Angela’s Recipes

February 24, 2023

Carrot Ginger Soup

This soup can be vegan or dairy - it is delicious either way! I make it with butter and coconut cream, but substitutions are listed. It is easy to make and is a lovely silky smooth soup. I've added other spices you can add for an even more flavourful soup in the notes!

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Asian, Indian

Keyword carrot, coconut cream, ginger, vegan soup, vegetarian soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Servings 4 servings

Author misangela

Equipment

stick blender or counter blender

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced or chunked
1 med shallot, about 2 Tbl, minced sub onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl Butter I use salted, always
2 inch ginger, microplaned Sub 2 Tbl ginger paste
2 tsp ginger, powdered optional, but supports the fresh
1/2 tsp dried thyme optional, but a classic with carrots
1 small can coconut milk/cream (5.5oz) 1/3 large can (14oz)
1 tsp brown sugar optional
salt to taste
water for cooking and adjusting thickness

Instructions

Put a medium saucepan over medium heat and add butter, shallot, garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 3-4 mins until shallot and garlic are soft.
Add carrots, ginger paste, ginger powder and thyme and cook a couple of minutes. Add water to just cover carrots. Bring to simmer.
Simmer with lid ajar until carrots are soft, adding water as needed to keep it at about halfway up carrots.
When carrots are soft, take off heat and blend with stick or counter blender until smooth. Add more water if needed.
Add coconut cream and blend. Add more water to achieve desired thickness. Check salt (it will need more) and add brown sugar if you feel it is needed. I did, my carrots were not particularly sweet.
Serve with crusty bread or naan.

Notes

To make vegan, sub oil for butter.

This can be made with cream rather than coconut milk.

Cilantro works well with this recipe!

If you like Indian spices, this soup is delightful with curry or garam masala.

If you want a more holiday flavour, add nutmeg and touch of cinnamon.

Photo courtesy https://www.masalaherb.com/.

February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

Angela’s Chicken Piccata

Angela's Chicken Piccata

I have not made piccata in forever, but I had a hankering, so I made this last night. It is the best piccata I've ever made! Note that I used scallions because I didn't have parsley!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword breaded chicken piccata, chicken piccata

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Servings 4 servings

Author misangela

Ingredients

1 pkg Thin sliced chicken breast (4-6 pcs) or filet 2 yourself for 4 pcs; the packs have both large and small pcs, which I prefer
1 cup Orzo I like DeLallo #65 (large size)
2 Lemons, zest and juice in separate bowls Slice off 4 1/4" slices after you zest. About 2 Tbl zest and 1/4 cup juice
3 cloves Garlic, minced about 1.5 Tbl
1 small Shallot, minced about 2 Tbl
2/3 bottle Capers and brine 2oz bottle, about 2 Tbl, or use the whole thing if you really love capers!
2/3 cup White wine dry wine or dry sherry would work
2 Eggs, whisked with 2 Tbl water egg wash
1/2 cup cornstarch in bowl big enough to dredge chicken
1/2 cup rice flour you can sub 1/4 A/P flour if you don't have rice flour
1 cup panko with a large pinch of lemon zest, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 Tbl EVOO
1/4 cup grated parmesan mix with panko
4 Tbl Butter in 2 2Tbl chunks
1/2 cup EVOO
1/2 cup Canola or any neutral oil
3 Tbl Parsley, chopped OR a couple of scallions, thinly sliced on bias
2 tsp Cornstarch
Grated parmesan garnish

Instructions

Put 2-3 cups of water in a sauce pan w/ lid for orzo. Park on stovetop.
Set up dredge station:
Bowl 1 is cornstarch, rice flour, 1 tsp salt, mix thoroughly
Bowl 2 is egg wash
Bowl 3 is panko with zest, salt and EVOO, mix thoroughly
In a large heavy skillet, put EVOO, Canola and 2 Tbl butter over medium heat. You should have about 1/4 inch of oil to shallow fry the chicken cutlets.
Start breading procedure with chicken. Flour, egg, panko. Press the panko on. This will be a light breading.
When oil is heated (you can check with a thermometer if you like, anything over 175ºF is fine), monitor the heat. Med heat should be OK - it should NOT be smoking hot! Lay the cutlets in the oil gently away from you. Do not crowd the pan. The sound you hear should be a light sizzle, not a raging sizzle. You're going for golden brown, not dark brown and you don't want to overcook the chicken.
Turn on heat for orzo water. When boiling, add 2 Tbl salt and a tsp or so of chopped garlic. Cook orzo for about 10 mins, until done but still has a little bite to it.
Continue cooking cutlets until they are golden brown. It should take about 4 mins (2 each side) for large pcs and 3 mins for small ones. You'll turn them ONCE. When cooked, put on a plate with a paper towel and don't forget to sprinkle with salt while they are hot.
When all the cutlets are cooked and resting, the orzo should be done, drain it and put a little EVOO in it to keep it from sticking together. Lid it and set aside.
Set aside the used oil and get out another skillet (nonstick is fine). Put over medium heat with the other 2 Tbl chunk of butter.
Cook shallot and garlic until softened, do not brown.
Add wine and cook a couple of minutes.
Stir in 2 tsp cornstarch to the reserved lemon juice (this is a slurry) and add to pan. Stirring constantly.
Add capers and brine, continue to stir. Add lemon zest.
This will probably get pretty tight, so you'll need to add a bit of water to keep it saucy. I added about 1/2 a cup all together. Just add one Tbl at a time until your consistency is that of a light sauce. This should yield about a cup of sauce. Add in a Tbl of parsley after you kill the heat.
Add salt to taste. You want the sauce to be pretty aggressive since it is flavouring the pasta as well as the chicken.
To assemble, put about 3 Tbl of orzo on plate, then lay a cutlet atop that. Put a lemon slice on the cutlet. Spoon 2-3 Tbl of sauce over the lemon and on the pasta. Garnish with some grated parmesan and more parsley (or scallions).

January 21, 2023

Roasted Cauliflower and Golden Beet Curry Soup

I had cauliflower and golden beets without a plan, so when you've got extra veg: make soup! Roasting the veg really brings out the flavor and keeps a good texture. This is a very easy recipe. See notes for variations!

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword cauliflower, Curry, golden beets

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Servings 4 1 cup servings

Author misangela

Equipment

Immersion blender or counter blender

Ingredients

1 head Cauliflower, cut into 1" florets about 3 cups
4 small Golden Beets, 1" dice or two large ones
EVOO and S/P
1 small Onion, diced about 2/3 cup
2 cloves Garlic, minced about 2 tsp
1 Tbl butter I use salted
1 Tbl Chicken bouillon skip if using chicken stock, add more salt
2 tsp Curry powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 1/2 Tbl Flour to thicken; optional, but it does add body, too
zest of one lemon optional
4 cups water or chicken stock, +/- to your desired consistency
2 tsp sugar optional, to taste

Instructions

Heat oven to 425ºF.
Put cauliflower and beets on a sheet pan, drizzle with EVOO and season with S/P. Put in oven for about 45 minutes, until the veg is cooked through and has a little browning. Cauliflower may get done before beets, depending on how you cut them, if that happens, just pull off the cauliflower and cook beets until soft.
While the veg cooks, put the butter, onions and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Sweat until soft, then add bouillon (if using), curry, and turmeric to veg and cook a couple of minutes. Then add flour and cook that for 3-4 more minutes.
Add a cup of water (or stock) and the lemon zest (if using) and bring to boil. Turn off heat. Let this stand while the veg finishes cooking.
Once the veg is done, add to saucepan with 2 more cups of water (or stock), then blend to desired consistency with immersion blender. Add water to get the consistency you like.
Check seasoning and add sugar if you want to bring out the sweetness of the beets a bit more. Serve!

Notes

To make vegan, simply drop the butter and bouillon. Adjust the seasonings.

To make gluten free, drop the flour and use another thickener if desired, or reduce liquids.

I used bouillon because I didn't have any stock thawed. Bouillon is a real flavor booster as long as you monitor your salt levels. I think this recipe benefits from using bouillon rather than stock.

August 28, 2022August 28, 2022

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

By roasting the squash, you concentrate its flavor. Also, using full fat buttermilk adds a really nice tanginess that works well with the sweet squash.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 50

Servings 8 servings

Author misangela

Equipment

stick blender or counter blender

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed 1" cubes about 2-3#, 4-5 cups cut up
1 small white onion, diced about 2/3-3/4 cup
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbl butter add another Tbl if you like!
1 Tbl flour heaping Tbl!
1 Cup Chicken stock water is fine, you'll need more seasoning
1.5 Cup full fat buttermilk sub half n half, but do try to use the buttermilk and make sure it is FULL FAT, not low fat
2 Tbl EVOO
S/P to taste
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg fresh if you have it
1 tsp dry rubbed sage +/- to taste (fresh is great, use sparingly)
water as needed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut up squash and place on large sheet pan in one layer. Drizzle with EVOO and season with S/P generously. Toss to ensure squash won't stick. Bake for about 40-45 mins until squash is soft and slightly browned.
In a large soup pot over medium heat, add butter and sweat the onions and garlic until translucent. Add flour and cook a couple of minutes. Set aside.
When squash is done, add to soup pot along with stock (or water). Put on med high heat and stir to break up the squash. This will be thick! Kill heat. Add add buttermilk, so you can blend with a stick blender (or counter blender).
Once puree is smooth add nutmeg and sage.
Adjust thickness with water and check seasoning.
Serve with roasted pepitas.

Notes

Tip: foods often need more salt after they've been refrigerated! This soup will likely need more salt due to the dairy. This soup is not freezable.

If you cannot find full fat buttermilk, you can use low fat, but be careful with the amount used. It is thinner than full fat, you might need less.

July 30, 2022

Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini stuffed with Israeli couscous, fennel, marinara and cheeses. This dish was born of leftovers as many of my recipes are, but it's so good, I had to share!

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword fennel, israeli couscous, marinara, mozzarella, parmesan sauce, zucchini

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 50

Servings 6 servings

Author misangela

Equipment

1 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise and scooped out Find straight ones for easy cutting, leave 1/2 inch all around to hold filling
1/2 cup fennel, finely diced Sub onion or celery
1 lg shallot, finely diced Sub 2 Tbl onion or omit
3 cloves garlic, finely diced About 1.5 Tbl
1 cup cremini mushrooms, fine chop
1 cup prepared Israeli couscous Or more if you like
2 cups marinara sauce If you don't have your own, buy the Mezzetti brand. It is the best! Or you can make my recipe, search 'marinara'.
1 Tbl dry marjoram Or use basil, oregano or all three!
1 Tbl fresh thyme Or 1/2 Tbl dry thyme
2 Tbl fennel fronds, fine chop If using fresh fennel
2 Tbl sherry vinegar Sub red wine vinegar
1/4 cup ground parmesan The dry kind found on the Italian aisle or you can use a little shredded
2/3 cup shredded parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella You can use fresh, but I think shredded works best here
1 cup panko bread crumbs Mixed with 1 Tbl EVOO
S/P to taste You'll use more than you think
EVOO Used in various places

Instructions

Spray baking dish with food release and preheat oven to 375°F.
Cut ends off zucchini, hollow out with a spoon leaving 1/2 inch all around and at the ends to hold filling. I did not use the flesh, but you could if you wish. Just chop and add to filling and adjust seasoning. Place boats in baking dish, drizzle with EVOO and season generously with S/P. Remember: zucchini is bland!
Prepare couscous as directed on package. DO NOT use any flavourings that might be in the package, you want plain couscous. Make sure it's seasoned with S/P. You need to layer your seasonings since veg dishes need more seasoning in general.
In a skillet over med heat, add 1 Tbl EVOO and sweat the fennel, garlic, shallot and mushrooms. Once veg is soft, add about 2/3 cup marinara and the herbs.
Add in couscous and reduce heat to med low. Allow to simmer just a couple of minutes, then turn off heat. Add vinegar and ground parm, then allow filling to cool for about 10 minutes.
Taste the filling to check seasoning - you want it well seasoned. It should not be too dry, adjust marinara if needed.
Fill zucchini boats with filling, fill them as full as you can get them and allow couscous to cover the tops completely.
Add the rest of the marinara, making sure the ends of the zucchini are covered and the couscous has plenty of moisture. Keep on top of the zucchini, it is not meant for the squash to cook in sauce. Some overpour is fine, it will make a lovely crisp!
Top with parmesan, mozzarella and finally the panko. Again, any overpour will create a nice crisp at the bottom! (See photo.)
Cover with foil and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes. Check the zucchini's doneness with a spoon. You want it cooked, but still strong enough to hold the filling. When done, return uncovered to the oven, under the broiler to brown the panko. Watch this! Panko goes from raw to black quickly!
Allow to stand for 10 minutes or so, then serve. One zucchini is a serving, but 2 is fine. It's veg, dig in!!

Notes

Do get the fennel for this dish! It is delightful. If you hate fennel, celery will work.

Fresh mozzarella could be used, but I like the dry shredded better. It doesn't form a blob and is not as bland.

Many stuffed zucchini recipes call for sausage, which is fine, but I like how this turned out without it. It is light, but very satisfying with the fleshy zucchini.

Of course this can be made vegan by using vegan cheese.