Radish?

The other day I did something I have never done before.  I bought a bunch of radishes.  You see I've never liked radishes; as a child I would avoid them at all costs. I remember thinking they were one of the worst tasting things ever (mind of a child you know). But I was at the market and the radishes stood out. Their vibrant red color called to me.  I put them in my basket, deciding that since I was no longer a child I should give them a try.

I used them to make a simple little salad, which turned out well.  My husband loved it and I found it to be light and refreshing.  I believe I'll be using radishes more often in the future.

Simple Radish Salad 

Makes 1 or 2 servings

4 radishes thinly sliced

1 Tbsp olive oil

Juice of ½ a lime

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

a sprinkle of salt

In a small bowl combine oil, lime juice, cilantro and garlic.  Toss with sliced radish and sprinkle with a little salt.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday February 23, 2011

Rosemary Butternut Squash Soup

This soup is the winterized version of my favourite summer squash soup (I’ll be sure to post that one as soon as summer squash are in season).  It’s quick and easy to throw together and you can substitute the butternut for any winter squash you prefer.

Makes three-five 2 cup servings

1 Tbsp butter or olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 ½ lbs butternut squash, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

4 cups vegetable stock

In a large stock pot, over medium heat sauté garlic in the butter until it just starts to turn light brown.  Add rosemary and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add squash, carrots, and veggie stock.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until squash is easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.  Puree soup in a blender to desired consistency.  Be very careful as the soup will be hot.  You may need to do this in 2 or more batches depending on the size of your blender. Season with a little salt and pepper (optional) and enjoy.

This soup reheats wonderfully.  Quite often on Sundays I will make up a batch to take to work for the week’s lunches.  Sometimes I’ll add a dash of hot sauce to spice it up.

Update:  I forgot to mention that this soup will be a little on the thick side...which is how i like it.  If you desire less thickness just add another cup or so of veggie stock.

This post is a part of Fight Back Friday February 11, 2011

A sweet way to get your greens

Years ago I would make fruit smoothies for breakfast.  They would consist of frozen fruit, vanilla yogurt, and a bit of orange juice.  Sometimes they would be made up of frozen fruit, cooked oatmeal, and milk. One day several years ago I stumbled upon the raw food movement (for those of you not familiar here is a list of blogs devoted to raw foodism) and started slowly adding spinach to my smoothies.  Eventually I ditched the yogurt and juice and made spinach the bulk of the smoothie.  I know what you're thinking "Spinach? In a fruit smoothie? Has she lost her mind?" Trust me on this one. Give it a try. In fruit smoothies you really cannot taste a mild leafy green like spinach.  Below is an example of the current evolved state of my green smoothie.

Wintertime Green Smoothie 

Makes 1-2 servings

1 large apple quartered
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1/4 - 1/2 lb fresh spinach
water

Place apple, flax seeds, and spinach in a blender.  Add just enough water to blend.  Blend on high speed to desired consistency.  Enjoy!

I refer to this particular smoothie as "wintertime" because I like to use apples in the winter.  My favourite summertime combination replaces the apples with blueberries and peaches.  A previous incarnation of this smoothie included 2Tbsp wheat germ and 1Tbsp dates.  The wheat germ was eliminated due to my gluten intolerance and I no longer desire the extra sweetness of the dates. However if these are not issues for you feel free to add them in. Also if the bright green color frightens you start off slowly adding a bit more green over time. If you go browsing the web you'll find many different green smoothie variations.  Here is one that looks pretty sweet :)

P.S. In order to blend up this mixture to a very smooth consistency you need a really good blender (I have a Vitamix). I broke a blender early on while trying to make these smoothies. My current blender can puree whole apples with no problem.

Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potato

You know those days when you get home from a particularly exhausting day at work, you're starving but you really don't feel like cooking a big meal?  On those days you just want something fast and easy. Something warm and yummy...simple and nourishing.  Lately, due to a recent sweet potato addiction, this has been my go to quick snack/small meal solution.

1 large sweet potato
1Tbsp melted butter (or olive oil)
1tsp chopped fresh rosemary*
Sea salt
White pepper

*if this amount of rosemary is too intense for you feel free to reduce it

Preheat oven to 400F. Chop sweet potato into bite sized pieces. Toss with melted butter and chopped Rosemary.  Make sure the sweet potatoes are evenly coated with the butter.  Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a large flat baking sheet and sprinkle with a little sea salt and white pepper. Roast in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and lightly browned to your liking.

These roasted sweet potatoes are wonderful fresh from the oven and make a great side dish for just about any meal.  The leftovers are equally yummy tossed into a salad the next day for lunch.

Over Christmas my sister-in law knowing of my sweet potato addiction brought me some fresh purple sweet potatoes.  I had never had purple ones before and was excited to try.  They were very good, less sweet that the orange variety in which I normally indulge and possessing a pleasant earthy flavour.  Unfortunately I don't have any photos so you'll just have to trust me when I say they were a beautiful shade of purple which deepened dramatically upon roasting. My teenage son refused to try them because he insisted they looked "evil".  I think he's been reading too many Stephen king novels.

Comfy Cauliflower

It’s like frozen tundra where I live.  Seriously it’s been freezing cold and snow covered for a while now. When it gets cold like this I start to crave comfort food…specifically macaroni and cheese.   However, being a person with an intolerance to gluten, mac and cheese is pretty much out of the question.  So I thought I would try to come up with a veggie based version of the dish to satisfy my cravings.  I used cauliflower in place of pasta and a little butter and cream in place of the traditional roux and milk.  This dish turned out really well and definitely hit the spot.

1 head cauliflower broken into bite sized florets

½ cup veggie stock

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tsp dried thyme

1 clove garlic chopped

2 tbsp shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using the veggie stock, steam the cauliflower until just fork tender.  Drain cauliflower and place in a 1.5 quart casserole.  In a small saucepan over medium heat melt butter.  Add garlic and thyme and sauté until fragrant.  Add the heavy cream to the sauce pan and swirl until it starts to bubble.  Remove from heat .  Pour the butter mixture over the steamed cauliflower and toss to coat evenly.  Top the cauliflower mixture with  sharp cheddar and bake at 350°F until the cheese is melted and browned to your liking (this should take 15-30 minutes depending on how brown you like it).