Crema de Calabacin (Cream of Zucchini Soup)

My lovely Spanish mother-in-law introduced me to this thick, delicious soup. I took her recipe and made some very small modifications to suit my own tastes. The soup is more reminiscent of a stew if you ask me, but either way, it's yummy. The first time I made it, I doubled the recipe and made a huge heaping pot which I was able to take to work for lunch everyday. You could also freeze some and defrost it in a pinch.

There are so many different variations of this soup floating around out there, from strictly creamy with fewer ingredients, to quite hardy like the one I've posted here. There's also a similar soup that uses actual squash blossoms which I'd love to try one day.

Buen provecho!

Ingredients

• 3 medium white sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 zucchini, cut in chunks
• 4 - 5 carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 3 - 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 leeks, cut in 3" chunks
• 2 chicken breasts, bones and skin removed
• 2 - 3 quarts low sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water
• kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• dried herbs, like thyme and rosemary, to taste

1. Place the vegetables and chicken breast in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Pour in enough broth or water to just reach the top of the veggies and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and ladle a bit of the liquid into a separate bowl to save for possible use later. Drain off the rest of the liquid. Puree the chicken and veggies together with a food processor, blender, or stick blender until it reaches your desired consistency. If you want to make it a little "soupier" you can introduce some of the reserved cooking liquid back into your mixture.
3. Season the soup liberally with salt and pepper until it reaches your desired taste. Do the same with some dried herbs like thyme and rosemary. Even herbes de provence would work. 
4. Spoon it into bowls and serve hot.

believe it or not, this is what a real sweet potato looks like;
the orange ones are actually yams

cube up those spuds!

start tossing everything into the pot together

your cutting job doesn't have to be perfect...

cover the veggies and chicken with liquid and crank
it up to boil



eventually it will all get soft and ready to blend



save a bit of that broth in case you want to make
your soup not quite so thick

what a mess, I know



I like my stick blender because it leaves me
less to clean...

I don't mind leaving it a little chunkier.

Apple and Sage Pork Chops

 

One of my favorite things about fall are that apples are in season! Apples are such a versatile fruit - they can go from breakfast to dinner to snacks to dessert. You can mash them, roast them, bake them, eat them raw, dip them... there really isn't much you can't do with an apple.

 

This recipe takes after one of those McCormick Spice Company pre-packaged spice mixes. I've adjusted some of the amounts and the ingredients themselves to arrive at this great (and quick!) fall recipe.

 

Ingredients

• 8 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 3 tsp dried ground sage
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme leaves 
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 red apples, thinly sliced
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 Tbsp palm sugar (optional)

1. Mix the coconut flour, all of the spices, and salt in a small bowl with a fork. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour.

2. Heat the coconut oil in a large lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork chops on both sides and remove to a plate. Add the onions to the pan; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until just tender. (Add more coconut oil, if needed.) Add the apples; cook and stir another 1-2 minutes.

3. Pour in the cider, and using your wooden spoon, deglaze the pan by scraping up any brown bits that stuck to the bottom. Stir in the palm sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed. Nestle the pork chops into your mixture and pour in any accumulated juices to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low(ish); cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness.

Easily core apples by cutting each side off until you are left with
a rectangular core

mmmm... spices!

Brown those choppers

Palm sugar is reminiscent of brown sugar and I use it as
a substitute in most recipes that call for brown sugar 

FIN!

Quick and Easy Banana Pancakes

This recipe is inspired by the post for 2 Ingredient Pancakes shared by karaklett on FastPaleo.com. I've tried a few Paleo pancake recipes and this one so far is my favorite. The first time I made it, they came out very thin (almost like a crepe) so my husband had the genius idea of incorporating a spoonful of nut butter to the batter to make them a little fluffier. BRILLIANT!

You might have noticed I updated the main photo and a few others for this recipe. Don't worry, I didn't change anything else! Here is the old main photo, if it makes you feel better.



 

Ingredients

• 1 super-ripe banana
• 1 spoonful of creamy nut butter (like almond or sunflower or cashew)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Coconut oil

1. Mash the banana with the nut butter until it has a batter-like consistency. You want to make sure you get rid of any chunks and don't have any pockets of nut butter that haven't been mixed in. You can do this in a food processor or blender. I used my stick blender and a mixing bowl.
2. Break two eggs into your bowl and beat them into the mixture. Don't overblend/mix or your batter will be way too loose.
3. Mix in the teaspoon of vanilla.
4. Heat a few spoonfuls of coconut oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. When the pan is ready, it will sizzle if you drop a bead of water on it.
5. Using a ladle, or large spoon, drop some batter onto the pan. (I do one ladle-ful to make a little larger than silver-dollar pancakes and I can fit two at a time in my large frying pan.) When the pancake bubbles on top and the underside is golden brown, flip it over using a very thin spatula. Brown the other side and then remove to a plate.
6. Top with whatever you wish and serve! Makes about 6 pancakes.

What can you top it with??? ANYTHING! Because of the banana, they will already be fairly sweet but you can drizzle on a little agave nectar or pure maple syrup. I personally like to heat a half a pint of blueberries on the stove over low heat until they begin to soften and ooze and use that as a topping. You could also probably slice some fresh strawberries on top or maybe spread on some coconut manna.

Hulk Spatula angry. Hulk Spatula too thick. Break pancake.
You no like when Hulk break pancake.

OH NO! What's with the ugly pancake? If this happens, it means your heat is too high. Your batter will bubble up and create thin and uneven parts and the edges will be all funky.

There we go, much better!

 

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Soup

Summer is coming to a close and that means it is time to switch gears to fall and winter recipes. I think I'm a much better winter cook than summer cook. I love making heaping pots of soup, roasting meats and vegetables in the oven, and making hearty recipes that warm you up. I tend to stick to soups that have lots of "stuff" in them. I don't typically eat a soup that doesn't contain chunks of meat and vegetables. (You'll never see me eat a bowl of tomato soup or butternut squash soup - no matter how good it looks I just don't care for it!) So for me to say I absolutely LOVE this spinach artichoke soup, you know it must be AMAZING. I actually took the inspiration for this recipe from a WeightWatchers recipe. I know, I know, no need to roll your eyes. Trust me, though, it's awesome.

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 10oz fresh spinach
• 1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts, drained
• 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• fresh ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 can chilled full fat coconut milk (cream separated from the water***)

1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven. Saute the onions until they begin to become translucent. Add the garlic and continue to saute for another minute or so until fragrant. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts and saute for an additional 2 minutes until spinach begins to wilt.
2. Add 3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the coconut milk cream. (It may look a little gross at this point, but trust me, you're on the right track.) Let cool for 5-10 minutes and add to a blender. Blend to desired consistency.

***When either left sitting alone long enough, or chilled in the fridge, coconut milk will naturally separate with the creamy solids rising to the top and the clear water gathering in the bottom. DON'T SHAKE UP YOUR CAN OF COCONUT MILK! Carefully open the top and spoon the creamy portion into a small bowl. You should be left with about 1 cup of creamy solids which we'll use to make the soup "creamy" (you can do whatever you like with the leftover water). I promise the soup won't taste like coconuts.


Tips:

1. This soup freezes well and reheats like a champ. Don't be afraid to make a little extra for instant warm gratification on a yucky day.
2. If you do dairy, you can add some parmesan cheese to the mix which will almost make the soup reminiscent of spinach artichoke dip. Stir in about 1/2 cup grated when you add the coconut cream, or throw in a few pieces of the rind when you add the broth. If you add rind, don't forget to fish them out of the pot before blending.
3. The soup tastes really great with chicken. You can either drop in a few pieces of steamed or grilled chicken, or use the soup as a sauce for boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Dairy Free Mint Chip Ice Cream

This summer has been disgustingly hot and humid. I finally tossed my ice cream maker bowl into the freezer intent on cooling off with some delicious home-made ice cream. In my pre-Paleo days, my all-time favorite ice cream used to be Haagen Dazs Mint Chip. I remember it was the first mint chip ice cream I had seen that wasn't artificially colored green like most other mint ice creams. I also remember that after I took the first bite I was ringed in a warm circle of light while a choir of angels started singing. Yes, it's THAT good. And this dairy-free version is pretty much the mirror image of the real thing so you are certainly in for a treat.

The only thing about making home made ice cream from coconut milk is that the consistency is a bit off. Fresh out of the ice cream maker will be VERY soft, although yes, ready to eat. I freeze mine for half a day at least before enjoying, so it will harden up and not turn to liquid the minute it hits your bowl. When eating the leftovers out of the freezer, I leave the container sitting out for 10 minutes or so before I start hacking into it so it can soften up a little.

This recipe is for a 2qt capacity ice cream maker. If you have a smaller machine, cut the recipe in half.

Ingredients

• 2 (14oz) cans coconut milk (regular, not reduced fat)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pure mint extract
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks* (% cacao of your choosing)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, honey, vanilla, mint, and salt until combined. (If you have very solid honey, melt it a bit first in the microwave.)
2. Dump the mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to your machine's directions. (I have the 2 qt Cuisinart ice cream maker and I process 30-35 minutes total.)
3. Dump in the chocolate chunks while the machine is moving for the last 5-10 minutes of processing. (I dump mine in at the 25 minute mark.)
4. Turn off your machine when the ice cream reaches your desired consistency. (The best you will get is like an icy soft-serve.)
5. You can eat the ice cream right away - but I do mean RIGHT AWAY as it will immediately begin to melt the minute you scoop it into a bowl. Or - you can put it in an airtight freezer-safe container and let it harden up a bit. When storing in the freezer, place some plastic wrap flush against the top of your ice cream to prevent ice from forming before sealing the container. I let mine freeze at least half a day before enjoying.

*Note: You have several options when it comes to the chocolate chunks. I have bought good-quality 72% cacao dark chocolate and chopped it up into bits with a knife as you can see below. They also sell bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao) which can be chopped up into smaller bits. And if you want to be strict Paleo with this recipe, you can even purchase cocoa nibs (100% cacao bits). And if you're gross, you can use unsweetened baker's chocolate. But, ewwww.

About 5 squares of this chopped is 1/2 cup

I like having bits of varying sizes - some larger bits, some
very small, and I even scoop up all the little shavings left
on the cutting board.

Whisk together everything but the chocolate.

Dump the mixture into your ice cream maker.

Add the chocolate about 25 minutes into processing.

Look at them chips get in there.

Spatula Mickey says he also hears the angels singing.
(I recommend using a rubber spatula to scrape out
your bowl so you don't scratch it.)

Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container.

Place plastic wrap flush against the surface of the ice cream
to prevent ice from forming.

Enjoy on a nice hot day!