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. :)

Tomato-Feta Spaghetti

This is a great dish from Cooking Light's Way to Cook Vegetarian. Now I'll be honest in that I am far from vegetarian, but this cookbook that I checked out from the library had some good-looking recipes. Plus, in the case of this particular recipe, I'm a sucker for the classic tomato and basil combination.

The spaghetti recipe really is simple. Just roast halved grape tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or until tomatoes collapse. Cook pasta as usual, reserving some of the pasta water when draining. Return pasta and some reserved liquid to a large pan. Stir in tomatoes, a little more olive oil, salt, fresh basil, ground black pepper, and crumbled feta cheese.

The recipe actually called for ricotta salata cheese, crumbled, but we just used feta because it was what we could find at the store. The feta was really great, but I'm sure ricotta would be also.

I really like roasting or sauteing tomatoes because of the way they collapse, releasing all their juices. When mixed in with pasta, they create a sauce of their own. And they are just so much sweeter when heated up.

Another quick weeknight meal posted. And a good one at that. Cheers.

Edamame Salad with Crisp Steak Bits

This dish was really good, and if it looks a little summery to you, you're right to think so because it came from the June 2011 issue of Cooking Light.

I. Love. Edamame. So when I saw a picture of this salad, I bookmarked it and here we are. The bite-sized pieces of "crisp" steak were just so enticing, and the slices of avocado topped it off. Well, what I thought was avocado topped it off.

I'm at the grocery store buying ingredients for maybe three or so recipes that I'm going to make that week (this was a little while ago; I'm a bit behind on my blogging, evidently). As I'm shopping, I'm wondering how I could have forgotten to put avocado on my list (as I picture this edamame salad in my mind). In turn, I grab four ripe ones; you can never have too many. I mean, I would eat avocado sliced plain if needed.

Well, it turns out that the moon-shaped slivers of avocado I was envisioning were not actually avocado, but cucumber. So, in probably more words than needed, I have explained my reasons for including both avocado and cucumber in this dish. I think it works.

Cook edamame as usual; drain, rinse, and drain. Combine tamari soy sauce, minced fresh ginger, mayonnaise, wholegrain Dijon mustard, rice wine vinegar, and dark sesame oil in a large bowl. Add edamame, halved grape tomatoes, chopped and seeded English cucumber, and chopped green onions. Toss to coat. Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Combine flank steak (cut into small chunks), salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Add steak to pan, cooking 5 minutes or until well browned and crisp.

Spoon edamame mixture onto plates and top with steak. Enjoy.

Thai Chicken and Rice Soup

The story: I pulled this jewel out of the January 2011 issue of Sunset magazine. It was featured on a page with some other soups. Sunset says that, in Thailand, this soup is usually served pretty plain for breakfast, using leftover chicken. But this recipe is dressed up with fresh herbs and fried shallots.

I'm not even sure why I chose this recipe. I usually shy away from anything fried. Especially, fried onion rings. But somehow, I knew Zack would appreciate this recipe since it was "Thai" and because he is a pretty bit onion ring fan. And I am pretty sure I will never be making onion rings. So this is the closest thing to it: golden brown fried shallots.

Put chicken broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add shredded rotisserie chicken, cooked rice, salt, and minced fresh ginger. Simmer 15 minutes or  until flavors develop (and believe me, you will be smelling those flavors).

Heat canola oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Fry thinly sliced garlic for about 2 minutes, turning constantly. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Toss thinly sliced shallots in a small bowl with flour,  coating and breaking up the rings. Fry in the same oil used for the garlic until golden brown. Drain on fresh paper towels.

Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with fresh cilantro and basil, a sprinkle of fried garlic, a few slivers of fried shallot, and a few slices of jalapeno.

This soup was so comforting and the jalapeno adds some great heat. Great way to clear the sinuses. In fact, it would be so good when you're not feeling well. Or any other time for that matter. A winner.

Whole-Wheat Pasta Salad

It's been awhile since I've made a salad meant for a packed lunch. And this version (from Power Foods (a.k.a. one of my most favorite cookbooks, for those of you just tuning in)) is a really great pasta salad. This healthy version trades the usual mayonnaise-based dressing for a light vinaigrette composed of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar.

Cook whole-wheat pasta until tender, adding small florets of broccoli about 1 minute before the end of cooking. Drain.

Meanwhile, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil (or flaxseed oil if you can find it), balsamic vinegar, fresh lemon juice, whole grain Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, and a bit of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add pasta and broccoli, stirring to coat with dressing.

Mix in halved grape tomatoes, shredded red cabbage (or radicchio), and torn fresh basil. Oh, and I pulled meat off a rotisserie chicken to add to the salad for a little extra something. To make it more filling, although this is a pretty hearty salad. And good too.

Refrigerate and serve at room temperature.

Coming Soon: Thai Chicken and Rice Soup!

So spicy. So good.

Dijon Herb-Crusted Salmon

This salmon was good. So good, that is didn't even matter that the salad I made to go with it was nasty.

Yeah. After a busy day of work, sometimes you come home and just decide to start throwing things together to make a "salad dressing." And that being in quotes means I'm being sarcastic right now. I had a recipe that I was using, but instead if measuring, I just decided to eyeball it. Not a good idea. This balsamic vinegar- and olive oil-based dressing ended up being mostly just olive oil. So gross. The thought of it now (days later) makes me shudder. So enough about that. Lesson learned.

The salmon, however, is worth talking about. And it was so quick and easy. It, in itself, was very satisfying.

To make the herb crust, stir together minced green onions (white and light green parts only), chopped fresh basil (go a little heavier on this in comparison to the other herbs), oregano, and thyme, and minced garlic. Drizzle in a little bit of extra-virgin olive oil. A little goes a long way, people. Ha ha.

Season your salmon fillets with salt and ground black pepper. Place, skinned side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread about a teaspoon of whole grain Dijon mustard on each fillet, then spread about 2 tablespoons of the herb crust over the mustard coating.

Roast salmon at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until barely opaque.

Definitely use fresh herbs when making this. The flavor is so pungent and delicious. Such a good way to switch up your usual oven-baked salmon. Cheers.