sausage white bean and kale soup

It is Secret Recipe Club time again.  Last month I started my Secret Recipe Club post with this proclamation .... I have been in a health funk lately.   Well it has been a month and my health funk has just snowballed into a general funk.  Funk is not good.  Funk stinks.  Between me being sick, my kids being sick, my husband traveling, minor home remodeling projects I feel overwhelmed, frazzled and funky.  Do you ever look around at school drop off and think how does everyone have it all together?  I know comparing isn't good but, I just want their secret.  How do they do it? 

This month I was assigned la phemme phoodie.  The author is a lawyer by day and a foodie by night.  She has a passion for food but, has some dietary restrictions which has allowed her to experiment with wheat and egg free recipes.  There were several gluten free recipes on her site that I boo marked but, with my perpetual cold and fresh CSA box at my door I opted for her sausage bean and spinach soup.  I had to swap some of the ingredients based on what was in my box but, she suggested many of the swaps in her write up.  This soup is fresh and flavorful yet, extremely comforting with the spicy sausage and creamy beans.  A hot bowl of this on a rainy spring night is just what the doctor ordered.

My palate and mind has been a bit lost on sugar lane lately.  I feel as if I have lost my way.  As tempting and beautiful as all of those sugar masterpieces look I am going to work on refocusing my blog on what I love.  The food I love to eat and the food my body needs.  I need to get out of this funk. 

sausage bean and kale soup
adapted: la phemme phoodie

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 14.5 oz can italian diced tomatoes
1 lb italian chicken sausages, casings removed
1 leek, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces fresh kale, rib removes and chopped
2 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb italian chicken sausages, casings removed
1 14.5 oz can italian diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
grated parmesan for serving (optional)


Heat the chicken stock, water and diced tomatoes in a dutch oven over medium heat.   In a separate pan cook sausage over medium heat until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Do not rinse the pan. Reduce heat to low. Add the leek and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for another minute. Add the leeks, sausage and beans to dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir in the kale. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot. Top with grated parmesan.

spaghetti squash and chard gratin

Brad thinks I don't like surprises but, I do.  Each week farm fresh to you posts the contents of the box you are going to receive but, I don't peek.  I want to peek but, I don't.  Reason number one is I cherish Carter waiting at the front door on Thursday morning for the farmer to come.  We unload and name each fruit and vegetable.  Love this!  The second reason is it feels like the unveiling of the mystery ingredient on iron chef.  I look at my bounty and then try to piece together some dishes to highlight the seasonal items.  I knew the spring onions and chard that were delivered would fit into my spaghetti squash and mushroom gratin.  I googled the combo and sure enough up popped this variation.  I made it with some changes.  It was delicious.  Brad even ate it.  It is now gone but, it is going to have a second appearance this week for book club as I received more chard this week and I can't stop thinking about it.  Hope the gals like spaghetti squash as much as I do.  If they don't then I guess I will have to eat the left overs.

spaghetti squash and chard gratin

adapted: kalyn's kitchen

1 large spaghetti squash 2-3lbs (~4 cups shredded)
1 teaspoon olive oil
5 spring onions, whites chopped
salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 bunch red/green chard leaves; chopped  (can use spinach, collards, or kale)
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup fat free cottage cheese curds (rinse cottage cheese in strainer with cold water)
3/4 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese; divided
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F.

Put halved squash on baking sheet and pour 1/4 cup water around bottom of squash. Roast squash about 45-50 minutes, or until it separates easy into strands when pulled with a fork. Let squash cool for a few minutes, then shred into spaghetti-like strands.  Season with salt and pepper.

While squash cooks, wash chard leaves if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towel. In two batches, stack up chard leaves on top of each other and slice into thin ribbons, then turn the cutting the board the other way and slice again into small pieces. Chop onion.

Heat olive oil in heavy frying pan, add chopped spring onions, season with salt, pepper and dried thyme. Saute until onion is softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more, then add chopped chard all at once. Cook chard about 1-2 minutes, turning a few times. until it's wilted to about half the size it was. (The chard shouldn't be completely cooked, since it will cook more in the gratin.) Turn off heat.

Put cottage cheese in a fine strainer and rinse with cold water until only the cheese curds remain, then let drain. Spray a gratin dish with non-stick spray.

Using a large fork, gently mix the shredded spaghetti squash into the onion/chard mixture. Combine the sour cream, drained cottage cheese curds, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and beaten egg and mix into the chard/spaghetti squash mixture. Then put the combined ingredients into the gratin dish, and press down so it's evenly distributed in the dish. Sprinkle top with about 1/4 cup more Parmesan cheese.

Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and cheese is browned on top. Serve hot.

roasted mushrooms and kale over butternut squash puree

When Brad is out of town I miss him BUT I get fairly excited about my dinners because I get to eat things I can't when he is home.  The first night I typically have a big bowl of microwave popcorn with milk duds mixed in and sprinkled with salt.  I know horrible but, I have a movie night with the kids (read fun mom) and I indulge in one of my favorite pregnancy cravings.  After I have had that naughty treat I move onto vegetarian dishes.  My csa box delivered a gorgeous huge butternut squash, shallots and purple kale.  I came up with this following dish which is a spin off of a kale and butternut squash bread pudding I make.  This version takes out the bread and highlights the vegetables.  This was delicious, filling and made a ton!  I had this for the two nights following the popcorn dinner so, kinda makes up the nutritionally void meal nights before.

roasted mushrooms and kale over butternut squash puree

source: sweetflours

• 1 pound mixed sliced mushrooms (crimini, portobello and shitake)
• 1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots chopped
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 large butternut squash
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut butternut squash lengthwise and clean out seeds.  Place squash on jelly roll pan face down with small amount of water. Roast until squash is tender about 45 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool to touch.
 
On a large baking sheet, dress the mushrooms, garlic, shallots and thyme with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread out. Roast the mushroom mixture for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper.
 
Scoop out butternut squash into large bowl and either puree or mash depending on consistency desired.  Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in the cheddar until melted.

Lower over temp to 375.  Toss the kale with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Arrange the kale on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet and roast until crisp at the edges, 10-12 minutes.

Combine the mushrooms and the kale and serve on a bed of butternut squash puree.

roasted vegetable salad with goat cheese

I am still in love with my farm fresh to you delivery.  I am trying to embrace the buy local and cook seasonally but, there are so many vegetables that come in the winter that I am just not use to cooking with.  They often stare back at me from the cardboard box taunting me.  I know it is a race against the clock to serve them before they spoil so, I try to develop one side that will use up some of the harder items of the week.  We have been receiving a bounty of kale lately.  Until this year I can't say that I had much kale before. I fell in love with kale last year in my kale chip craze but, beyond that I was at a loss.  This salad uses the kale chip concept as a base (which the kids will eat and LOVE) and then is covered with mixed roasted vegetables.  I like to taste my vegetables so, the salad is dressed with lemon juice which compliments the roasted garlic and salt.  The creamy goat cheese is a nice finish to the salad.  This is light but, very filling.  I intended it to be a side dish but, I had it as my meal partially because I overcooked the pot roast and because I could not stop at one serving.  I am a sucker for roasted vegetables.

roasted vegetable salad with goat cheese
source: sweetflours

6 nantes carrots, sliced on the diagonal 1/4 inch thick
1/4 onions, chopped
8 grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1 bunch kale, tough stems discarded and leaves sliced
1/2 ounce crumbled goat cheese
 
Preheat the oven to 425°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the nantes carrots, onions and tomatoes with 1 teaspoons olive oil. Spread into a single layer, season with salt and pepper and roast, tossing halfway through, until golden, about 25-30 minutes. On a separate baking sheet, drizzle the kale with remaining teaspoon of olive oil, season with salt and toss. Add to oven for last 9-11 minutes depending on how crisp you want the kale. 


Plate the salad with the kale then add the roasted vegetables.  Squeeze lemon juice over salad and top with crumbled goat cheese.

savory bacon and kale bread pudding

The supper club theme this month was Victorian Christmas.  Yep think about that for a minute.  Still don't know what to make of that.  Google it and you will come up with delightful menus filled with oysters, mutton, goose, smelt and plum pudding.  Nothing coming back in my google search for a side dish was screaming make me make me.  I found a menu in a back issue of food and wine for a modern Victorian Christmas ... jackpot!  The sides were brussel sprouts (yum), tomato and goat cheese gratin and a kale bread pudding.  Kale has been intriguing me lately as I learn to cook it.  I had fresh kale from my farm fresh delivery so, kale bread pudding it was.  I needed to do a bit more research and I found a savory kale bread pudding by the beloved Tartine bakery in San Francisco.  Mention of Tartine and San Francisco and I was sold not to mention this version had bacon in it as well.  I think we all hesitantly prepared our dishes and came not expecting much from the menu.  Honestly I think secretly we were all just hoping it wasn't gross.  Boy was I shocked ... the menu was elegant, decadent, amazing and could be served for any holiday and the guests would have been impressed.  We had pomegranate martinis, fresh oysters, brie en croute, roast, yorkshire pudding, brussel sprout gratin, bread pudding and a berry and white chocolate trifle.  Seriously delicious.  We sat down to this elegant meal after a martini or two.  We devoured the meal, drank wine, recalled our top three Christmas memories and some where things went a new direction.  We sat down as proper ladies and left the table crazy girls headed to create a dance party in costumes.  I am still unclear how things moved this direction.  What I do know is this.  I wore a leather dress and a tiara.  I danced on the hostesses coffee table.  I took silly pictures.  I had a great time.  I love my supper club.  Cheers to the Victorian Christmas!

savory bacon and kale bread pudding

adapted: tartine

12 oz day old country or french bread
One leek, white portion thinly sliced
4 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 1/2 cups cream
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch smoked paprika
4 strips bacon
Fresh thyme, chopped
1 bunch kale; chopped
1 1/2 cups Gruyere (divided)

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the bread into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  

In a cast iron skillet, cook bacon until lightly crispy. Set aside. Using 2 tablespoons of remaining bacon grease, saute leek until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside when done, reserving the skillet (no need to wash).

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and salt until well blended. Add the milk and cream and whisk to combine. Then add the nutmeg, pepper, cayenne and paprika. When well mixed, add the bread, bacon, thyme, kale, leeks and 1 cup cheese. Mix well and pour back into the skillet (Note: if you don’t have a skillet use a greased baking dish, instead). The custard should come up to the top but not cover the highest pieces of bread.

Top the pudding evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and lightly pepper. Bake about 1 hour, or until custard is set. Serve pudding hot or at room temperature.