Tag: Gluten Free
Ham and White Bean Soup
Here’s a cooking question for the ages: is it possible to take a classic, tried and true recipe and improve upon it? Is there a quintessentially perfect basic blueberry muffin, for example, or pot roast, and is it a sacrilege to modify them? Or how about a ham and bean soup? As far as I know, Americans have been making ham and bean soup since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. (Or at least once they figured out how to not starve–go read Nathaniel Philbrick’s excellent book Mayflower for a lesson on how the Pilgrims were kind of boneheads when it came to agriculture.) Anyway, if not since Plymouth Rock, ham and bean soup has been an American staple at least since the 1980s–I know because there’s a recipe for it in my very own passed-down Better Homes and Gardens “Red and White” cookbook.
Which, come to find out, is now going for 90 bucks on the Internet. Sweet!
If a recipe is in the red and white cookbook, I consider it a classic. But to tell you the truth, last week when I read through the Ham and Bean Soup recipe in the BHG Bible, it just didn’t excite me. It used water instead of broth, had minimal seasonings, and called for dried navy beans when I wanted canned. The one thing that DID match my criteria was that it used a ham bone, which I had saved from our Christmas Ham-fest. Still, that wasn’t enough to give it the pizzazz I was hoping for, so I decided to tempt fate and tinker until I came up with something a bit more interesting. Adding chicken broth, carrots, dry mustard, and nutmeg gave this hearty soup enough flavor to eliminate the need for added salt–always a plus, if you ask me. And cutting out the dried bean soaking time got it from prep to table in under an hour. After two bites, my 7-year-old proclaimed it his new favorite soup of all time.
So, if I dare say it, I think our family has a new classic Ham and Bean Soup. Try it out and tell me if you feel the same.
Ham and White Bean Soup
A hearty soup to warm you from the inside out!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
- 6 carrots, diced
- 1 large onion
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ham bone
- 2 15-oz. cans great Northern beans, drained
- 2 c. chopped ham
- 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 c. chicken broth
- 4 c. water
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and ham bone and saute until vegetables have softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
- Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer at least 30 minutes.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Kinda-sorta based on this recipe from Simply Sated.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
When it comes to Christmas, I am big on tradition. Really, when it comes to any holiday. There were beloved holiday experiences that repeated themselves every year when I was growing up–like gingerbread house parties, for example–and now, as a parent, I am strongly committed to instituting and observing traditions for my own family. They certainly don’t have to be the same traditions that I grew up with (I mean, dressing up like clowns for Easter is kind of weird, right?) as long as they are wholesome and relatively easily repeatable.
You may think, “Sure, traditions are fun, but they’re not that big a deal.” I believe, though, that they are a big deal because of two things they create: family unity and family identity. As for unity, when we all enjoy the same activities together year after year, it can only bring us closer to each other. As for identity, having a sense of family personality is crucial. In a world where the family gets less and less respect, we have to try that much harder to instill in our children the conviction that family is fun, positive, and–perhaps most relevant to observing traditions–unique. As my kids go out into the world, I want them to know what it means to be a Garone. I hope they come to believe it means being creative, hospitable, and community-oriented (and also appreciating Dr. Doofenschmirtz from Phineas and Ferb as the most underrated cartoon villain of all time). And when my kids grow up, I want them to recall lovingly the great times we had together and ultimately pay that forward to their own families.
This peppermint hot chocolate has become one of our Christmastime traditions, sipped alongside watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Something about these two activities in conjunction has worked its way into the fabric of our family lore. It’s been years since I switched from packaged mix to homemade hot chocolate, and somewhere along the line started adding peppermint extract to it to give it a special holiday flair. My daughter, middle son, and I think it’s spectacular. Creamy, richly chocolatey, and of course, perfectly pepperminty. The other two members of our household prefer the original version. Now we live in a House Divided: the Peppermints and the Originals. (Maybe one Christmas we should get team jackets with our preferences written on them, a la the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies from Grease.)
How’s that for family identity?
So whatever your family traditions at Christmastime, may I suggest making this delightful hot drink one of them? I hope it adds to your family’s sense of unity and identity. Grinch viewing optional.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time15 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 c. white sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/3 c. very hot/boiling water
- 3 1/2 c. milk (I use 2%, but any kind should work)
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2-3/4 tsp. peppermint extract (depending on how much you like peppermint flavor)
- 1/4 c. half and half
- whipped cream, for topping
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and pinch of salt. Stir in hot water.
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Simmer and stir for 2 minutes.
- Stir in milk and heat until very hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla and peppermint extract.
- Distribute evenly into 4 mugs and stir 1 Tbsp. half and half into each. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
Adapted from Allrecipes.
Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup
This recipe is one of those with a name too long for my blog’s title box parameters. If I had my way, I would call it “Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese,” but that’s, like, more characters than you can even fit in a Twitter post. When you’re a food lover and recipe developer, though, it’s kind of like being in love–when you find a great recipe, you want to shout from the rooftops about all its wonderful qualities (and the various ingredients that give it its complex flavor profile). You don’t want to leave anything out. With this soup, I want to tell the world that it manages to be both creamy and chunky, that it beautifully blends the boldness of roasted red peppers with the subtler flavor of cauliflower, and that it’s a perfect bowl of healthy vegetarian comfort on a cold winter’s night. But my title box on the blog can only take so many words, so let’s just call it by the abbreviated name “Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup.” Think of it like that Fiona Apple album that everyone just calls When the Pawn, when the real title is:
“When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right.”
You’re welcome for that.
At any rate, this soup is a whole food recipe you can feel good about in the midst of this season of indulgence. Make it a meal by serving with a side of crusty bread. And when you taste the mix of roasted red pepper, cauliflower, onion, garlic, spices, and goat cheese, you’ll understand what I mean about acknowledging every ingredient. Feel free to shout from your rooftop!
Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup
This vegetarian soup is both healthy and hearty!
Servings: 4 as a main course
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers, sliced in half and seeds removed
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 qt. vegetable broth (or chicken, for non-vegetarian version)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat broiler to high and place red peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet about 4 inches from the broiler. Broil until skins are mostly blackened, checking frequently, about 5-7 minutes. Place in a sealed container and let steam for 20 minutes. Peel off skins and dice peppers.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Heat the other 1 Tbsp. in a stock pot over medium heat and saute the onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute. Add diced red peppers, roasted cauliflower, broth, paprika, and goat cheese and simmer 10 minutes.
- Puree to desired consistency with an immersion blender, stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Closet Cooking.
Honey-Orange Cranberry Sauce
No matter your thoughts and feelings about canned cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, you have to admit it has a singular ability that is both fascinating and a little repellant.
I am speaking, of course, of the ability to slide out of the can completely intact in one fell swoop, and stand alone as a quivering magenta tower on a plate.
Sklooooooooooosh.
Boooooiiiiinngg.
There’s something vaguely disturbing about watching your food being birthed wholesale from its packaging in this fashion. Something, dare I say, un-CAN-ny? Or something just a little too reminiscent of dog food, perhaps. And while we’re on the subject, what’s IN that stuff? I’ll tell you: a whole lotta high fructose corn syrup (and possibly some kind of food lab Jell-O product they can get away with calling “natural flavor”?) I honestly don’t mind the taste of the classic straight-from-the-can Ocean Spray jellied sauce, but Real Talk: it’s not exactly made of wholesome ingredients, and it’s not the classiest item on the Thanksgiving table, with its sklooshy jiggle and the grooves around its circumference that give it away as canned every time.
So, this Thanksgiving, might I suggest a detour from the can? This homemade orange cranberry sauce is sweetened naturally with honey (not high fructose corn syrup like the wiggle-jiggle variety) and will give your Thanksgiving table a touch of class and a colorful sweet-tart pop. Plus, it’s super easy and smells AMAZING as it cooks. It’s even fun to make because you get to hear the ping! of the cranberries as they burst in the saucepan.
So go ahead and be the superstar of your Thanksgiving gathering by bringing this wholesome, delicious knockout. My guess is you’ll never go back to the canned variety again.
Skloooooooooosh!
Honey Orange Cranberry Sauce
You'll never go back to the canned variety after you've tried this orange-flavored naturally-sweetened cranberry sauce!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
Servings: 1 cups
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 pinch cardamom
- 1/2 c. honey
- zest and juice of 1 orange (about 1 1/2 Tbsp. zest and 1/2 c. juice)
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring all ingredients to a boil and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst and sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Remove cinnamon stick and let cool. Serve immediately or store refrigerated in an airtight container.
Notes
A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe.
Pecan-Crusted Skirt Steak
It is finally election day. Having slogged through the most miserable, acrimonious election cycle in the history of the USA, I’d say we all deserve a reward. I wish I could offer something truly useful, like a magic wand we could wave to start the whole thing over with candidates we actually believe in. But in the absence of a magic wand, how about a big old-fashioned steak dinner?
This easy skirt steak is adorned with an irresistible honey-sweetened, buttery-crunchy pecan topping, and it comes with the added benefit of possibly putting us into a food coma and making us forget our electoral woes. Our family enjoyed it recently as part of a spontaneous dinner-for-lunch when we had steak to use up one Sunday afternoon. It was so unexpectedly fancy to have a steak meal for lunch–especially one this pretty–that I got out the good china and set the table with candles. It apparently made quite the impression on my five-year-old daughter, who is still talking about it weeks later. (Not sure if it was the table setting or the steak she remembers most, but for me, it is definitely the steak.) Even my husband, when he saw I was going to blog about this recipe, said, “Ohhhhh, yeah. That was SO good.”
So, my friends, let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for today we vote. May God bless this food to our bodies, and this nation whose future we are determining.
Pecan-Crusted Skirt Steak
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb. skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 c. pecan pieces
- 2 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Heat broiler on high and position oven rack about 6 inches from broiler. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray generously with baking spray.
- Season the steak with about 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper
- In a food processor, pulse the pecans, butter, honey, rosemary, salt, and pepper a few times until combined.
- Broil the steak 3 minutes on each side. Spread pecan mixture on top and broil an additional 1-2 minutes, until pecans are lightly toasted.
- Allow the steak to rest 5 minutes, then slice against the grain.
Notes
Adapted from Fine Cooking.