Delishytown

Cooking is fun. Eating is funner. I cook, photograph and write these recipes. Everything I post on this blog I make from scratch using fresh wholesome ingredients.. I've been cooking since I was a little kid. My recipes are based on trial and error, along with studying cookbooks, family recipes, blogs and cooking shows. Some of the veggies and herbs I use are grown in my garden. Yay sustainability! I'm working on making my yard into an edible landscape. It's really fun to go out in the garden and pick your veggies for dinner!

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33 posts tagged vegetable garden

Front Garden Edible Landscape Project

This is a big, beautiful vegetable and fruit garden I planted in my friend’s front yard. It’s a very sunny, west facing wall / fence. These photos were taken in the morning. This area gets full sun from about noon until sunset.  This part of the yard before was weedy trees and viney things. They cleared the area and built the raised beds, which came out great, really tall and sturdy. Then they went to a composting facility, bought a truckload of organic compost and soil, and worked for an afternoon shoveling it all in to fill the raised beds.

The next step was going to the nursery to pick out plants. We made a list of all the fruits and vegetables they like to eat.  It was fun plant shopping and we made several trips to various nurseries in the area, including making a stop at Tomatomania, a local Heirloom Tomato sale.

We planted grapefruit, orange and lemon trees, 2 kinds of grapes, 4 blueberry shrubs, lots of strawberries in pots, 8 varieties of Heirloom tomatoes, 3 types of peppers, zucchini squash, 2 kinds of corn, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, pumpkins, cucumbers, green beans, peas, carrots, various lettuces, chard, beets, basil, tarragon, oregano, and cilantro. We also planted some flowers like marigolds, cosmos, lavender, hollyhocks and sunflowers to attract the bees. I added bagged, organic compost containing additional fertilizers, along with organic multi purpose granulated fertilizer, to every planting hole. 

It looks really beautiful and everything is thriving. This was a really fun project to work on! I can’t wait to do the next one.

Edible Landscapes for everyone!

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Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success. 1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control. 2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents.  I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants.  3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that.  4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly. 5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish. 6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer.  7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs.  8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden. 9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants. 10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.   Happy Gardening!

Terriers Repel Rodents and 9 other Organic Gardening Tips and Tricks

Here are a few organic solutions to control pests in your garden. I have used all of these methods with great success.

1) Leave saucers of water near plants. Since I started doing this, the squirrels no longer bite into my tomatoes on a hot day. A lot of people think the squirrels are being total assholes for biting into their tomatoes and leaving the rest of it on the vine to rot. They’re just thirsty and they want the juice. OK, they are sorta being total assholes, but it’s not personal. If you leave water in clay saucers in several spots in your yard, they won’t mess with your crops as much, unless they are really hungry. The dishes of water will also give the lizards and snakes a drink, and these guys help control pests. Birds need water too and eat a lot of bugs. If you add dishes of water on the ground, and get a birdbath and keep it filled, you will see a vast improvement in pest control.

2) We used to have a rodent problem, but now we have Terriers. Terriers like to chase critters. It’s their favorite hobby. Get a lovely Terrier from the Animal Rescue, and encourage him or her to chase away rodents. 

I have several solutions for killing bugs on plants. 

3) Soapy water in a spray bottle. Squirt about 1 tsp dish soap into a spray bottle, fill the rest of the way with water, shake it up and spray it on the undersides of the leaves where the bugs like to congregate. This kills whiteflies, aphids and bugs like that. 
4) Another way to get rid of bugs is to sprinkle worm castings on the soil. They sell it in bags at the Nursery. This is a repellant and not a bug killer. It also helps to fertilize the plants, so I like to use this as much as possible. Good for repelling whitefly.
5) If it’s a slug / snail problem, you can make beer traps to kill them. Bury a small container like a yogurt cup up to soil level in any area of the garden where you see plant damage from Slugs and Snails, usually indicated by massive holes chewed in your Chard or greens. Pour some beer into the cup. They will go in and drown. They like beer more than they like to eat plants. So does everybody. You will find a lot of dead slugs and snails in the cup the next day. Dump it out and repeat until you get rid of those bastards.  Warning: A container full of dead slugs and snails is completely disgusting. Not for the squeamish.
6) Another way to get rid of the slugs and snails is with Beneficial Snails, called decollate snails, sold in the refrigerator case at the nursery or home improvement store. The good snails eat the baby destructive snails, but don’t eat your crops, because they would rather eat the meaty other slug and snails. This way is good because you pit creature against creature and let them duke it out amongst themselves, thereby eliminating the feeling that you are a bug murderer. 
7) Praying Mantis’ and Ladybugs eat bad bugs too, and won’t damage your garden. They sell these guys at the nursery too, in the refrigerator case. Release them at night after a thorough watering of the area where you will release them. They are more likely to stick around if they have a cool drink of water once they get released from their container. I like this method a lot because it’s fun to see the Ladybugs and to be surprised by the occasional freaky-as-hell-looking Praying mantis. Don’t spray any soapy water on your beneficial bugs. 
8) Another solution for slugs and snails is Iron Phosphate, which is organic, (it’s just Iron & Phosphorous), they sell it in canisters, usually called Sluggo. But this product will also kill your Decollate snails, so don’t use it if you’re trying to establish beneficials in your garden.
9) Garlic repels most bugs, but doesn’t really kill them unless it’s a strong enough solution. But a very strong garlic solution will also burn your plants.
10) Marigolds repel bugs. Plant them with tomatoes, peppers, squash.
 
Happy Gardening!
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Baby Artichokes from our garden. We cooked these last night for dinner and they were delicious!

Baby Artichokes from our garden. We cooked these last night for dinner and they were delicious!

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Honey Kale and Cabbage Rolls The kale, dill, carrots, celery, cabbage and shallots were all grown in our spring garden! Yum I love cabbage rolls. This is a good springtime dish because if you drizzle each serving with locally produced honey before serving, the honey helps fight against sneezing and seasonal allergies. And it also makes the whole dish taste fantastically sweet and delicious!  You can make this vegan by eliminating the grass fed beef and cheese. Make a sweet and sour tomato sauce by sauteeing 1 small chopped onion, 2 small chopped shallots and 3-4 smashed garlic in 1 tblsp butter and 2 tblsp olive oil. Cook until fragrant. Add 1 large can of chopped organic tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken or veggie stock, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp turbinado sugar, (or any sugar you have) Season with celery salt and pepper, and a big sprinkle of fresh or dried dill. Simmer and set aside until you are ready to assemble.  For the filling: Saute 1 small sweet onion in olive oil, add 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef, salt and pepper, cook till browned and crumbly. Once the beef and onion is cooked, drain off the excess fat and add chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped shallots, and cook until fragrant. Add 1 can of organic beans, rinsed and drained, I used black beans and pinto beans leftover from tacos the other night.. Season with 2-4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp Hungarian paprika, and a bit of dry dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Meanwhile, cook some Jasmine or Basmati rice, and start another pot of water to cook and soften the cabbage leaves. Remove core from the cabbage and place it in the boiling water,  let the outer layers soften for a minute or two and loosen the leaves one at a time with tongs, and reserve to a plate. You want them to cook more in the baking part of this recipe. This step is just to soften them so you can roll. Once cooled, cut away the big center part of the stem of each leaf about halfway up. Soften the kale leaves one at a time in the same pot for a few minutes each and cool on the plate. In a casserole, add a few tblsp of the tomato sauce to the bottom layer. Mix the cooked rice with the cooked, seasoned ground beef mixture in a bowl, and roll into the cabbage and kale leaves. I like to place 1 kale leaf on the bottom, add a cabbage leaf over it and roll it all together to have two colors of green on each roll. Place in the casserole , seam side down and continue until the pan is nicely packed together. This packing together assembly also helps the rolls hold together while baking. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Top with grated cheese if desired. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until bubbly and a bit browned. Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream and drizzle each serving with honey. YUM!

Honey Kale and Cabbage Rolls

The kale, dill, carrots, celery, cabbage and shallots were all grown in our spring garden! Yum I love cabbage rolls. This is a good springtime dish because if you drizzle each serving with locally produced honey before serving, the honey helps fight against sneezing and seasonal allergies. And it also makes the whole dish taste fantastically sweet and delicious! 

You can make this vegan by eliminating the grass fed beef and cheese.

Make a sweet and sour tomato sauce by sauteeing 1 small chopped onion, 2 small chopped shallots and 3-4 smashed garlic in 1 tblsp butter and 2 tblsp olive oil. Cook until fragrant. Add 1 large can of chopped organic tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken or veggie stock, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp turbinado sugar, (or any sugar you have) Season with celery salt and pepper, and a big sprinkle of fresh or dried dill. Simmer and set aside until you are ready to assemble. 

For the filling: Saute 1 small sweet onion in olive oil, add 1 lb. grass fed organic ground beef, salt and pepper, cook till browned and crumbly. Once the beef and onion is cooked, drain off the excess fat and add chopped celery, chopped carrots, chopped shallots, and cook until fragrant. Add 1 can of organic beans, rinsed and drained, I used black beans and pinto beans leftover from tacos the other night.. Season with 2-4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1 tsp Hungarian paprika, and a bit of dry dill. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Meanwhile, cook some Jasmine or Basmati rice, and start another pot of water to cook and soften the cabbage leaves.

Remove core from the cabbage and place it in the boiling water,  let the outer layers soften for a minute or two and loosen the leaves one at a time with tongs, and reserve to a plate. You want them to cook more in the baking part of this recipe. This step is just to soften them so you can roll. Once cooled, cut away the big center part of the stem of each leaf about halfway up. Soften the kale leaves one at a time in the same pot for a few minutes each and cool on the plate.

In a casserole, add a few tblsp of the tomato sauce to the bottom layer.

Mix the cooked rice with the cooked, seasoned ground beef mixture in a bowl, and roll into the cabbage and kale leaves. I like to place 1 kale leaf on the bottom, add a cabbage leaf over it and roll it all together to have two colors of green on each roll. Place in the casserole , seam side down and continue until the pan is nicely packed together. This packing together assembly also helps the rolls hold together while baking. Top with the remaining tomato sauce. Top with grated cheese if desired.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until bubbly and a bit browned. Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream and drizzle each serving with honey. YUM!

Garden Greens in our edible landscape. Purple Kale, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Red Romaine, and Radicchio. Happy Spring!

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Thanksgiving Sides: Cider Sausage Stuffing with Fennel, Leeks, & Dried Cranberries I made two kinds of stuffing for our Thanksgiving party today and froze them until Thanksgiving. If you’re cooking for a lot of people, it’s easier to do as much as possible ahead of time and put it in the freezer until the day of the party. That way you can just pop it in the oven for the last hour that the turkey cooks. Bread freezes well, so this is a good thing to make ahead. Make sure to thaw this in the fridge before baking. This version of stuffing includes seared and caramelized Italian sausage, which was cooked and drained and added back at the end. I also added fresh chopped fennel from our front yard garden, apple cider (along with the stock or veggie broth), chopped leeks, dried cranberries and toasted almonds. You prepare this the same way as the stuffing I posted earlier, adding chopped leeks and fennel to the vegetable saute at the beginning, and 1 cup of apple cider in the broth stage.  This also has dried cranberries added at the mixing stage with toasted sliced almonds. It’s delicious! 

Thanksgiving Sides: Cider Sausage Stuffing with Fennel, Leeks, & Dried Cranberries

I made two kinds of stuffing for our Thanksgiving party today and froze them until Thanksgiving. If you’re cooking for a lot of people, it’s easier to do as much as possible ahead of time and put it in the freezer until the day of the party. That way you can just pop it in the oven for the last hour that the turkey cooks. Bread freezes well, so this is a good thing to make ahead. Make sure to thaw this in the fridge before baking.

This version of stuffing includes seared and caramelized Italian sausage, which was cooked and drained and added back at the end. I also added fresh chopped fennel from our front yard garden, apple cider (along with the stock or veggie broth), chopped leeks, dried cranberries and toasted almonds.

You prepare this the same way as the stuffing I posted earlier, adding chopped leeks and fennel to the vegetable saute at the beginning, and 1 cup of apple cider in the broth stage.  This also has dried cranberries added at the mixing stage with toasted sliced almonds. It’s delicious! 

Eggplant ready for the oven Penne with roasted vegetables

Vegetable Penne with Baked Eggplant and Oven Roasted Tomatoes

This was our lunch yesterday. Yum! The vegetables in this dish were all grown in our back yard garden. If you’re growing mini eggplants, tomatoes and basil, this dish takes about 5 minutes to throw together, roasts in the oven, and tastes amazing.

I love fresh simple ingredients roasted in the oven, the flavors are so pure that they speak for themselves. The best part of this method of cooking is that you have to do very little work or prep for delicious results.

If you haven’t gotten frost yet, hopefully you still have some summer vegetables to harvest this weekend. This would be good with other garden vegetables too, like peppers or squash.

Heat oven to 375. In a small casserole dish place stemmed eggplants, pierce with a knife to avoid oven explosions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a separate dish, chopped garden tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, & slivered garlic, one or two cloves. Toss to coat.

Bake the eggplants and tomatoes until the tomatoes are bubbly and the eggplants start to collapse and become soft and fragrant, about 25 minutes.

Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions. I used this pretty red vegetable penne, which has tomato and red pepper in it, and a “full serving of vegetables in every serving”, according to the box.

Serve the penne and cooked vegetables with chopped fresh basil. Add a grating of fresh parmesan cheese or any favorite cheese. Delicious!

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DIY Ketchup Making your own organic ketchup is amazingly delicious and saves a lot of money. You can control how sweet, spicy or savory you make it. I made this ketchup using garden tomatoes, onions, brown sugar and spices. I usually try to buy organic ketchup, or ketchup with “sugar” in the ingredients list, to avoid eating high fructose corn syrup derived form GMO corn. But making your own from home grown tomatoes is even better! Yum! Here’s how I made this: In a saucepan, 2 tblsp olive oil, 1 large sweet onion chopped, 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped, 1/2 inch grated ginger, salt and pepper and sauté a few minutes. Add 5 or 6 large, chopped garden tomatoes, (or 1 can whole peeled tomatoes) 2 tblsp organic brown sugar, 2 tblsp cider vinegar, 2 allspice berries, 1 clove, fresh ground pepper, celery salt, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 1 tblsp worcestershire sauce, 2 tblsp tomato paste. Simmer until it thickens, about 45 to 1 hour. Taste. Is it sweet enough? If not, add more brown sugar or honey.   Strain through a food mill, or smoosh through a strainer with the back of a spoon. A food mill is much easier, I don’t use mine often, but when I do, I’m glad I have it. Place in jars and refrigerate. Lasts up to a couple months, I think, not positive. If you make a big batch, and want to keep it for up to a year or more, sterilize some canning jars, pour the hot ketchup into the sterilized jars, cover with sterilized lids and rings, process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes. Cool and store. (alternate mild ketchup tip: If you are making this for kids, or if you don’t want it so spicy, leave out the ginger, allspice and clove.)

DIY Ketchup

Making your own organic ketchup is amazingly delicious and saves a lot of money. You can control how sweet, spicy or savory you make it. I made this ketchup using garden tomatoes, onions, brown sugar and spices. I usually try to buy organic ketchup, or ketchup with “sugar” in the ingredients list, to avoid eating high fructose corn syrup derived form GMO corn. But making your own from home grown tomatoes is even better! Yum!

Here’s how I made this:

In a saucepan, 2 tblsp olive oil, 1 large sweet onion chopped, 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped, 1/2 inch grated ginger, salt and pepper and sauté a few minutes. Add 5 or 6 large, chopped garden tomatoes, (or 1 can whole peeled tomatoes) 2 tblsp organic brown sugar, 2 tblsp cider vinegar, 2 allspice berries, 1 clove, fresh ground pepper, celery salt, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 1 tblsp worcestershire sauce, 2 tblsp tomato paste.

Simmer until it thickens, about 45 to 1 hour. Taste. Is it sweet enough? If not, add more brown sugar or honey.  

Strain through a food mill, or smoosh through a strainer with the back of a spoon. A food mill is much easier, I don’t use mine often, but when I do, I’m glad I have it.

Place in jars and refrigerate. Lasts up to a couple months, I think, not positive.

If you make a big batch, and want to keep it for up to a year or more, sterilize some canning jars, pour the hot ketchup into the sterilized jars, cover with sterilized lids and rings, process in a hot water bath for 25 minutes. Cool and store.

(alternate mild ketchup tip: If you are making this for kids, or if you don’t want it so spicy, leave out the ginger, allspice and clove.)

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Zucchini Parmesan Bites I made these from a gigantic zucchini that was hiding under a few big leaves in my garden. I somehow overlooked it until it was of monstrous proportions, about 12 inches long and 4-5 inches in diameter.  These little bites are crispy and delicious and I highly recommend this versatile way of cooking zucchini. Once baked, you can layer these with tomato sauce and make zucchini parmesan. You could also cut them into the shape of french fries, instead of circles, in the first step, then crumb coat, bake, and serve with burgers. I like eating them as appetizers with home made ketchup! Yum! Here’s how I made these inexpensive and scrumptious treats: Heat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray.  Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch thick circles (or in the shape of french fries), dip in scrambled egg that’s been seasoned with salt and pepper. Dredge in bread crumbs that have been seasoned with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, pinch of celery salt, couple grinds of black pepper, sprinkle of onion powder, shake of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. Place the zucchini rounds on the cookie sheet, spritz with a little olive oil spray, and top each one with a little fresh grated parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, flip each one over, return to oven for 10 more minutes until desired doneness.  Serve with homemade ketchup or marinara sauce.  Yum!

Zucchini Parmesan Bites

I made these from a gigantic zucchini that was hiding under a few big leaves in my garden. I somehow overlooked it until it was of monstrous proportions, about 12 inches long and 4-5 inches in diameter. 

These little bites are crispy and delicious and I highly recommend this versatile way of cooking zucchini. Once baked, you can layer these with tomato sauce and make zucchini parmesan. You could also cut them into the shape of french fries, instead of circles, in the first step, then crumb coat, bake, and serve with burgers. I like eating them as appetizers with home made ketchup! Yum!

Here’s how I made these inexpensive and scrumptious treats:

Heat oven to 400.

Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. 

Slice zucchini into 1/4 inch thick circles (or in the shape of french fries), dip in scrambled egg that’s been seasoned with salt and pepper. Dredge in bread crumbs that have been seasoned with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, pinch of celery salt, couple grinds of black pepper, sprinkle of onion powder, shake of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika.

Place the zucchini rounds on the cookie sheet, spritz with a little olive oil spray, and top each one with a little fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, flip each one over, return to oven for 10 more minutes until desired doneness.  Serve with homemade ketchup or marinara sauce.  Yum!

Amaranth Eggplant Rainbow Carrots Hibiscus Amaranth and Fennel

Veggies From the Garden   July 2, 2012

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Curried Lentil Cauliflower Soup w/ a side of Carrot, Beet & Kale Chips This is a good thing to make when you want something healthy and satisfying. These two recipes are delicious, inexpensive and easy. I used pantry staples and garden veggies to make this today. This whole meal is vegan if you use veggie stock in the soup. One unusual ingredient here is Sumac, the red spice in the shot glass. Sumac looks like chili powder, but instead of being hot, it’s got a savory, lemony flavor that’s  very fresh and delicious. I usually buy it at the Middle Eastern grocery store. The kale, carrot and beet chips on the plate were grown in our back yard.  I’m in the process of harvesting and using up all the carrots and beets growing in two large pots out back to make room for eggplants and squash. Our kale is still growing vigorously in the raised bed even though it’s getting warm. Kale is much more heat tolerant than I thought it would be. And it makes delicious chips! For the vegetable chips: Turn oven very low, about 275. If you have a convection oven, put that to the lowest setting. Mine goes down to 300. In order to get crispy chips, slice the carrots and beets very thinly. I don’t have a mandoline, so I used a knife. Cooking them on a pizza pan with holes or cookie rack helps the hot air to circulate, promoting even crisping. Spritz with olive oil spray on both sides, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes & check. Some of the small ones might be done. Eat those. Flip the ones that aren’t crisp yet, and continue cooking for a few minutes. It’s ok if they don’t all get crispy, some of the fatter ones I made came out sorta chewy with caramelized edges, and that was delicious too. Meanwhile, tear kale leaves off stems, toss with olive oil spray, salt and pepper. Cook on a separate cookie sheet. They crisp up faster than the root vegetables, about 4 minutes. For the soup: In a heavy bottomed pot, sauté 1 chopped onion, 2 or 3 celery stalks with leaves, 2 carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of dry red lentils, rinsed, 2 tblsp chicken base & 3 or 4 cups of water, or 2 containers chicken or veggie stock, 1 bay leaf, celery salt, chopped garlic, pinch of garlic powder, pinch of turmeric, pinch of curry powder, and 1 whole tomato, cored and cut in half. (As the soup cooks, the tomato will fall apart and you can easily remove the peels.) Let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Once it’s all cooked and hot, add big cauliflower florets and let those cook an additional 5 or 10 minutes in the soup. I like my cauliflower al dente.  Serve each bowl with 1 or 2 big cauliflower pieces, garnish with vegetable chips, and a pinch of sumac. I keep the sumac separate because I like things very lemony, but my husband likes it not as lemony.  Sorry this was long, but it’s two recipes in one. Enjoy!!

Curried Lentil Cauliflower Soup w/ a side of Carrot, Beet & Kale Chips

This is a good thing to make when you want something healthy and satisfying. These two recipes are delicious, inexpensive and easy. I used pantry staples and garden veggies to make this today. This whole meal is vegan if you use veggie stock in the soup.

One unusual ingredient here is Sumac, the red spice in the shot glass. Sumac looks like chili powder, but instead of being hot, it’s got a savory, lemony flavor that’s  very fresh and delicious. I usually buy it at the Middle Eastern grocery store.

The kale, carrot and beet chips on the plate were grown in our back yard.  I’m in the process of harvesting and using up all the carrots and beets growing in two large pots out back to make room for eggplants and squash. Our kale is still growing vigorously in the raised bed even though it’s getting warm. Kale is much more heat tolerant than I thought it would be. And it makes delicious chips!

For the vegetable chips: Turn oven very low, about 275. If you have a convection oven, put that to the lowest setting. Mine goes down to 300.

In order to get crispy chips, slice the carrots and beets very thinly. I don’t have a mandoline, so I used a knife. Cooking them on a pizza pan with holes or cookie rack helps the hot air to circulate, promoting even crisping.

Spritz with olive oil spray on both sides, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes & check. Some of the small ones might be done. Eat those. Flip the ones that aren’t crisp yet, and continue cooking for a few minutes. It’s ok if they don’t all get crispy, some of the fatter ones I made came out sorta chewy with caramelized edges, and that was delicious too.

Meanwhile, tear kale leaves off stems, toss with olive oil spray, salt and pepper. Cook on a separate cookie sheet. They crisp up faster than the root vegetables, about 4 minutes.

For the soup: In a heavy bottomed pot, sauté 1 chopped onion, 2 or 3 celery stalks with leaves, 2 carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of dry red lentils, rinsed, 2 tblsp chicken base & 3 or 4 cups of water, or 2 containers chicken or veggie stock, 1 bay leaf, celery salt, chopped garlic, pinch of garlic powder, pinch of turmeric, pinch of curry powder, and 1 whole tomato, cored and cut in half. (As the soup cooks, the tomato will fall apart and you can easily remove the peels.)

Let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Once it’s all cooked and hot, add big cauliflower florets and let those cook an additional 5 or 10 minutes in the soup. I like my cauliflower al dente. 

Serve each bowl with 1 or 2 big cauliflower pieces, garnish with vegetable chips, and a pinch of sumac. I keep the sumac separate because I like things very lemony, but my husband likes it not as lemony.

 Sorry this was long, but it’s two recipes in one. Enjoy!!

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