Cauliflower Curry with Kale, Squash & Carrots

I have been have been going curry crazy in the kitchen. I picked up a green cauliflower at the produce market and decided what the heck I will try and make cauliflower curry. It is getting easier and easier to make curry so now I can just play around with the ingredients.  

The curry does not photograph very well but it sure tastes yummy! 

• 1 cauliflower, cut into small pieces
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbs olive oil, separated
• 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 2 tbs red curry paste
• 1 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/4 tsp coriander
• S&P
• 4 kale leaves
• 1 yellow squash
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 325. Toss the cauliflower with 1 tbs of olive oil. Place on a nonstick pan and bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place the onion and garlic into a food processor and chop until very fine. Place 1 tbs of olive oil in a large pot and heat to medium heat. Add the onion/garlic mixture, basil, coriander and curry powder into the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in the curry paste into the coconut milk until smooth then add the coconut milk and vegetable broth to the pot and let simmer on low. Once the cauliflower is done cooking place it in the pot, cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is soft.

Using an immersion blender or counter top blender puree the curry until smooth. When the curry is smooth add in the kale, squash and carrots, cover and cook on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes. Serve warm over rice.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

My favorite part about making a yummy soup is serving it with fresh baked bread! For Christmas last year my boyfriend gave me a great book for baking in the mountains. At first I was intimidated by baking bread but by following the recipes in my high altitude baking cook book it was pretty hard to screw it up. Now every chance I get the time to make bread I'm in the kitchen kneading the dough by hand . If you have thought about baking bread I totally suggest jumping right into it because it sure does make soup a complete meal.

This recipe is quite easy and yummy! I made this soup before I bought my immersion blender and well it a little messy pouring portions into blender so I totally suggest using my new favorite soup gadget, an immersion blender.

•  1 lb of asparagus
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (vegan? try using coconut or almond milk)
• 4 cups veggie broth
•  S&P + Lemon Pepper
• 2 tbs sunflower oil (olive oil works too)

Preheat the oven to 325. Chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve a few of the tips for garnish). Toss the asparagus pieces into a bowl with 1 tbs oil and a dash of lemon pepper. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Meanwhile, pour 1 tbs of oil into a large pot on medium heat. Once the pot is hot add the garlic and onion, cook for 3-5 minutes. When the asparagus is done add it to the pot along with the veggie broth and cook for 5-10 minutes. Use your immersion blender carefully to puree the soup. (If you do not have an immersion blender pour the soup in small batches into a blender and blend until smooth.) At this point you should slowly add in the cream and stir well to blend. 

Serve warm with the asparagus tip for garnish.