Savory Butternut Tomato Soup

Cook on medium heat until tender and then blend:
1/2 roasted butternut squash
1 small yellow onion
1 small red onion
2 small leeks*
3-4 cups homemade chicken broth

Add to blended mixture:
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1/8 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp garlic salt
dash nutmeg
sea salt

Add more basil and oregano to taste, if necessary.

*Previously had precooked with ginger and blended the three types of onions [with a different soup recipe in mind]. But sometimes the fridge needs emptied into a soup.

Additional suggestions:
add pinto beans
top with bacon
sweeten a touch with brown sugar or maple syrup

Already had this recipe roughly created in my mind, but the idea was rounded out and supported by this one on epicurious. In the past butternut and other squash soups are too sweet (especially when mixed with apple or carrot) and this recipe really satisfied my craving for something hearty, smooth, and savory. Good for the cold weather season.

Enjoy!

Dill e Uove

[Pretty self-explanatory] 3 eggs cooked in pyrex in pan of boiling water, covered; seasoned with salt and pepper. Served with tomato and spicy prosciutto (cucumber not recommended) and dill. There you have it!

Ate at a pizzeria at a nearby town today for lunch with my sister and the ladies from church. Had "Insalatina di pollo con parmigiano" and it was so simple and so good! My sister kindly shared her pumpkin ravioli [with sage]. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Anyway, you get my enthusiasm. It was my first meal here that seemed truly authentic. Am looking forward to being surrounded by l'italiano; english sounds foreign here (oh, that's right because it is!).

Almond Pecan Apple Cranberry Crisp!

Okay...part of this recipe will be provided later on, shortly. The candied orange cranberries was made for Thanksgiving dinner and what better way than to use them in a dessert!

My sister looked up a recipe online which included steel cut oats, but that is not my thing.

Her version

Mine :D {Grain-Free Wins) Mwhaha




Over low heat in a sauce pan:
1 tsp butter
1/8 cup chopped pecans (heaping)
1/8 cup chopped sliced almonds (scant)
1 tsp light brown sugar
Stir until lightly toasted and sugar is somewhat melted. Set aside.

Mix in a little dish:
2 tbs [fresh] apple juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp corn starch

Add to:
1 1/2 gala apples cut into bite size pieces
2 tbs light brown sugar (GAPS substitute with 1 tbs honey)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour into saucepan that has one tbs of melt butter. Stir until apples are slightly browned and sauce is thick and bubbly.

Place nut mixture into the bottom of a cup, pour a serving of apple blend over it, top with orange cranberries, adorn with a dollop of whipped cream, and sprinkle with remaining nut mix as a garnish. Voila! Eat slowly, enjoying every bite. (Adding more whipped cream to the last few bites is allowed ;))

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Curry Kale Sausage Soup

We had kale in the fridge that needed used up. So, might as well make soup. To make easy work of it I precooked most of the ingredients the night before. After a quick trip to the visito (marching past the strolling elderly italian ladies in order to beat the dark) I had my beans needed to complete the soup.

To begin with...
Sautee:
1-2 tbs olive oil
1 medium to large carrot sliced
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 red spicy sausage sliced
1 clove garlic minced

Stir in:
approximately 4 cups homemade chicken broth
2 cups kale (chopped and stems removed)
1/2 cup celery leaves
1/2 tsp dried parsley (or more)
1/8 tsp sea salt (add more later to taste)
few cranks of fresh ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp curry (give or take)
2 dashes paprika
dash chili powder
dash cayenne pepper

When kale is close to being tender, add:
8 oz. canned diced tomato with juice
14 oz. (400 g) cannellini beans
dash roasted cumin
opt. add more curry or other spices

Serve with fresh grated parmesan or cheese of choice.

Buon appetito!

Tell me your version in the comments below!

Parmesan Steak with Vegetables in Wine Sauce

Originally I was going to bake my vegetables in the oven, but my sister came in and expressed her great disappointment that I wasn't making vegetable lasagna like she was craving. Sorry, I can only make what I am in the mood to eat. So change of course was required and this could have been A LOT better had the vegetable not been partially precooked in the oven. Consistency and texture is key!

Slice and stir fry (adding vegetables at respective times):
Leftover beef brisket sliced (eat the fat, do not cut it off, it is the most flavorful part)
yellow onion
yellow bell pepper
green bell pepper
mushrooms
eggplant
olive oil
italian seasoning
pepper
sea salt
Sauce:
Red wine
worcestershire sauce
dark mustard optional

Top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

P.S. Broccoli, amongst other raw vegetables, make a good antipasto.

Pumpkin Spice Coconut Pancakes

Writing a food blog and not keeping track of ingredient amounts seems like an oxymoron. Whatever. I'll consider this more of a personal food journal to use as a self-reminder - if anyone else finds it useful, than great.  

I have Claire, besides myself, as taste tester. However, today we disagreed because she liked the recipe better with soft crumbly pancakes before I tweaked it and added more flavor. Oh well. 

Lately, I have been learning some cooking lessons the hard way. With all previous recipes I used my handy dandy coffee grinder to make all my almond and coconut flour (from sliced and flakes). Home-ground flours react completely differently than stored bought ones! Tried making the coconut Melt-In-Your-Mouth cookies only to forget ingredients, try adding them later, and then forget the cookies in the oven! You need to pay attention and also do not try cooking with extremely low blood sugar. 1. you can be light headed (most likely not thinking clearly) 2. anything...anything seems to taste good.

Blend:

1 1/4 cup So Delicious Coconut milk

Firm Banana (Ripe is overpowering flavor)

3 brown eggs

1 tsp local honey

1/2 tsp coconut oil

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

Whisk in:

1/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour High Fiber (oops!)

1/8 cup creamy peanut butter

Cook in raw butter over medium low heat. Sprinkle pumpkin spice over uncooked side of pancake in pan. Tasted best with berry jam (blackberry, strawberry, raspberry...)

Eat up! 

Coconut Crepes with Lemon Cream and Berries

Really simple diary-grain-free coconut crepe recipe from ZsCupofTea.
Mix:
2 eggs
2 Tbs coconut oil (melted) or grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp honey
1/8 tsp sea salt
Stir until very smooth:
2 Tbs coconut flour
Thin with coconut milk

2 parts Stony Field Vanilla Yoghurt
1 part Philadelphia Creamcheese
2 drops lemon essential oil

Thaw blackberries and save juice
Slice strawberries


Assemble.

Eat.

Experiment.

Enjoy.