Leek & Potato Soup

I have leek and potato soup for dinner at least once a week, it's just that good. It takes almost no time and effort, and freezes really well so heated up leftovers taste just as good as when you first made it.

To make leek and potato soup I just use an equal number of leeks and baking potatoes, a bit of butter or olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and enough vegetable stock and/or water to cover everything once it's in a pot. Cut the tough, dark green tops off of the leeks so you're left with the tender white and light green parts only. Slice the roots off the end of the leeks and slice down the middle of them lengthwise. This will let you clean the leeks really well since they grow in sand that seems to enjoy getting in between the many layers of the leek. Once they are well cleaned, slice them into smaller pieces and saute in the butter or olive oil on low heat for about 10 minutes. You want the leeks to get soft but don't let them brown.

While the leeks are getting soft, clean and thinly slice the baking potatoes. Purists would tell you that the potatoes should be peeled but that sound like more work to me, besides, a lot of the nutrients in a potato are just under the skin of the potato as well so I like to think of not peeling as the healthier option. Once your leeks are soft, throw in the sliced potatoes and stock/water. Bring the whole thing to a boil and then cover and let simmer until the potatoes are cooked (about 20 minutes).

I puree the soup at this point with an immersion blender that I have, so I can blend it right in the pot but you can blend it in a traditional blender or just mash of the potatoes by hand and leave the soup chunky as well. Add some salt and pepper to taste (with emphasis on the pepper) and thin the soup with either water or milk if needed.

One more thing that I add that is completely optional is a cup or two of corn after the soup is already pureed. I added it one day on a whim and it was so good that it's now a regular addition to my soup. The sweet corn goes really well with the leeks and potatoes and it gives the soup a bit more of a rustic, hearty feel.

Fish Curry

More yellow food!
This recipe is nice and light while still keeping the "comfort food" feeling that I love about curries. Tamarind paste, if you can get it, will give the curry a great tangy flavour but if you can't get a hold of any I've substituted with tamarind sauce or a little lemon juice and brown sugar. Neither are quite the same, with the tamarind sauce being close, but both substitutions will provide a bit of an edge to the curry.

Ingredients:

• any white fish fillets, cut into chunks
  
• vegetable or fish stock
• coconut milk
• tamarind paste
  
• onion
• garlic
• ginger
• fresh, long, red chillies or red pepper flakes
• turmeric
• ground cumin
• ground coriander
• veg. oil
  
• vegetables of your choice (I used cauliflower and snow peas in this one but I've also tried red pepper, bok choy or spinach, and even sweet potato)
  

To make the curry, finely slice the onion, garlic, ginger and red chili and lightly fry in a bit of oil. Add the spices (2 tbsp. turmeric and 1 tsp. each of the cumin and coriander) and fry for another minute. Then add about 2 tbsp. tamarind paste (diluted in a little hot water), one can of coconut milk and 1-2 cups of stock. Let everything simmer for around 15 minutes and then right before you want to eat drop in the fish and vegetables and simmer for another minute or two until the fish is just cooked.

*If you are using vegetables that take longer to cook, like cauliflower or sweet potato, add them to the curry before the fish based on cooking time.

*For a vegan curry just replace the fish with tofu or lentils (just give the lentils enough time to cook in the curry so they will be soft).

Roasted chicken with lemony Bombay potatoes.

This recipe comes right out of Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook - Cook With Jamie. It is one of four recipes that you can find here, that are all "Roasted chicken breast with... something." So far the two that I've tried (this one and another with asparagus and cherry tomatoes) have come out of the oven looking great and tasting better! The only changes that I made to the lemony potatoes was leaving out the ginger since I didn't have any on hand. I also exchanged the fresh cilantro with ground coriander. I would say that I did this because I don't have fresh cilantro (which is true) but the real reason is because I'm one of the people out there that just can't stand the taste of cilantro leaves. They taste like what I would imagine dish detergent to taste like and coriander (cilantro in seed form) doesn't taste like soap.
That aside, I highly recommend the book - and the recipes - to anyone looking to add to their collection of cook books* or to introduce yourself to real food.
*I have a collection of cookbooks.

Vegan Noodle Bowl

This is a bastardized version of all the proper noodle bowls you can get around South East Asia. It's quick and tasty and filling and good for you!
I just plunk some cooked noodles (rice noodles to keep the vegan factor) into a bowl. Top them with cooked tofu and assorted veg (raw or cooked) and pour some steaming veggie broth, livened up with some chili and lime juice, over the whole thing. Sprinkle some green onion and maybe some more chili peppers on top just before eating.
Then attempt to eat noodles with chop sticks.

Mushroom Risotto

This is another really easy meal...but it takes more time and attention. All you need to make a risotto is some onion, rice, stock, white wine, and butter/olive oil. The next thing to remember is 3 parts stock to 1 part rice and 1/2 glass wine for every cup of rice. So, if your using 2 cups of rice, you need 6 cups of stock and 1 glass of wine.

To make a basic risotto, sautee some chopped onion with a bit of butter/olive oil. Once the onions start to go clear add the rice and stir wile it continues cooking til the rice turns opaque. Add your wine and stir (Yes! Keep stirring! This is the effort part of making risotto.) Once the mixture starts to look thick, add a ladle full of stock and repeat the process of stirring and ladling every time the risotto gets thick again. You'll know the risotto is done once it is al dente (soft but still slightly chewy).

For mushroom risotto just add a bunch of sauteed mushrooms about halfway through the ladling process. Once the risotto is al dente chuck in a knob of butter and a hand full or two of parmesan cheese...the real stuff...not the powdered stuff. Then stir AGAIN so that the cheese and butter are combined and the risotto looks creamy.

Thursday Night Pasta

Thursday nights are usually my laziest. I don't get home til late and I'm usually the only one home so I never feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. This week I used my lazy night cooking to clear out the fridge of some things that needed to get used up. They made a tasty pasta dish that is ready in 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients:

• Pasta (frozen tortellini in this case)
• Scallops (also frozen, and optional)
• Mushrooms
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Baby Spinach
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• White Wine
  
• Pesto (or Basil)
  
• Salt & Pepper

Heat salted water in a large pot and add the pasta once it comes to a boil. While the water is heating up, mince the garlic, slice the mushrooms, and halve the cherry tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a pan with the garlic. Add the mushrooms and fry for a couple minutes. Add the scallops, tomatoes, white wine, and spoonful pesto. When the pasta is finished cooking, strain, reserving a ladle full of the water and add to the sauce. Combine the pasta and spinach with the sauce and heat until the spinach is wilted. Pepper to taste (you don't need any more salt since the pasta water has enough). Relax and enjoy!

Funky iPod and Laptop skins

This doesn't count as a creation of mine at all, but I found a site that sells some neat iPod and laptop skins and figured it was worth passing on.

The site is gelaskins.com. Most of the artwork I've looked at so far is from Canadian artists and a skin like the one displayed os only $15! They're selling in a bunch of locations around the globe or you can order right from there site. For anyone that has an iPhone or iPod Touch you can also download wallpaper for your device to match your chosen skin.

Maybe best of all... they're removable! So no worrying about permanently changing the face of your laptop or iPod.

Introductions

Everyday I make something. Even if it's only dinner, at the end of the day I've always created something. So this blog is a place for me to stockpile all those creations. Everything from artwork to crafty projects to the previously mentioned dinner. Feel free to try out some of the stuff yourself and give feedback in general.

Enjoy.

Connie