Potato Leek Soup and other things

I really need to get better at posting recipes--I forget all of our favorites amid the chaos. But I wanted to make note of the soup I made tonight using the leeks from my Green Bee Produce box (I tried my first box a couple weeks ago--they have a pick-up location in PG--and it was filled with all sorts of goodness: broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, celery, leeks, mangoes, apples, bananas...). What's fun about ordering the box is you get to try some new things you wouldn't normally buy--leeks included! I made this soup tonight and served with some toasted ciabatta bread, it hit the spot on a gray/rainy day.

Potato Leek Soup

• 3 large leeks, cut lengthwise, separate, clean. Use only the white and pale green parts, thinly slice
• 2 onions, small diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 potatoes, peeled, diced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  
• Marjoram - dash
• 1/2 cup milk or cream
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & Pepper (I used 1 tsp salt since my chicken stock was unsalted)

1 Cook leeks, onions and garlic in butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Cover pan, cook on low heat for 10 minutes until soft, but not browned. Add dried thyme and marjoram.

2 Add water, broth, and potatoes. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop about half of the soup mixture into a blender, puree and return to pan (or all, depending on how smooth you like). Stir in milk/cream to desired consistency. Add chopped parsley. Add some freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

And, on a sweeter note...
tonight for FHE dessert, Riley chose Bee-na-naa Cake! (family joke/song) and I happily obliged since I needed to use up the rest of the bananas from the Green Produce Box. The day before I picked up my box, I bought a bunch of bananas and mangoes at the store--but then found a bunch of bananas and mangoes in the box. So we've been getting our potassium and vitamin C around here for sure. Our favorite way to eat mangoes is sliced with some sweetened coconut sauce over top. Sooooo good, soooo easy--that's my kind of dessert.
Sweetened Coconut Sauce
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp sugar
2 pinches salt
Heat coconut milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Let cool a little and serve over sliced mango.

And now to the Banana Cake--I tweaked my mom's recipe and I really liked how it turned out.
Bee-na-naa Cake!
3 ripened bananas, mashed
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 cups +2 Tbsp flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour, and the rest white)
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Whisk together bananas, eggs, sugar, buttermilk, applesauce and oil. Stir in dry ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream, powdered sugar or just plain!

How's that for a random post? :)