Moroccan Carrot Spread

I tasted a Moroccan Carrot Spread at the Duluth Whole Foods Co-op and loved the creamy texture and sweet carrot taste with spices.  So I looked for a similar recipe on-line and found this one from Paulette Mitchell, a culinary instructor, and author of 10 cookbooks, including her 15-Minute Gourmet cookbook series.  The list of ingredients was nearly identical to the one at the Co-op, but her recipe did not include parsley, so I added it to this recipe.   The key to the creamy texture is cooking the carrots until they are very tender.  I had never tried cooking carrots in the microwave before, and I have to admit that it was much quicker than my usual stove-top method. 

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots (about 8), cut into 1" chunks              

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

Put the carrots in a medium microwave-proof dish; add about 1/4 cup water.  Cover tightly and microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until very tender.  (Or cook the carrots in a stovetop steamer.)  Drain well.

Transfer the carrots to a food processor; process until mashed.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Process until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Bring to room temperature for serving.

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 5



Food processing  the ingredients

Serving Size: 1/4 cup cup

Calories: 89

Total Fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 64 mg

Total Carbs: 9 g

Dietary Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 1 g

Gingered Carrot Soup Again

I posted the recipe for this soup in May, but I made it again today and used carrots from my husband's vegetable garden.  Oh, I love this soup!  Here is a photo of the finished soup to inspire you to try it.  I added the photos I took while I made it today to the original post with the recipe, too. 
Here is the link for the recipe:
 http://pureedpzazz.blogspot.com/2011/05/gingered-carrot-soup.html

Gingered Carrot Soup!

  

Pureed White Beans-Tomatoes with Halibut

Before I had the need to puree my food, one of my favorite recipes was Halibut with White Beans in Tomato-Rosemary Broth.   So I experimented with this recipe and pureed the tomatoes and beans after they were cooked, and was delighted with the taste, the texture, and the vibrant color!  (Nice to have a change from my usual green soups.)  The tomatoes were a mix of golden and plum heirloom tomatoes from Tom's vegetable garden. The golden tomatoes are lower in acidity than usual tomatoes and are YUMMY!  

Ingredients:


Tomatoes, beans, broth and rosemary



1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 (6 oz) halibut fillets

1/4 teaspoon sea salt



1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper                                                 



2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped plum tomatoes 

1 cup chopped golden tomatoes        

1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 (16 oz.) can cannelini  beans, or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation:



Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.   Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper.  Add fish to the pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. 

Remove fish from pan; keep warm in a large casserole dish.  Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in tomato, broth, beans, and rosemary.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Puree to desired consistency.  Ladle into bowls and add halibut.  Serve immediately.



Beautiful finished soup!

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 6

Serving Size: 1 halibut fillet plus approx. 1 1/4 cup puree

Calories: 293                                                                             

Total Fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 46 mg

Sodium: 203 mg

Total Carbs: 21 g

Dietary Fiber: 5 g

Protein: 37 g

Curried Zucchini Soup

I previously posted a recipe for Chilled Curried Zucchini Soup, that I had adapted from the Soup Bible (2007, Penguin Books).   Two nights ago, I modified it again by omitting the buttermilk and serving it warm.  I liked it even better this way, though that might have been partly because the cold weather influenced my desire for a warm soup.  If you like curry and other Indian spices, this soup is for you.  It  was incredibly simple and quick to make. 

Ingredients for the Curried Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped

1 teaspoon shredded fresh ginger root               
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 cups Pacific Natural Foods Organic Low-Sodium Chicken Broth

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin and cook over gently heat for 3 - 4 minutes.  Add zucchini and cook for 5 minutes, covered, until zucchini begins to soften.  Pour in chicken broth, and simmer for another 10 minutes or so, until zucchini is cooked.  Remove from heat and cool a little.

Blend contents of pan until smooth.  Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt.  (Yogurt is not included in nutritional analysis.)

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 4

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories:  68

Total Fat: 4 g                                                              
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 40  mg
Total Carbs: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2 g

Chili Chickpea Mash

I have been having more intestinal tract blockages recently and an abdominal ct scan last week showed the reason for this is because the pancreatic tumor has shifted position is now pressing on my duodenum, though it hasn't grown in size. But it requires that I eat more soluble fiber and less insoluble fiber.  This recipe for chickpea mash is a good example of the type of soluble fiber that works well for me.  Most importantly, it is delicious!  Hummus is another good example of a dip that has the type of soluble fiber that works well for me, but variety in my diet is important for taste, fun and nutrition. 

Ingredients:
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small fresh red chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup boiling water                                                                             
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper, if desired

Preparation:

Put the chickpeas in a food processor with the chili pepper slices, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil.  Puree to preferred consistency, adding just enough of the boiling water to make a smooth, creamy texture.  Season with salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper, if desired. 

Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 6

Serving Size: 3.3 Tablespoons

Calories: 110

Total Fat: 2 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 240 mg
Total Carbs: 19 g
Dietary Fiber:  4 g
Protein: 4 g

"Tomatoland" by Barry Estabrook

More tomatoes from Tom's vegetable garden in our yard

In a previous post for a tomato soup recipe, I commented on an interview with Barry Estabrook I heard on National Public Radio a few weeks ago.  Here is a link to that interview. 

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137371975/how-industrial-farming-destroyed-the-tasty-tomato

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrialized Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit is the title of the book by Barry Estabrook that exposes the agricultural practices used in Florida to produce tomatoes.  He documents the use of nearly 110 pesticides, fungicides and insecticides to produce the tomatoes, and how the durability of a tomato for cross-country transport is the top priority rather than taste.  He also exposes the abject slavery of workers used in the tomato industry in Florida.   

I look at the tomatoes my husband lovingly grew from heirloom seeds and admire their lack of uniformity, along with their lack of pesticides and insecticides and chemicals.  I will savor each one as I puree them into delicious soup!  We have several more ripening in paper bags that will soon be ready to use. 




Heirloom tomatoes and an onion



Spinach and Yogurt Soup

This recipe is from the Joslin Diabetes Healthy Carbohydrate Cookbook, with slight modifications.  I made it for the first time in March, 2011, and loved it. Swiss chard can easily be substituted for the spinach. 

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 10-oz. package frozen leaf spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup water

3/4 cup canned low-fat, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth             
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried
2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Thyme sprigs for garnish

Preparation:
Lightly coat a nonstick pot with cooking spray and add the onion.  Cook over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes.  Add the spinach and water.  Raise the heat to high and cook until the water has evaporated.  Remove from the heat  Puree the mixture to desired consistency.  Stir in the yogurt, and heat gently but do not allow the soup to boil. (Boiling would cause the yogurt to curdle.)  Season the soup with pepper.  Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with thyme sprigs. 

Nutrition:

Servings per recipe: 4

Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup                                                            

Calories: 93

Total Fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 3 mg

Sodium: 152 mg

Total Carbs: 16 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 9 g