Bean and Green Soup – Episode 8

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rachel

It’s chilly here. It isn’t always in the winter, so I’ll take what I can get! It feels like a soup day. And, since I’ve gotten to try some of the add-ons from Abundant Harvest Organics recently, I thought it was the perfect time for soup on A Cooking Show with Rachel O – This Week’s Feast!

It’s an 8 bean soup, that also has greens. It’s made in a Crock Pot. It’s so super easy that you won’t even believe it! It features: winter squash, carrots, 8 bean soup mix, spinach, and rainbow chard.

Seriously… try this: Tonight, put some of the 8 bean soup mix in the crock pot. Add water or stock – make sure there’s enough so they don’t absorb all the water and burn! In the morning, before work or whatever you do during the day, add the remaining ingredients. Leave it all day on low. An hour before dinner time, add the greens. You can make some cheddar biscuits, and fry up some bacon to go on top, if you want. Or just eat it with a slice of hearty bread smothered with some homemade jam. Easy, delicious, comforting, hearty. Then grab a book, get the fireplace going, and enjoy a cozy winter evening.

If you want to add meat, go for it. But, beans are full of protein, so if you’re concerned for that reason, no need to be.

Bean and Green Soup
Print
Recipe type: Soup, Main, Dinner
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 18 hours
Total time: 18 hours 10 mins
Serves: 4-6
Greens meet Beans in the soup pot for a hearty winter meal.
Ingredients
  • 1 C winter squash, peeled and chopped
  • 6 small or 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1-2 t smoked sea salt
  • 1/2 to 1 t thyme, lemon and bay sea salt (or use a bay leaf – take it out before serving)
  • pepper, to taste
  • 1-2 T paprika
  • 1-2 T chili powder
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 4-6 C stock
  • 6-8 C water (I used 8)
  • 2 C 8 bean soup mix
  • 2 C spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 C rainbow chard, stems removed, roughly chopped
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
Directions
  1. Add beans and water to Crock Pot. Cook overnight on low (about 8-10 hours).
  2. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach, chard and balsamic vinegar. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high for 4-6).
  3. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
  4. An hour before serving, add chard and spinach.
  5. Right before serving, add balsamic vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Notes

Would be great with ham, chicken or beef, and with bacon crumbled on top. I will serve with Herbes de Provence and Parmesan Buttermilk Biscuits.

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Don’t forget to use this week’s menu!

Please note: If you read my post from earlier today, you’ll know about the loss of my Oma. I’ll be taking the next week or so off to be with our family, to celebrate her life.

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Beans, Crock Pot, Main Dishes, Soups, This Week's Feast, Vegetables | Leave a comment

My Oma

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Rachel

I may not post a recipe today. I hope you don’t mind. My heart is elsewhere right now.

Making Zwieback with Oma, Jill and Abby.

My Oma was an amazing woman. I don’t have a single bad memory of her. We saw her often, growing up. She woke early every morning to prepare breakfast, and would be waiting when we came upstairs, so she could give us a hug. She was always so happy to see us. I will never forget her voice as she said, “Oh! Hi Rachel. Did you sleep well?” (If you knew her, you might hear her sweet voice in your mind.) She made the best oatmeal… she made the best everything. She was the best Oma I could have ever asked for.

Oma was beautiful, loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, full of goodness, faithful, gentle, controlled, strong, courageous, compassionate. She was a woman of faith and love. Oh and when she laughed! What a sound. She was the kind of woman I hope to be.

She died this morning. I miss her terribly.

Today, I will cherish the memories. They are many, they are all wonderful.

Oma and Opa. A few months before he passed away.

Life will never be the same without her.

Posted in Thoughts | 1 Comment

It’s So Granola

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Rachel

Happy Monday to you! Hope you’ve had a great weekend! I know it’s still continuing for some who have today off. For those who don’t, I’m sorry to rub it in… It’s not intentional. Since I work for myself, I don’t have the day off really, so don’t feel too bad. :)

One of the things on my to do list for today is to cook. I want to make granola, French bread and chicken stock… Things that I like to have on hand, that I like to make from scratch. I’ve shared one of my versions of granola on here before. Today I’ll share my most recent version, and what I’m making right now (it’s in the oven, and smells wonderful).

Granola
Recipe Type: Granola, Breakfast
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 120 mins
Total time: 2 hours 10 mins
Homemade doesn’t get much easier than this granola.
Ingredients
  • 8 C oats
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1/4 C agave
  • 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 3/4 C hot water
  • 1/2 C canola oil
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 C whole wheat flour
  • pinch salt
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200F.
  2. Mix oats, flour, cinnamon and salt.
  3. Mix honey, agave, maple syrup, vanilla, water and oil.
  4. Mix wet into dry. Combine.
  5. Spread on 2 baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
  7. Cool completely on a clean tea towel. Store in an airtight container.

Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Have you made my Leeky Pizza yet? If not, you should. It’s awesome! I had a slice just now, cold. Still good. Although it is best hot out of the oven. And, I didn’t put bacon on it, and it’s just fine.

Posted in Baking, Breakfast | Leave a comment

Inspired by Leeks

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Rachel

Do you like leeks? I love them! I use them like I would an onion. I use them instead of onions, when I have leeks and when I don’t have onions, like right now. Or I use them if I just feel like something a little different. They can be used in things like Stir Fry, in soups and Borscht, in chili and stew, in Shepherd’s Pie, added to this pizza or this one… You get the picture. Right?

Here are some recipes I’m just dying to try from Mireilee Guiliano, who is the author of, the French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook. I was given this cookbook for Christmas, and have very much enjoyed what I’ve read so far. The recipes all sound delicious! For example, Potage d’Hiver sounds divine (plus I have all of the ingredients), her Leek and Spinach Quiche would be awesome, and her Mimosa Soup sounds healthy and hearty, just to name a few.

To start, with leeks, it is essential to make sure they’re clean… no one wants to eat grit (I didn’t say grits… those are different). It’s not all that difficult. You should give it a try! I usually chop the leeks, stopping where the dark green part is about to start, and place them in a bowl. Cover them with water, swish around with your hands. The leeks will float and the dirt will fall to the bottom. Scoop leeks out and use.

Our Pizza Friday is going to be on Sunday this week, since we’re going to see a movie and eat some Thai food with some friends tonight. My plan is to make a caramelized leek pizza. I’ll try a stronger cheese to contrast the sweetness of the leeks, maybe add a few walnuts… it would be good with bacon too, but I won’t have any until Tuesday. Sad, but I’ll survive. I haven’t made a pizza exactly like this before, so I’ll make any changes if necessary. :) Enjoy!

Leeky Pizza
Print
Recipe type: Pizza
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2-4
Leeks get caramelized in honey and added to pizza topped with Gruyere cheese.
Ingredients
  • 1 pizza crust (I use my pizza crust recipe)
  • 1 C Gruyere cheese, grated
  • 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 C leeks, chopped in rounds
  • 1-2 T honey
  • 1/4 C walnuts, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • smoked sea salt
  • 1 C chicken, cooked and shredded (optional)
  • Dipping Sauce:
  • 1 T spicy brown mustard
  • 1/4 C plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
  • 1/4 C reduced balsamic vinegar
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 475F. Cook leeks in a dry pan with honey until caramelized and golden in color. In last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add garlic. While leeks cook, bring 1/2 C balsamic vinegar to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t burn, until it’s thickened and syrupy.
  2. Roll out and bake crust for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with: olive oil, smoked sea salt (opt.), half the cheese, chicken (opt.), leeks, walnuts and remaining cheese. Bake an additional 6-8 minutes.
  3. Whisk together mustard, yogurt and balsamic vinegar.
  4. Serve pizza with sauce for dipping.
Notes

Would also be good as an appetizer, perhaps without the chicken.
Would be good (with or without the chicken) alongside a pureed soup.

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Rachel’s Pizza Crust

Posted in Baking, Inspired By, Main Dishes, Meat, Pizza, Poultry, Vegetables | 1 Comment

Stuffed French Toast – This Week’s Feast

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Rachel

When planning this week’s menu, I was thinking about the wonderful pears that are in season right now, that we’ve been getting in our Abundant Harvest Organics boxes. We’ve had a lot. They’re great raw, as a snack, or alongside a sandwich. But, I was thinking that it would be fun to try something special with them. I was featured a few months ago on my friend Joanna’s blog. I posted a version of my recipe for Stuffed French Toast. She has told me how much she loved it (I made for her before posting on her blog) and that she has made it at home too. In the first version, I used peaches and blueberries (because that’s what was in season at the time). This week, I thought that since we have so many pears, I could put them not on, but in this French Toast. They’re cooked with a little bit of honey, and, well, you can watch the video to see the rest.

It’s a fun meal, that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yes, dinner. Breakfast for dinner is a great way to change things up (and a great substitute for whatever your go-to meal is when you forgot to take the chicken out to thaw, or plan something for dinner at all). It’s quick, easy and you probably have all the ingredients you need at home already!

You could serve this meal with a fruit salad, bacon, fried potatoes/hash browns… Any or all of those would be just fine with me! AHO sells bacon (as if I could go a whole post without talking about bacon!), eggs, honey, milk, and nuts as add-ons (I’ve tried almost all of them, and have LOVED what I’ve tried). We got potatoes in this week’s box, and maybe you have some oranges and apples left from a the past two weeks to make a quick fruit salad. (No? Me neither. We ate them all. They’re just too good to last long!) Enjoy!

Stuffed French Toast – This Week’s Feast – Episode 7
Recipe Type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Main
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 2
French Toast gets Stuffed… and extra delicious!
Ingredients
  • 4 slices whole wheat bread
  • 2 pears (or whatever fruit you have that you enjoy), thinly sliced
  • 2-3 T peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 T milk
  • a good sprinkle of cinnamon
  • dash nutmeg
  • pinch salt
  • drizzle of honey
  • maple syrup
  • Greek yogurt
  • walnuts
Instructions
  1. Cook pears with honey, until softened.
  2. Whisk eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
  3. Spread peanut butter on 2 slices of bread. Top with fruit and another piece of bread. Dip both sides of the sandwich in the egg mixture, soaking well.
  4. Cook, flipping once, until it’s hot, a bit crispy and the egg is fully cooked.
  5. Serve topped with yogurt, walnuts and maple syrup.

This week’s menu can be found on the menus page. There are lots of ideas that use all the contents of this week’s box. Enjoy! (And, for those of you who don’t have access to Abundant Harvest Organics, please feel free to make use of the menu too! There are lots of ideas and if you can’t find the ingredients, substitutions can always be made. Ask if you need suggestions, please!!)

Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Lunch, Main Dishes, Sandwiches, This Week's Feast | 4 Comments