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Soba Noodles and Mushrooms in a Ginger Garlic Broth

February 23, 2012

The book – Why the Chinese Don’t Count Calories by Lorraine Clissold – has been on my reading list for a long time. After a commitment to actually make it through that list in 2012, I finally got myself a copy a few weeks ago.

I’m halfway through and things are already changing in my kitchen.

I didn’t know what to expect from the title alone. I knew it was a book about Chinese food culture. I adore anything to do with food culture, and at the moment, Asia. I’ll post more details when I’ve finished the book, but every aspect of it so far has my senses on alert.

Not only is it well written, but within it is detailed information about Chinese principles and how they apply to food. Not only are there plenty of suggestions for Chinese cooking, but Clissold does a wonderful job of explaining how the reader can apply these principles when Chinese cuisine isn’t on the menu.

After reading page after page about noodle dishes, simple broths, and the yin and yang, I decided to make up a simple dish for our dinner last night. I tend to load my food with herbs and spices, but remembering the principles conveyed in the book I made a broth using a homemade vegetable stock I’d frozen earlier this year.

I added only garlic, green onions, ginger, mushrooms, and salt to season it, and crumbled in a bit of chili flakes. Mine came from a cayenne pepper I had dried from last year’s garden. I served this warm over soba noodles, and with some steamed baby bok choy.

Yes, I could get used to eating like this, but the eating it has never been the issue. I just never seem to get out of my comfort zone and cook it. Simplicity in food is so appealing.

Soba Noodles and Mushrooms in a Ginger Garlic Broth

Makes: 4 servings

What you’ll need:
8 cups vegetable broth
8 cloves garlic, minced
¼ inch piece fresh ginger, grated
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced thick
5 green onions, greens and whites sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon dried chili flakes
4-6 baby bok choy, steamed until tender
10-12 oz pack soba noodles, cooked and drained

How to make it:

In a soup pot, heat the broth to a low boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Add the garlic and ginger. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Next add the mushrooms, and simmer just until barely cooked, about 3 minutes more. Add the onions, salt and chili flakes. Allow to simmer while you prepare the serving bowls.

Divide the noodles into four deep bowls. Place one or more baby bok choy in each bowl. When ready to serve, ladle the hot broth over the noodles, about 2 cups per bowl.

Delicious Soba Noodles and Mushrooms in a Ginger Garlic Broth Recipe | Fake Food Free

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw

January 14, 2012

This Tofu Po’Boy sandwich is a remake of a sandwich I loved ordering from one of my favorite places to eat in central Kentucky, Windy Corner Market.

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw | Fake Food Free

My first experience with tofu was not pleasant. I convinced myself to try it when I was in college because it was what healthy people ate. And being a nutrition major, well, I considered myself a healthy person. After ordering it at a restaurant, it arrived in a stir-fry, mushy and tasteless. This led to my conclusion that while I was healthy, I wasn’t that healthy.

It wasn’t until I traveled to Southeast Asia and tasted tofu for what it truly is – an Asian specialty – that I began to appreciate it. There, it was most often referred to as bean curd, deep fried with a crispy texture, set atop a steaming bowl of veggies and noodles, and it most likely came homemade from the restaurant, or a vendor at the local market. It was delicious.

Bean curd is what I like, not the healthy-people-eat-tofu version I received in the States during that first experience.

Because frying isn’t my specialty, I had yet to make it at home. Then a few months ago I came across a post from Taste Hong Kong with step by step instructions on how to fry tofu.

With tofu fresh on the mind, I met friends at Windy Corner Market on the outskirts of Lexington for a holiday lunch a few weeks ago. I’ve already written about this wonderful, must-try establishment serving up local foods. On my most recent visit, I branched out to try the Tofu Boy for Topher. As the menu describes, “Crispy fried tofu in Black Jack Barbecue Sauce stacked with Earthy Crunchy Slaw, tomatoes, pickles and our special sauce.”

Tofu Po’Boy from Windy Corner Market in central Kentucky | Fake Food Free

Despite the mediocre iPhone picture, I assure you it was delicious.

So, I had some tofu-focused signs telling me that it was time to bring it to my kitchen. As a result, I have my version of the Tofu Boy for Topher. It is different in style and ingredients, but similar in flavors. I also still have a way to go with perfecting fried tofu, but practice makes perfect in the kitchen.

Despite these shortcomings, I am ready to make this again for lunch tomorrow. It’s not Asian-style bean curd, but it’s a lot closer than the first version I tried. And surprisingly, barbecue sauce and crunchy cabbage go wonderfully with tofu.

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw

2015-07-14 08:49:45

Makes: 2 servings

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Ingredients

6 pieces of tofu about 1 ½ inches wide & ½ inch thick
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce (I use a local favorite, KY Smokin’Grill)
Salt and pepper to taste
12 inch baguette or bun

Instructions

Prepare the tofu by using the instructions at Taste HongKong.
In a bowl, combine the cabbages and green onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayo and bbq sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the baguette in half and split down the center. Once the tofu is done, place three pieces on each half of baguette. Divide the slaw and top tofu. Enjoy right away.

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Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Caribbean-style Pumpkin Soup

November 20, 2011

This creamy pumpkin soup uses scotch bonnet peppers for a subtle, pleasant heat.

Caribbean-style Pumpkin Soup | Fake Food Free

When we travel to Jamaica we always look forward to the pumpkin soup. Although the version I make at home uses a similar squash, I like the pumpkin soup of the Caribbean much better. It has taken me a long time to figure out what exactly makes the difference in the flavors.

First of all, there are the spices. Despite the fact I use pumpkin in all sorts of dishes, the temptation to put in a seasoning such as cinnamon or nutmeg is a force I can rarely overcome. After years of only eating pumpkin pie and bread it’s as if my brain says – there’s pumpkin, must add some variation of pumpkin pie spice – even when it’s a savory dish.

Second is the heat. I never added any type of hot peppers to my version, but I now believe that is what makes a pumpkin soup outstanding. It isn’t spicy; it’s just a mild, warming heat in the back of your throat after each bite. That’s accomplished with Scotch Bonnet peppers which I just happened to grow in our garden this year. They came on late, but I have a nice bag full in the freezer to pull from for occasions like this one.

On one of our recent trips I picked up the cookbook, Eat Caribbean by Virginia Burke. Inside is a recipe for Pumpkin Lobster Bisque. Now pumpkin I had, but lobster I did not, so I tried modifying the recipe hoping it would turn out like the pumpkin soups we’ve had while traveling.

It’s definitely the closest I’ve come and much better than my standard version of winter squash soup. In this case, I think it’s the closest I want to get. Sometimes you want to make sure that there is still plenty of reasons to travel for the real thing.

Caribbean-style Pumpkin Soup via @Lori_Rice

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Caribbean-style Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from Pumpkin Lobster Bisque from Eat Caribbean by Virginia Burke

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped

4 cups mashed roasted pumpkin

3 tbsp of tomato sauce (or 2 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped)

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 whole scotch bonnet pepper

1 ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/3 cup cream or half and half

1 tsp fine ground sea salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

Croutons for garnish

Prep

In a small soup pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the garlic and onion. Cook for about 3 minutes, reduce the heat if necessary to prevent burning the garlic. Add the pumpkin and tomato sauce. Next, add the thyme and scotch bonnet pepper.

Pour in the stock, stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stir occasionally. If you want more heat, gently pierce the scotch bonnet pepper as it cooks.

Remove the thyme sprig and pepper and discard. Remove the soup from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree all the ingredients. Or you can transfer the soup to a blender, blend until smooth and return it to the pot.

Stir in the cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Return to low heat if necessary to heat the soup through. Garnish with croutons, if desired.

______________________________________

Smoky Chili Non Carne from The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook

November 17, 2011

This morning, still groggy, I opened the door to let the dogs out.

Whoa! When did winter get here?

After several weeks of warm autumn temperatures, I do believe we are finally headed into the next season. I don’t mind it at all, but it’s going to take me a while to adapt. Maybe this will help.

If it wasn’t time for chili before, well it certainly is now! And not just any chili, but Smoky Chili Non Carne.

I had the opportunity to review The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook by Maggie Green and loved every minute of it. Maggie’s book is a wonderful, seasonal cooking resource divided by month. The chili can be found in November along with other warming, comforting foods perfect for the season.

You can head over to Cooks & Books & Recipes to read more about it and get the recipe.

Smoky Potato Soup with Kale

September 26, 2011

This hearty potato soup with kale is filled with smoky bacon ends and topped off with crunchy kale chips!

Kale chips are the new cracker.

Since discovering kale chips last year, thanks to all my favorite food blogs, I can’t get enough of them. Every time I pull a pan out of the oven I still look at them, amazed that a leafy green can turn so crisp and tasty.

When I decided to make some potato soup tonight I wanted to add a little something extra so I decided on a little kale in the soup itself. Then one thing led to another and I was topping my bowl with kale chips before dinner. Now I’m officially proclaiming kale chips as my new cracker for all my soups!

Smoky Potato Soup with Kale | Fake Food Free

The soup starts with a little bacon. I’m able to get smoked, pastured bacon ends at our local meat shop which is perfect for this kind of thing. It chops up easily and I can use just what I need for each recipe.

Once all the veggies are cooked, I finish it off with a little half and half from one of my favorite Kentucky dairies. This half and half is low heat pasteurized and non-homogenized so the creamy fat thickens the soup nicely. To finish it off with just a little more smoky flavor, I turn to some smoked paprika.

I was a rainy, cool day here and I have a feeling more days like this are to come. This soup fits in nicely with the change of seasons; hearty, creamy and filled with a good dose of dark, leafy greens.

Smoky Potato Soup with Kale

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

Kale Chips
2 cups kale, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Soup
¼ cup smoked bacon ends, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
½ large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups kale, chopped
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
½ cup half and half

Prep

To make kale chips:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the 2 cups of chopped kale pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp.

To make the soup:

In a 3 to 4 quart soup pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until fat becomes visible in the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the celery, carrot and onion. Cook about 3 minutes and stir in the garlic. Continue to cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 more minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Add water to the pot just to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. As soon as the potatoes become tender, add the kale. Cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.

Stir in the salt, pepper and paprika. Using a potato masher, gently mash the soup, breaking up some of the potatoes, but not all. Stir in the half and half. Transfer to serving bowls, top with kale chips and serve warm.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes or images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut

September 12, 2011

This warming fish chowder recipe combines the hearty, fall flavors of kamut and sweet potatoes with a tropical twist from coconut milk.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut Recipe | Fake Food Free

I saw a fish chowder in a magazine recently and immediately started thinking of ways I could adapt it. I thought fall, tropics and whole grains all at once, but wasn’t quite sure what direction to go with it.

So I went with all three.

After seeing kamut in a cold grain salad when eating out recently, I bought some hoping to substitute it for wheat berries sometime. If you haven’t had it before, when cooked, kamut has the chewy texture like a wheat berry although the grain is slightly longer. So that took care of the whole grain part.

The tropical part comes from coconut milk. Actually I could say tropical-slash-Asian because the soup reminds me of some we had in SE Asia. I worked in a little autumn with some diced sweet potato.

I was incredibly pleased with the result. While it was cooking, I spent the whole time thinking what type of herb or spice I would use to flavor it. Turns out I added nothing, but salt and pepper. All the other ingredients had plenty of flavor on their own.

I used cod as the white fish, and believe it or not, canned salmon. Obviously canned isn’t my first choice, but I had some that had been around a while and no fresh on hand. The soup would also be great with shrimp, scallops or any kind of seafood.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut
Inspired by Wild Rice & Fish Chowder, Midwest Living Recipes for All Seasons Vol. 2

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large red potato, peeled and chopped
¾ cup kamut, cooked and drained
4 oz. white fish, cubed
4 oz. wild salmon, cubed (or canned salmon)
¾ cup coconut milk
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Prep:

In a 3-quart soup pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cook about 7 minutes and then add the garlic. Stir in the potatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in the kamut.

Add just enough water to barely cover the potatoes. Partially cover the pot with a lid, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook 7 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly tender. Add the fish and simmer 3 to 5 minutes more, until the fish is cooked or heated through.

Stir in the coconut milk, salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Island Food – Jamaica

September 10, 2011

We always plan to take one vacation a year.

Now, if you are a regular reader you are likely wondering what I’m talking about considering posts about South Carolina and Ireland have already popped up this year. This requires that I share some definitions with you.

We travel a lot. I wouldn’t have my life any other way. In fact, since we returned from Brazil we haven’t traveled nearly enough for me. I have to have travel. I’ve been known to say I like the airports, the lengthy flights, the squeezing all my liquids into a little baggie. That’s because in return I get incredible food, gorgeous scenery and a glimpse into other cultures.

Those trips that require hotel hopping, scheduling sight-seeing, going so fast that you come back more exhausted than you left; that’s travel and I love it.

But I also love vacation.

Vacation is what we did over Labor Day weekend. We headed back to our favorite tropical location – Jamaica. We floated, ate, drank, read, watched sunsets. Aside from a couple squash matches and walks on the beach, we did absolutely nothing. That’s vacation.

To adequately achieve this definition of vacation, we go for all-inclusive resorts, specifically Sandals. Despite mixed feelings on this type of vacation from travelers, we have never been disappointed. Its true relaxation and every bit of the paradise we want.

So we headed back to Sandals Whitehouse which is tucked in on the southern coast of the country; secluded with no planes overhead, a gorgeous beach, big pools and peaceful sunsets. All this along with our favorite martini bar, a nearly 24-hour pastry café and the best you can get of actual Jamaican food in a resort setting.

So here’s the part you are waiting for. The food and drink! Enjoy and I’ll be back in the kitchen soon.

Our welcome Rum Punch in the lobby.

Appetizers and martinis every night before dinner at the martini bar. This one has smoked marlin.

Appetizer tasting with smoked salmon, squid and octopus.

Fried calamari with a Greek salad.

Seafood ravioli.

Seafood stew in a white sauce, one of our favorites.

Fresh juice in the mornings, this one with melon and pineapple.

Red Stripe on the beach, enough said.

Our favorite lunch, blackened red snapper sandwich on coco bread with jerk mayo.

It may not look all that good in the photo, but Jamaican Pepper Pot soup is our favorite.

Jerk chicken, not as good as what you’d find from a street vendor, but still tasty and spicy.

Curry goat was the special one day for lunch, again may not look great, but tasted amazing.

Did I mention that cafe?

Every afternoon was just like this, pastries and a cappuccino.

Pumpkin Cheesecake and that’s Carrot Cake behind it.

Crepes for our final breakfast before boarding the bus to the airport.

I also took the garden tour offered at the resort and was introduced to some wonderful flowers and trees. These are seagrapes and we did get to taste them, nice and sweet with a huge seed in the middle.

Indian Almond, only about 10 plants or trees were native to Jamaica the rest have washed up on the shore over the years.

Soursop, our guide was so surprised when I knew what this was. What can I say, we travel a lot.

Jamaican Ackee, not yet ripe, but we saw ripe ones all over on the drive to the resort. When it ripens the big black seeds will become exposed.

Noni, which I had not heard of before but apparently it goes for a pretty penny in the States as a remedy for cancer.

Hummus and Feta Vegetable Sandwich with Cherry Tomato Soup

April 4, 2011

One of my favorite sandwiches is the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich from Panera Bread. If you haven’t had it, let me explain. It consists of fresh bread piled high with vegetables, but what makes it so tasty to me is the combination of hummus and feta cheese.

A few days ago, I decided to try to recreate something similar. I had made a batch of my Hummus with Almond Butter and had some feta on hand. I stopped in Great Harvest and picked up a loaf of Vienna bread, a crusty dark brown loaf on the outside with a soft and slightly chewy inside. Perfect for this sandwich.

I used up some of the vegetables I had on hand which this time around included carrots, cucumber and spinach. Red or green onion, lettuce or ripe tomato slices would be a fine addition as well.

I paired the sandwich with some easy tomato soup. The only tomatoes we have left in the freezer are yellow and red cherry tomatoes so I decided to give them a try. Almost all my tomato soups are now patterned after my favorite which is Simple Tomato Soup from A Good Appetite.

The cherry tomatoes worked well and added a sweet flavor to the soup. I did find that I needed to strain the soup after pureeing it though to remove any tough skins that didn’t cook down. After that, it was the ideal consistency and needed no garnish at all.

This is another picnic worthy combo that welcomes spring!

Hummus and Feta Vegetable Sandwich

4 slices fresh bread
½ cup hummus
¼ cup crumbled feta
1 carrot, peeled thinly sliced
½ small cucumber, thinly sliced
¾ cup baby spinach leaves

Evenly distribute the hummus over the four slices of bread and spread. Sprinkle the feta on two of the slices. On the other two slices pile on the carrot, spinach and cucumber. Press the vegetables into the hummus gently.

Top with the hummus and feta bread slices to make a sandwich. Serves 2.

Cherry Tomato Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
3 cups cherry tomatoes, thawed from frozen
½ cup onion, diced
1 red jalapeno, seeded and deveined, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and add the onions and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add the jalapeno and garlic. Cook, partially covered, for another 7 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes burst and the onion is softened. The water from the defrosted tomatoes help to create a broth for the soup. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

Remove the soup from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree all ingredients until mostly smooth. Place a strainer or colander over a heat-proof bowl. Strain the soup to remove any tough skins and seeds.

Pour the strained soup back into the sauce pan and heat through. Serves 2.

This post has been sent to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

The Complete Kitchen Garden: Asparagus Soup with Coconut Lemon Crème

February 22, 2011

I reviewed the book, The Complete Kitchen Garden, a few years back and this asparagus soup recipe has become a favorite for spring!

Every now and then you come across a cookbook and you know by the end of the year the pages will be lovingly spotted with random ingredients due to an extended time of it being open in the kitchen.

I’ve found that cookbook, and the only exception is that the pages of this one will likely be filled with smudges from dirty thumbs as well; dirty thumbs that have been hard at work in the garden.

I received a copy of The Complete Kitchen Garden by Ellen Ecker Ogden on Friday. Saturday I sat down and read it from cover to cover, all 250 pages. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done that with a book. This cookbook-slash-garden-guide is a beautiful balance of helpful gardening tips and fabulous recipes utilizing fresh, seasonal foods.

In it are plans and tips for 14 distinct gardens from The Salad Lover’s Garden to The Family Garden. What I like about this book is its simplicity. The tips are straightforward which prevent the reader from having to do a lot of searching for information that can be applied.

Last year was our first year of having a large garden, and despite the fact that we had decent success (with much help from my dad), I still find myself confused regarding what I did right and what I could improve on.

After reading this book, I have a much better grasp of what foods I should plant from seed and which I should start from plants. I also have all kinds of ideas of how to lay out our garden this year to make it more accessible and productive. The pictures and sketched garden plans in this book make everything come to life.

Now, about those recipes. It is impossible to pick a favorite. I cannot wait for garden and farmer’s market season so that I can make them all! Well, okay, except for the ones with beets, but that is just because I don’t like beets.

Rainbow Chard Enchiladas, Lemon Ricotta Fritters with Lavender Honey, Braised Winter Greens with Coconut and Curry, and Arugula and Mint Thai Soup are just a few of the 100 seasonal recipes the book features. And oh, the salad dressings! All kinds of delicious dressings to complement fresh greens can be found. There’s a good chance I’ll be making all of the dressings this summer.

So after reading all this I know you can’t wait to see which recipe I got to try out. How about Asparagus Soup with Coconut Lemon Crème?

The author describes this soup as:

The first tender spears of asparagus are best enjoyed fresh and whole from the garden, but as the season progresses, the stalks get larger, and the crop more abundant, this is an excellent soup to prepare. Its light, lemony flavors blended with a hint of curry are delicious served warm or chilled, and topped with crème fraiche.

I didn’t have any crème fraiche nor the ingredients to make my own, so I substituted plain Greek yogurt. It too went wonderfully with the soup. As simple as the ingredients are, I found the soup to have such complex flavors between the asparagus, potatoes, coconut milk, curry, and lemon. It is warming and perfect for a cool spring day while also being refreshing.

Be generous with the lemon. I found it really brought out the flavors of both the coconut milk and the asparagus.

Asparagus Soup with Coconut Lemon Crème

2018-04-26 10:42:58

Serves 4 to 6

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
12 to 18 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch lengths (2 cups)
4 medium red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (2 cups)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup (8-ounce can) coconut milk
Dash salt
½ teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Garnish
1 cup crème fraiche
Scallions or chives, finely chopped, to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and oil. Add the onion and salt and sauté stirring often, until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the curry powder, ginger, and half of the lemon zest and juice. Then add the potatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes.
Slowly add the broth, coconut milk, and asparagus and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover partially and continue to cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
With an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the mixture until smooth. In a small bowl, blend the crème fraiche, remaining lemon zest and juice, scallions or chives, and salt and pepper.
Serve the soup warm, garnished with a swirl of the seasoned crème fraiche.

By From the book The Complete Kitchen Garden, reprinted with permission from Abrams Books

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Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was sent to me by Abram Books. I was under no obligation to write about it and received no compensation for doing so.

Buffalo Turkey Sandwiches with Celery Yogurt Spread

January 12, 2011

When it comes to flavors that I would consider truly US American, buffalo tops the list. No, not buffalo the meat, but buffalo the sauce. It is one taste that I haven’t found anywhere else in my travels, and it was one thing we did miss when we were living abroad.

There is just something about that spicy, buttery flavor that can only be cooled by celery and some ranch or blue cheese.

I’ve come to incorporate it in several of our meals at home. We love buffalo chicken pizza and sandwiches. Of course, chicken is usually the meat of choice with buffalo sauce, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to give it a try with turkey considering our recent over abundance.

We don’t buy bottled dressings anymore and although I know it is possible to make blue cheese and ranch dressing, I didn’t have the ingredients for either. Instead, I turned to some of that plain 2% Greek yogurt Chobani recently sent to me.

I mixed it with finely chopped celery and onion and flavored it with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Now, if I’d had some blue cheese to mix, that would have made it even better, but alone it went wonderfully with the buffalo turkey.

The buns were made from the same recipe as used with the bread baking pottery I posted about last week. I just used white whole wheat instead of unbleached white flour, and then I split it into individual buns before the last time I let it rise. I placed the buns on a baking sheet in a hot 350 degree oven and they baked up in about 15 minutes.

I paired the sandwiches with a simple coleslaw and few of the pickled jalapenos I canned this summer. Delicious!

Buffalo Turkey Sandwiches with Celery Yogurt Spread

1 cup shredded or chopped cooked turkey
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup hot sauce (we use Frank’s Red Hot)
¼ cup yogurt
3 tbsp celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder

Place the turkey in a skillet. Add 2 tbsp of water to the skillet and turn on medium-high heat. Cook the turkey until it is heated through. Add the butter and stir until melted. Stir in the hot sauce and coat the turkey.

In a small bowl stir together the yogurt, celery, onion, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Split two buns and place half of the yogurt spread on each bun. Add half of the turkey to each bun. Sandwich it together and enjoy. Serves 2, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

Disclaimer: Chobani sent me yogurt free of charge. I was not obligated to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.