Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup

*I keep forgetting to take pictures until the food is gone! Sorry about that...I will get better!

Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 to 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (I used 1)
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth


In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over mediumhigh. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until beginning to brown around edges, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, chile, and broth. Bring to a boil; reduce to a rapid simmer, partially cover, and cook until sweet potatoes can be mashed easily with a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let soup cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot over low heat and season with salt and pepper. Top soup with sour cream and serve with tortilla wedges, if desired.


From Everyday Food, December 2009

~Lynn

Shrimp and Grits!

Some of South Carolina -- my experimentation that turned out delicious!

Grits:
4 cups water
1 cup grits
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
heaping spoon full of sour cream
butter
salt
pepper

Shrimp:
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 medium green pepper (sliced)
4-6 links Andouli sausage (chopped)
As much shrimp as you want! (peeled and devained)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cornmeal
1/2 cup milk (or butter milk)
2 tbs white wine
2 cups heavy cream
1 tbs red pepper flakes
1 tsp hot sauce
salt
pepper

Grits:
Bring water to a boil. Whisk in grits, butter, salt, and pepper. Cover and let simmer on low, stiring frequently, until grits are smooth and water is dissolved (about 20-30 minutes). Stir in sour cream and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp:
Mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Let shrimp soak in milk for a few minutes then coat with cornmeal mixture. Set aside. Heat large skillet over medium heat with a few tbs. of olive oil. When skillet is hot, cook sausage until heated through and slightly crispy on the edges. Remove sausage from pan set aside in a medium bowl. Add onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper and cook until tender. Remove from pan and set aside with the sausage. Add shrimp to skillet and cook till just slightly pink (about 2 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside with other cooked items. Add the white wine and using a sauce whisk deglaze the pan (about 5 minutes over medium heat). Whisk in the heavy cream, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce and cook until heated through. Stir in all the previously cooked ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Serve over the grits! Last time I cooked this delicious recipe we ate it with broiled asparagus and sweet potato biscuits on the side.

Enjoy! It is okay to really enjoy this one...

Rach

Pimento Cheese

Well... at least my rendition of it!

1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese (grated)
4 oz. cream cheese (cubed)
1 small shallot, about 1 tsp. (grated)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonaise (yes, even I have to admit mayo makes it more spreadable)
8 oz. pimintos (drained)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayanne pepper
few splashes hot sauce (habanero)
salt
pepper

Mix and Enjoy!!

Few Tips:
1) Buying blocks of cheese and grating it yourself vs. buying already grated cheese produces a smoother consistency
2) Add or take away the ingredients to your liking...
3) Start with less shallot and add as you taste and go -- if you put too much, there is no going back!

Much love my dear foodie friends! Rach

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

QUICK, EASY, AND DELICIOUS!!!

STEP 1: CUT UP YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIES. I CHOSE RED PEPPER, RED ONION, CARROTS, CUCUMBER, AND AVOCADO.STEP 2: COOK AND SHRED YOUR CHICKEN. (I DID MINE IN THE CROCKPOT, BECAUSE I BROUGHT IT WAY ON SALE AND IT WAS ON THE BONE. 4 HOURS ON HIGH FOR 3 HUGE FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS AND THE MEAT AND SKIN JUST FELL OFF...SO EASY).
MIX CHICKEN WITH MILD SWEET CHILI SAUCE (FOUND ON INTERNATIONAL FOOD ISLE) SALT AND PEPPER. STEP 3: ROLL VEGGIES AND CHICKEN IN LETTUCE LEAF (I HAD TO SETTLE FOR ICEBERG BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THE STORE HAD, BUT BOSTON LETTUCE WOULD BE MUCH BETTER I THINK.) STEP 4: ENJOY WITH YOUR FAVORITE GLASS OF WINE!

VERY INEXPENSIVE MEAL AND GREAT FOR ENTERTAINING WITH LARGE CROWDS!!

LOVE AND MISS YOU GIRLS.... KRISTEN

Prosciutto and Mushroom Quesadillas

Ingredients

olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper

20 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

1 T lemon juice

1/4 lb prosciutto, thinly sliced

Gruyere cheese, grated

6 cups baby arugula or spinach

4 pieces lavash bread or 10-inch flour tortillas

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add red onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with lemon juice. Wipe skillet clean.

3. Divide prosciutto, Gruyere cheese, mushroom mixture and arugula among bottom halves of lavash bread or tortillas; fold top half over filling to close.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook a quesadilla until cheese melts and lavash is crisp, 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.

*Recipe from Everyday Food Issue 70

-Sarah

Gluten Free...

Okay, so I have been trying (key word being trying) to go Gluten free for about a month now. This has been hard, mostly I get really hungry and the only the around has flour in it! Ahh... I'm still working it -- Priss convinced me and then the doctor ordered it. As a result, I have been cooking differently lately. My greatest success recent was this...

Edamame Salad (my very own recipe!)

1 bag frozen shelled edamame (thawed)
4 roma tomatoes (diced)
1 can corn (drained and rinsed)
1 red onion (chopped)
1 tbls olive oil
4 green onions chopped (may substitute basil or chives)
1 small bag sliced almonds
2 tsp lime juice
1 small container crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add red onion, edamame, salt and pepper and cook till tender. Add corn and lime juice and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool to your desired temperature. Add tomato, feta, and almonds - stirring till combined. Top with green onions. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. For those of you not going gluten free, this salad would go well with a side of cous couse also flavored with olive oil and lime juice.

Enjoy my latest creation!

Love, Rachel

Snowy Saturday

Well...it snowed!

This is a picture of our deck and the woods in the back of our home. I just love the look of un-touched snow...don't you? So, what do you do when you're snowed in? You turn on some music and cook!


For some odd reason, I was feeling French this morning, so I explored my French feelings and decided on crepes for breakfast!


Here's how I did it...

I whisked together 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 2 eggs.


Side note: I've started composting, so I tossed those pretty lil' egg shells right into my temporary composter that my mom gave me for Christmas. I let it fill up next to my sink and then when it's full, I dump it into my back yard composter. You can buy one like it here.


Ok - back to the recipe. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water. Then added 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of melted butter.


I heated my frying pan and poured about a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan making sure to tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coated the surface as evenly as possible.


Cooked the crepes for about 2 minutes until the bottom was lightly browned, flipped 'em over for just a sec and then folded 'em up on my plate. They were looking a little plain Jane so I made up my own recipe with some blueberries that I lying around to sweeten them up!


I heated 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water on the stove top and then added my blueberries. After cooking them a bit, they were perfect and ready to dress the top of the crepes.


I dusted a little powdered sugar on top to get my sugar fix in honor of the snow day. Of course, the meal wouldn't be complete without a glass of cold milk...


DElicious!!!

And I think that Julia Childs would have been proud of me...Bon Appetit!!


*Crepe Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Love,
Priscilla