foodie friday: carrot soup

the first real snow fell on denver this week, accompanied by -13F temps. i’m not exactly in the christmas mood yet, but found myself hanging a star in my window in preparation for guests. the first of five christmas parties was had and the non-profit i work for is in preparation for our biggest fundraiser of the year – which happens tomorrow. ’tis the season.

after traveling over thanksgiving, i was looking forward to having a few people over this week. homemade eggnog, carrot soup and sourdough were the perfect accompaniment to the cold weather.

ROASTED CARROT SOUP (adapted from food52)

• 8 large carrots (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• salt
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled
• 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 T minced garlic
• black pepper
• nutmeg
• roasted chili pepper
• paprika

1. Peel and cut the carrots into 1/2-inch rounds. Cut onions into boats. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots and onion with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with a spatula every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Put the garlic and ginger in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil.  Saute for a few minutes and add the stock.
3. Add carrots and onions to the stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.
4. Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper (and whatever spices are fitting). Serve with hearty bread!

foodie friday: sour cream coffee cake

baking has not been at the top of the priority list lately. between traveling, busyness, packing and unpacking upon packing again, it just hasn’t happened. but as i was cleaning out the refrigerator this morning, i found a large tub of both sour cream and plain vanilla yogurt – all needs to be eaten before i leave for norway next weekend. so, i scoured my pins on pinterest and found a great recipe from BAKED nyc for sour cream coffee cake. coffee cake it was this morning, good enough to share with friends.

SOUR CREAM COFFEE CAKE (adapted from lottie + doof)

Crumb Topping

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup pecans, toasted
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1 inch pieces

Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cake

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups white + 1 cup wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 100 grams coconut oil, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 8 ounces sour cream + 8 ounces plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Crumb Topping:

chop the pecans and add rest of ingredients. using a pastry blender, mix ingredients together until it resembles crumbs. cover and refrigerate until needed.

Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl:

mix ingredients in small bowl.

Sour Cream Cake:

preheat the oven to 350° F. spray a 9×13 pan (i used a large springform pan because i think it looks prettier) sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter/oil until smooth. scrape down bowl and add sugar. beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl as needed.

add the sour cream/yogurt and vanilla and beat just until incorporated. add the dry ingredients in three additions, scraping down the bowl before each addition and beating only until each addition is just incorporated. do not overmix.

pour one third of the cake batter into the prepared pan. use a spatula to spread batter evenly in pan. sprinkle half of the chocolate cinnamon swirl mixture over batter. spoon half of remaining batter over the mixture. top with remaining swirl mixture, then the remaining batter. sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the batter.

bake in the center of the oven for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. let the cake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

* i made several substitutions – coconut oil for butter, added yogurt, wheat flour, reduced the sugar.

not only did the cake look pretty, it was very tasty as well! enjoy!

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i mentioned earlier that i had been reading “bread & wine” by shauna niequist. what a beautiful book! i’ll be sharing my thoughts about it in the coming week. if you haven’t ordered a copy yet, i highly suggest it!

foodie friday: roasted veggies

every wednesday a group of people come over and we eat dinner together, pray and encourage each other. some weeks the meals are amazing; other weeks… not so much. 🙂 this week though, our theme was italian and italian did not disappoint. one of the dishes was simply roasted winter vegetables.

ROASTED WINTER VEG

1 butternut squash
1 bunch of kale
1 medium yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. of feta cheese
salt, pepper, italian herb mix

preheat the oven to 400F. cut and peel the butternut squash into bite sized cubes along with the onion. place it in a roasting pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil (coconut oil would be a great substitution) and make sure it is lightly coated. let it cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

when the roasted vegetables are almost finished, mince the garlic and place it in a frying pan with a bit of oil, medium heat. rinse the kale and chop. when the oil is hot, place the kale in the pan and let cook down for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

take the roasting pan out of the oven, add the kale, a bit of feta and whatever spices you like. broil until the feta is slightly browned.

this is an excellent side dish to almost any meal! bon appetit!

foodie friday: grilled cheese (new and improved)

most evenings this week have been spent at the gym. i mentioned in the last post that i was meeting with a personal trainer. the gym i belong to offers one free session with a trainer. i love working out, but have never used the machines at the gym and thought it would be nice to have someone put together a specific workout plan for me. note to all trainers: you have a larger impact on your clients if you looked like you actually worked out once in a while. just saying. anyway, since i’ve been at the gym in the evenings, by the time i get home i scrounge up whatever is left in the cupboards. after one too many nights of chips and avocados (not joking), last night i went to the store and bought an incredible loaf of bread with several different types of seeds and grains. after a quick look at pinterest, i decided to make basil, blackberry and jarlsberg grilled cheese.

(for one sandwich)
adapted by how sweet it is

2 slices of jarlsberg
handful of blackberries
2 basil leaves, finely chopped
2 slices of bread, buttered

heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. while it is heating, slice 2 pieces of the bread of your choice and butter one side of each.

rinse the blackberries and basil and using a fork, mash the blackberries and basil, mixing together well.

slice the jarlsberg and place on an unbuttered slice of bread and spoon the blackberry mixture on the other slice of bread. making a sandwich, place it buttered side down on the pan and grill for 4-5 minutes on low-medium heat and then flip, grilling the other side for 4-5 minutes, until the bread is warmed through and the cheese is melted.

i highly suggest a nice glass of wine with the sandwich! happy eating!

foodie friday: honey apricot bread

i’ve had one of those weeks where everything seems just a little… off. not bad, just… off. you know what i mean? i have a conversation with someone and i walk away feeling like an idiot, thinking, “i can’t believe i said that.” or i try to be a friend to someone i don’t know well and afterwards, i feel like i let them down and it wasn’t enough. most of it is in my head. (i hope)

food is always therapeutic. i know if i follow the measurements, it will turn out the way it is intended. and i know what substitutions need to be made in order to make it more me. baking calms. more than anything, my head needed a break and i needed to give myself a break and so i did something that is beginning to feel more natural each time i try – i baked bread. and it turned out okay, just how everything else will with a little patience and perseverance, following the instructions but tweaking them in order to be me. (the little vintage apron i’m wearing above always seems to help as well)

HONEY APRICOT BREAD (adapted from today’s nest)

• 250 grams all purpose flour / 130 grams wheat flour (will use almond and coconut flour next time)
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 1 1/4 c milk (will use rice/coconut milk next time)
• 1/3 c honey
• 1 egg
• 2 T coconut oil, melted
• 160 grams apricots, cut into small pieces

1. Chop apricots into small pieces (about 1/4 inch cubes).  Place in a bowl and pour very hot water over them.  Allow them to soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Lightly grease loaf pan or line with parchment.  Set aside.
4. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.  Whisk to mix together thoroughly.
5. In a separate bowl whisk together egg, milk, honey, and oil. Pour over dry ingredients.  Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened.
6. Drain apricots and gently fold into batter.
7. Immediately pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-70 minutes.
8. Remove and allow to cool completely before serving.

this bread is pretty amazing. it’s moist and dense, perfect with a little butter and jarlsberg. it was so good i shared it with a few friends and they were fans! there were a few pieces left over 3 days later and even when toasted – perfection.

foodie friday: cheddar crusted apple pie

i have not been cooking much this month, but last week i decided cooking would be the perfect way to get friends together. not only did i cook dinner (ginger coconut thai curry), but after visiting a cafe where they were selling $4 slices of overpriced cheddar apple pie, i was inspired. granny smith apples were on sale for $.49 a pound, so cheddar crusted apple pie was meant to be. don’t let the long recipe scare you – there are basically 3 hand-on steps and it is worth the work!

CHEDDAR CRUSTED APPLE PIE (adapted from the food network)

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 T sugar
• 2 sticks cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/4 c packed grated sharp Cheddar (about 5 ounces)
• 4 T ice water, or more as needed

Apple Pie Filling

• 2 T flour
• 1/4 c sugar
• roughly 6-7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• Pinch fine sea salt
• 3 T chilled butter, diced
• 1 beaten egg, for brushing

For the crust: combine the flour, sugar, salt, cold butter and grated cheese. Using a pastry cutter (or food processor), mix until it is crumbly.

Add the ice water to the mixture. Continue working with it until it can be formed into a ball. If the mixture is a bit dry, add more ice water by the tablespoonful until it comes together. Gather the dough into a ball. Divide the mixture evenly in half. Shape each half into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes. Note: The wrapped dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze for later use.

For the filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar. Mix in the apples slices, lemon juice and zest and pinch of salt. Toss to coat the apples completely in the mixture.

After the dough has chilled, lightly flour the work surface and roll 1 of the dough disks into a 13-inch round. Carefully place the dough round to a 9-inch diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Brush the overhang with water. Pour the apple filling into the dough-lined dish and dot it with the diced butter.

For the top crust, roll out the second dough disk on the same lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round, slightly smaller than the bottom crust. Carefully place the dough over the mound of apples. Press the overhang of the bottom and top dough pieces together to seal. Cut the excess dough to 1/2 inch and fold under. Crimp the dough under and pinch together. Cut 3 (2-inch) slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake the pie until golden brown, about 30 minutes. If the edge of the crust browns too quickly, place an edge guard or craft your own out of aluminum foil and place on the pie edge. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake the pie until the apple filling starts to bubble up in the center and has thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and cool the pie on a rack for 1 hour.

* we definitely did not let ours cool for 1 hour and it was amazing. enjoy!