a few weeks ago, i shared a soup that featured parsnips. before making the soup, i had never purchased (and maybe never even eaten?) parsnips. but ever since making that soup, i’ve been hooked on them. parsnips are kinda creamy, taste like slightly-earthier carrots, and are my new favorite winter veg.

so, in addition to adding them to our old favorite roasted vegetable dish, i was on the lookout for a new parsnip recipe.

and i found this one in this month’s vegetarian times! it’s a super delicious, hearty-but-not-heavy soup. it’s absolutely perfect for these chilly winter evenings. we made some quick biscuits to eat alongside the soup, too. yum!

one year ago: quick chili
two years ago: lemon bars
three years ago: applesauce oatmeal muffins

parsnip and carrot soup

yields 6 servings
adapted from vegetarian times, january/february 2012

• 1/4c olive oil
• 4 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 5 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 6c vegetable broth, divided
• 3/4c packed sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil), chopped and divided
• 2¼t fresh oregano
• 1t dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3t balsamic vinegar to garnish
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1. heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
2. add the diced parsnips, carrots, and onion, sautéing for 5 minutes while stirring frequently
3. add 3/4c of the broth and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the broth has completely evaporated
4. add the rest of the broth (5¼c), 1/2c of the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, and basil
5. cover the soup and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat
6. use a skimmer to take about 2c of the vegetables out of the soup
7. use a hand blender or normal blender to puree the rest of the soup, then add the reserved vegetables back into the pureed soup
8. add the last 1/4c sun-dried tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste
9. serve the soup in bowls with a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar over the top and enjoy!

it snowed like crazy last week here in seattle. and ok, i know that many of you (i’m talking to you, sister), live in much colder climates and deal with way more snow than we do in seattle. but it was still quite an experience for this california native!

and when it was snowing outside, all i wanted to do was bake yummy food and watch the snow fall instead of, you know, doing that whole studying-reading-writing papers thing. so i figured it was the perfect time to make this dessert that smitten kitchen posted a few weeks ago.

friends, despite having a funny name, this apple sharlotka is sooooo yummy! it reminded me of a cross between an apple coffee cake and german pancakes. and because it has so many apples in it, and not too much sugar, we ate it for both dessert and breakfast the next morning. and the two of us polished the whole thing off within 24 hours. yeah, it’s that good. go make it!

one year ago: tofu saag
two years ago: spaghetti sauce
three years ago: butternut squash and sage risotto

apple sharlotka

borrowed from smitten kitchen

• butter (or oil) for greasing
• 6 large apples (we used a mix of fujis and honey crisps, but smitten kitchen recommends Granny Smiths)
• 3 eggs
• 1c sugar
• 1t vanilla
• 1c flour
• ground cinnamon, optional
• powdered sugar, optional
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1. preheat oven to 350º
2. place a circle of wax or parchment paper into a 9″ springform pan, buttering the paper and the sides of the pan
3. peel, slice in half, and core your apples
4. chop the apples into medium chunks, placing them into the buttered pan
5. in a large bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, using electric beaters, until the mixture is very thick
6. add the vanilla and beat a little more
7. stir in the flour until combined (it will be really thick)
8. pour the batter over the apples, using a spatula to press it down and spread it so it covers all apples
9. bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
10. cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip out onto a rack or a plate and peel off the wax or parchment paper
11. put a serving platter on top of it and flip it off the rack or plate so that it’s right-side up
12. sprinkle with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar, if desired, and enjoy!

it’s been a snowy few days in seattle! and if the weather predictions are correct, we’re in for a lot more snow in the next two days!

while i actually like the snow (and the potential for snow days that cancel school!), it makes me realize that we’re really not in santa cruz anymore!

and one of the food things i love/miss the most about our hometown is the bagelry, a place that makes delicious bagels and spreads of all kinds to put on top of their bagels. their egg salad is absolutely amazing, and i’ve been trying to perfect the recipe for the past few months. i think i’m finally pretty close, so i wanted to share it with you. enjoy!

one year ago: german pancakes
two years ago: lemon poppyseed scones
three years ago: banana bread

egg salad

yields enough for 3-4 sandwiches

• 4 eggs
• 2T mayonaise
• 1/2t brown mustard
• 1/4c shredded carrots
• 1/4c diced celery
• 1/8c diced green onions
• salt and pepper to taste
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1. place the eggs in a pan and cover with cold water
2. bring to a boil over high heat
3. once the water is boiling, turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
4. remove the pan from the heat and immediately run cold water into the pan until all the water is cold
5. i usually refrigerate the eggs overnight at this point, but you can skip to step #6 if you want to make the egg salad right away
6. peel the eggs and rinse under water to ensure all the shell is off the eggs
7. place the eggs into a bowl and use a fork to mash into small pieces
8. add the mayo, mustard, carrots, celery, green onions, and salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

as promised, here’s some delicious, vegetable-laden soup to help you start off the new year.

i found this recipe on orangette a few months ago, and was intrigued by the parsnips and shredded brussels sprouts – i’d never cooked with parsnips before, and i’d never through to use brussels sprouts as a garnish before. so i tried out the recipe and absolutely loved it – the parsnips turn creamy after sautéing them, and the flavors in this soup comprise something bigger and better than just a simple vegetable soup.

i actually made this way back in december, before flying back to california for the holidays. i froze most of it to eat this quarter (after eating a few generous portions, of course!), because i knew i would be craving hearty but light dinners and wouldn’t have much time to cook. i can’t wait to thaw this and enjoy it some more. yum!

one year ago: brussels sprouts with shallots and cranberries
two years ago: barley risotto
three years ago: roasted root vegetables

vegetable and barley soup

yields 6 servings
borrowed from orangette

• 3T olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, ends trimmed and diced
• 3 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large leek, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• leaves from some fresh thyme
• 6½c vegetable broth
• salt, to taste
• 1/3c pearl barley
• 5-10 brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and shredded
• black pepper, to taste
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1. put the oil into a large pot over medium heat
2. once the oil is warm, add the onion, celery, parsnips, carrots, and leeks, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes
3. add the garlic and thyme and cook for another 3 (or so) minutes
4. add the vegetable broth and salt to taste (the broth we used was pretty salty, so i didn’t end up adding any)
5. bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10 minutes
6. add the barley, allowing to simmer for another 20 minutes
7. add the shredded brussels sprouts, simmer for 5 more minutes, and serve with some black pepper

ok, i know the holidays have come and gone, but i really want to post this delicious recipe for wheat rolls. they’re really amazing – so amazing that we made them for both thanksgiving and christmas this year (yes, they’re that good!).

these rolls require a lot of rising time, but they’re totally worth it. and i promise the next post will be a healthy, vegetable-laden meal to get us back onto track for 2012. until then, happy new year everyone!

one year ago: orange yams
two years ago: pesto puff pastry rollies
three years ago: four kinds of cookies

wheat rolls

yields 2 dozen rolls
borrowed from allrecipes

• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1¾c warm water
• 1/2c white sugar
• 2¼c whole wheat flour
• 1t salt
• 1/4c butter, melted (or use vegetable oil!)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2½c all-purpose flour
• 1/4c butter, melted
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1. in a big bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar, letting stand for 10 minutes
2. add the whole wheat flour and stir well
3. then add the salt, melted butter, and egg, stirring until they’re well combined
4. next, stir in the all-purpose flour until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl
5. knead on a floured surface for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth
6. grease a large bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise for 1 hour
7. punch the dough down, cover again and let rise for 30 minutes
8. grease 24 muffin cups (or two 9″x13″ pans)
9. divide the dough into equal portions and roll each into a 6″ x 14″ rectangle
10. cut the 14″ rectangle in half (creating two 7″ x 6″ pieces)
11. then cut six 1″ pieces out of each half, totaling 12 strips that are 7″ x 1″
12. roll each into a spiral and place into muffin cups
13. repeat with the other half of the dough
14. brush the tops of the muffins with melted butter and let rise 40 minutes
15. preheat oven to 400°
16. bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until nicely brown
17. remove from oven and brush tops again with butter

first, chocolate raspberry tarts! although there are a lot of little steps, these delicious little desserts are super easy to make. and super easy to eat a ton of…mmmm!

chocolate raspberry tarts

yields 48 tarts

• crust
• 2c all purpose flour
• 2T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6T powdered sugar
• 2/3c firm butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 4t hot water
• 1t vanilla
• chocolate filling
• 8oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 4T sugar
• 4T butter
• 1/2c heavy whipping cream
• 1/2t vanilla
• the rest of the filling
• 1/2c seedless raspberry jam
• 1/2c heavy whipping cream, whipped into cream (plus some extra powdered sugar and vanilla to flavor it)
• 48 raspberries
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1. preheat the oven to 350º
2. crust: combine the flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar
3. cut in the butter
4. combine the egg yolks, hot water, and vanilla, whisking to combine
5. add the liquid to the pie crust and stir to combine
6. roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out 48 x 2″ circles and place into mini muffin tins OR press dough into mini muffin pans
7. bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch
8. allow to cool in pans, then remove
9. chocolate filling: over low heat, combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and butter in a pan
10. add the heavy whipping cream, whisking to combine until hot
11. remove from the heat, add the vanilla, and allow to cool to room temp
12. final prep: place 1/8t jam in the bottom of each tart
13. cover with 1/4t chocolate filling
14. place a little whipped cream on top of the chocolate
15. top with one raspberry and serve
    

one year ago: buckeye cookies
two years ago: persimmon spice bread
three years ago: latkes and applesauce

second, nutella cookies! i found this recipe in vegetarian times and knew i wanted to make it for a cookie exchange last week. instead of shaping the dough into a log and then cutting circle cookies, baking and placing a dab of nutella on top along with a whole hazelnut (as the original recipe recommended), we used some new star wars cookie cutters, smeared nutella over the whole cookie, and crumbled hazelnuts on top. they were absolutely scrumptious!

nutella cookies

yields 36 cookies
borrowed from vegetarian times, december 2011

• 1¾c all purpose flour
• 1/4c unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/4t salt
• 1c nutella, plus some extra for frosting cookies
• 1 stick of butter (1/2c), softened
• 3/4c brown sugar
• 1 egg
• wax paper or saran wrap
• 36 whole hazelnuts, optional
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1. sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt into a bowl
2. in a separate bowl, beat the butter and nutella with an electric mixer until smooth
3. add the brown sugar and egg, beating to combine
4. next, add the flour mixture and beat until the dough comes together
5. place the dough on wax paper or plastic wrap and form a log that’s 2″ in diameter
6. wrap the log completely and chill 2 hours or overnight
7. preheat the oven to 350º
8. either slice the dough log into 1/4″ thick slices, or roll out with a rolling pin to 1/4″ and use cookie cutters to cut out cookies
9. bake on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes, until fairly firm
10. let the cookies sit on the sheet for a minute or two, then place on a wire rack to cool
11. frost with a dab of nutella and 1 hazelnut if desired

and finally, soft ginger cookies. my sister’s been making these for years, and i’m really excited that i finally have the recipe! don’t let the shoddy iPhone pics fool you – these cookies are perfect, with a crunchy edge and a nice soft inside. YUM!

soft ginger cookies

yields 24 cookies
borrowed from the mccormicks, via my sister

• 1¼c all purpose flour
• 1t ground ginger
• 1t baking soda
• 3/4t ground cinnamon
• 1/2t cloves
• 1/4t salt
• 3/4c butter, softened
• 1c sugar, plus more to roll the cookies in
• 1 egg
• 1/4c molasses
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1. preheat the oven to 350º
2. combine the flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a bowl
3. in a separate bowl, cream the butter, adding the sugar gradually
4. add the egg and molasses, beating well
5. stir in the flour mixture
6. shape the dough into 1½” balls, then roll them in the extra sugar to cover completely
7. place the balls onto an ungreased sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until slightly flat and cracked
8. transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool

as promised (in my pumpkin pie post), here’s the brand new recipe we used for pecan pie this thanksgiving!

while i love pecan pie almost as much as pumpkin pie, i always dislike using the requisite corn syrup. and although i can somehow always look past the corn syrup and polish off a fair amount of the pie on my own, i’ve often thought about trying a maple syrup version.

so this year we took the plunge and tried a brand new recipe. i liked the flavor even better than the corn syrup version – there’s something about maple syrup that brings out even more deliciousness from the pecans, and it didn’t feel quite so heavy or cloyingly sweet. so enjoy!

one year ago: persimmon pancakes
two years ago: sugar cookie cut-outs
three years ago: butternut squash lasagna

pecan pie

yields one 9″ pie
borrowed from southernfood.com

• 1 x 9″ pie crust
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1c maple syrup
• 1/2c brown sugar
• 2T melted butter
• 1t vanilla
• 1¼c pecan pieces
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1. preheat oven to 350°
2. either make or buy your pie crust
3. beat the eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until well combined
4. stir in the pecans and pour into a crust
5. use aluminum foil to protect the crust (optional – our crust always comes out a little dark if we don’t cover it in foil)
6. bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean

whew, i made it through fall quarter! after writing and writing and writing some more, i’ve finally turned in all of my papers. yay!

so i know that thanksgiving came and went in the middle of my writing haze, and i didn’t get any new t-day recipes up…but i also know that a lot of us make pumpkin pie for christmas, too, so i thought i’d post this recipe anyways.

this is a super simple recipe to make – you just put all the ingredients in a blender and whirl until they’re combined. easy as pie (haha)! i have a great new pecan pie recipe i’ll post soon, plus some yummy wheat rolls we made on thanksgiving. so stay tuned!

one year ago: seven-layer cookies and cheese nut loaf
two years ago: polenta rancheros and potato tempeh curry
three years ago: brazil nut encrusted seitan and cheater beans

pumpkin pie

yields one 9″ pie

• 1 x 9″ pie crust, unbaked
• 3 eggs
• 1¾c pumpkin puree (or one 15 oz can)
• 3/8c white sugar
• 3/8c brown sugar
• 1/2t salt
• 1t ground cinnamon
• 1/4t ground ginger
• 1/4t allspice
• 1/8t ground cloves
• 1½c (soy) milk
• 1T molasses
• 1t vanilla
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1. preheat oven to 350°
2. prepare (or buy) a 9″ pie crust
3. place the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, milk, molasses, and vanilla into a blender
4. blend until combined
5. pour into the pie crust
6. bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean

ok, so i didn’t take any pictures of this delicious recipe while making it. but it’s my favorite carrot cake recipe EVER. after making it for mike’s bday last weekend, i decided i had to share the recipe, pictures or no. it’s that good. enjoy!

one year ago: glazed pecans
two years ago: cranberry relish
three years ago: sweet and sour cabbage with tempeh

carrot cake

yields 2 dozen cupcakes, or two 9″ cakes
borrowed from smitten kitchen

• 2c all purpose flour
• 2t baking soda
• 1t salt
• 2t cinnamon
• 1/2t nutmeg
• 1t ground ginger
• 2c white sugar
• 1¼c canola or safflower oil
• 4 eggs
• 3c carrots, peeled and grated (with a food processor, if you have one!)
• 1c walnuts, chopped
• 1/2c raisins, optional
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1. preheat oven to 350°, and line 24 cupcake molds with paper or butter them
2. place the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl and whisk
3. in a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and eggs
4. add the flour to the liquid mixture and stir until combined
5. stir in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins
6. fill the muffin tins with batter and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
7. let cool in pans for a few minutes, then remove to a rack and allow to cool completely before frosting them
8. if making cake, bake for 40 minutes

cream cheese frosting

• 12oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2c butter, at room temperature
• 3t vanilla extract
• 2c powdered sugar
• 1t lemon juice
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1. mix the cream cheese and butter with an electric blender until light
2. add the vanilla, powdered sugar, and lemon juice and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes
3. frost the cupcakes or cake and enjoy!

i love lentil soup. i’ve made two different recipes for this site, but both have been with red lentils. while i love the short cooking time for red lentils, i don’t especially love that they completely fall apart and lose their structural integrity while cooking.

this soup is the last of the dishes i made and froze before school began, and uses green lentils that stay whole while cooking. it takes a long time to simmer and cook the lentils, but the recipe makes over eight servings and is really, really yummy. trust me on this one. and go make this soup!

one year ago:
-collard greens
-red lentil soup, 2010 version

two years ago:
-cherry, almond, and apple stuffing
-sweet potato curry
- peanut butter cookies

three years ago:
-lime coconut cupcakes
-boston creme pie cupcakes
-red lentil soup, 2008 version

green lentil soup

yields 8 hearty servings
borrowed from all recipes.com

• 2T olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 1t garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2t paprika
• 3½c crushed tomatoes
• 1½c green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1/2t salt
• 1/2t pepper
• 3/4c white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 7c vegetable broth
• 1/2c parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
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1. in a large pot, heat the olive oil
2. sauté the onions until translucent
3. add the garlic, carrots, celery, and paprika and sauté for 10 minutes
4. add the tomatoes, lentils, salt, pepper, wine, bay leaves, and broth
5. stir the soup and bring to a boil
6. reduce the heat and simmer for an hour over medium heat, until lentils are tender
7. serve with parmesan cheese (if desired) and enjoy!