Food Challenges

Quick ‘n Easy Broccoli Soup

1 organic sweet onion
1 large head organic broccoli
5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste

Peel and dice the onion. Cut off the broccoli stems right up to the florets. Peel them and chop them into very small pieces.

Pour the oil into a medium size pot, so it just covers the bottom. Sauté the onion and chopped broccoli stems until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf and pepper. Cover the pot and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes or until the broccoli stems and onions are tender. Add the florets and continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat.

If you like your soup chunky, use an immersion blender in the pot to puree the soup. If you like your soup velvety, pour the mixture into a blender and liquefy it until it’s smooth. Return to the pot and keep warm over low heat.

Serve with grated smoked gouda or aged cheddar as a garnish. It’s also nice with a dash of nutmeg on top.

Carrot Salad

2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 apple peeled, cored and grated
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp sweet onion, finely chopped
¼ cup walnuts chopped
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp walnut oil ( vegetable oil )
pinch of sea salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Serve chilled.

Makes 2 servings

Salmon Potato Salad

(Serving for 4 people)

12 small new potatoes

12 spears of asparagus

1 purple onion, chopped

4 cups baby spinach leaves

1 large fillet of salmon, baked, skinned and flaked

2 tsp dried tarragon

2 Tbsp fresh chopped chives

¼ cup olive oil

4 Tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and stream the new potatoes until the potatoes are tender. Set aside to cool. When cool, cut into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on their size.

Prepare the asparagus spears for cooking ( wash thoroughly and snap the old ends off ). Steam until they are tender, but crunchy. Immerse in cold water to stop the cooking and set aside to cool. When they are cool, cut into bite size pieces on the diagonal.

Wash and dry the baby spinach leaves and set aside.

Make a dressing by combining the tarragon, chopped chives, olive oil, juice, salt and pepper. Shake well to mix thoroughly.

To assemble the salad, place the spinach leaves on 4 plates as a bed for the salads. Place the other ingredients and the dressing in a large bowl and toss gently until the ingredients are well mixed. Divide into 4 portions and arrange on the individual beds of spinach leaves.

Serve as a luncheon or light meal portion. This also presents very nicely on a single large platter as a buffet item.

Minestrone Soup

6 cups GF beef broth

2 – 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

4 –5 stalks of celery, chopped

2 cups diced green beans

3 organic carrots, grated

1 large sweet onion, diced

GF cooked pasta, hot

6 GF beef or lamb sausages*

Fresh Basil coarsely chopped

Grated Asiago cheese

Fresh ground pepper

2 Bay leaves

Brown or BBQ sausages until cooked. Slice into bit size pieces.

In a large pot, add the vegetables to the broth with bay leaves and pepper. Cover and cook until tender. Add the bite size pieces of cooked GF sausages. Continue cooking until the sausage is warmed through.

Place some hot, cooked GF pasta in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle the soup over the pasta. Sprinkle with fresh basil and cheese. Serve hot.

* Many butchers are happy to make a batch of sausages to your specifications. Most butchers from Europe or Australia make their sausages without fillers. Find a good butcher and request they make sausages for you. Mine is wonderful and even cleans his equipment before he makes my sausages to avoid potential cross contamination. He makes me up a large order and I freeze it in small packages for later use. If you are not fortunate enough to be able to find a good butcher, use ground beef or lamb instead of the sausages. Cook it in a skillet before you add it to the soup.

Mediterranean Tomato Salad

This is my version of a Mediterranean staple. It’s a family favourite served all year round. In the salad pictured here, I used organic heirloom tomatoes.


 


2 stems of fresh organic basil leaves (about 12 leaves)
12 Greek Kalamata olives, pitted
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 pints organic grape tomatoes (2 small boxes)
or
6 – 8 organic tomatoes cubed
1 organic onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
or
1 bunch of green onions diced.
Salt and pepper to taste


Stack the basil leaves, roll tightly and slice thinly – set aside.


Slice or chop onions – set aside


Chop whole tomatoes or if using grape tomatoes, slice once on the diagonal – set aside
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, onions and feta cheese. Toss gently. Sprinkle the olive oil, lemon and balsamic vinegar on top. Separate the basil pieces and add to the salad. Toss one last time … sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper to taste.


Serves 4 – 6

Grilled Peach Salad

2 ripe peaches

½ romaine heart ( a romaine heart cut in half length wise )

almond oil ( or vegetable oil such as olive or canola )

2 Tbsp chopped unsalted nuts

½ to 1/3 cup dry curd cottage cheese

1 small beet cooked, peeled and grated ( optional )

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the peaches in hot water for 15 to 20 seconds. Plunge into cold water. Remove the skin, cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Using a pasty or basting brush, brush the peaches with oil on both sides.

Wash the romaine heart, being careful to leave the woody end attached. Pat the heart dry and brush it with oil on both sides. Dust with salt and pepper.

Grill the romaine heart and peaches on the BBQ for 3 minutes a side over medium heat.

They should be nicely grilled and a bit smoky.

To assemble the salad, place the romaine heart on the plate, flat side up. Add a layer of cottage cheese. Dice the peaches. Add a layer of peach pieces. Sprinkle the top with grated beet and chopped nuts. Drizzle the honey and lemon juice on top. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is a main course meal for one or can be served as a starter for 2 to 4 people, by cutting the romaine heart in 2 or 4 and assembling the salads on individual plates.

This is what the salad looks like if you choose to add the optional grated beets. It tastes delicious!

Chicken Soup

3 carrots, grated

4 stalks of celery, diced

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 cups of cooked chicken, diced

10 cups GF* chicken broth**

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 large bay leaf

2 tsp onion powder

GF Worcestershire Sauce to taste

freshly ground pepper to taste

cooked GF pasta or cooked rice

Place the vegetables, chicken and broth in a large soup pot over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the parsley, onion powder, and bay leaf. Cover and allow to simmer until the vegetables are tender. Season the soup with Worcestershire sauce and ground pepper to your personal taste.

Place some cooked pasta or cooked rice in the bottom of a bowl. Ladle the hot soup over the pasta or rice and serve immediately.

*GF means gluten free

**There are a number of gluten free chicken broths available commercially: I use Campbell’s Chicken Broth ( tetra box – low salt, fat free ), McCormick’s Chicken bouillon cubes or Nutrimax Fat Free Chicken Soup Mix

Butternut Squash Soup

1 Butternut squash, pealed and cubed

1 large sweet potato, pealed and cubed

1 large ( Colossal ) sweet onion, sliced

2 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

chicken broth to cover vegetables or 3 to 4 chicken bullion cubes ( McCormick’s ) with 6 to 8 cups of water

Place the squash and sweet potato in a large pot with the chicken broth ( or cubes and water ) so the vegetables are just covered. Cook with a lid on until the vegetables are very tender. In a frying pan, caramelize the onion slices in the butter and oil by cooking them very slowly over low heat until they turn a light, warm golden brown (about 30 minutes). Stir often. Add the caramelized onions to the soup pot when the vegetables are cooked. Add the onion powder and stir. In a blender, liquefy the contents of the soup pot. Return to the stove for reheating, if necessary. Serve hot.

Broccoli Soup

2 to 4 heads of broccoli and stems ( peeled )

1 large onion

4 to 6 medium potatoes ( peeled )

6 to 8 cups of water or broth

1 small bunch of fresh parsley ( chopped )

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper ( to taste )

Bring the water ( or broth ), salt, pepper, and the bay leaf to a boil in a large pot with a lid. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

Finely chop the onion, broccoli and potato in a food processor until it’s a mealy paste. Add the processed vegetables to the boiling broth and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and remove the bay leaf.

I like a smooth creamy soup, so I put the soup through the blender on high until it has a velvety texture. This soup has a bright green colour and bold taste. It freezes well.

I like to add nutmeg to mine, but that’s a personal preference, so I add it at the table.

If you want some variety, you can add cream or half and half before you serve it. Just remember, you can’t freeze soup made with cream. It separates when you reheat it.