wild rice soup with coconut milk

 Going through the cupboards to see what I can use up, looking for recipe ideas.

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is a great idea. 

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock 
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1 small onion, diced  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• Vegetables
• She used: 
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
• today I will use below, with different variations in the future (such as winter squash):
• carrots
• celery
• green beans
• zucchini
• kale 
• Seitan or tempeh or tofu (frozen or pressed) 
• 1 bay leaf
• herbs and spices (she called for Old Bay which is not a thing for me, so I'll play with it)
• 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.  Turn down the heat if necessary to avoid burning the garlic.
2. Add in the firmer vegetables such as carrots and celery and saute lightly.
3. Add in stock, wild rice, bay leaf, and season.  Bring to a simmer.
4. Add other vegetables based on how much time they need to cook (not much for zucchini or kale, more for green beans).   
5. Simmer for about 45 minutes until the wild rice is cooked, then add in the coconut milk and last vegetables.  Season.

 

easy summer garden dinner

 I have *so many vegetables* producing in my garden right now that it's a little overwhelming, and I need quick and easy ways to prepare them.  

I made this with ground beef, garlic, cabbage, and green beans - but it'd be equally good with zucchini (reduce cooktime), winter squash, tomatoes, or whatever else the garden grows.

INgredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 large cloves minced garlic (and/or chopped onion) 
• 1 small head cabbage, chopped
• 2-4 cups green beans, cleaned and trimmed and chopped 
• 4 T soy sauce or coconut amino acids or some other salty flavoring
• black pepper
• spices as desired (I just used onion powder and some salt because I want to eat it with different things and maybe freeze it, but a Cajun seasoning or other things like htat would be great)

Instructions:

- Brown ground beef, breaking into small pieces.

- Before fully browned, turn down heat and add in garlic.

- When fully browned, add in the cabbage and soy sauce and stir well.  Turn up heat to medium.  Cook a couple of minutes with lid on.  

- Add green beans, stir well, cook with lid on for 8-10 minutes (keeping green beans somewhat firm, but cooked).

 Goes well with sour cream.  Would go well with different seasonings, roasted potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, rice or another grain, etc.  

summer squash scramble

 I keep struggling with what to prepare for breakfast, and I also struggle with what to do with the vegetable bounty from my garden.  

Finally, after a week of staring at an identified summer squash (not what I planted, but what grew), I realized I can just saute it with eggs and add parmesan that I shredded too much of, and make it a meal.

I can do this with most vegetables, adding whatever cheese or other thing is about like salsa.

Not sure why I keep forgetting this, but putting it here to remind me. 

- Chop up squash or whatever vegetable is lurking

- heat cast iron skillet, add olive or whatever oil

- saute vegetable

- mix in bowl: eggs (I usually use two smaller), salt, pepper, seasonings such as onion and garlic powders

- add egg mixture to vegetables and cook to desired doneness

- top with cheese, salsa, or whatever else needs to get used up

kuri curry

 This kuri squash curry was really good, exactly what I wanted, and next time plans are below. 

Ingredients

• 2# winter squash such as kuri or kabocha; keeping skin unless it's too tough like butternut
• small onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
  
• 1/2 bunch of chard or similar green (though spinach wasn't great) - about 6 oz.
  
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• salt, pepper
• can of coconut milk
•  (broth)
• garbanzos or cooked tofu 
  
• brown rice (I used jasmine and it was too meh)
  

Process  

• Heat oil*, add onions and cook until translucent (about 8 minutes).
• Turn heat down a bit and add garlic, ginger, curry power, salt, and pepper.  Cook a minute or so.
• Add squash and stir it up, then add coconut milk and broth if desired.  (I thought it was too soupy with broth).  
• Cook about 20-30 minutes.
• Add garbanzos or cooked tofu to heat.  (This wasn't in the original recipe but would have been better.)
  
• Add greens and cook another 5 minutes or so to wilt (or longer if necessary with denser greens).
  

 

*Recipe called for coconut oil but that gives me heartburn so I just used what I had.

butternut squash hummus

 This was pretty great.  Much better than I expected, though the new Cuisinart food processor made it creamier than is my preference.

From here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cubed roasted butternut squash (½ inch cubes)
• 1 large or 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas (one canning jar), drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon cayenne, less if sensitive to spice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• ¼ cup water, or as needed
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the squash on the baking sheet and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic cloves in foil with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Let cool slightly.
2. In a food processor, combine the roasted squash, roasted peeled garlic, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and sea salt.
3. With the blade running, drizzle in the olive oil. Add water, as need, to blend to a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Note: this is a bit spicy before you add the olive oil - the olive oil tones down the spice.)
4. Scoop the hummus into a serving bowl and top with pomegranate arils, feta, parsley, microgreens, if using, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with toasted pita, crackers, and/or chopped veggies.

 

farmers market breakfast bread

This is pretty tasty!

Farmers Market Breakfast Bread

Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (120 grams)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• spices (cinnamon, cardamom, etc.
• 1/2 cup sugar (or less)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons oil (plus for pan)
• 1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
• 2 cups shredded vegetables (one or combo - beets, carrots, summer squash)  - I made it with an apple and a couple of carrots; may try some sauerkraut next time.
  

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Generously coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil; set aside.

2. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Whisk the sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until pale and shiny, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the oil and yogurt. Pour in the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Fold in the vegetables, stirring just enough to distribute vegetables evenly throughout.

4. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan. Pick up the pan and gently tap it on the counter three times to dislodge any bubbles. Bake until the top is golden-brown, the bread is pulling away from the sides, and a tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 60 to 70 minutes.

5. Let the bread cool in the pan 20 minutes. Flip the bread out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

sauteed zucchini for Jenny

This is one of my favorite things to do with zucchini and other summer squash. Super easy, super yummy.

****
Heat oil in pan to low medium (I use olive oil for this even though I *KNOW* not to cook with olive oil. I just think it's a great flavor with the zucchini, so I cook on low heat.)

Add:
onion, chopped
garlic, minced
dash of salt
(could also throw in celery, bell pepper, etc. but it's not necessary)

You're going to sweat the onions, which means cook over low heat until they give up some moisture and turn translucent.

Then add:
half moons of zucchini (slice in half the long way, then chop)

Saute until the taste is good of the zucchini - the cooking sweetens it and changes its texture. I like it only cooked for a few minutes, so it's still firm to bite but is all glossy.

You can add a dash of soy sauce or such things but it's not necessary. The squash has a great flavor all its own, enhanced with the onion and garlic.

***
I don't give quantities because I just use whatever I have on hand. I would say for two medium zucchini I'd use half a small onion and 2 cloves of garlic, but I'm totally guessing.

This is great with meat and salad and/or with rice or pilaf or all on its own. It's very low maintenance (cooking on low heat, you don't have to stir much - I just put the lid on and do other things) so you can prepare other things simultaneously.

You can also add a chopped tomato for a different yet also very satisfying dish.