Archive for Vegetarian

Budget Bites: Day 10

March 8, 2010 · Filed under Budget Bites, Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , , , , ,

It’s finally spring!  Kind of! 

The warm weather always puts me in a better mood.  Just proof that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl.  And, yes, I realize that I’m still in the South, I’m just further north than I used to be, so there.

A while back, I bought the book Simple Fresh Southern by Ted and Matt Lee.  They’re brothers from my home state of South Carolina and I’ve been dying to use their cook book because it embodies everything that I love about Southern food.  These are not your deep-fried, butter-coated clichés.  This is real Southern food.  Bright flavors, chocked full of fresh produce, both charming and comforting at the same time.  Take that Paula Deen.

Fair warning, so long as the weather holds out, you’ll be seeing a lot more of these two around here. 

White Gazpacho (adapted from Simple Fresh Southern by Ted Lee and Matt Lee)

Serves 4

2 medium tomatoes

1/3 cup yellow onion, finely diced

1 1/4 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/4 tbsp distilled white vinegar

2 1/2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into a large dice

1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup vegetable/chicken stock

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Set a strainer over a medium sized bowl.  Core the tomatoes, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds using your fingers, letting them drop into the strainer.  Tap the rim of the strainer until most of the gel on the seeds dissolves and drops into the bowl.  Discard seeds.

Dice tomatoes and transfer to the bowl with the tomato liquid.  Add cilantro, onion, vinegar and toss to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Place soup bowls in the refrigerator to chill. 

Combine cucumbers, garlic, half of the stock, jalapenos and yogurt in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  If needed, add remaining stock to achieve desired consistency.  Season to taste and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days. 

Divide among chilled bowls and garnish with the fresh salsa.

Grand Total:  $6.23

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Back at it; Budget Bites: Day 8

February 14, 2010 · Filed under Breakfast, Budget Bites, Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , , ,

I’m making my return to  budget bites after my long hiatus. 

I can’t say that life feels normal.  It doesn’t and at times that makes me extremely angry and at times that makes me extremely sad.  But it feels closer to normal when I cook, so I think it’s important to keep going.   

If I admit to never having prepared a frittata, would you think less of me?  Well, this was my first one and I was surprised at how easy it was.  It took maybe 30 minutes to do and it’s got eggs, cheese and sour cream, so I’m in. 

The original recipe served 8-12, so I have halved it here.  I think that it goes without saying that I have absolutely no need for that much food.  When I tasted this last night, I kept thinking, “Shiitakes would be great in this.”  I didn’t have any, but if you do, go for it.  It’s a very earthy dish, so mushrooms would tie in beautifully. 

Potato-Onion Frittata (Martha Stewart Living, February 2010)

1/2 lb small new potatoes

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

5 large eggs, whisked

1/4 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10-12 minutes.  Drain and let cool. 

Peel and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices. 

Preheat oven to 400.  Heat oil in an ovenproof 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until just translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and potatoes are golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix cheddar and eggs.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium and pour in egg mixture.  Dollop with sour cream, swirling with the tip of a knife. 

Cook until edges are set, about 2 minutes.  Carefully transfer skillet to the oven and bake until eggs are completely set, 10-15 minutes.  Invert frittata onto a plate.  Let cool slightly and serve warm.

Grand Total:  $2.40

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Budget Bites: Day 7

January 25, 2010 · Filed under Budget Bites, Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , ,

One week in!  Overall, this project has been enlightening.  Some recipes that I thought would be dirt cheap haven’t been, and there have been some that were just the opposite. 

I expected this one to be a bit on the expensive side of my experiment, but it was really economical, coming in just over $5.00.   That’s probably because I had to alter the original recipe. 

The original called for watercress, which I couldn’t find.  The other thing was my stock.  I was so excited because I had all of this chicken left over from the gratineed chicken in cream sauce that I made the other night.  I made stock, like I’ve done a million times, and with an hour left to go, it had all burned on the bottom, so I had to toss the whole lot.  I then decided to just make a vegetable stock, but I didn’t have any carrots left.  To sum up, I just used water.  The soup has enough flavor from the parsnips, apple and sweet potato (or yam, whichever you can find), that it turned out just fine. 

One word, though.  If you have to do what I did and use water instead of stock, you’ll likely end up using more salt.  The soup was initially really sweet, which wasn’t going to fly with me.  This is true for anything, but when cutting your vegetables, make sure that they’re all the same size.  It will ensure even cooking, which is important unless you want to have chewy apple in your soup.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Chowder (adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2007)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

4 large parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 onion, diced to 1/2 inch cubes

3 cups water or chicken/vegetable stock

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 peeled sweet potato or yam, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup parsley, minced

Directions

Melt butter in a large stockpot.  Add parsnips and onion and sweat (cook without browning) for about 5 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add water/stock and apple.   Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.  

Transfer to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, working in batches if necessary.  Return to pot and add sweet potato and nutmeg.  Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until sweet potato is tender.  Stir in cream, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Grand Total:  $5.32

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Budget Bites: Day 5

January 20, 2010 · Filed under Budget Bites, Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , ,

Well, I’ve had a fairly busy weekend and haven’t been in my kitchen since Friday.  My husband and I went out of town Saturday and didn’t get back until Sunday, at which point we realized that we were living in squalor and spent most of Monday cleaning.  It’s tough when you go from a larger home into a smaller one and a) you still have just as much crap as you did before and b) you have to use every square inch of space just because there isn’t much to go around in the first place.  

But on to the food.

I got a Williams-Sonoma gift card for Christmas and I treated myself to a tart pan.  I’ve wanted one for a while, but wasn’t sure if I would get much use out of it.  Since I figured out how to make this little concoction, that won’t be an issue. 

To keep this weeknight-friendly, I prepared the dough and cut the onions a day in advance.  Actually, I cut the onions on Friday and cooked them on Tuesday, so that’s even better.  You could also pre-bake your tart shell a day in advance, to save a little more time.  There’s not much to this recipe, onions, balsamic vinegar, sage, heavy cream, butter and an egg.  Pretty basic, really.  The flavor, however, is rich and decadent, which is surprising for something with only a handful of ingredients. 

I can’t really credit one source with this recipe.  I knew that I wanted to make an onion tart with sage and I pulled bits and pieces from various recipes until I arrived at one that used ingredients that I have on-hand.    I will say that if you type “onion tart” into a search on epicurious.com, you can probably figure out the method to my madness. 

This dish is freakishly cheap to make, so much so that I don’t think you’re going to believe me.  The way that I arrive at these totals is by breaking everything into a price per ounce format, then multiplying that figure by the amount used.  For example, fresh sage is about $1.99, but I only used a small fraction of it, so the cost of the sage for this dish was only $0.10.   This might be the winner for cheap gourmet food, it certainly is thus far. 

So without further adieu, here’s my Frankenstein of an onion tart. 

Onion Tart

For the dough

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ice water

For the filling

1/2 white onion, julienned (aka, very thinly sliced)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 tbsp fresh sage, minced

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.  Add the butter and pulse until fine crumbs form.  Add the water a little at a time until mixture forms a ball, being careful not to over mix. 

Shape into a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. 

Remove from plastic wrap.  Roll to 1/4 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Brush a tart pan with melted butter and fit dough to pan.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of dough and use either pie weights or white rice to hold it down and conform to the shape of the pan.  Bake in the top third of the oven  for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove parchment and weights and continue to bake for 10 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Lower oven to 350.  Melt butter in a sauté pan on medium-high.  Add onions, salt and sugar and cook until onions are light brown and very soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add balsamic vinegar, lower heat to medium-low and continue to cook until onions are almost medium brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in sage and remove from heat.  Place in a glass bowl and set aside.

Combine cream and egg and whisk.  Stir mixture into onion mixture and spread in prepared tart shell.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 15 minutes or until liquid is loose but not runny.

Grand Total:  $2.53

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Budget Bites: Day 4

January 15, 2010 · Filed under Appetizers, Budget Bites, Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , ,

Part of what has kept my food costs down during this project has been my ability to use ingredients that I already have on hand.  The other part has been not letting anything go to waste.

Last week, when I made the shrimp and chickpea dish, I saved my shrimp shells and froze them.  I already had celery and onion on hand, so all I needed were leeks (which I got for this recipe) and I could make fish stock.

Since I also bought a four pound butternut squash, and only used a pound of it for the risotto, I had plenty of that left, as well.  I’ve found the squash to be incredibly economical.  For less than I would spend on meat, I’ve gotten six servings with enough to make at least two more.   For those who are on a budget, I strongly recommend that you look into incorporating more of this into your diet.  It’s also packed with vitamins A and C, so there’s even more incentive.

To me, this dish was very similar in taste to the butternut squash galette that I make and I think that it’s just as versatile, too.  If you cut the puff pastry into smaller squares, you could serve these as an appetizer.  As an entrée, I would pair these with a fall or winter-inspired salad.  I prepared half of this recipe and it produced six triangles, so about 3 servings.  The recipe below is the version that I made.

Butternut Squash Turnovers (adapted from Jeremy Sommer’s recipe on Food & Wine Magazine’s website)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, cut into 1-inch dice

1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp thyme leaves, no stems

1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed if frozen

3 oz fresh goat cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium.  Add the leeks and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. 

Add mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a medium-sized bowl.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss squash with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Spread the squash on the baking sheet into an even layer and bake for 25 minutes, rotating squash halfway, or until tender and starting to brown. 

Remove from oven and add to mushroom and leek mixture.  Toss gently.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. 

Cut the pastry into 4-inch squares (you should be able to get 6).  Spoon 2 tbsp of squash mixture into each square.   Top with crumbled goat cheese. 

Lightly brush the edges of the pastry with the egg.  Fold the squares over to form a triangle. 

Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.  Brush the tops with the remaining egg. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Grand Total:  $14.39

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My New Series

January 11, 2010 · Filed under Budget Bites, Entrees, Sides, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , , ,

I think that gourmet cooking tends to get a bad reputation.  People hear “gourmet” and they usually think fussy, complicated and too expensive. 

I disagree for many reasons, but the primary one being the expense involved.  I’m a student again.  That means no more income from me.  My husband isn’t exactly making bank, either.  So, financially, we’re pretty tight, especially when you figure in the cost of living is through the roof in our new town (side note:  when does a town stop being “new”?). 

From my little blog, you can see how we eat.  We’re not having steak and lobster every night, but we’re not eating Ramen, either.  I know that times are tough for everyone right now, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat good food.  It just means that you have to be a little more up on your game to do it.   Buying things that are on sale is kind of a no brainer, but it extends to taking a few minutes to plan your menu and pick meals with common ingredients so that you don’t have to buy a million different items.  Pick items that are in season, because a) they’ll be cheaper and b) they’ll be at their peak in terms of flavor.  To keep from having to waste money in replacing produce, don’t buy it until the day before you need it. 

So, in the spirit of proving that gourmet can be done on a budget, I’m unveiling a new series.  I’m calling it “Budget Bites:  31 Days of Gourmet Eating on the Cheap”.  The challenge:  not a single meal can exceed $20.00 for 2-4 servings.

Our first contender is this Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Blue Cheese Risotto.  I thought that this recipe was a really good, cold weather, homey kind of meal.  I made half of the recipe, since it’s just me and my husband, but I’ve calculated the price out for the original.  The reviews said that you would likely get more like 5 or 6 servings from this, so that’s even more bang for your buck. 

I’ve been informed by my mom that butternut squash is an intimidating food, and I agree.  The trick to peeling it is to blanch it first.  To do that, you need a large stock pot.  Boil water, then add your squash and boil for 5 minutes.  You don’t want to cook the squash, you just want to blister the skin so that it separates from the meat and makes it easier to peel.  Once you’ve blanched it, throw it in an ice water bath to stop the cooking.  Then, peel it.  It will also make it much much easier to cut. 

Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Blue Cheese Risotto (Bon Appetit, February 2005) 

Serves 4

7 cups (or more) low-salt chicken/vegetable broth

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion

1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice (about 3 cups)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, divided

2 cups arborio rice (about 13 1/2 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves (about 4 ounces)

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

Directions

Bring broth to boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to low. 

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add squash and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary, toss to coat with butter and continue to cook for 4 minutes. 

Add rice and stir occasionally for 2 minutes.  Add wine and simmer until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add broth to pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until risotto is creamy and rice is tender, about 18-20 minutes.  If needed, add more broth to adjust consistency. 

Stir in cream, spinach and Parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Top with blue cheese and remaining rosemary to serve.

Grand Total:  $19.80 for 5-6 servings

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My Vegetarian Treat

December 19, 2009 · Filed under Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , ,

Since we’ve been really good about eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables this week, I wanted to reward us with a special dinner Thursday night.   However, since it was still during the week, it had to be vegetarian.  

I thought that I would have problems coming up with vegetarian meals for us, but, in retrospect, we don’t eat much meat on a regular basis, so it wasn’t too hard to make the weekly transition.  I will say, though, that my husband has been hounding me for a pork tenderloin, but besides that, he’s on board. 

So…what was our decadent vegetarian meal?  Ricotta Gnocchi with a Brown Butter Sauce.  I cannot believe how easy this was to prepare.  It didn’t take long at all, a little over 30 minutes, I believe.  This is definitely going to be a new staple for us.  It’s very rich and filling, but was really simple to do.   Next time, I might make a pesto or throw a can of pumpkin puree in the mix and see how that fares. 

Ricotta Gnocchi (adapted from Gourmet, April 2008)

2 cups whole-milk ricotta (1 pound)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 ounces), divided

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 (2-inch) rosemary sprig

Directions

Combine ricotta, eggs, 1 cup cheese, nutmeg, and pinch each of salt and pepper. Add flour, stirring to form a soft, wet dough.

Shape dough on a well-floured surface with lightly floured hands into 2 (1-inch-thick) ropes. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces with a lightly floured knife.  Put in 1 layer on a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet.  Set aside.

Cook gnocchi in 2 batches in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (it should taste like sea water), adding a few at a time to pot and stirring occasionally, until cooked through (cut one in half to check), 3 to 4 minutes per batch. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain in colander.

Meanwhile, cook butter with rosemary in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Toss gnocchi with brown butter in skillet and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt.

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Healthy Quick-ish Dinners

December 18, 2009 · Filed under Entrees, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , ,

Phase two of our healthier eating mission involves incorporating more whole fruits and vegetables into our diet.   As cliche as it sounds, I really do feel better since eating this way.  Maybe it’s a placebo effect, but I definitely have more energy. 

I’ve been a bit surprised at how fast some of these meals are to prepare.  Prep time usually isn’t a huge concern for me when deciding what to make, but most of these meals have taken around 30 minutes to make, which is great.  It leaves me more time to snuggle with Milo (yes…I’m that pet owner).

A tip for peeling ginger:  Use a spoon to sort of whittle/scrape it.  It makes removing the peel much easier than trying to do it with a vegetable peeler. 

Curried Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Tomatoes (Tyler Florence, Eat This Book)

1/4 cup Ghee or canola oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons curry powder

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

3 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Kosher salt

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions

Heat ghee/oil in a deep skillet over medium heat.  Cook onion, ginger and curry powder, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft.  Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and are soft, about 6 minutes. 

Stir in paste and 1 cup of water to dissolve.  Gently fold in chickpeas and cauliflower. 

Reduce to medium-low heat and cover.  Simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and the cauliflower and chickpeas are thoroughly coated with curry.  Season with salt and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

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Jalapenos are not my friends

December 12, 2009 · Filed under Breads, Entrees, Sides, Vegetarian

Between culinary school and my growing interest in organics and sustainability, my husband and I have been eating better.  We were never the type to consider KFC a well-rounded meal, but we were definitely guilty of resorting to pepperoni pizza here and there.  I now know that they’re pepperonis of death thanks to the nitrites and I should never eat one again.  Thank you for sucking all the joy out my life, culinary school!

I kid.  I kid. 

Well, I’m serious about the being aware of what we’re actually putting into our bodies part.  It’s important and it’s something that most people don’t do. 

Along those lines, we’ve both been keeping a food diary to see what we consume and how much.  I’m doing it because it’s part of my nutrition exam.  My husband is doing it because I was concerned that he wasn’t getting enough calories for the amount of work that he does.   It’s a tough balance because he needs so much, whereas I don’t really. 

My nutrition professor charted out my husband’s caloric intake versus his exercise level and deduced that he needed to consume more good fats and more fruits and vegetables.  He eats them, just not in enough quantity to support his level of activity.  Like most Americans, though, what he eats plenty of is protein.  In general, most Americans have no problems with protein because we eat so much meat, maybe even too much.  For us, we decided to eat meatless during the week in order to get more of the fruits and vegetables that he was lacking. 

I have to say that I haven’t really missed the meat.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy ribs and bacon as much as the next person (and duck…and fried chicken…and filet mignon…), but I feel better eating foods that are less processed and I feel like I’m doing right by my body.  So, in the weeks to come, you’ll likely be seeing several meatless options, like the spicy black bean soup below. 

I have to say that I loved this recipe.  It’s been so cold here and I’m a sucker for anything Tex-Mex-ish.  However, one word of caution.  Do not stand over the pot when you saute the jalapenos.  I was so careful not to touch my face after cutting them, but I didn’t even think of inhaling it.  My entire nasal passages burned for hours and it got so bad, that my nose is still bleeding a little bit.  My upper lip was pretty bad, too.  I had to swab a sugar and milk mixture all over my face and shove a paper towel dipped in it up my nose.  Really, not the best look for me. 

But, hey, the food was good.

Jalapeno Corn Muffins (adapted from Marth Stewart Living, March 2004)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for tin, melted

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon coarse salt

2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped

Unsalted butter, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter, and set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and sour cream in a medium bowl until combined, and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and jalapenos in a large bowl until combined.

With a rubber spatula, fold buttermilk mixture into cornmeal mixture until well combined. Fold in melted butter.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let muffins cool in tin 5 minutes.

Turn out into a basket or bowl lined with a clean kitchen towel; cover to keep warm. Serve with butter.

Spicy Black Bean Soup (Gourmet, December 2008)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 fresh jalapeño (2 inches), seeded and minced

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 (19-ounces) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups water

1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf

Directions

Heat oil in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeño with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until onion is beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, water, and bay leaf and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

Transfer about 2 cups soup to a blender and purée (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt.

My photos of the soup were crap, so I’ll make it again soon so that I can get a decent picture.

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Thanksgiving Baby Shower

November 29, 2009 · Filed under Appetizers, Dessert, Vegetarian · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

We’ve had an eventful few months in my family.  My sister is pregnant with her second and my aunt discovered that she is pregnant with her first. 

I wanted to host a shower for my aunt, because she’s put up with our brood for the past 7 years, and that deserves some kind of something.  However, they live in Pennsylvania and we’re all the way in the South, so the timing had to be around Thanksgiving, which is when they would be down this way.

Planning a Thanksgiving shower posed some challenges.  I didn’t want this to be lame baby shower complete with ridiculous games, but I wanted it to feel like a baby shower in spirit.  I turned to the season and thought about the colors that I could use and orange and lime green seemed perfect.  My living room has those two colors, so I knew that would work, and they just fit the season. 

Despite some last minute cancellations, the shower was a success.  Mom and Dad were both here and we could not have been happier for them. 

Some photos:

               

    

(My mom had most of my decorations and was running late, hence why there’s hardly anything on the table.)

    

  

My menu consisted of the following:

Potato Parsnip Latkes

Ginger Pineapple Sparkling Punch

Carrot Ginger Layer Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Super Fudgy Brownies

Herbed Yogurt Dip with a vegetable tray

Carrot, Ginger and Honey Soup

Butternut Squash Galette

The food was a big hit.  It all had a lot of color and flavor. 

The shower was on Saturday and I began prepping on Wednesday.  My timeline went like this:

Wednesday

Make ginger syrup

Thursday

Cut vegetables

Make brownies

Make latkes

Friday

Make carrot strips

Make frosting

Make galette crust

Make galette filling

Make dip

Make soup

Saturday

Assemble and bake galette

Make punch

Make and assemble cake

Crisp and top latkes

Warm soup

As you can see, it was definitely manageable when spread out.  The biggest challenge was the cake, but mostly because I’ve never made a non-box mix cake.  It was completely worth it, though…and I don’t even like carrot cake.  Guess I’ll have to make an exception. 

Herbed Yogurt Dip (Hors D’oeuvres, Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell)

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 cup basil, chopped

1/2 cup chives, chopped

grated peel of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

6 oz. cream cheese

1 cup whole milk yogurt

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Place everything but salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Season to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Serve chilled.

Carrot, Honey and Ginger Soup Cups (Hors D’oeuvres, Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell)

2 tbsp butter

6 cups carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

4 inches fresh ginger, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 quart chicken stock

1 tbsp honey

4 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp chopped chives to garnish

Directions

Melt butter in a stockpot over low heat.  Add carrots, ginger, onion, garlic, and celery with a pinch of salt.  Cook, covered, until soft, about 20 minutes.  Add stock and increase to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are very soft, about 15 minutes.  Cool slightly.

Place in a food processor and pulse to a smooth puree.  Rinse out stockpot and place a fine mesh sieve over top.  Press the puree through the sieve.  Discard remainder left behind. 

If needed, add 2 tbsp of water at a time to the puree to adjust thickness.  Soup should have consistency of light cream. 

Heat through over medium heat.  Add honey, cream, salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle into cups and sprinkle chives to garnish.  Serve hot.

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