Roasted Corn & Spicy Lime Soup

So it was 85 F yesterday when I left work. 80-freaking-5 degrees, people! Now, there are many reasons why I live in Alaska, but a very major one is the fact that I don't have to endure the sweltering, awful heat. I've never done well with it. I'm quite pale and definitely possibly allergic to the sun and I'd much rather be too cold as opposed to too hot. Have you ever watched Game of Thrones? You know the Wildlings? That's me. I'm Ygritte...but maybe not as pretty and I don't have red hair. Otherwise though, you know. I told Todd it was time to move North...yes, more North. The leaves aren't even all the way out yet, Alaska! 85 degrees. What is happening!? Summer is coming.

I'm don't mean to complain. The evenings are nice, but the house is 80 F when I get home! Bleck. Too hot for me! So anywho, I knew  I wanted something cold for dinner. I also happened to have seven, yes seven, grilled corn cobs in their husks just hanging out in the fridge. We brought them to a BBQ over the weekend, but the corn was put on the grill later in the evening and everyone had already eaten, and sadly, the corn was forgotten. And thus, it made perfect sense to make Chilled Roasted Corn & Spicy Lime Soup, but really you can have it hot too. I hear it's a-storming in the states (also known as the lower-48, it's what we Alaskans call the Continental US). Maybe it's more hot soup weather down that way.

This soup is creamy and thick, and slightly spicy due to the chili paste with a boost of zest from the fresh lime juice. The kernels can be blended very well to make a smooth soup or just barely to lend to a more chunky soup. Also, it can be served chilled or hot! This recipe makes a lot of soup so feel free to cut the recipe in half or use the full recipe and just freeze the leftovers for later.

Roasted Corn & Spicy Lime Soup

Inspired by The View From Great Island

Makes about about 12 cups

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 small yellow onions, chopped
• 3-5 red swiss chard leaves (or kale, spinach), chopped
• 7 roasted ears of corn, kernels sliced off
• 1 tsp. ground fresh chili paste
• juice from 2 limes
• 1 15 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk
• generous pinch of salt
• ground black pepper
• cilantro for garnish (optional)

A quick note - If your corn isn't already cooked, it can be grilled or baked in a 400 degree oven for about 35-45 minutes, with husks on.

Back to business. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add the chopped onions and saute for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Add the washed and chopped swiss chard leaves and saute a few more minutes.

Slice off the kernels of the roasted corn. If you've ever had braces this will bring back painful memories. Try to fight back the tears and think of your now perfectly straight teeth as you slice away.

In a large blender, add 4 cups of cold water. Add all the kernels and blend, blend, blend. You can process it until smooth or just very slightly to have a chunky soup. Pour the contents into a very large bowl or soup pot. Now, add 2 cups of water, the onions and swiss chard as well as the chili paste and coconut milk to the blender and blend until smooth. That's a big ol' blender full o' corn right there.

Add the blender contents into the same large bowl or soup pot and whisk to combine. Add sea salt and ground black pepper to taste and garnish with cilantro .

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If you desire the soup hot, then just heat it up in the pot. If you'd like it chilled, pour into as many bowls as you are serving, cover them, and let chill for at least 30 minutes. Or just cover the whole pot and refrigerate until ready to serve.

And completely unrelated...check out my new booties I just got! They were too cute not to share...

Sweet Potato, Kale and Sausage with Quinoa

I'd never bought vegan Italian sausage before, so you can imagine my utter delight when I found some by sheer accident in the organic freezer section. Not only did it exist (in Alaska) but it was on sale from $6.99 to $2.99! Woot, woot! I had also bought a butt-load of kale that I wasn't exactly sure what to do with...I just knew I needed to buy it and eventually, we needed to eat it.

The combination of sausage and kale reminded me of one of my favorite dishes from my pre-vegan days. Sweet Potato, Kale and Sausage Stir-fry. So, of course I had to make it again, but this time vegan. I knew I wanted it a little more robust so I decided quinoa would be a great addition. To make it vegan, I just replaced the beef, chicken, pork or whatever it was (I don't have a clue) Italian sausage with a vegan sausage made from veggies and grains and voila, vegan sweet potato, kale and sausage was back! And better than ever.

Sweet Potato, Kale and Sausage with Quinoa

Inspired by Guilty Kitchen

Makes 4 large servings

• 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 small yellow onions, diced small
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large sweet potato or yam, diced
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 3 pre-cooked vegan Italian sausages, sliced
• 12 oz. of kale leaves or 1 very large bunch, de-stemmed and chopped
• large pinch of sea salt
• sprinkle of black pepper
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups water

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Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven or heavy soup pot with a heavy lid. Next, add the chopped onions and saute, uncovered, for about five minutes or until them begin to brown. Add the sweet potatoes, garlic and thyme and saute for another five minutes or so. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the water and mustard well then add to the pot. Stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn or stick.

Okay, while that is doin' it's thang...get out your quinoa! Make sure to rinse the quinoa, it can be bitter if it's not rinsed. Spray the bottom of a small pan with nonstick cooking spray and add two cups of water as well as the quinoa. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes, covered, or until all water is gone.

After the sweet potato mixture has finished cooking for 20 minutes, add the sausage and kale over low heat. A note about the kale: to de-stem just hold the stem end with one hand and pull the leaves in the opposite direction with one swoop. Bam! De-stemmed in a pinch. By the way, my dutch oven is very large and I still had to add the kale in two batches, so don't be discouraged by this, though it may take a few more minutes. It's a lot of kale! Kale is the Plant King though, so don't be afraid of the large amount. It may seem like a lot but it really wilts down to a more manageable size. Just keep stirring and pushing it towards the bottom of the pot. Once all the kale is wilted season with salt and pepper and add the cooked quinoa. Stir to combine.

Top with diced ripe avocado, sprinkle with paprika and enjoy.

Amazing Pizza From Scratch

This pizza is so easy. If you're still buying pre-made pizza crust from the store and pizza sauce from a jar, you're really missing out. Nothing compares to just makin' it yourself. And why not? It's easy, cheap and fairly quick too! This dough requires just a handful of ingredients and it only takes 40 minutes to rise. in addition it's a Cook's Illustrated recipe, so you know it's going to be good. Same goes with the sauce. Super duper easy and super duper good. Everything goes in the blender, and voila. Donezo. Pizza from scratch is the way to go. People will envy your domestic and culinary superiority, though it's really not about that. It'll make you feel all rustic and wholesome. I love that feeling, especially in our digital age.

To me, there's an immense importance in having the ability to cultivate a life filled with real and healthy cooking, a respect for nature, gardening, reading, friendship and the ability to repair things as opposed to giving up. All these ideas seem so far away in many of our lives, maybe not all the time, but sometimes. And I feel it too. I must confess, I have a sewing machine. I've used it twice. One day when we have more space, I hope to use it a lot more. I want to make things. Also, my garden is very small indeed, but I'm working it. And yes, my "book" happens to be a Kindle Fire, but that doesn't mean I don't read the same words as in a paper book. And though my friends are very few, they are of the highest caliber. Just the way I like it. So you see, I'm not as "down-to-Earth" as I ultimately hope to be but I'm getting there. A little is better than none at all.

So, back to pizza and how awesome it feels to make your own dough and sauce from scratch! Todd and my favorite piece of pizza involves cheese, black olives, Italian sausage, and sliced tomatoes. We add the on tomatoes after pizza has finished baking. We also added some vegan salami for Todd because we couldn't find vegan pepperoni! Feel free to try out our favored toppings or pick your own! The options are pretty much limitless.

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I would like to take this opportunity to discuss something very important. Pizza stones. Pizza stones are truly amazing. If you've ever made a pizza who's crust was limp and squishy and sad....it's not your fault. You were missing a vital piece of the pie (hehe)...a pizza stone. This hero will ensure that your pizza crust is crunchy and firm and downright perfect.

If you do not have a pizza stone, I highly recommend purchasing one. I refuse to vouch for the amazingness of this pizza without the use of a pizza stone, dang nab it. So ask for one for Christmas or your birthday or something if you're a Frugal Francine like myself, though they aren't really expensive. Did you know that they shouldn't be washed with water? Nope, just clean them with a metal scraper. It's actually easier too. Water absorbs into the stone and can cause it to crack! Also, the black stains that occur over time are actually desired and it means that the stone is well seasoned. Who knew?

Okay back to business  I am not blind to the fact that if you've never made pizza from scratch before, it can be intimidating. I know how this may seem. It looks like a lot, but trust me when I tell you that it couldn't be easier. You trust me right? It's really very easy and simple and requires just minimal planning. I don't understand why more people don't do it. Anyways, hold my hand and here we go!

Amazing Pizza From Scratch 

• Dough recipe from Cook's Illustrated
• Sauce recipe inspired by All Recipes

Makes 2 large pizzas

• For the Dough
• 1 3/4 cups water divided, 1/2 cup warm, remaining at tap temperature
• 1 envelope instant dry active yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• For the Sauce
• 1 15oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 6oz. can of tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 2 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• pinch of salt
• For the Toppings
• 1 8oz. package of shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
• 1 vegan Italian sausage link, sliced
• 4 slices of vegan salami or pepperoni, chopped
• 1/4 cup black olives, sliced
• 2 small vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced in segments

The first item of business is to ensure that your pizza stone is in your oven. Preheat the oven to 500 F. The stone needs to rest in the oven for at least 30 minutes at 500 F. This is important, don't skip it.

For the Dough:

Add 1/4 cup of warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle in the instant yeast, give it a very gentle stir and then let it rest for about 5 minutes. Add another 1/4 cup of  warm water, plus 1 1/4 cups of tap water as well as the olive oil. Stir gently. In the meantime, add the flour and salt to the food processor and pulse to combine. Next, add the liquid ingredients, reserving about one tablespoon. Pulse. The dough should easily form into ball, however, if it doesn't then it may then need a little more liquid. In this case, stop the processor and add the reserved liquid. Pulse again until a ball forms. Process the dough about 30 seconds more or until it's satiny and smooth .

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface by hand. This should only take a few strokes or until it forms a smooth, round ball. Lightly spray or oil a medium/large bowl, place the dough ball inside and cover with a warm, damp cloth. Allow the dough to rise until it's doubled in size (hey a rhyme!), or about 40 minutes, the longer, the better. Meanwhile make the sauce and prepare the toppings.

Once the dough has risen, cleave it in half and and form into two balls. Put one of the balls back into the bowl and cover again with the damp cloth until ready to use. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten the dough ball into a disk with your hand. Starting at the center of the disc and using the ball of your palm, stretch the sides of the disc outward until the desired crust size is reached. Transfer the dough to the heated pizza stone and brush the top and edges of the dough very lightly with olive oil before the sauce and toppings go on.

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For the Sauce:

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend it up! Divide the sauce in half and spread onto the uncooked pizza crust with a spatula. Well that was easy. Now isn't that better than the stuff in the jar?

For the Toppings:

Split the toppings in half and layer the uncooked pizza crust with the sauce first, then the cheese, followed by your toppings. We like the tomatoes added after the pizza has been baked but it's all personal preference so do what you like!

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I assembled the pizza right on the stone but you don't have to. It's probably safer...but I live on the edge! Bake each pizza separately at 500 F for about 12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust begins to turn brown.

Dang, do you feel awesome or what?

A slice just for you.