creamy corn soup

Martha Stewart + 4 ingredient recipe = the impossible, right? Seriously, I didn't know such a thing existed. I'm trying it tonight. Unfortunately, I'll be using frozen corn...

Creamy Corn Soup

Capture the sweetness of fresh corn in this four-ingredient soup. Freeze portions for up to six months, and then heat them straight from the freezer.

Everyday Food, Volume 14 July/August 2004

• Prep Time20 minutes
• Total Time25 minutes
• YieldServes 8

Ingredients

16 ears yellow corn

• 4 tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• Tortilla chips (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional)
• Scallions sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Remove husks and silks from corn. Holding ears in a large bowl, slice off kernels (to yield about 10 cups). When slicing corn from cobs, work in a deep bowl to catch the kernels and any juices. In two batches, puree kernels and accumulated juices with a total of 2 cups water until chunky.

2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook pureed corn, butter, 4 cups water, and salt until butter is melted and soup is heated through, 5 minutes.

3. Serve hot, garnished with tortilla chips, lime wedges, and sliced scallions, as desired. Or let cool, then freeze in individual servings; reheat over medium-low (or in microwave).

   Photo and recipe via.

   
   

   For a fancier corn soup, this one looks delightful: via Bon Appetite.

Quinoa & Chickpeas

We had dinner at my brother and sister in-law's house last weekend and, as always, the food was not only delicious but healthy. They are a vegetarian family that cooks with almost all fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as a variety of whole grains, all of the time. And they do it really, really well. We had a fresh salad with beets and endive from Martha Stewart with my sister in-law's own quinoa creation:

Quinoa & Chickpeas

serves 3

One cup of quinoa and two cups water in pot.

Cook for about 15 minutes bringing to a simmer and then turning down the heat.

Add one can of chickpeas (drained) and one can of drained diced tomatoes (diced) with minced garlic OR cooked fresh tomatoes with minced garlic (1 clove) in a saucepan and drain a lot of juice before mixing with quinoa and chickpeas.

Add about half to three-fourths teaspoon of cumin or to taste and then salt and pepper to taste.

Add a sprinkling of coriander.

Add a little grated parmesan.

Dollop of sour cream on the side (optional, but I highly recommend it).

Thanks, Abigail! I can't wait to make this a weekly staple!

Grapenut Bread

This is a dense and hearty quick bread that comes together quick in a mixer. Makes great toast, especially with this honey butter.

I adapted this recipe from several I found online

Grapenut Bread

1 1/2 C grape nuts
3 C Lowfat Milk + 3 T vinegar to sour (or lemon juice)

Place the grapenuts and the milk in the bowl of the mixer and let them soak for 15 minutes or so.

With the mixer on, add the following:

2 eggs
1 C sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 C flaxseed meal (ground flax)
1/4 C bran or wheatgerm
5 C flour

Spoon the batter into greased bread pans. This will make two good sized loaves or one larger loaf and two or three mini loaves. You can wet your hands to pat it down in the pan. Let the bread rest for a few minutes while the oven preheats. Some recipes have you wait as long as an hour but I didn't want to do that.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, making sure larger loaves are truly cooked in the center. This is a dense bread that does not brown, but will sink as it cools if it's not fully baked. - If you don't have on hand or don't want to use the flax and bran, just substitute in one more cup of flour, for a total of 6 C flour. I calcluated the recipe as is at about 250 cals per serving and about 5 grams of fiber. It's also pretty lowfat since it uses no oil.

For the honey butter:

1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 C honey
1/4 C marshmallow cream

Blend together with a hand mixer.

Rosemary White Bean Soup

I haven't tried this yet, but doesn't it look tasty?!

I totally copied and pasted this from the Celebrations at Home website.

Let's all try this, shall we?

‘Tis the season for soup!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on a soup kick this winter and I’m still going strong. This rosemary white bean is one of my favorites and just had to share it with you. For those of you with allergies or looking for a healthy meal, this recipe is dairyfree and glutenfree. If you can eat gluten, I recommend a nice (warm) hearty loaf of bread for dunking. This is an easy and delicious dish to serve to guests or if you’re like me, make a batch or two and enjoy for that weeks lunch and/or dinner.

What’s your favorite soup?

Rosemary White Bean Soup {from Barefoot Contessa}

1 pound dried white cannellini beans

4 cups sliced yellow onion
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 large (6”) branch of fresh rosemary
2 quarts chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1 inch and leave them in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and Rinse. In a large stockpot over low‐medium heat, sauté the onions with olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 12‐15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes. Add white beans, rosemary, chicken stock and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 ‐ 40 minutes, until the beans are quite soft. Remove the rosemary branch and bay leaf. Using either a food processor or food mill, pulse until soup is pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat. Add salt + pepper to taste. Serve hot.
makes 6 servings.


Chocolate Dipped Marshmallow Hearts with Vanilla Bean

This is a great, versatile marshmallow recipe that has been successful for me many times. The only majorly important thing here is to not try to make it with a hand blender. It WILL burn up the motor. btdt.

You can cut these marshmallows into squares, or use cookie cutters. I used a 2" heart to make these valentine treats. The only change I make to the recipe is that I use vanilla bean instead of vanilla.



Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1 inch vanilla bean, scraped
1 cup cornstarch

Lightly spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray for 2" high pan of marshmallows. For 1" or thinner, you can try a larger pan. Sprinkle gelatin over a small bowl filled with 1/2 cup cold water; let stand to soften.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup, hot water, and salt. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, about 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly add sugar mixture. Add vanilla bean and continue beating for 10 minutes or until the mixture looks like marshmallow.

Transfer marshmallow mixture to prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Spray a piece of parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray and cover marshmallow. Let stand overnight.
Remove parchment paper and invert marshmallow onto work surface. Trim 1/4-inch from edges of marshmallow. Cut marshmallows using a knife or cookie cutters dipped in water. Pour cornstarch in a bowl; working in batches, gently add marshmallows and toss to coat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Shake off all excess cornstarch before dipping. I use Wilton candy melts because I like the taste and they are very easy to use as opposed to tempering chocolate. Use a skewer or your fingers to dip the marshmallows, shake off the excess chocolate, and swirl the chocolate on the top before it sets. Place on parchment covered baking sheet.

The source for this recipe is Mama Reiner's Marshmallows via Martha Stewart. There is a somewhat labor intensive (you make your own marshmallow cream in addition to the marshmallows) fudge recipe to dip them in if you want to go 100% homemade but I like the way the candy melts turn out.

White Wine Chicken & Potatoes

Last year my husband and I started the Valentine's Day tradition of enjoying a late-night romantic dinner at home after our little girl falls asleep. As soon as she's out we dress up, turn on something like Iron & Wine or Madeleine Peyroux, light the candles, and quietly dance around the kitchen as we put our feast together. We like it so much we even turned down a babysitter this year so we could keep the tradition alive. We have chicken with a white wine sauce, a recipe that my brilliant brother in-law created, with mashed potatoes, some type of bread, and a veggie like broiled asparagus on the side. You could call this meal traditional, French-American, "comfort food", but with a little more sophistication. The flavor is out of this world and the recipe is shockingly simple. There are a few times where you have to "eyeball" the measurements, but it's pretty hard to mess it up.

A special thank you to Leland for sharing this recipe with me and allowing me share it with you.

(I'll post pictures after our date tomorrow, but I wanted to post it beforehand in case you are looking for a new recipe to share with your significant other tomorrow evening.)

White Wine Chicken

From the memory of Leland Rowley

1. Brown both sides of two quality chicken breasts with butter in a heavy-bottomed pan (no non-stick) on high heat to lock in juices. Remove chicken.

2. Lower heat to medium-high.

3. Pour in chicken stock and white wine (the stuff for cooking). We just eyeball the measurements here, but roughly about two cups chicken stock to 3/4 cup white wine.

4. Put chicken back in and cover pan with foil, cooking on medium heat until cooked through. Don't flip the chicken in the pan - just cook on one side the entire time. Remove chicken (lightly cover to keep it warm for serving).

5. Pour in a little heavy whipping cream and cornstarch, or flour,(one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired thickness) in pan juices to make gravy.

I thought I'd include my favorite mashed potatoes recipe as well:

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Recipe by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa at Home

kosher salt

3 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the boiling water and bring the water back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, heat the whole milk and butter in a small saucepan, making sure it doesn't boil. Set aside until the potatoes are done.

As soon as the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander. Place a food mill fitted with a small disk or blade over a heatproof bowl. Pass the potatoes through the food mill, turning the handle back and forth. As soon as the potatoes are mashed, stir in the hot milk-and-butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and the pepper, or more to taste, and serve hot. To keep the potatoes warm, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water for up to 30 minutes. You can add a little extra hot milk to keep them creamy.

Broiled Asparagus

From...everybody knows this recipe so I don't need a source, right?

1. Preheat oven on broil. Lay trimmed asparagus spears on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

2. Broil for about 10 minutes, shaking pan or rotating spears once or twice. Remove when spears are lightly golden brown and tender.

3. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve.

Still trying to think of a dessert? Flourless Chocolate Cake is probably the answer you're looking for.

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

Jared and I are still baffled as to why these burritos are so incredible. We've made them three times in the last two weeks!

A few notes: I always use uncooked flour tortillas (so so so worth it), and I use taco seasoning, which is essentially the same thing as their seasoning mix. I also use whatever salsa happens to be in my fridge and I use baked chicken breast (bake in the oven at 425 in a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper covered in foil for about 30 minutes - remember my favorite trick: you can shred the chicken in about one minute with a hand blender!) rather than rotisserie chicken. One more thing, I serve it with corn tortilla chips on the side. Avocado, bell peppers, tomato, whatever could easily be thrown on top for some extra nutritional value.

You can find nutritional information here. Hope you like it as much as we do!

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

(photo via Cooking Light)

Total: 30 minutesYield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burrito)
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in shredded chicken and green onions.
2. Combine beans and salsa. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of burritos, and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and repeat procedure with the remaining 2 burritos.