Potato and Leek Soup with Crispy Shallots

This recipe is totally inappropriate for today’s hot and humid weather, but this is May in Maine so we’ll probably have another cold and rainy day soon. And it’ll probably happen on a Tuesday because, as everyone in my run group knows, it rains every Tuesday.

So anyway, this soup…it’s delicious. We’ve made it at least five times since our friend Anne introduced us to it a few months ago.

(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics)

2 Lbs. Yukon gold (or similar) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 leeks, white and light green parts chopped and washed (FYI: Our preferred de-grit-         ifying method is to put the chopped leeks in a bowl of water, stir them around and         then remove with a slotted spoon. The dirt will sink to the bottom of the bowl.)

EVOO

3 heaping cups of baby arugula

½ cup plus 2 tbsp. dry white wine

6 cups vegetable stock (or vegetable broth)*

¾ cups heavy cream

6 oz. (more or less) organic fat-free Greek yogurt

2 oz. (more or less) low-fat or fat-free ricotta

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (plus more for the table)

5 shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 ½ cups olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Dump the potatoes and leeks into the biggest bowl you have. Toss with enough EVOO (not more than ¼ cup) to coat the veggies and then spread the whole mess out in a single layer on two rimmed sheet pans.

3. Roast for 40-45 minutes, flipping the veggies at least once during cooking. While the potatoes and leeks are roasting, start the shallots (recipe below).

4. Add the arugula to one (or both) of the sheet pans and continue roasting until the arugula is wilted (about 4 minutes).

5. Scrape the contents of the sheet pans into a Dutch oven (or large soup pot) over low heat.

6. Add ½ cup of wine and 1 cup of vegetable stock. Stir and cook over low heat for a couple minutes.

7. Add the rest of the vegetable stock and, using an immersion blender puree the contents of the pot.

8. Stir in the heavy cream.

9. Mix the ricotta and Greek yogurt together in a small bowl, and then add the mixture to the soup. Stir (or blend) to combine.

10. Just before serving, stir 2 tbsp. of wine and ¼ cup of Parmesan into the soup. Divide into soup bowls and serve with shredded Parmesan and crispy shallots for sprinkling.

For the shallots:

1. Combine butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan and heat at medium-low. (If you have a candy thermometer, you’re shooting for 220°.)

2. Turn the heat down to low and add the shallots.

3. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown. (Candy thermometer folks: keep the temperature below 260°.) 

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shallots from the oil and spread them out on paper towels until they’re dry and crisp.

*Vegetable Stock and Vegetable Broth are almost the same thing. Click here for an explanation.

Sweet Potato Burgers

My mom told me that the black bean brownie picture was ugly. She’s right (but they’re so damn delicious that I couldn’t wait to prettify them before posting).

So for Mom (and Pete, and Dana, and everyone else that remarked on the unfortunate image of that delicious brownie), here’s a pretty picture—and a stupid-easy yummy recipe.

1 sweet potato, cooked (wash it, stab it, microwave it for 5 minutes, flip it, zap it for another 3-5 minutes, skin it)

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup sliced almonds

3 tbsp. ground flaxseed

3 tbsp. tahini

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until thoroughly mixed.

2. Form mixture into burger-like shapes.

3. Heat oil in skillet and cook burgers for about 6 minutes on each side.

4. Top with pesto.

Deliciously Decadent Fudgy Flourless Black Bean Brownies

I learned something about myself while developing this recipe: Not only am I horrible at following directions, I don’t even follow my own directions. My original intent was to make “Outrageous Brownies”—a recipe a friend shared from the Forks Over Knives cookbook—but I didn’t have date syrup and I certainly wasn’t going to use barley flour (fyi: barley is gluten-filled) so I improvised a little. The results were delicious, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d done so Pete, the logical one, insisted that I make another batch following the recipe I’d created. Of course, I obliged—even if he just wanted more brownies, he had a good point. Once again, I made some changes, but this time I measured and took notes and dammit it’s ready for public viewing/tasting/ridiculing.

Enjoy!

1 banana, sliced

15 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

8 dates (pits removed)

½ cup maple syrup

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

heaping ½ cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (I recommend using ½ tbsp.)

1 cup chocolate chips, melted or at least softened

1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a 8 x 8 dish with parchment paper.

2. Combine the banana, black beans and dates in a food processor and whir until mostly smooth.

3. Add everything but the chocolate chips and process until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the melt-y chocolate chips.

5. Transfer to the baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes (until they reach your desired firmness).

Green Lemonade

Yes, it’s green. Yes, it’s deliciously thirst quenching. And yes, it tastes like lemonade.

At least 12 stalks of kale

1 Granny Smith apple (if it’s not organic, peel it)

2 sweet apples, like Braeburn (peeled, unless they’re organic)

2 lemons, peeled

1 nub of ginger

1. Place all ingredients in a juicer (kale, ginger, apples, lemons).

2. Drink

Carrot Cake Energy Bars

Look what I made! I had a food processor and an idea—actually two ideas: I want to make my own energy bars and carrot cake is yummy—and I created something delicious and practical. Please excuse my exuberance. I’m always a little bit stunned (a.k.a. shocked and amazed) when something that seems like a good idea in my head actually turns out to be a good idea in real life.

Note: Due to said exuberance, I’m posting this without checking the measurements. If you think you should add more of something, you probably should.

3 carrots (2 fairly big carrots and 1 scrawny carrot), peeled and sliced into pieces that won’t kill your food processor

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced into manageable chunks

shredded coconut (probably between ½ cup and ¾ cup)

raisins (about ½ cup)

walnuts (about ¾ cup)

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. hemp protein

honey (about 3 tbsp.)

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until everything is chopped up and well-mixed.

2. Transfer mixture to a baking dish, flatten to desired thickness and cut into bars.

3. Transfer bars to individual pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap. Toss in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze. (They’ll be edible right away, but will be much easier to handle after an hour or so in the freezer. And they’ll never freeze completely.)

Black Bean Soup

Warning: This soup doesn’t need you. It wants to be left alone—for 3 hours.

You know those people who have their s*** together enough to start a soup and leave it simmering on the stove while they go to yoga and teach spinning? I hate them, but I was one—for approximately four hours one day in January. It was a little bit fabulous.

(Adapted from Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them: And 100 Other Myths About Food and Cooking…Plus 25 Recipes to Get It Right Every Time)

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tsp. dried oregano

finely grated lime zest (at least 1 tbsp.)

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage

8 cups vegetable broth

2 cups (1 pound) dried black beans, rinsed (and quality-controlled)

2 tbsp. (or more) lime juice

plain organic fat-free Greek yogurt

optional:

1 chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and minced

¼ cup minced cilantro leaves

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium meat.

2. Add the onion and green pepper. Cook for about a minute and then add the garlic (and chipotle, if using). Stir, and then add the oregano, lime zest and sage.

3. Add the broth and stir to make sure nothing’s stuck to the bottom of the pot.

4. Add the beans and stir.

5. Jack the heat up to medium-high and bring the soon-to-be-soup to a low boil, stirring occasionally.

6. Put the lid on the pot and turn the heat to low, allowing the soon-to-be-soup to simmer.

7. Walk away. (But please don’t leave the house unattended. That wouldn’t be safe.)

8. It’ll be done in about 3 hours, when the beans tender, but not mushy.

9. Add the lime juice (and optional cilantro) and serve. Top each serving with a dollop of Greek yogurt.