge.
I found the lentils for her, then helped her sweep the kitchen as the new bag she opened was held loosely and lentils skittered all over my kitchen floor. At least the mice will be healthy!
To the lentils, carrots and onions Emily added chicken stock, bringing the whole thing to a boil then simmering it until the vegetables were tender.
While the soup was cooking I quickly made some baking powder biscuits. I considered having Emily do it, but it was faster and cleaner for me to help this time. Within about 30 minutes the carrots were tender and I pulled out my immersion blender, showing Emily how to use it, telling her NOT to lift it out of the pot while it was running unless she wanted to scrub soup off the ceiling.
She was thrilled to have a new appliance to try out, and soon we were sitting down to a lovely meal.
Emily wasn't sure what she wanted to cook this week when I asked her. Feeling rather bleary myself, settling full into the cold she had brought home from school I suggested this soup, or perhaps baked potato soup. She quickly opted for this one. I was pleased. It is quick to make, easy and sounded like just the thing to ease my symptoms.
When I got home from work she had tidied the house & put away the breakfast dishes. I helped her find the recipe, which I keep telling myself I should transcribe into one of my notebooks so I can find it easily. I found it in a Kraft Foods "What's Cooking" magazine, but who can ever remember which one? Thankfully, because I like this recipe the page was turned down and the magazine a little crusty with spilled ingredients, it was relatively easy to locate.
Emily decided to test the theory she'd read that chewing gum while chopping onions helps keep you from crying, Initially she declared it to be true, but as she kept chopping decided otherwise. Personally I still think running the peeled onion under cold water for a minute or so is the best trick. At least it works for me.
Teary eyed she got the chopped onion into a pot then found the carrots in the refrigerator. The recipe calls for two large carrots, Emily held up two smallish ones and asked if she should use more. I suggested four. I guess it depends on what you think a large carrot is. I usually use three or four, depending on what's in the fridge.
I found the lentils for her, then helped her sweep the kitchen as the new bag she opened was held loosely and lentils skittered all over my kitchen floor. At least the mice will be healthy!
To the lentils, carrots and onions Emily added chicken stock, bringing the whole thing to a boil then simmering it until the vegetables were tender.
While the soup was cooking I quickly made some baking powder biscuits. I considered having Emily do it, but it was faster and cleaner for me to help this time. Within about 30 minutes the carrots were tender and I pulled out my immersion blender, showing Emily how to use it, telling her NOT to lift it out of the pot while it was running unless she wanted to scrub soup off the ceiling.
She was thrilled to have a new appliance to try out, and soon we were sitting down to a lovely meal.
Four Ingredient Lentil Soup
2 large carrots, peeled & chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups red lentils, uncooked
1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken broth
Bring ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan; cover, simmer 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Puree using an immersion blender, or in small batches in a blender, until smooth.
Season with salt & pepper to taste. I quite like a pinch of dried dill in my bowl.
*I ran out of red lentils once & substituted green ones. Don't. The soup tasted fine but did not look very appealing. It was a muddy brown colour and not this appetizing orange.
This is, as I said, a quick & easy recipe. It reheats well, if you have leftovers. And I like it because the ingredients are things I usually have on hand, and it's always great to have a few of those kinds of recipes in your arsenal. When I first started making it I called it simply "Carrot Soup" because Emily liked carrots, but would have balked at the thought of lentils, even though she didn't know what they were. Whatever works.
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