Okey dokey artichokey

I LOVE artichokes with all my heart. :)

So it's no wonder that on the first day of cold and drizzle, I had to bust out my famous Artichoke and Leek Soup.

I couldn't resist using my fancy pants new cutting board but my knife wielding skills are lessened by my injuries and I had to elicit help from Evan.

Artichoke and Leek Soup

3 small or 2 large leeks

3 golden potatoes

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1 12oz package of frozen or canned artichoke hears (NOT marinated)

salt and pepper

4 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 cup soy or almond milk (or half and half)

1) Chop off and discard dark green leek tops. Split remaining leeks down the middle and rinse out and dirt thoroughly.

2) Slice leeks into 1/4 inch pieces and mince garlic.

3) Scrub clean and dice potatoes into medium sized chunks.

4) In large soup pot, sweat leeks and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

5) Add potatoes and stir, cook for another 5 minutes.

6) Have your sous-kitty add in the broth and artichoke hearts.

7) Simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

8) Puree in batches using a food processor or high-powered blender. HOT!!!

9) Return pureed soup to pot and stir in the milk.

10) Test for seasonings and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Extra milk/cream can be swirled on top as a pretty garnish, though I just went for some baby spinach instead.

It is ever so slightly green, which can be enhanced by adding some more of green part of the leek, or I may experiment with adding a swirl of spinach puree in next time too. It looks a bit like mashed potato soup and baby ... um, I am not going to finish that sentence.

But I promise it tastes good!!!

I also experimented with a nectarine cobbler of sorts but the improvised oat crust came out all kinds of wrong. Back to the drawing board for that one!

Veggie frenzy

I woke up a bit later today than I wanted and didn't have time for a workout. But I did have time to grab one of these...

Soy latte in a Kerr jar, my favorite!

For lunch I had the rest of the spaghetti squash with marinara, it was very unphotogenic today! The redness from the sauce permeated every inch of the squash and it looked a mess. Still tasted great though!

We had an ice cream social today at work, so I indulged in some sweets in the afternoon. Bad idea! I had a tummy ache for the rest of the day, curse you lactose intolerance!!! (I'm usually OK with small amounts of non-cow dairy though.)

As soon as I got home I knew I needed some intense veggie action to soothe my body. Ev was over at a friends for dinner so I grabbed whatever soon-to-be-unusable veggies I could and decided on soup.

This is my favorite "kitchen sink" style soup. It has a very mild flavor (unless you add extra spices) and is easy on the tummy. You can add practically anything and it comes out great, I always add beans for extra protein and density.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

1/2 onion

5 cloves of garlic

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 large or 2 small zucchini

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

5 cups broth of your choice

1 bunch kale

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

1 can canellini beans (white kidney beans)

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1) Prep all your veggies first! Thinly slice the onion, mince the garlic, chop the carrot/celery/bell peppers into 1/4"-1/2" wide chunks (or whatever you prefer), de-stem and roughly chop the kale, roughly chop the cilantro.

2) Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or high sided dutch oven.

3) Add the onion and garlic and sweat with a small pinch of salt for 5 minutes.

4) Add in the carrot and celery, stir to combine and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

5) Next, toss in your zucchini and bell peppers. Once again, stir to combine and cook for 3-4 minutes until the edges just start to get soft.

6) Add your broth of choice and a few grinds of pepper, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes (depending on how thickly cut your veggies are).

7) Turn off the heat and stir in your beans (drained) and the kale. Tuck the kale down into the broth as best you can.

8) Let sit for 3-4 minutes, till beans are warmed through and the residual heat has cooked the kale.

9) Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt or pepper if needed.

10) Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro before serving.

Other options/substitutions:
- 1 can of roasted diced tomatoes (Muir Glen is my fav)
- a handful of washed quinoa or rice
- chickpeas
- shallots
- parsnips
- potatoes (sweet or regular)
- miso
- shredded chicken (if you eat poultry)
- chard or collards
- your favorite spices (oregano, thyme, sage, etc)

And in case you were wondering what that little dent in the bowl is for...

Nifty huh? It's actually Ev's chili bowl! Purchased at a local pottery event in LA. I knew I should have bought one that day, I am so jealous.

After that bowl + another 1/3 bowlful, I was still hungry. Dessert ended up being a whole wheat sandwich thin with a smear of chevre, drizzle of honey, and sprinkle of cinnamon.

Carby goodness in every bite.

Did you know that tomorrow is National Coffee Day? I feel like taking it off to celebrate!

It's Wednesday?

Are you sure?

Something definitely seemed off when I woke up to muted light coming through the curtain. Usually summer morning light in Los Angeles is enough to burn your cornea through a wall.

The cold muggy morning made me more sluggish than normal, so I had to perk up with a shot of espresso and a piece of sourdough toast with Earth Balance. I was too brain-hazy to take a picture though!

That being said, I did manage to tuck my camera into the car before heading off to work. I've decided to attempt to bring my camera everywhere. Whenever I don't, I always end up finding something cool I wish I could share and then I'm SOL.

On the way I snapped a few pictures (at red lights, don't worry!) of the weather.

Very strange. But, in typical LA fashion, everything burned off by noon and the day ended up being 84 degrees and very sunny.

For lunch I packed a spinach and arugula salad with mushrooms and sprouts. I've been needing more protein/fat in my lunches to keep me full throughout the afternoon, so I added some roasted walnuts as well.

Anybody else LOVE alfalfa sprouts? Their shape used to weird me out, but now I think of them as tiny nutritional ribbons. (That sounded cuter in my head.)

I actually roasted walnuts myself!

I've found nuts hard to digest all my life, though roasted ones are much easier on my tummy. Next time I think I'll try roasting them with some herbs/spices to make them even more delectable.

Mid-afternoon I devoured a nectarine that was so ripe and mushy every picture I took of it looked like a slasher movie victim.

After work I decided to try doing yoga outside on the porch. We only have carpet in the house and it's impossible to get a grip on.

The concrete was hard, but supportive through the mat. When Evan got home, I decided to whip up an easy bake-able dinner.

Enter in... quiche!

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche (crustless)

- half an onion

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1/2 large head of broccoli, or 1 small

- 1 tbsp margerine (or butter)

- 3 eggs

- 1/3 cup greek yogurt

- 1/3 cup soymilk (or almond, cow, hemp, rice, etc)

- salt and pepper

- 1 cup shredded cheddar (I used a blend with Jack as well)

- nutmeg

- nonstick cooking spray

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Chop onion and mince garlic.

3) Trim stems of broccoli and chop to small florets.

3) Sweat the onion in the margerine till fragrant.

4) Add garlic and broccoli, cook for 2-3 minutes.

5) In a separate bowl, gently beat the eggs.

6) Add the yogurt and soymilk to eggs, whisk to combine. Season with s & p.

7) Fold the shredded cheese into the egg mixture.

8) Spray an 8 or 9 inch pie pan. Spread broccoli/onion/garlic evenly on the bottom.

9) Gently pour the wet mixture over, spreading as needed to create an even layer.

10) Grate fresh nutmeg (or sprinkle on pre-ground) over the top. Just a dash!

11) Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes until center is set. Cool for 5 minutes.

"Crust? We don't need no stinking crust!"

I saved a few calories using less cheese and eggs, and subbing in greek yogurt. Nix the crust and the fat practically gets cut in half!

We paired it with some steamed kale coated in a bit of sesame oil and lemon juice. Tasty combo and I love seeing all that green on my plate.

I've been a bit off this week... mentally, emotionally... so I am going to try and get a good amount of sleep tonight. When I wake up maybe it really will be Thursday!

Thai Time!

Every time I try to branch out for new recipes, I always end up going back to my culinary roots for inspiration. Anything Asian is my pretty much my standard. Hawai'i is a smorgasbord of cultures and our comfort food definitely reflects it.

The first dish is a standard: tofu spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce. 

I love spring rolls for their versatility, you can add whatever your heart desires and they always turn out amazing! This vegan version uses tofu, but you can add cooked chicken, fish, shrimp, beef, or any other protein source as well. 

I use Averie's 2 minute peanut sauce recipe because it's perfect... and you should never try to fix what isn't broken.
 

 Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

1 pkg spring roll rice wrappers
4 oz tofu, drained and sliced
1.5 cups shredded green cabbage
1 medium or 2 persian cucumbers
2 small carrots
1/2 cup cilantro
1 batch Averie's Peanut Sauce

1 large frying pan
cutting board
knife
mixing bowl (for the sauce)
whisk (for the sauce)
measuring cups (for the sauce)

1) Pan fry (or grill) tofu slices till browned. You can use some oil if you like, but I didn't.
2) In the meantime, shred cabbage, grate carrots, chop cilantro, and matchstick cucumbers.
3) Remove tofu to small plate and cool. In same pan, set a few cups of water to heat so you can soften your wrappers. Make sure your pan is wide enough and you have enough water to submerge a full wrapper.
4) While water is heating, whip up a batch of Averie's fantastic peanut sauce.
5) To assemble: Slide a wrapper into the water to soften. You can either use fingers (if you're not too heat sensitive) or silicone tongs. The wrapper is soft when you poke it and you see a little ripple effect going on. Remove wrapper and lay out on cutting board, pulling very gently, and being careful not to fold or tear. Fill with desired ingredients (not too much!!!) and roll up like a burrito. Be sure to flip in the ends of the roll before you finish so you end up with a sealed pouch instead of an open-ended taco.
6) Devour with lots of peanut sauce!!!

The second dish is an at-home version of my favorite appetizer from a local Pasadena Thai restaurant Saladang. It is crunchy, sweet, smoky, and just all around amazing. You might not think that all the ingredients go together, but trust me, it's SO right!


Smoked Salmon Cups with Honey Dressing
9 butter lettuce cups
3 oz smoked salmon
1/2 cup peanuts (raw or roasted)
1 thumb fresh ginger
1/2 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
3-4 Tbsp honey

large plate or platter
frying pan
cutting board
knife

1) Set frying pan (no oil) to medium high heat. Add coconut to hot pan and stir/toss constantly to toast. Do not walk away or it will burn!
2) When toasted, immediately remove from pan and transfer to small bowl to cool.
3) Peel ginger and mince or chop finely.
4) Trim the salmon, if needed, into 2 inch squares.
5) To assemble: Sprinkle each lettuce cup with toasted coconut. Top with a few peanuts and as much ginger as you like. Then squeeze on some honey and place a smoked salmon square on the very top.
6) Roll up like a taco or devour whole. The honey will probably leak out a bit, and some coconut will fall out too. It is OK to lick your plate and your hands!

Combined with some sauteed sesame kale, the meal felt so fresh and satisfying. 

I also whipped up a weight watchers recipe for individual chocolate souffles which was just so-so. I really don't think I am a souffle person, the texture just bugs me

Catching up on some blogs, research for some new bike panniers, and reading before bed.