Herb, Chard and Feta Soup

I stole the pic from Bon Appetit magazine because my picture didn't turn out very pretty.

I made this recipe from Bon Appetit for the starting course of Christmas dinner.  Don't be fooled by the fancy picture. Accomplishing this level of presentation is very easy and the garnish actually contributes to the flavor and texture of the soup so don't skip on the pretty finishing touches. 

Ingredients
2  tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
1 bulb of whole roasted garlic (skins removed)
1 lb. Swiss Chard leaves (removed center ribs)

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup flat leaf parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves (chopped)
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large carton of Greek yogurt
a large pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes
1/2 cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, & mint)
4 oz. feta, crumbled
salt and pepper
olive oil

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often for about 7 minutes.
2. Stir in chard, broth, parsley, cilantro, fresh and dried mint, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about ten minutes.
3. Stir in lemon juice, roasted garlic, salt and pepper.
4. In small batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.  Since the soup is hot, you need to leave the vent at the top open.  Cover the vent at the top with a paper towel to prevent spills.
5. Spoon soup into bowls.  Add a large spoonful of Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of feta to each bowl. Whisk to combine. 
6. Sprinkle chopped herbs on to top of each dish. Top with feta and sprinkle with pepper.

Note: I accidentally used Swiss chard with red ribs instead of Swiss chard with white ribs.  The BA recipe didn't specify which to use.  You will get the same taste with either but your soup will turn out brown if you used the red ribbed chard.  Using white ribbed chard will produce the color of soup shown above.  

Mini Cranberry Upside Down Cakes

I made these twice in the last two weeks.  They turned out better when I made them in California for some reason.  When I made them in Floridia the cranberry layer floated into the middle a little but I think it might have been because I used a different size of pan.  My advice is to use a muffin pan when making these.  A muffin pan has larger cups than a cupcake pan so they produce a more substantial breakfast goodie.

Ingredients
(For the Cakes)
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- pinch of salt

- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup of oil (I used ghee in one of my batches and coconut oil in another)
- 1/2 cup honey

(For the cranberry layer)
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries (rinsed)
- 1 tbsp grated orange zest
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
-1/4 cup of honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl combine all the cranberry layer ingredients and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl combine dry cake ingredients: almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and all spice. Mix to combine.
4. In another bowl combine wet ingredients: eggs, oil (warmed so that it is liquid in consistency) and honey. Whisk to combine.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl and mix to combine.  Set aside.
6. Oil muffin tins so that batter will not stick. Arrange cranberry mixture in the bottom of each muffin tin so that there is an even layer of cranberries.
7. Pour batter over cranberry layer in each tin.
8. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the bake time. 
9. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before flipping the pan over to remove cakes.  You may need to loosen the cakes along the edges with a knife before removing them

note: Mix 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt with a little honey and vanilla stevia extract.  Top each cake with a small dollop of the sweetened yogurt mixture.

Leg of Lamb (piece) with Carrots, Onions and Sweet Potatoes

My wonderful Le Creuset! Thanks again Maria- Great Gift!

Sorry the delay in posts! The holidays were busy and I had surgery on my hand so typing has been a challenge to say the least.

I made this amazing lamb shank with the produce I had to get rid of before I leave for Christmas break.  It was really easy and the dutch oven made it come out moist and made clean up quick. Nothing beats cooking everything in one pot! Lamb can be expensive but if you buy it a day or two after a holiday it is very cheap.  After holidays, grocery stores usually have tons of leftover hams, turkeys (whole or parts), and lamb at discount prices. You can't always get a large cut, such as a whole leg of lamb or a whole turkey but you can most definitely find smaller cuts. After Thanksgiving I found turkey legs and wings for amazing prices as well as turkey tender pieces (great for a quick stir-fry). The lamb shank I used for this recipe was also purchased after Thanksgiving for a discount price. 

Ingredients
-one 1 1/2- 2 pound leg of lamb piece (bone-in)
- 5 large carrots (peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks)
- 1 yam (pelled and chopped in 1/2 inch chunks)
- 1 white onion (chopped into 6 wedges)
- 1/4 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

- cumin

- garlic powder
- salt
-black pepper
-olive oil
-butter
-balsamic vinegar

1. Rub all sides of the lamb with cumin, garlic powder, fresh cracked black pepper, salt, and rosemary. I think I probably ended up rubbing one teaspoon of each on the shank. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic pepper and rub into the meat. Let marinate in the fridge over night.
2. Remove lamb from fridge an hour before you plan on cooking it so it can come to room temperature.
3.Preheat oven to 375 F. Also, heat one of the burners on your stove to medium heat.
4. Place dutch oven on the stove. Melt a half tablespoon of butter in the dutch oven.  Brown each side of the lamb in the dutch oven, about 30 seconds on each side.
5. Remove the dutch oven from the stove heat.
6. Surround the lamb with chopped carrots, onions and yams. Pour in red wine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
7. Place the lid on the dutch oven and cook for 45 minutes. Rotate the lamb half way through the cook time and stir the vegetables so they cook evenly.
8. Remove dutch oven from the oven and serve! Best served in a bowl so you can spoon some of the drippings over the veggies and the lamb.


Note: Feel free to adjust the carrot and sweet potato portions, I used the amount shown above because that is what I had in my fridge.  Parsnips would be a great option too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

I'm usually not a huge fan of pre-made gluten free mixes but I tried this one because my mom sent it to me as a surprise. I changed the recipe a little from the box directions.

- 1 box of King Arthur Gluten-free Cookie Mix (one cup removed and set aside for another use)

- 1/2 cup of hazelnut meal

-1/2 cup almond meal

-eggs

-butter

- Chocolate chips

1. Pour cookie mix into a bowl.  Remove one cup and set aside for another use. Add 1/2 cup of hazelnut meal and 1/2 cup of almond meal.

2. Follow package instructions. 

3. Stir in chocolate chips (amount depends on your preference).

4. Pour dough into an oven safe skillet pan. 

5. Bake according to package instructions.

Not Your Average Bacon Burger

Bacon Burgers shown as small sliders above. They made a perfect appetizer served on a small square of herb loaf and topped with sharp cheddar.

I was reading one of the many Best Burgers in San Francisco Lists when I stumbled upon this delicious idea.  Instead of topping the burger with bacon, Broken Record in SF, grinds up bacon and mixes it together with the ground beef.  After trying this delicious burger at Broken Record, I decided to make one of my own.  They turned out amazing, in part because the bacon I used was from Willow Glen Meats & Smokehouse. It cost as much as supermarket bacon but it tastes SO much better. If you can find a good value butcher that produces its own bacon in house, I suggest using their products as opposed to the supermarket bacon with tons of unnecessary additives.

Ingredients

- 1.65 pounds of ground chunk (get as much beef as you need, depending on your family size)

- 5 slices of bacon

- 1 tablespoon of spicy brown mustard
-  1/2 teaspoon Splash of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon splash of sesame seed oil

- splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

- generous sprinkle of garlic powder

- sprinkle of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

1. Grind up bacon in a food processor with a tiny bit of olive oil. 

2. Add ground up bacon to ground chunk.  Mix with mustard, olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, sea salt and crack black pepper.  Let sit overnight, covered in the fridge.

3.  Grill and serve.

Harvest Cake with Vanilla Cream

Harvest Cake decorated with a chopped fig

Harvest Cake (Makes 1-9inch cake,double the recipe to get the layered cake shown in my photos).  This cake turned out delicious! It makes a great coffee cake or a healthy dessert after dinner. 

    - 3 cups almond flour

    -1 1/2 tsp baking soda

    - 1/2 tsp salt

    - 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

    - 1/4 cup ghee or olive oil

    -1/4 cup honey

    - 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

    - 3 eggs

    -1 cup grated carrot

    - 1 cup grated zucchini

    - 1 cup chopped apple (I used golden delicious)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9inch cake pan. In a bowl combine dry ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Pour wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to incorporate.
3. Pour into prepared cake pan and cook in oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Vanilla Cream
This made enough icing for the cake pictured above.  Adjust the measurements if you need less or just use the recipe below and keep the cream in the fridge to spread on some gluten free muffins. Yum!

- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for three hours, water discarded

- 3/4cup fresh apple juice

 - 3 Medjool dates, pitted removed

  - 1 ½ TBS honey

  - 4 drops vanilla crème stevia extract
  - ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

In a high speed blender combine ingredients until very smooth. Spread on cake or muffins.