Vegetable Broth

Nick's sister gave me the idea and I'm so glad she did because "we don't waste in this family."  Even if they are just carrot and onion scraps, we don't waste.  So we eat so many vegetables in a week that we started to save the "scraps." Scraps are carrot peals, the butt of celery, broccoli stems, onion peals, the tops of garlic, stems of herbs... pretty much anything you have.  We now have a zip lock garbage bag in our fridge that we use for our veggie scraps, and on Sundays, we make broth!  It sure beats buying a box of broth for at least $2.99 and a load of sodium.  I don't even add salt to the broth, I just salt whatever it's going in to.  It's great to use for soups, pho, rice, beans, anything that you would use water for, it just adds flavor!  So simple, you just keep your bag of veggie scraps in the fridge, then put them in your slow cooker, fill with water and set on low for 8 hours.  Then strain into jars and keep in the fridge.  Enjoy! :)

Pile of veggie scraps

Place all the veggie scraps into a crock pot and fill with water

The veggies after 8 hours of cooking on low

Strain the broth and place in jars until use

Mushroom Wild Rice Soup!

Nothing like a mug of soup on a cool fall day. My aunt makes the chicken version of this soup and it's so stinking good!  It really makes me feel at home.  Very filling too!  I changed up her recipe a bit because we don't really every have cream soups on hand and I make it with mushrooms and it's just as good.  If you can't stand mushrooms though, you can use chicken... I guess.

Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Serves: 10

Ingredients: 

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb chopped mushrooms (I used baby bella, white, and shitake)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups whole milk

2 cups chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

4-5 cups cooked wild rice

6 oz white wine (optional)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

 

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup whole milk

1 cup veggie broth

Directions:

Cook mushrooms, onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until mushrooms are tender, add white wine and cook down about 3 minutes. 

Transfer to a large soup pot and add 2 cups veggie broth, carrots and celery. Simmer until veggies are tender.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add flour, whisk until foamy.  Add 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup of veggie broth, turn heat to high just until it boils and turn town to simmer until thick and creamy. Add this to the soup pot.

  dd cooked wild rice and heat to desired temperature adding whole milk until soup reaches desired consistency.

Add slivered almonds before serving.(I toasted mine too, they were delicious!)

Mushroom Ragu

While on our honeymoon, Nick and I had a mushroom pasta dish in Italy that was amazing and I've been trying to figure out how to make it ever since.  It was almost like Bolognese, which had beef and veal... brings a tear to my eye. 

Anyway, I found this recipe for Mushroom Ragu from Giada, which looked similar to what we had in Italy, so I gave it a shot.  It turned out really good, nothing like the one in Italy, I'll have to keep trying, but the fresh ingredients are a nice touch to this dish.  The flat leaf parsley at the grocery store looked nasty, so I used the other kind, which is very pungent, so I'd stick with the flat.  Enjoy!

Mushroom Ragu

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake, baby bella) chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup Marsala

2 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup heavy cream (I used whole milk)

5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a large skillet heat the oil. When almost smoking, add the onions and garlic over medium-low heat until the onions have wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Raise heat to high and saute until mushrooms are tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from heat and pour in Marsala. Return pan to stove and allow wine to evaporate, about 3 minutes. Add vegetable broth and simmer for 1/2 hour until the sauce has reduced by half. Add heavy cream and mix well. Take the pan off the heat and add the fresh herbs and Parmesan and mix thoroughly. 

Apple Tea!

Fall is my absolute favorite season of all.  And we haven't experienced fall and the changing of the seasons in years... so I'm extremely excited for fall this year. 

Fall time means apple season, and apple season means apple festivals.  I remember going to the Bayfield Apple Festival in Bayfield, WI when I was younger.  We'd get up early, the mornings were cool, we'd drive for a few hours on country roads surrounded by colorful trees, the drive alone was an amazing experience.  Then we'd arrive in Bayfield and there would be apples everywhere.  They would sell apple bratwurst, apple dumplings, apple pie, apple cobbler, apple sauce, apple butter, apple everything!  I loved going home with loads of apples (and cranberries too!).

Since I loved that festival so much, I found one that we could go to in Cincinnati and it happened to be yesterday.  Nick and I arrived with empty bellies and apples on our mind.  Unfortunately, this festival did not meet our high expectations.  We got there and the only food was deep fried nasty fair food.  They had a few apple dumplings, but they didn't look good at all.  We ended up staying only an hour, but we did get a small load of apples and an apple candle, which kept us happy.  After the festival, we went out for Sushi.  That definitely made things better. 

Today, I woke up raring to make some apple delights with all of the apples we got.  I had planned on making apple pie french toast casserole, but the bread at the grocery store is nasty, so I'll have to make my own and get back to you.  I did make this wonderful Turkish Apple Tea though and it is so yummy!  I like apple cider, but it's so full of sugar and I wanted something more mild.  This tea is supposed to boost your metabolism and help you lose weight.  Not that that was the selling point for me, I think it was the 4 ingredients, though I didn't have whole cloves... oops. Instead of whole cloves, I used about a tablespoon of ground cloves.  I do NOT recommend this.  It's too "clovey" and turned the tea brown.  Next time I'll just skip the cloves and use the cinnamon stick.  Anyway, here is the recipe! Enjoy!

Turkish Apple Tea

Ingredients:

2 Apples (I used McIntosh)

1 medium sized orange

1 cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

4-5 cups water

Directions:

Cut the apples and orange in 4's, leaving the seeds and skins/peal on.  Place all ingredients into a large sauce pot and bring to a boil.  Turn down to simmer and let simmer until the fruit is tender.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the juices out.  Serve hot.  You may add a tsp of honey if you like your tea sweet. 

Eggplant Parmesan Panini (on homemade focaccia bread!)

I love Eggplant Parmesan!  And these sandwiches are awesome.  Nick and I talked about how much we loved these the whole time we were eating them.  Nothing like a good hot sandwich on a cold day.  To top it off, I made them on home made focaccia bread. Click Here for focaccia bread recipe.

Eggplant Parmesan Paninis
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 slices of homemade focaccia bread

1 small eggplant cut about 1/2 inch thick circles

2 ounces of creamy goat cheese

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying

1 medium tomato, sliced thin

6 slices of fresh mozzarella

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

Bread the eggplant by dipping it into the flour, egg, and then panko crumbs. Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of a fry pan and lightly fry over low to medium heat till crispy, about 4-5 minutes each side.

For the goat cheese spread, mix together goat cheese, basil, and olive oil until it becomes a creamy spread. 

To assemble the sandwiches, spread goat cheese on one side, top with eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella cheese.  Spray the bottom of a fry pan with olive oil and head the sandwich on both sides until it becomes toasty.  (If you have a fancy panini pan, you may use that, but for us old fashioned people, we just smash it down with the back of a spatula).

So easy! and the goat cheese just adds so much flavor to these. Enjoy!

Focaccia Bread

After being spoiled in Italy with the amazing Focaccia Bread, I wanted to recreate that amazing experience at home.  I researched some techniques on how to make it crispy and delicious and it turned out so amazing... sadly not exactly like the bread we had in Italy, but it's very close and I think the Italians use at least a pound of butter in theirs, so I don't feel so bad. Enjoy!

Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached organic flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon white organic sugar

1 tablespoons yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus 2 tsp more for the bowl)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 cloves chopped garlic

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Sprinkle the sugar and yeast into that well. Carefully pour the water into the well. Let stand until the yeast begins to act, about 5 minutes. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into the well. With a wooden spoon stir the mixture in the center of the bowl. Gradually widen the circle of stirring to take in all of the flour at the sides of the well.

Turn out on a floured surface, and knead just until smooth. Keep the dough soft. Pour 1/2 teaspoon of the oil into a clean bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, turning once to oil the top. Cover. Let rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

Punch the dough down. Use 1 teaspoon of the oil to coat a baking sheet, and place the dough on the baking sheet. Gently press the dough out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over the top of the dough. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon to dimple the dough at 1 1/2 inch intervals. Sprinkle with the rosemary and garlic. Place in a cold oven on the center shelf. Place a flat pan of hot water on the shelf below the bread. Let rise until doubled, 20 to 25 minutes.

Turn on the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake the focaccia for 20 to 25 minutes, or until browned on top. Remove from the pan, and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

Pumpkin Spiced Coffee (with pumpkin from Grandpa's garden!)

It was about 40 degrees out yesterday morning and all I could think about was pumpkin and apples.  I swear the feeling of summer changing to fall is the best feeling ever.  I think I'm on fall overload this year because I haven't felt this feeling in about 3 years.  (Believe it or not, Hawaii doesn't have a fall season). 

I wanted to spice up our morning coffee yesterday, so I dug through the cupboards and found a jar of pumpkin that I got from my Grandma's and who knows how old it is, but it's canned so it will basically last forever.  I'm determined to add pumpkin to everything this fall so I started by making a nice pumpkin syrup for my coffee.  It's way healthier than the fake flavored creamers in the store and delicious!  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Syrup for Coffee

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

3 TBS canned pumpkin

a dash of pure maple syrup (I don't think you need this, but I felt like pouring some in.)

Directions:

Pour sugar and water into a saucepan and cook on medium heat until sugar dissolves, make sure not to boil.

Add spices and pumpkin and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. I added the syrup towards the end. 

Strain through a mesh strainer, pour a spoon full of the syrup in your morning cup of coffee and add milk to your liking.  Yum!

Fall Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette

Who doesn't love fall?  Fall is the most amazing season for all senses.  I love the beautiful colors, the smell of the leaves, the fresh apples and pumpkin... mmmm fall is completely amazing. 

One of my favorite things to do in fall is go to the Apple Festival. Apples everywhere! Apple dumplings, apple pie, apple crisp, apple smoothies, apple ice cream, it's just amazing.  I always come home with bags and bags of fresh crisp apples.  yum!

I wanted to expand my apple horizons and made this salad, which is very closely related to my summer spinach and beet salad, only it has an amazing fall taste.  I honestly could eat this salad every day.  It's so super amazingly easy and delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 crispy apple, sliced and drizzled with lemon juice
1 bag of spinach or organic mixed greens
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
3 oz creamy goat cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar would be awesome too, but I didn't have any)
2 T pure maple syrup
1 T fresh lemon juice (you can add the zest too!)
Fresh ground salt and pepper

Directions:
For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the salad by placing the spinach in a salad bowl, followed by the sliced apples, toasted pecans, and goat cheese.  Drizzle over the maple dressing. YUM!!

Granola!

One of Nick's favorite treats is granola with milk.  He'll eat it for breakfast and dessert! With the help of one of my favorite people in the world, Gordon Ramsey, I was able to create Nick a splendid (did I just say splendid?) granola that is much healthier and cheaper than store bought granola.  Enjoy!

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
2 cups jumbo rolled oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 Tbs honey (you can use less for a less sticky granola)
3 Tbs butter (I use coconut oil)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
sea salt

Directions:
Pour oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, ginger, cinnamon and a dash of sea salt in a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.  Set aside

Melt butter (or oil) and mix in honey until combined.  Pour over oat and nut mixture and mix to coat all the pieces.  Pour onto a large baking sheet and spread out.

Bake on 350 for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to evenly brown the pieces.   Let cool and pour in large bowl, pour in dried cranberries and mix until combined.

Enjoy with milk or over yogurt and fresh fruit. Or just eat plain. Yum!