Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Easy Creamy Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup

Another easy Instant Pot recipe, this is a spin-off of my Easy Creamy Carrot Tomato Soup. I had two leftover cooked sweet potatoes that I tossed in, skin and all. It thickened the soup nicely. I opted to flavor this with curry tonight, but you could use whatever seasonings you like.

I topped mine with steamed asparagus. The rest of the family dipped grilled cheese sourdough slices in it.

Easy Creamy Sweet Potato Cauliflower Soup















Ingredients:
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 medium head of cauliflower, rough chopped
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked
  • water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • approx 1 teaspoon cumin powder 
  • approx 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • approx 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 3 large carrots, diced
  • approx 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1 (15oz) can of light coconut milk
  • more salt and pepper to taste
  • stuff to garnish
Directions:
  • Set the Instant Pot to sauté. When hot, add coconut oil and onion. Cook, stirring frequently until translucent. Then add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add cauliflower, sweet potatoes, enough water to barely cover the veggies, salt and seasonings. Close lid and turn vent knob to "Sealing." Set on Manual for 15 minutes, at least 10 minutes Natural Pressure Release.
  • After 10 minutes of NPR, release the rest of the pressure and open the lid. Blitz with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the diced carrots and a cup of water, close lid, turn vent knob to "Sealing," and set on Manual for 5 minutes with at least 10 minutes NPR.
  • Stir in the coconut milk and peas, and add more salt as needed.
  • Ladle into bowls and add whatever garnishes you'd like.  Serve with crusty bread.
If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can simmer the soup, covered, on the stove top until the cauliflower is soft, about 25-30 minutes, adding the carrots in during the last 10 minutes.

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Baked Sole Stuffed with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Dried Cranberries

My family loves sole, but the kids will only eat it baked plain with a few dashes of salt. So that's what I made for them for dinner tonight. But for hubby and myself, I wanted something a tad fancier. So I decided to stuff ours. With whatever I had in the fridge and pantry. Spinach. Goat Cheese. And dried cranberries. And I sprinkled pepitas on top just for fun. It was so good!

Note: I thawed about a heaping 1/2 cup frozen spinach to get the 1/4-ish cup after squeezing out the excess water. Just eyeball it and don't worry if you have a little more or little less.

Baked Sole Stuffed with Spinach, Goat Cheese, and Dried Cranberries
Makes 2 rolls. Can be scaled up as necessary.


Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4-ish cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
  • 2 large sole fillets
  • 2 ounces soft goat cheese, at room temperature
  • 2 heaping teaspoons dried cranberries
  • salt and pepper
  • cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon raw pepitas
  • lemon wedges
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Heat oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and stir for 15 - 20 seconds until fragrant, then add the spinach and toss to coat. Set aside for a few minutes to cool.
  • While spinach is cooling, salt both sides of your fillets, and lay them out onto your prep area. 
  • In a bowl, combine the cooled spinach together with the cheese, cranberries, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the spinach mixture between the two fillets, and roll the fish. 
  • Place the rolled fillets seam-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until the fish is opaque and cooked through.
  • While the fish is cooking, toast the pepitas for a minute or two in the toaster oven or in a small dry pan over the stove.
  • When the fish is done, remove from oven and sprinkle with freshly-ground black pepper and the toasted pepitas.
  • Serve with lemon wedges.