Category Archives: vegetarian

Spinach Souffle for Passover-So Very Easy-Vegetarian/Dairy Side

Posted on March 27, 2012 | 9 comments

Here we are again with all the matzoh meal and no flour for Passover, not to mention the 6 eggs that seem to be in every recipe.  I figured I’d be helpful for all of those looking for ways to reinvent the wheel. This recipe contains cinchy, easy ingredients, and its usually a crowd pleaser. So many variations of the same thing. This one can be made ahead and frozen, which is great. You will just cook it 1/2 way through before freezing, then defrost and cook at 350 degrees for about another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes later. This is a dairy side dish, so obviously won’t work for everyone but hold on to it because it is a keeper when looking for a vegetarian dairy side dish.

Ingredients: (can be doubled)

2 pkgs. frozen spinach (2 boxes) ( it’s app. 20 oz. of spinach, a bag and a half or 2 boxes)

1  bar of cream cheese (feel free to go lite but not fat-free please) *original recipe calls for 1 lb. I’ve been using 1 bar which is 8 oz. and works fine. Obiously it will be that much creamier but not necessary with 2 bars.(1 lb) and that much more fattening! you can leave out to soften or use microwave to soften, not melt.

2 lbs. cottage cheese (also not fat-free please) part skim is just fine

1 cup matzoh meal

6 eggs, well-beaten

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a nice casserole or any baking dish you like to serve in (round souffle large ramekin is perfect) with Pam. Cook spinach thoroughly according to directions (you can microwave it) and drain well by squeezing out all the water–which is the most important tip. Melt the cream cheese in microwave (start out with about 20 seconds, which should do it; but if not, do a little more at a time until totally melted). Add all ingredients in bowl, salt and pepper to taste. Bake 1 hour until golden brown at 350 degrees. If you are making this ahead of time, as I said you can cook 1/2 way through and freeze. Then the day before you want to serve it, take it out of freezer, defrost, and cook the rest of the way through–another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes till golden brown, and bubbly.

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Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset–Apple/Walnut

Posted on March 22, 2012 | 1 comment

DSCN2703This is my easiest Charoset. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. This makes about 4 cups, but you can easily double it. My family loves it, so I always make a double batch. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine!

Ingredients:

3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)

1/2 cup sweet red wine such as Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga or just Concord Grape is fine

*20 pitted dates, chopped; or 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

*for a bit of extra added flavor you can add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (optional)

Directions:

After chopping apples, stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep in refrigerator ’til ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. You can also pulse everything together in processor, just be very careful not to over-process. I often do this to save time. You don’t want it too fine, so just go gently with the processor if you go that route. I do it in the processor, and I know exactly how I like it to come out, so go easy with the chopping.  If it’s a little dry or too thick, you can always add more wine. I find this always tastes better after it sits and allows the wine  to really soak and ripen for 24 hours. Before serving, check for consistency and add a little more wine, if necessary.

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Garbage Pail Pasta – Pasta from the Pantry – Vegetarian style

Posted on February 23, 2012 | 2 comments

What a name for a most delicious pasta dish. The recipe comes from Arthur Schwartz’s cookbook , “The Southern Italian  Table” , I actually saw it in an article from the Wall Street Journal of all places.  It contains 13 simple ingredients that are put together. It contains 3 kinds of nuts, but I only had 2 and that worked out just as well. My family was here and Kerri being a vegetarian , I am always on the lookout for new and exciting vegetarian recipes. If there is an ingredient that you really don’t like , take it out. I was trying to think of substitutions for what we had , I wanted to keep it vegetarian but I suppose you could substitute anchovies ( chopped finely) for capers, you need the salt and bite of the capers, and I suppose anchovies could do the trick. The olives add salt, and I chopped them up good as well, because Joel would probably not touch it if he knew they were in there. The raisins add sweetness and use the golden ones, they will look better.  Kerri doesn’t love olives and she loved it. My son in-law Brian kept eating it out of the fridge, and so did Kerri and Jenn.  So it got the family seal of approval and I will definitley make it again. You can experiment with other pasta, but I prefer just plain spaghetti, not too thick and not too thin. I also changed around quantities of a few ingredients to my liking, so feel free to do so.  It’s really a “whatever you have in the pantry ” kind of pasta.  Cooks rather quickly , and very tasty. ( like you’re in Italy)

It was bound to happen that the photos of this dish got erased, so sorry I only have the one of me cooking , it’ll have to do.

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon finely chopped walnuts

1 Tablespoon whole pine nuts ( Pignoli)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped hazelnuts ( I didn’t have so I doubled up on Pignoli, and everyone loved it)

3 Tablespoons raisins ( use golden ones)

1 rounded tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 Package of Grape Tomatoes diced ( you can use cherry tomatoes as well) original only called for 1/4 cup but I used whole package, and it was wonderful)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

6 small black olives ( preferably Gaeta) pitted and coarsely chopped

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt for cooking pasta,  plus more to taste. Be careful with the salt, add as needed.

8 ounce box of Spaghetti ( use whatever kind you like best or have in pantry) I always use Spaghetti or Perciatelli

Parmesan Cheese for topping if you so desire

Directions:

In a 9 or 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat, when hot , add nuts and saute until pine nuts become lightly colored.

Add raisins, capers, and tomatoes. Cook , stir frequently, for at least 5 minutes ( tomatoes will start to break down)

Add oregano, parsley, and olives. Stir well, Cook for a few minutes, Salt to taste. Set aside. I actually let it sit in pan on hot stove for a while till I was ready to mix in pasta. It really broke down nicely, the longer it sat.

Boil spaghetti in at least 3 quarts of water with a heaping tablespoon of salt. When cooked, drain well. I saved a cup of pasta water, in the event pasta came out to dry, I used a little of it. It’s not imperative but I always do that with “sauceless pastas”

Toss pasta with seasonings  over low heat until well mixed. I then put in a large bowl and continued mixing and added a bit of the pasta water . It was perfection.

If desired, serve with grated cheese ( I desired)

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Pasta e Fagioli ( Pasta and Bean Soup)

Posted on February 21, 2012 | 2 comments

Me and My Grandson Brody/ from visit with the family

019I have been making this soup forever,  This is really just a tomato base soup with beans and pasta. How bad can that be? unless you hate beans and pasta that is. I usually have ingredients in the pantry and it is a wonderful warm experience, with a nice salad this is a perfect meal. I do use dried beans so I need to soak overnight, if you want to cheat you can just use canned beans. It is a wonderful hearty soup halfway between a soup and a pasta.

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes ( San Marzano)

10 – 12 fresh basil leaves

red pepper flakes

handful of italian parsley, chopped

5 – 6 cups cooked beans and their liquid ( I use cannellini beans usually) any type of bean will work I use Cannellini or Red Kidney beans and a combination of both is beautiful.* feel free to use canned if you don’t have time to cook the beans. ( 2 cans rinsed and drained) the canned beans work out perfectly and it’s a very quick and easy way to go.

5 cups water

app. 1 cup pasta, elbows, tubetti, ditalini, or broken spaghetti

salt and freshly ground black pepper ( I probably used about 1Tablespoon of Kosher Salt but you’ll have to taste for yourself , start with a Tablespoon and use more as needed) Pepper I just add in a few grinds of the pepper mill ( about 12) and taste , taste , taste!

Directions:

In a large , heavy stockpot ( Le Creuset) saute onion in olive oil. When onion is golden and transparent, add garlic. Cook for a few more minutes. Add tomatoes and herbs. Cook until the tomatoes begin to thicken and reduce, about 10 minutes.  Taste for salt.

Add the beans and their cooking liquid. (* see notes on cooking beans) Add the water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes – until the beans begin to break down and the soup begins to thicken. Lower heat to a slow simmer, as low as you can.  Stir frequently to prevent it from sticking and burning bottom of the pot. Taste for salt and pepper again.  I always like it to simmer for a long time, an hour would probably do it, but if I have the time I let it sit for as long as I can.  Sometimes after it’s been simmering for a while ,  I turn off the heat and right before serving just bring to a boil and add pasta. Just be careful not to let it burn, stir frequently . If you need more liquid add water a little at a time, I showed a picture of my pot filler which is the greatest thing to have in a kitchen, makes it super easy to fill a pot.

When you’re ready to serve, right before add the pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, about 5 – 10 minutes depending on type of pasta you’re using. I used ditalini.

Serve immediately in large soup bowls.

Guests can drizzle some good olive oil and grate some Parmesan Cheese over.  Should serve 8 – 10 depending on appetites. I froze remainder for another time.

*Cooking dried Beans:

Place the beans in a bowl and cover with water – about 2″ – 3″ above the beans. Soak overnight.

Rinse and drain the beans, remove any stones, foreign matter, or beans that have not expanded.

Place the beans in a heavy pot and cover with water – about 2″ above the beans.

Bring the beans to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and cook at a very low simmer. Do not allow beans to boil hard. The beans should retain their shape. Cook until beans are tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of beans and how fresh they are. Plan on cooking for 2 to 3 hours.

The beans will now be ready to be used for any recipe calling for cooked beans.

If you don’t have time to soak or you just forgot, you can place beans in the pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, cover and let stand for 1 hour, and then proceed with the rest of the directions.

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Lasagna in the Slow Cooker

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 1 comment

I have to say when I first heard about lasagna in the slow cooker I was sort of skeptical.  My friend Cathy told me about it; she said she had made it for her family and I should give it a go.   The original recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld, who sneaks vegetables and healthy stuff into her food. I did make a few changes from original recipe , I used more sauce and a little more salt , I used fresh spinach which can easily be substituted for ground turkey, sausage, or any type of meat you like.  Next time I make this recipe I will be using meat because it really was quite easy and pretty quick even by slow cooker standards. It cooked in 3 1/2 hours, looked amazing and tasted delicious. I am still a little surprised by how good it was. The spinach wilts down and almost looks like basil in there. Even if you don’t like spinach, don’t worry because even though you start out with 5 ounces (which looks like a lot),  you hardly taste it at all but for those of you who do like it, it’s an added bonus. This lasagna was moist, cheesy and hearty.   So get out your slow cookers and give it a go. This is especially great for a big crowd. It easily serves 6 people.  We of course had a chicken dish alongside, because no amount of prodding could get Joel to try the lasagna, once he saw the spinach. Oh well, what are you going to do? He doesn’t know what he’s missing.  Thanks Cathy for the great idea, and of course, Jessica Seinfeld.

Ingredients:

I used 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes (the recipe original calls for 3 14 oz. cans but I thought it needed a little more sauce and I used 2 large cans which are app. 28 oz. each . You can always use homemade sauce if you have it already made and want to use it. Just make sure you have enough.)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

*1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (use as much or as little of this, whatever you like)

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 ounce each) ricotta (Fresh is awesome, but not always available. Use whatever you’d like. I used part- skim ricotta.)

2 cups grated mozzarella (again use whatever you’d like, package is fine. Just don’t use fat free, it doesn’t work well.)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (about 3/4 of a 1 lb. box) don’t cook them*see note at bottom

5 ounces (or 6 cups) of baby spinach (1 package in the produce section is 5 ounces)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5 – 6 quart slow cooker (which I sprayed with Pam first), spread a thin layer of sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, for 3 – 3 1/2 hours. Noodles should be tender in center by then, mine was. I then switched it to warm until we ate it. I served it from slow cooker with a big spoon, you don’t get those neat little squares but it really held together quite well,  I left some in fridge for leftovers and froze the rest for another time.

*I broke the side noodles in 1/2 and just angled them a little, keeping the center one intact. Once it’s all cooked it doesn’t matter that they were broken, it really came out perfectly.

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Mushroom Barley Soup (can be vegetarian)

Posted on February 9, 2012 | 1 comment

I have the funniest story about me and this soup. The first time I made it, I received the recipe from a friend. I didn’t see that it said .5 lbs. of mushrooms and I thought it was 5 lbs! So you can only imagine how much chopping I was doing. I had never seen a recipe say .5 instead of 1/2 lb! Joel happened to be in the kitchen and he kept saying that is an awful lot of mushrooms, and until I looked at it carefully I hadn’t seen that it said .5 . Who writes .5 ? Well, we had enough mushroom barley soup for the whole winter and then some–it expanded to a huge amount, and I had to keep adding liquid, it was hysterical. Once I realized what I had done, I had a good laugh, but the soup was still pretty tasty. I will write it it the way it should be and I doubt you’ll be making that same mistake any time soon. This is a very tasty , deeply robust soup, very healthy rendition of Mushroom Barley Soup. (and I always wear my reading glasses when I read a recipe now because you never know when you really need to see the difference between .5 and 5! )

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup dried mushrooms, like porcini

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

12 medium carrots, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 lb. of white mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. of shitake, cremini, portabello or other mushrooms, coarsely chopped

1/2 lb. of whole barley( I had to use pearl barley because that’s what I had in house, it’s fine) I just used 1/2 a bag. Don’t worry over exact measurements here, just eyeball it. If you have a scale, you can measre it exactly, I just halved the bag.

6 cups of beef broth (vegetarians can use vegetable broth)  and you will need the other 2 cups in the box if you are using boxed broth. You will need 8 cups total, just start out with 6.

3 tablespoons sherry

* 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar – I like this and add it before I serve it. It’s no biggie if you don’t want to use or don’t have it.

Directions:

Cover dried mushrooms with 1 cup of  hot water and set aside for 20 minutes. Reserve the liquid and finely chop mushrooms.

Heat oil in heavy bottom pot (Le Creuset).

Saute onions and carrots over medium heat until onions begin to turn golden and transparent. Add garlic and saute for a minute. I always throw a bit of kosher salt and pepper in while veggies saute. Just a bit, you’ll taste for Salt and Pepper later.

Add fresh mushrooms(dried ones as well)  and saute for about 5 minutes until mushrooms release their water. Raise the heat and add the barley. Saute until barley begins to color. Add broth and sherry. Add mushroom soaking liquid to pot. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Soup will start to naturally thicken as barley plumps up, if you need to add more liquid either water or broth will be just fine.  Simmer for about an hour, you will probably need more liquid, I always add the other 2 cups of broth, and I add water then if it is still too thick, play it by ear. I also add additional Salt and Pepper at this point, you will have to adjust to your own personal taste.  Add vinegar right before serving, if you are using it.  Serve with nice crusty bread! Enjoy!

This makes for a delightful lunch meal with a salad and bread. I also make this in the morning , put whole pot in fridge ( once it cools down) and right before dinner heat it up. This gives flavors time to meld together, and then if you need to add more liquid  you will add water since you’ve already added the additional 2 cups of broth. Freezes up beautifully, and exactly what I will do, because whole family will be coming to visit at the end of week, Yeah!!!! 🙂 🙂

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Spinach and Artichoke Dip – Game Day Dip

Posted on February 4, 2012 | 1 comment

Game Day is finally here, it’s one day away. If you’re looking for a delicious dip , this is it. This recipe belongs to my daughter Jenn, she always makes it and it is always delicious. It goes perfectly with any kind of chip , or you can toast pita bread and cut into triangles. I know it’s fattening, but what the hell ? Superbowl comes but once a year right? This is a Super Snack, and if you like you can use Lite Mayo and Lite Sour Cream, just not fat free, it won’t work out well at all. This is just a great dip to make anytime of the year, and ingredients are super easy to obtain. Just make sure you squeeze out the excess water from the spinach.

Ingredients:

1 box or bag of frozen chopped spinach * (defrosted)  drained and squeezed out of all liquid, this is the most important thing here is to get the spinach as dry as possible.

1 Can Artichokes drained and coarsley chopped ( if you can buy them quartered already do so)

1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise ( Lite is fine)

3/4 cup Sour Cream ( Lite is fine)

3/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese (not grated)

* In order to get spinach as dry as possible, I put it in colander to defrost, or leave it out for a few hours. I then literally squeeze it out to get all the liquid out of it, you don’t want it wet, the liquid will ruin the dip. So first defrost, then drain it, then wring it out with your clean hands.

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients and put in a nice oven proof dish that you’ll want to serve it in and bake at 350 degrees till brown and bubbly , about 30 – 35 minutes.

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Minestrone Soup

Posted on February 4, 2012 | 1 comment

The definition of minestrone is “big soup.” It is a hearty vegetable soup and how it’s made varies from region to region in Italy. It varies mainly because of the availability of vegetables from each region. This is my favorite combination, but really any vegetable can be added. I actually made it in the slow cooker the other day just to see how it would come out. I find that it’s best to saute the onions and garlic first, so it really doesn’t matter which pot you’re going to make it in. The pot on the stove needs to be watched, and either way, you will be using 2 pots. I did the saute on the stove top and then I put it all in the slow cooker on low for 6 hours. I also added ditalini, which I cooked and then added right before serving so it was al dente and not over cooked. I will explain the steps in the directions. This is very tasty and very healthy.

Ingredients: 

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 small (or 1 large) potato, cubed (You can also add more potatoes if you like.)

1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes with the juice (I used the chef’s cut)

3 cups broth (can be vegetable or chicken)

1 cup shredded cabbage, kale, or spinach (this time I used kale)

1 cup cooked beans, cannellini or any other white bean (I used a 15 oz. can of drained and rinsed white northern beans, because I didn’t have time to soak the beans overnight. Use whichever you’d like.)

1/2 cup small pasta (I used ditalini. You can also use spaghetti broken into small pieces.)

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated parmesan cheese if you’d like when you serve

Directions:

Saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil. Use a heavy large pot (Le Creuset.) When onions are golden and translucent, add the carrots, celery and potatoes, and toss for a few minutes just to coat the vegetables with the oil.

If you are using the slow cooker, as I did, just put everything into slow cooker at this point. Add the tomatoes, beans and the broth. I cooked on low for 6 hours, but it can cook up to 8 hours. You can also cook on high for 3 – 4 hours.

About 1/2 hour before you want to serve soup, add the spinach, kale, or cabbage. I had 2 small zucchini in the house and I put them in when I added the cabbage.  I then prepare the pasta and put it in each bowl before serving. (I did this because I didn’t want to freeze the soup with the pasta in it. I find that pasta gets very mushy when you freeze it.)  Next, remove bay leaves, and season to taste, with salt and pepper.

*this soup freezes beautifully, I just cook up more pasta for it while I reheat the soup when I serve it again

Sprinkle with cheese as you serve it.

* if you are cooking in a pot on the stove, cook uncovered for about an hour on a low simmer. The vegetables should be tender and the soup thick. You may or may not need to add more liquid (I find 3 cups usually does it.)

* if you like you can add pasta right to the soup on the stove top method. I just find that the pasta gets very soft, so I prefer doing it separately.

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Food from the Pantry – Weeknight Red Sauce with Spaghetti

Posted on January 16, 2012 | 1 comment

After a day of skiing it’s hard to get motivated to go back out, especially when you have only 2 episodes of Homeland to catch up with. I was too tired to even bother going food shopping, so decided to just check out what was in the pantry. Always have canned tomatoes, garlic, spices and red wine. There you go, and I always love spaghetti and red sauce. It cooks up quickly, is very tasty and we both had protein for lunch on the mountain, so just in the mood for some pasta. I have posted other red sauces, and this is how I made it tonite. Obviously it would be delicious with some meat or seafood in it, just didn’t have any on hand.

Ingredients:

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion ( app. 1 medium size yellow onion)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

1/2 cup red wine ( whatever I have open is fine)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes ( I only had whole ones, I threw in food processor and crushed them)

*1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley ( optional) I didn’t have any on hand

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

*pinch of sugar ( optional) only after tasting sauce, if it is a little too acidy I throw it in to soften the acid of tomatoes

Directions:

 

Heat olive oil in a large saute ( frying) pan, add the onion and saute over medium heat until onions are translucent ( 8 – 10 minutes). Add the garlic, and cook for another minute or so. Add the wine and cook on high heat until almost all the liquid evaporates, a few more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes,oregano, *parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and add additional seasonings, and sugar if you think it needs it. I let the sauce cook uncovered on simmer for as long as I can. At least an hour and if I can 2 hours. If sauce thickens too much add water, a little at a time, till it reaches proper consistency.

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Carrot Soup with a touch of Ginger and Apple

Posted on January 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

I have played around with 3 different recipes for Carrot Soup, I tried it with low fat milk and honey, it was blah. So this was the one that won out. I actually used apples and ginger. It is vegetarian and if you leave out the heavy cream at the end it is lower in fat, and vegan as well. I did add the heavy cream to get a certain velvety consistency . I also tried it with baby carrots once and not as good as the long organic ones I usually buy. So if you like carrots, and I do, and even Joel does (they’re not green) go for it.

Directions:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 average sized yellow onion sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 average apple (not too big, and not too small) , peeled and sliced

2 lbs. carrots , peeled and sliced

6 cups vegetable broth ( or chicken broth ) whichever you prefer or homemade stock , you will start out with 5 cups, and I added another cup of broth at the end. (see directions)

Carrot Ginger Soup with a touch of cream

* you may need some water at the end of cooking before adding cream to just thin out a bit , start with 1/2 cup and add from there, if you’re not adding the heavy cream you may want a bit more water.

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

dash of nutmeg

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste at the end

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Directions:

In a heavy stockpot (Le Creuset) over medium heat heat the olive oil, add the onions continue cooking until onions are translucent, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, and continue cooking for another minute or so, you’ll be able to smell how fragrant this is. Add sliced apples and sliced carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to medium -high and add broth/stock whichever you’re using .  Bring to a boil , reduce heat to low and bring to a low simmer, uncovered. You’ll want to cook this until carrots and apples are softened, about 1/2 hour – 40 minutes. When this happens, remove from heat and let it cool down a bit.

With the immersion blender I started to puree. If you’re using a blender do small batches at a time so there are no soup explosions. Once the soup is completely blended, check consistency , if you need more liquid add a little water at a time, I added 1/2 cup at this point, you may or may not need it, I also added another cup of Broth at this point, I needed the liquid, you will judge for yourself how much liquid you’ll need to add. This is also where I add nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. I would say a little black pepper, as the ginger packs a bit of a kick on it’s own. At very end add cream, go slowly and stir in . Serve with croutons if you like, or just this way with a sprig of thyme ( if you have it in the house) or chervil, or just plain.

Soup will last in an airtight container for about 4 days. Soup also freezes pretty good, I would allow it to thaw for a day in the fridge before heating up, and you may have to add some liquid to this as well.

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