Roasted Garlic and Yam Soup

Hey Friends! I realize its been a while since I updated my blog... Not even going to try to make excuses for whats going on or why I haven't been posting much. What I am going to do is bring you a delicious soup that will warm you through and through despite this cold weather we've all been having. A delicious roasted garlic and yam soup.

This soup is a bit time consuming due to the many layers of flavours that go into it! You can make the veggie stock a day or two before and you can roast the veggies ahead of time too if you want to speed up the process. If you really don't have time and need to skip one of the steps - just buy the veggie stock. Don't skip roasting the veg - it adds such a delish layer of flavours that you can't miss out on to enjoy the true delightfulness of this soup.

First things first - make the veggie stock. You can find a delish recipe here - though it will make more than you need for this recipe, just freeze the rest and use it up as you see fit. Next you can get started on the recipe below. 

Roasted Garlic and Yam Soup

Minimally adapted from Rebar

Ingredients:

• 6 cups veggie stock (recipe linked above)
• 3 large yams
• 2 heads of garlic
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 2 red peppers
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage
• 2 tbsp minced fresh oregano
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder
• pinch of allspice
• 2 tsp chipotle puree (puree one can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and measure out 2 tsp)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• juice of one lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Using a fork, pork a few holes in each yam. Cut the top 1/4 off the garlic to expose each of the pieces of garlic inside, drizzle each head with olive oil then wrap in foil. Place yams and garlic on a baking tray and roast in preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes. Yams may need a bit longer, but garlic should come out after 45 minutes. Yams are done when they are very tender. Cool slightly, then remove yams and garlic from their skin.
2. Halve and seed the peppers. Place peppers and whole tomatoes on a well-oiled baking tray and roast until skins are browned and puffed (about 15 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for approximately 10 minutes. Peel away the skins and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large soup pot, add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic, spices and herbs and cook until garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in the peeled, roasted veggies, the stock and the chipotle puree. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Puree the soup until smooth. Whisk in maple syrup and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot and topped with crushed tortilla chips and a bit of cheese. Also delicious with a dallop of sour cream or greek yogurt.

Happy Cooking my Friends! What have you been cooking and baking lately?

Jalepeno Roasted Vegetables



A couple of weeks ago I went to our local farmers' market and picked up some fabulous looking produce. I bought purple carrots, regular orange carrots, jalepeno peppers, black jalepeno peppers and some delicious chicken and apple sausage. I got home and tried to think of a delicious way to bring those components into a cohesive meal and came up with jalepeno roasted vegetables with barbequed chicken and apple sausage. It turned out to be such a unique and delicious meal! Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Isn't that produce beautiful? I had never found purple carrots before and just thought they were gorgeous! They don't taste any different, but they sure are pretty!

To make the vegetables:

Ingredients:

• Carrots, sliced
• Potatoes, sliced
• 1 green jalepeno, sliced
• 1 black jalepeno, sliced
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chili powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Place carrots, potatoes and jalepenos in a large bowl. Mix together coconut oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. Pour over veggies and toss to coat. Don't worry if the coconut oil clumps up a bit - it will all melt and distribute once its in the oven.
2. Place veggies on a large baking tray lined with tin foil. Make sure they are in one even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

To make the sausage you'll just need your favorite sausage and some yummy BBQ sauce. Preheat your bbq to medium heat. Grill sausage until cooked through then brush with BBQ sauce to finish.

Pile the veggies in the middle of a plate, top with sausage and then pile on a few more of the roasted jalepeno rings. Voila! A super easy, simple and flavourful dish full of seasonal, local ingredients.

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Honey Roasted Carrots & Zucchini

This weekend has been a marathon of cooking and baking for my hubby's birthday party. Part of the menu was honey roasted carrots and zucchini. I wasn't going to blog these, but when I posted a picture on instagram, I received so many requests for the recipe, that I am posting now!

I don't have much to say about these other than that they are easy, taste delicious and are super healthy (as long as you keep the amount of oil at a reasonable amount). They're the perfect summer veggie to accompany your meal.

Honey Roasted Carrot and Zucchini
Minimally adapted from Meals in Heels

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots, cut into 3/4 inch batons
• 4 zucchini - I used 1 zucchini, 2 grey zucchini and one yellow zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch batons
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place carrot and zucchini in a bowl and toss with oil and honey. Sprinkle over the cumin and mustard seeds and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden and tender.

Pretty simple and very delicious! Hope you enjoy these as much as we did. The cumin and mustard seeds really take this recipe up a notch!

Happy Cooking my Friends!