Pumpkin Curry Soup

Ingredients:
*  1.5 medium onions, chopped
*  1 tbsp butter
*  2 cans of pumpkin puree
*  4 cups of homemade chicken stock
*  2 bay leaves
*  3/4 tsp curry
*  1/8 tsp nutmeg
*  1/2 tsp parsley
*  1 tsp oregano
*  1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
*  1 cup of coconut milk
*  1 cup milk
*  2 tsp salt
*  freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Steps
1.   sauté chopped onions in butter in a medium-large dutch oven until translucent
2.  stir in pumpkin puree, chicken broth, bay leaves, curry powder, nutmeg, parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning
3.  bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 min uncovered
4.  remove the bay leaves
5.  puree with a stand mixer
6.  add milk and coconut milk and stir
7.  add salt and pepper and crushed red pepper to taste
8.  simmer additional 5-10min
9.  serve hot

For lactose-free, replace the 1 cup milk with an additional cup of coconut milk or nut/soy-milk of your choice.

Sausage Meatballs

I got this idea from the "Real Mom Kitchen" blog but modified it, based on last week's farmers market finds!  For those that don't know, I regularly work for the Dupont Circle Farmers Market, in Washington DC.  So last week, I bought some of the mild Italian loose sausage from EcoFriendly Foods.  I was initially considering some sort of wheat-free quiche or egg-bake, but then saw this recipe for meatballs, and decided to try that instead.

Now, I had never made meatballs before or really eaten them, growing up, but I love sausage so I had to try them.

Ingredients:
*  1 lb of loose sausage (uncooked)
*  1 tsp of oregano
*  1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
*  1 egg
*  1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
*  1/4 cup finely chopped onion
*  1/2 tsp salt
*  1/2 tsp pepper


Steps:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350F
2.  In a large bowl, beat the egg til it lightens in color
3.  Gently add sausage, oregano, crushed red pepper, Parmesan, chopped onion, salt and pepper, and mix
4.  Using your hands, make 1 1/2 inch meat balls and place on a baking sheet (line with tin foil or wax paper for easy clean-up) approximately 2 inches apart
5.  Bake for 20 minutes
6.  Serve with marinara sauce (or with spaghetti, but since he can't eat noodles, I just served them with tomato sauce)

We both really liked these, and they didn't upset his stomach at all.  Success!

Starting Out: Roasted Garlic Soup

I have been cooking with my boyfriend for almost four years.  He has been dealing with digestive issues, which is a challenge for us as we try to come up with interesting recipes that don't upset his stomach.  From our experimentation, it seems he is at least gluten and somewhat lactose intolerant, so I have been using more and more coconut oil and milk in my cooking and have stopped baking entirely. 

Right now, I'm adapting a recipe for garlic soup that I found.  The original recipe is on Epicurious and is called "Roasted Soup with Parmesan Cheese."

My recipe:

Ingredients

• 26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1/3 stick butter (generous)
• 3 medium size onions, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 3 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp lemon juice

-  preheat the oven to 350F
-  add 2 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat
-  cover the baking dish with foil and bake for ~45 minutes (keep an eye on this -- if your cloves are smaller, it won't take as long.  Some of mine turned a little browner than I wanted)

If your kitchen doesn't smell amazing during this baking process, you're doing something wrong!  Mmmm roasted garlic...

When the cloves are golden brown and delicious, let them cool and then squeeze them to release the cloves (compost the peel).

-  chop 3 onions
-  heat 1/3 cup butter in a medium size pot
-  when melted, add the chopped onion, thyme, and 1/2 tsp salt
-  still occasionally and cook til onions are transparent
-  add the roasted garlic cloves and the garlic powder*, mix
-  add the chicken stock and simmer

Using a stick blender (in my case) or a blender/food processor, puree your soup mixture and return it to the stove

-  add coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste
-  add lemon juice and garnish with Parmesan cheese, and...Voila!





*  If you have a lot of garlic, feel free to use fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic powder.  I ran out of cloves so I had to substitute garlic powder instead.