Winter Cabbage & Potato Soup

Someone has to prepare for winter. It might as well be me. It's okay, I live in Alaska so I am allowed to discuss winter in October. It snowed a week ago, okay? But I love winter. Positively adore the icy air, the clean landscapes, and the lacy snowflakes, but more on that later.

This soup might be regarded as bit bizarre due to steaming the onion, celery, and garlic but I encourage you to think of the process like making a stock. It will be well worth the risk. While this soup is proletarian and simple, the ingredients boldly shine without being cluttered.  

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ”

— Margaret Mead

A luscious, blended vegetable soup with hearty chunks of potatoes and cabbage. Kissed with dill and coriander, and ready in a flash.

Almost all the produce I used came from my CSA box! Even these taters. I think they were labeled as Purple Viking. With a name like that, naturally, one would expect them to be purple throughout. You can imagine my chagrin when I cut them open. It's okay though, they were still delicious. 

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Winter Cabbage & Potato Soup

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-10-2014

A luscious, blended vegetable soup with hearty chunks of potatoes and cabbage. Kissed with dill and coriander, and ready in a flash.

Ingredients

• 3 (about 1 lb. total) medium potatoes, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, rough chopped
• 3 celery stalks, rough chopped
• 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp. vegan sugar
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. dried dill weed
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground coriander
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp. mustard powder
• 4 cups (about ½ small head) red cabbage, chopped

Instructions

Dice the potatoes and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, a dash of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use. Steam the onion, celery, and garlic in an electric steamer or on the stove, for about 15 minutes or until fork tender. Place the steamed vegetables in a blender. Add in the broth through and including the coriander. When the potatoes are done boiling, add about 1/3 to the blender as well. Blend on high, allowing steam to escape the top, for a few minutes until smooth and creamy. In a large soup pot, add the water, mustard powder, and cabbage. Wilt over medium-high heat, until the water has evaporated and the cabbage is tender. Pour in the blender contents and the remaining 2/3 of cooked potatoes. Stir well to combine. Serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 4

Dutch Word of The Day

Cabbage --> Kool (coal)

Good Deed of The Day

Educate yourself on the debate on "ethically-raised" meat in this intriguing article from Time. 

Herbed Acorn Squash Bisque

This soup is pure love. Love of squash. Love of Fall. Love of whatever you like.

I tend to favor acorn squash for smooth soups over butternut squash for a couple of reasons. One; butternuts always tries to kill me when I'm trying to crack them open and two; acorn squash has a more developed flavor when roasted compared to butternut. Did I mention that the little green guys are a lot easier to work with?

Poor little acorn squashes all forlorn and neglected in favor of trendy butternut or snazzy spaghetti squash. Not 'round these parts. This soup delicately showcases acorn squash in all it's glowing glory. Todd and I ate the entire pot in one night, that is how amazing this soup is. I plan to make it for thanksgiving too, which is a coveted recipe spot!

“I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”

— Mahatma Gandhi

A perfectly creamy, fall soup that’s incredibly delicious. It’s quite easy to prepare and mostly hands-off. I prefer my soups probably thicker than most, but this can be thinned easily with a bit of additional water.

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Herbed Acorn Squash Bisque

by Katie @ Produce On Parade October-6-2014

A perfectly creamy, fall soup that’s incredibly delicious. It’s quite easy to prepare and mostly hands-off. A delight for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squashes (about 3-4 lbs. total)
• 1 Tbsp. vegan butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• dash of kosher salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh sage, minced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 dried bay leaf
• dash of freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

Microwave both whole squashes on high for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then slice in half lengthwise. Preheat oven to 450 F and coat a baking sheet with a nonstick cooking spray. Scoop out the seeds from the squashes and discard. Place the four squash halves face-side down on the sheet and cover loosely with aluminium foil. Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, until very tender.Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium low. Add the diced onion and sauté until fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Add the fresh herbs and sauté for a few additional minutes. Now, add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil. Carefully scoop out the flesh from the cooked squash and allow to lightly boil for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and transfer the soup to a blender. Blend on high, allowing steam to escape the lid, until smooth. Add additional water as needed to thicken to desired consistency. Serve hot.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 3

Dutch Word of The Day

Soup --> Soep  (pronounced the same actually)

Good Deed of The Day

Doctors from Government General Hospital announced at a scientific conference in Vancouver, Canada that they have recently uncovered, "when meat or fish is cooked directly over fire, it gets covered with cancer-causing carcinogens, making it more dangerous than even smoking or consumption of alcohol, surgical gastroenterologist Dr S M Chandramohan said". Yikes! Just one more reason to steer clear of meat, yo. Read more here. Que "The More You Know" chime...

Cranberry & Mint Cream Scones

This weekend was magical. Scones were involved, for one. Lovingly made with lowbush cranberries handpicked here in the valley forest. Even the rain held off long enough for us to get outside for a delightful walk through the damp woods. Heavily scented with tart and pungent highbush cranberries and the unmistakable aroma of yellowing leaves. 

Autumn light is decidedly the most beautiful light of the entire year and is not to be squandered. I think my friend Nate really said it best. 

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”

— Nathaniel Hawthorne

We even encountered a sleepy bunny friend on the trail. Don't worry bunny, you're safe with us.

Regarding scone and muffin making, I only ever consult one source. America's Test Kitchen. Those folks know their stuff and scones are not to be trifled with. My recipe is veganized and adapted from their blueberry scone recipe.

I have a love/hate relationship with baking. Making these scones was no exception. Tortured with fits of frustration from holes in my dough...being a perfectionist can be burdensome when it comes to making pastries. However, even with a couple openings where tiny cranberries menacingly dared to escape, these scones turned out wonderfully. They're really quite easy and I wouldn't say they take more patience than any other scone recipe. 

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Cranberry & Mint Cream Scones

by Katie @ Produce on Parade September-15-2014

These flaky, mildly sweet, and deliciously creamy scones are filled with fresh mint and tart cranberries. NOTES: Feel free to use almost any berry in place of the cranberries. Larger berries will need to be cut and if they’re frozen instead of fresh be sure not to thaw them. Try to work with the dough as little as possible and keep all ingredients chilled thoroughly the process. America’s Test Kitchen consulted.

Ingredients

• 9 Tbsp. vegan butter (1 stick + 1 Tbsp. ), frozen
• ½ cup coconut or soy milk
• ½ cup vegan sour cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for working (10 oz.)
• ½ cup vegan sugar, plus additional for sprinkling (3 ½ oz.)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• ½ tsp. table salt
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• scant ¼ cup fresh mint, minced
• 1 ½ cup fresh cranberries (7 ½ oz.)

Instructions

Grate one stick of butter into a bowl and place in the freezer until ready to use.Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a small bowl and place in fridge until ready to use. In a large bowl whisk together the flour through and including the mint.Add the frozen, grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry mixture while stirring until just combined. Flour a work surface and hands. Knead the dough about 8 times, until it forms a ragged ball. You’ll need to keep adding flour to prevent sticking, as the dough is quite sticky. Roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Fold it like a business letter by bringing the bottom 1/3 up and folding the top 1/3 down over the bottom. Next, grab the left side and fold inwards, folding the right side over the left to form a perfect 4 inch square. Place on a plate and put in the freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 F. Melt the one tablespoon of butter in a small bowl in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds. Layer a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and roll into a 12 inch square again, keeping your work surface dusted in flour. Evenly scatter the berries among the square, pressing them into the dough gently. Now, tightly roll the dough away from you into a 12 inch long log. Gently flatten the top with the rolling pin, so it’s 4 inches high. Cut into 4 rectangles. Cut those in half diagonally. You should have 8 scone triangles. Transfer the dough triangles to the parchment paper lined baking sheet ensuring enough space between them for expansion. If they happen to be a bit wonky, reshape them as necessary. Coat with melted butter, then sprinkle well with sugar. Bake at 425 F for about 20 minutes until the tops are just barely golden. Cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes once done. Store in an airtight container.

Details

Prep time: 25 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 8 scones

I adore Bailey's spotted mouth! We rang in Autumn, officially, with this Alaskan pumpkin porter on our playful walk. 

German Word of The Day

Scones --> Teegebäck (tea-geh-beck)

Good Deed of The Day

Beyond Meat is offering a free pallet of their brand new Beast Burgers to burger joints that agree to offer them. You can ask your local or national burger chain to serve them by tweeting #beastme at them! Pretty cool huh? It'd be great to see more (or any) vegan burger options around!