See, I've always really liked Gwyneth, maybe it's leftover awe of that Ralph Lauren Oscar dress, but honestly, I think it's because I sort of relate to her. I too do not own a microwave, and think that there's a huge taste difference between the fancy tuna in the jar and a can of starkist. I too get hung up on small aesthetic details that no one else will ever notice (like the fact that my can opener does not "go" with my kitchen). And although I don't know if this last part is true or not about her, I enjoy a smug sense of accomplishment when I show up with an insane cheese plate and everyone else just brought some chips and a can of onion dip. I don't know why I'm that person, but I am, and I'm becoming more okay with it as I get older. I've never loved being the center of attention, but I do love having my work, whether it be something I've cooked, or something I designed, be it. I love the feeling of knowing that I did my best.
One of the things that I love about Gwyneth is her cookbooks. The first one, "It's All Good" is one of my favorites. The recipes are easy to follow, and I feel like every page is an "I'd make that" sort of recipe. That being said, I think that this book is more for weekend meals and entertaining as some of the recipes can be fairly time consuming. Which, is why she just came out with a second book called "It's All Easy" that addresses this issue. I haven't made anything from the second book yet, but having looked through it a few times, I think I will be using it very soon, there's a lot of great ideas for single serving breakfasts and lunches that can be prepped a few days in advance, which, as we all know, I'm a huge fan of.
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| Just look at all those bookmarks! |
So, since I love "It's All Good" so very much, I thought I would share my favorite recipe from the book!
Spicy Sweet Potato Soup With Chipotle + Coriander:
The book says it serves 4, but I just had a pretty big bowl and filled up five mason jars with the stuff, so..
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion (I used a half a large yellow onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 sprigs of cilantro, leaves reserved for garnish, stems tied together with kitchen string (I just kind of threw a bunch in there and didn't worry about that)
3/4 tsp of cumin
1 1/2 tsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I like things spicy, so I added two whole chipotle peppers from the can).
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about six cups)
6 cups vegetable stock (I usually use one 32oz carton of either veggie or chicken stock, and then add two cups of water)
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro sprigs, cumin, and a heavy pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, until softened but not browned, 10 minutes. Add the chipotle peppers and sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the stock (and water if using) and turn up the heat. Once the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very soft, about 30 minutes (I cut mine up fairly small so that they cook faster). Remove and discard the cilantro. Carefully puree the soup in a powerful blender. Garnish with reserved cilantro leaves.
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Okay a few notes: Like I said above, I like spice, so I put a lot more chipotle in then the recipe calls for. Also, I use an immersion blender. If you make a lot of pureed soups, it's a good thing to have because you can puree it all right in the pot rather than having to transfer hot soup to a blender. That being said, taking out that cilantro, turned out to be very important. I left it all in there and the stems got all wrapped around the blade of the blender and I had a very sad moment where I thought I broke it, so yeah, take out the cilantro!
This soup freezes super well. I put it into mason jars, just be sure to leave about a 1/2" of room at the top when freezing in glass jars so that the soup has some room to expand as it freezes, also I recommend thawing in the refrigerator, one because as I said above, I do not own a microwave, but also because my sister in law tried to thaw gravy that was frozen in a glass jar in the microwave one time and the glass broke, and there was gravy everywhere, and you don't want that. In a pinch, you could also run the jar under hot water for a few minutes to loosen it up and then let your chunk of frozen soup thaw in a covered pot over low heat, but that takes a while. Also, side note: don't reheat anything in a plastic container, and be sure to let your food cool completely before storing in one, especially the leftover take out ones we all use, plastic is really terrible for you and putting it in contact with hot food just softens it and allows all sorts of nasties to sneak into your dinner!
