Happy Family Day!

It's been an extra lazy, extra long 4 day weekend for me. My lack of drive these last 4 days has been heavenly :)

Let's open this post with a whopper of a good meal...

Carrot ginger soup served with grilled old cheddar and jonagold apple (FDO) sandwich on rye.

Soup:

• 6-8 carrots (small-medium sized) peeled and chopped coarsely (FDO)
• 3-4 cups of vegetable stock, start with 3, add more if you need it (I used Campbell's. Homemade or chicken stock would be just fine too)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger (I freeze mine, making grating easy...if yours isn't frozen, just chop if finely)
• 1/4 light cream (I used 5%; use 10%, 18% or 35% for all I care!)
• s&p to taste

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a pot suitable for soup, and simmer them until the carrots are tender (20 mins-ish)
2. Turn off the heat - Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, I had to add a little extra stock in at this point
3. Once blended, stir in your cream
4. add s&p to taste
5. dollop with sour cream and chives (optional!)

This was SO easy and exploding with flavour.  Ginger and carrot make really good friends in this soup - you can taste both, but together, they sing! This was a complete make-up-on-the-spot dish (I had about 4 lb of carrots in my fridge). Creative cooking that turns out well is so inspiring!

I decided to go the no-recipe route again with this next dish - and again, success!

This recipe is similar to one one I posted a couple of months back (Wicked Good Fusion Curry). This is part deux.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp curry powder (i have no name)
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp sambal oelek (asian chili sauce - hot!)
• 1 package of rice noodles (I used PC)
• veggies - I used a red pepper, yellow pepper, and brocolli (FDO)
• shrimp - thawed, peeled and deveined

1. heat oil over medium heat
2. add garlic, sautee for 1 minute
3. add curry powder, sautee for 1 minute
4. add coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and hot sauce
5. turn heat to med low
6. meanwhile, follow preparation directions for rice noodles on the package (different brands have different instructions!)
7. Add veggies and simmer (not necessarily at the same time - some take long than others!) until tender/crisp
8. When your veg are just about done, add the shrimp - simmer until shrimp are pink and just curled (2-4 minutes at the most!)
9. Toss the noodles with your yummy curry, and serve ASAP!

I just love the richness peanut butter brings to this dish - almond butter would be amazing too. Rory and I both looved this one, we're already looking forward to my next batch! This is an easy weeknight 30 minute meal - and you could substitute the shrimp and veg for an endless number of things.

Finally, I must admit, I'm not much of a baker - following a recipe to the word really throws me for a loop - my creativity feels suppressed!! I gave this blueberry muffin recipe a go on Saturday morning - with a small recipe substitution of my own - and surprise! it didn't turn out disasterous :)

The basic recipe comes from Evelyn Raab's The Clueless Baker - Beautiful Buttermilk Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk - i used plain 1% yogurt
•  3/4 white sugar
•  1/2 cup vegetable oil
•  2 eggs
•  1 tsp vanilla
•  2 cups all purpose flour
•  2 tsp baking powder
•  1/2 tsp baking soda
•  1/8 tsp salt
•  1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen - if frozen, don't thaw them!

1.  preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin pan, or use muffin paper like me :)
2. In a large bowl beat together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla (I used my amazing Kitchenaid Stand Mixer!)
3. In another bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder
4. Stir the dry mixture into the egg mixture in 2 or 3 additions, alternating with the yogurt - until combined
5. Stir in blueberries
6. Fill the muffin tin/papers nearly to the top
7. Bake for 20-25 mins (mine took 20 - i did the toothpick test).

A really good moist basic muffin recipe! end of story :)

My newest FDO box is due to arrive Wednesday (no delivery today because of the holiday)...it will be my last go with FDO - next up is Mama Earth Organics.  I made good use of the produce I got from FDO - I've still got a couple of grapefruit, some carrots and a squash left.  Overall, the quality and variety of fruit has been the most disappointing part - but it's difficult to put blame on FDO - I do realize it's the middle of winter! I've been cheating on my box a little more than I wanted to - this week I bought blueberries (obviously), a canteloupe, and a pineapple from the supermarket...for shame!!!

To repent, I vow to only consume the fruit that arrives in my deliery this week!

Enjoy the week ahead!! GO CANADA!!!