Harvest Vegetable Soup

So fresh. So good. So flavorful. Soups usually aren’t this delicious, in my opinion, and it is all due to these fresh, local, seasonal, and organic ingredients.
In a large pot, I combined the following ingredients and cooked for 40 minutes:
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 quart veggie stock
  • 3 or more quarts water
  • sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
  • carrots, peeled, chopped
  • corn (fresh from the cob, husked, boiled, shaved from the cob)
  • green pepper, chopped
  • broccoli, chunks
  • cauliflower, chunks
  • 2 TB Grumpy’s Private Reserve Black Label BBQ Sauce
For such a simple soup, it took more than 2 hours to prepare. I husked 12 ears of corn, peeled and cubed 2 pounds of yams, and almost 3 pounds of carrots. I made a lot of soup and froze some for later. You could add more or less of each ingredient according to your own tastes. The flavors of these fresh ingredients really stood out, which is why I only added a small amount of BBQ sauce for a little spice.

Macaroni and Carrots and Cheese

This is a must-try for anyone who loves the comfort food of baked macaroni and cheese but cringes at the fat content. My grandmother’s is the best, but it has tons of cheese, milk, and butter. I basically stopped making macaroni and cheese, but then I created this dish and look for excuses to make it again and again.

Ingredients:
  • 8 oz whole wheat shells, macaroni, or whatever shape pasta you want
  • 1 pound carrots (approximately) peeled and chopped into smaller pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 medium sized onion, sliced into smaller strips (I used a walla-walla onion because it is in season. Otherwise, use a yellow onion.)
  • 1 TB olive oil
  • 1 pepper, thinly sliced into inch long, super thin strips
  • 1.5 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I prefer Tillamook)
  • sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper
In a large pot, bring water to a boil with the unpeeled garlic and bay leaves. When it reaches a boil, add some salt and then the carrots. Boil them for 30 minutes to make them really soft.
While that is boiling, start to heat the olive oil in a pan. Sauté the onions on medium heat until they are soft, golden brown, and fragrant. Transfer them to another dish and add the sliced pepper to the hot pan. Sauté for a couple minutes and then turn down the heat. These don’t need to be cooked to death, so if they really are thinly sliced, a couple minutes is all they need to soften up and get some flavor from the onion and olive oil.
When the carrots are soft, fetch them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. I used a large slotted spoon to get all of the carrots, garlic, and bay leaves, and then took 1 cup of this carrot water in a Pyrex measuring cup to be used to help the carrot mashing. I then added more water to the boiling water, brought it back to a boil, and used this to cook the pasta. You could obviously go about this in another way: drain the carrots and re-fill the pot, but it saves water and energy to do it the way I did.
Cook the pasta. Meanwhile, add the onions, carrots, and peeled garlic to a food processor and purée until it looks like baby food. You may need extra water, so this is why I reserved some of the carrot water. Discard the bay leaves.
When the pasta is done and drained, pour it back into the large pot. Then add the carrot purée and mix well. Next, add the pepper strips and grated cheese, mix well, then salt, pepper, and mix again. Transfer into a large Pyrex baking dish and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Carrot Bread

When zucchini starts taking over at the farmers market, it is time to start making zucchini bread. I added a carrot to this recipe and only added 1/2 cup of brown sugar so it tasted more savory and less like cake. Add more sweetener if a cake-like taste is what you desire.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium-large zucchini- approx 2 cups grated
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1 TB grated ginger
  • 2 c whole wheat flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup walnut oil
  • 3/4-1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
In a mixing bowl (on the KitchenAid mixer) cream together the eggs, yogurt, oil, and sugar. Press out the excess liquid from the grated zucchini, carrot, and fresh ginger (a fine metal strainer works well for this) and add to mixer and mix until well combined.
Next, add the dry ingredients, one at a time, and mix well.
Pour into a lightly buttered and floured bread pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes or so until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 30-45 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate whatever is not eaten on the first day.

Tofu and Veggie Soba Noodle Stir Fry

As always with tofu recipes, let’s review. Firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed (see my recipe for Asian Style Baked Tofu).

First, marinate the tofu in:
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 TB pure maple syrup
  • 2 TB soy sauce
  • 1 tsp (or more depending on your preferences) Chinese Chili Paste or Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce
  • 1 square inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 TB toasted sesame oil
Mix up the marinade. Make cubes of the tofu and soak in this sauce for 30 minutes or more.
Next, follow the instructions on a package of soba noodles. Different brands may have slightly different instructions, so follow them, cook the noodles, drain, and rinse them in cold water to stop them from cooking. Put them to the side.
While the noodles are cooking, chop the following:
  • baby bok choy (an amount the size of a small head of lettuce)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 pepper, any color will do
Throw the celery-like stalk part of the baby bok choy in a hot wok. Start to soften it a little in a splash of water. Then add the tofu cubes. Do not add the marinade yet. Just the cubes. Start to stir fry these for a few minutes. Then add the carrot and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce. Add the pepper and 1/4 cup peanut butter. Start to mix this and add 1/4 cup water to help dissolve the peanut butter. Next, add the leafy part of the bok choy and mix well. Be careful not to break the tofu cubes while mixing. Finally, add the noodles and the rest of the marinade from the tofu. Mix all of this well and heat the noodles thoroughly. Enjoy with chopsticks.

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A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
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