Winter Soup

Well. It's cold. No doubt about that. So today, Hubby and I decided to make a yummy minestrone soup. Actually what happened was, Hubby wanted to make a butternut squash gratin (yes, recipe coming) and I remembered a recent recipe from Real Simple for a minestrone soup with butternut squash. Perfect pair for dinner!Please forgive the lack of pictures... the Kosher, She Eats kitchen was NOT clean enough to get any good pics. I promise we will have some new ones for you the next time we make this!Of course, nothing in the Kosher, She Eats kitchen could be simple... We don't eat pasta or bread (regularly) plus we wanted to use what we grew/had canned in season so we adjusted the original recipe. Here is our version of the Winter Minestrone. One thing... I totally 'free-handed' this recipe... do what feels right. I love carrots in soups so I added more. If you love beans, add beans or squash or whatever!Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 half pint (8oz) jar of homemade tomato sauce (yes, you can use canned... but NOT PASTA SAUCE, actual tomato sauce... we will get you canning next season. It's easy!)
  • Some butternut squash, cut into 1-inch pieces (The other recipe calls for a small squash... I didn't have that much since we were using it mainly for the gratin.)
  • 6-7 medium carrots, chopped
  • Some green beans (we used a sandwich bag of green beans we had frozen during the season. If you do not have this luxury, grab some frozen ones at the store. They are usually flash frozen at the peak of the season.)
  • 2 15-ounce cans navy beans, rinsed (or pinto, or kidney... whatever bean you want... I wouldn't do black beans though... personal preference. Also... I forgot to rinse mine and the world kept spinning.)
  • Vegetable stock
  • 1 3-inch piece Parmesan rind (optional), plus grated Parmesan for serving
  • 1/2 Savoy cabbage, chopped

Preparation:

  1. Before you start... get a big soup pot. Don't do this step in a frying pan... keep the flavors in there! Okay, heat some olive oil in your SOUP POT. (I say vociferously because at first I didn't then switched pans... don't bother to get that frying pan dirty.) Add the onion, about ¾ teaspoon salt, and about ¼ teaspoon pepper. Sauté, stirring frequently, until soft and nearly translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes).
  2. Add the tomatoes and their juices as well as your tomato sauce to the pot with the onions. Simmer until thickened (about 6 to 8 minutes... I left it on a bit longer as I was prepping the other ingredients).
  3. Add squash, carrots, beans, green beans, 8(ish) cups vegetable stock, and Parmesan rind, if desired, and bring to a boil. Then turn it down to a simmer, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables to get tender. This could take about 20 to 25 minutes, however, since I put mine up early in the afternoon, I kept it on a low simmer for more than an hour. I let the veggies get soft and even added some more vegetable stock to bring it to the right soup-y-ness.
    1. NOTE: If you added the Parmesan rind (which I totally recommend trying, if you are serving a dairy meal) continually taste the soup. The rind really imparts A LOT of flavor and you might want to take it out before the cooking time is up. We left it in for maybe 30 minutes.
  4. About 30 minutes or so before you plan to  serve the soup, add cabbage. Simmer until the cabbage isn't too crunchy.
  5. Serve with grated Parmesan on top.

Ok, like I said, we were a little loosey goosey about this recipe. And it totally worked. I put it up around 3 and we ate it around 6:30. It stayed warm the whole time but make sure the liquid doesn't boil out!! It really didn't take long to prep and made everything smell great while we were cleaning our house. After I put the soup up, we had extra butternut squash (from the gratin) and we threw it in. Also, the first night we ate this, the cabbage had a bit of a crunch to it (delish!) but at subsequent "eatings" the cabbage was less crunchy (surprisingly still delish)!If you don't use the rind or top with Parm, this is a great parve soup. And it's fabulous as a dairy soup as well!One last tip for you... Start with one bowl. We got so excited the first night we each ate two... and the rest of our dinners which left us totally over stuffed! This soup is SUPER filling.Enjoy!Kosherly yours,Kosher T & Kosher Hubby

Carrot-Ginger Soup

After all that cheese and dairy, it's time for something soothing and hearty. I made this soup for my boyfriend this weekend. He was coming home from a trip to London and Paris and I thought he might enjoy something simple but hearty. The ginger was an added bonus to help settle his stomach if the flight was rough. I know when I travel, I don't always feel like eating something heavy. This is a fairly simple recipe and I can't even remember where it came from, an online recipe site, but I did add my own spicing to it.I'm going to remind you, read the recipe all the way through before you start. Trust me, I've made that mistake before and I have some tips at the end.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp margarine
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds*
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • dash salt and pepper, to taste
  • Nutmeg, cloves, chili powder/cayenne pepper - optional

Preparation:

  1. First thing, I started to make this mistake, prep all your vegetables before you start the recipe. Chop your onions, carrots and mince your ginger. Have them ready in prep bowls before you start sauteing the onions.
  2. In a large soup pot, cook the onions in margarine until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, ginger and coriander seeds* and cook, stirring for a few more minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for at least 25 minutes, or until carrots are very soft. (This was about 50 minutes for me... but make sure you aren't boiling off the liquid too much)
  4. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree, working in batches if needed. I did not blend it into oblivion. I left it a touch chunky.
  5. Add a dash of salt and pepper and other spices. Serve hot, re-heating if necessary.

After I had blended the soup, I started playing with spices. It can be a bit bland so I added nutmeg and just the smallest dash of cloves. Too much cloves will make it almost sweet. I added a dash of spice with the chili powder (or you can use ground cayenne pepper). Again, be careful - it is easy to over-season and you DO have the ginger in there. It comes out with a nice bite but tastes good.*I could not find coriander seeds where I was shopping so I used ground coriander. I added a bit when I added the carrots to the onions but put more in after the blending.The key is to taste the whole way through. You can also add white potatoes or sweet potatoes if you want some more starch in it.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

After all that cheese and dairy, it's time for something soothing and hearty. I made this soup for my boyfriend this weekend. He was coming home from a trip to London and Paris and I thought he might enjoy something simple but hearty. The ginger was an added bonus to help settle his stomach if the flight was rough. I know when I travel, I don't always feel like eating something heavy. This is a fairly simple recipe and I can't even remember where it came from, an online recipe site, but I did add my own spicing to it.I'm going to remind you, read the recipe all the way through before you start. Trust me, I've made that mistake before and I have some tips at the end.

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp margarine
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds*
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • dash salt and pepper, to taste
  • Nutmeg, cloves, chili powder/cayenne pepper - optional

Preparation:

  1. First thing, I started to make this mistake, prep all your vegetables before you start the recipe. Chop your onions, carrots and mince your ginger. Have them ready in prep bowls before you start sauteing the onions.
  2. In a large soup pot, cook the onions in margarine until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, ginger and coriander seeds* and cook, stirring for a few more minutes.
  3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for at least 25 minutes, or until carrots are very soft. (This was about 50 minutes for me... but make sure you aren't boiling off the liquid too much)
  4. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and puree, working in batches if needed. I did not blend it into oblivion. I left it a touch chunky.
  5. Add a dash of salt and pepper and other spices. Serve hot, re-heating if necessary.

After I had blended the soup, I started playing with spices. It can be a bit bland so I added nutmeg and just the smallest dash of cloves. Too much cloves will make it almost sweet. I added a dash of spice with the chili powder (or you can use ground cayenne pepper). Again, be careful - it is easy to over-season and you DO have the ginger in there. It comes out with a nice bite but tastes good.*I could not find coriander seeds where I was shopping so I used ground coriander. I added a bit when I added the carrots to the onions but put more in after the blending.The key is to taste the whole way through. You can also add white potatoes or sweet potatoes if you want some more starch in it.

Colorful and Healthy Frittata

I know I have given you a lot of desserts lately for Shavuot but here is a nice lunch dish that can be reused for breakfast the next morning. It's colorful and healthy.I highly recommend getting farm fresh eggs (like literally from chickens) or buying free range organic eggs. I know most people don't understand the value of this but having recently been turned on to these types of eggs, I can tell you first hand there is a HUGE difference in taste and quality. It is better for you and your family. But I will leave the egg rant for another time...

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
  • 3/4 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin, green tops included
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup finely-shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a shallow 1-1/2-quart casserole dish with vegetable oil.
  2. Saute broccoli, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and green onions in the butter until barely cooked. They should remain firm and colorful. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, water, Dijon mustard, oregano, basil, garlic powder, and salt until well-combined. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the sautéed vegetables over the top of the eggs, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
  4. Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes, until center is set. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.
  5. Yield: 4 to 6 servings

This delish recipe is from About.com

Pesach Time Is Here!

I know, I've just been terrible about posting lately. There are a few times of year when the holidays all collide and everything gets so busy. That's why I am all over the idea of quick and easy meals. One of the big staples on Pesach is the egg... in my house we always boil way too many eggs for the seder so I end up eating eggs for the week. And while I am an egg fan... they can start to get a bit boring. So here are some options for your hard-boiled eggs for the end of Pesach.First... do you know how to hard boil an egg? I know, seems simple but there are a few tricks to ensuring that your egg is 1. cooked 2. easy to peel and 3. the yolk isn't green!Best way to hard boil an egg:

  1. Put the eggs in a pot of COLD water, with enough water to cover the eggs by two-ish inches.
  2. Bring the water to a rolling boil then cover the pot.
  3. Turn off the stove, remove the pot from the burner, and let it stand, covered, for 12 minutes.
  4. Fill a bowl with cold water. Immediately when the timer goes off, submerge the eggs in cold water

When it's time to peel, crack the shell then roll the egg on the counter to break the shell completely. Start peeling but have a bowl of cold water near by. This will help loosen the shell and remove any small bits that stick to the egg.Okay, now that we have a perfect hard-boiled eggs... what the heck do we do with them?!

  1. Deviled Eggs... the old standby... So delish but a bit of work. Once the eggs are cooked, cut in half length-wise and pop out the yolks. Take the yolks and mix in some mayonnaise, mustard, and a little bit of black pepper. (Look out for my homemade mayonnaise recipe soon!) Then put the yolks back in the whites and top with fun toppings such as asparagus bits, paprika, beets, all sorts of fun things!
    1. Secret to getting the yolks back in? Use a spatula to get them in a zip-loc bag and then cut off a corner. Instant pastry bag! Squeeze the yummy yolks into the whites!
  2. Nicoise salad redefined. I love a good nicoise salad but I also like simple ingredients and clean flavors. Try this with your eggs: Get some albacore (white) tuna and drain it very well. Chop up some romaine lettuce (I totally prefer the hearts) and put it in a bowl. Crumble the tuna over the lettuce. Chop up the eggs (as small or big as you would like... I prefer bigger chunks) and put on top of the lettuce and tuna. Top it off with some Parmesan cheese. You can top with some store-bought kosher caesar dressing or make your own. I personally love the anchovy flavor in the caesar but I can understand those who don't. I'll post a recipe for this soon!
  3. Now this one is innovative... bread-less egg pizzas! Take a large cross-section slice of tomato, put slices of egg on top, sprinkle some cheese over it. Flavor with oregano and salt. Then place in the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese melts. IF you put things on your matzah (not everyone does), this is a great grownup matzah pizza.
  4. Talia's easy egg salad. Seriously. This is easy. Peel a few eggs, chop them up (size of whites is up to you). Mix a little mayonnaise and mustard in. Stir. Eat. Great quick snack!

I hope these Eggcelent ideas have given you a few more options to close out Pesach on a high note! Enjoy!