stew for you

I just made this stew the other day from my martha stewart magazine and it turned out pretty good! super easy to make and it didn't even last till the following day.

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 carrots, thinly sliced
* 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
* 1 medium yellow onion, diced medium
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
* 1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves torn into bite-size pieces
* 1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
* 2 sprigs thyme

full recipe here.



photos of the day for the last couple of days... although I am skipping "fave photo of you" and "where you work". I posted them on instagram, but neither are interesting or worth re-posting.

green:




your shoes:

pickled beets

*don't forget to save the beet juice to add to your vinegar and honey. super easy and yummy treat.
I'll probably try this slight variation next time, with s&p, cider vinegar and mustard.

leave the city

I'm on day 6 of a cleanse. no wheat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, soy, corn.. what else?

this is me, climbing detox mountain. I've been making delicious soups, pumpkin muffins, lime rice, steamed kale with lemon and pepper, almond butter oat cookie things (thanks, mb). bye bye toxins.

i almost made this lemon poppyseed bread, but did the pumpkin instead. i used brown rice syrup with agave.. and a lil' bit of grain-sweetened chocolate chips. well, three chchips per muffin actually. :)

e s m e

I went earlier this time to Jennifer's house and got some photos before the lil' darlings went down for their nap. And then I even stayed long enough to get them when they woke up too. And then I stayed even looonger, for Chloe to get home from school, then till bedtime for all three. And preceded to stay until I could no longer stay awake myself. I really didn't want to leave this happy family, while I pretended it were my own.

I also want to share this delicious looking recipe for dressing I found here, at smitten kitchen.



Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
Adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow’s GOOP.com

The major changes I made to the recipe were to increase the miso and sesame oil because I like it when their flavors are noticeable. This recipe has a real bite to it from the fresh ginger and the shallot. The original recipe suggested a large one, I suggest a more thimble-like small one. If you don’t want as loud of a ginger bite, use one tablespoon instead of two. This will make a lot but I like salads best with a heavy helping of this. You’ll go through it faster than you’d expect.

Serves 4, with dressing to spare

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil
2 tablespoons water

1 small/medium head of lettuce (I used Bibb) or mixed greens of your choice
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, quartered

Whiz the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso, vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine running, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.

Divide the lettuce among four bowls, add some of the onion and a quarter of the avocado. Drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.

kale soup

I found this recipe in my Vegetarian Times magazine and have been really excited to make almost every recipe in it!! Click here for their website and the nutritional information for the soup. This only took about 30min, and it doesn't have a gamillion ingredients, so it's more feasible than you imagine. I get stuck making the same sorts of things everyday so I'm glad this has inspired me to venture out again. I made a stir-fry recipe from another issue later this day because every stir-fry i make has some sort or peanut sauce, but the one i made from the recipe was a lighter sauce and nice change of pace. I should share that one too. But for now look at this soup!



simmer, simmer:

Here's my soup made with the quinoa:



So should I try Red pepper carrot soup or the smokey split pea soup next?

pumpkin cookies

It's the time of the year for squash everything: soup, pasta, stew..
AND for some pumpkin cookies. I made them a couple years ago from a recipe I found in my Martha Stewart cookie magazine. I got too busy last year to bake, but I think I will try them again this year.

Ingredients

Makes about 6 dozen
FOR THE COOKIES
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (14 ounces)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FOR THE ICING
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon evaporated milk,
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions

1.Make cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add pumpkin, evaporated milk, and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; mix until combined.

3.Transfer 1 1/2 cups batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (such as Ateco #806). Pipe 1 1/2-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until tops spring back, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

4.Make icing: Put confectioners' sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter to confectioners' sugar, scraping any browned bits from sides and bottom of pan. Add evaporated milk and vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread about 1 teaspoon icing onto each cookie. If icing stiffens, stir in more evaporated milk, a little at a time. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

* this recipe was found here: Martha Stewart.

Also, you should watch this lil' funny cookies video.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup

I found this recipe from chow vegan, which had this beautiful photo to go with it.


Makes a generous 2 cups

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small onion, minced
1 med carrot, sliced
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes
1/2″ fresh ginger, minced
2 cups hot water
1 cube vegan vegetable bouillon dissolved in the water
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 heaping tablespoons silken tofu
1 stalk green onion, chopped
1-2 pieces baked tofu, cubed

In a large pot, heat the oil until hot, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the squash and carrots and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the water, ginger and spices.

Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to low. Cook for about 18 minutes or until the squash is soft. Add the tofu and puree until smooth. Ladle into bowls and garnish with green onions and baked tofu croutons if desired. Serve immediately.

So I made it the other day for Z & I, and did what I could with what he had in his kitchen. I didn't have the cayenne, tofu, or green onion and it was still so delicious and surprisingly filling! Oh, we didn't have ginger either, but z went out and bought some today for the next squash. i think cumin is usually a nice addition as well. Fall is the perfect soup season.