side

Carrot Ginger Soup

11/29/2016
Serves 12 bowls
Equipment
blender (immersion or regular)
vegetable peeler
Prep time
30m
Cook Time
30m

    

A fresh-flavored Fall classic that does double duty for Winter-into-Spring, wake up your senses and grab your immersion blender!  It’s time to make this soup!

***HERE’S A TIP:  Stir in about 1/2 to 1 full cup of heavy cream at the very end if you want to add a little creamy-yum to this already amazing dish***

Fresh Parsley Pesto

12/26/2016
Serves countless foodies
Equipment
food processor
Prep time
20m

This is the pesto referenced in the recipe for Vidalia onion soup, but I’m making it a stand-alone recipe because it is a stand-alone dish!  You can and should use this pesto in every way that you would use basil pesto: as a spread on toast or a sandwich, on pasta and pizza, melted onto a chicken breast, steak, or burger, and of course, as a flavor-packing punch to any bowl of soup!  My stepson loves to add it to an otherwise bland egg sandwich for breakfast.  I also use a big heaping spoonful of this pesto to mix into the ricotta layer of lasagna and right into my meatball mixture!  It has all of the things you want to add, already chopped and blended: parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese– this is an all purpose flavor saver!  It freezes well, too, so don’t be afraid of having too much.

By the way, this is also the recipe for basil pesto (just substitute basil for parsley) and kale pesto (substitute kale for parsley and hazelnuts for pine nuts) too.  Pesto is pesto, my friends.  Make it how you like it: love garlic?  Add more.  Don’t like it cheesy?  Add less.  Want it thinner?  Add more oil.  You get the idea.

Lentil Salad

11/07/2016
Serves 8 quarts
Prep time
40m
Cook Time
20m

img_2780

I like to make as much of this salad as I can at one time (this recipe fills my biggest mixing bowl and is just about all the chopping/dicing I can handle in one day) and store it in quart sized containers in my second fridge… then I bring up one quart at a time, and we eat it every day… for lunch, under grilled chicken or steak for dinner, or as a side dish when you are tired of leafy greens. Of course, volume is always up to you. You could do one pound of lentils and scale down the veggies to taste. I’ve found that if I’m going to do all that chopping, I might as well scale up and be stocked up for a long time— this salad will keep for weeks in the fridge! And if you have a household or two to feed, you can’t beat this dish for a fast, nutrient-rich, guilt free go-to snack or meal. It is so fresh tasting and crunchy with all of the raw veggies, the parsley and the lemon juice, and is densely packed with protein and vitamins, fiber and all things good. The crumbled goat cheese should not be overlooked. Its tang and creaminess adds the magic to this salad. Once you top with goat cheese, you can’t go without.

 

Tuesday Night Risotto

12/06/2016
Serves 8 servings
Prep time
5m
Cook Time
25m

This is Tuesday night comfort food.  Put on the Skynrd, loosen up your stirring elbow and pour yourself a nice deep glass of whatever white wine you’re using… we like to raise a glass to “Tuesday’s Gone” before we dig into this brightly flavored, creamy, tangy, heartfelt dish.

img_0020