Holiday Leftovers: Beef Broth Edition

This year for Thanksgiving I did not make a turkey.

Sacrilege I know, but a "roast" sounded so much easier to shove into my crockpot.  Double sacrilege for the non-oven usage maybe, but as a huge fan of hands-off cooking I knew searing a slab of meat, browning some veggies, and letting them meddle on their own for a whole day was the way to go.

As if that doesn't make turning my back on turkey like a good enough idea already, the use of the slow cooker actually came with a second perk: broth for days.

After taking the three pound dinner out of the pot I found myself with about 5 cups of beef broth that had been deeply seasoned with mushrooms, red wine, onions, garlic, and rosemary.

Looking at this abundance of soup base I found myself at a loss for what exactly to make until I got the "borscht, duh" tip from a guest.

Scanning the list of ingredients you might think that aside from the beets, this borscht is slightly atypical.

I wanted to have a lighter follow up to the heavy holiday din, so I took a pass on a second round of beef and kept the broth as the heaviest thing in the soup then went about vegging it up with lots of carrots, fennel, cabbage, and dill.

The results were an absolute hit and surprisingly, the addition of pinto beans, which I agonized over for an unreasonable amount of time, stole the show.  The soup is known for its classic sweet and sour flavor, and I thought the pintos absorbed just enough of this to blend into the soup but held onto their own earthiness too, lending a nice depth to each bowl.

Enjoy!

Root Soup

Ingredients

• 4 beets, peeled and chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small bulb of fennel, sliced
• 1/2 of a purple or green cabbage, sliced
• 3+ c beef stock
• 1+ c mushroom stock
• 1 c dill
• 1 c kale, chopped
• 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed well
• salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed

Garnish: Greek Yogurt, more dill


Combine:

1. Bring 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a shimmer in a big pot over medium heat.  Add the beats and saute for 5 minutes until well coated with oil and starting to steam.  Add in the onions and saute for another 5 minutes.  Add in the carrots, fennel, and cabbage; give the pot a big stir, then cover the pot with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes.
2. Pour the stock in the pot (adding more to cover the vegetables with at least one inch of liquid) and turn the heat up to high to bring until the liquid boils.  Keep the pot boiling for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to a simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Add the dill, kale, and pinto beans to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 more minutes until the beets are cooked through.
4. Spoon soup into a bowl, top with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh dill and enjoy!

Holiday Leftovers: Pumpkin Edition

After four days of eating my body weight's worth of mashed potatoes and dessert and washing it all down with my body weight's worth of beer, I realized I still have a leftover can of pumpkin sitting in my cabinet.

Being a firm supporter of pumpkin everything all the time, I was completely okay with this discovery and ready to embrace some puree.

Despite the enthusiasm I was not completely ready for another Thanksgiving-esque meal so I wanted to avoid the typical creamy, sweet, cinnamon soup that is usually associated with pumpkin - a bowl full of spice was the perfect way.

Here, the pumpkin is really used as a way to build up the soup base by creating a thick broth that has a natural creaminess without actually using cream.  Including the chorizo brings a lot of much needed spice and flavor into the picture - if you're vegetarian try opting for a vegetarian sausage alternative or substituting chickpeas and adding some red pepper and smoked sea salt to make up for the flavor.  On the other hand, if you are not down to hang with some spice, try substituting a sweet fennel sausage that will still give you a good flavor base without the heat.  And don't forget to add some heaping handfuls of greens to balance out the bowl before enjoying!

Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo and Spinach

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chorizo sausages*
• 2 t herbs of choice, like sage or basil
• 3 t spices of choice, like turmeric, smoked paprika, and cinnamon
• Salt, black pepper, red pepper
• 1 can squash or pumpkin
• 2 cans of water
• 2 large handfuls of spinach

Combine:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring in between to keep the onion from burning.  Push the onions to the edges of the pot then add in the chorizo.  Let the chorizo brown then give the pot a good stir.  Cook for 5 more minutes until the chorizo is evenly browned and onions are translucent yellow.
2. Add the spices and herbs to the pot and cook for one minute, stirring often until the onions and chorizo are well coated.  Stir in the can of pumpkin and two cans of water, turn the heat up to high until the pot boils.
3. Continue to boil for 5 minutes then simmer for 30, stirring periodically so the ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Stir in a few large handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Enjoy!

*If you use freshly made sausages, break open the casing and use just the meat for the recipe.  If you use pre-cooked sausages, slice them up before browning.

Shroom bowls

In the last few days multiple people have asked me about what good things I've been cooking lately, but instead of wowing the crowd with a description of something delicious I've only been able to respond with a feeling of deep sadness because lately, life has been quite a trip.

I'll save you all the sob story but after wading through a swamp of school work and crawling out from under the ever growing pile of work work only to be sucked into the media swirl of the election all while turning a whole year older, there hasn't been much time (read: energy) to spend in the kitchen.

But instead of spending time longingly dreaming about all of the recipes I wished I had made time to make lately, I dug deep and thought about all the meals I had been making lately - because it's never the complete truth when I say I haven't been up to anything.

So here I share with you the non-cooking list.

If you're also up to your eyes in to-do lists or just have some Post-Trump Depression, take notes and cook what you can:

1.  The best way to non-cook is to make one item that you can use multiple ways.  I'll roast sweet potatoes, fennel, or beets at the beginning of the week then use them to fancify meals throughout the week.  Of course tossing some into a salad is a given, but try roasted fennel on toast with persimmon or lox, or place roasted potatoes on a plate, top with an egg, and microwave for 1-3 minutes to enjoy in the morning.

2.  Easy soups.  You might think all soup is easy to make but that's a lie.  Some soup recipes are a lot of work because they have tons of ingredients with different cook times or require multiple prep methods (puree, roast, etc.) that really just turn out to be a nuisance... the list of traits goes on but I think you know what I mean: grab ingredients for simple lentil soups, chili, or anything made in a slow-cooker so you can enjoy your day and your dinner too!

3.  Lastly, we have the lazy salad in disguise as seen here.

For those of you who don't already know, I like to think of sautes as lazy salads in disguise.

If I took all these ingredients and ate them cold, I would be sad.  By taking all these ingredients and giving them a little saute I not only save myself the effort it takes to make a dijon vinaigrette, but also get to trick my brain into thinking it's eating some sort of masterpiece.

The taste buds ain't mad, so catch the recipe below to get non-cooking!

Mushroom Bowls

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c brown rice
• 1 T mustard seeds
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 2 c mushrooms, chopped (I used cremini)
• 1 t red pepper
• 1-2 t thyme or rosemary
• 4 c kale, chopped
• Salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Garnish: Gruyere, grated

Combine:

1. Cook the brown rice according to directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until the oil shimmers.  Then add in the mustard seeds and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another 2.
4. Add in 1 tablespoon of the vinegar to deglaze the pan, then push the onions to the edges and add the mushrooms.  Continue to cook these until the juices come out and they are starting to brown.  Add in the rest of the vinegar and give the pan a good stir.  Toss in the chickpeas, kale, and rice until well mixed.
5. Top with gruyere and enjoy!

Sick Soup

The day's assignment: a simple loop run at training pace; longer but not exceptionally fast.

Along with the regular group I set out for the run.

After each step, I found myself sliding my tongue over my teeth.  After each mile, I noticed.   After each half way mark, I questioned myself: your breathing is good, your muscle's are fine, are you hungry?

As each stride became a fight, I struggle to form the logic behind the excuse: my face hurts.

It was my first sinus infection and to me it made no sense, but hundreds of tooth-achey steps later I've developed a punch packed all natural team:  ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, ACV, and (of course) netti pot.

Oh, and soup, lots and lots of soup.

Like this one that helped me survive my first cold of the season.  A turmeric and ginger boosted base that will help raise your immune system while fighting inflammation, the warming cayenne in the broth will help melt your nose off your face, and the silken tofu will help keep you full while giving you an energy boost - so you can lace up your shoes a little tighter and keep striding!

Silk Soup with Ginger and Turmeric

Ingredients

• 3 c veggie broth
• 2 T grated ginger
• 2 t turmeric
• 3 cl garlic, minced
• 1/2 t cayenne powder
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 T rice vinegar
• 1 block silken tofu
• 2 servings rice noodles
• 2 c mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 c parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 c scallions
• 1-2 limes, juiced and zested

Combine

1. Bring the broth, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cayenne, and soy sauce to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Crumble the tofu into the pot and continue to boil for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for another 15 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, carrot, and rice noodles and boil for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the parsley, scallions, and lime.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Peaceful

Between working fifty hour weeks, sneaking in the gym when I can, and taking classes at night I have to admit I've been referring to snacks as "dinner" a lot more often lately.

I call it survival mode but we all know it.

That period when so many things eat up the hours of your week that you're left debating whether your lukewarm green smoothie is truly a better decision than a granola bar would have been while dreaming of a super amazing, knock your socks off, don't have to do anything for the rest of the day because it was such an accomplishment good meal.

The weekend arrives and you can make whatever you want.

Technically.

The truth is you've just survived the week.

You've probably slept until noon and you're still a little tired.

And while lazily writing your grocery list over a cup of 2PM coffee you're really just wishing you could swing breakfast for dinner one. more. time.

 

Luckily you can toss this together instead and enjoy it while patting yourself on the back for a dinner well done.

It's simple.

Okay, I know I say that about every meal I make, but honestly the hardest part about this dish is waiting for the rice to cook.  Which is the exact reason we do things like super carefully wash and chop our kale, and juice our lemon, and rinse our chickpeas, and do all of the dishes, and drink a beer while we wait for it to be done.

But once that rice is done you will have one mean set of ingredients to toss together and enjoy in a rare moment of peace.

When you're done you'll only have spent the time it took rice to cook making a real dinner, saving time to be spent on another enjoyment - the weekend!

Peace Bowls

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 1 c brown rice
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 pinch saffron, crushed
• 1/4 t coriander
• 1/2 - 1 t salt
• 2 c water
• Kale, washed, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Olive oil
• Chickpeas, rinsed
• Tahini

Combine

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat until it shimmers, then toss in the onions.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring here and there to break up the clumps and keep them from burning.  Add in the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
2. Add the rice, water, and spices and bring to a boil over high heat until the water is reduced and level with the rice.  Then turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and steam for another 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, wash and chop your kale and toss it with the lemon juice and a splash of olive oil.  Set this aside so the kale can soften while the rice cooks.
4. Add a spoonful of the rice and a spoonful of the kale to a plate with some chickpeas and drizzle with tahini.
5. Toss and enjoy!