Curried Sweet Potato-Apple Soup

I have a confession. I really really wanted to post about cookies or cake today. Think along the lines of crunchy dark chocolate biscotti or creamy homemade Boston cream pie. But. It is the new year, and in honor of many likely reader resolutions to try and stay healthy this year, I thought I should abstain for all our sakes. Until next week, at least! 

My next confession, which you can probably tell by looking at my recipes page, is that I love a good pot of soup. Cue the music for my most recent soup discovery, courtesy of my parents who attend a monthly cooking club dinner. Yes, I am jealous of them and you should be too - the menus they make are absolutely amazing! 

 

This Curried Sweet Potato-Apple Soup is a wonderful fall or winter soup with complex flavors that somehow work well together. The sweet potato is creamy, the apple lends sweetness, and it is all taken up a notch by the addition of the spicy curry powder, which you can dial up or down as your tastes dictate. Add a few fun toppings (optional) and you have a healthy, warm winter meal ready to go! 

Ingredients:


3 medium sweet potatoes


3 tablespoons unsalted butter


1 small onion, chopped


2 cloves garlic, smashed


1 2 -inch piece ginger, peeled and grated


1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh if you have it)


1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder


Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


2 cups low-sodium chicken broth


1 1/4 cups chunky applesauce


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar


1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel and dice 2 1/2 sweet potatoes. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until toasted, 1 more minute.

2. Add the diced sweet potatoes, chicken broth and 2 cups water to the pot, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the applesauce. Simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup with a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the remaining 1/2 sweet potato and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes.
 
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring, until browned; remove from the heat and add the vinegar. Top bowls of soup with the curry butter, cilantro and sweet-potato chips.

Turks and Caicos Holiday

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and rang in 2015 with a bang. As always, I manage to be shocked and disbelieving that the past year went by so quickly. However, when I stop and think back and all the things I've done and the places I've been in 2014, it seems like a pretty lengthy and fun-filled year!

That said, I am already looking forward to 2015 and the new adventures it has in store. As with years past, I have not made any official new year's resolutions. But that's not to say that I don't have some more loose and unofficial goals for the year ahead. Some of these include: join a book club, find an opportunity to volunteer, eat fewer processed foods, wear more sunscreen, travel to New York City and maybe even Europe, and to accept my next big life transition - when Stuart graduates from his master's program - with grace and enthusiasm. We have no idea what we will be doing or where we will be living six months from now, but I guess that is part of life's wild ride!

 

Did I mention that we just got back from an epic family vacation in the Turk & Caicos, Caribbean?? It has been quite some time since my family has been able to wrangle everyone for a true family trip, and this one was beyond amazing.

We flew to Providenciales, where we stayed for 2 nights soaking in the beautiful light blue water and soft powdery sand. Then we took a 30 minute ferry to the North Caicos, where we rented a big car and drove 45 minutes to Middle Caicos, a large and very remote island with only one hotel and two restaurants to its name. We stayed at - you guessed it - the only resort on the island called Blue Horizon, which is made up of individual houses and bungalows. Our rental house had the best ocean views I've ever encountered. We swam, snorkeled, caught lobster, cooked our own meals, played card games, and had the best time. If only it was closer, I think we'd all go back in a heartbeat!

 

 View of our beach from Middle Caicos resort

 Stuart soaking in the sun in Providenciales

 Walking on the beach in Mudjin Harbor, Middle Caicos

 Collecting conch shells on the beach in Bambara, Middle Caicos

 

 Kayaking amid the mangroves in Middle Caicos

 

 See you again someday, Turks & Caicos!!

Rugalach Cookies

The holidays are upon us in full force, and I am absolutely positive that you don't need another sweet treat temptation to mess up your already sugar intensive diet. That said, I could not resist sharing at least one holiday cookie with you this year - one of my family's traditional recipes called Rugalach. This cookie is known under many different name spellings, but it is a traditional Jewish cookie that originated in central Europe. Every December my mom makes these and I gorge on about a dozen in no time flat. While the ingredients and appearance are very simple, they are one of my hands-down favorites.

That said, before this year I must confess that I had never made Rugalach on my own! But since we are going away for the holidays (leaving for the Caribbean on Wednesday!), I knew I had to take advantage of time and make them solo this year. And when we decided to host a holiday cookie party last week, it was a no-brainer that I would attempt them. My mom's recipe consisted of vague quantities such as "mix sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts to make the filling." When I made these I have to admit that I did just kind of pour the amounts randomly. But after taste testing that batch and for the purposes of sharing, I made some tweaks and came up with the amounts you see below. If you make these, let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 -pound unsalted butter, at room temperature

9 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped



Directions:



1. Cream the cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light. Add 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the salt, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour and mix until just combined. 
2. Dump the dough out onto a well-floured cutting board and roll it into a ball. If the dough seems dry, just keep working with it and it will come together. Cut the ball in quarters, wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight if possible or for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. 
To make the filling, combine the remaining 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts.


5. On a very well-floured cutting board, let one section of dough soften a bit and then when it is roll-able roll it into a circle. Sprinkle the circle with 1/2 cup of the filling mixture and press the filling lightly into the dough. Cut the circle into 12 equal wedges—cutting the whole circle in quarters, then each quarter into thirds.
6. Starting with the wide edge, roll up each wedge into a crescent shape. Place the cookies, points tucked under, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a bit of extra cinnamon/granulated sugar for garnish if desired.
7. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until cookies are very lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat the above process for the remaining pieces of dough. 

 When I originally made this I only used granulated sugar which is why the filling looks so light. However, I thought that brown sugar would add a nice flavor. 

 You really need to flour the cutting board before rolling. Otherwise, the dough triangles will stick impossibly and you'll have to start over.

 That looks like my kind of pizza! Ha.

 What cute little crescent rolls. And tasty to boot!

Pumpkin Granola Muffins

Have we all been pumpkin'ed out yet by all of the pumpkin spice coffee/bread/oatmeal/pie and other concoctions that are so popular this time of year at every holiday party, coffee shop and grocery store? Because I'm not quite maxed out to my personal limit yet, so I think it's time for a pumpkin post! This time of year only comes around once a year, so it's best to make the most of it. Especially when the pumpkin goodie in question is a healthy(ish) crunchy tasty pumpkin muffin topped with granola.

Yep, you heard correctly. Today we are taking muffins to the next level by adding an exciting granola topping as the proverbial cherry on top. I found this idea on a blog called The Clever Carrot, and can't wait to repeat it for every type of muffin out there for the rest of my life - blueberry muffins, banana, you name it - this is a genius idea that will make a basic muffin much more interesting. I'll take five, please. 

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? My parents are driving over from Nevada, and then we are all going to the Santa Barbara area to meet up with Stuart's family. I can't wait for loads of turkey, cranberry sauce, and of course a slice of pumpkin pie!

Ingredients:
Dry:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
Wet:
1 c. pumpkin puree
--> ¾  c. sugar2 eggs
--> 1½  tsp. vanilla --> ⅓ c. coconut oil, melted & cooled1 c. granola (any variety – for garnish)

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients so that they are evenly incorporated.
3. In another bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients.
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients, and stir until just combined; do not over mix (the muffins will be tough).
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling them about 2/3 full.
6. Sprinkle 1 tsp. of granola onto each muffin.
7. Bake in the center of the oven for about 25-30 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before serving.

Birthday Eats

I recently realized that in the whirlwind surrounding my recent birthday, I forgot to tell you what (are where) I ate during my birthday week. It's been a while since I posted about restaurants here in San Luis Obispo, so I'm going to take this opportunity to introduce you to a couple of Central Coast gems. First up was the meal Stuart treated my to the weekend prior to my birthday, at Ember in the nearby town of Arroyo Grande. Next up was a wonderful champagne-filled evening courtesy of my mother in law, Karen, who drove all the way up to eat with us at Giuseppe's Cucina Italiana in nearby Pismo Beach. Both meals were fabulous, and while the interiors of both restaurants are dark I did try to capture a few standout dishes in the photos below.

Where: Ember
Location: Arroyo Grande
Known For: wood-fired everything, from pizzas to meats, overseen by head chef Brian Collins

Shaved zucchini salad with toasted hazelnuts and Parmesan - simple but delicious

The crispy pork belly with Brussels sprouts appetizer

Wild Boar Chorizo and Tomatillo pizza - out of the ordinary toppings, wood-fired to perfection

Where: Giuseppe's Cucina Italiana
Location: Pismo Beach
Known For:the best Italian food in the central coast

Giuseppe's signature starter salad, full of fresh avocado, carrot, tomato, and garbanzo beans

 

The pan roasted petrale sole entree special with butternut squash risotto and shaved zucchini - this was hands down the best entree I've had at this restaurant. Amazing. 

 

Where: The Chiapella/Wendel Family Kitchen
Location: Gardnerville, NV
Known For: homemade cakes that don't look pretty, but taste delicious! Below is a German chocolate cake that my mom and I made when I visited home the weekend following my birthday. Of course, the main meal was also equally scrumptious. Thanks, mom and dad!

 

And a big thank you to Stuart for my birthday gift, the cookbook pictured above. I can't wait to bring a little bit of Paris to our home kitchen!