Creamy Potato Leek Soup, Dairy Free!

Tis the time of year when soups are forefront in our meal planning. They warm the body, they're comfort foods, and they're easy to make.

I simply love good soups. Soups with good chunky veggies, thick and creamy soups, and those that can cook in the crockpot all day that are so nice to come home to at the end of a long day.

Maybe it's the shorter days or just the colder weather. But I find most evenings I am not in the mood to cook much, so something made in quantity on Sunday or in the crock pot is heaven in my book. Soups are great when you make a pot full, you can freeze portions for a quick meal later, or portion them out for lunches or that quick supper.

Yesterday was one of those days, I had leftover ham, and I love a thick creamy potato leek soup. So it's what was for supper! YUMMY! And was even better today for lunch. Totally hit the spot!

Quite often each batch of soup is different based on the ingredients I have in my kitchen. But, here is the simple basic recipe.

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

3 or 4 medium to large-ish Gold potatoes, diced
2 medium leeks, trimmed, halved and washed, and sliced
1 shallot minced or 1 cup onion minced
1 garlic clove minced
1 Tbl dried parsley flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
Water, vegetable or beef broth, low fat and low sodium
1 can Thai Kitchen coconut milk
1 Tbl coconut oil or palm oil
2 cups diced ham
2 cups torn Kale or other greens (optional)

In a large Stockpot over medium heat, saute the leeks, garlic and shallot till tender in the oil. Add the salt & pepper, parsley and potatoes. Pour enough water or broth over the potatoes to just cover and boil on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, approximately 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and using either a food processor or stick blender, puree the potatoes and leeks and return to the pot if you used your processor.
Add the milk, ham and greens if desired, stirring to combine well. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for a few minutes until the greens are tender and the soup is heated through, about 10 minutes.

Viola! You have your meal in about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve!

And that's all there is to it. Ultra creamy and thick and filling.  If you are like me, sometimes I'll add diced carrots to the mix, or whatever strikes me at the moment.

Soup isn't an art form, it's a melting pot, and you can make some amazing things with what you have in your fridge or leftovers.

Chuck Roast with Poblanos and Fried Green Tomatoes

Ah, it's autumn and it's getting chillier in my part of the world already. For me that means it's time to bake and use the oven more.

As I was contemplating what to make for supper the other evening, I knew I wanted a roast of some sort and decided to make a chuck roast that was in the freezer. I also have nice, fresh Poblanos from my garden. So as I love both, this is what I came up with.

It was heavenly, tender enough to cut with a fork, and went very well with the fresh green beans and my version of Fried Green Tomatoes. Ultra yummy! (sorry I didn't get a picture of the tomatoes).

So here goes the recipes.... :)

Chuck Roast with Poblanos

2 to 3 lb chuck roast
2 medium Poblanos, seeds and stems removed and sliced into strips
1 medium shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced
2-3 Tbl red chili powder
1 Tbl garlic powder
1/2 Tbl onion salt
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine
2 Tbl coconut oil

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in a baking dish or roasting pan and place 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the dish/pan.

Mix the chili powder, garlic powder, onion salt, and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Rub this mixture into the roast on all sides and let sit for about 15 minutes.

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat heat and brown the roast well on all sides. Remove the browned roast and place it on the rack in the baking dish. Add the poblanos and shallots to the skillet and saute until the poblanos are just starting to wilt. Add the wine and stir, being sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom and let simmer, stirring occasionally until the liquid is reduced almost 1/2. Remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the poblanos over the top of the roast and then pour the liquid over the top. Cover the baking dish with foil and roast in the oven 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let it stand uncovered 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Pour the juices from the baking dish over the sliced roast and serve.

Gluten-Free Fried Green Tomatoes

3 to 4 medium, organic, green tomatoes (beefsteak or other heirloom works well)
2 medium eggs beaten
1 cup Enjoy Life's Crispy Rice Cereal, pulverized/crushed
3 Tbl Grated Romano cheese
2 Tbl potato starch
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
3 to 4+ Tbl coconut or palm oil for frying

Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside. Mix pulverized rice cereal, cheese, starch and salt and pepper in a separate shallow bowl.

Heat 2 Tbl of oil a large skillet over medium heat. Dip the tomato slices individually into the egg mixture, coat well and then into the "breading" mixture. Making sure each slice is coated well with the breading. Fry until golden and turn once to fry the second side. Fry in batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain and keep the slices in a warm oven until ready to serve.

The tomatoes were possibly one of the yummiest things I've had in a long time. And they were the first time I'd tried them. I may, just possibly, have a new favorite food! They turned out golden, with a crunchy crust, and were just tender enough inside. You can eat them as is or dip in homemade ranch dressing. And you can use red or partially ripe tomatoes for this too. They can be reheated if there are any leftovers, won't be as crisp, but they still taste yummy!

Enjoy!

Very simple and delicious Granola!

 Ok, you loved granola before, and when you can find a good one that's gluten-free, it's expensive, so you rarely buy it, or it has something else in it you can't have. Or you miss it but can't have it because you're sensitive to oats.

 (ready to go in the oven)

Or perhaps you are intimidated by the idea of attempting to make your own?

Well I can tell you it's very, very easy to make your own.

You can easily take this recipe and exchange or add your own things to it you like.

 

(midway through toasting)

Ready? Honest, it is easy to make!

Ok, here goes......

Honey Almond and Cinnamon Granola

3 cups GF rolled oats, (not quick oats), or use flaked quinoa or flaked rice may in lieu of oats

1 cup sliced or chopped almonds (or other nuts you prefer)

1 cup shredded coconut, or flaked, your preference.  

1/4 cup flax meal

2 Tbl flax seeds

pinch of sea salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cup honey, divided to one cup and 1/4 cup

2 Tbl brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbl coconut oil

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. 

In a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, flax meal, flax seeds, salt, and cinnamon. 

In a microwave safe bowl, add the sugar, 1 cup of honey and coconut oil. Heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until oil is melted and the sugar dissolves while being stirred.  

Pour the honey/oil mixture over the oats and add the vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until it all is well coated. 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with Parchment paper. Spread out the granola over the baking sheet. 

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes on the lower rack in the oven. Remove from the oven and stir the granola and drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of honey over and stir again. Return to the oven and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. (Note: Quinoa may take less time than the oats, so watch your pan accordingly)

Remove from the oven and stir to break up a bit. Let it all cool fully on the pan stirring occasionally to keep from having large clumps. It will crisp up well as it cools. 

Store in an airtight container. 

Enjoy on yogurt, for your cereal, on ice cream (my favorite), snacking, or use it to make your own trail mix. I doubt it will last long in your house, you may find yourself making it more often than you thought! (ok, I'll humbly admit it's addictive)

And if you want chewy bars instead, add some raisins to the mix, up the quantity of honey by 1/4 cup (to the other 1/4 cup) and press the mix firmly into the pan to make bars at the second baking, and then cut them with a pizza cutter while warm, about 15 minutes after it's all done.

It is simple and easy and so much cheaper to make your own!

 

Autumn and some delicious muffins!

Today seems to be the day for me to catch up on some of my blogging. I try to keep up with two very different blogs, one on music and this one here.

Thought I would post a recipe today that had been one from my grandmother, this recipe makes the most awesome muffins. You can make them sweet, like the basic recipe I'm posting here, or you can make them savory to serve with a soup or meal. Either way, they're moist, light and airy. Very worth the time.

You will need to be able to tolerate Oats for this recipe. And you will need gluten-free steel cut oats.

The batch pictured above has blueberries in them.

And this batch is Orange Marmalade! YUMMY!

Well here goes....

Orange Marmalade Oatmeal Muffins

For the oats:

1 cup steel cut oats

3 cups coconut milk

1 Tbl coconut oil

¼ cup water

Heat the oil in pot over medium-high heat. Add the oats and toast them. They will get golden brown and fragrant. Heat the coconut milk and add to the oats. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and you have creamy oats. Add the water if needed. When done, let the oats cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. You can make them a day before if you like. 

For the muffins:

1 ½ cup (210g) flour mix

3 tsp baking powder

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp gum

½ tsp sea salt

¼ cup coconut milk

¼ cup orange marmalade

1 cup cooked steel cut oats

1 large egg, well beaten

2 Tbl melted butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and whisk together.

Beat the egg well and whisk in the marmalade, vanilla, milk and melted butter.

On low in the mixer add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the oats.

Line or grease a muffin tin. Fill each cup ½ full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Some variations to try: add ½ cup shredded cheese in lieu of marmalade and reduce sugar to 2 Tbl. For New Mexico Oatcakes, reduce sugar to 1 Tbl, add 1 tsp chipotle powder, ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, fresh minced chives, oregano, and parsley. 

These are so yummy by themselves, you won't need butter or anything else with them.