Sweet Potato and Acorn Squash Soup

There’s definitely a fall chill in the air and I’m ecstatic because that means I get to make loads and loads of soup.  There are so many reasons in which this appeals to me.

First and foremost, sweater weather is better weather.  Cozy, snuggly, comfortable.  Are you with me?  Also, I’m kind of lazy sometimes and it’s really nice to have a meal ready to go in your fridge when you just don’t want to cook anything… no way, nuh-uh.  Lastly, I get to put really healthy vegetables into my body in a truly delicious, mindless way.  I can eat 2 giant bowls and not worry about it.  Mindless soup eating.  Yes, I enjoy that.

I topped this soup with goat cheese and roasted acorn squash seeds.  You could easily omit the goat cheese for a vegan version.  Some other tasty options would be sour cream, toasted pecans, or fried sage leaves.  I’m definitely going to get my hands on some fresh sage before I devour all this soup.

Carrot Top Pesto Baked Fries

My recent recipe submission to the local newspaper here in Almonte, The Humm, is going to represent my deep rooted love for potatoes.

Waratah Downs Organic Farm had four varieties of potatoes available at the recent farmers market in Ottawa.  I wanted to make everything and anything involving potatoes and eat it all.  And I also wanted to make carrot top pesto so you know…I had to figure something out.

Carrot tops on their own taste pretty much like carrots and dirt.  Dirt, being a bitter taste, can be toned out with lemon, salt, and loads of garlic.  What you’re left with is a bright green tasting, garlicky pesto.  When you plaster this pesto all over french fries and bake them in a very hot oven, the carrot tops get crispy and flaky.  It’s definitely a flavour and texture you want on your fries.

Grated parmesan cheese would be outrageously delicious on these fries, too!  Oh heck yes, it would be.

 

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Tart with Cornmeal Crust

It’s tomato and garlic season.  Praise.

The one food item that you will always find in my house is tomatoes.  My most favourite way to eat them is in between two slices of hearty, toasted bread with way too much salt and mayonnaise.  Also, too much pepper.  I’m always coughing over my toasted tomato sandwiches.

They’re acidic, juicy, and perfect.  Alas…they need to be in season or they pretty much taste like plastic.  I want to put tomatoes on and in everything.  And then I want to share it with you because it makes me feel clever.

This tart is so wonderful.  Confession: this is my second tart and I ate the entire first one all to myself.  Didn’t share one bite.  I plan on sharing this one, only because I’ve gotten over the initial special-ness of it.  I’m ready.

Salted Corn Ice Cream

Corn is sweet.  I can do this.

I didn’t want to make corn salsa, or corn hash, corn soup, or corn anything typical.  I wanted to use corn in an unusual, but delicious way.

Ice cream.

Please enjoy summer’s bounty of corn.  Grill it on the BBQ, smother it in butter, and make this ice cream.

Now excuse me while I take a long bike ride to work this off….

Kale and Pistachio Biscotti

You know those pistachios that you bought that are sitting in your cupboard?  The ones that you bought because your boyfriend likes to snack on things and you were trying to help him make a healthy choice?  You bought them and they were unsalted and now nobody wants to eat them.

No?  Just me?  Okay, that’s fine.

Instead of salting them, I decided to put them in some biscotti with loads of kale.  Doesn’t everyone think that way?  No?  Just me again?  Well won’t you at least join me?  I promise it’s gonna be good.

I chose kale for two reasons.  Reason number one is because a reader wanted me to make a unique biscotti.  Reason number two is because it’s about that time again when I create a recipe for a local newspaper called The Humm, and this month they’re featuring The Elm Tree Farm.  I had a wonderful conversation with one of the owners, Tom, over the phone and planned on visiting him…twice.  Except now I have two jobs and I’m trying to be as committed to them as possible and I was forced to bail on those visits.  I felt horrible and unprofessional but really, it’s just kale.

After my conversation with Tom I discovered that he grows kale, and I had planned on picking up exactly that.  So I went with it.  Now, if you get the opportunity to visit Tom at the Sharbot Lake Farmer’s Market, I suggest picking up some premium kale and whipping up some of this biscotti.  In fact, any locally grown kale will do!