Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

• 2 Tbsp (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 small celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• The leafy tops of the celery stalks, chopped

1 Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chopped celery stalks and leek, sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes.

2 Add sweet potatoes, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

3 Remove cinnamon stick and discard. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot.

4 Add half and half and maple syrup and stir over medium-low heat to heat through. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool soup slightly. Cover and refrigerate soup and celery leaves separately. Bring soup to simmer before continuing.) Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with celery leaves.

Serves 6 to 8.

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

1/4 c. butter

1 finely chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c. carrots, sliced

1/2 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. all-purpose flour

6 c. chicken broth
2 c. cooked wild rice

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

½ tsp salt

½ tsp curry powder

½ tsp mustard powder

½ tsp dried parsley

½ tsp black pepper

1 c. slivered almonds

1 - 2 c. half-and-half (or milk)

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes more. Then add flour and stir well. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next add the rice, corn, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer for 10-15 mins. Do not boil or the roux will break.

Mexican Frittata

A new take on an old favorite. Served with grilled chile lime chicken, or a salad. Would be great with avocado.

Mexican Frittata
1 onion, diced
green bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can mexican stewed tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
tortilla chips, crushed
4 eggs, beaten
salt/pepper
top with cheese/crushed chips

1. Saute onions and pepper in large pan until tender. Add garlic, cook a minute longer.
2. Add black beans, tomatoes and corn. Simmer to reduce liquid.
3. Add chips to absorb remaining liquid.
4. Add eggs, salt & pepper and stir gently to combine. Let cook on stove top over med/low heat for a few minutes then transfer to 350 degree oven and bake until set, about 8 or 9 minutes.
5. Top with cheese and chips and let melt a minute longer.
Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Thai Cabbage Salad

This was one of my favorite finds over the summer--reminded me a little of somtum, minus the fish sauce :) Serve with grilled chicken and you have a great summer dinner. Ahhh, summer...where have you gone?

Thai Cabbage Salad

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
4 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In a bowl stir together the lemon juice, the sugar, and the salt, sesame oil, rice vinegar until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
Add cabbage, onion, carrot, mint, coriander, and the oil, and toss the salad well.

Zucchini: 30 days/30 ways

Yeah, well, I sort of took a break from Veggie Tales--like a year- or two-long break :) But you know what? I still use the recipes posted here all the time--which means, this is the best place for me to keep track of what I cook and what we like to eat. Sooooo, I should probably get back at it.

In that it's the end of August, and my garden runneth over, let's start with zucchini, shall we? I told my girls mid-July that we were going to do a super-fun experiment--zucchini: 30 days/30 ways. Me: yay! Girls: groan! But I promised them plenty of zucchini goodness. I don't know if we made it to 30 recipes, but I do know that we had some sort of zucchini every day, whether main dish, side dish or dessert. And we are all the better for it, gosh darn it! So here are some of our favs:

Banana Zucchini Bread--I've made a good number of loaves this summer, and it still always gets gobbled up.
Zucchini/Cucumber Salad--I do all sorts of variations of this. It's basically thinly sliced zucchini and cucumbers with vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. A little dijon mustard? sure. No balsamic, no problem. Fresh garden tomatoes? Yes please.
Couscous w/ Zucchini --a great side dish for grilled chicken or other meat (or in a pinch, chicken nuggets--don't laugh, it's true. With sweet chili sauce, of course.)
Zucchini-Feta Casserole--I love this for some reason. So good--but you must use feta. It's mandatory.
Turkey Burgers--see post edit
Harvest Bread Pudding--This is my kind of dinner, with a fresh tomato and cottage cheese.
Zucchini Cheese Squares--This is my kind of dinner (or breakfast), with a fresh tomato and cottage cheese :) Did I just say that?
Grilled Zucchini and Sausage--Served over minute brown rice and you have the fastest dinner ever.
Ratatouille--I just made a batch of summer vegetable ratatouille with everything straight from the garden, served on crepes with swiss cheese. Now that was rewarding--and delish!

My new favorite recipe to add to my zucchini collection comes from the same cookbook as the Zucchini Cheese Squares. This was our favorite pizza of the year. Like, our absolute favorite. It's the fresh basil that puts it over the top. Now, don't make a gagging-face--you really should try it :)
Summer Squash Pizza
1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough
2 medium yellow squash or zucchini (or one of each), quartered and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt (less if using smaller zucchinis)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 cups well-seasoned tomato sauce
3 cups grated mozzarella

1. While dough is rising, combine the squash and salt in a colander and set aside to drain for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the squash to a large clean cloth towel and pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and saute until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. With the dough spread over the pizza pans or baking sheets, spread 1 cup of sauce over each one. Top each pizza with 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and half the squash.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until crust is golden.
6. I like to top each with a little more fresh basil before serving.

One more recipe...this one is adapted from Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut. I decided to try it since I had everything for it in my garden--rosemary included! I served it with grilled chicken marinated in the same dressing. Even the kids ate it up--yes, the kids gobbled up eggplant and squash. See, I am doing something right...
Grilled Veggie Salad
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp raspberry-flavored vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced (or a little garlic powder)
2 ears fresh corn, husked (I didn't have, but it would be yummy)
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 large red bell pepper, cut into quarters

1. Combine rosemary, black pepper, olive oil, vinegar and garlic in a bowl; whisk until blended. Brush ears of corn and the cut surfaces of the vegetables with half the olive oil mixture, and set aside.
2. Coat grill rack with cooking spray; place over medium-hot heat. Place vegetables on rack. Cook 3 minutes. Turn vegetables over and cook an additional 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from grill; cut corn off cob and other vegetables into large bite-size pieces. Top with a little more dressing to taste.