Leek and Cauliflower Soup

After I made my delicious rosemary bread, I decided I needed some tasty soup to go with it. I had 2 leeks in the fridge and some cauliflower. I googled "leek and cauliflower soup" and came across this blog entry. It was simple and made use of ingredients that I already had!

Ingredients:

2 leeks, roughly chopped

1 onion, chopped

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets

some broccoli florets (however many you'd like!)

2 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a large saucepan.
2. Saute onions and leaks until onions are transparent.
3. Add in cauliflower, broccoli, and broth.
4. Bring to a boil and then simmer until veggies are cooked.
5. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

This was a simple and quick soup to make. I served it with my rosemary bread, and it was roomie-approved! I will be making this soup often in the future.

Rosemary Bread

I went in search of a yummy, savory bread recipe this evening after a snowy day. I perused a few different recipes and came across this one. It seemed simple enough! This is the halved version of the recipe, so it makes one loaf.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp margarine, softened

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water.
2. After sugar is dissolved, stir in yeast until yeast is bubbly.
3. Add salt, margarine, rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Stir well.
4. Add 1 cup of flour and mix until dough starts to form.
5. Add flour as needed until dough forms a nice ball.
6. Knead for 10-12 minutes and roll into a ball.
7. Oil a large bowl and place dough in center. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Punch dough down and roll into another ball.
10. Place dough on a cookie sheet, lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

This bread tasted delicious... Unfortunately, mine didn't rise! I think my yeast had gone bad. Otherwise, the bread was awesome.

Turnip and Bean Stew (I need a better name for this recipe!)

This recipe is a K-Iz original. I had been craving some fast food - either pad Thai or a footlong sub. and I was desperately trying to talk myself out of it (for financial and dietary reasons!). I got home and took a good look at what I had on hand. A half of a turnip, red onion, celery, carrots, garlic... Homemade veggie broth, canned tomatoes. Sounds like a delicious stew to me!! So off I went.

Ingredients:

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 turnip, cubed into 1cm pieces

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups broth (I used homemade veggie broth)

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Saute the celery, onions, carrots, and garlic on medium heat until onions are transparent.
2. Add the chick peas, black beans, and turnips. Stir well and let cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in the broth and tomatoes. Stir well.
4. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper.
5. Simmer for about an hour, or until turnips are tender.
6. Test for spice levels and re-season if necessary!

This was a delicious, fast, and easy meal for me to make, and it was so hearty that it curbed my craving for icky fast foods! It would have been good with any other combination of veggies, maybe some cauliflower would've been nice too.