Wild Mushroom Soup

On my twenty-third birthday last year, I received a TON and I really do mean A TON of cookbooks.  In a sense, I'm pretty easy to shop for--I can walk down the food and dining section of Barnes & Noble and find 30 or so specialty cookbooks in a heartbeat.  Too much? What's too much?

This recipe comes from one of those cookbooks--400 Soups by Anne Sheasby--and is easily one of my favorite out of the full 400: Wild Mushroom Soup.  The original calls for a several ounces of shitake mushrooms and soaking them in water; after the soaking process, you drain the mushrooms, roast them, and re-use the shitake water for part of your broth.

Although shitakes are great (they really do add a certain je ne sais quoi to any recipe), you can easily substitute this ingredient withe one cup portobello mushrooms as I have done below.  This recipe is earthy, smooth, and so flavorful that it requires very few seasonings.  Make this during winter (or summer!) for a soup that is clearly delicious.

Wild Mushroom Soup
* 3 cups chopped Bella Mushrooms
* 5 cups beef broth
* 3 cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 leeks, thinly sliced
* 1/2 white onion, chopped
* 2/3 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon thyme

1.) First, measure out all of your ingredients--mushrooms, onions, garlic, and leeks.

2.) Then, prep your ingredients--wash and thinly chop the leeks.

3.) Wash portobello mushrooms and thinly slice.

4.) Roughly chop mushrooms.

5.) Chop half of an onion, and peel several cloves of garlic.  Set aside.


6.) Combine olive oil and butter in a large pot and warm.  

7.) Add leeks, onions, and pressed garlic; simmer for 5-7 minutes.

8.) Add mushrooms and allow to simmer for several minutes, or until properly moist.

9.) Add beef broth and bring to a boil.

10.) Turn heat down to medium and allow to simmer in a half covered pot for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme.

11.) After 30 minutes, remove 3/4 of the soup and puree in a food processor or blender.  

12.) Return to mushroom soup pot.

13.) Add 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream and return to a light boil.  Turn off heat.

14.) Serve with fresh thyme sprigs and enjoy!

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Edamame with Thyme

Preparing an appetizer doesn't need to be a huge process.  Chances are good that you've spent plenty of time either grocery shopping, prepping the food, cooking it, and even thinking about a big meal.  Further, although fancy appetizers and tappas are great, why prepare an appetizer that overshadows your main course? Worse, why prepare an appetizer that's so heavy (either calorically, or in composition) that you find your main course seemingly unimportant?


The solution? Edamame.  Edamame is a baby soy bean found more and more commonly on menus and restaurants these days.  Asian restaurants famously serve them in their pods as a light appetizer before eating sushi, but many times, you can find them sans pods in the freezer section of Whole Foods, or other grocery produce sections.


Prepare this dish as a light appetizer to any number of Asian or Indian cuisine meals.  Lightly toss with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme, and you'll have an appetizer that is both healthy and clearly delicious!


Edamame with Thyme
This recipe comes from nowhere in particular, but the result of cooking tons of edamame for the Curry Rice Recipe (available here).  The great thing about this dish is that you can adjust the seasonings to whatever you have available (i.e., rosemary instead of thyme, or mint instead of thyme).  Adjust seasonings to your personal preference.


Ingredients:
* 1 cup cooked edamame
* sprigs of fresh thyme, to taste
* salt and pepper, to taste


1.) Bring a small pot of water to a boil; add 1 cup edamame.


2.) Boil at medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes, or until edamame is fully cooked (soft, but still retaining a bit of crunch).


3.) Pour out edamame and water into a large strainer.   Allow to cool for a few minutes.

4.) Transfer to bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.  Toss to combine and serve.

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Perfect Veggie Pizza

The first time I ever hung-out with my friend Sam, we made pizza.  We split the pizza in half, and consumed one of the TASTIEST Italian dishes ever: veggie pizza on whole wheat crust with mozzarella and parmesan.  I remember Sam's reaction--"I could eat TWO of these!"--and my response--"If I had space in my stomach, I would!" Needless to say, this basic veggie pizza recipe is clearly delicious.

Thus, this post is technically a re-post of something I made with Sam back in December.  However, the technique is slightly different--this pizza is baked, not grilled--and the photos are stunning (thank you fancy new camera!).  If prepared properly, this veggie pizza recipe makes a 13-14 inch pie (8 slices) that is loaded with spices, and vegetarian flavors.

Perfect Veggie Pizza
This recipe comes from no chef in particular, but the dough recipe is a wheat version of Elise Bauer's pizza dough concoction over at Simply Recipes (you can find it here).  I usually make this pizza dough recipe in bulk and freeze it in single serving tupperware containers.  As the semester goes on and life becomes increasingly hectic, I take out the dough in the morning so that by dinner time, all I have to do is build the pizza.  You'd be surprised how quickly preparing gourmet pizza can be with simple planning and the help of your Kitchenaid mixer (for preparing/kneading large quantities of dough)!

Ingredients:
* 1 serving prepared wheat pizza dough recipe
* Cornmeal, for dusting
* 1-2 cups tomato sauce
* 2-3 cups cheese: mixture of fresh parmesan and mozzarella
* Toppings: vine ripe tomatoes, bella mushrooms, chopped onion, spinach, olives, and chopped green and red bell peppers
* 2 tablespoons italian seasoning
* 1-2 teaspoons freshly ground thyme
* 2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
* 1/4 cup pine nuts
* freshly cracked pepper & Tony's Cajun Seasoning, to taste

Special Equipment needed:
Pizza Stone

1.) Preheat oven to 350F.  Begin by dusting your pizza stone with corn meal.

2.) Lightly flour a clean working surface.

3.) Roll out your pizza dough to 13-14 inches in diameter.  Pizza dough that is pre-prepared, frozen, and thawed is very easy to work with; whereas, if you had just made the pizza dough from scratch, this step would take you twice as long because of the natural elasticity of the freshly made dough.

4.) Transfer dough to pizza stone.  Thoroughly poke holes in dough using a fork.  Drizzle dough with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and smooth with a large spoon.

5.) Add sauce.  I suggest anywhere from 1-2 cups based on your preference (some people HATE large quantities of sauce and some people love it, so add as much as you like).

6.) Season the sauce and dough mixture with half of the thyme and half of the italian seasoning.  Add freshly minced/pressed garlic and crack some pepper over the surface of the pizza.  Dust with Tony's and sprinkle on pine nuts.

7.) Now, begin adding your toppings: mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, onions, spinach, and peppers.  Sprinkle your remaining seasonings--thyme and Italian--and dust with Tony's and freshly cracked pepper.

8.) Cover in cheese.

9.) Cook on pizza stone, but in oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until crust and toppings are golden brown.  Remove from oven, allow to cool for several minutes, and cut into 8 pieces.

10.) Serve with freshly grated parmesan, red pepper flakes, and your favorite beer.  Enjoy!

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Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

By and large asparagus is HANDS DOWN one of my favorite foods (what can I say? I like my vegetables!).  Plus, wrapping fresh asparagus with a thin layer of bacon, or prosciutto (as this recipe suggests) adds amazing flavor and texture to the asparagus.  Serve with a little olive oil, fresh pepper and salt, and you've got a dish that's easily clearly delicious. 


Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
This recipe can be adapted to any easily wrapped pork product like bacon.  Prosciutto, however, has a special texture, and smokey flavor that really works nicely with asparagus.  However, I suggest only using thinly sliced prosciutto because too much pork and you won't be able to taste that yummy asparagus!

Ingredients:
* 1 bunch of fresh asparagus, woody ends trimmed
* 4 oz of thinly sliced prosciutto
* olive oil
* Salt & Pepper to taste

1.) Preheat oven at 350F.  Wash asparagus and trim woody ends.  Line them along a clean cookie sheet.

2.) Wrap asparagus with prosciutto.

3.) Drizzle with olive oil and spread thinly over asparagus with a silicone brush, or cook's brush.  Crack fresh pepper over the asparagus and sprinkle with salt.

4.) Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender, but still retain their crunchy shape.  Enjoy!


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Cucumber Salad

I don't think I can ever really communicate to someone how much I love vegetables.  I love them, I crave them.  If vegetables were a man, well...wait, that's an awful analogy! Let's just say I'd sprinkle him with dill just like this recipe for a cucumber salad.

A simple cucumber salad is beyond easy to make, and a fabulous crowd pleaser.  Most people are not like me and they don't like their vegetables.  But put a clean, crisp summer salad in front of them (even in the cold of winter) and they'll definitely try it.  If seasoned correctly--with a combination of kitchen herbs like dill, basil, or rosemary--you'll have a chic mixture fit for an appetizer, hor devour, or snack.


Cucumber Salad
Like many of my recipes, the original version of this recipe comes from Elise Bauer over at Simply Recipes.  However, I have added several other seasonings and upped the number of ingredients and cucumbers.  It makes for a fresh, flavorful take on the original cucumber salad.  Very tasty!

*3-4 medium-large English cucumbers, peeled and cut into circular slices
*2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
*3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
*1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
*salt and pepper to taste

1.) Peel and cut cucumbers.  If you're one of those people who like to eat cucumbers with the skins on, please don't for this recipe.  Depending on the time of year, or crop the cucumbers grew in, it's highly possible you'll do the recipe damage by keeping the skins.  Why? Well, as many people know, cucumber skins (especially English cucumber skins) can be just plain bitter.  While preparing this recipe, I tasted a small end piece from one of the cucumbers and almost couldn't eat it! It was so bitter!
2.)  Once you have chopped the cucumbers into circular slices, halve the slices.
3.) Add dill, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix to integrate by tossing with hands.
4.) Salt and pepper to taste, and chill for several hours before serving.  Enjoy!


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Roasted Vegetables and Fall Salad

What do you get when three PhD ladies who haven't seen each other, like really seen each other in waay too long, get together? Eat, drink cocktails, and watch a movie but of course, silly!

However, what happens when one of these ladies is a vegan, one a former vegetarian, and one a girl who just likes her peas? A meal that's primarily vegetable based (and very healthy) including roasted vegetables and a fall salad.  Yum.

The roasted vegetables recipe below is one of the easiest recipes to whip up, and a big crowd pleaser.  Eat it as the main course as we three veggie loving girls did, or eat it alongside a more carnivore-friendly dish like steak, or chicken.  Finally, the salad is one of my favorite ways to eat salad and I never make it any other way: walnuts/almonds, green lettuce, or spinach, lots of tomatoes and cucumbers tossed with garlic, herbs, and cranberries.  SOO GOOD!

Roasted Red Potatoes and Carrots
This recipe comes from no source in particular.  The combination of olive oil with balsamic vinegar, red potatoes, and other veggies comes from my friend Laura.  However, after making this recipe a good 10-15 times, I've perfected the combination of the below ingredients and the correct ratios for this combination.

 
* 1 bag of carrots (preferrably organic)
* 1 bag of small red potatoes
* 1/2 of an onion, chopped
* olive oil (to taste)
* balsamic vinegar (to taste)
* 5 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
* freshly grated pepper, to taste
* kosher salt, to taste
* 1-2 tablespoons of dried or fresh rosemary
* 1-2 tablespoons of basil, chopped

1.) Chop all of the vegetables (red potatoes, onion, and carrots) and throw into a roasting pan; red potatoes should be in eighths, or whatever size seems bite-size enough and will cook thoroughly, and carrots should be the size of carrot sticks.  I prefer using large carrots over baby carrots because they are higher in beta-keratin, and more flavorful.  Plus, organic carrots are even more flavorful in their larger form!

2.) Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I have not put a specific ratio of olive oil-to-balsamic vinegar above simply because I think this an issue of preference.  Laura prefers more balsamic vinegar and less olive oil, whereas I prefer an equal amount of both.  Just go with what you like!

3.) Sprinkle with remaining seasonings--pepper, basil, rosemary, and kosher salt.  Salt and pepper should be to taste because again, this is an issue of how you like to prepare your food.  Finally, press/mince garlic over the vegetables and stir to integrate.  Cover with an oven-friendly lid or aluminum foil.

4.) Roast in oven at 400F for 35 minutes and check for ready-ness (ready-ness = potatoes are soft enough to chew in your mouth, but not so soft that they will mash when being served).  It's possible you will need to cook the dish longer depending on the stove (in my gas stove, 35 mins. is perfect, but in an electric, it will possibly take longer).  Let cool, and serve!

Fall Salad
I have been making some variation of this salad for as long as I can remember.  Every now and then, I switch up the ingredients (i.e., dried cherries instead of cranberries, spinache instead of romaine, you get the picture), but the core ingredients are below.  

* 1/2 head of romain lettuce, or 1/2 bag of spinache
* 1/2 container of cherry tomatoes, or 1 whole regular tomato
* 1/2 cup walnuts, or almonds
* 4-5 cloves garlic minced/pressed
* 1/2 cucumber peeled and cut into circular halves
* 1/4 cup olives, black or kalamatta (heck, even green if you're into that sort of thing!)
*  1/2 cup craisins, or dried cherries

1.) Wash and chop vegetables--lettuce/spinache, tomatoes, cucumber.  Place in bowl.
2.) Add remaining ingredients--nuts, garlic, olives, and craisins.  Toss together.
3.) Add any salad herbs you might enjoy with your salad.  I sometimes toss ground pepper, mint, or basil in between, but these ingredients are not necessary.  Enjoy!