Ham & Potato Soup

Last Wednesday, in the middle of our gorgeous 80 degree week, we had a wet and cold day.  The weather came out of nowhere, although I am convinced the Lord, in His sovereignty, gave me this day because I had planned on making my ham & potato soup.  Well, He may not have given this weather just for me, but I praise Him for it just the same.  My parents came over just as we had finished our soup, and I witnessed my mom return to the pot again and again for another little taste.  She must have said "Oh, this is very good" at least 10 times, which, coming from a woman who's food is raved about up and down California (by those fortunate enough to have tried some) just made my heart smile.  I love that we share a love of cooking, and I love that my cooking skills don't embarrass her. =)

For those of you who are still entrenched in winter, here's a recipe worth making while the weather permits.  And please, if anyone else's mom drops by unexpected on the night you make this, you have to let me know if she too fills your home with Ooos and Awws. =)

Ingredients:

• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch squares
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 3/4 to 1 cup ham steak, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 TBS butter
• 5 TBS flour (I use sprouted spelt)
• 2 cups whole raw milk
• cheddar cheese, opt.  

Prepare your ingredients.  This is probably as time-consuming as cooking the soup, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time.  This is a great recipe to let your kids help you with~ I gave my 6 year old a butter knife and he diced my ham, carrots and celery.

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute your onion in the olive oil, about 3-4 minutes.  Add in the carrots, celery and ham and cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the ham starts to slightly brown.

 Next, add in the wine and deglaze your pan, then incorporate the potatoes, cooking another 5 minutes or so.  If you'ld like, after the onions are sauted you could add in the other ingredients at once and cook for a few minutes, or even wait and add it all with the chicken broth.  I add in stages to bring out the flavor in each ingredient separately.  

 Add in your chicken broth, sea salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan melt butter on med-high heat.  Whisk in flour to make a rue~ make sure to whisk quickly and until there you have a smooth paste. 

Slowly pour the milk into the rue, whisking continuously.  After incorporated, cook on med-high heat for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened, then add it to the soup and stir well.  For a chunkier soup, take a potato-masher and mash soup several times.  For a creamier version use a immersion blender.

Top with some shredded cheddar cheese and pair it with a slice of spelt buttermilk bread, and enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Read more...

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Even though it is spring time, even in California we have had cool enough weather to extend soup season.  This makes me happy.  :)  I love soup, and this is one of my favorites!  Comforting, creamy, flavorful and nourishing.  I hope you enjoy it! 

* 4 cups free range chicken broth

* 2 cups water

* 2 cups leftover free range chicken meat, shredded

* 1 cup cooked wild rice

* 1 TBS all purpose seasoning of choice.  (I prefer the one from US Wellness Meats)

* 1/2 teaspoon celtic grey sea salt

* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 3/4 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

* 1/2 cup butter

* 2 cups heavy cream (I use whole raw milk)

* Vegetables of choice (optional)

Combine broth, water and chicken in a large stock pot.  If you do not have leftover chicken, start raw chicken in the broth and water and simmer all afternoon until falling apart.  Shred chicken and add vegetables.  Cook until veggies are tender.  Add rice and simmer until heated through. (Add water as needed to replace what evaporates.)

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in  seasoning of choice until bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.

Stir cream mixture into broth mixture. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.   Enjoy!

This post is part of Pennywise Platter at the Nourishing Gourmet.

Read more...

Oh For the Love of Chicken Pot Pie

Need a way for your kiddos to eat a ton of veggies?  Throw them in this pot pie!  This recipe was adapted from one on Allrecipes.com but of course I've changed things up a bit.  TIP: use a deep dish pie plate if you have one.  I currently do not have one (gave mine away- why would I do that?) so I just use my normal pie plate which works fine, just be sure to set the pie plate on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow.  There is a little bit of prep to this i.e. making the pie crusts, chopping veggies, but nothing too extensive.  The results are well worth it~ is there anything better than nourishing with a comfort food? ;)  Without further ado...

Ingredients:

• Pie Crust from Cheeseslave (this is AMAZING! I use sprouted spelt)
• 1 lb. Free-range organic chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 1/2 cups organic veggies, sliced
• 1/3 cup onion
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup flour (again, I use spelt)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 1/2 cups organic Free-range chicken broth
• 1 cup raw whole milk

Directions:

1. Make your pie crusts in advance and refridgerate for at least 30 minutes.  Remove one, roll it out and place it in a pie pan.  Roll out the top crust and set aside.  There is no need to prebake the pie shell.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. In a saucepan, combine chicken, veggies and broth.  Cover and boil for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain~ save the broth, and set aside.
4. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions in butter until they are soft, about 3 minutes.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Slowly stir in the saved chicken broth, and milk.  Simmer over medium heat until thick.  This should take almost exactly 5 minutes.
5. Place the chicken and veggies on bottom pie crust.  Pour the hot broth mixture over the chicken and veggies and cover with top crust, sealing edges.  Cut away excess dough and make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 Enjoy!

The post is part of Real Food Wednesday

Read more...

Meal Plan Monday~ Mixing Traditional & Simple Recipes

I am so blessed to have a great cook for a mother.  She was born in Italy and migrated to the US when she was thirteen, but not before she mastered some serious skill in the kitchen, taught to her by her mother and grandmothers, one of which had a dirt floor and only an open fire in the middle of her kitchen to cook on.  I love watching mom cook, but to record one of her recipes is almost impossible~ she doesn't measure anything!  She grabs handfuls of flour without touching a measuring cup and she shakes salt in until it "looks about right".  I have been able, though, to scribble down instructions for two of my favorite meals that she makes~ her meat sauce and her meatball recipe.  They are both amazing. 

The problem I run into is the traditional recipes like these always take so much time in the kitchen.  With 3 little boys to look after and a home to keep tidy, it's hard to find time for them, especially when I don't plan.  I have been working on mixing my favorite traditional recipes, or even new recipes that require more then 30 minutes of prep/cook time, with my simple recipes, i.e. grilled chicken, buttered pasta, etc.  I carefully look over my family's weekly schedule as I plan my menu to see what afternoons/evenings are lighter and will therefore allow me more time in the kitchen.  The planning is well worth it.  There are not quite as many "oohs" and "aahs" coming from the dinner table when I serve buttered pasta as there are when spaghetti sauce is served.  So don't shy away from the more involved meals, especially if you love to cook (as I do) but have busy families~ a little planning goes a long way. 

Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Monday: Grilled Chicken, asparagus, grape bunches
• Tuesday: "Nonna Emma's" Meatballs
• Wednesday: Creamy Pasta w/roasted spring veggies
• Thursday: Baked Chicken Strips w/ Balsamic dipping sauce, mashed potatoes, salad
• Friday: Spaghetti sauce, salad, spelt-buttermilk bread
• Saturday: Leftovers Night
• Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner: Egg scramble, toast, sliced apples

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie

Read more...

Rustic Apple Tart

Anne and I (and our families) love apple pie!  It was funny, because we actually talked about our apple pie recipes, (we each had a special recipe that we made a lot and loved) and one day I made the pie for a get-together and we realized that we had the same recipe. :)  This was way before we started to use real food, and I knew that we needed to adapt our favorite recipe to suit our new way of life.  Here is my outcome.  :)

I started with the pie crust from Cheeseslave.  I used sprouted flour, it was good (actually great!) just not quite right for a sweet pie.  I would recommend using this recipe with unbleached white flour as Ann Marie did, or else using the sprouted flour for a savory dish, like a pot pie or quiche. 

Next, the apples.  Peel, cut and core enough apples to fill your desired dish.  I used a tart pan, although I usually use a pie plate.  I think I used 5 apples.  Now, the kind of apple you use is just a preference thing.  I definitely prefer tart apples for pies, like granny smiths.  Anne would argue that sweet apples (like galas or fujis) are the way to go.  It is up to you. 

The first thing you want to do is mix your crust according to the directions. Roll out on a floured surface and form to your plate.  I par-baked mine for about 5 minutes at 425.

Notice the chunks of butter and lard, these are essential for a flaky crust.  I had never done it this way  before, but decided that is was worth the effort!

The next step is to fill your pie with the apples, and form the lattice top of your pie.  This dough made with sprouted flour was a little more difficult to work with, but doable. 

Now for the sweet stuff.  You will need 1/2 cup of butter, 3 TBS flour, 1/4 cup water, 1 cup of sucanat and 1 TBS honey.  Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water and sucanat and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

                                   

Next, pour over the top of your pie slowly, letting it fill the pie evenly. 

Bake your pie at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 for another 35 to 45 minutes.  Let stand until it reaches room temperature.

Enjoy!

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Read more...

Abundant Harvest Organics

If you live in Central or Southern California and don't know of and/or don't use Abundant Harvest, I have to tell you what you're missing! On their website Abundant Harvest describes themselves as "an alliance of small family farmers in Central California dedicated to growing superior organic produce and getting it to you in the simpliest manner possible...". Everything is grown locally and they only deliver locally~ which means that all the produce you receive is as fresh as possible. Deliveries in my area are on saturdays and everything we receive was still in the ground the Thursday prior. Two days old! Can you imagine going to the grocery store and picking up fresh and ripe produce that wasn't harvested 5 weeks prior and shot with any number of chemicals? This is what Abundant Harvest offers.

Their prices are so reasonable as well. For a small box (which provides just the right amount for my husband, myself, and our 3 small boys) the price is $19.80 a week. There is also a large box available which runs $33.80 per week. In today's small box we were given: potatoes, clip top carrots, oak leaf lettuce, asparagus, vidalia onions, grapefruit, naval oranges, and mandarin oranges. Those receiving a large box were also given: artichokes, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes. I love getting our box Saturday mornings~ it's like a little present waiting for me. The variety has also forced us to try new veggies. For instance, I had never cooked with a beet or a parsnip (I had to google parsnip for a picture of it so I could identify it that week). But I soon found a recipe for roasted beets, sweet potatoes and onions that is out of this world, and I learned that parsnips are amazing to add into mashed potatoes. There's also a little newsletter in each box that gives pointers on how to store and cook specific items from that week. (click here to see if Abundant Harvest delivers to your area)

And that's not all Abundant Harvest offers. Along with the produce there is a long list of "add-ons" that can be added on to your weekly box. The add-ons range from raw milk to grass-fed beef and free range organic chickens to coffee and composts. Here is an example of their weekly add-ons. We have been buying our raw milk from Organic Pastures through Abundant Harvest and are now adding on all of our boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pastured eggs. It's wonderful to be able to support all of these local farms!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet and Food Renegade

Read more...

Raw Milk Yogurt

I decided a while back to start making all of my yogurt at home. I reasoned that I could make yogurt with better ingredients (raw milk) and could also save a little money. We go through a lot of yogurt at our house! So, I had a yogurt maker all picked out when I stumbled across this post about making yogurt in your slow cooker. I was so excited to try it, and let me tell you, it is just as easy and wonderful as she says that it is! I am thrilled with the results, and am equally thrilled that I don't have to buy another kitchen gadget! So, here's what you do:

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of raw milk in your slow cooker and let cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

2. Turn off slow cooker and let sit, covered for 3 hours.

3. Whisk in 1/2 cup of prepared yogurt, (to be used as a starter) cover and wrap the whole slow cooker in a big towel. Let it sit this way for 8 hours.

4. That's it! Wasn't that easy? :)

I started mine around 4pm, and by the time I whisked in the starter yogurt and wrapped it up, it was time for bed. It sat out all night and went in to the refrigerator first thing in the morning. The flavor is very mild, not as tangy as I like, but I'm going to experiment with other starters and see what I can come up with. It is also pretty thin, but she states in the original post that you can strain it with cheesecloth if you like it more thick. The best part about that is that the liquid can be saved for soaking! We like it thin, the kids LOVED it and ate it without any sweetener at all. It was wonderful and we will definitely be making it from now on.

This is what it looked like right before I added the starter yogurt in. I love all of that bright yellow fat!

The finished product.

This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet.

Read more...

Real Chicken Parmesan

Being a fairly new Real Food enthusiast I am pleasently surpised when I can continue preparing my staple recipes simply by rotating out the bad ingredients and exchanging them for the healthier, more nourishing alternatives.  Even just substituting my Target-brand diced tomatoes (I know, I know) with an organic variety from Trader Joes gives me thrills =).  This chicken parmesan recipe is modified to incorporate good fats, sprouted grains and organic vegetables.  The taste is modified too~ it has so much more flavor! Enjoy feeding your families this wonderful, Real meal: 

• 4 free-range, organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)
• 1/2 cup sprouted spelt flour
• 2 pastured eggs
• 1 Tbs water
• 1 cup organic bread crumbs (or make your own!)
• 2 Tbs celtic grey sea salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
• freshly grated parmesan
• 6 Tbs olive oil
• 16 oz. cooked organic sprouted grain spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 450°.  Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thick.  Place the flour in a shallow bowl and season with 1 Tbs salt and 1 tsp pepper; mix together with a fork.  In a wide bowl combine the eggs and water and beat until frothy; lay bowl next to the flour.  Place the bread crumbs on a wide plate, season with remaining salt and pepper and place next to eggs (you should have a little assembly line of ingredients).

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stainless-steel skillet.  Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in flour, dip in the egg wash to coat completely (letting excess drip off), then dredge in the bread crumbs.  When the oil is hot add the chicken and cook for 4 minutres on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle marinara sauce over the chicken and top with both cheeses.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.  Serve hot over the spaghetti.

For the marinara sauce:

• 28 oz. organic diced (or stewed) tomatoes 
• 6 oz. organic tomato paste
• 4 Tbl fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh oregano
• 1 tsp celtic grey sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 6 Tbl olive oil
• 1/3 cup finely diced organic onion
• 3-4 organic garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine

In a food processor, blend until smooth: tomatoes, paste, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a large, stainless steel skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat; saute the onion and garlic.  Add in the tomato mixture and the wine.  Simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  This will yield roughly about 3 cups.

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop 

Read more...

Making Meat Go Further

When you eat right, you pay more. While meat is very nourishing (and delicious!) it can be difficult to afford free range pastured chicken, grass fed beef and wild caught fish at every meal. We decided that in order to incorporate this wonderful nourishing meat into our meals, we would cut back on the amount we ate. Now, instead of each of us eating half a chicken breast for dinner, I will often cook one half breast throw it in a stir fry or tacos or a salad. (My children still do not eat much meat, so this works for us!) One thing I love to do it pop some frozen chicken in the slow cooker with some salsa first thing in the morning, by that evening I have yummy flavorful shredded chicken to use in many different recipes. A little goes a long way, especially if you are using good fats in your side dishes to supplement your meal. It is possible to eat well, frugally... you just have to try a little harder! We think is is well worth the effort.





This post is a part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Read more...

Cuban Sea Bass

Wow, what a yummy dish this was! We were recently given the opportunity to buy (at wholesale price) wild-caught, sushi-grade fish. This excited my husband most of all as he grew up in Virginia Beach and loves seafood. This also makes him quite picky about the fish we buy which is why we are rarely able to get it. Anyway, we ordered about 7 lbs. of fresh albacore and sea bass and have been thoroughly enjoying the health (and taste!) benefits. Here is one of our favorite recipes~ Enjoy!

Ingredients:

*4 6-oz. Sea Bass fillets

*Olive Oil, for sauteing

*1.5 cups thinly sliced white onions (we prefer 2-3 shallot bulbs instead)

*4 garlic cloves, minced

*4 cups plum tomatoes, seeded

*1.5 cups white wine

*8 oz. sliced mushrooms

*1/8 cup capers, drained (more to taste)

*1/8 tsp cayenne (red pepper flakes can also be used)

*1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

*2 Tbs Butter

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in wine, mushrooms, capers and cayenne~ heat to a simmer. Place the sea bass into the sauce. Cover adn gently simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Transfer the sea bass to a serving plate and keep warm. Increase the heat of the sauce and add in the butter. Simmer until the sauce thickens then stir in the cilantro. Serve sauce over fish.

Pair this with brown basmati rice and lightly steamed asparagus, sprinkled with butter and sea salt.
DISCLAIMER: I would love to take credit for this wonderful meal, but all the praise goes to my husband who made it into the kitchen before I did. ;)

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Read more...

Fried Rice Perfected

I have always loved fried rice. It is probably my favorite food of all time. I used to love getting chinese as a kid, and would just get a huge plate of fried rice and nothing else. It is the ultimate comfort food, but as I've found lately, it is also very easy and versatile. It can also be very nourishing if you do it right. Lately, I've been making a big pot of rice a few times a week and chilling it. It is so easy to just throw some together if you have chilled rice already waiting for you. The kids even love it, so it is definitely a favorite around here. Here is my fried rice recipe:

*4 Cups cooked chilled rice
*4 Tbs fat
*4 Eggs
*Whatever veggies you have on hand

Start with your fat.  I usually chop up some bacon and fry it until done.  The fat leftover is perfect for frying, and the little bits of bacon are wonderful in your rice, although you can also use coconut oil, or even olive oil with good results.  After you have your fat ready to go, add your veggies.  Cook until tender.  When veggies are finished, add rice.  I probably cook it for about 5 minutes.  Just long enough to heat through and encorporate the fat all the way through the rice.  If you want to add eggs, just transfer your rice to a serving dish and scramble your eggs in your pan.  Add your eggs to your rice, and you are good to go! 

Yes, it is very simple. However, this is what I have come up with after years and years of tinkering. I think fried rice is the first thing I tried to learn how to make. I actually remember cooking it at my childhood house, and I don't think I did much cooking there at all. Yes, many years of trial and error...much trial, and many errors! But this is it, easy and so so good. I usually stick to the 1:1:1 ratio when making it. I just put 4 up there because that is the amount I make for our family for dinner. Here is the secret: cooled rice. I cannot stress this enough. Your rice must be cold, or it will turn into a big clumpy sticky gooey mess. Also, you must use a good fat. Do not use vegetable oil. Only good fats, our favorites are bacon fat, coconut oil or beef lard. I can't wait to try some duck fat... I am planning to try this the next time I cook duck. I bet it is out of this world! The veggies don't matter so much, whatever you love. I usually just do peas and carrots because it is the old standby and the kids love it. In this picture, I used leeks and kale. It was extremely yummy this way. Just use your imagination! Oh, and I almost forgot: Only flavor with tamari. That is fermented soy sauce, and the flavor is so much better than your average soy sauce... you will never go back! :) Enjoy!

This post is a part of Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Read more...

Simple Things

It really is the simple stuff in life that makes me happy. We got some wonderful fresh organic potatoes in our Abundant Harvest box, so I had to make mashed potatoes and it is just not right to make mashed potatoes without some sort of buttery vegetable. Why not carrots? We got some of those in our box too. It is not often that I am pleased with EVERY ingredient in my meal, and this is no exception... however, it is pretty close. Other than the Costco EVOO, this is a very nourishing meal. Free range, organic chicken, organic produce, pasture butter, raw milk, Celtic Grey Sea Salt... it doesn't get much better! The best part about all of these ingredients though, is the taste. When I started to research organic and whole foods, I assumed that I would be sacrificing flavor or quality. Not so! I have been pleasantly surprised with just how much more delicious foods are when they are in their natural state. We are so used to the SAD diet that we assume that it is optimal, I mean, why on earth would we be eating this way if not?? It is amazing to me that not only is it terrible for you, but it is just terrible in general. I could never go back to the way I was eating 2 years ago! Fresh, organic carrots caramelized in rich pasture butter sprinkled with fine ground Celtic Sea Salt... there is not another taste in this world to compare that to. Very simple, yet VERY satisfying!

Read more...