Gallo Pinto

I grew tired of pizza. That's an utter lie, but I'm trying to make myself believe it because my trainer had me cut all those delicious unncessary white flour foods out of my diet. So, now what?

Instead, I'm concentrating on my upcoming jaunt to Costa Rica! I haven't been out of the country in several years, and this trip came up at just the right time. I've been suffering from wanderlust, and now I get to feed it!

And my belly. Because there are plenty of flourless foods that are still delicious (like scotch...and cheese!). But what better way to prep for international delights than to sample the cuisine? I know nothing of Costa Rican food, so I figured I'd try my hand at some simple dishes before leaving, and see how closely I came to approximating them once I get to eat the real thing.

To start, I Googled Costa Rican Food. Immediately you get 80 million hits for something called gallo pinto. Gallo in Spanish (pronounced ga-yo) is a rooster, so you might have assumed this was some combination of chicken and pinto beans. But knowing that pico de gallo in Mexico is a salad of chopped fruits and veggies (not the tomato/onion mixture we know it as here), I imagined there was more than meets the eye here.

Turns out there are neither fowl nor pinto beans in this dish. Pinto means painted, and when this dish of cooked rice and black beans comes together, the rice takes on a little color from the beans (I cheated a bit by using brown rice since I didn't have white rice). A full understanding of the use of the phrase would require a broader understanding of Latin American culture, but Wikipedia gives one explanation.

There are 80 million variations of this dish, based solely on the Google results. This one had cumin and coriander in it, two spices I'm quite familiar with. But also some powdered ginger. That was a new spice combo to me. I love ginger, but have never had it with the other two.

I served this to my family (since I'm technically not supposed to have rice either...). My dad wanted more spice in it, but he can't eat anything without dousing it with some sort of pique (aka, hot sauce). The ladies liked it, though we all admitted that adding green salsa on top really was delicious (dad's bad influence!). My nephew, at the tender age of four, has become quite accustomed to the way Puerto Ricans eat beans (a post for another time), and asked for those beans instead.

I'm sure when I finally get to eat the real thing, it'll be something completely different from what I'm expecting. And that will be awesome.

The Gallo Pinto recipe I followed can be found here.

Palak Paneer Pizza

I know it's been a little while, but we were talking pizzas for some time and guess what? We still are!

That ball of dough ended up yielding 4 separate personal pizzas. Four very different pizzas: one veggie-laden with roasted mushroom & cauliflower (the only way I'll eat cauliflower now), another with leftover BBQ chicken and my accidentally delicious harissa caramel sauce, a sweet and savory pizza with maraschino cherries, mango and brie, and now an Indian-inspired spinach and paneer pizza.

If you've read about my previous adventures with the deceivingly difficult-to-master Indian dish, you know the spice ratio is never quite right for my taste buds. This time, since I was making one very small pizza, I didn't quite know what was going to come of it.

Palak paneer is a North Indian curry made of a blend of onions, tomatoes and spinach, a few peppers for heat, spices, cream and topped with fried paneer (an Indian cheese similar in texture to firm tofu). The basic recipe has the vegetables sautéed with the spices, blended to a smooth consistency, and cream is added to temper the heat. The paneer is cubed then fried in ghee, and added as the topping. Sounds pretty easy, right? Don't be fooled!

Up to this point the spice ratio has never tasted right. I can't tell you what the "correct" amount of each is, and there are as many variations as there are people on this planet. I figure I'll keep futzing with it until the day my taste buds agree. And because this was going to top a pizza, I left the vegetables whole. Otherwise it would've become a pizza with a lot of sauce and little texture. Instead of sautéing the tomatoes, I used my fridge staple roasted grape tomatoes. And because I'm a bad Mexican without fresh peppers in the house, I substituted chile flakes (maybe a few too many...). It was an interesting flavor combo on top of a pizza.

But it tasted good. A bit spicy, but what's life without a little spice? The nice thing is that you can add more sour cream on top of the pizza if breathing fire like a dragon isn't on your to-do list today.

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Palak Paneer Pizza

by Paulette Fontanez,  October-18-2011

Indian food on a pizza? Yes!

Ingredients

• 1 package personal size pizza dough or 2 ounces of a dough ball
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon (more for heat) chile flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup sour cream (more if the heat is too much) 
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 cup roasted grape tomatoes
• 4 ounces paneer cheese or tofu, cubed

Instructions

1. Follow the directions for resting the pizza dough and preheating the oven.2. While the dough is resting, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until browned. Add the garlic in the last minute to avoid burning.3. Mix in the spices and chile flakes and add the tomatoes and spinach. Cook until the spinach begins to turn a darker color (this happens quickly, don't let it get too wilted). 4. Add the sour cream and remove from heat. Mix so all the ingredients are thoroughly coated (the residual heat in the pan will melt the cream).5. Brush the dough with a bit of olive oil to keep the dough from absorbing too much liquid from the ingredients.Top the dough with the mixture from the pan. 6. Wipe the pan clean and add the remaining olive oil. Fry the cubed cheese until brown. Add to the pizza.7. Put the pizza in the oven and bake until the dough is browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 5-20 minutes (depending on dough's resting time)Cook time: 15-20 minutesTotal time: 20-40 minutesYield: 1 personal size pizza

Wordless Wednesday: Honey & Coconut-Covered Strawberry

Fighting Like a Girl: Ghirardelli & Vino at District Wine

On Sunday, my very dear friend Oakley Boren hosted a very lovely wine and chocolate party at the very sexy Long Beach wine bar, District Wine. It was very fun. And quite delicious.

Sponsored by Ghirardelli Chocolate, the Intense Dark Pairing was in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For every code entered at their website, Ghirardelli will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

So we ate chocolate and drank wine to fight boobie cancer! We were also joined by a breast cancer survivor Melissa Keyes, who shared her story with us. Cancer didn't run in her family, she found it during a routine breast exam. It was a sobering reminder: ladies, check your boobies!!

Host Oakley, owners Mark & Angela, and cancer-kicker Melissa

There were three different chocolates:

• 60% Evening Dream paired with the Frogmore Creek Iced Riesling from Tasmania
• 72% Twilight Delight paired with the Taft Street Zinfandel from the Russian River Valley
• 86% Midnight Reverie paired with the Layer Cake Malbec from Argentina

All of it intense. All of it marvelous. Mark and Angela know their vino and my favorite wines. I'm a big fan of both Zinfandels and Malbecs, but this time my taste buds favored the Riesling. I tend to stay away from sweet wines, but those Tasmanians and their devils put out a nice white.

We had choices of food bits, like dried apricots (great with the Riesling), parmesan and water crackers (made to eat especially with the Malbec), and marshmallows like I've never tasted (that went with EVERYTHING). Turns out they're called Plush Puffs and available at Fresh & Easy. Add these to your shopping list!

As a finishing touch we indulged in a the Toffee Interlude Dark Chocolate with caramelized almonds, with which we had the choice between an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout or the Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port from Portugal. I opted for the wine (I'm not one for dark, bitter beer). A nice end to a delightful afternoon.

I was also lucky enough to win a raffle prize of a tasting kit and three large bars of various Intense Dark chocolates. Expect to see future chocolate-flavored posts. Mmm, chocolate. And if you'd like to win your own tasting treasure trove, check out this post on Oakley's blog. You have till Saturday to enter to win!

As a side note, on Sundays District Wine also has a bottomless mimosa special for a mere $9. There is also cool abstract art on the walls, and yummy appetizers on the menu. Like pineapple and gorgonzola flatbread with balsamic vinegar. Or prosciutto bon bons. Fellow chocolate and wine lover Tina Cruz claims they're better than sex. I only wish I'd ordered them!

Know what's also better than sex? Not having cancer. So don't forget to do those monthly exams!!

Thanks to Oakley, District Wine and Ghirardelli for a relaxed afternoon. We should all spend more Sundays like this.

Maraschino Cherry & Mango Brie Pizza

And we're still talking personal pizzas!

But this one won't be found on any typical pizzeria. It's a G+F kitchen specialty. A very personal specialty.

Again, I was working with what I had in the fridge. I'd cut up a mango for breakfast, so I still had some fingers. I love me some mangoes. And there was brie (a gift from the hotel I had stayed at during a recent event—it's like they did their homework!). I had discovered that this particular brie (a double cream variety) paired exceptionally well with my go-to Belgian white, Blue Moon. No orange necessary. But that's a story for another time.

(There may have been beer consumed with this meal. I can neither confirm nor deny that fact.)

Back to the ingredient list, food from the refrigerator: mango cubed, spinach, the gifted brie, Rachel's maraschino cherries, and caramelized onions. It basically was 5 of my favorite ingredients on flat bread. There was no way this could go badly.

It was delicious. The sweetness from the fruit and onions coupled with the richness of the brie married so nicely with the crispy spinach. And the cherries tended to burst in my mouth, like an explosion of happiness. Mmmm.

I will admit there were huge chunks of cheese on this pizza. I love cheese! I used nearly the entire 5 ounce wheel. You could probably scale back if you're not a rabid cheese-oholic.

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Maraschino Cherry & Mango Brie Pizza

by Paulette Fontanez September-20-2011

A delicious combination of fruits, veggies and cheese on flatbread.

Ingredients

• 1 package personal size pizza dough or 2 ounces of a dough ball
• 1 wheel double cream brie
• 1/4 cup mango, cubed
• 1/4 cup maraschino cherries
• 1/4 cup caramelized onions
• A few spinach leaves
• Olive oil for brushing on dough
• Cornmeal or flour for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Follow the directions for resting the pizza dough and preheating the oven.2. Spread the dough out to the desired thickness. Sprinkle flour or cornmeal on a baking sheet and place the dough on top.3. Brush the dough with olive oil to keep the dough from absorbing too much liquid from the ingredients.4. Cut the wheel in half and make thin slices. Use as much of the wheel as you feel is necessary.5. Top with remaining ingredients. 6. Put the pizza in the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the dough is browned, about 10-15 minutes.7. Remove from the oven, pour a beer, and eat. Suggested pairing: a Belgian white like Blue Moon.

Details

Prep time: 5-20 minutes (depending on dough's resting time) Cook time: 10-15 minutes Total time: 15-35 minutesYield: 1 personal size pizza

BBQ Chicken Harissa Caramel Pizza

This pizza was a true concoction of simply what was in the fridge. It was just after our Labor Day barbecue and I had leftover chicken. And there was that delicious harissa caramel sauce. Mmm.

Once I learned Dorothy's trick for caramelized onions, they became a kitchen staple. Same with the roasted tomatoes (this bruschetta is a base for many meals in this house these days). So, of course, they were in the fridge and given an invitation to the pizza party. Because caramel and caramelized veggies just meld so damn well.

This experiment was good just by itself, with a little oregano sprinkled on top. And then I squeezed some lemon on it and WOW. I had invented my new favorite pizza.

It was a little sweet, sour, tangy, and all around perfect. With oozy cheese. Mmmm, oozy cheese!

I was making petite pies, enough for just one, but use more dough and a bit more of all the ingredients, and you can have a big ol' pizza pie.

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BBQ Chicken Harissa Caramel Pizza

by Paulette Fontanez September-15-2011

A delightful blend of yumminess.

Ingredients

• 1 package personal size pizza dough or 2 ounces of a dough ball
• 1/2 cup shredded barbecued chicken
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup caramel harissa sauce 
• 1/4 cup caramelized onions
• 1/4 cup roasted grape tomatoes, marinated in balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Juice of half a lemon
• Olive oil for brushing on dough
• Cornmeal or flour for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Follow the directions for resting the pizza dough and preheating the oven.2. Spread the dough out to the desired thickness. Sprinkle flour or cornmeal on a baking sheet and place the dough on top.3. Brush the dough with olive oil to keep the dough from getting soggy from the ingredients, then sprinkle with about half the cheese.4. In a small bowl mix the harissa caramel with the shredded chicken and spread over the cheese. Add the tomatoes and onions. Cover with the remaining cheese.5. Put the pizza in the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the dough is browned, about 10-15 minutes.6. Remove from oven, sprinkle with oregano and the lemon juice. Cut and eat.

Details

Prep time: 5-20 minutes (depending on dough's resting time)Cook time: 10-15 minutesTotal time: 15-35 minutesYield: 1 personal size pizza

Roasted Mushroom and Cauliflower Pizza

I spent a week making pizza almost every night because a ball of dough makes a lot of personal pizzas. I took the opportunity to experiment with a bunch of different toppings based on whatever was in the kitchen. It was fun.

This particular pie was inspired by Pamela of My Man's Belly. She had posted a pizza recipe using roasted mushrooms. I'd never thought about roasting mushrooms, but the idea intrigued me. I was out of shallots so I couldn't make her exact recipe, but I did have roasted cauliflower which, if you've been reading for any amount of time you know, is the only way I'll eat it.

I know that roasted cauliflower on a pizza sounds odd. But add in some shredded mozzarella, spinach sauteed with garlic, a little adobo seasoning, and 10 minutes later there was a pizza waiting to be devoured.

I used crimini mushrooms, but just about any mushrooms should work. Pamela used a mix. Do whatever you like!

So simple, yet so delicious. Thanks to Pamela for her inspiration. Turns out that roasted mushrooms are really good in lots of dishes!

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Roasted Mushroom & Cauliflower Pizza

by Paulette Fontanez September-12-2011

Roasted veggies on a pizza pie.

Ingredients

• 1 package personal size pizza dough or 2 ounces of a dough ball
• 1 pint crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup roasted cauliflower florets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups spinach, packed
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning (or regular salt & pepper)
• Cornmeal or flour for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Follow the directions for resting the pizza dough.2. While the dough is resting, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the mushrooms and cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoning. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread the mushrooms and cauliflower out evenly. Roast for 20 minutes. Mushrooms will turn a deep brown and the florets will look burnt—don't worry, they're supposed to! (If using a pizza stone, put it on the lowest rack while the vegetables are roasting.)3. While the vegetables are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the minced garlic but don't let it burn, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and sauté for a few minutes, until it wilts slightly. Remove from heat.4. Remove the pizza stone (if using). Check the instructions on the pizza dough and adjust the temperature accordingly.5. Spread the dough out to the desired thickness. Sprinkle flour or cornmeal on a baking sheet or the pizza stone (if using) and place the dough on top.6. Sprinkle half the cheese all over the dough. Add the vegetables, then the remaining cheese.7. Put the pizza in the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly and the dough is browned, about 10-15 minutes.8. Remove from oven, slice, and eat.

Details

Prep time: 20 minutesCook time:  10-15 minutesTotal time: 30-35 minutesYield: 1 personal size pizza

Harissa Caramel Sauce

The other day, I tried making pralines. It was a spectacular failure.

But I was left with a caramel sauce that was looking for a home. I had just attempted to make paneer, and though it crumbled more like cottage cheese than the solid store-bought variety, it was still edible. The idea for very simple paneer came from an episode of Aarti Party, where she made it look so easy. (I've since learned the secret to solid cheese was letting it drain for longer.)

In that episode she fried the cheese and then made a spicy sauce to serve it with. I figured I could adapt a spicy honey recipe for this, and it was the exact opposite of a failure. It was, simply, spectacular.

The spicy honey recipe came from this Moroccan recipe for eggplant, which I'm sure is delightful. But the caramel was super sweet, so to balance it out, this needed more of the spicy pepper, more spicy ginger, more spices period! Also, I've taken to cooking with coconut oil instead of olive oil.

So in increasing the ginger and harissa, adding coriander, using caramel instead of honey, and sautéing it all in coconut oil, we have a sauce I have fallen in love with. It makes a wonderful barbecue sauce, a glaze for paneer or...anything. Let me know what you end up putting it on!

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Caramel Harissa Sauce

August-26-2011

Adapted from Girl Cooks World.

*For caramel sauce, see this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons  harissa
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce*
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Melt the coconut oil in a pan over medium heat and add the garlic. 2. Sauté for about a minute (don't let it brown) and then add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.3. Cook until the sauce is thick and syrupy, about 3-5 minutes.

Yield: About 1/2 cup

Pralines Fail Becomes A Caramel Sauce

That right there looks like a cookie, right? Well it's not. It's overcooked sugar with pistachios in it.

It's what should have been pralines with pistachios in it. It is, in a word, failure.

I'd never made pralines, obviously. I have no idea why I decided to try them, or even look for a recipe online. But it turns out what I found, despite seeming very simple and straightforward, left out a very important step.

It's the step that turns syrup-like caramel into a more solid, praline-like existence that keeps its shape. The important step? Stirring. You have to stir the syrup until it loses its gloss then very quickly drop spoonfuls of it.

I didn't know that, and ended up with a mess of caramel-covered pistachios all over my parchment-lined baking sheets, trying to figure out why it was so syrupy. So I kept on cooking the last bit of caramel that was still in the pot, taking it up to hard ball stage (250° F) and it turned this nice dark brown. When I dropped it on the baking sheets, it firmed up immediately.

That's when I found another recipe, then a video, and realized the all-important stirring step. Too irritated to try again, I simply scooped up all the caramel and tried to find something else to make with it.

For once, I was able to improve upon failure and create something wonderful. But that's a story for another day.

Stay tuned.

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Caramel Sauce

Adapted from a Simply Recipes recipe for pralines. There will be bubbles and maybe some splatters while making this. Wear long sleeves!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

1. Mix together the sugars and baking soda in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in heavy cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 235°F on a candy thermometer. (This is about 1°F over the soft ball stage.) 2. Add the butter stir until it is fully melted and immediately remove from heat. (Burned caramel is useless. Don't burn the caramel!)

Yield: approximately 2 cups

Marinated Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

This kitchen experiment was inspired by an appetizer I had at my birthday dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe earlier this year. They're turning all of 40 this year, did you know? I turned not-40 and was blown away by their bruschetta.

The secret to their dish is that they marinate the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar. Delicious, sour balsamic vinegar. Mmmm.

Ever since learning to turn tomatoes into raisins, I've been wanting to see how that would work in bruschetta. Balsamic-soaked, roasted grape tomatoes are perfect on their own. Throw them in salads, sandwiches, eat them by the handful. But marry them with cilantro and shallots, then add them to grilled bread? Hot. Damn.

Growing up here in not-Italy, I was under the impression that bruschetta is the toppings on the toasty bread. Turns out that's not true. The word bruschetta is derived from the Italian word that means to roast over coals. So those bottles labeled bruschetta are both lying to you and cheating you out of a really great fresh toasted and roasted dish. Don't buy them. Make this instead.

First you roast tomatoes, then marinate them in balsamic vinegar and a bit of olive oil overnight. Or, if you're like me and dare to forget they're in the fridge, let them sit for a week! Hell, just store them in the balsamic after cooking. You can reduce the marinade later and use it as a glaze or salad dressing.

Once you've waited long enough for the tomatoes soak up their tasty sourness, chop up a shallot and some cilantro. Mix them all in the the marinade. Then toast some sliced crusty bread and rub it with garlic. Top with a good Parmesan or an Italian truffle cheese. Enjoy your sexy dish.

Then stuff it in your pie hole.

The instructions below will give you enough for 1 person (about 5-6 slices). Scale as necessary.

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Marinated Roasted Tomato Bruschetta

by Paulette Fontanez August-12-2011

Ingredients

• 1 large French dinner roll (or any crusty bread)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup roasted grape tomatoes, soaked in balsamic marinade
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Italian truffle cheese

Instructions

1. Roast grape tomatoes according to directions. Cover in balsamic vinegar and a dash of olive oil. Marinate overnight (or longer).2. Cut bread into 3/4-inch slices on the bias. Brush with olive oil and bake oil side up at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool then rub with a cut clove of garlic (or a whole head cut in half--it covers more surface area).2a. You could also simply toast the bread under the broiler, in the toaster, or on the grill.3. Add shallot and cilantro to the tomato marinade and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste (if you find it necessary, this is optional).4. Spoon the mixture onto each bread slice and top with a bit of grated cheese.

Try not to devour it all at once. You don't want to choke.


Yield: 5-6 slices

Wordless Wednesday: Summer Drinks Courtesy of Picanha

Spiced Baby Carrot Soup

Baby carrots. They're so cute. Teeny. Tiny. Fun size.

And far easier to cook with than regular size carrots because you don't have to peel or chop them.  So right there you're saving yourself two steps worth of elbow grease. You have to save that for the whiskey pouring!

No that there's any whiskey in this recipe. But there are a handful of spices. Cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger. (Is ginger considered a spice? It's definitely spicy.) Check it out here, courtesy of Aria Kagan, one of the favorites of the sixth season of Food Network Star.

I've found that most recipes I come upon call for far too little of whatever spice is listed. Even when I halve recipes (which is just about always), I leave the spices alone. Spice is good. At least that's what my taste buds tell me. Your mileage and/or taste buds may vary.

This go-around, however, I actually needed to futz with the spice mixture completely. Cardamom, the main spice in this dish, is very strong. I found that using just half was still too much. So I added more cinnamon. And then even more cinnamon. And then some turmeric, because it fights cancer. (Really, there was no other reason.) And then some dried dill weed. And celery salt. Then some garlic salt. And then I let it simmer. The recipe also called for some orange juice and apple cider vinegar later in the cooking process, and I didn't want to create a completely disconnected Frankenstein dish, so I left well enough alone. Though this probably would benefit from some nutmeg too.

A quick note about sweet potatoes: I don't care for them. I might be confusing them with yams (they're not the same thing), but I do know that I'm over the hoopla of sweet potato fries. Had them once and decided they're gross. I like my fries golden brown, and smothered in cocaine, or whatever it is that McDonald's does to them to make them so damn good. (Note: I never eat at McDonald's because that will kill you, but they're fries are pretty much the best of any fast food chain.)

As such, there were no sweet potatoes or yams in this soup. Just plain ol' Yukon Goldies.

So what do you get when you throw sweet onions, garlic, random spices, freshly squeezed orange juice, and apple cider vinegar together? A soup worth slurping.

This whole recipe experiment was a treat for me because I finally put my immersion blender to use. It's so much easier than lugging the blender out. And less to clean! Again with the time- and elbow grease-saving!

And then, you get this:

Eat it hot or cold!

Another note: I've been cooking with coconut oil of late. It's supposed to be healthier than just about any other fat out there, especially for high heat cooking. No, the food doesn't taste like coconut. But that would not be a bad thing!

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Spiced Baby Carrot Soup

by August-8-2011

Best hot or cold. Adapted from Aria Kagan.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, choppped
• 4-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• Celery salt and garlic salt, to taste
• 1/2 pound baby carrots
• 1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• Water, to cover
• Juice of 1 orange
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche or crema
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic, grated ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and dill weed. Stir to combine and sauté until the onion is translucent (about 6 minutes). Add a bit of water if the spices start to stick. Add the remaining vegetables and stir to coat with spices. Sauté for another couple of minutes.2. Add enough water to cover all of the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a simmer, add the salt(s) and cook until the carrots and potatoes are soft (about 40-45 minutes).3. Remove the pot from the heat and using a handheld immersion blender if you have one (!!!), or food processor/regular blender if you don't, puree the soup until smooth, and then strain through a sieve into a new pot. This will give you silky soup.4. Place the pot over medium-low heat and stir in the orange juice, apple cider vinegar. Simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.5. In a small bowl, stir the creme fraiche/crema and cilantro together.

This can be served immediately or prepared a day ahead. Hot or cold, add a dollop of the cilantro cream. It's very pretty presented this way, but if you mix it all up, it takes on another whole dimension of flavor!

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins Total time: 1 hour 30 mins Yield: 4-6 servings