This is What Happens When You Have Children

Marie,

My brain is mush. After having two children my logical mind seems to have left me. I used to have a nearly photographic memory. I never needed to write anything down. I kept my schedule in my head. I always remembered people names.

And I keep thinking I've still got it.

But the reality is that I don't. All this to say that when I interrupted our Butternut Squash series with the chicken chili recipe, I completely forgot how I made that third butternut squash recipe. You know, the Mexican-inspired one. So, we'll have to get to that another time when I experiment with those ingredients again. Darn! That was a good one too. But I just can't remember exactly how I did it.

So instead, I thought I'd share another easy soup recipe that I know by heart. I figure when it's fall going on winter you can't have enough soup recipes. This one is super easy too, it can be made really quickly with just a few ingredients. I love simple food like that--recipes that leave you to taste the food in its natural state. No need to doctor it all up with a bunch of spices and flavors. Anyhow, I'll quit rambling and get to the recipe...

Potato Leek Soup

3-4 leeks, washed and chopped

1.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin

4 tbsp butter or good olive oil (butter will taste richer)

1 box of vegetable broth

approximately 3 cups of water

salt & pepper

Saute leeks in butter for 1-2 minutes, add potatoes and let simmer for 1-2 minutes more with the lid on. Add veggie broth, water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to boil then turn heat down to simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are falling apart. Take pot off heat and use a potato masher or a large spoon to roughly mash the potatoes. Alternatively, you can blend the soup. Serve the soup with a splash of cream if you like.

Now that's a recipe I can remember! Hope you like it too.

Miss you,

N

Butternut Squash Part 1

Marie,

It's fall and that means we get to start eating yummy winter squash! Butternut squash is my favorite and can be added to just about anything, I think. I'm going to share with you my three favorite recipes in the next three posts. Here's the first one:

Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium to large butternut squash

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 box of veggie broth

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp yellow curry powder

salt to taste

Cut squash in half and place face down in a glass baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes on 400 (or until skin browns and bubbles). In the meantime, chop your onion and saute in olive oil in the bottom of your large soup pot (about 5 minutes). Set aside. When squash is cooked, peel off skin and discard. Chop squash into large chunks and add to pot. Add enough broth to cover squash (may need to add more later). Mix together. Add this mixture in batches to blender and blend until smooth. Place blended soup back into pot and add coconut milk, curry powder and salt. Add more broth or water if needed. Let simmer 20 minutes to meld flavors. Enjoy!

I'll be back soon with two more squash recipes plus a yummy Indian dish I made the other night!

Love you,

N

Red Lentil Stew

Marie,

Here is a really easy soup/stew recipe that is pretty quick to cook up. Of all of the lentils, red lentils cook the fastest and don't require any soaking beforehand. So we end up eating them a lot around here. I make many variations of this soup, but this version is one of the best, I think.

Ingredients:

3 cups red lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 red potatoes, chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp oregano

1-2 tsp salt

pepper

Add oil to large soup pot on medium high heat. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes until onions are translucent. Add lentils, broth, water and spices. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to simmer until lentils are fully cooked. Soup will be yellow and have a thick, creamy texture. You can add more water if it gets too thick. Garnish with plain whole milk yogurt and parsley if you like. Serve with rice and a green salad.

Enjoy!

Love,

N

Happy 30th + Yummy Enchiladas

This is the beginning of my 30th birthday present to my sister. I wanted to give her something special and something more substantial than your average sisterly birthday gift. Thirty is after all a big rite of passage and milestone into the true throes of adulthood in our culture. I thought and thought about what to get her, but nothing felt right. July 11th came and went, and I still had nothing. She was to be at my house on July 14th for a two week visit and I needed to have the perfect gift when she arrived. But the combination of being 8 months pregnant, having a two-year-old to wrangle and well, just not feeling all that creative left me empty handed.

So I made pie.

A cherry pie to be exact. That's what I do when all else fails--I make food. The sad part is, the pie was horrible. But it's the thought that counts, right?

To make myself and my sister feel better after eating such horrible pie, my husband and I took my sister out for birthday dinner and gave her one of those cheesy homemade coupons that said "good for a birthday shopping trip with your sister." Not exactly the heartfelt gift I wanted to give.

A few days passed, and I reminded her that we still needed to nip this birthday thing in the bud. So I just asked her point blank, "What do you want for your birthday? And don't say something lame. What do you really want?"

She thought for a few minutes and said, "I want you to write down your best recipes and give them to me. Also, I want to know how to eat healthy. I want to know what you do to make that happen for your family."

Now that's a gift I can give. A meaningful gift. A big, straight-from-the-heart gift. So happy 30th birthday, Marie! Here is the start of your year of good, healthy recipes with a bit of advice on food from yours truly. I love you and thank you for being honest enough to ask for something you really want for your birthday. I hope this collection of recipes helps you acquire a love for good, healthy wholesome food.

Now on to the first recipe:

Black Bean & Spinach Enchiladas (Chicken optional)

2 tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint mushrooms, chopped

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Muir Glen diced fire roasted tomatoes (to add a bit of spice get the kind with green chile's added)

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika and/or chili powder

2-3 big handfuls of prewashed baby spinach

enough canola oil to coat a skillet

10-12 corn tortillas

red enchilada sauce

1-2 cups shredded cheese

Heat 2 tbsp of canola oil on medium high heat in a large saute pan. Once the oil is heated, add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent. Add spices and stir. Add black beans and tomatoes and let this mixture heat through then add the mushrooms and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add spinach and turn off heat. Make sure to stir in the spinach thoroughly.

Coat the bottom of a small cast iron skillet with a bit of canola oil and set the heat to medium low. Once the pan is hot, heat a tortilla on each side so that it is pliable enough to roll without breaking. Set the tortilla in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish and spoon about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of enchilada filling into the tortilla. Roll and place in dish. See pictures below:

Once all 10-12 enchiladas are in the pan, pour enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until sauce is bubbling on the sides and tortillas are slightly browned.

You can add leftover store bought rotisserie chicken too! But it's good as a vegetarian dish as well. Also, the first picture of the enchiladas above is shown with goat cheese before baking. We made it this way last night for Aidan and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you love goat cheese or if you are trying to avoid cow's milk. Let me know how yours turns out!

xoxo

N