Butternut Squash Soup!

Yes, another round of allergy-free butternut squash soup. I made this with my sister Rachel and friend Britney the other night and it was quite a hit. I'm lucky I jotted down the recipe with their help because I would have never remembered all we threw in. This was a collaboration of us standing around the stock pot throwing in what we thought was best. It was a very fun night! 

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled, brushed with olive oil and roasted 30 min
4 cloves of garlic (we like garlic)
2 TBS earth balance buttery spread/butter 
2 shallots, chopped
1 zuchinni, chopped 
4 cups gluten free chicken broth
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp curry
1 tsp oregano
dash cayenne
dash nutmeg
dash paprika
pinch of whole coriander seeds
Garnished with:
Almond cream
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Proscuitto


1. Cut the butternut squash length wise and peel. Brush with olive oil and put in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Chop up as best you can, it will be blended later so no need to be perfect.
2. In a stock pot, add butter and turn heat to medium. Saute the shallots, zucchini, and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
3.  Add butternut squash, salt and pepper, cumin, curry and oregano. 

4. Add 4 cups chicken broth (less for a chunkier soup). Add the dashes of cayenne, nutmeg, paprika and coriander seeds. 
5. Allow to boil for 15-20 minutes and then blend using immersion blender. 
6. Our soup needed another 20+ minutes to simmer after this. It needed this time to thicken up and get even tastier. 
7. For garnish I added a dollop of almond cream and some fried proscuitto and pumpkin seeds. 

YUM! 

Gluten Free Chicken Noodle Soup!

I had the crud last week and so I made my own chicken noodle soup. It was a great success and I happily ate it all week.

Ingredients:

-chicken sausage, pieced

-3 cloves garlic, minced (a natural antibiotic)

-2 stalks celery, chopped

-2 carrots, peeled and chopped

-1/2 onion, chopped (anti-inflammatory)

-1 cup frozen sweet corn

-4 cups chicken broth

-1/2 box quinoa pasta

-1 tsp oregano

-1 tsp basil

-1 dash of tumeric (anti-inflammatory)

-1 dash fo cayenne pepper (decongestant :-)

-Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

-Saute the onion and garlic. Add the chicken and cook through.

-Add other vegetables.

-Slowly add in broth and pasta, bring to boil for 8-10 min. and then allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes

The soup was delicious, hearty, spicy, and perfect for the winter cold. Highly recommended.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

I found this recipe on Williams and Sonoma website (my favorite store). It was great! I skipped some of the steps, like toasting the spices and adding the garnish. It was great all the same. The video on the website is quick and simple. I'm really going to be looking there for inspiration. Here's the ingredient list so you could get an idea of how great it is but, the website is really well done. Check it out!



Ingredients:
-2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets (about 10 cups)
-1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
-½ leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about ¾ cup)
-2 large carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
-¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-½ teaspoon coriander seeds
-½ teaspoon cumin seeds
-½ bunch cilantro, chopped (about 2 cups)
-¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
-½ teaspoon mild curry powder
-4 garlic cloves, minced
-8 cups vegetable stock
-¾ cup plain yogurt
-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

My favorite part:



Yum!

Butternut Squash Soup

I'm sure there is a recipe for this somewhere I just didn't use one. I had a butternut squash to be cooked so here it is:



Recipe:
1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup butter (earth balance substitute)
2 cups organic (GF) chicken broth
1 cup hazelnut milk
Salt and Pepper



I threw the squash in first for a bit and then added the onion and garlic.



Chicken broth can have a gluten additive in it so buying 'natural' or organic is the way to go just be sure to check the label. My mom picked up this hazelnut milk which is just so cool I had to throw it in. I could definitely taste that it was NOT soy milk but, it's hard to tell which nutty flavor is the milk.



Once the squash ingredients are about 75% cooked or so, add liquids.



Then get out that immersion blender! My favorite tool!



Someone from work mentioned that it has a baby-food consistency... which is true. It's healthy and so easy to eat. I may have downed a portion at work in less than two minutes as I worked late and worked through my break. I don't particularly recommend that kind of dining. The soup was great though. It's an easy way to use up veggies for a filling meal.

Gypsy Soup, Again and Again

Yes, I'm re-posting previous recipes. I don't care. It was different this time. I made it and ate it with different people. I even made it in a different kitchen. :-) I was at my sister's new apartment with friends helping her get ready for Crafty Wonderland this weekend. Gypsy soup has been my dinner twice this week. The homey veggies and the spicy kick just can't be beat. For me, it's a throw-together recipe meaning that when I make it I usually have 'nothing' to eat and end up with this. I know not everyone keeps this on hand so if you need me to bring it and make it :-) just let me know. And so here again is my post though I'm only doing the ingredients which for me, change every time.

Gypsy Soup Recipe Link
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes (my goal for cooking is to make sure these are super soft)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric (this is an anti-inflammatory agent)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper (I put too much but, I don't have much kick in my life with being allergic to chili)
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock (3 cups would NEVER be enough, I put more like 6, the broth is the best part!)
1 tablespoon tamari (it's like soy sauce but without the gluten-you could use soy sauce)
1 cup chopped fresh tomato (or canned diced tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (I wish they had been in longer-I'm not a recipe person & we were hungry)
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I don't like green bell peppers... I used a red)



Cookin' away



Rachel made goat cheese garlic spread which, I'm sure is to die for. Sadly it was discovered post-allergies so I haven't tried it but with the ingredients you can't go wrong!

Recipe
1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves) (Roasted in the oven)
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced (Carmelized)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
10oz goat cheese (I used an 8oz package and it worked fine)
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh basil (for garnish), chopped
Baguette
Olive Oil & Sea Salt

Result:





Dinah enjoyed the party too. Ahh, a good end to a hectic day.

Cauliflower Soup and Product Review #3

Allergy-Free Cauliflower Soup
-2 heads of cauliflower, chopped to florets
-2-3 leeks chopped, white and light green parts only (or half red onion and half scallions)
-8 cups chicken stock
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-salt
-1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced
-1 Tbs. olive oil
-1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (garnish topping)

Non-Allergy Version
-1/4 cup unsalted butter
-1 cup grated parmesan
-1/2 cup crème fraîche (or whisk 1 cup whipping creme and 1/2 cup sour cream)

Cut cauliflowers into florets to yield about 12 cups. Melt butter in large, deep pot (8-10+ qt.) over medium heat. Add leek and sauté, stirring until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets, chicken stock and cayenne. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally, cover and let sit for 20 min.
Pureé the soup using immersion blender or food processor. Season with salt. Whisk in half of cheese and all of crème fraîche.
Slice the prosciutto and sauté in olive oil until crisp and browned, 4-5 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with prosciutto and parsley. Sprinkle with rest of parmesan.
-LA Times Washington Post (a long long time ago)



Product Review #3
As seen above, I tried out a store bought pizza crust. It was GREAT! Maybe the best homemade gluten-free crust. I've tried making my own from scratch and using the Bob's Red Mill brand which requires an egg (fake egg) which, seems to really toughen up the dough. Namaste Foods (c) seems to be a great all-around brand. Pretty spendy but, you don't end up throwing away anything because it tastes like shredded cardboard (you think I'm joking? I'll serve you up some shredded cardboard any day).
For the Namaste crust you only add water and oil, it was pretty sticky and you spread it on a cookie sheet with a spatula (consistency of tomato paste). Absolutely follow the directions and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, maybe 25. It rose in the oven and tasted like 'thin crust.' . 5/5 stars for this gluten-free pizza crust!



Incredibly allergy-free! Free of: gluten, wheat, soy, corn, potato, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and casein. Made with: brown rice flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, xantham gum, granulated garlic, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, Italian seasoning, granulated onion, ascorbic acid.

More cookin' with BACON

Monday night I made Gypsy Soup, a recipe my sister passed on. It's sooo delicious and spicy: cinnamon, cayenne, basil, bay leaf, paprika, etc. I had my folks over to eat it with me.
Soup in the makin:



That night I mixed up a Bob's Red Mill yellow cake which was fairly decent. I used 1 flax egg and 2 Ener-G eggs which was good (vs. 3 flax eggs-would have been tough). It was a pretty... doughy cake and was tricky to spread in a 9x13 but, it rose well. My housemate Marie whipped up some DELICIOUS vegan frosting with, a stick of vegan butter (expensive margarine), cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla. It was thick and fantastic after being used to powdered sugar icing. Photos turned out fuzzy-it's not much to look at anyways. :)

Here is my epic BLTA today. I could eat this three times a day. It's epic because I realized I'm a social bacon eater, meaning I don't cook it at home but will happily eat it else where. I think it's in part to the fact that I currently live with 5 vegetarians and I'm very considerate. Today though-you could feel the grease in the house (with apologies). It was made with my special bread, vegan mayo, BACON, spinach, Gramma's tomatos, and avocado. Mmmm!



Unfortunately, avocados are getting lame, I wish I knew someone who would ship them to me from Miami. Later today I was making chicken and noticed I had left the bacon-greased frying pan on the stove on accident. So... yes, I threw my chicken breast and veggies right on in it and it was glorious.

Green Soup and AWESOME ALLERGY-FREE FINDS!

Due to a 4-day stomach ache I decided to make Green Soup. It's the recipe from my mom's friend, Linda. It's a very alkaline, cleansing, nutritious soup.
Recipe:
4 zucchini (from a garden-we have lots)
1 head? of celery
1 bunch of parsley
2 BIG handfuls of green beans

Snap the ends of the beands, chop the veggies and cover with just enough water (not too much!). Let boil and cook for about 30 min. Remove from heat and immersion blend! or whatever you have. Eat with black pepper. I was also thinking about yellow onion and Gramma recommended garlic. You can spice it up or not. Black pepper and onions help with inflammation so those are recommended for the allergy-free cleansing.





CHECK THIS OUT!

Are you as excited at I am?!!! YAY! Mom and I finally stopped AT Bob's Red Mill-the big red building on 224 that we drive by all the time. And it was INCREDIBLE, a truly life-changing experience. Everyone should go there and I when I say everyone I especially mean folks with allergies. They have a cafe that serves vegan GF options. I picked up this amazing loaf of vegan GF bread that rocks. I wanna buy like 10 loaves. It is MUCH better than the other Whole Foods options I have tried. I had toast for breakfast and CB&J for lunch! I also bought a GF vanilla cake mix, polenta, buckwheat flour, and a REALLY cool magazine called Living Without. PLEASE check this out my allergy-free friends, it will definitely be worth your time. BAM! CB & J never tasted so GOOD!