Recipes by the Soup Goddess: Minestrone

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This is the second soup in this series, Recipes by the Soup Goddess. The Soup Goddess is my mom, and she's not really a goddess, but she is a pretty gifted woman. And one of her gifts is making soup.

When I think about this soup, I remember a time during the first year I was off of meal plan at college and cooking for myself. My mom came for a visit and brought with her a gallon sized freezer bag full of this soup, complete with a little baggie of grated Parmesan. I don't remember much of what I ate that year, but I had virtually no cooking experience and that soup was a bright spot in a dark culinary period.

This is a great soup to make in late summer or early fall, when vegetables like green beans and zucchini can still be found in your garden or at your farmer's market. 

Lazy Freezing Techniques at Modern Alternative Kitchen

If you want to learn more about delicious, nourishing, real food without the guilt trip for everything you're not doing right, hit that "like" button on the right, and subscribe to my posts by e-mail or reader feed so you don't miss anything. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Today I'm over at Modern Alternative Kitchen talking about how to freeze food with minimal effort. I don't know about you, but I have enough going on in my kitchen and the rest of my life without adding the stress of preserving fresh seasonal produce. So I've found a few shortcuts! Here's an excerpt; be sure to hop on over to Modern Alternative Kitchen to read the rest!

I’m not suggesting that you’re lazy. Or that I’m lazy. But with everything you and I have to do every day, it’s nice to have the luxury of being lazy for once.
If you would like to preserve the fresh bounty from your garden, farmer's market, or CSA share, but don’t want to add any more items to your to-do list, here are some vegetables and fruits you can freeze with minimal (if any) preparation. No blanching or freezing on cookies sheets here! Some of them don't even involve chopping!
I hope these tips will help you make time in your life for other important things, like cooking dinner or taking a shower.

Read the rest here... Lazy Freezing Techniques

This is part of the seasonal recipe round up for berries at Gnowfglins, and Fight Back Friday.

How to Make an Awesome Smoothie

If you want to learn more about delicious, nourishing, real food without the guilt trip for everything you're not doing right, hit that "like" button on the right, and subscribe to my posts by e-mail or reader feed so you don't miss anything. Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry, Banana & Peach Smoothie

I think my smoothie-making has reached new heights lately. My non-smoothie-loving husband has even been enjoying them, which is quite an accomplishment in my mind. I've finally found a method that produces a delicious smoothie every time. Want to know how?

Tips for Making Awesome Smoothies

 

1. Use frozen fruit. Using fresh fruit, or even a mixture of fresh and frozen, results in a thinner, more liquid smoothie. My favorites are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and peaches. When those fruits are in season locally I buy a bunch at the farmer's market or u-pick farm and freeze them. (My next post at Modern Alternative Kitchen is on Lazy Freezing Techniques. Subscribe over there so you don't miss it!) Then I have enough for smoothies year-round!

You can freeze strawberries whole with tops for smoothies!

2. Banana is key. The creamy sweetness of a banana can't be beat! Next time you have some slightly over-ripe ones, cut them into chunks and throw them in the freezer. (You can sometimes find over-ripe bananas for a reduced price. This is an excellent use for them!)

3. Add greens...sparingly.  Greens such as spinach or kale add a lot of nutrition to your smoothie, provided they are lightly cooked first. See this post for how to prepare greens for smoothies (scroll down to the smoothie section), or do it the easy way: buy a bag of frozen spinach. Make sure you get the kind that is not all in one solid clump. Add a couple tablespoons to your smoothie right from the bag. They are already cooked before freezing, so you don't have to worry about the raw greens problem. Don't add too much, or the taste may be overpowering. Experiment and see what works best for you!

See the little green flecks?

4. Start with just a little liquid, and add more as necessary. I use whole raw milk in my smoothies. Full-fat coconut milk is a good alternative if you can't tolerate dairy. I start with just a little, which I add after I put the fruit into the blender. Then when the blender gets stuck because it needs more liquid, I stream more milk in through the top while it's running.  I add just enough to get it going.

5. Season your smoothie. I like to add a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla extract, and sometimes a little honey if it's too tart. It's amazing what a difference it makes in enhancing the flavor. Don't forget to taste it before you pour it out to see if it needs anything.

6. Use plain, full-fat yogurt. This goes a long way in making the smoothie satisfying. Greek yogurt guarantees an even thicker product, but make sure you buy full-fat! I can only find full-fat Greek yogurt at the health food store.

7. Include coconut oil.  I love the subtle flavor that coconut oil adds, and it's a healthy fat. Read more about it here. In the past I've melted it first, but lately I just throw it in solid. As long as you follow the next tip, it will be okay.

8. Blend it thoroughly. It's no fun to run into chunks of un-blended fruit. Don't be shy, let that blender do it's thing until you're sure it's all blended! This also makes the smoothie....frothy. Frothy is good.

Strawberry Orange Julius

If you're afraid to make a smoothie without a recipe, you can find recipes all over the internet. Use your judgement and use only real ingredients! And if you want to try something a little different, try my Strawberry Orange Julius. It's a refreshing treat any time of year!

What's your favorite smoothie? Share your smoothie-making tips in the comments!

This is part of: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday. Keep it Real Thursday, the seasonal recipe round up for berries at Gnowfglins, Monday Mania

Recipes by the Soup Goddess: Tomato Soup

If you want to learn more about delicious, nourishing, real food without the guilt trip for everything you're not doing right, hit that "like" button on the right, and subscribe to my posts by e-mail or reader feed so you don't miss anything. Thanks for stopping by!

This is the first recipe in my new series, Recipes by the Soup Goddess! This tomato soup is like nothing you've ever tasted, especially if you grew up on Campbell's. Seasoned with loads of fresh basil and chock full of nutrients, it's totally worth the effort of peeling and seeding fresh tomatoes from your garden. 

We like to serve it with pesto grilled cheese sandwiches, made with homemade pesto that we froze last summer in ice cube trays.

The makings of a great grilled cheese: sprouted bread, fancy cheese, and a cube of pesto from the freezer.

It makes a big Dutch oven full: enough to eat, share, and have leftovers! (We like to freeze the leftovers for a summery treat in the dead of winter.)

Tips for Success from the Soup Goddess

1. Fresh basil is key. Don't be shy!

2. Blend to the thickness you like. She likes hers a bit chunky.

3. Freshly grated Parmesan sprinkled on top is The Upgrade. (She always has an Upgrade.) She likes to grate hers on a microplane.

4. As always, remember this Soup Goddess secret: "Taste, sprinkle, taste, sprinkle, taste."

The cheese oozing out the bottom is Dill Havarti.

Best-Ever Tomato Soup  

Original Recipe by Sara Moulton, amended and upgraded by Linda Leeman

Ingredients:

• 4 T. butter
• a splash of olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 onion (medium or large), diced
• 3 carrots, finely diced
• ¼ c. flour (I've used all-purpose, but I bet sprouted would work well)
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 6 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (details below)
• 2 (28 oz.) cans pureed tomatoes, or more fresh tomatoes
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 4 c. homemade chicken broth
• 4 t. fresh thyme leaves (or 1-2 t. dry)
• 2 T. fresh basil, chopped
• 2 c. light cream or whole milk
• freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions:

1. To peel and seed the tomatoes, fill a large pot halfway full with water. Bring it to a boil, and carefully place the tomatoes in the pot. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon after less than a minute, or when you see some of the skins starting to break or wrinkle. Drain in a colander, and let cool. Slip the skins off, cut off the stem end with a serrated knife. Slice in half and remove the seeds, either by squeezing or scoping them out with your finger. Chop coarsely.

2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Add the onion and carrot and cook over medium heat until almost tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking a few more minutes.   
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes. Do not allow to brown. 

4. Add seeded and peeled tomatoes, canned tomatoes (if using), tomato paste, chicken broth, and salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Simmer, stirring every few minutes, for 30 minutes or longer (the longer it simmers the better it tastes). Halfway through simmering, add the fresh thyme. Toward the end of simmering, add the fresh basil. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

6.  Puree the soup (preferably with an immersion blender to avoid extra dishes and potentially squirting soup all over the kitchen!). The Soup Goddess prefers hers a little bit chunky.

7. Add the cream or milk and heat on low for a few minutes, tasting to adjust the seasonings one last time.
8. Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan and a grilled cheese sandwich.

A Few Notes

The last time I made this,  I used tomatoes I had frozen whole last summer. Did you know you could do that? When they thaw, the skins slip right off and you can cut and seed them as normal. It actually saves a step - you don't have to boil them first.

(My next contribution to Modern Alternative Kitchen is a post on Lazy Freezing Techniques like this one! Be sure to subscribe over there so you don't miss out!)

Tomatoes frozen whole with skins. Who knew!?

I also made use of my crock pot last time I made this. We were having some friends over for lunch after church on Sunday, so I went as far as step 4 above the night before, on the stovetop. Then I plopped the contents of the pot into my crock pot insert and stuck it in the fridge. In the morning before church, I turned it on high and it simmered for about three hours. When we got home I added the fresh basil and cream, pureed it, and seasoned to taste. It may have been my best batch ever!

Does it get any better than this?

This is part of Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and the Seasonal Recipe Round-Up for Tomatoes at GNOWFGLINS

 

Recipes by the Soup Goddess: A New Series

If you want to learn more about delicious, nourishing, real food without the guilt trip for everything you're not doing right, hit that "like" button on the right, and subscribe to my posts by e-mail or reader feed so you don't miss anything. Thanks for stopping by!

Best Ever Tomato Soup with Pesto Grilled Cheese

Summer seems a strange time to start a series about soup. But it's also the time when gardens start to overflow with fresh vegetables. One of the best ways I know of to use up fresh vegetables is to turn them into soup. And I happen to know a soup expert.

This is my mom, Linda.

Isn't she a good lookin' Grandma?

Her friends call her the Soup Goddess.

I'm not sure when it started. She has always been a good cook, but in the last ten years or so she has been perfecting the art of soup. Cream of Asparagus, Minestrone, Tomato, Ham and Potato, Split Pea, French Onion, Beef Barley, Chicken Corn Chowder, Broccoli Cheese, Turkey Dumpling, Wild Mushroom, Chicken with Wild Rice, Butternut Squash with Brie...are you getting hungry yet?

Momma's Minestrone

How many times have you been to a restaurant, ordered the soup, and thought, "Well, that was disappointing"? Or do you go through the effort of making soup from scratch at home and then think that it was just okay?

Butternut Squash Soup with Brie

Let the Soup Goddess teach you how to make soup. I'll be sharing her recipes here at Plus Other Good Stuff, as well as her secrets for how to achieve the tastiest soup!

We'll start with some summery recipes like Tomato Soup and Minestrone, and as fall approaches you better believe we're bustin' out the brie for the best squash soup ever! Yeah, get excited! 

Are you ready to learn how to make delicious, nutritious, satisfying, family-pleasing soups?

What is "Healthy"?

Who said you can't eat broccoli in your pajamas?

I care a lot about food. That's why I have this blog: so I can share my passion for healthy food with anyone who reads it.

There are many misconceptions about there about healthy food. And there are many points of view. Low-fat, low-carb, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, primal, raw food, "locavore"...it is downright confusing! Should you eat what the government tells you what to eat? Should you stop eating animal products? Should you stop cooking your food? Should you stop eating grains?

So what is healthy food? And what isn't it? I don't have all the answers, and I might be wrong on some things. I am just doing my best to feed my family the most nourishing food I can find and afford and cook. If you disagree with me, that's fine. We can still be friends! This blog is not a judgmental place, it's a place full of "good stuff" because if we focus on what we shouldn't be doing all the time, we just feel guilty and frustrated and sad.  So instead of giving you a list of what isn't healthy, I'm going to give you a list of what is. These are the foods that make me happy!

My Healthy Foods List

• Meat and poultry from animals that spend time outside, eating grass or bugs or whatever they are supposed to eat (depending on the animal). This includes (if you're brave) organ meats and homemade stock from the bones.
• Wild-caught fish and shellfish
• Whole raw (unpasteurized) milk from grass-fed cows or goats, which is tested regularly for pathogens
• Other grass-fed diary, including butter, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, and kefir
• Eggs from pastured chickens, especially egg yolks
  
• Fats from grass-fed animals: lard, tallow, bacon grease, chicken fat
• Other healthy fats like unrefined coconut oil and extra-virgin olive oil
• Whole grains that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting, or sourdough to make them more digestible
• Legumes like lentils, beans, and split peas that have been soaked and cooked slowly
• Nuts and seeds that have been soaked and dehydrated
• Fresh vegetables and fruits, ideally locally grown and organic (some can be eaten raw, others are more nutritious when cooked)
• Healthy sweeteners in moderation, such as honey, maple syrup, and sucanat (unrefined sugar)

There are some miscellaneous things to mention, too, like fermented foods, beverages, condiments, herbs and spices, and supplements. And coconut could almost be its own category. But let's keep things simple for now.


Lest you think I'm perfect, let me tell you this: we compromise on a lot of things. We don't have the time or money to eat perfectly. But we do our best, and we don't stress about it.

Wondering why I think these foods are healthy? Most of this is based on the recommendations by the Weston A. Price Foundation. Weston Price was a dentist who traveled the world studying primitive people groups and looking at their diets. He found that societies who ate the kinds of food I listed above were practically free from tooth decay and disease. There was a lot of variety in diet from group to group, depending on what kinds of foods were local to them. But none of the healthy people groups ate processed foods of any kind. They ate real food. So I try to eat real food too.

What's on your Healthy Foods List?
 
This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, and Fight Back Friday.

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

I have some peaches in my freezer from 2009. I think. I froze a ton of them after going u-picking and just haven't gotten around to using all of them. Then I froze some more last summer. I just couldn't help myself.

So last week I made some of these:

They are a variation on this recipe that I posted last June. I can't decide if I like it better with peach or with rhubarb! I thought I'd post this peach-muffin version, even though it's February, for those of you who have some ancient frozen peaches that you'd like to get out of your freezer. I still have one more large container of the old ones, in addition to the newer ones...so I might be making it again soon. :)

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

(Adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking)

Soaking step:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 c. buttermilk, sour milk, yogurt, or kefir

The next day:

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. unrefined sea salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. sucanat (an unrefined cane sugar)

1 large egg

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. chopped, peeled peaches (thawed and drained if frozen)

Topping:

2 T. butter, softened

1/3 c. sucanat

1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. cinnamon

Method:

To soak, combine the whole wheat flour with cultured dairy and stir until evenly moistened. Cover with a damp towel and a plate and put in a warm place for 7-24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 and grease two muffin tins or line with paper liners. (Or make two 8 or 9 inch round coffeecakes.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), cream together the butter and sucanat. It won't be as light and fluffy as you're used to with white/brown sugar.

Add the egg and beat to combine.

Add the soaked dough back and mix until there are no chunks of dough left. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the buttermilk.

Stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and add, mixing just until combined.

Add the peaches and stir to distribute. Fill the prepared pans, filling muffin cups 3/4 full. 

Prepare your topping: Mix together the softened butter, sucanat, flour, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Sprinkle over the batter. (It's very moist and doesn't "sprinkle" very well. Just drop little globs evenly over the muffins.

Bake for 15-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Don't be alarmed if the topping sinks into the batter as they bake. There will be bits of cinnamony goodness inside the muffin that way, which is almost better than on top. :)

I made some into a coffeecake, too. Yum!

This is part of Fight Back Friday.

Be Inspired to Eat More Vegetables

I'm not sure if we can call this an easy change. So it's not a part of the Easy Changes You Can Make Today series. But you should check that out, anyway, if you haven't yet. This is more of a lifelong shift in your thinking and lifestyle, and it won't happen overnight. But it is so worthwhile!

This is about vegetables. And eating more of them. And liking it.

Some people just don't like vegetables. And of course it's not as simple as just EATING them, you have to buy them and prepare them and convince your family to eat them, too.

Here's my vegetable story.

I don't think of myself as being super picky as a child, but I didn't like onions, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, beets, mushrooms, or summer squash, and I don't think I ever tasted artichokes, avocados, brussels sprouts, kale, swiss chard, bok choi, kohlrabi, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, sunchokes...or who knows what else (and many of those I didn't taste until last year! I was missin' out!). Once or twice my beet-loving father paid me a quarter to taste a beet. I thought it tasted like dirt. (To my delight, Caedmon LOVES beets. But they make his diapers scary for a few days.) I also had issues with fruit for awhile, so much that my brother would tease me by calling me "Joanna Banana Strawberry Kiwi Fruitbowl Dancer and a Half." (thanks, bro.) I did love bananas and cantaloupe, but that was about it until a friend convinced me to try her orange in third grade. :) I eventually conquered my fear of berries, too.

But it wasn't until I was in college and heard a speaker talking about nutrition that I started liking more vegetables. She told us how nutritious vegetables are for us, and I guess I believed her enough that my mental taste buds changed. This is why I think it is so important to talk to your families about food and nutrition! I'm living proof that your thinking can change your perception of taste! (The speaker was set against animal products, however, so I started drinking soy milk and stopped buying meat...which I wouldn't recommend doing. Now it's raw milk and grass-fed meat for us, and we're sticking with it.)

A friend was visiting a few days ago and as I was cooking lunch she asked, "So, do you have as much trouble eating vegetables as I do?" And I had to think about it. No, I guess I don't have trouble eating vegetables. And here's why: vegetables inspire me.

What?

No, not the vegetables at Meijer, though Meijer does have a pretty good produce section. Not a side of canned peas (sorry, dad) or a "vegetable medley" where the carrots are...spongey? The vegetables that inspire me are the ones that fill the tables at the Holland Farmer's Market. The ones my parents grow in their garden (I dream of being a real gardener like them!). The ones that I load into my reusable shopping bags week after week from the CSA I belong to.

Real people, working in connection with the earth, help these vegetables to grow and produce food that nourishes our bodies. Isn't that amazing?

Oh my. So much to say. Please, if you never have, read The Omnivore's Dilemma. Learn about Polyface Farms (also featured in Food, Inc), where farmer Joel Salatin (he's a little crazy, but he'd tell you that himself) has been an instrument in the process of the land being transformed from desolate to abundantly fertile. It taught me that the hands-off approach that is a part of the green movement (all we humans can do is bad, so just keep your hands off of the earth and we'll all be better off) is seriously not the answer. No, it is God's design that we serve the earth, and if we are responsible and loving, the earth will be better off than it would be if we just left it alone. And think about it: we can't leave it alone! We are utterly dependent on it! But the crazy thing is that it is dependent on us, too! We can help to increase its fertility and diversity, and in return it will give us food to nourish our bodies and minds and families and friendships and economies. Praise God!

Now do you see why vegetables inspire me?

And of course this goes beyond vegetables. This applies to all our food. (At least all our REAL food. Chemically processed food is not inspiring.) But most people don't need to be inspired to eat more cheese or meat or fruit or grains. For some reason, vegetables are the toughest. But I'm fairly convinced that if we are more involved in our vegetables, we will want to eat them. If we realize that there is a miracle involved in a tiny seed growing into a huge plant that bears fruit and feeds us, we might start appreciating their unique flavors and textures a little more.

So here is what I suggest: This summer, find local vegetables. Go to localharvest.org and enter your zipcode. Chances are, someone grows food somewhere nearby. Of course organic is best, but any vegetables are better than no vegetables, and if you read The Omnivore's Dilemma you'll learn that Industrial Organic (the organic produce you get at the grocery store) is not exactly good for the earth (though it is certainly better than "conventionally" grown food). [disclaimer: we DO buy some produce from the grocery store, and I'm okay with that. We just try to get MOST of our fruit and veggies locally and in season.]

If you want to take a leap of faith, join a CSA. WHAT'S A CSA??? It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You pay a farm a set fee up front and receive a share of what they produce throughout the growing season. You are committing to supporting the people growing your food, and you are also saying, "Even if the weather sucks and some of your crops fail, I still want to support you because I'm grateful that you are growing good food." One thing I like about CSA's is that you are forced to bring home and eat vegetables. Even for a vegetable lover like me, it's kind of overwhelming to go to the market and try to figure out which vegetables to buy for the week. I guess I enjoy having some fixed factors in my meal planning (which is also why I use meal "themes"). Also, many CSAs provide recipes to help people figure out what to do with the vegetables.

And that leads me to my next suggestion to help you on your vegetable-eating journey: Keep reading my blog! This summer, to my utter delight, I have the honor of being a "chef" for our CSA. Each week I'm going to bring a dish for people to taste and an accompanying recipe. I will also be posting the recipes on my blog to benefit anyone who reads it! They will be simple, do-able, yummy recipes to help you learn how to use vegetables that you've never encountered, or help you know what to do when zucchini is coming out your ears. :)

There are also several cookbooks out there that are arranged seasonally to help you make the most of your local vegetables. The one I have the most experience with is Simply In Season, which I definitely recommend. Go to your local library and see what they have! Find one with simple recipes and beautiful pictures. Bring it home and be inspired. And if you end up feeling overwhelmed instead of inspired, keep tuning in to my Easy Changes You Can Make Today series. Any change is better than no change, and you don't have to do it all at once!

What is keeping you from eating more vegetables? What have you enjoyed about eating locally and in season? How have vegetables - or any real food - inspired you?

This post is part of Monday Mania and Real Food Wednesday.