Roasted Potato Leek Soup

Things have been a little busy in the past while, so my cooking/photography time has plummeted. I am somewhat in denial about the amount of work I have to do in the next few weeks.. So what better way to procrastinate than cook!? The North Shore mountains got their first sprinkling of snow yesterday, and it is so beautiful! Sunday dinner needed something warm and light (a bit too much dim sum for lunch..). This is another Ina Garten classic, so simple and SO flavorful. Roasting the veggies before making the soup adds tons of flavor- She is a genius! Enjoy!

• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 4 cups chopped leeks, cleaned
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6-7 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I just used milk)
• 1/4 cup parmesan

Roast potatoes and leeks in olive oil and pepper at 400 for 40-45 minutes, or until tender. Add arugula and roast for 5 more minutes. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, adding the wine and 5 cups of the chicken broth. Be sure to scrape the pan clean of all the crispy bits- these add tons of flavor! Puree the vegetables and stock until smooth in a food processor or blender. Transfer to large pot. Add stock until the consistency reaches a thick soup, and add cream and parmesan. Heat, covered until ready to serve.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Thanksgiving weekend was so much fun- Pemberton was beautiful, and I couldn't have asked for better weather. Apparently the Huffington Post agreed that this was the best place to spend thanksgiving! The weekend was filled with a visit to the local farm, plenty of wine (maybe a little too much..), and copious amounts of incredible food. They even made a turducken, which was soo delicious! 

Needless to say, this week called for some lighter meals. This recipe was super tasty, and pretty easy to make. It was also quite good cold for lunch today.. I adapted this from Richard Corrigan's recipe. Enjoy!
-Jillian

• 1 red onion, sliced ½” thick
• 1 red pepper, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 large zucchini, cut into 1” cubes
• 1 small acorn squash, peeled and ¾” cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1-1/2 cups couscous, uncooked
• 1 tsp cumin
• Pepper, to taste
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• ½ lemon

Toss vegetables with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until cooked. Combine couscous with cumin and pepper. Boil 1-1/2 cups of water, add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. After five minutes (or until water has been absorbed), fluff couscous and move to large bowl. Mix in roasted vegetables, fresh parsley, and juice from ½ a lemon (More or less to taste!). Serve warm, or cold! Makes enough for 4 people as a side dish. 

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Canadian thanksgiving is this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited! My cousins have invited me out to Pemberton, and I hear it is just beautiful up there. Fall foods are my favorite- And I now that the pumpkin spice lattes are available at starbucks, it is getting out of control. This recipe is super healthy, and definitely satisfies my pumpkin cravings (I will not be skipping that pumpkin pie, though!). These guys are great for breakfast, or perhaps a snack during stats class? (I didn’t bring enough with me!) Recipe adapted from The Goddess of Baking. Enjoy!

-Jillian


Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups flour 
• 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar, packed 
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda 
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon 
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg 
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cloves 
• 1-1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 
• 1 Egg 
• 1 Cup Pureed Pumpkin 
• 1/4 Cup Milk 
• 1/4 Cup vanilla yogurt 

+ Extra oats for topping

Thoroughly combine flour, oats, sugar, soda, baking powder, and spices in a bowl. Add pumpkin, egg, milk, and yogurt. Mix well, and divide into a muffin tin of 12. Top with extra oats. Bake at 375 for 17 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Makes 12 muffins.

Fancy Mexican Grilled Corn

Nothing can get better than fresh corn in the summer and fall.. and I certainly can’t get enough of it! After three consecutive nights of plain (but delicious) corn on the cob, I decided to switch it up. Mexican grilled corn seems to be pretty popular right now- with cheese and cilantro.. how can you say no!? This version was quite easy and soo decadent. We ate these with our portabella burgers from a while back, and they definitely stole the show. Enjoy!

-Jillian

• 4 ears of corn
• Juice from ½ lime
• 2 tbsps mayo
• 2 tbsps sour cream
• 2 tbsps grated parmesean
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Remove silky bits from corn and soak for 20 minutes to prevent leaves from burning.

Combine mayo, sour cream, and lime juice. Grill corn for 20 minutes or until tender and crispy. Slather on sour cream mixture, sprinkle with chili powder, parmesean, and cilantro.