soup for you!

yesterday, soup struck me.

once upon a time i loved to cook. then i got all backwards and afraid of the kitchen. but now i’m back — and with a vengeance. i am thoroughly enjoying my kitchen again and can’t wait to share more with you! here’s the first of it.

i call it throwabunchofshitintoapotandwarmitthroughsoup mushroom millet soup.

what you need
one and a half cups cooked millet
one cup dried mushrooms (i have no idea what i used. my friend mushroom hunts and he gave me a few giant bags of dried shroomies)
one small onion (i used red but i don’t think it matters)
one clove garlic
one tablespoon ghee (this shit is my favorite. use earth balance if you cannot eat butter)
two teaspoons olive oil
one 15 oz can white beans
six swiss chard leaves
one cup water from dried mushrooms
one and a half cups low sodium vegetable stock
one and a half teaspoon thyme and rosemary (seriously favorite herbs)
two bay leaves
salt to taste

what you need to do

1) reconstitute the mushrooms. basically, bring about a cup of water to boiling and throw in the dried shroomies along with the two dried bay leaves. boil for about fifteen to twenty minutes. the water will turn brown — save it!

2) cook one cup dried millet in a pot with two and half cups water.

3) meanwhile, dice up the onions and mince the garlic.

4) drain the mushrooms and reserve the water.

5) heat a large saucepan. add the butter and olive oil. once the pan is hot, throw in the onions and saute for five minutes. next, add in the mushrooms and saute for another five minutes. then add the garlic and saute again for another five minutes.

6) dump the one cup reserved mushroom water and the one and half cups of vegetable broth into saucepan. bring to a boil. add thyme, rosemary, and salt. stir to incorporate.

7) once pan is boiling, open and drain the can of beans. save three tablespoons of water from the can. add the can of beans and the three tablespoons to the pan. add one cup cooked millet. stir until incorporated and cover the pan for five minutes.

8 ) while the millet and beans heat through, chop swiss chard into ribbons. then add it to the pan and cover for another five minutes.

9) add a bit more salt and remove from heat.

and there you go! soup!

just a note, i am not a big salt fan (i grew up without it. my mom reacts really badly to it so we never used it heavily in cooking.) so i didn’t add much, which was perfect for me. but feel free to add as much as you want

happy soup making!

namaste

zoe

(p.s: expect a lot more soup recipes this fall and winter!)

around town (and the kitchen)

when the sun is out, it’s basically understood that i am out.

it’s kind of a no brainer. i hate sitting in doors when the sun is all warm and beautiful and sending out its love. i just gotta soak it up. recently i’ve been enjoying some superb walks and bike rides. usually i end up dragging my camera with me because, well, you never know what interesting (and beautiful) things you’ll find around town…



(um. yes. so. we have roosters and chickens that roam outside of this walgreens. real random. real my little town.)

(my lovely city by the bay…)


(my sentiments exactly!)

and as for being around the kitchen…well, i’ve officially concocted something absolutely delicious.

gluten free, unintentionally grain free, (almost vegan) chocolate chip cookies!

friends, these cookies are, by far, the best cookies i’ve ever made. and luckily for you, i actually remembered to write down the recipe! sometimes i’m not that smart…

what you need
(dry ingredients)
√ 1 + 2/3 cup quinoa flour (i just ground up my quinoa in a coffee grinder!)
√ 1/3 cup coconut flour
√ 1 t baking soda
√ 1 t cinnamon
√ 1 t xanthan gum
√ 1/4 t salt
√ 1/2 cup chocolate chips (plus a shake or two more cause why not? )

(wet ingredients)
√ 1/2 cup coconut oil
√ 2 T ground flax seed + 1/2 cup warm water
√ 1/2 cup honey

what you need to do
√ preheat the oven to 350 degrees (if you find this is too hot, knock it down to 325)
√ first combine the 2 T flax meal with 1/2 cup warm water. allow it to sit for at least ten minutes.
√ meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients except the chocolate chips.
√ in a large bowl, combine the melted coconut oil and honey. when the flax “egg” has set for ten or so minutes, add that to the wet ingredients.
√ add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine until well integrated
√ add the chocolate chips
√ place dough in fridge for ten to fifteen minutes (trust me, this is important)
√ grease a baking sheet and, when dough is cooled and ready, roll into two or so inch balls and flatten them a bit on the baking sheet
√ bake for 12 to 15 minutes
√ cool on rack
√ devour (because trust me, you’re gonna want to)

i gave a lot of these a way to friends and they loved them! they’re not overly sweet but just right thanks to the honey. add the awesome texture from the different flours and the nice crunch of the chocolate chips and dang, you’ve got yourself a cookie. and a relatively healthy one! i ate three for breakfast the next day and they kept me full till two or so. thanks healthy fats!

anyways, just popping in to gift you the awesomeness that is a good cookie and to say happy fourth of july! i hope you all have a wonderful day. me? i’m headed into the city for friends, beer, and fireworks. not sure what else could make this day better

what are your plans for the day?

namaste

zoe