Green Vegetable Bisque

Oh yes, this has to be good for you! If you have eaten badly recently, if you know you haven't been getting your 5 servings a day, make a batch of this and feel good.  Even better, have it with a glass of wine and you'll probably reach the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables for the day :-)

Reason for this recipe

Organic Flat Leaf Parsley

Picture the scene, the fridge was full of lettuce and green leafy stuff from last week's DTD Organics delivery. Bulk quantities of Costco avocados along with cilantro and citrus fruits fill the vegetable draw and today is the day another DTD Organics delivery will be placed in the cooler out side for me.  When I signed up I promised myself I would eat everything they brought me...so I had to make room for the new delivery!  My first thought "throw it all in the blender and make a robust luminous green vegetable smoothie",  it would get the job done, but there had to be a better choice on a day when 3 inches of snow was predicted.  I decided to make a warm creamy smoothie and give it a sexy name!

This is what I used;
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove
3 celery sticks (finely chopped)
Bunch of Arugula (washed and loosely chopped)
Bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley (washed and loosely chopped)
Whole head of Lettuce (washed and loosely chopped)
1/2 cup cashews (soaked in water in the fridge overnight, or at least for 4 hours at room temperature)
3-4 cups Stock/Broth Chicken or Vegetable (or water, if you must)
1/2 tsp Celtic salt
1 Tbsp Herbs De Provence (or your favorite herb mix)

This is how you make it;

Sauté the onions, garlic and celery  in olive oil until the onions change color from white to translucent off-white. Add green leafy ingredients and wilt them; I use tongs and gently pick up pieces and turn them over until the bulk has reduced.  The leaves should not be too soggy, just a little floppy.

Add the wilted and sautéed ingredients to a blender and add 2 cups of broth to help blend the mix. Most recipes have you heating broth with the ingredients before you blend, but then you end up with steaming fluids and exploding blenders - why not blend with broth from the fridge?

Return the blended solution to the pan, add another cup of broth and season with salt and herbs;  gently simmer for 10 minutes. If's too thick for your liking, throw another cup of broth in, nobody's counting! :-) Also, don't let the algae sludge put you off, be patient, even though the soup will have a very strong parsley flavor now, it will mature into something wonderful as it simmers.

After 10-15 minutes the Herbs De Provence flavor will start to infuse through and your kitchen should smell very appetizing. While it's simmering, prepare the finishing cream for the bisque.  Drain and rinse the cashews and put in a blender with 1/2 cup water.  Blend until a pouring cream consistency is achieved (you may need to blend for a minute or two to get the required smoothness).

Reduce the heat and add the creamy cashew mixture (save some for garnish).  The algae-looking soup will be transformed into a wonderful creamy bisque! Again don't forget to taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. I think it turned out really well, I love the creamy nutty flavor of the cashews with the herb flavored greens.  Even the significant other was pleasantly surprised!

This recipe makes about 4 servings depending on whether you use it as an appetizer or main meal. It will go well with grilled cheese or any warm sandwich!

Raw Pecan Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms

Just so you know...I hate mushrooms!

I don't like their texture and I usually pick them out of stews and meals that have them.  What I didn't realize was that I didn't like "cooked" mushrooms!  I just love this recipe because marinated mushrooms don't have the same texture and sliminess as cooked mushrooms!

My inspiration for this came from a Walnut and Spinach Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms recipe on http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com. I changed some of the ingredients to make a sweeter version.

Ingredients

8 small or 5 medium Baby Portabella Mushrooms ( I like them because they are shaped better for stuffing, but White Button Mushrooms will also work)
1 cup Basil Leaves
1/4 cup Pecans
1 Tbsp Lime juice
1 Clove Garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast 

Balsamic Vinegar

Method

Remove the mushroom stems and gently remove some of the inside so there is room for the filling. Clean (and I peel) the mushrooms and.save the stems for the filling. Steep the mushroom caps in a little balsamic vinegar and let them marinate for about 15 minutes; I turn them over a few times to make sure they are well soaked.

  

Place the pecans, basil, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, mushroom stems and nutritional yeast in a food processor and buzz for a few seconds until well mixed, don't over process, it shouldn't be a paste.

Remove the mushrooms caps from their balsamic bath and stuff with the mix.  Server at room temperature. I have no idea how long you can store them because we usually eat them immediately!


Oh, make sure your significant other has some too...the garlic can be a little antisocial ;-)

Curried Squash Soup

Over the last couple of weeks I was overwhelmed with squash of all shapes and sizes and on top of that the last two deliveries from Door To Door Organics dot com had a Butternut and Delicato squash.  Both have happily decorated my kitchen counter and waited patiently through the holiday festivities for their turn, so today I thought it was about time I used them for something yummy...it is Soup Season after all!!!!

Ingredients
1 Butternut squash, peeled cored and cubed
1 Delicata squash, peeled cored and cubed
    (about a total of 2-3 cups of cubed squash)
 2 Sweet Apples cored and roughly chopped - I used 2 Braeburn's (there is no sweetener in the ingredients so if you use Granny Smith's you may want to add a dash of agave or honey)
1 Onion chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 Tbsp Curry Powder/Paste - I used a Mild Yellow Curry Powder from the Savory Spice Shop.
4 Cups  Vegetable (or Chicken) stock
1/2 Cup White Wine - I used Italian Frascati what we had open in the fridge

Optional
1.5 cups hemp, almond or coconut milk
2 Tbsp toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (garnish)

Method
Peel each squash, remove seeds and chop into 3/4 inch cubes.  Place cubes in a pan, cover with water, and boil until tender ~ 5-10 minutes.  In a big soup pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and apple...don't under cook the onions, take your time and let the onions saute for at least 10 minutes until they start to caramelize a little.  Drain the squash and mash lightly then add to the apple and onion mixture (the orange and red colors will look wonderful).  Stir in the curry powder, stock and wine and bring to a boil and then simmer everything for 20 minutes to let all the flavors mingle. Taste for sweetness, salt and curry spice and add more if necessary (if it is a little bland, add some salt).

Cool the soup mixture and process in a blender in about 3 batches.  Please be careful when blending the soup, if it is too hot it will build up pressure while blending and push the lid off - the first time I tried to blend something that was too hot it exploded in my kitchen and could have burned me quite badly if I hadn't been quick on my feet.  So, please be careful; let the soup cool and place a cloth on the lid and hold down when you blend.

Return the soup to the pot and taste again (just to be sure).  At this point the soup should be very thick, I generally add about 1 to 1.5 cups of water and warm before serving.  You could also add hemp milk, almond milk or even coconut if you like a creamier taste.

This recipe makes about 6 x 8 oz portions and freezes well.  I save individual portions in mason jars and microwave them for lunch.

You could also serve more people and serve in small espresso cups as an amuse-bouche.  See top photo, garnished with toasted sunflower seeds.