Napa Farmhouse 1885™

I "retired" from the corporate world a couple of years ago because I wanted to experience a real life after years of 80 hour work weeks and constant travel. A year later I realized that I was having a really good time, was always busy (how did i ever fit in a job??) and needed a creative outlet to share my experiences. Now I split my time between California and New Mexico but, wherever I am, I write about delicious, fresh, local, organic/sustainably grown food.

Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Roasted Red Pepper Soup (in a Slow Cooker)

The middle of winter begins a weekly blog series called Comfort Food Feast at Food Network comprised of the dishes you want to eat when it is cold outside and the days are still short. The schedule is as follows:

JANUARY

7: Soup

14: Pasta

21: Potatoes

28: Macaroni and Cheese

FEBRUARY

4: Dips for the Big Game

11: Chocolate for Valentine's Day

18: Cheesy

25: Pizza

MARCH

3: Peanut butter

10: Bacon

17: Cake

For Soup Week, I am sharing an easy and delicious recipe chock-full of roasted red bell peppers. The surprise ingredient is a boiled sweet potato that adds sweetness and thickens the base without added cream. The jolt of vitamin c and vitamin A included in this soup is off the charts. I double or triple the batch and keep in the fridge to eat all week. Easy to heat and perfect for lunch or, paired with a big salad and whole grain or gluten free bread, makes a wonderful supper.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup
serves 4

4 red bell peppers
1/2 small sweet potato, unpeeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
extra virgin olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 sundried tomatoes packed in oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt
black pepper
1 lime, sliced
Italian parsley, chopped
4 radishes, chopped
1 tablespoon red onion, chopped

Preheat broiler. Cut bell peppers in half. Seed and devein. Place cut side down on a rimmed baking sheet and place under broiler. Broil until skin is completely blackened. Remove from oven and place peppers in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to cool. Peel cooled peppers and roughly chop. Set aside.

Place sweet potatoes in a medium bowl and cover with water. Microwave until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, cooked sweet potatoes, cumin, sundried tomatoes and a pinch each salt and pepper to skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add to the bowl of a slow cooker, along with the reserved peppers and the stock.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Puree in batches in a blender or (my preferred method) with an immersion blender until it is a smooth as you like (I like a bit of texture). Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve garnished with lime slices, parlsey, radishes and red onion.

Other soup recipes to help get you through winter:

It is Soup week at Food Network's Comfort Food Feast roundup. Do you have a favorite soup recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Lemon Bowl: Slow Cooker Posole Rojo
Creative Culinary: Split Pea Soup with Carrots and Ham
Homemade Delish: Italian Cioppino Soup
Taste with the Eyes: Wintery French Lentil Soup with Beef, Carrots, Sherry Vinegar
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Tomato Soup
Dishing with Divya: Roasted Cauliflower and Carrot Creamy Vegetable Soup
From My Corner of Saratoga: Pressure Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup (in a slow cooker)
Red or Green: New Mexican Green Chile, Turkey & Posole Soup
The Heritage Cook: Creamy Cheesy Potato Soup (Gluten-Free)
In Jennie's Kitchen: 14 Sensational Soups
Big Girls Small Kitchen: Winter Squash & Chickpea Ribollita
The Mediterranean Dish: Mediterranean Spicy Spinach Lentil Soup
The Mom 100: Spicy Thai Chicken and Rice Noodle Soup
Healthy Eats: 5 No-Brainers for Improving Chicken Soup
FN Dish: Soup's On! 5 Warming Must-Make Bowls

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

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I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Curried Pumpkin & Apple Chowder

Brrr! The weather forecast for Halloween night this year is clear and cold. 26 degrees. Yikes! I feel sorry for all the trick or treaters. They will be so bundled up that no one will be able to see their costumes. In Taos, very few people actually go door-to-door begging for candy. Our homes are on lonely roads, many are dirt or gravel, and there are few actual neighborhoods. So the big event is held in town at the Plaza and adjacent shopping areas. (Check out the John Dunn Shops by clicking here). I posted a story with photos of Halloween in Taos, New Mexico on my sister blog California Girl in Taos. Learn about Halloween in Taos by clicking here.

So, we will be bundled up too as we make our annual trip downtown to grab some drinks and watch the adorable children. Our usual margaritas won't do...something to warm us up is required. Before we leave, I plan on making this delicious, HOT soup and serving with crusty bread. Pumpkin puree mixed with apples and mildly spiced with curry and a bit of jalapeno for heat. Just what we need to fuel us up before the big night. Happy Halloween everyone!

Curried Pumpkin & Apple Chowder
adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, November 2000
(6 servings)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (white & green parts. Reserve some green onion for garnish)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (Use the whole jalapeno if you like it spicy)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
32 oz organic vegetable broth (or homemade)
1 cup dry white wine
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
sea salt
black pepper

Warm olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add white and green onions, bell pepper and jalapeno. Saute until vegetables are soft and onions have just begun to caramelize. Add the curry powder and apple and saute for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, wine, pumpkin, tomatoes, sage and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes stirring frequently.

Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve topped with reserved green onions.

Next week is Brussels sprouts week. See you then!

It is Halloween week at Food Network's Fall Fest roundup. Do you have a favorite Halloween recipe to share? Please list (or link) in the comments below. And be sure to check out the other delicious sounding recipes from my blogger friends and Food Network.

The Hungry Traveler: Halloween Spiderweb Brownies
Devour: 6 Halloween Movie and Food Pairings for a Spooktacular Party
Creative Culinary: The Black Goblin – Tequila, Coffee Liqueur and Cream
TasteBook: Pan de Muertos (Day of the Dead Bread)
Domesticate Me: Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispie Treat Bites
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Pumpkin Brain Pasta Halloween Special
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Curried Pumpkin & Apple Chowder
Red or Green: Pasta with Cilantro, Jalapeno & Pinenuts
Swing Eats: Trick or Treat, Spaghetti or Squash? Both!
Feed Me Phoebe: Blood Orange White Sangria with Pomegranate
Taste with the Eyes: Pumpkin Risotto Stuffed with Burrata, Fried Sage
Healthy Eats: 5 Ways to Host a Healthier Halloween Party
Weelicious: Deviled Egg Spiders

best,

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

red or green?

California Girl in Taos

MoseyLove

napa farmhouse 1885

Promote Your Page Too

I have started sharing my newest blog "California Girl in Taos." Please visit and let me know what you think.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Six Recipes To Make You Fall In Love With Cauliflower

It is Cauliflower Week at Food Network, and I decided to share six of my favorite recipes using this delicious and healthy cruciferous vegetable.

"As an excellent source of vitamin C, and a very good source of manganese, cauliflower provides us with two core conventional antioxidants. But its antioxidant support extends far beyond the conventional nutrients into the realm of phytonutrients. Beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin, rutin, and kaempferol are among cauliflower's key antioxidant phytonutrients. This broad spectrum antioxidant support helps lower the risk of oxidative stress in our cells. Chronic oxidative stress—meaning chronic presence over overly reactive oxygen-containing molecules and cumulative damage to our cells by these molecules—is a risk factor for development of most cancer types. By providing us with such a great array of antioxidant nutrients, cauliflower helps lower our cancer risk by helping us avoid chronic and unwanted oxidative stress."
From The Worlds Healthiest Foods

I have two soup recipes that I make all fall and winter. Both are a bit spicy, warming, healthy and very comforting. I first shared the Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Chile & Garlic on my blog back in 2012 and it is still one of the most popular posts on the site.

This soup is perfect for cold winter nights. Roasting the cauliflower and garlic sweetens the vegetables. You get a bit of heat from New Mexican red chile powder and spices. Creamy coconut milk balances everything out. Be sure to serve with delicious bread or rolls to dip in the bowls of soup. Add a green salad and supper is served.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup With Chile & Garlic
1 large head cauliflower
extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 white onion, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 tbsp new Mexican red chile powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 baking potato, unpeeled and diced
1 qt plus 4 oz vegetable stock
3/4 cup coconut milk, unsweetened**
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare cauliflower by first washing and removing leaves. (chop leaves and save for later in the recipe). Cut off the stem and then cut cauliflower in half lengthwise and then again into quarters. Place one of the cut sides down on cutting board and...with the knife at an angle...cut off the stem. Repeat with remaining three pieces. Break cauliflower into bite sized florets. Chop half of the florets into small pieces.

Place prepared cauliflower florets (not chopped ones) on a rimmed parchment lined baking sheet. Run four passes of olive oil bottle over the pan and, using your hands, roll cauliflower in oil ensuring evenly covered. Place in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add garlic and another two passes of e.v.o.o. Stir and sprinkle large pinch each salt and peppers over vegetables. Return to pan and roast for another 10 minutes. Keep roasting until the cauliflower is beginning to brown and caramelize. Remove from oven.

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to large pot and gently heat. Add onion, jalapeno, and reserved cauliflower greens and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft. (about 6 minutes). Add chile powder and cayenne pepper, stir and cook for an additional minute. Add potato, chopped cauliflower and quart of vegetable stock. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, reduce heat back to medium and simmer for 25 minutes. (vegetables should be very soft. If not, continue simmering for an additional 5-10 minutes.). Add the roasted cauliflower, stir and heat for an additional minute.

Using a stick blender***, puree the soup until well mixed and fairly smooth. (note, this soup has texture from the potato peel and greens which I like. If you want a very smooth soup, pass through a strainer or food mill). Add the coconut milk, small pinch of salt and one of pepper and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add additional vegetable broth if too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve in large bowls, each drizzled with a bit of olive oil, a pinch more of the red chile powder and a sprinkling of cilantro.

** use the coconut milk in cartons in the dairy section, not the canned version
*** if you don't have a stick blender you can use a regular blender. Do this in two batches and be very careful, soup is HOT.

For another take on Cauliflower soup click here for Smokey Cauliflower Soup with Parmigiano-Reggiano.