"Cream" of Broccoli Soup

During the winter, I miss the fresh veggies of summer, but broccoli is such a great main-stay through the colder months.  This is about as easy as they come for a quick soup.

Ingredients:

4 cups broccoli florets, steamed until soft

1/2 sweet onion, chopped and carmelized, about 1/2 cup (optional)

2-3 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh thyme is good, too.

Method:

Steam the broccoli til soft.

(If you decide to use thyme, or another herb, you can steam it with the broccoli.)

Add it to a 6 quart pan.

Add chicken broth.

Mash the broccoli down into the broth, then use a stick blender or Magic Bullet to blend it up.

Add the coconut milk and blend again.

Heat until just serving temperature.

Season and serve.

Another option is the addition of steamed greens.  Just add them to the broccoli in either the pot or the Magic Bullet and proceed.

Pumpkin Soup

Fun recipe for Fall!

Ingredients:
1 small pie pumpkin, baked
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons honey
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
Crispy Pumpkin Seeds (At the very bottom of the post.)

Method:
Mash up the baked pumpkin in the bottom of a 6 quart pan.
Add the chicken broth, honey, curry and pumpkin pie spice.
Blend with a stick blender until smooth.
Heat till steaming, then add the coconut milk and blend again.
Heat again until serving temperature.  I don't like to heat the soup to boiling with the coconut milk in it.
Add salt to taste, garnish with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Baked Pumpkin

Easy-Peasy!  I wish I'd known of this method years ago.  I wouldn't have been intimidated by using up the lovely pumpkins we grew!

To bake the pumpkin, cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and threads, and place it cut side down in a baking pan.
Add about 3/4 of an inch of water.
Bake at 350* until a knife pierces the skin and flesh easily.
It takes about 1 1/2 hours in my oven.
Parts of the skin may be blackening.  No worries, if the flesh gets a little dark, I just scrape that part off before using.
After cooling, scoop out the flesh for whatever recipe you're using.

Lacto-Fermented Apples

Another great recipe for the bounty of summer's and fall's harvest!

Ingredients:
3+ cups peeled, cored and cubed apples
1 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons whey
Filtered water

Method:
Fill a quart jar with the apples, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them and the top of the jar.

Mix remaining ingredients, minus the water, and pour over the apples.
Add enough filtered water to cover the fruit, still keeping the level an inch below the top of the jar.

Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days.
Transfer to the fridge.

**Fermentation instructions say that these will keep for two months in the fridge.  I have had them keep for 6 months with no difficulty.  Just give them a sniff before eating.  If they smell bad, they are bad, and toss them out.  If they smell fruity-fizzy-sharpish, they're good to go.

Lacto-Fermented Peaches aka "Fizzy Peaches"

Turning summer's bounty into glorious sunny-tasting fermented fruit for the grey days of early winter is such a good idea!

Ingredients:
3+ cups peaches, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup whey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Filtered water

Method:
Fill a quart jar with the peaches, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them and the top of the jar.

Mix remaining ingredients, minus the water, and pour over the peaches.
Add enough filtered water to cover the fruit, still keeping the level an inch below the top of the jar.

Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 2 days.
Transfer to the fridge.

**Fermentation instructions say that these will keep for two months in the fridge.  I have had them keep for 6 months with no difficulty.  Just give them a sniff before eating.  If they smell bad, they are bad, and toss them out.  If they smell fruity-fizzy-sharpish, they're good to go.

***This recipe works with pears, also!

Homemade Vanilla

Easy, easy, easy!

Ingredients:
6 vanilla beans (I find them at Costco seasonally in the fall, or get them from Mountain Rose Herbs)
1 quart of 100 proof vodka*

Method:
Split the vanilla beans with a knife and open them.
Put them in a quart jar.
Pour the vodka over the beans.
Put the lid on and shake the jar.
Put the jar in the pantry or other dark place.
Shake the jar every couple of days.
Leave for about 6 weeks.

Voila!

*If you are gluten sensitive, look for potato vodka and use that instead.
Here is a link to a list of gluten-free vodkas.  Some are corn-based, so if you're grain sensitive, watch for that.  Potato and grape vodkas are available.

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Here is an easy treat for those of us who are dairy-free eaters.

Ingredients:

1 can organic full fat coconut milk (I use this)

1/2 15 oz. can organic pumpkin (or 1 cup of your own cooked pumpkin)

2 Tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon Homemade Vanilla

OR

1 teaspoon store-bought vanilla plus 1 Tablespoon vodka or gin to keep the ice cream from crystalizing.

Method:

Blend all ingredients in blender or Magic Bullet

Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.

I divide it into portions for storing in my freezer.  Way easier than trying to scoop some out of a frozen block!