Soup for Slurping

I love that soup can be complex or simple, light or hearty, slow cooked or quick. In the end, I typically prepare them in a very similar manner. Heat a chopped onion and minced garlic in olive oil until soft, add spices. Add the other ingredients and stock, simmer and then blend. There are infinite varieties that could I write of but here are ten favorites.

1. Broccoli with green apple – This delightful combo comes via Chef Robert Engel of Russian River Vineyards.

Saute 1 small chopped onion in 2 Tbs olive oil until partially soft. Add 2 tsp curry powder and continue for 3 minutes. Chop 6 cups of broccoli flowers and stalk. Peel lower stalk if tough. Core and chop 1 green apple. Put 4 cups of stock, broccoli and apple into the pot with the onion and cook until broccoli is soft. Strain with a sieve. Return stock to the stove and put the strained ingredients into a food processor. Make a roux of 2 Tbs butter and 2 Tbs flour and cook on low for 5 minutes. Cool the roux and add it to the stock. Add the puree and 2/3 cup milk or cream.

2. Carrot with cashews – Mollie Katzen is the designer of this soup and it’s variations.

Peel, trim and cut 2 lbs. carrots into chunks. Cover with 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender. In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add 1.5 cups chopped onions and saute ’til soft. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 Tbs. grated ginger, 1.5 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of the following spices; cumin, ground fennel, cinnamon, allspice. Saute until well mixed and add 3 Tbs lemon juice. Puree everything in a food processor. Add one cup of toasted cashews and blend some more.

3. Turnip with greens – Deborah Madison pays homage to the lowly turnip like no one else. Even those who tell you they don’t eat them, will gobble this down.

Place 1.5 lb of sliced turnips (small ones are best) into 3 qts of boiling salted water. Cook 1 minute and drain. Melt 3 Tb butter into stock pot with 1/2 cup water. Add 2 – 3 sliced leeks (whites only), blanched turnips, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1 tsp salt. Stew, covered for 5 minutes and then add 4 cups milk. Heat without boiling until turnips are tender. Puree it in a food processor. In a separate pan melt 2 Tbs butter and add 2 cups of chopped turnip greens. Cook 5 – 10 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add chopped greens to the top of each bowl.

4. Beans and greens – This is as easy as the title suggests. In a deep pot, heat 4 cloves minced garlic in 3 Tbs olive oil until it begins to soften. Add your favorite chopped greens and turn frequently as they wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of cooked white beans. Sprinkle parmesan on top  to serve.

5. Black bean with wheatberries – Probably the most complex on my list but hearty and enjoyable.

Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in dutch oven over high heat. Add 4 cups chopped onion, 1.75 cups chopped carrots, 1 cup chopped celery and 3 cloves of minced garlic until soft. Stir in 1/2 cup uncooked wheat berries. Add 4 cups of water and 3 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (no oil), 2 tsp ground cumin, 4 cups cooked black beans, and 1.5 tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chiles) and cook until wheatberries are soft. Combine 1/3 cup water with 1 Tbs tomato paste and whisk into the soup. Simmer 15 minutes longer.

6. Roasted tomato and red pepper – perfect when you don’t want it creamy.

Rub oil on 3 red bell peppers and place under broiler until blackened – turning to get all sides. Put into paper bag and let rest 15 minutes. Peel, core and chop. Heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic. Cook until soft but not brown. Stir in 4 large seeded chopped tomatoes, peppers, 1.5 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp paprika, and 1/8 tsp sugar. Cook over medium heat until tomato juice evaporates. Stir in 6 cups stock, salt and pepper, and a pinch cayenne. Bring to boiling, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes. Strain soup, reserving broth. Place solids in food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Add puree back into broth. Melt 2 Tbs butter and stir in 1.5 Tbs flour, cook for 1 minute. Stirring slowly, add broth/vegetable mixture. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.

7. Cauliflower and Fennel – These are my favorite vegetables. They often don’t make it to the soup pot once they’ve come from the oven.

Toss 1 head cauliflower broken into florets, 1 large chopped fennel bulb, and 6 cloves garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400º for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a soup pot and saute in olive oil and a little butter for about 10 minutes. Add 6 cups broth and 2 chopped potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft. Puree. (add 1 cup cream or milk if you like)

8. Lentil – This is a staple. I first shared this recipe here. It comes from Food and Wine and is divine.

9. Potato with Kale – This is another Deborah Madison recipe definitely on the comfort list. Heat 3 Tbs. olive oil in a soup pot and add 6 cloves of sliced garlic, 1 diced onion, 1/2 tsp of red chile flakes, 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp salt. Cook for a few minutes. Add 1 lb of diced potatoes and 1 cup of stock and cook covered for 5 minutes. Add 1 bunch kale torn from the stems. Once wilted, add 6 more cups of stock, bring to a boil and then simmer covered until the potatoes are soft. Puree 2 cups of soup in a blender and return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for an hour before serving.

10. Gotta include Sweet Onion – For us, this is more of a summer soup but if you’re lucky enough to be able to store your sweet onions into the winter, it’s so worth it.

Heat 2 Tbs butter over medium heat. Add 7 chopped sweet onions and stir to coat with butter. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. About halfway through, add 1/4 tsp dried thyme. Remove lid and add your choice of 1 cup milk, cream or soy and 1 cup stock. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until you get your desired thickness.

Slurp away! What are your winter favorites?

Now, there is no lunch program other than what we pack into his reusable lunch bag and a water bottle but let me tell you, whatever it is, it best not be rubbish or I may be notified.

Night School Photo by Director, Piya Jacob

I have no issues with that. I have watched my little guy go from a delightful pop-tart eating student, good at worksheets and rote memorization to an engaged learner chomping on vegetable crudites while busy discovering and reporting back. One day I walked into his classroom to find him on the floor under the table with a paintbrush and in total concentration. “What is it that you’re doing down there?” “I’m trying to see how it felt to paint the Sistine Chapel.” There you have it. They were studying Rome.

Their playground is our desert where they all don sun hats and explore. You can find them atop the “Ghost Eye Tree”, a rickety old mesquite. On Mondays, they cook and on Fridays, they perform and there is no shortage of creativity or fun in between. I wish all children could experience this magic.

These teachers are empowered to teach and are not bound by silly rules and the children behave. Their last field trip was to a landfill and my third grader can recite as much about methane production as some environmentalists. Can you see that this is a good fit for our family?

Once, each year, they hold Night School, where everyone gets to sleep in and instead of showing up in the morning, school starts at 1:30 in the afternoon and goes until 7:30 pm. They read about nocturnal animals, paint the sunset, do night time math and enjoy every minute of it. Campus is transformed into an enchanted garden with luminarias along the pathways. Everyone must bring a well-working flashlight and their dinner.

I got it wrong last year. I didn’t realize that dinner would be different than lunch and there was a healthy dose of second-grade disappointment over the fact that his cold almond butter sandwich paled next to hot buttery noodles and broccoli. Thank God for second chances and that broccoli came in our CSA this week. I must say that while all vegetables taste better fresh from the farm, I do believe that broccoli delivers the single best evidence.

Embracing Diversity

Today, Diversity appears to have popped as a core value for many. And why wouldn’t it? In the stinging aftermath of lawsuits faced by corporations like Walmart, company officers are keen to point out that they wear the diversity badge. The dialogue ranges from establishing diversity as a point of pride to the statement that it is a competitive advantage. Personally, I believe it is both and more. I believe that company employees need to reflect the populations that the company serves and I also believe that diversity is much broader than race and age and sexual orientation. I lean strongly towards diversity of thought and to those places where it is safe and welcome to express differing viewpoints.

Why then, do I run the other way in the kitchen? Oh, it’s not that I don’t love a wide variety foods and dishes reminiscent of locales around the globe. But I am known to shout and take a firm stance on, “THIS is what we’re having for dinner” or “I will not be a short-order cook”. Many times there is not a lot of room for opinions. The result is that at least two of my three children are darn good eaters. The third tries. How can I possibly honor individual choices without sacrificing my time and their taste buds?

It’s the new year and I’m eating cleaner. I want to lighten up and cleanse and catch the whole renewal spirit. Others in my household, don’t necessarily need the same thing. They’re not opposed to what I’m having but they want something more dense with more calories and perhaps animal protein. And I have a mountain of bok choy that arrived in our CSA from Desert Roots Farm.

Instead of making everyone suffer through my choice, I made the Shiitake Bokchoy soup and then added other ingredients as side dishes for those that wanted a more robust meal.

Shiitake Boy Choy Vegan Soup

The original recipe calls for chicken broth so I pan sauteed some breast meat for my son to add to his version.

Organic Free-Range Chicken

Finally, to add bulk which is really necessary for both of my younger sons, I made a pot of soba noodles. Soba are made from buckwheat and are readily available in your Asian grocery. They cook quickly and are a great source of manganese (which helps to metabolize carbohydrates).

Soba Noodles

I doubt that I can be as diverse with every menu but in this way, I can begin to accommodate differing opinions about food and flavor.

Starting Fresh with Homemade Granola

Much of the hoopla fades quickly. By week three my jam-packed gym will have dwindled to typical attendance levels. Vast amounts of consumers will be tossing out spoiled wheatgrass and putting their new juicers on the pantry shelf. Then every time they see that shelf, they’ll remember the resolution that never was or their failed attempt to create a new lifestyle.

I’ve read much on the topics of change and goal setting and my take is that inventing our lives is a process and we need to view it as that. So here I sit on January 2nd weighing a half pound more than I did on January 1st but what an amazing hike we had and what a great time meeting new friends last night. Now, I’m greeting this new day as another fresh opportunity to work towards overall betterment in spirituality, health, family and leadership.

One thing that I see us doing in 2012 is spending more time in the kitchen. That doesn’t necessarily mean more time eating but it does mean more time preparing fresh foods and cooking together. In my model, that hits all four categories that I’m working on. My boys learn to cook healthy foods. We spend more time together. Hopefully we can share things here that others will try and enjoy. Each day greets us with a new opportunity so on days when we don’t cook, we’ll move on and welcome the next chance.

This morning we embraced the idea of a fresh start and rolled out a batch of homemade granola. We’ve been fortunate to have Sally, chef to the stars in our home this last week and she was kind enough to share her recipe. My youngest son marveled at the simplicity of the process.

Simple, Fun and a Life-skill

Starting Fresh Granola

• 2/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil (almond or canola oil will also work)
• 1 Tbs cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 5 cups of rolled oats (not the quick cooking type)
• 1 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, shelled
• 1 and 1/2 cups dried fruit

Toasting Wheat Germ since ours was Raw

Ready for the Oven

Granola

Yum!

Christmas on a Desert Hike

Donorschoose.org operates in the U.S. but there are other sites such as Kiva.org that have an extended reach. The site allows me to select the state and the type of project that I’m interested in funding with a microgrant. My combination? Arizona and gardens. I was immediately connected to two projects both in high needs areas where an elementary teacher wanted to set up a garden for her students. One was in an effort to show where food comes from. The second was in an effort to help a group of second graders heal after the loss of a classmate. Donorschoose.org is a great interactive tool because it allows me to correspond with these teachers and each of them to post photos and notes for me and the other donors. I’ve seen how their gardens grow.

I doubt that this was planned for the holiday season but this week a package arrived from Donors Choose. Inside were letters – letters to Agrigirl from the students in one of those schools thanking me for the opportunity to have their garden. They had drawn pictures of their garden boxes and I was delighted to get them.

Letters from "my" Class

In our home, we celebrate Christmas even in the desert. Yesterday was the fourth Sunday of Advent. The story we received was that of the angel Gabriel, sent by God to a city named Nazareth to visit Mary. Having found Mary, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.

What a lovely package of letters I received!

Perfect Christmas Salad
Torn from an ancient copy of San Francisco Focus in the 80s.
Serves 6

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Here are a few things that we’ve done and will continue to do during the holidays. I hope that you’ll be inspired or share a fun holiday tradition in your own home.

1. Have a wrapping paper making evening. Brew the hot chocolate and turn on the holiday tunes. We’ve rolled out long sheets of butcher paper and put out markers and glitter and paint. Paint it up, let it dry and then, wrap your gifts in it.
2. Buy a special food or drink to share during the season. When I was little, this is when the bowl of nuts and the nutcracker appeared. Maybe you fancy one of those ruby red grapefruits from the warm country, egg nog or as I did today, soy nog. How about a special box of chocolates? Regardless, have one thing that is indicative of a special time.
3. Do a read around.  Assemble of good collection of books that have a holiday theme. Select one and after dinner have everyone take turns reading a page. This is great fun with kids and probably with adults too. Have them all bring a holiday poem.
4. Have a signature snack that you can throw together and take to a get-together or share at the office. Last year, I gave a list of favorites. Getting comfortable with one or two takes an enormous amount of pressure off during holidays and other times.
5. Make gingerbread houses. I haven’t actually done this but my children are fortunate enough to live across the street from a lovely neighbor who does this as an annual tradition. She takes all our kids for a couple of hours and they return with magnificent sweet creations.
6. Have fun and creative project like Ben’s Bells. This is a beautiful concept for spreading kindness. We copied the idea this year and made up just a few bells. We hang them in unsuspecting places; at the tree at the grocery store, in the median of our street, on a desert trail.
   

   Ben's bells

7. Create a meal tradition. I have friends who’ve shared stories about how the table is decorated. For a long time, when we are home on Christmas Eve, we’ve made homemade pizzas. Everyone participates, it’s casual and there’s a wide variety to satisfy a diverse group of tastes.
8. Keep it simple. This year, we’re remodeling in one room which has thrown our Christmas decorating into disarray. Oh well. If the cards don’t get sent or the cookies come from the bakery instead of your oven, just go with it and know that you’ll have opportunities to change it in the future.
9. Buy some local gifts. We’re less into gifting at this stage in our lives but we do enjoy knowing a local merchant who has hand-crafted or imported our particular gift. It’s good for you. It’s good for the merchant and it’s a real way to build jobs in your local economy.
10. Visit a local establishment that has a special celebration. Our favorite is the Desert Botanical Gardens where thousands of glowing luminarias grace the desert and the live music create a truly spiritual experience.

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Blessings to each and every one of you!

Thyme on the Patio

When I think about it, it’s a bit ironic. I moved the herb closer to save time while thyme in particular is slow to release it’s flavor often requiring that we usually add it at the beginning of the cooking process. There are a few other uses for the herb which have some connection to time.

In the Middle Ages, Europeans burnt thyme as incense at funerals to usher the spirits of those who had run out of time out into the next world. Similarly, Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming bodies as they approached a world of eternity.

Common Thyme or Thymus Vulgaris contains thymol which the compound responsible for it’s strong flavor. Thymol has powerful anti-bacterial qualities that can reduce bacterial resistance to antibiotics. For this reason, thymol is often an ingredient in mouthwashes and hand sanitizers. It’s also likely the reason that it was chosen for enbalming. In new research this year, Doctors Lu and Wu, concluded that thymol has wide inhibitory effects on foodborne pathogens including salmonella. This is a tremendous breakthrough for the poultry industry as today, their products are often washed in chlorine to reduce the potential of salmonella transmission to humans.

A cup of tea made from thyme can be an effective remedy against a cough or gargled to reduce inflammation of the throat or simply enjoyed on a slow afternoon.

Thyme is widely used in cooking in dishes from France to Turkey to Nigeria and the Middle East. It is often used to enhance the flavor of meats, soups and stews. In fact, it may have been the medicinal qualities that improve digestion that caused it to originally be paired with fatty meats. Thyme leaves can be removed from the stems by pulling the stems through the fingers. They can be used whole or chopped. Thyme also retains its flavor when dried better than many other herbs and when using dried thyme, it’s also a good idea to crumble the leaves. Personally, I enjoy it in soups – the kind that languish in a large pot over low heat on cool day.

Creamy Italian White Bean Soup
Serves 4

A Kitchen Tradition

I’m certain that I’m affected by some form of all three but I’m focused on the latter.

Our Thanksgiving was tender. I was able to travel with my family to the home of my 94 year old grandmother to spend the holiday. The kids played soccer and baseball in the yard. We snuck out to get in a workout, went to a late-night hockey game, and caught up on the comings and goings since we last got together. Our meal was traditional. We always include a family specialty of Elsie’s Cranberry ice and I made the pot-luck yams. The kids feasted on turkey sandwiches in the aftermath and I put away a few pot pies as easy meals for my grandma.

As my husband reached into a utensil drawer to help out in the kitchen, he first noticed it. “Look at this.” He was holding a fork with a wooden handle. Truly, it’s nothing remarkable. It’s just that when you reach into the utensil drawer at our home, you’d find the same one and it’s likely my most commonly used kitchen device.

This four tine kitchen fork with a worn wooden handle slides gracefully into my hand and is always used to pierce egg yolks, flip sizzling summer squash or test the doneness of a grilled item for the kids. It’s old. It’s simple and despite a lovely kitchen filled with gadgets, it’s what I reach for. And the other funny thing is, that it probably came from her kitchen but it’s been so long ago that I’ve forgotten.

Can a kitchen tradition like reaching for an old wooden handle fork run through our DNA? It might seem a stretch but not one that I’m willing to discount. I really believe that the reason it is so natural, is because it has been so natural for her and it’s likely that I began observing that at a very young age. In her book, The Sweeter the Juice, Shirley Taylor Haizlip, an African American, found white relatives who had no idea of their black heritage yet had a deep admiration for African art displayed throughout their home. I wonder what she might’ve found had she opened the kitchen drawer? I wonder what other quirky habits I have that I can point to the family tree for having developed. How about you?

Is there something that you do in the kitchen that’s been handed down without knowing?

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I have many memories of pot-lucks as a child. They typically revolved around church and each was complete with the horrors of waldorf salad, cold macaroni and the lime green jello mold that was disguising shredded carrots. Yet there are other things that I always hoped someone would bring – like deviled eggs. I think pot-lucks have evolved.

Each year my youngest son’s school has a Thanksgiving potluck. It’s a fabulous event held after the children perform a special program with every family (approximately 125) bringing a dish to share. There is no menu, no list, no this part of the alphabet bringing that. The food is left to chance and chances are that one will leave with their fill of flavorful dishes regardless of one’s diet or food preferences. Whether one is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, or omnivore, there is plenty to eat.

When I asked my son what he’d like to take for potluck, his response puzzled me. “Stuffed peppers,” he replied. Really? Stuffed peppers? I didn’t recall him loving the peppers and he quickly assured me that this was indeed true. It’s not the pepper, mom. It’s the stuffing. I love the stuffing part. I instantly felt badly for asking as our pepper supply was diminished and my root bin is overflowing in yams. How would you feel about roasted yams? “That’s fine.” Once again, I am a lucky mom.

This post contains so many of those things that I am truly thankful for at this holiday. I am grateful for our seasonal food, for Farmer Kelly who grows it, for family food traditions, for the opportunity to travel to loved ones and share a meal, for the wonderful school that my youngest son attends and for his flexibility in choosing the pot-luck menu. I’ve definitely received the luck of the pot this year! Happy Thanksgiving!

Honey Roasted Yams
Adapted from Ellie Krieger at the Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.