Herbed Celery Root & Parsnip Soup

How about steepin’ out with some new veggies in 2015?

This soup is a light and refreshing chowder delicious on it’s own and even better with roasted fish added. Due to my delicate constitution (or delicate humors) I can’t eat onions/leeks/garlic lately but the herbs give this soup tons of flavor.

When peeling the celery root you will notice a strong celery flavor (didn’t see that coming!) but I guess I was surprised as it looks nothing like celery. It has a mild flavor that is an excellent potato substitute. Double down on the parsnip for a sweeter soup.

The herbs will come off their stem when cooking–no need to take off leaves in advance.

Ingredients:

• Celery root, peeled and cubed
• Parsnip, peeled and cube
• Big bunch or fresh oregano and/or thyme
• Kale or other green vegetable
• Water

Directions:

• Cover celery root, parsnip and herbs with water and bring to a boil
• Simmer at least 45 minutes or until very soft
• Remove stems of herbs
• Blend with stick blender
• Add greens and simmer until cooked through

 

 

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Paleo: Asian Inspired Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings

These tasty dumplings are delicious on their own or in a soup.

Ingredients (all  measurements approximate):

• 1 pound ground organic dark meat chicken
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1-2 tablespoons red boat fish sauce
• 1 inch chunk ginger
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 cups cabbage, chopped
• 1-3 tablespoons arrowroot starch/flour
• a bit of chicken broth (if needed)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine fish sauce, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic and cabbage in Nutribullet or food processor. Pulse until ingredients to form a paste. If it is too dry to blend-add chicken broth.
• Pour mixture over ground chicken and add arrowroot powder and mix. It will be very sticky but if its too sticky add more arrowroot.
• Tablespoon portions onto baking sheet.
• Bake until done–check after 15-20 minutes.

Yummy NutriBullet Smoothie Recipes

I love, love my NutriBullet and make “blasts” at least once or twice per day. It is an easy way to make a fast breakfast or snack and takes up very little counter space.

Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Green Smoothie

You can use any combination of greens and fruit (fresh or frozen). We have been getting a lot of collards and mandarins in our farm box and I have found it makes a perfect combination.

• Collards
• Whole mandarin orange
• Avocado (whole or half)
• Banana (whole or half)
• Water
• Fresh ginger

Sweet Potato Banana Smoothie

• Cooked Sweet Potato (1/2- 1 cup)
• Banana
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Fresh ginger
• Frozen pineapple
• Almond milk

Gorgeous Beet Smoothie

The color of this smoothie is a gorgeous vibrant red that I just couldn’t capture in a photo. Great way to get your veggies and energize!

• Cooked beets
• Frozen Pineapple
• Banana
• Water

Chocolate Almond Shake

Great for a fix if you are craving sweets. I also add some beet greens sometimes.

• Frozen Banana
• Cacao Powder
• Almond Milk

Let me know if you have a favorite smoothie recipe! Best wishes-Julie

Easy & Healthy Gluten-Free Dinners

Here are a few recipes I have been making lately:

• Farm Box Summer Soup
• Easiest Ever Fish Recipe
• Mini Meatballs and Salad
• Roasted and Fruity Chicken over Onions

Farm Box Summer Soup

Farm Box Summer Soup With Chicken

I have been making this every week when I pick up my farm box varying the vegetables with the potato/onion base. It is incredibly tasty, creamy and light.

• Chop and peel potatoes. Combine with chopped onion and garlic.
• Cover with water and sprinkle in salt and pepper.
• Cook until soft then puree with stick blender.
• Add any raw vegetables and turn off heat. I love the combination of corn and zucchini.

Easiest Ever Fish Recipe

Easiest Ever Fish with Veggies

I was always mystified/annoyed by cooking fish until I discovered this baking method.

• Spread olive oil over red snapper or cod (on baking sheet).
• Sprinkle with salt and dill.
• Bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 12 minutes.
• Serve with roasted vegetables.

Mini Meatballs and Salad

This recipe is inspired my my dear friend Miryum whose meatballs and rice right before Shabbat are my favorite comfort food.

• Grate onion into organic, grass fed beef.  Add salt and lightly mix.
• Form into small meatballs and bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cover with foil until cooked through.
• Serve with salad.

Roasted and Fruity Chicken over Onions

I wanted to find a good use for all the onions from my farm box.  The onions did a wonderful job flavoring the chicken while also serving as a edible roasting rack.

• Make a marinade of fresh peaches, honey, marmalade, smoked paprika and fresh grated garlic or ginger.
• Lay large slices of onion in pan. Put chicken pieces on top.
• Spread marinade over chicken.
• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven.
• I did have to cover at some point because the marinade was getting charred. When too much liquid collected in pan I poured it out. Cooking time will vary depending on amount of chicken.

Happy Summer and Enjoy!-Julie

Summer Squash, Goat Cheese & Arugula Salad

Enjoy this simple main course salad inspired by my farm box!

Ingredients:

• Summer squash, sliced in large chunks
• Spring onion, sliced thinly
• Arugula
• Goat cheese
• Dill
• Coconut & Olive Oil

Steps:

• Combine squash, onions, dill and oils in pan. Bake in preheated oven @ 350 for about 25 minutes (don’t overcook-they are better firm)
• Pour over arugula
• Top with goat cheese
• Stir together–the oils and cheese will add flavor to the arugula

Happy Spring!

Sweet Potato Ginger Carrot Stew

This healthy stew is full of flavor and very filling. I made it thinking of a hot breakfast but it would be great for any meal. The humble star of this stew is the highly medicinal burdock root. It is very mild in flavor and full of medicinal benefits.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons corn meal
• Sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• Burdock root, thinly sliced
• Ginger, crushed through garlic press
• Slice of lemon
• Salt
• Shredded cabbage

Combine all ingredients except cabbage and simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, until veggies are cooked and stew is desired thickness. Remove lemon slice. Top with shredded cabbage and serve.

Chicken Soup

Ideally, making chicken soup is a leisurely affair involving a bath and/or a nap. You could make it in a couple of hours–but I like to make a day out of it.

All you really need to make it is a big pot, a chicken, water, onion and salt. I make it differently each time depending on what I have on hand. It is a great way to cook all those extra farm box veggies and I sometimes freeze the parts I don’t use (kale ribs etc.) for this purpose. A typical recipe combination I use is listed below.

You will have many meals from this one dish: chicken dinners, sandwiches, and plenty of broth to freeze.

Ingredients:

• One whole organic, free-range chicken (I like Mary’s Chicken)
• Celery greens (adds a lot of flavor)
• Onion, cut in half
• Whole garlic, cut in half
• Carrots
• Burdock root (medicinal)
• Fresh Dill and Thyme (put in spice bag or wrap in cheesecloth)
• Greens
• Salt

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in stock pot, cover in water and add salt. Bring to a boil.
• Once it reaches a boil, add more salt. You may also skim the fat off at this time.

 

• Simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
• Turn off heat and cover.
• Take a nap and/or bath.
• Allow chicken to continue to cook with heat off for 1-2 hours.
• Remove chicken and allow to cool.
• Scoop out vegetables with a mesh strainer and discard. Rinse out the spice bag for reuse.
• Once cool remove from bones and shred. You can freeze the carcass for another use.

• Remove broth–I like to use a glass measuring cup for easy pouring.

• Store in glass and plastic containers for the refrigerator and freezer.

 

Kale Chips: Not Meh

The highlight of my Sunday morning is reading the “Meh List” in the New York Times magazine.  The meh list is a weekly compilation of things, people and places that are neither here nor there–just so so. I have been trying to come up with an item I can submit and on my list of possibilities was kale chips. Well I recently made them and and as it turns out not only are they not “meh” they have some sort of mystical quality. They were so good that I barely remember eating them!

Ingredients:

• One bunch kale leaves, chopped
• Juice of one lemon
• Olive oil
• Red Pepper
• Salt

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300
• The best way to get crisp kale chips is to make sure they are completely dry. After I ran the kale pieces through a salad spinner I laid them out on a kitchen towel and rolled them up.

• Combine all ingredients, except salt, in a plastic bag and shake.
• Lay across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt.

• Bake until crisp @ 20-25 minutes.

Kale “croutons” in sweet potato soup