Italian White Bean and Kale Soup

The perfect soup for the cooler weather – just like grandma used to make!

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 cups cooked Cannellini beans
• 2 cups dino kale (aka Tuscan, Lacinato, or black), chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 16 ounces fresh strawberries, washed and cored
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or non-margarine butter substitute
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking soda.
2. In a blender combine strawberries, add oil or butter substitute, lemon juice, and almond until thoroughly combined.
3. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry until thoroughly combined then fold the walnuts into the batter.
4. Pour the mixture into a  loaf pan. Bake at 325 until a golden brown crust forms on top and the batter passes the toothpick test, about 30 minutes.

Delicious Sweet Potatoes

The forecasted high temperature next week is not expected to exceed 95 degrees. That is right, Texas, it’s fall! To celebrate the season and Johnson’s Backyard Garden’s bumper crop of sweet potatoes we have created several delicious recipies perfect for a sub-100 day. Fresh sweet potatoes are denser, sweeter, and creamier than any other version I have ever had.  If you have the chance to use fresh local sweet potatoes you might find it hard to go back to anything at the supermarket.

But before we get to the recipes I would like to talk a little more about sweet potatoes.   Like all potatoes, sweet potatoes are native to the Americas where evidence of the tubers date back to 8000 BC. About 1,00 years ago sweet potatoes were introduced to Polynesia by South Pacific explorers and 500 years ago or so the first Europeans had their taste. Varieties of sweet potatoes are now popular in most tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and are an important source of nutrition for billions of people. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin B6, C, and, in the case of orange sweet potatoes, vitamin A. They are so packed in nutrients that they are on the front lines of battling malnutrition in parts of Africa. It should also be noted that while we use the terms interchangeably in the United States, yams and sweet potatoes are completely different plants. That said, the flavor and usages are very similar so please continue calling them whatever you want.

To start this season’s sweet potato feast we made a Sweet Potato Salad with black-eyed peas and a lemon dressing. Then I made a Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with mushrooms, peppers, and Walnut Gravy which is great for these “colder” days.  Then I experimented with some Sweet Potato Cookies which were simple and delicious. James whipped up a Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew which might have been the best of show. Finally, we made some Sweet Potato Barley Burgers which would do fantastically for a burnt (or golden brown) orange cookout.

Sweet Potato and Barley Burgers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup barley
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cook barley in the vegetable stock over medium heat until all of the water has absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. While the barley cooks, heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions, garlic, and hot pepper over medium heat until onions are translucent  about 2 minutes.
3. When the barley is cooked, combine barley, sauteed onions, sweet potatoes, parsley, and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Form patties and bake on a well greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

These simple little cookies pack a flavorful punch and really let good sweet potatoes shine.

Sweet Potato Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potato, cooked & mashed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white or turbinado sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

1. Mix sweet potatoes, sugar, oil, milk, and lemon juice together. Add  dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.
2. Drop teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  These cookies will be soft and chewy!

A good stock or broth makes a good soup, but if you don’t have time to make it fresh (and frankly most people almost never do) there are several other options.

In Peru we had easy access to Maggi brand vegetable bouillon cubes. They taste good and are vegan, but they contain a lot of ingredients that many people try to avoid, including  hydrogenated oil, MSG, and gluten.  They are also very high in sodium.  There are other brands of bouillon cubes with healthier ingredients, and since they will keep forever I would recommend keeping some vegetable broth cubes in your pantry. However, for daily use I prefer other stock/broth alternatives.

Boxed stocks do not typically get rave reviews, but there are some decent brands, and like bouillon cubes, they can keep at room temperature for a long time. I have found that mushroom based boxed stocks are usually a pretty good bet, but a good rule of thumb is to look for a brand that contains a high vegetable content and a very distant expiration date.

Demi-glace is a great step up from most boxed cubes stocks. These imitate a more traditional broth, which in the meat world would be made with bones and contain gelatin which gives the liquid a thicker consistency. More than Gourmet makes a gluten-free roasted vegetable demi-glace. It is also possible to make your own demi-glace and freeze it which is a good intermediate step between homemade stock and store-bought ready-to-use products. Traditional demi-glace is made by reducing broth into a thick and flavorful gelatin. Vegetarian home cooks can get the same effect by reducing vegetable stock and thickening it with tomato paste or a roux.

There is one product that I would recommend keeping in the fridge at home and using for all your non-homemade stock needs.  Better than Bouillon is a demi-glace-like paste that comes in several vegan, gluten-free, organic, low-sodium,  and/or kosher varieties, and all of the varieties I have tried so far taste wonderful! I have started to see it in more and more grocery stores, but if it is not available where you live you can also order it online from their website. The ingredients vary between types, and some have hydrogenated oil or gluten, but if you read the ingredients carefully you are destined to find a product that you love as much as I do.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with Walnut Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and boiled
• 1/8 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 pound sweet peppers, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon rice flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium-low heat until fragrant. Add garlic, mushrooms, peppers, and hot pepper flakes and continue sauteing until peppers soften, about 4 minutes.
2. Add parsley and black-eyed peas and combine with sauteed vegetables over medium-high heat. Add broth and rice flour stirring until thoroughly combined, then allow liquid to come to a simmer. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a deep casserole dish and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whisk potatoes with  soy milk, soy sauce, and ground sage until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread mashed sweet potatoes on top of the filling and place in an oven heated to 350 degrees. Bake until the filling simmers and the potatoes develop a slightly golden crust, about 30 minutes.
5. Let cool for about 10 minutes and consider serving with walnut gravy.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts, ground
• 1  cup vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Over medium-low heat, fry rice flour in olive oil, stirring constantly, until slightly golden, about 1 minute.
2. Add ground walnuts, vegetable stock, lemon juice, and pepper, and increase to high heat.
3. Bring liquid to a boil, whisking occasionally, then reduce heat to medium. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens, about 2 minutes.
4. Season with salt to taste.

Traditional Ají Verde uses green rocoto peppers which have a simple mild flavor but a heat level similar to a jalapeno.  This ají pairs green peppers with a variety of herbs and the resulting hot sauce adds an absolutely delicious and colorful punch to some of Peru’s rich and creamy entrees and starters.

• 

  Aji Verde

  Procedure1 pound seeded green peppers (try a blend of green bells and jalapenos)

• ½ cup parsley
• ¼ cup savory mint
• ¼ cup cilantro
• 2 spring onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 key limes, juiced
• Salt

1. Blend peppers, herbs, garlic, and oil in a blender or food processer. Add enough water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to encourage complete liquefaction.
2. Season with salt to taste.

This sauce is ubiquitous in Peruvian cuisine and is used in many recipes, both for flavor and color, and as a condiment. In Peru, dried and fresh ají amarillo chilies can be easily found in markets and shops throughout the country, and premade paste is also common. This recipe uses roasted orange bell peppers and fresh habanero, which are both more commonly available in North America and make an excellent flavorful substitute.

 Ingredients

• 1 pound (about 3 whole peppers) fresh orange bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 1 small habanero pepper, seeded and deveined
• 2 key limes, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Place bell peppers face down on a lightly greased baking sheet and broil on high (about 450°F) in the oven until the pepper skins are black and blistered, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully transfer the roasted peppers to an air tight container. Allow the peppers to rest for about 10 minutes then remove the skin from the peppers.
2. Transfer roasted and peeled bell peppers, habanero,  key lime juice, garlic, and olive oil to a high-speed blender and purée until smooth.  Salt to taste.