Week Six: Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup, Parmesan-Crusted Halibut with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, and Chicken Breast Cutlets with Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes

Well, that's a long blog post title. Despite that, "week six" of meal planning was pretty simple. I knew I wanted to make a soup of some sorts, so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration. And I wanted pumpkin something (of course), and the pumpkin-corn combination (two of my favorite things, as you know if you've been reading here for awhile) for the muffins was too good to pass up. We also had some wild halibut fillets in the freezer, and Zack had parmesan crusted fish on his mind. I proceeded to find a Seattle Times recipe for that. Lastly, I've had this cauliflower and sweet potato side dish recipe on hand for awhile, so I decided to keep it simple, and pair it with some chicken breast cutlets. A couple of the recipes could use some tweaks to make them a little bit better, but hey, you don't know until you try!

Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup

with Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins

I love butternut squash. And they've been tempting me as they are in season and everywhere I look when I'm at the produce stand or grocery store. Like pumpkin or sweet potato, their beautiful color lures me in, and when I see vibrant-colored fruits or vegetables, I think to myself: "this must be really good for you." I know not everything that is bright- or dark-colored is good for you, but it seems to be true for a lot of produce. That being said, butternut squash, turkey, leek - delicious.

So, I kind of had an amateur moment making this soup. The recipe calls for a turkey carcass, but to my defense, it does say it's optional. I ended up using ground turkey because it is so easy to brown it along with your onions, leeks, or whatever vegetables you're starting your soup with. And it adds great flavor. But I don't know if it was quite enough this time...

Essentially, this recipe has you making a stock as you make your soup. It calls for vegetables, water, turkey (and the optional carcass), and herbs. But if you're not using the carcass, you may need some store bought stock to substitute some of the water.

As previously mentioned, this recipe was adapted from a Pinterest find and can be found here: Turkey, Leek, and Butternut Squash Noodle Soup. It could definitely be compared to a chicken noodle soup in that it is warm and comforting, but I think the broth lacked a richness that probably could have been obtained with the turkey carcass.

And to satisfy my pumpkin craving, I located a pumpkin cornbread recipe (also found on Pinterest). The recipe can be found here: Pumpkin Cornbread. I love pumpkin. I love cornbread. So pumpkin cornbread sounds like a dream to me. The recipe gave instructions for muffins, so that is what I made. These were really hearty and delicious, but still sweet like a dessert. I think they would be especially good with chili. Although, I re-heated them the next couple days to eat with leftovers, I would say that they are really best straight out of the oven.

Parmesan-Crusted Halibut

with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

This halibut recipe was pretty basic. We used the last of our frozen wild halibut fillets from Costco (again, such a great way to have fresh, wild fish on hand) for this meal. Secondly, we used pre-grated parmesan, but I think you could play around with the cheese grate size. Ours was so fine, it was almost powdery; however, the parmesan flavor was very rich and strong. Fresh herb crusts are also nice for fish, and actually, I think I prefer that. Check out Dijon Herb-Crusted Salmon, a past post of mine from March 2012.

The recipe is from the Seattle Times and can be found at the link as follows: Parmesan-Crusted Halibut. They pair it with a roasted garlic butter, which I'm sure is delightful, but we omitted it for a lighter meal. 

Instead, I decided to serve the fish with some roasted potatoes (okay, I know...not super light, but hey, vegetables are better than butter). This is a recipe I tried out about a month ago, and it is wonderful. Probably because it is one of Ina Garten's recipes. And pretty much any Ina Garten recipe you try is going to be delicious. The recipe can be found at the following link: Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. The garlic and fresh rosemary is so delicious; your kitchen will smell wonderful.

One thing I have learned about roasting potatoes, or other vegetables for that matter, is this: you've got to give the potatoes room if you want them to crisp up a little. If you've piled your potatoes on a baking sheet, they are going to steam each other and they will never brown or toast so that they have a nice crust to them. I know this isn't rocket science and some of you more experienced may be thinking, "well, obviously," but I learned this by doing and giving space makes such a difference! I just do two full baking sheets now.

Cauliflower with Sweet Potatoes

and Chicken Breast Cutlets

Well, the chicken part of this meal was pretty straightforward. I chose a couple nice chicken breasts and butterflied them into two cutlets each. Sprinkled with a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and simply sautéed.

The cauliflower with sweet potatoes was the real feature of this meal. I was drawn to this recipe because in the picture it looked like curried vegetables, and we love curry. However, this recipe actually calls for fresh ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and turmeric. Find the recipe here: Cauliflower with Sweet Potatoes.

This was really tasty. And who would think to pair cauliflower with sweet potato? I wouldn't. But it was good. And the spices complemented really well. 

Another week, some more recipes, and some more great food. Get excited for the week to come because I think I have some more delicious meals in store! Cheers.

Week One: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro, Chicken with Snap Peas, Greek-Style Halibut, and Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies

This week: Split Pea Soup with Cilantro (you may recognize this from a February 2012 blog post), chicken with snap peas, Greek-style halibut, and iced oatmeal-applesauce cookies. One grocery list, four recipes, three dinners with lunch leftovers for the next day, cookies for dessert, and even extra split pea soup to freeze for later.

First of all, the split pea soup comes from Nordstrom Flavors, a cookbook which continues to impress me and was gifted to me from my mom. And again, see my past blog post (link above) for more information about the recipe. It's a really great spin off of your traditional split pea soup; think, finely diced vegetables like potato, red bell pepper, carrot, celery, and jalapeño. And then add the great flavors of coriander, dry mustard, Tamari soy sauce, and cilantro.

Secondly, Chicken with Snap Peas. I found this recipe through Whole Living; I have this website in my Pulse News favorites on my phone. This is a great weeknight recipe...one pan, 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Heat safflower oil (or vegetable oil as the recipe calls for) over high in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and fresh ground black pepper. I just used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but you could use whatever chicken you have on hand. Cook chicken on one side (skin side down if not using skinless), until deep golden, about 8-10 minutes. Flip chicken and remove skillet from heat. Remove any fat with a spoon, then return skillet to heat. Add garlic, vinegar, a little bit of sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then transfer skillet to oven. Bake for 17 minutes, then add snap peas and some fresh basil, baking for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and sprinkle with more basil.

This dish has really great flavor, which was maybe even better the next day. I also made some quinoa cooked in chicken stock with diced carrots as a side dish.

Next, Greek-Style Halibut (which you may have seen coming if you've read previously about the frozen wild salmon and halibut fillets Zack and I have been getting from Costco). This is a "tear-out" recipe I've been saving for awhile and it comes from the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine.

It's another easy one with awesome flavor and good next day quality. And this was also my first time cooking with fennel bulb, which I guess is like an onion with some grassy stuff growing out of it...? Uh, yeah. It has almost a licorice-like quality though, which really adds to the halibut.

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub halibut fillets with salt and fresh ground black pepper before browning in the pan on one side. Transfer to a plate. Add a little more olive oil to pan, along with fennel (trimmed and cut into wedges/slices). The recipe calls for adding a little ouzo at this point, but I just used white wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and tender. Add finely chopped garlic. Add diced tomatoes with juice (low-sodium preferred), a little water, chickpeas (drained and rinsed), and fresh oregano. Reduce heat and simmer, lay halibut fillets (browned sides up) in sauce and simmer until fish is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.

And lastly, these amazing cookies. I'm telling you, you can't go wrong with Martha Stewart when it comes to cookies. Zack and I were thinking we wanted to make some sort of iced oatmeal cookie, and when I found these, with applesauce, we were sold. And they were not disappointing. Find the recipe here: Iced Oatmeal-Applesauce Cookies. These are the perfect fall cookie.

Well, that's all for week one of my meal planning, and believe me, week two is turning out to be quite lovely. Stay tuned.

Manhattan Fish Chowder

Chowder. Growing up, seafood was one of my least favorite things. Especially clam chowder. Unless it was loaded with bacon and corn and other delicious items that just might cover up the occasional chunk of clam.

At the same time, I've always wanted to like seafood. Throughout my childhood (and now as the tradition continues to live on), my family has always planned annual trips to the Oregon coast. And "crab night" has always been a regular occurrence. And my mom can't seem to get enough clam chowder when we are there. Then there's the occasional trip to the fresh seafood market; as you pass through the screen door, you can't help but feel like you've just dunked your head into the belly of a whale...the seafood scent is so strong.

So now that I've rambled about my history with seafood, the fact of the matter is this. 1) I continue to try different seafood because I truly want to like it; 2) I married a man who absolutely loves clam chowder; and 3) I now live in Seattle (Pike's Place fish market, anyone...?). Therefore, I now cook seafood. Little by little, slowly but surely.

And what was I battling during this seafood/chowder endeavor? Tilapia. And clam juice. And it wasn't too bad.

Cook pieces of bacon until brown and crisp in a large pot. Spoon off most of the rendered fat. Add diced onion and carrots; seasoning with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Pour in a 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes (these were crushed), add 2 cups clam juice (I may have substituted a little of that with vegetable stock...I said, slowly but surely) and 1.5 cups of water. Bring to boil. Add a couple russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, in addition to chopped fresh thyme. Reduce heat and simmer. Cook, uncovered, until potatoes are tender.

 Add about a pound of tilapia fillets (cut into 2-inch pieces) and cook until opaque, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with some crusty bread. This was mild as far as chowders go I think. Maybe more clam juice next time? And you could definitely substitute any white fish for the tilapia...I'm thinking halibut. Enjoy.

Root Vegetable Soup

Confessions...this recipe is actually called "winter vegetable soup," but it's not winter, is it. Technically it's spring, but let's be honest, a winter soup sounds great right about now. The sun is trying to come out in Seattle lately, but it's still a little chilly.

What drew me to this soup was the green cabbage and tamari soy sauce, in addition to the corn (obviously (for those of you just tuning in, I am kind of in love with corn)). It also reminded me of a pureed soup my mom made when I was growing up; she called it "root soup." All I know is that she would be chopping for what seemed like forever...all sorts of weird looking root vegetables. And then the strange, diced creatures would find themselves being pureed in batches. In the good ol' blender.

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute diced leeks (white and light green parts only) in olive oil and tamari (and whatever other spices...a bit of curry or cayenne is what we like) until tender. Add diced potato, carrots, green cabbage, celery, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Stir to combine and add enough vegetable stock to come 1/2-inch below top of vegetables. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and puree using a handheld blender. Add frozen corn, adjust with salt and pepper, and serve.

Oh, and we added a little sliced green onion for garnish. I mean, let's be honest. I didn't want to post something that looked like baby food on my blog. So now it's baby food with garnish. A little better? Well, it doesn't even matter, because this soup is amazing. Such good flavor and texture. And the corn adds to it. Of course. :)

Split Pea Soup with Cilantro

When I think of split pea, I think of the classic American soup: green pea soup with ham. When I saw this recipe, I was intrigued by its unique twist. A pretty darn good twist too.

This split pea soup has great flavor, and finely diced vegetables along with some cilantro and soy sauce add something special. The texture really was perfect and it just tasted so light and delicious. Surprisingly, I didn't miss the ham at all. Which is unusual for me...

This recipe actually comes from Nordstrom Flavors: An Artful Celebration of Food, which is the same cookbook that my Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos came from. I don't think I would have ever picked up this cookbook had it not been given to me. Nordstrom's? As in the department store Nordstrom's? They have a restaurant and a cookbook? This can't be true. But it is! And I can't even begin to tell you how incredible those tacos were, so I had to try another recipe from it.

Combine dried split peas with quite a bit of water, bringing to a boil in a large saucepan. Take care that they do not boil over. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until most of liquid is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat, letting stand for 1 hour.

Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a soup pot (I used my new Dutch oven of course...thank you, Zack) over medium-high heat. Add finely diced carrot, yellow onion, celery, red bell pepper, and jalapeno (again, all finely diced). Cook, stirring constantly until vegetables soften. Add ground coriander, dry mustard (I just used Chinese mustard because that's what I had on hand), salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil, then stir in peas. Return to a boil, adding diced potato and a bay leaf. Simmer until potatoes and peas are tender (about 1 hour).

Remove bay leaf, then add a little whole milk, soy sauce, and chopped fresh cilantro, heating until hot. Ladle into bowls and garnish with diagonally-cut green onions. And serve with a yummy, crusty (as I call it) bread; we love to pick up something fresh from Trader Joe's.

Tell me this does not sound wonderful...? I love the not-so-American influences in this recipe. It just adds a much needed kick to an otherwise basic soup. And if you're not a big "pea" fan, this just might make one out of you. It's really more like a vegetable soup. A really good vegetable soup. Cheers.

*Remember, I'm happy to share actual recipes with measurements and the sort. Just comment on my post or get a hold of me otherwise, and I'll get it to you.*

Salmon with Green Lentil Ragout

Yes, salmon again. We got a rather large package of it at Costco awhile back, some of which I put in the freezer, so it makes an appearance again. And it will be making another one tomorrow night. It's just a salmon kind of time I guess. But, I'm actually glad to be having so much of it lately because I always feel like I don't eat enough fish. And salmon is oh-so-wonderfully good for you with all its vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids!

Lentils are great with salmon. And this dish made for great leftovers the next day. I did learn one lesson though: always dice vegetables to size according to what the recipe calls for. Also, it's preferable to chop them uniformly. An occasional not-so-cooked-all-the-way potato is not so great. But really, this vegetable combination with the lentils was simple, but really tasty. And the crust on the salmon was incredible...

Cook lentils until tender. Boil and reduce some chicken stock over high heat, then remove. Warm a bit of the concentrated stock in a skillet over medium-high heat. Mix in finely chopped shallot, carrot, and potato, cooking until the liquid has almost evaporated. Pour in remaining stock, add cooked lentils, and simmer until potato is tender. Stir in kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Remove from heat.

In another skillet over medium-high heat, warm some canola oil. Season salmon fillet pieces with salt and pepper. Place them in the pan, cooking until crisp and well-browned. Serve on top of the green lentil ragout. Yum.

Fennel-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Potatoes

The pork tenderloin makes a reappearance. You may be asking, why so soon? Didn't we just have Pork Tenderloin with Carrots and Couscous? And yes, we did, but the pork happened to come as a set of two (much to our surprise). So here we are: fennel-crusted pork tenderloin.

Fennel seeds are very aromatic with an almost licorice-like flavor. They act as a really great spice; strong and full of impact. You really don't need much else. I found this spice mixture in the Food Made Fast: Weeknight (Williams-Sonoma) cookbook, which I checked out from our public library. The spice mixture also consists of fresh lemon juice and zest, in addition to salt, fresh ground black pepper, finely chopped garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. Simply rub on your pork and roast in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven until browned on the outside and barely pink in the center (around 145-150 degrees Fahrenheit).

I also roasted chunks of sweet potato, red potato, and Yukon gold potato after tossing them in extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Because I had them in the same baking dish as the pork, they got a little doused with fennel seed also (probably because I stirred the vegetables often throughout the duration of roasting).

The fennel has a bite to it; it really spices up what could be just a regular, ordinary piece of pork. Definitely plan to make this recipe again in the future. Here's to more pork tenderloin. A fine piece of meat indeed.

Chicken and Brussels Sprouts with Mustard Sauce (Plus Rosemary Potatoes)

This chicken and brussels sprouts recipe is from the December 2011 issue of Cooking Light. Zack found it and I thought it sounded good, so we made it a couple nights ago. It's really kind of like a Thanksgiving remix. The brussels sprouts (which my mom always makes for the holiday), the potatoes (of course), and the rich, hearty fall-like flavors (ideally). Substitute the chicken with turkey, and bam; you have yourself a new twist on Thanksgiving. I know, I know. Who's really going to change up their traditional holiday menu...? How about a day-after-Thanksgiving-want-to-use-up-leftovers-meal?

The whole-grain Dijon mustard sauce is really the star of this show. Add chicken broth and unfiltered apple cider to the same skillet you browned your chicken in (finish the latter off in the oven) over medium-high heat. Scrape up those browned chicken crumbs and bits as you bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer until thickened, then whisk in mustard, a little butter, and fresh flat-leaf parsley. Drizzle the final sauce over your chicken and crisp-tender brussels sprouts (we sauteed until lightly browned, added some chicken broth, covered, and cooked for a few minutes).

And the potatoes. Baked golden brown with fresh rosemary and thyme. Mmmm. Nothing like it. Zack and I have been wanting to try this variety bag of little potatoes that we have seen at Trader Joe's, so I snagged some when I knew I was going to be making this recipe. Our first purple potatoes. Yes. They look weird, but they taste the same as the others.

Lesson learned: brussels sprouts can be good without bacon and weird-looking potatoes can be tasty. And whole-grain Dijon mustard is amazing. Watch for the lentil salad recipe coming soon. The Dijon will be making a re-appearance. And rightfully so.    

Ground Turkey and Vegetable Soup with Split Peas and Barley

There's nothing like a hot bowl of soup during fall and winter; hence, we've been eating a lot of it. And sharing some too. So I decided to double the recipe this time and wowzers. We've got enough soup to last us a lifetime. But it's okay. Because this is good.

This soup is a variation of a recipe from Wholesome Kitchen, as is the Moroccan Harira that I have previously blogged about. Both have been huge hits and I'm excited to try more "delicious recipes with beans, lentils, grains, and other natural foods" from this cookbook.

This recipe calls for basically throwing all ingredients (dried split yellow peas, onion, celery, carrot, potato, pearl barley, ground turkey, fresh flat-leaf parsley, chicken or vegetable stock, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper) into a pot, bringing to a boil, and reducing the heat to a simmer, cooking for 2 hours. However, for soups, I've realized that I really like to sweat the onions in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil and butter before adding the stock and remaining ingredients. Also, since I was using ground turkey as a meat substitution, I browned that in the same pot before adding the stock as well.

 
This soup is hearty and jam-packed with wholesome goodness. The barley and split peas add great texture. I tried extremely hard to keep the soup at a low simmer (didn't want it to bubble too much and fall apart), so it kept shape this time. The chunks of vegetables were cooked to perfection and the ground turkey dominated the flavor.

When making soup, I've found that I kind of have to amplify the flavor with additional spices like curry or ground cayenne red pepper, in addition to bay leaf among others. This necessity may mean one of a few things: it's time for homemade stock. I think this may be in our future. We'll see. Cheers. 

Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout

Ragout. A French main-dish stew cooked for a long time over low heat. Low heat. I'll remember that next time I'm trying to keep a ragout at a simmer. Apparently, letting the heat elevate too quickly can turn some of your ingredients (a.k.a. potatoes and beans) into mush. So yesterday, my ragout really turned into a sort of chowder. But, it was actually delicious! Maybe it's okay for some ragout contents to get a little soft, because in turn, you end up with a very thick and luxurious broth.

How did I find this recipe? I googled "red chard recipes." And I found: Red Chard, Potato, and White Bean Ragout from The New York Times online. Recipes for Health. Perfect. And a perfect way to use my red chard. Heck, I'm even going to throw my romanesco into that. I don't know about you, but I had never heard of romanesco in my life until it showed up in our vegetable box. So I googled it (like I do most things) and voila! Roman cauliflower. That'll do.

Romanesco.

All in all, this recipe was really good. It asks you to basically make your own broth with bay leaf, fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind. You leave that simmering in water and the beans for an hour before adding anything else. Red chard (stems and leaves), onion, garlic, Yukon gold potatoes, and more thyme (plus, romanesco if you're fancy). It was so hearty. And even though it did fall apart a little, it was still tasty. The red chard is slightly bitter, but it's balanced out by the smooth potatoes, beans, a wonderful herb content. I think the Parmesan rind added a sort of creaminess to the stew also.

Delicious, comforting, and perfect with some fresh Trader Joe's wheat sourdough bread. Ahh, it's fall.

Curried Chicken and Rice Soup

Dinner last night. We had carrots, chicken stock, onion, rice, and dill on hand. A trip to the store for chicken and curry powder, and the recipe was basically complete.

Combine the chicken, carrots, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. In another saucepan, heat a little butter and add onion, a little sugar and salt, and cook until onion is soft (and soft it was). I've learned my lesson finally. Add curry powder, rice, and more stock. Increase heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove chicken, shred it, then return it to the saucepan it was in. Then use a blender or immersion blender to puree the rice mixture. Combine the two saucepans' contents, add herbs, and it's complete!

This soup was really delicious and comforting. Kind of like the soup you would want if you were sick in bed. Or not sick. Either way it would be good. And the curry smells SO good. Zack was pleased when he came home to a curry-scented kitchen.

And the herb and cheese oven fries appear once again. They were just so incredibly tasty the first time, and we still had more potatoes to use up. I know everyone loves mashed potatoes, but because everyone loves mashed potatoes, you tend to have them a lot and I don't want to get tired of them, so I like to roast or bake them fries-style. Plus, I think oven baked fries remind me of the "chips" we had in New Zealand. They were so good then, and they're so good now.

Well, we are having leftover soup today and we're going to Oregon this weekend. So the recipes may be limited, but I have a couple good ones in mind. More to come soon! Cheers.