Vanilla Scented Sweet Potato Bisque with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons

It’s days like this that I wish I wasn’t an “adult”.

And I use that term loosely since I feel a million miles from being a real adult. Let me elaborate…

I went to bed last night (at 9:00 PM), keenly aware that I was getting sick.

I tossed and turned the entire night and woke up feeling at though I ran an ultra marathon with no water in the 120°F sun (translation: really tired, really hot, and really sore throat-y).

But since I’m an adult (in air quotes, of course), I still have to do my grown-up things when I’m sick like laundry and filling up my gas tank and grocery shopping and paying my electricity bill.

And I have to make my own sick soup.

It’s a hard life.

Last Year Sesame Ginger Salmon

Vanilla Scented Sweet Potato Bisque with Cinnamon Sugar Croutons

Makes about 4 large servings or 6 side dish servings

This soup is very warm and comforting. The sweet and crunchy croutons pair wonderfully with the creamy bisque. The original recipe uses bourbon instead of vanilla extract, but I didn’t have a chance to buy bourbon so I used bourbon vanilla extract instead. 

Also I used 1/4 c. milk and 1/4 c. greek yogurt instead of 1/2 c. half and half because I didn’t have any. The half and half will create a more rich soup, but I was happy with the milk and greek yogurt combo

For GLUTEN FREE omit the croutons or use gluten free bread. As always, check for gluten free certification on ALL products. 

Ingredients

For Bisque

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla mixed with 2 tablespoons water (or 3 tablespoons bourbon)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (mine came to about 1.25 pounds, peeled and cubed)
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

For Croutons

• 4 slices whole grain bread, cut into cubes – I used the 8 grain 3 seed bread from Whole Foods
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil and butter. Add onions with pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and stir to coat, then cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another minute. Increase heat slightly and add vanilla (or bourbon), stirring well. Let cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add sweet potatoes, stock and water to the pot. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft.

4. While sweet potatoes are boiling, place butter in a small pan over medium heat. Let melt and stir frequently until the butter becomes fragrant and brown in color. It usually takes about 7 minutes for my butter to brown. Make sure to watch it because it can burn quickly once it browns. Once brown and fragrant, remove from heat.

5. Place bread cubes on a baking sheet. Toss with cinnamon and sugar, then brown butter, and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside until soup is finished.

6. After sweet potatoes are soft, carefully pour the soup into a high-powdered blender and pureed until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender but the soup may not be as smooth. Transfer creamy soup back into the pot over low heat. Stir in milk and greek yogurt, salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with croutons on top!

Storage Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to one month.

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

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Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup with Pesto Cream

Split Pea Soup (gluten free)

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Spicy Coconut Lentils with Kale

Summer Bucket List

1. Visit a farm and go berry picking. What’s better than picking your own fresh berries? Eating your freshly picked berries.

2. Go kayaking. I’ve kayaked before in places ranging from the Florida Keys to Long Island canals to the rivers of Tennessee. Lately, I’ve been seeing people out on the Finger Lakes in upstate New York and I want to join them!

3. Run another race. I have one race under my belt this summer. I’m looking to run another this summer.

4. Make something with rhubarb. Do I really need a reason for this?

5. Go skydiving. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention, Mom and Dad.

Do you ever make a seasonal bucket list? For me, thinking about long term goals seems way too… long term. I prefer to look at things in seasons.

What are some of your summer goals?

Last Year: Macaroni and Cheese… with a Twist

Spicy Coconut Lentils with Kale

The dish is a wonderful mix of spiciness and complex flavors. The lentils are filling and fiberful and pair excellently with the iron-packed kale. The combination is perfect for a summer barbecue by itself or a cold winter evening with rice and naan.

Ingredients

• 1/2 large onion (about 1 cup), diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 ounces (half container) baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup black lentils, picked over (look for certified gluten-free if you have an allergy)
• 7 cups of kale, chopped
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2 and 1/2 cups water
• 1 heaping tablespoon almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste
• pinch of cayenne, to taste

Method

1. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook for about 1 minute. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until onions and mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Add lentils and kale to pot, stir. Add coconut milk and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and add remaining spices. Continue cooking, covered, until lentils have softened, about 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot with naan bread or rice. Or both

Cioppino

I met an interesting man in the grocery store yesterday. He looked at box of granola and soy milk and asked: “You have such curly hair. Do you drink juice?”

Uhmmmmm. My inner voice began to run through all the possibilities of what he actually meant. I mean, I do live in a bit of a hippie town. So I went with my best answer. “Actually no, I’m allergic.”

Allergic? Come on Rhyann, is anyone allergic to juice?

He proceeded to tell me that next time I go to the club with my “pretty curly hair” I should only order juice since it’s much more nutritionally dense than alcohol.

Okay then…

This was the point where I was begging the cashier with my eyes to hurry up. I think she probably thought I was seizing.

Moral of the story? Stay away from the “juice”.

I actually don’t know what that story has to do with Cioppino.

But, what I do know is that this cioppino is super delicious. It’s like all your favorite seafood got together at a party and decided to take a dip in a hot tub full of a wine and tomato broth

Was that too much? I promise I’m not on any “juice”.

Last Year: Whole-Wheat Blueberry and Lemon Pancakes

Cioppino

Serves 4

Cioppino has a delicate tomato and wine broth loaded with lots of garlic and fresh parsley. All of the delicious seafood makes it a lovely and light summer soup. It pairs excellently with a crusty loaf of bread, a crisp glass of white wine, and a decadent dessert. If you are unable to find all of the seafood at your grocer (say the littleneck clams), you can substitute it with more of another ingredient (like the mussels or shrimp).

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (35-ounce) can whole tomatoes (or diced) with basil and coarsely chopped  - save the juices!
• 1 (10-ounce) yellowtail snapper fillet, cut into 8 (1-inch) cubes
• 4 sea scallops (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 medium peeled and deveined shrimp (about 5 ounces)
• 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add wine, broth, basil, oregano, red pepper, and the tomatoes with the juices; cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, sprinkle snapper and scallops with black pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add snapper and scallops; cook 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Move aside to a plate.

4. Add snapper, scallops, shrimp, and clams to broth mixture. Cover and cook 4 minutes or until clams open; discard any unopened shells. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve with crusty bread and good company.

Recipe lightly adapted from Cooking Light

Caramelized Mushroom and Vegetable Pot Pie with Parmesan Biscuits

Ten things…

1) I’m a die-hard folk-bluegrass fan

2) My roommate and I want a puupy. We can’t have a puppy in our apartment complex. So instead, we have a basil plant named Bailey. He’s kind of dead malnourished and dry-looking. I think it’s probably best that we can’t have a puppy.

3) I call my 15-year old car the “White Stallion” since it goes from 0 to 60 in about 20 seconds.

4) Cheese and chocolate heal all wounds. Not together, though.

5) My middle name is Theodore because my parents really like bears.

Okay, I couldn’t fool you. It’s actually Pilot-Inspektor.

6) I’m a little obsessed with Sporcle.

7) I’m a self-taught guitar player. Like Carlos Santana, although not very good

8) Cold chunks of butter and salty parmesan cheese make the best biscuits.

9) I ran my very first 5k three years ago tomorrow (May 9). Sometimes I still can’t believe how far I’ve come.

10) I lovvvve pot pies!

Those are 10 completely random and nonsensical things about me. I feel like I should switch gears and tell you about something from which you may actually benefit. Enter the caramelized mushroom!

(You can applaud now)

(Or not)

Caramelized mushrooms in a pot pie are totally and completely amazing. They soak up all the flavors of the pan like a sponge. Albeit a tasty sponge.

The veggies marry together to become the most fabulous filling. Add biscuits to that. It’s like winning the lottery. With. every. bite.

I was so overwhelmed with the cuteness of this pot pie.

Yes, I called this pot pie cute.

I know you want to call it cute too. I won’t tell.

There’s something about pulling this dish out of the oven. Your heart just fills with joy and happiness.

It could also be the feeling of my stomach growling.

Whatever, it’s basically the same thing.

Warm, savory goodness. This pot pie is the perfect I just studied for 10 hours and I’m cranky and starving comfort food.

Looking for more comfort food?

Creamy Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms

Simple Risotto

Pesto Stuffed Chicken

Caramelized Mushroom and Vegetable Pot Pie with Parmesan Biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

•  9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled with knife)
• 2 tablespoons sugar in the raw (regular sugar will work too)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 large egg

For the Mushroom Mixture:

• 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound small cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite size chunks
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups mushroom, vegetable, or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce

Method

To prepare the biscuits:

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese.

2. Combine milk and egg in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat to 1-1/2-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 1-1/2 or 2-inch biscuit cutter (or drinking glass like me) into 9 biscuits. Place biscuits in the fridge while preparing mushroom mixture.

To prepare mushroom mixture:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer in the pan and allow to cook, without disturbing, for about 4 minutes.  Add a hearty pinch of salt and black pepper.  Toss mushrooms every once in a while until softened and golden brown.  Remove mushrooms from the pan.

Add a bit more olive oil and sautee onions until softened and translucent, about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add garlic and toss for one minute.  Add carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the potatoes slightly soften.  Add thyme and return the mushrooms to the pan.  Turn heat to low and add flour, stirring until combined.  Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.  Add peas and cook for another 5 or so minutes until they are cooked through and mixture is thickened.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in Worchestershire sauce.

Pour mushroom mixture into 8×8-inch baking dish.  Remove the biscuits from the refrigerator and place 9 biscuits over the filling (I had 11, so I baked up the remaining 2 on a tiny pan for about 12 minutes).  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.  Mushrooms and dumplings will last for up to 4 days, well wrapped, in the refrigerator.

Adapted from Joy the Baker and Cooking Light

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