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Loaded Bacon and Cheddar Baked Potato Soup

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The other week at Safeway I couldn’t pass up a 10-pound bag of potatoes that was on sale for $3.  In a land where a half-gallon of milk can cost you $5, it was pretty much the deal of the century.  Nevermind the fact that I’m generally unable to use a 5-pound bag of potatoes before they start to spoil: I was blinded by the savings.

If I wanted to avoid throwing a good portion of these into my compost, I knew I had to do something drastic.  You know, like making enough baked potato soup to last me a week or two.  Luckily I’m a huge fan of leftovers.  Especially when it’s a thick, rich, and creamy soup with the taste of your favorite loaded baked potato.  Bacon and cheddar and sour cream, oh my.

Loaded Bacon and Cheddar Baked Potato Soup

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

* 8 large baked potatoes
* 12 slices bacon
* 2 onions, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) butter, cut into 8 pieces
* 4 cups chicken broth
* 4 cups whole milk (can also substitute cream or half-and-half for up to two cups of the milk for an even richer soup)
* 2 cups cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
* salt and pepper
* 1 teaspoon cayenne
* 2 Tablespoons cornstarch (I like my soups VERY thick so I double this… but start off with 2 Tablespoons… you can always add more)
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 1 pound container sour cream

Directions:

Dice four of the baked potatoes into small, bite size pieces, skins and all. For the remaining four potatoes, scoop out the flesh and mash until smooth. Discard skins of these potatoes.

In a large soup or stock pot, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool slightly. Crumble into small pieces when cool enough to handle.

Add the chopped onion and garlic to the rendered bacon grease. Cook over medium heat until softened. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chicken broth, milk, diced potatoes and mashed potatoes and stir to combine. Heat soup thoroughly, but do not boil. Add the cheese and stir to melt. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as they cayenne.

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and combine with equal amount of water to create a slurry. Add to the soup and cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, the reserved crumbled bacon, extra cheese (if desired) and green onions.

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits

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I don’t know about you, but prior to going gluten-free I didn’t make biscuits from scratch very often.  Instead I was a happy and frequent consumer of those exploding cans of refrigerated biscuit dough.  That’s sort of a shame, because making biscuits is ridiculously easy, even in gluten-free form.  And I probably don’t have to tell you about how amazingly versatile biscuits are.  What else could be equally appropriate topping a chicken pot pie or a peach cobbler?

The first time I made gluten-free biscuits, I set one or two aside for a breakfast sandwich.  I think I may have shed a tear or two of joy when I bite into that bacon, egg and cheese on a biscuit.  What can I say?  I’m a breakfast sandwich girl.  I’m still impatiently awaiting the day somebody recreates an authentic New York bagel in gluten-free form, but until then, I guess these biscuits will tide me over…

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

* 3/4 cup rice flour
* 3/4 cup potato starch
* 1/2 cup sorghum flour
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1 Tablespoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 8 Tablespoons (1 stick or 1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into small cubes
* 1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt and stir to combine. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives. Add the buttermilk and mix with a spoon until well combined. The mixture will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight. While dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and between the sheets of plastic, roll out the dough to a thickness of about an inch to an inch and a half, depending on how large you’d like your biscuits. Peel back the top layer of plastic and cut out rounds of dough using a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter (or a floured can or glass about the same approximate diameter). Place dough on the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll any leftover dough and again cut out rounds of dough. Use your hands to shape any small, left-over dough.

Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 15-18 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly golden, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking time.

Makes 8 to 12 biscuits, depending on thickness.

Zucchini Hummus

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Zucchini Hummus

Even though I’m not a raw foodist, and have no plans of becoming one in the immediate future, I love looking through raw cookbooks.  Not only do they have great recipes for juices and smoothies, you find a lot of neat tricks that you won’t necessarily find in mainstream cookbooks.  One example is using raw zucchini to make hummus.

The result is a pale green dip that’s creamier and lighter than your average hummus.  So for you raw foodists out there, I realize this recipe is old news.  For the rest of you, this might help you figure out how to use all the zucchini that might be popping up in your garden or favorite farmer’s market.

Zucchini Hummus

Ingredients:

* 1 large zucchini, cut into chunks
* 1/2 cup tahini
* 1 clove garlic, peeled
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1 teaspoon cayenne

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a high powered blender or food processor and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Peach Ginger Smoothie

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Peach Ginger Smoothie

Coffee or peach ginger smoothie? I’m very lucky that I don’t get major withdrawals when I stop coffee and caffeine cold turkey. I always hear of people who feel lethargic or get major headaches the first couple days of a cleanse or detox.  But just because I’m not drinking coffee or tea doesn’t mean that I don’t like a morning pick-me-up.

Well, this zippy peach ginger smoothie will definitely put some pep in your step.  The ginger is super energizing while the peach adds sweetness, and the coconut water and coconut milk add a mellow, creamy background.  I’d take this over coffee any day- it’s like dessert for breakfast.

Peach and Ginger Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

1 ripe peach, halved and pit removed
1/2-inch piece ginger, grated
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup coconut milk*
1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Place the peaches, ginger, coconut water and ice in a blender and blend until smooth.

Note: You can also make this using all coconut water or all coconut milk. For more smoothie recipes click here.

Mexican Green Cilantro Rice

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Mexican Green Cilantro Rice

Fluffy green-tinted rice cooked in a jalapeno and cilantro-based broth?  Count me in.  I found the inspiration for this one in Lourdes Castro’s book, Simply Mexican.

I’m glad I did.  As much as I love the standard tomato-based Mexican rice, it can get a little repetitive.  So I took Castro’s flavors but added some heat with some jalapenos.  I also browned the rice first- this splits the individual grains and gives the dish a light and fluffy texture.  Brown rice is standard around here, but I do keep white rice on hand just for Mexican rice (the brown rice doesn’t get that same fluffy texture that white will). Yep, I’m pretty hardcore when it comes to Mexican food.  And as I mentioned before, this was killer with the Creamy Shrimp with Cilantro Stems.

Mexican Green Cilantro Rice

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, plus extra leaves for garnish
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos
1-3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth plus 2 Tablespoons, divided
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine the cilantro, half of the chopped onion, jalapenos, and 2 Tablespoons of the broth in a blender and puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to brown. Add the rest of the chopped onion and the garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent.

Next, add the cilantro puree and stir to evenly coat the rice. Add the broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until all the broth has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit for five minutes. Fluff with a fork and top with cilantro leaves for garnish, if desired.

Ginger Carrot Soup

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Ginger Carrot Soup

This is probably the recipe that eased me into liking carrots.  Actually, scratch that.  This recipe is what eased me into liking carrot roots since I’ve actually loved carrot tops for a long time now.  They’re my favorite addition to green smoothies- they taste like freshness in a glass.  Some people say they’re poisonous or toxic, but that seems to be just a myth.

Anyways, back to this soup.  It’s a great complement to a cleanse or detox due to the healthy dose of ginger and cinnamon, both of which have a warming effect according to Traditional Chinese Medicine.  It’s especially important to include warming foods, herbs and spices during cleanses when you’re consuming a lot of raw vegetables through salads, juices and smoothies, all of which are very cooling.

The actual prep for the soup is pretty quick; if you buy peeled baby carrots, it’ll be a snap.  The soup gets a nice dose of creaminess from canned coconut milk and a pop of fresh flavor from a sprinkling of cilantro leaves.

Ginger Carrot Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 inch piece of ginger, grated (freezing the ginger makes it easier to grate)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
up to 1 cup coconut milk (optional)
cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and allspice and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the carrots to coat. Continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add the broth, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots are soft. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and coconut milk (if using) and add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Note: Feel free to omit the coconut milk if you prefer. Or you could just swirl in a small amount of coconut milk for a garnish along with the cilantro.

Peach Melba Parfait

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Peach Melba Parfait

So I’m not entirely sure that this peach melba parfait can be considered an authentic Australian recipe.  After all, it was created by a French chef at a a London hotel.  But it was created in honor of Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba and many sources claim that its an iconic Australian dessert, so I’m including it during my time in Australia.

While I do think food and dessert trends are kind of silly, it seems like peach melba has suffered from an uncool reputation for quite a long time.  Back when I worked in a restaurant I always wondered why anybody ordered them… but that was because we used sad canned peaches and a jar of raspberry sauce of questionable quality.

But vanilla ice cream layered with fresh peaches quickly poached in a vanilla syrup and a freshly made raspberry sauce?  Sign me up.  Its a pretty summer dessert that you don’t even have to turn on the oven to make.

You can also save the peach poaching liquid; I mixed some with some sparkling water for a killer vanilla-peach spritzer.

Peach Melba Parfait
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Peaches:
1 1/2 cup cups water (can also replace up to half of this amount with a white wine)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 vanilla bean pod, split lengthwise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
4 peaches, cut in half

Raspberry sauce:
1 1/2 cups raspberries
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

 1 pint vanilla ice

Directions:

Heat the water (and wine, if using), sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla pod in a large saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring the pan to the boil and let it cook for several minutes. Reduce heat and bring the syrup to a fast simmer. Poach the peaches for several minutes until just softened. Remove the peaches to a plate and let cool. When cool, remove the peels and pits and cut each peach half into 4 pieces.

Combine the raspberries, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth. If you’re using a standard blender or food processor, sieve to remove the seeds… if you’re using a high speed blender like a Vitamix, you can skip this step.

To assemble alternate layers of the poached peaches, the raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream and garnish with a couple raspberries.

Lemon-Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Almonds and Strawberries

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Lemon-Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Almonds and Strawberries

I’ll admit that I had my doubts about this recipe.  I wasn’t sure how a cake mostly comprised of yogurt and eggs, with almost no flour at all, could possibly work.  In retrospect I shouldn’t have worried.  After all, cheesecake has cream cheese and sour cream as its primary ingredients.  And that’s exactly what this ended up tasting like… a very light cheesecake.  Nothing like those heavy New York style cheesecakes- the air that’s whipped into the eggs keep this from being too dense.

I should warn you that the amount of lemon rind and juice make this quite lemony.  If you’d like a more neutral flavored cake, I’d recommend dialing the lemon juice way back.  Although it is perfectly good served alone, it’s best with a dollop of yogurt and some berries on top.

Lemon-Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Almonds and Strawberries

Ingredients:

* 3 eggs, separated
* 1/2 cup sugar, divided
* Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
* 1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plus extra for topping
* Grated rind of one lemon
* 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 Tablespoons rice flour
* 1/3 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
* Sliced strawberries, for topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly grease a 9-inch square pan.

Beat the egg yolks with about two-thirds of the sugar (just eyeball this… no need to measure) until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla seeds, yogurt, lemon rind, lemon juice, and rice flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm, and then gradually add the rest of the sugar. Whisk until the egg whites form soft peaks.

Add a small amount of the whipped egg whites to the yogurt and egg yolks mixture and stir well to lighten. Then fold the rest of the egg whites in carefully but thoroughly. Pour into the prepared pan.

Place the pan in a roasting pan and pour water halfway up the outside of the baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes and then sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Return to oven and continue cooking until the top begins to turn golden, another 20-25 minutes.

Let cool to room temperature and serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some sliced strawberries.

Oi Naengguk – Chilled Cucumber Soup

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Oi Naengguk – Chilled Cucumber Soup

I have a friend whose mother makes the most amazing pickled vegetables.  Seriously, if you put them next to a tray of peanut butter brownies, I might still reach for the pickled veggies.  She’s given me the recipe but I’ve yet to actually make them.  I guess I get nervous because you have to pre-salt all of the vegetables and the amount of salt needed isn’t specified.  I’m worried that I’ll overdo it with the salt and, even after rinsing them, will end up with several pounds of ruined, salty produce.  Hey, it’s happened.  Daikon kimchi, I’m talking to you.

But when I saw this soup recipe, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to mess it up.  It’s quick, easy, refreshing and as pretty as a picture.  Sweet, salty, sour with just a little bit of heat, it’s a really nice way to balance out a spicy Korean meal.  If you have a love of sour foods like me (any other Traditional Chinese Medicine Wood element folks out there?), I think you’ll enjoy this one.

I also wanted to let you guys know about a cool Foodgawker/Photograzing-like site specifically for Korean food.  It’s Korean Food Gallery and it’s a great place to find inspiration for your next Korean meal.  For you food bloggers, it’s another place to post photos of your favorite Korean recipes.  Thanks to Jenny for letting me know about it!

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

4 mini cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber, seeded and cut into matchstick strips
2 shallots, cut into matchstick strips
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon gluten-free soy sauce
3 cups cold water
1 green onion, sliced into thin rings
1 hot red chili pepper, seeded and cut into thin rings (I used a red Jalapeno pepper)
ice cubes, optional

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, shallots and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and water. Add this mixture to the cucumber.

Add the green onions and mix well. Place in the refrigerator until well chilled. Garnish with red pepper rings. Add an ice cube or two in each bowl to keep the soup extra cold, if desired.

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