Pumpkin Soup

4/10/2024

This is so easy to make! It's not the quickest recipe, but the hands-off cook time is what is long - not the hands on time. I list apples in the recipe, but have substituted with applesauce in a pinch! So easy and so delicious!

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups pumpkin, chopped
2 cups apple, chopped
6 cups stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Pumpkin Soup
Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

In a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Saute onion until softened, then add pumpkin, apples, stock, salt & pepper. Once vegetables are softened, puree using an emersion blender.

Ruby Sandwich (Vegetarian Reuben)

4/8/2024

Here's a simple recipe for vegetarian Reuben. The vegetables you use are really up to you, but I like the charred taste or broccolini or broccoli mixed with the tangy sauerkraut and creamy avocado. Enjoy!

Ruby Sandwich (Vegetarian Reuben)

Ingredients

2 parts mayonnaise
1 part ketchup
Horseradish, to taste
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste
Rye or swirled rye/pumpernickel bread
roasted/charred broccolini or broccoli
sauerkraut
avocado, sliced
Swiss cheese

Whisk mayonnaise and ketchup together, adding a much or as little horseradish, Worcestershire, salt and pepper as you would like. Spread bread with sauce and top with remaining ingredients

Southern Panzanella

11/8/2023

Panzanella is a classic Italian bread salad - it's a great way to use day-old bread and an abundance from the garden. My version pays homage to the classic Southern lunch - the tomato sandwich. It's a simple mayonnaise-based dressing and is a great way to use up day-old bread and an abundance of tomatoes!

Southern Panzanella

Ingredients

Salad

1/2 loaf day-old bread, cubed
1 quart cherry tomatoes, halved
chives, for garnish
Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise (more of less to your taste)
1 medium tomato, halved
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 6-8

To make dressing, sliced tomato and squeeze out liquid into the mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste and whisk ingredients together. Combine cubed bread and halved tomatoes (you can dice slicer tomatoes, but the cherry tomatoes hold up better) with dressing. Garnish with chives.

*If traveling, wait to combine until you arrive at your destination. Depending on how dry your bread is you may want the salad to sit together for a few minutes to rehydrate the bread.

Ratatouille Pie

11/8/2023

A great twist on ratatouille that is quick and easy to throw together. This pie is a great make-ahead dish, uses a lot of garden fresh summer vegetables, and is perfect for entertaining!

Ratatouille Pie

Ingredients

1 pre-made (or store-bought) pie crust
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 small eggplants, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium summer squash, sliced
3 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup gruyere cheese, grated
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook time: 45 minutes

Blind bake pie crust according to package directions; let cool. Sautee onion and pepper over medium heat until translucent. Evenly spread on bottom of pie crust.

Toss sliced eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Shingle vegetables, including tomatoes, into pie crust (I like to start on the perimeter of the crust and work my way inwards); repeat to form two layers (three if you pie plate is deep enough). Sprinkle top with grated cheese and bake 30-45 minutes at 350.

Lox Salad with Everything Bagel Croutons

7/13/2023

Love your lox bagel? Me too! Here's a tasty salad version of it! It's got all the classic ingredients, with a few additions to my taste (roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes, boiled eggs)....you should adjust the ingredients to fit your taste though! Wait to toast your bagel until just before eating your salad (pickled onions and dressing can be done in advance), the bagels get too hard if they are toasted and then sit for a while.

Lox Salad with Everything Bagel Croutons

Ingredients

Salad

8 cups salads greens of your choice
8 oz. smoked salmon
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1/2 a red onion, sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup capers
2-3 boiled egg, quartered
2 everything bagels, halved
2 Tbsp. butter
Everything Bagel seasoning, to taste
Dressing
2 oz. cream cheese (1/4 cup), softened
1/4 cup cream/half & half/milk
1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Serves 3-4
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Slice red onions and soak in vinegar while you prepare the salad - this can be done a day or two in advance for a more pickled onion.
Make cream cheese dressing: mash cream cheese with cream/half & half/milk with a fork until thoroughly combined, add remaining ingredients and adjust taste to your liking.

Butter and toast bagels (do not toast in advance, they will get too hard), then chop and disperse along with other ingredients into the salads. While bagels are toasting you can boil eggs to your liking (I put mine in cold water then bring to a boil, turn off the heat, move pot off the hot eye, and allow to sit in water for 10 minutes). Top with cream cheese dressing, garnish with Everything Bagel Seasoning, and enjoy!

Coronation Chicken Salad

7/5/2023

This is a quick and easy version of a classic chicken salad. Named "Coronation Chicken " because it was served at Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953, this classic dish has been turned into a chicken salad. The original dish featured a poached chicken breast with a creamy curry sauce served over a rice salad. You can roast or bake your own chicken, but to make it even easier I just picked up a rotisserie chicken.

Coronation Chicken Salad

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup mango chutney
1/4 cup dried apricots, sliced
1/4 cup almonds, diced

Serves 4-6

Combine ingredients and serve in a sandwich or in phyllo cups for a starter.

Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta

7/5/2023

This is a great alternative to a butternut squash lasagna. It's got all the great flavor, but in a fraction of the time. Most of the time is just roasting squash, the hands on time is very little.

Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta (I like rigatoni here)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 lb.)
4 oz. goat cheese, softened
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
salt & pepper, to taste

Serves 4-6
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 425. Slice squash lengthwise, remove seeds, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast skin-side up until soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.
When squash can easily be prickled with a fork remove from oven to cool; you'll want it to be cool enough to handle, but not cold. When squash is cool enough to handle, remove skin and add squash to large bowl with goat cheese. Mash squash and goat cheese until you get a smooth consistency.
When pasta is cooked, drain, saving 1 cup pasta water. Add pasta to squash mixture and thin with pasta water until you get the consistency you'd like (for me, this is 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup pasta water).
Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Samosa-Inspired Wrap

7/5/2023

These easy-to-make wrap has the flavors of a samosa, but is easy to make at home. It also packs up well for lunch later in the day.

Samosa-Inspired Wrap

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 tsp. garam masala
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 red onion, diced
1 large potato, diced
1 cup radishes, diced (you could use 2 potatoes instead of radishes, if you'd rather)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4-5 cloves garlic, grated or diced
1/4-1/3 cup mango chutney
4 large wraps
a few handfuls of greens (spinach, collards, kale, Swiss chard, etc.)

Serves 4
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Heat coconut oil over medium heat until it shimmers; add spiced mix and toss in oil until very fragrant. Add onion, potatoes, radishes (if using) and cook until softened and fork tender. Add peas, garlic, and chutney.
Place greens if wrap and top with samosa mixture. Serve immediately or pack and have for lunch!