Roasted Carrot and Pistachio Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest the other day in a search for some really good soup recipes for a church women's dinner.  I had high hopes because it sounded so unique and yummy....and it was!!  I was really happy with how this turned out and I will definitely be using it for the dinner along with a couple of others.  It is really full of flavor and is so creamy it seems like it might be bad for you but it is really healthy!  Another bonus:  my super picky 11-year old cleaned a whole bowl....of an orange-colored soup!  It's a miracle and a testament to how yummy this soup is :). Roasted Carrot and Pistachio Soup

adapted from the Colorado Cache Cookbook

Serves: 6 – 8

Ingredients

• 12-14 carrots (about 1¾ pounds), peeled and chopped into 1-2” pieces
• 2 medium-sized yellow onions, cut into 1” pieces
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted (I used salted) pistachios*
• 2 quarts low sodium chicken (or vegetable) stock
• 1/4 cup fresh marjoram (may substitute 2 tsp dried)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme (may substitute 2 tsp dried)

Instructions

1. Toss carrots, onions and garlic in the olive oil.  Salt and pepper vegetables and spread on baking sheet. Roast at 475°F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown, but not burnt.
2. Add the pistachios, 2 quarts stock and roasted vegetables to a large 6-8 quart pot.  If using dried herbs in place of fresh, add those now. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables have become more tender and pistachios have softened a bit. If using fresh herbs, add these in at the last minute of simmering.
3. Using an immersion or standard blender, puree soup until smooth, adding more stock at this point if the soup looks too thick. Keep in mind it will be very hot, so be careful when pureeing. If using a standard blender, start on a slow speed, then increase, and do not overload the blender.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

* If you want to try the original version, you can substitute pine nuts for pistachios.

Orange Sweet Rolls

I LOVE orange rolls but I don't really make them that often because I either don't think of them (i.e. I just always make cinnamon rolls), or I know if I do make them I'll want to eat them all.  That and the fact that I've never had a favorite recipe for them....well, I can't say that anymore because these were fantastic.  I doubled the recipe so I had to freeze a lot of them so I wouldn't gain 500 lbs. :) !  Try them out, you'll love them too!


Orange Sweet Rolls
slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
*Makes about 15 rolls

INGREDIENTS:
Dough:
¾ cup buttermilk, warm
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs
4 ¼ cups (21 ¼ ounces) flour
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Orange Filling:
6 T. softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Grated orange rind/zest from two large oranges (reserving 1/2 teaspoon grated rind for the glaze below)

Orange Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 orange)
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind/zest reserved from the filling above

DIRECTIONS:
For the dough, whisk the warmed buttermilk and butter together in a large liquid measuring cup. Combine 4 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt together in a standing mixer fitted with dough hook. With the mixer on low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and eggs and mix until the dough comes together, about 2 minutes. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes (knead for 15-18 minutes by hand). If after 5 minutes of kneading, the dough is still overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl but has a slight tacky feel when pressed between your fingertips. (See this tutorial for a visual.)  Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, around 2 to 2 ½ hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
For the filling, combine all the filling ingredients (reserving 1/2 teaspoon orange zest for the glaze) in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and press it into about a 16 by 12-inch rectangle (if you have doubled the recipe, split the dough in half and roll out one half at a time). Gently spread the filling mixture over the rectangle, using an offset spatula or rubber spatula.
Lift the longest edge closest to you and begin rolling the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and roll the log so it is seam side down. Using a a length of thread, criss-cross and slice the log into evenly sized rolls. You can slice them thinner or thicker as you like. For a traditional cinnamon-roll-look, arrange the rolls cut side down on a lined or lightly greased baking pan.  Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Bake the rolls at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden on top and cooked through. While the rolls are baking, mix together the glaze ingredients. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls.

Beef Stew

Nothin' fancy here, but beef stew is a favorite and oh so comforting!  I have used this recipe for beef stew since the beginning of our marriage.  It came in a recipe booklet with the crock pot we received as a wedding gift.  I've tweaked it a bit over the years but it is simple, delicious and definitely a family favorite!

Beef Stew

serves 8

2.5 lbs. beef stew meat, cut in 1-in. cubes
scant 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 c. beef broth
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. tomato paste

1 T. beef bouillon
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 1/2 t. paprika
6-8 carrots, sliced
5-6 potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery
1 c. frozen peas (optional)

Mix flour, salt and pepper in the bottom of a crock pot.  Add stew meat and stir well to coat meat with flour.  Add remaining ingredients, reserving peas until the last 30 minutes, and stir to mix well.  Cover; cook on low 10-12 hours (or high 4-6 hours); add peas during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.  Remove bay leaves and stir stew thoroughly before serving.

**Alternately, you can cook in a dutch oven at 275 degrees for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I found this recipe a few years ago on epicurious.com.  I've adapted various ingredients based on some of the reader comments and it is perfect!   If you have ripe bananas and are sick of plain old banana bread these are the muffins for you.  They are really moist and light and even better the next day. I made some this morning and they don't last long around here.

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

adapted from Epicurious

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve muffin cups with muffin liners. Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, applesauce, milk and vanilla in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.
• Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden about 20-22 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

Lime Coconut Snowballs

We found a new favorite cookie recipe over the Christmas holidays last month.  These are just as delicious as they sound and may have contributed to some extra lbs. around our house!  I had to freeze most of them to prevent me from eating them all.  Try them, you'll like them :)! 

Lime Coconut Snowballs

from Two Peas and Their Pod

Butter Cookie Dough:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup superfine sugar*
1/4 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 16, 1/2-inch pieces, at cool room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

*If you cannot find superfine sugar, you can obtain a
close approximation by processing regular granulated
sugar in a food processor for about 20 seconds.

Glaze:

1 tablespoon cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons lime juice (I added extra, I love lime)
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar (6 ounces)
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, pulsed in food processor until finely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses

1. FOR THE COOKIES: In bowl of standing mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, lime zest, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds.  With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer.  Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30

seconds.

2. Use hands to roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake one batch at a time in 375-degree oven until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

3. FOR THE GLAZE: Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons lime juice in medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding remaining lime juice as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily.

4. Dip tops of cookies into glaze and scrape away excess, then dip into coconut. Set cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet; let stand until glaze dries and sets, about 20 minutes.

Multigrain Pancakes

We're still in soft food mode here, trying to work around the new braces causing pain for our teen, so last night it was pancakes at our house!  I tried this recipe from Cook's Illustrated last year and fell in love.  These pancakes are hearty, healthy, and sooo tasty.  It's worth the extra step to find the muesli and grind until smooth.  It adds great flavor and texture to these yummy pancakes.  We made them a bit less healthy by topping them with homemade apple pie filling!  Delish!

Multigrain Pancakes
from Cook's Illustrated, Holiday Baking 2010

4 t. lemon juice
2 c. milk
1 1/4 c. (6 oz.) plus 3 T. no sugar added muesli* (see note below)
3/4 c. (3 3/4 oz.) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. (2 3/4 oz.) whole wheat flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
3 T. butter, melted and cooled
3/4 t. vanilla


1.  Whisk lemon juice and milk together in a medium bowl or 4-cup measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing other ingredients.
2.  Process 1 1/4 c. muesli in food processor until finely ground, 2-2 1/2 min.; transfer to large bowl.  Add remaining 3 T. unground muesli, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk to combine.
3.  Whisk eggs, melted butter, and vanilla into milk until combined.  Make well in center of dry ingredients in bowl; pour in milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (few streaks of flour and lumps should remain).  Do not overmix.  Important:  allow batter to rest while pan heats (5 min. or more), otherwise the batter will be too runny. 
4.  Heat skillet or griddle or medium-low heat for 5 min.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Pour 1/4 c. batter onto griddle, using bottom of measuring cup to spread batter out if necessary.  Cook pancakes until small bubbles begin to appear evenly over surface, 2-3 min.  Flip pancakes and cook until goldern brown on second side 1 1/2-2 min. longer.  Repeat with remaining batter.

*Familia brand no sugar added muesli is the best choice for this recipe (I found this at Whole Foods).  If you can't find Familia, look for Alpen or any no sugar added muesli.  Muesli with sugar added will work but you'll need to reduce the brown sugar in the recipe to 1 T.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

My oldest got braces today.  It makes me sad because I realize how old she is getting (13.5!) but also because she was sore and uncomfortable.  After her appointment, I asked her what she wanted to eat for dinner and she requested some homemade tomato soup.  A short search of my favorite food blogs brought me to this recipe and it was perfect!  It reminded me of Panera's tomato soup which we love!  This is definitely my go-to tomato soup recipe in the future.  I wouldn't change a thing.  LOVED it!  We ate it with some soft rolls, salad and grapes. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup 

from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste, for seasoning tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup freshly chopped basil
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth (you can use chicken broth)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 45 minutes.
2. In a large stockpot, heat the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, fresh basil, and vegetable broth. Stir in the oven roasted tomatoes. Cook for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat.
3. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the stockpot, or transfer soup to a food processor or blender to blend. The soup should be smooth, with a few tomato chunks. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve warm.  Serves 4-6.