February Cupboard Soup

It is February and us locavores are longing for spring vegetables.

However, no need to despair! This soup uses ingredients stored over the winter that are still available at the farmers market and in our cupboards.

And it is very delicious!!

Roasted squash:

1 squash, diced*

A bit of oil, sea salt and pepper

 Soup:

1 tablespoon oil

2 leeks, chopped

2 small potatoes, diced

¼ of the roasted squash from above

1 teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme

Sea salt and white pepper, to taste

750 mL of vegetable broth

Garnishes (optional):

Toasted walnuts, chopped

Parsley, chopped

Instructions:

• Put the diced squash in a pan with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven at 350ºC until tender, about 30 minutes. Keep ¼  aside for the soup and refrigerate the rest for another recipe (see leek, squash and strong cheese omelette soon)
• Heat the oil in large pot. Sauté the leeks until tender, stirring frequently. Add the potato and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the rosemary and thyme and stir.
• Add the broth, bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the roasted squash and cook for 3 more minutes.
• Blend the mixture to smooth consistency, return to pot and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with toasted walnuts and parsley (optional). It is also good with fresh bread and roasted Brussels sprouts.
• Enjoy you February soup!

*I used a Spaghetti squash but any type will probably do

Green Monster Soup

This soup provides a great nutrient and energy kick for the cold and rainy winter days. Serve with fresh bread or crostini.

Ingredients:

1 T Extra virgin olive oil

2 leeks, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T fresh ginger root, minced

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups frozen peas

2 cups frozen brocoli

1 medium potato, diced

1 t dried thyme

1/4 t cayenne

Sea salt and white pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Plain yogourt

Fresh parsley, chopped

1- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute more.

2- Add vegetable broth, peas, brocoli, potato, thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until potato is tender.

3- Stir in lemon juice and purée in blender until smooth, in batches if necessary.

4- Serve with a spoonful of yogourt and a pinch of parsley.

Bon appétit!

Pear Clafoutis

This delicious recipe uses products that are usually available locally year round: farm-fresh eggs and pears. Enjoy for breakfast, brunch or for lunch!

Pear Clafoutis
Ingredients for approximately 8 people

• 2 small pears, washed, chopped in thin slices with skin on (locally grown)
• 1 tbsp butter (if salted, don’t put salt)
• 4 farm-fresh and free range eggs
• 200 mL milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• few drops of vanilla extract
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier/rum

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 210 C or 410 F.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in the eggs. Slowly ass milk, vanilla extract and alcohol. Add melted butter. The batter should be fairly liquid.
• Pour clafoutis batter into a large flat round pan greased with butter. Add the pears. Cook the cake at 210 C or 410 F for 10 minutes, then at 180 C or 355 F for 20 minutes or until the middle is cooked and the cake has risen. The cake should rise a fair bit when its cooking before slumping down when you pull it out of the oven.
• It’s time to feast!

*Other fruits can be used….apricots, prunes, blueberries or whatever is in season!

Winter Cabbage and Sprout salad

This winter salad is delicious with roasted meat, or with any other mild vegetarian dish. You should be able to find local cabbage and garlic at the farmers market or at your local grocery store.

½ cabbage or 1 small cabbage, shredded

1 cup mixed bean sprouts*

1 cup toasted walnuts

½ orange, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup rehydrated raisins**

1 branch of celery, finely chopped

Vinaigrette:

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon thyme

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix all salad ingredients in a large bowl, and mix the vinaigrette separately. Add the desired amount of vinaigrette to the salad.

Enjoy!

*Look for Eatmore Sprouts at your local grocery store. They are certified organic and are grown in Courtenay, B.C. You can also sprout your own beans, it’s easy and fun!

**To rehydrate the raisins, cover them with hot water for 5min, and drain.

Delicious Beet & Carrot Cake

A great way to enjoy autumn vegetables!

Ingredients:
2 cups raw carrots, grated (local and organic if possible)
1 cup raw beets, grated (local and organic if possible)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (look for local walnut, chestnut or hazelnuts)
3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar (or 1 cup LOCAL honey)
3 free-range eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp hot water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
Instructions:
– Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
– Butter an 8-inch round pan.
– In a bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract and water.
– In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients and fold them into first mixture.
– Add carrots, beets, and chopped nuts. Stir well.
– Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently add to batter.
– Pour batter into cake pan and bake about 50 minutes.
– Ice the cake with your favorite icing and enjoy!

Mushroom Crepes

Crepes
1 egg
½ cup milk
⅓ cup flour
pink of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
tsp butter

Mix egg and milk well. Add flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Preheat pan to med-high and melt butter. Pour one ladle full on pan and spread out evenly. Let cook. Flip and cook on other side. Remove from heat when golden brown. Set aside keep warm.

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
¾ cup mushroom of choice ( cremini recommended)
1 tsp thyme
3 tbsp of mayo
1 tsp white wine vinegar

On same pan pour olive oil and fry chopped onion till slightly translucent. Add mushrooms and thyme, sautee. Add mayo and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Put mushroom filling in crepe and roll. (optional: grate cheese of choice on top )
Serve warm!

Dandelion & Red bell-pepper Sauté

[aka hindibah eb'zayt - "dandelion"]

This recipe is courtesy of Suemiya, SFU Pocket Market Volunteer. 

INGREDIENTS

• one bunch of organic dandelion; approx 3 cups, chopped (stem and  leaf)
• one no-spray/organic red bell-pepper, diced
• one medium white onion, finely chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• a pinch of hot chili pepper powder
• juice of one freshly squeezed lemon
• 2 table spoons of oil [canola to keep it local...but olive oil is traditionally used]

DIRECTIONS

1. Thoroughly wash dandelion; chop, including stems, parboil*, and drain (squeeze water out if you must!) – set aside *The reason why we parboil the dandelion before adding to the skillet, is that it takes away some of the bitterness
2. Throw chopped onions into the oiled skillet/frying pan on medium-high heat, saute and stir when required until onions are golden to brown colour – not burnt!
3. After onions are done, reduce heat to medium and add dandelion & bell pepper for approx 10 minutes – stirring occasionally so veggies don’t stick to pan

Once dandelion has cooked through, add the salt/pepper/chili/ and lemon juice. You may slice another lemon and keep it on-hand if you feel the need to squirt a little more when served

This plate is to be served at room temperature, or even tastes good coming right out of the fridge!
It can also be enjoyed by eating it with a side of pita bread.
Tip: for a little protein, throw in a handful of black eyed peas (precooked).

Swiss Chard & Tahini

 Another fantastic recipe from Suemiya, SFU Pocket Farmers Market Volunteer!

• Swiss chard stems, veins – boiled, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup sesame paste
• 1⁄4 cup plain yogurt (optional, as it makes for a lighter-creamier taste – otherwise substitute with water)
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• enough water to give the tahini mix a saucy-loose consistency - not pasty, otherwise it’s too thick
• 2-3 cloves garlic mashed
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp chopped parsley, for garnish

Mix sesame paste with garlic, yogurt/water and lemon juice, adding salt to taste – then mix in Swiss chard and garnish with parsley; Serve cold with other appetizers.
[keeping mixing the tahini with the water/lemon juice/yoghurt until smooth and creamy/saucy...sometimes it takes the extra mixing to turn out well]

btw - if using red chard – the tahini mix will go pink! but it tastes so lovely that you won’t even care

Zesty Swiss Chard Rolls

Zesty Swiss Chard Rolls
[aka seluq eb'zayt - ''chard with oil'']

This recipe is from one of the SFU Pocket Market volunteers, Suemiya – obviously an excellent cook! Check out the market to get more of her recpes first hand!

- Serves two people, as a meal
INGREDIENTS

Rice mixture:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, pref jasmine…(rinsed with water or soak for 1/2 hour)
• 1 cup parsley, finely chopped (approx one small bunch)
• 2 med tomatoes, diced
• 2/3 cup green onion, finely chopped
• 1 small-medium carrot, peeled and shredded (optional – great for colour, and vitamins of course)
• salt, pepper, and all-spice/ bharat to taste[there are many variations of the 'all-spice', but I find one of the best is comprised of: nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, coriander - what is typically used is the: 'Syrian' all-spice]
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 bunches of chard, preferably white stemmed [wash thoroughly, remove stems, steam for literally 3-4 seconds, then set aside]
• 2 medium potatoes, 3-4 carrots – peeled and sliced (optional)
• one reasonably heavy dish [ceramic]

Broth mixture:

• fresh juice of 4-5 lemons [a little bit more if adding potatoes to bottom of pot - to taste]
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups water
• salt to taste
• a pinch more of the all-spice
• dried mint (optional)

DIRECTIONS

• prepare rice mixture, mix well and set aside
• for the chard, preferably white stemmed, as the red ones may make the rice turn a bit pink – which is fine, as it still tastes the same!
• Wash thoroughly, remove stems, steam for literally 3-4 seconds, then set leaves aside,
• but let stems boil on med-high for another 5-minutes, until soft – remove from heat, drain and place in cold water and drain again
• the stems can be used for a soup or another dish…see below
• cut away leaf portion from thick mid-vein, set aside with stems/stalks – each leaf can make approx 3 separate pieces to roll, if they are large
• prepare stove-top pot, put the potatoes and carrots at the bottom if you wish
• spoon approx 1 tbsp of rice mixture along the top part of your leaf portion, spread out and roll ‘like a cigar’!
• best way to know that the chard leaf is big enough, is that you’re able to roll the rice at least two times to three times;
• preferably this much, so that when the rice expands upon cooking that it doesn’t rip the chard leaf open
• line up and stack rolls in pot for as many as you make…
• IMPORTANT - as the water boils and bubbles, the rolls tend to float up to the top and may unravel all your hard work!
• So before it boils – even before you add the broth if you can, place a plate directly on top of the rolls [obviously not the best chinaware you have or any thin plates]
• I actually placed another ceramic bowl with water in it  on top of the plate, as my little plate was not heavy enough to keep the rolls from floating to the top
• plate can be removed after about 35-40 of cooking…
• …add the [premixed] broth and place pot on high heat, and bring to a boil – after it boils, bring heat down to medium and simmer for appox 45 min – or test a roll on the top to see if rice is cooked through…ALL DONE, enjoy! Optional to eat along side [whole-wheat] pita bread…like make a sandwich.

Also, if you’re super ambitious and just happen to have a jar of tahini  lying around [sesame paste used in 'hummous'] – then you can make this accompanying AWESOME dip with the remaining chard stems and veins…I just pour this stuff over rice, scoop it up with a piece of pita, or usually some folks eat it along side the rolls, as a dip perhaps?

Spicy Szechuan Eggplant

One of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver is Green Lettuce on Kingsway. They have a fantastic spicy eggplant dish, and although this one isn’t quite the same. Its still is fantastic!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds  eggplant
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons chili bean paste
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark rice vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow rice wine
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorn, or 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

Preparation:

1. Slice the eggplant into quarters lengthwise.
2. Mix stock, chili bean paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat oil to very hot in a wok. Stir fry the eggplant until the outside is golden and the insides soften (3-4min).
4. Add garlic, ginger, Szechuan peppercorns and stir fry until fragrant (30sec).
5. Pour in the stock mixture and mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes for the eggplant to absorb the sauce.
6. Remove from heat, and enjoy! Serve with rice or on its own.

Find this recipe originally on PlanetGreen.