Potato Leek Soup

The first batch of soup of the season! It has really cooled down outside, and soup sounded perfect. This soup is SUPER easy, and it is deeply loved by my three year-old. He asked for seconds last night which rarely happens these days. He's too eager to talk or play (or eat ice cream).

This recipe was inspired by Cucina Nicolina's Potato Leek Soup with Bay Leaves. I've altered it just a bit. Serve with a baguette and a simple fall salad. Makes 6-8 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
2 leeks, sliced and rinsed in a colander
5-6 yellow potatoes, scrubbed then thinly sliced
small head of garlic, minced (5-6 medium cloves)
5-6 cups of water, depending on how thin you like your soup
2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste (set on table for adults to load on the pepper - super good)

Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a soup pot. Add leeks. Saute until soft. Add potato slices. Cook for two minutes or so, stirring occasionally to coat with oil. Add a bit of water to prevent scorching, if needed. Add garlic and stir. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Put on the lid and bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Cook about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. With a hand blender, blend the soup just a bit. You can serve right away. Yesterday I mad this mid-afternoon while the dudes were still napping. I then added it to the crock-pot and set to low, so the flavor deepened. Then you can also forget about dinner until just before you eat!

Super easy to make with local ingredients right now!

Squash Bread

Well, the delicata squash plant I grew in my garden this year was a MONSTER! I guess that's a good thing. It was healthy and HUGE! I've begun reaping the benefits by beginning my fall baking. It almost seems too early for pumpkin-esque treats; it's been so warm here in St. Paul. However, yesterday marked the beginning of fall, and today it is truly a beautiful autumn day.

Here's a recipe that my dear friend Sara shared with me last year. It's FatFree Vegan's Pumpkin Bread. I quite rarely use actual pumpkin when I make recipes like this. I like to use my butternut squash or delicata squash in its place, because I tend to always have one of those on hand in the fall. Currently, I have an entire basket of delicata squash! Below are my variations on FatFree Vegan's recipe and my directions to preparing and freezing squash.

Pumpkin Bread Variations:
Replace 1 cup of pureed pumpkin with 1 cup of pureed winter squash
*Use 1/2 cup of applesauce rather than 1/4 cup. This way you can eliminate the Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with water.

*I never use Ener-G Egg Replacer, because I simply don't see the need for one more product in my pantry. I either use applesauce or banana as an egg replacer when it makes sense, OR I blend 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 Tablespoons of water (per egg you are replacing) until it's incredibly thick and creamy; I recommend using a hand blender for best results. Here is a simple reference guide to egg replacements from one of my fave sites theppk.com.

PREPARING SQUASH:
Cut squash down the middle, length-wise
Scoop out all the seeds
Place cut-side down in a 9x13 baking pan
Pour small amount of water into to pan, just to prevent scorching

Bake at 350 until squash is tender when poked with a fork...about 30-40 minutes for delicata squash. Remove when done and leave to cool enough to handle. Remover skin - should fall write off. Place the soft squash into a food processor and run it to create a more creamy squash. I then like to freeze it in 2 cup portions. Then you can easily take it out when your in the mood for pancakes or bread!

Earth Salad

I'm back! August proved to be outrageously overwhelming but now I'm thrilled to share more of what's going on in my kitchen. As summer nears its end, the food growing in Minnesota and Wisconsin continues to be oh so beautiful. This is one of my newest fave ways to eat the plentiful root vegetables given to us from Driftless Organics. Overall cooking time is long due to roasting the beets, but you barely lift a finger to make this. Hands-on time is very minimal and easy to do while the rest of dinner bakes or grills.

We enjoy this with grilled corn, portobellos, veggies burgers and zucchini (grilled zukes are the BEST!). Get those grills going while you still can. Vegans and vegetarians can rock the grill, too!

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 beets, rinsed and ends trimmed
4 yellow potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-size pieces
4-5 carrots, scrubbed and cut into bite-size pieces

Preheat oven to 350. Individually wrap beets in foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 90 minutes. Let them cool while you prepare the potatoes and carrots. Place potatoes in a medium-sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes (don't overcook the pots...don't want them mushy) then add the carrots and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes (until the carrots are barely tender). Drain in colander when finished. Unwrap beets and remove the skin - it will easily fall off with barely a touch. Cut into bite-size pieces. Add all the veggies together in a serving bowl. Cover with below dressing. Serve immediately or chilled. Delicious either way.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons of sunflower or olive oil
2 tablespoons of vinegar (balsamic, apple cider or red wine)
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together with a fork and pour over veggies. I prefer to eyeball my measuring of dressing ingredients. I think it always turns out tastier and obviously unique each and every time.

OPTIONS:

Add a few handfuls of arugula or spinach, OR throw in some rinsed and roughly chopped beet greens to the end of the potatoes and carrots cooking time. Just barely blanche them in the hot water.