Simple Supper Friday: Roasted Cauliflower Curry Soup
Happy Friday, everyone! I have a tasty soup recipe to share today that was inspired by my recent stay at the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa. Jesse and I ate my birthday dinner in the restaurant at the resort, and started off our meal with a cup of their soup special that evening, which was a curried cauliflower soup. The waitress sold us pretty quickly on it, especially once she told us it was both gluten and dairy-free (it was also vegan, but that was not a concern). The soup was even better than we expected and we both found ourselves scraping the bottom of our cup to get every last bit of puree.
Since we enjoyed the soup so much and it seemed pretty easy to make, I decided to create my own version. Mine is definitely different and even a different color, but it’s just as delicious, if not more (roasting the cauliflower adds a lot more flavor). I don’t think the restaurant version actually contained any curry powder or paste because the soup was completely white and very coconutty. I think it was called a curried soup just because of the coconut. If there were any curry spices added, it was definitely minimal, which the lack of color made obvious. As you know, curry powder adds an orange-ish color and the pastes are either yellow, red or green, so a white curry soup is nearly impossible.
Keep in mind, there is no protein added to the soup, so you’ll want to have something on the side for a complete meal. Otherwise, this isn’t going to fill you up very much. We ate ours with some local curry lamb sausage and dunked bites into the soup. It was awesome! A hearty salad with roasted chicken, beef or lamb mixed in would pair nicely as well.
Ingredients:
- 2 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1.5 tsp curry powder, plus more to taste, if desired
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus more if needed
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
- 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
- Dash of paprika
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee or butter
- Toasted unsweetened coconut chips for garnish, optional
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cauliflower on a large pan and drizzle with coconut oil. Then sprinkle on the curry powder and sea salt to taste. Roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, slowly heat coconut milk and broth in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the Thai red curry paste. Once dissolved, remove from heat and pour into a blender container.
- Once cauliflower is done, add half of it to the blender with the milk mixture. Puree until nearly smooth and then add the remaining cauliflower, along with the ghee or butter and paprika. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, and puree again.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (I added a dash more curry powder here) and add a bit more coconut milk if soup is thicker than you like. Once done, serve immediately or pour into a pot to keep warm on the stove or reheat slightly if it cooled off too much.
- Serve hot with toasted coconut chips and a side protein of choice. It’s also delicious with sliced toasted almonds on top.
Simple Supper Friday: Italian Sausage “Fettuccine”
Snow is coming down in Portland, or at least it was at the time I wrote this post on Thursday. I actually haven’t seen this much snow in the city since my first winter here, back in 2008. It’s beautiful, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t impact my early morning flight to Kentucky today. I have some buffer room to get there, as my seminar doesn’t start until Saturday morning, but the less hiccups, the better. Really though, I kinda wish the snow would have held off until next week, but it is what it is. The same can be said about this head cold that I got too. Quite the combo to get right before a weekend of travel, but I guess it makes it that much more of an adventure (well, minus the being sick part).
Meanwhile, enjoy this simple, satisfying meal, which was inspired by the cauliflower recipe I shared last week. Cheers and happy weekend!
Ingredients:
- ~1 lb bulk Italian chicken sausage
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter, separated
- 1 large or 2 small/medium zucchini, noodled with a spiralizer (straight blade attachment)
- 3 Tbsp blanched almond flour
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dessicated garlic
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling, optional
Directions:
- Melt 1/2 tbsp of grass-fed butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the chicken sausage. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up large chunks with a spatula.
- Once sausage is browned, after 5-7 minutes or so, transfer to a large serving bowl and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the noodled zucchini and heat briefly over medium-low heat. After a couple minutes, transfer to the bowl with the sausage.
- Combine the almond flour, oregano, dessicated garlic, sea salt and pepper in a small bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same pan over medium-low heat and then add the almond flour mixture.
- Stir mixture, allowing it to soak up the butter and continue to cook a few minutes, until golden brown.
- Sprinkle on top of the sausage and zucchini. Serve warm and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, if desired. Add more sea salt and pepper to taste, if needed. If you tolerate some dairy, you could also sprinkle on a bit of raw Parmesan cheese.
Yields: 2-3 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Curried Squash and Cabbage Pork Stew
Anyone else relieved that it’s Friday? Whew, I sure am. It’s been a tiring week with a little different change of pace. It was good though, but I’m ready for some downtime tomorrow and sleeping in (I was up around 5:30 a.m. every morning this week).
Anyway, It’s been a while since I’ve shared a curry recipe, so I figured it was about time again. Not only that, but I had a craving for it. This one is a stew, so it’s thicker and less creamy than some of the other regular curry recipes I’ve made, but it’s so, so delicious. It’s think it’s best eaten as is, but if you want to, you can eat it over spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice. Whatever floats your boat.
I had the hardest time photographing this dish because the neighbor’s cat, Meg would not leave me alone. She was up on the deck going crazy, and really wanted to get her paws on the stew. She also had a fire in her eyes and kept clawing the deck posts like a mad cat. I had to sneak back into the house fast, so she wouldn’t get through the door and wait for her to go away. Once I came in, she sat directly in front of the door, crying (see picture below). Our cat, Dutch actually saw her through the patio door and threw a fit, which ended up scaring her away. In the end, I was able to quickly get back outside and snap a few photos. Cats are so silly.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 large red onion, sliced into half moons
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb pork stew meat
- 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 large head green cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus a little more if needed or desired
- 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute a few minutes, until onion is softened. Remove from heat and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Then, add the butternut squash cubes.
- In the same pan you cooked the onion, add the stew meat and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Brown on all sides over medium heat, about 6-7 minutes total. Then, remove from heat and add to the slow cooker.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, curry powder, coconut aminos and paprika. Once smooth, add to the slow cooker and stir. Then, add the broth and stir again.
- Place the chopped cabbage on top and stir slightly. Don’t worry about getting all the cabbage mixed through though, as it will soften with cooking.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5. Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro, if desired.
Yields: ~3 servings
Simple Supper Friday: New Year’s Beef Stew
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2014 is treating you well so far and that you’re not too blue with the holiday season being over. I’m always a little sad when it’s said and done, but the fact that it only comes once a year is part of what makes it so special. The rest of my decorations and the tree will come down this weekend…sigh. Since New Year’s, I’ve gradually been taking things down, but saved the lights inside and tree for last. There’s a lot to look forward to this year though, and I’m excited for what’s in store and what I’ll create for myself.
Meanwhile, this stew came together on a whim on New Year’s Day, hence the name, New Year’s stew. I didn’t make any special trip to the store or anything like that, but just used what was in the fridge and cupboards. I threw everything together in my slow cooker and then Jesse and I went out for a nice walk in the sunny, 40-degree weather. After more than five years of living out here, I’m still not used to the weather being like this during the holidays and winter, but it is pretty nice. If I could have snow for Christmas though, I’d take it. There’s really nothing like a white Christmas.
Anyway, have a great weekend and enjoy the stew if you choose to make it. Also, if you want to follow along with me for the January Instagram challenge, check out my Instagram page here. You can also participate if you want, as it’s not too late. Cheers!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter, ghee or tallow
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb grass-fed beef stew meat
- 3 large carrots, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 2 small parsnips, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ~1/2 medium head green cabbage, chopped
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, preferably homemade
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
- Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the chopped carrots, parsnips, tomatoes to the slow cooker as well, atop of the onion mixture.
- Meanwhile, in the same pan over medium heat, add the stew meat. Brown a couple minutes on each side. Then, remove from heat and add to the slow cooker.
- Add the broth, vinegar, oregano, thyme, black pepper and cayenne; stir. Then, add the chopped cabbage atop of everything. Stir gently, if desired (not necessary though).
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. Stir well once done and serve.
Yields: ~3 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Red and Green Scramble
Well, Christmas is nearly upon us, as is the Winter Solstice. I absolutely savor this time of year and the time leading up to Christmas, so I’m not sure if I’m actually ready for it to be here. But, ready or not, here it comes! I do look forward to celebrating with Jesse though and tomorrow, we actually have a big party to go to at our boss’s house, which should be a blast. It’s going to be a full house, with about 40 people! Let’s just say there will be lots of merry making going on!
Meanwhile, here is the fantastic scramble I talked about on Facebook the other day. It’s so simple, obviously, and oh so good! The recipe only serves one, but can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn into smaller pieces
- 3 eggs beaten, preferably pasture raised
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp pure tomato sauce (I like this brand)
- Splash of full-fat coconut milk (I like this brand or this brand)
- Avocado slices for serving, optional
Directions:
- Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the torn spinach leaves and toss in the butter, until slightly softened.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sea salt, pepper, oregano, tomato sauce and coconut milk. Add to the pan with the spinach, adding a little more butter first, if needed.
- Continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring the eggs occasionally with a spatula to scramble the eggs. Once cooked through, remove from heat and serve with avocado slices, if desired. If you tolerate some dairy, grate some raw cheddar cheese one top (preferably grass-fed).
Yields: 1 serving
Simple Supper Friday: Leftover Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is one of Jesse’s favorite meals, so when I told him I was contemplating making it with some leftover Thanksgiving turkey, his eyes lit up. It has been a long time since I made shepherd’s pie and quite honestly, the last time was maybe even a year ago, when I shared my winter squash variation. I adore the winter squash version, but I think I like it even better with mashed cauliflower. Lately, I’ve been a little obsessed with buttery, mashed cauliflower anyway.
If you don’t have any leftover turkey on hand, don’t fret. It has been over a week now since Thanksgiving, so this is probably the case for many of you. Anyway, just use leftover roast chicken, a store-bought rotisserie chicken or even ground meat, which is what I normally use, actually. Make it work with what you have!
Meanwhile, it’s snowing here in Portland today. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it coming down in yoga early this morning. It’s not much, but it’s still pretty and enough to commence panic in the city. Portland doesn’t know how to handle the littlest bit of snow and being from Michigan, I think it’s pretty darn funny!
Happy weekend!
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 10 oz bag organic frozen broccoli florets
- 3/4 cup homemade bone broth
- 1/4 cup coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk (I used this)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 2.5 cups leftover turkey meat (I used a mix of white and dark)
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 Tbsp grass-fed butter
Directions:
- Place cauliflower florets in a steamer basket over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, with the lid on and tilted slightly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer florets for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and set aside once done.
- Meanwhile, melt ghee in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the broth, coconut cream or milk, oregano, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Stir well and then add the frozen broccoli.
- After a few minutes, once broccoli has softened a bit, add the leftover turkey. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
- Pour mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Then preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- While oven is preheating, place the cooked cauliflower in the food processor container with the butter. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides in the container as needed. Taste and add more butter, sea salt or pepper, if desired.
- Spread mashed cauliflower on top of the meat mixture evenly. By now, the oven is probably ready, so place the dish into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until top has some golden brown color.
- Let cool a bit before serving. Enjoy!
Yields: 4 servings
Simple Supper Friday: Leftovers
I have one thing to say about today’s Simple Supper Friday suggestion…leftovers! Leftovers are the best and easiest dinner of all. As a kid, I kind of despised leftovers and always turned up my nose when mom said that was what we were having, but now, they’re my saving grace.
Anyway, I kept my cooking basic this week, in preparation for the big Thanksgiving cook-off and feast. This is also where most of our grocery money was spent and now that Thanksgiving is over, we plan to eat leftovers for days. The sides will be finished quickly, but since we got a 13 lb bird for only two people, we’ll have lots of turkey to work with (yay!). I plan to make some recipes with the leftover meat, including a soup of some sort, but here are six suggestions and ideas in the meantime:
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo (make with turkey)
- Chicken Turkey ‘Noodle’ Soup
- Garlic Butter Noodles with Turkey & Broccoli (use leftover roast turkey instead of ground turkey)
- Cheater’s Chicken Pot Pie (make with turkey)
- Chicken Curry Egg Bake (make with turkey)
Simple Supper Friday: Fennel and Sausage Meat Sauce
This is a new sauce recipe that I whipped up the other day and is probably one of my favorite meat sauces yet. I’ve been toying with small bits of highly fermented, low lactose cheese (usually raw or grass-fed) in my diet and have learned that I can tolerate very small amounts on occasion and feel okay. This is fine for me right now, but does not mean it’s okay for you…remember that. With that said, I simmered some Parmesan rinds in this sauce to add another element of flavor, but the rinds can easily be left out. If you do tolerate small amounts of cheese, I encourage you to try using the rinds because it adds an amazing flavor. This is something I learned to do years ago from a chef at a fine Italian restaurant here in Portland. I was vegetarian then and he told me it was an easy way to add more flavor to sauces since I didn’t eat meat. He was right, but guess what? It’s even more flavorful when used in tandem with meat in sauces. No surprise there. So, anyway take the rinds or leave ‘em, but do what works for you.
Oh, and I leave for Honolulu in the morning and my seminar with Kelly Starrett is all day Sunday! Can’t wait!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tbsp grass-fed beef tallow
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 3/4 lb bulk spicy Italian pork sausage
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
- Up to 1 cup bone broth, if needed
- 1 or 2 Parmesan rinds, optional (can be found in cheese sections of some stores, like Whole Foods)
Directions:
- Melt tallow in a large saucepan over medium heat. Then, add the onion, garlic and fennel; stir. After a few minutes, add the pork sausage and ground beef, and break up the meat with a spatula.
- Continue to brown the meat, stirring occasionally. After about 7 minutes or so, when the meat is browned, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, sea salt and pepper and cayenne or red pepper flakes. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the Parmesan rind(s), if using.
- Continue to simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add splashes of bone broth during simmering time, if needed.
- Once done, remove Parmesan rinds and serve sauce atop of spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles or other vegetable of choice.
Yields: 4-5 servings
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
Classic No-Noodle Chicken Soup
As I mentioned recently on Facebook, I’ve been eating a lot of homemade chicken soup lately. I can’t seem to get enough of it and not only that, my body loves it. I think it’s by far my ultimate comfort food, especially on a cold fall or winter day (really, I’ll eat it pretty much anytime though). I’m also trying to give my immune system an extra boost right now since I am flying to Hawaii this Saturday. I especially don’t want to be sick in Hawaii because I’m going there for a seminar with Kelly Starrett and also because I want to enjoy myself!
Anyway, in all of my chicken soup eating lately, I realized that I didn’t have my classic go-to chicken soup recipe on my blog. I have a few other chicken soup variations posted from last fall, but not my standard recipe. Therefore, I decided it was necessary to share it with all of you. The recipe is easy, but does take some time to prepare the chicken and broth, so make sure to plan ahead.
Ingredients:
- 1 3-4 lb whole chicken
- Water, preferably filtered & enough to completely cover chicken in stock pot
- 2 Tbsp sea salt
- 1-2 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh carrots, sliced into coins
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
- Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes, optional
- Black pepper to taste
- 1-2 cups previously made chicken bone broth, if needed
Directions:
- Place chicken in a deep pot and cover with water (add the giblets to the pot as well, if desired). Make sure it’s enough to completely cover the chicken, but a few inches below the rim of the pot. Add the 2 Tbsp of sea salt and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and then, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid (tilt the lid to allow a little air to get through). Simmer for 2-4 hours (the longer, the better).
- Once the chicken is done simmering, carefully remove from the pot and place on a large dish or cutting board to cool. Strain broth into a large bowl or pot and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in the same pot the chicken cooked in, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and garlic, and stir. After a minute or so, add the celery and carrots. Continue to cook for a few minutes.
- Then, pour the strained broth back into the pot. Add the bay leaves, oregano, parsley, cayenne or red pepper flakes and black pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium-low.
- Once chicken has cooled, remove meat from the bones and add to the simmering soup; stir. Save bones for making bone broth later (can freeze too). Save the skin and giblets for broth as well, if desired or compost.
- Add the extra bone broth if needed and allow soup to simmer another 15-30 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.
*This soup is pictured with my almond flour biscuits. The biscuits are a delicious complement to the soup, and I especially love smearing them with butter and dunking them into the hot broth.
Yields: 6-7 servings
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
Simple Supper Friday: Classic Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Sometimes, picking a name for a recipe is the hardest part. Do I try and be more creative or straight forward? What do I feature or not feature? What if something is really simple and just sort of classically good? For instance, this recipe? This recipe is easy to prepare and has simple, yet outstanding flavor. No one flavor stands out among another, other than…beef. It’s tender, shredded and succulent. It’s perfect and classic, and can be paired with whatever your heart desires.
Remember to plan ahead for this recipe since it needs plenty of time to cook in the slow cooker. It’s an easy recipe, but won’t be on the table with a snap of your fingers. Preparation and planning is key!
Cheers and happy Friday!
Adapted from this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium red onion, sliced into thin half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp bacon grease, plus more if needed
- ~2 lb beef cross rib roast, preferably grass-fed
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I like this brand)
- 1/2 cup chicken or beef bone broth
- 1/2 Tbsp raw honey, optional
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (buy here if can’t find locally)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (use more or less to adjust spiciness)
- Himalayan sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Melt bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute a few minutes, until onion is soft. Once done, remove from heat and pour into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Season the roast with the sea salt and black pepper on each side. Brown over medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side, in the same pan you cooked the onion in. Add more bacon grease, if needed. Once done, remove from heat and place in the slow cooker, atop of the onion mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, broth, and coconut aminos. Pour into the pan that the meat browned in and stir to scrape up the brown bits (deglaze the pan). Then, pour the mixture over top of the roast. Drizzle the raw honey into the mixture (around the meat) and sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook roast on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8.
- Once done, shred the meat with two forks and serve with vegetable(s) of choice.
Yields: 3-4 servings
PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog.
