What a wonderful new year so far!
We started the year off with this tasty vitamin rich soup.
Kale soup
2 medium leeks, rinsed well and thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 large potato, cut into ½-inch dice
4 cups rinsed and chopped kale leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Place all ingredients into a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
Using a hand blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
Homemade Gifts
Who doesn’t like to get a homemade gift? Here is what we made to help keep our friends warm 🙂
Red lentil stew
1 Cup dried red lentils, sorted and rinsed
3/4 Cup short grain brown rice, sorted and rinsed
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup of diced tomatoes or diced carrots
8 cups of water
1 tsp sea salt
Put all ingredients except salt into a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low and let simmer for 50 minutes- 1 hour. Stir often so it does not stick. Stir in sea salt and serve.
Cookies
We made almond cookies for Christmas. They were decadent and delicious!
1/2 Cup earths balance”butter”
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1- 11/2 Cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Cup ground almonds
Mix together all ingredients. Knead until dough is well blended. Form the dough into small balls then roll between your hands and shape into a cane or a crescent. Lay them on a oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 300 for 40 minutes
The most decadent cookie we tried this year was by far Christina pirello’s lacy wafers!
Sheila’s Lacy WafersIngredients Chocolate filling Directions Place oil, rice syrup and barley malt in a small saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until loose. Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in flour until smooth. Fold in oats, nuts and extract, mixing well. Drop batter, by 1/4-teaspoonfuls onto lined sheet, allowing 2 inches in between to allow for spreading. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on sheet for 1 minute. Carefully peel cookies from parchment and set aside to cool. Prepare the filling by placing chocolate chips in a heat-resistant bowl. Bring rice syrup and soymilk to a rolling boil over high heat. Pour over chocolate and whisk until shiny and smooth. Pair similar sized cookies to make wafers. Spread the flat side of one cookie with chocolate and press its partner, flat side to chocolate, making a sandwich. Place on parchment to allow chocolate to set. Repeat with remaining cookies and chocolate. Makes 30-40 filled cookies. |