Winter Warmer Portuguese Style Kale and Sausage Soup

Are you tired of cold weather? Well I sure am. I am a Florida girl at heart so I don't adapt well to snow, ice and cold. When the weather outside is frightful, my solution is to cook, sometimes bread but always soup.

Years ago I worked at a health food store. I was their soup chef (or in line with Seinfeld, let's say the soup Nazi!). It was a designation I gave myself because I was in charge of our "soup of the day".

Today it is warming up here and the sun is shining, but earlier this week it wasn't all that pretty or warm. I decided it was a "soup of the day" day. The soup, my version of Portuguese Kale and Sausage soup...vegetarian style. Kale is now considered one of the super foods. It benefits immune function, assists in the prevention of heart disease, stroke and also age-relate macular degeneration http://www.discoverkale.co.uk/health-benefits/lutein/)

In place of the traditional potatoes, I used white beans. (Did you know it is recommended that you eat 4 1/2 cups beans a week? They are a good source of fiber and help regulate blood sugar http://www.prevention.com/food/food-remedies/type-2-diabetics-can-improve-their-blood-sugar-beans).

I also used Tofurkey Italian sausage but you could just use beans and keep the sodium count lower http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2010/11/battle_of_the_v.php. If you are a die hard carnivore, use traditional Linguica sausage, Chorizo or a good quality, lean Italian sausage instead of Tofurkey.  This makes about 3 servings but you could double the recipe for a family meal.

 I must say, I really enjoyed this soup. In fact, I made it in the morning and ended up having it for breakfast!  A nice slice of wholegrain and seed toast would be a great accompaniment. This makes about 3 servings but you could double the recipe for a family meal.

I haven't had my breakfast yet and all this talk of soup has made me hungry. I guess it is another Portuguese Kale, Sausage and White Bean soup morning!

Here is how I made it:

 Portuguese Kale, Sausage and White Bean Soup

2 tbl+ 1 tbl olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
4cups  plus 1 cup organic vegetable broth, divided(low sodium is healthier)
(I used a mix of vegetable broth with a little mushroom broth just because I could!)
3 cups, stemmed  kale torn into pieces (or more if you wish)
1 15 ounce can low sodium cannellini beans, drained (I run water over them to get the goo off)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper or to taste
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 links tofurkey Italian sausage
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, swirl to coat the pan. Add onion, carrot and celery. Saute about 5 minutes until tender. Add garlic and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook another minute. Stir in 4 cups of the vegetable broth and kale, bay leaf and smoked paprika. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer a few minutes until the kale is crisp tender.

Meanwhile slice sausage in 3/4 inch pieces and saute in  the remaining olive oil until the sides are browned (if using real sausage, cook thoroughly, then drain)

Add the additional 1 cup of broth, cannellini beans and ground black pepper and sausage to the vegetable mixture.  Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes. Add the remaining salt, fresh rosemary and Parmesan cheese. 3 servings

Orange Sticky Salmon

I saw a Pinterest page from a Florida seafood website today. Looking at the recipes I saw one for Orange Sticky Shrimp.  Since I was trying to come up with an idea for dinner without grocery shopping it gave me an idea.

I didn’t have any shrimp but I had orange juice and Grand Marnier. So I took the sauce idea and adapted the recipe for a piece of salmon I had.

This is what I did. I preheated the toaster over to about 375. My salmon was a little over an inch thick. I sprinkled it with some pink salt, ground pepper, garlic powder and a light dusting of Cajun blackening seasoning, then popped it in the toaster over for about 12 minutes (common practice is 10 minutes per inch)

While if cooked, I poured ½ of a cup of orange juice and 1 ½ tbl Grand Marnier in a saucepan. I cooked it down until it way syrupy like honey.  To that I added just a little finely chopped jalapeno and about ¼ tsp butter.

When the salmon was done I poured the sauce over it. That was it. I loved it. I ate it with a salad on the side and it was filling and delicious. Clean up was a charm.

Here is the original recipe for the Orange Sticky Shrimp. You might try that sometime too. I bet it’s good.

Orange Sticky Shrimp http://www.florida-agriculture.com/consumers/fnr/recipes/Seafood-4211.html

Ingredients

    2 cups

    orange juice

    2 tablespoons

    triple sec liqueur

    1 1/2 pounds

    shrimp, peeled and deveined

    1 teaspoon

    sesame oil

    1 teaspoon

    soy sauce

    1 teaspoon

    chopped hot pepper

Preparation

Cook orange juice and triple sec in a large skillet until liquid has reduced to a very thick, honey like, consistency. Add shrimp and oil and cook approximately 6 to 8 minutes or until shrimp are opaque in the center and liquid thickens again. Add soy sauce and chopped pepper and mix well. Serve immediately.

Yield

4 servings

Easter and more eggs

I had a relaxing Easter holiday. My brother surprised us with a visit on Saturday night and on Sunday we had dinner in Palm Beach at an interesting restaurant, Buccan. They serve “little meals” (http://www.buccanpalmbeach.com/menus/buccan-menu-winter2011.pdf). We went with some long time family friends and it was a fun dinner. Each of us picked a couple of items that we then shared with the table. Actually, we over ordered but the food was fantastic and we enjoyed ourselves.

I was searching for a new or old idea for making my own Salad Dressing for dinner with my brother.  I offered to bring the salad and we were going to order out Pizza.  I remembered my LA Times California Cookbook (I notice you can get this cookbook now for as low as 90 cents! http://www.amazon.com/Angeles-Times-California-Cookbook-Plume/dp/0452254485) had several good dressings, so I took it out and while looking for one, came across another favorite recipe, Pizza Quiche.

Right now I am a bit “egged out” after the holiday. No, I didn’t color any eggs but I did eat quite a few hard boiled eggs last week. Still, I get busy working during the day and would love to have something already prepared for lunch. The pizza quiche would be perfect.

Of course the original recipe called for Pepperoni and since I don’t eat meat and pepperoni is the king of fatty foods, it just didn’t work for me.  I substituted a vegetarian pepperoni. I was concerned that I wouldn’t like it and others wouldn’t either. It was good. When I served it to carnivores no one was the wiser it seemed. Also, I have never made it with the can of tomato sauce in the recipe. The first time I made it, I had leftover homemade spaghetti sauce so I used that. It was so good that way. I now use homemade or store bought spaghetti sauce every time I make it. If you make this, don’t leave out the green pepper rings. It makes the quiche more attractive.

The quiche is pretty easy to make and it is a nice meal. If you are pressed for time or just plain lazy, most of the ingredients can be bought already sliced, chopped or shredded. For dinner, I would include a nice salad. For lunch a fruit salad would be nice with it. In any case, I hope you try it. I think you will enjoy it.

Pizza Quiche

8 oz thinly sliced pepperoni (or substitute veggie pepperoni)

1 (9inch) unbaked pastry shell

2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese

½ cup sliced black olives

1 cup chopped green pepper

3 eggs

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Cup of Milk

Grated Parmesan

1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce with mushrooms (or your favorite spaghetti sauce)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon basil

¼ teaspoon oregano

6 thin rings of green pepper (or green and red)

Sauté pepperoni for 2-3 minutes until warmed through. Set aside.

Prebake the pastry shell in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Swiss cheese over the bottom evenly.

Sprinkle on half the pepperoni and top with olives, chopped green pepper, remaining Swiss cheese, and the rest of the pepperoni.

Beat eggs and flour until smooth.

Blend in milk, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, tomato (or spaghetti) sauce, salt, basil and oregano. Pour this into the pastry shell.

Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and top with the pepper rings.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. (Don’t over bake it!)

Remove from the oven and garnish the outer edge of the pie with prebaked pastry cutouts, if desired (ha ha ha, I don’t do that!)

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting in wedges.

Makes  4-6 servings.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

 People are always raving about the Lettuce Wraps at PF Changs. I did try their vegetarian version a number of years ago, and although I liked the idea of it, I found them kind of salty and greasy.

I hadn’t really thought much about it until I ran across a recipe that sounded as if it would be tasty.  I can’t tell you where I got this. I found it last year in a magazine at the local library. I am one of those obsessive types that collects recipes from everywhere and can’t always remember the original author or sometimes where I put them!

My sister came over for dinner last night and since she is the perfect guinea pig, I decided to try the recipe on her (and  also on me..the other perfect guinea pig!).

We loved them and the best thing about them was they were easy to make.  The wraps were fresh, light and flavorful.  For a couple of small women like us, it was a great meal. More hearty eaters might want to add more to the dinner menu than just the wraps.

I did change a few things and would change another if I was to make them again. The recipe called for ¼ cup of crushed red pepper flakes in the sauce. I am sure I wrote that down wrong. It sounded like too much. I added about a teaspoon.  Instead of jicama, I used water chestnuts. I couldn’t find jicama at the store and water chestnuts sounded more authentic anyway. I also put a few drops of sesame oil in the wok along with the canola oil.  I like the flavor.

The lettuce used was romaine, but romaine isn’t very flexible. I would use a butter lettuce next time.  The recipe was not enough for 12 lettuce leaves. It really just served 2 people with 2 Romaine leaves each. Double the recipe for 4 people if it is for dinner rather than an appetizer.

 I followed the rest of the recipe with success.

 How I made them:

I put together the ingredients for the wrap and stuck it in the fridge while making the sauce and the brown rice. While the rice was cooking, I threw the sauce ingredients into the blender, blended them then put it in a bowl. While the rice was cooking, I cleaned up the kitchen.

When it was time to eat, I pulled out the mix, stir fried it, added the sauce and that was it. When all was done, there was very little clean up, which to me is a big plus.

Ok, for you non-tofu lovers, feel free to substitute something else. I think some chopped up cooked shrimp would be a good substitute but you decide on that. 

You can serve these with hot Green tea or you might try a Zentini or Saketini 

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/cocktails/zen-green-tea-liqueur.asp
(by the way The Nibble is a great newsletter too)

Tofu Lettuce Wraps- Serves two dinner size portions

Sauce:

¼ cup tamari sauce (low sodium if you prefer)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbl minced shallot

1 tbl packed light brown sugar

1 tbl plus 1 tsp rice vinegar

¼ cup plus 2 tbl water

1 tbl plus 1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

¾ tsp peeled and minced fresh ginger (a fine microplane works great for grating both the ginger and the garlic)

Put all of the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Wrap ingredients:

½ cup diced carrots

½ cup sugar snap peas diced

½ cup diced jicama (or substitute water chestnuts diced)

½ cup pineapple diced

¾ lb extra firm tofu, diced

A drop or two of sesame oil (optional)

Canola oil spray for stir frying

½ cup unsalted peanuts (I used salted because I had them on hand)

12 romaine lettuce leaves (or substitute boston lettuce) See note on this. I only used 4 leaves

1 1/3 cup cooked brown rice

Toss together the carrots thru the pineapple in a large bowl. Mix in the tofu.

Heat a wok sprayed with canola oil on high heat (I added a drop of sesame oil for added flavor)

Add tofu mixture and stir fry briefly (30 sec to a minute). Stir in enough sauce to moisten well and cook another minute or until the sauce is just thickened.

Serve with the lettuce to wrap, the peanuts, rice and whatever leftover sauce there is.

Fill lettuce leaf with some of the mix, put some rice on top, then some peanuts. If you want, a little extra sauce is good too. Wrap and eat. Messy but fun and tasty too!

Fresh orange slices would be a great dessert.

I hope you enjoy these and would love to hear about it.