Roasted cauliflower soup with curried parsley oil recipe

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IMG_4425I was in a cauliflower rut. I’d steamed it and tossed it with raisins and capers. I’d steamed it and mashed it with garlic and oil. I’d roasted it in a pool of extra virgin olive oil and topped it with kalamata olives. Now what?

Sometimes, a different format is the solution: move out of the side dish realm and into another course.  I decided to make soup and see what would happen if I roasted the cauliflower, along with roasting onions and garlic. The result was a rich, buttery soup with a nutty taste.  And, like most soups, the flavor intensifies and tastes even better the next day. Continue reading →

Sweet potato, arugula, black bean, avocado salad with pomegranate vinaigrette

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sweet potato salad bowlOne of my recurring resolutions is to try more recipes from the cookbooks I receive and amass throughout the year. I’m happy to say that I’ve whipped up the chickpea dressing recipe from the Dirt Candy comic cookbook—which is a fun read and an inspiring and innovative take on vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

lentil ball saucedBut the book that is getting more use right now is the Meatball Shop cookbook, which isn’t even mine. The latest recipe we tried, the vegetarian lentil “meatball” recipe, was enjoyed by vegetarians and carnivores alike. We followed it to the letter, but have some ideas about changing it up for next time, so stay tuned.lentil balls

To accompany the lentil balls, I put together a winter “comfort salad” of roasted sweet potato, arugula, avocado, black beans, and toasted almonds. I call it a comfort salad because it’s hearty and satisfying even on a cold day when you wouldn’t gravitate toward salad, and it could be a meal on its own, along with a thick slice of grainy bread. I dressed it with a pomegranate vinaigrette, but considered topping it with this tahini dressing. Continue reading →

Roasted Red Grape and Ricotta Crostini, Kale Avocado Salad, and Killer Romesco Sauce

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IMG_4315It’s a day too cold to spend much time outside, so why not see a mid-day movie and then have an impromptu dinner party? For this type of relaxed dinner, I am one to look to a couple reliable favorites, a new recipe that looks foolproof, and crostini.

Here’s our menu:

Crostini with fresh ricotta and roasted red grapes
Kale and avocado salad with lemon-pecorino dressing
Roasted butternut squash with figs
Multicolor quinoa pilaf
Roasted shrimp with Romesco sauce (the new recipe that turned out to be foolproof)

Before our friends arrived, we did the prep—making the Romesco sauce, washing kale and stirring together the dressing, peeling and slicing butternut squash,  rinsing quinoa, and chopping onions for the pilaf and cilantro for a garnish.

IMG_4310 Continue reading →

Cardamom Five-Seed Granola Recipe and Homemade Holiday Gifts

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Granola BagsIt’s Cement Truck Kitchen’s favorite time of the year, because we are more indulgent than usual. We experiment with new granola recipes and other treats that can be put into labeled coffee bags or spooned into cellophane packages and secured with shiny bows.  And, it’s the time of year when some people appreciate a festive digestif on a cold night, so we’ve tried an experiment.Gifts

This year’s projects included a cardamom five-seed granola, roasted rosemary walnuts, and limoncello. Continue reading →

Spiced Lentil Sweet Potato Soup

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IMG_4173After finding a lentil and coconut milk soup recipe on Sprouted Kitchen I filed it away for a cold day.  Today’s that day, with a light snow coating everything and encouraging indoor pursuits.

IMG_4166The recipe called for lemongrass, which would amp up the flavor and be quite delicious, I’m sure, but I was not amped up to search the suburbs for it. I also added sweet potatoes because almost everything is better with some roasted sweet potatoes. And then there’s the coconut milk, the quantity that I reduced from the original so that I could save some calories for those cookies hidden away in the freezer. If you like a creamier soup, go for the full 1 ½ cups of full fat coconut milk. Continue reading →