Spring Fling

My husband and I both woke up (sick) on the wrong side of the bed yesterday. There was something in the air and it was only making my throat itch. We sadly canceled fun dinner plans with friends for a movie-night in on the couch. To make some sort of fun out of being sick, I decided to make a cozy dish of homemade springtime soup. I came across another fab recipe from Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks and decided to take a go at it. I added chickpeas to my version and shredded some left-over roasted chicken on top of his serving. Served with a butter lettuce and watercress salad with creamy avocado chunks and toasted pine nuts and a few slices of toasted bread, mmmm good soup for the soul.

Spring Fling (Feel Good) Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half diagonally
8 spears of asparagus, trimmed and diagonally sliced into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the shallots and garlic and saute for a few minutes until soft. Add the rice and stir for about a minute, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer until the rice is just tender, about 35 minutes.

In the meantime, saute the chickpeas in a separate pan with a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil until slightly browned.

Add the sugar snap peas, asparagus, green peas and chickpeas and season with a few healthy pinches of salt and fresh ground pepper. Simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes and serve immediately so the vegetables remain crisp and bright. If desired, top with shredded chicken and thinly sliced parmessan.

Serves 4.

(James' version with shredded chicken)

Spring Fever

After a week of being sick and a rainy April weekend, the only thing that could lift my spirits before another Monday was to get into the kitchen. I went to the grocery store looking for inspiration...I wanted something healthy and hearty. Comfort food, to me, is whole wheat pasta. I always try to mix it up with somthing fresh and cauliflower was calling my name. I came across this recipe from foodnetwork.com and modified to my liking. This is one that you have to try! Serves 4.

Sicilian-Style Cauliflower with Whole Wheat Pasta

Ingredients
3/4 lb whole-wheat fussili pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 cups cauliflower florets, cut into bite-size pieces
2 small shallots, sliced in thin rings
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3/4 cups water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp golden raisins

1 tsp honey
1 Tbsp capers
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 tsp fennel seeds
Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated fresh Pecorino Romano, plus more as needed

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then salt it generously. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta. Transfer to a large bow and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower, shallots, and garlic, and cook until the cauliflower is well browned, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil, salt, water, vinegar, raisins, honey, capers, thyme, bay leaf, fennel seeds and season with black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until cauliflower is fork tender, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the pine nuts and parsley. Remove and discard the thyme sprig and bay leaf.

Toss the vegetables and pasta together along with the pecorino. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately.