Fooled Ya!– It’s still Winter (Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup)

Last week temps hit the 70s. Daffodils started popping up out of the ground, folks headed out work without a coat, and golfers hit the course with shorts (and very white legs!) Today, not so much. In fact tomorrow, it should a chilly 29 when I leave for the office. Welcome to North Carolina!

A swirl of Greek Yogurt adds a bit of zip!

The upside – it’s still perfect weather for soup! I’ve been whipping up a batch every Sunday to heat up for my lunch throughout the week. Today I tried something new Carrot Cumin. If you like cumin (which I do) it’s pretty darned tasty. And super easy to make. 

Ready for next week's
 workday lunches

Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup

Serves 6/8 (bowls/cups)

Ingredients

• 6 cups carrots, scrubbed (not peeled) and cut into 2-inch chunks
  
  
• 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• ½ onion, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 cups (1 box) organic vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 ½ tsp kosher salt – divided 
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS cumin seeds
• 1 tsp granulated garlic powder
• ¾ tsp ground cumin
• ¾ tsp honey
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)

Method

• Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil
• Put half of the carrots on the sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, cumin seeds, garlic powder, 1 tsp, and pepper
• Put the remaining carrots, onion, potato, broth and water into a large pot or Dutch oven
• When the oven comes up to temp, pop the sheet pan in and set a timer for 45 minutes
• Next bring the pot of veggies and broth to a boil, reduce t bring to a boil over a high heat, then lower and simmer for 45 minutes. 
• When the timer goes off remove the sheet pan from the oven and test the simmering carrots to make sure they are tender. Turn of the flame and let everything cool for 15 minutes.
• Now, tip the roasted carrots into the pot, stir in the ground cumin, honey and remaining ¾ tsp of the kosher salt and puree with a stick blender, or in batches in a standard blender until very smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
• Before serving each bowl, swirl in a dollop of Greet yogurt if you’d like  and serve

Enjoy

Fancy but not Fancy (Beef Stroganoff Two Ways)

Dinner Party Ready, with filet mignon
and brandy

Beef Stroganoff. It just sounds fancy. But in reality, it’s one of the easiest dishes to cook for a holiday (we had it for Christmas Dinner last year), date night in, or yes, a quick weeknight meal. Here’s a two-in-one recipe — you can make it with ground beef or you can get fancy with filet mignon and good dose of brandy. You take your pick which one to serve to the kiddos on a Wednesday night!

Beef Stroganoff Two Ways

Serves 4-6

Easy Week Night Dinner, with
ground beef and sans brandy (or not!)

Ingredients

• 1 lb. filet mignon cut into bite sized pieces and seasoned with plenty of Kosher salt and ground black pepper (or 1 lb. ground beef)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 lb. mushrooms
• 3/4 cup sour cream 
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth + an additional 1/2 cup combined with 2 TBS of corn starch to make a “slurry"
• 3/4 cup brandy + a splash more to add at the end (you can leave this out for the weeknight version)
• 1 TBS dijon mustard
• 2  TBS corn starch combined with 1/2 beef broth to make a “slurry”
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4TBS butter, divided
• Salt and Pepper to season the meat
• 1 bag Egg noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet on a high heat and brown the meat. If you are using steak, do it in two batches, being careful not to over cook! Just get some color and then remove the meat to a foil-covered bowl covered. If you are using ground beef, break it up with a wooden spoon, but keep the pieces fairly large, rather than small crumbles. Season it with a good pinch of Kosher salt and some ground black pepper about half way through. Remove to paper towel lined bowl to drain. Cover with foil. 
• Add 2 TBS of the butter to the pan and sauté the onions and mushrooms over a medium heat until they are soft. Then stir in the dijon mustard. 
• Next pour in 1 1/2 cups of the beef broth, plus the brandy if you are using it. Bring this mixture to a boil and then spoon in the cornstarch slurry. Stir to combine and thicken. 
• Now adjust the heat to medium-low, add in the meat and any juices, and gently stir in the sour cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. (I like to add another 2 TBS of brandy as well).
• Serve over noodles that have been tossed with the remaining 2 TBS of butter and the parsley.

Enjoy!