Simple Salisbury Steak

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This recipe has been adapted from an old C*mpb*ll's soup cookbook I had wandering around on my bookshelf.  I don't know about you, but in the early 90's (were you even cooking back then?!?) just about every weekday dinner included something smothered in canned cream soup.

Gives me the chills just thinking about it.

Simple Salisbury Steak

• Equivalent of 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/3 C dry bread crumbs
• ¼ C finely chopped onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 ½ C sliced fresh mushrooms

1. Mix ¼ C soup with beef, bread crumbs, onion, and egg.
2. Shape into 6-8 oval patties.
3. Over medium-high heat, brown patties on both sides.  Remove from pan.
4. In same skillet, saute mushrooms.
5. Add remaining soup to mushrooms.
6. Return patties to same skillet.  Cover and finish cooking on low for 15-20 minutes or until patties are done.
7. Serve patties with mushroom sauce spooned over.

 

Sprouted Flour Yogurt Cake

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This recipe, adapted from Orangette, is her version of the classic French yogurt cake.  The recipe for yogurt cake is so simple, that it can be the first dessert a French child would make.  Ingredients were normally measured in the cup the yogurt was purchased in.

Yogurt cake is a very dense cake, similar to pound cake, but not as rich.  I love it with fresh berries or a fruit compote and, of course, lots of real whipped cream, sweetened with organic grade B maple syrup and real vanilla extract.

Yogurt Cake  

For the cake:

•  ½ C plain yogurt
• 1 t vanilla extract
•  2/3 C powdered turbinado
• 3 large eggs from pastured chickens
• 1-1/2 C sprouted soft whole wheat flour, sifted twice
• 2 t baking powder
• ½ C expeller-pressed coconut oil, gently melted
• Optional: 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

Optional lemon glaze:

• Juice from 2 lemons
• ¼ C  powdered turbinado

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter 9” round cake pan.
2. Place turbinado in blender or food processor.  Process until powdery and most of the large crystals are gone.
3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, turbinado, and eggs, stirring until well blended.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine.
5. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter.
6. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over bake.
8. Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

Optional:  When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.

Variations by Orangette:  This type of yogurt-based cake is a terrific base for many improvisations. For a basic yogurt cake, simply leave out the lemon zest, and do not use the lemon juice glaze. For an almond version, try replacing ½ C of flour with ½ C finely ground almonds. You can also play with adding various fruits (if frozen, do NOT thaw before adding) or nuts, if you like. When I add fruit, I generally pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan, top it with a layer of fruit, and then pour in the other half of the batter, sometimes adding more fruit on the very top.

Purée of Carrot Soup

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Although leek soup is hands-down our family's favorite soup for a first course at our special Friday night dinners, this recipe comes in close.  This savory soup is velvety and rich, and is deceptively filling.  I always have to remember to go easy on the serving size!

Purée of Carrot Soup

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T butter
• 1 t thyme
• 2 lbs. carrots, sliced
• ½ lb. potatoes, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 C chicken broth
• pepper, freshly ground
• butter or cream
• chives or finely chopped green onions 

1.  In a large kettle, saute onion and garlic in butter until soft. Stir in thyme. Mix in carrots, potatoes, and bay leaf. 
2. Add enough chicken stock to cover vegetables.
3. Bring soup to a boil. 
4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 
5. When carrots and potatoes and tender, remove bay leaf and puree soup in blender. 
6.  Serve with a drizzle of cream or a small dollop of butter, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkling of chives.

Simple Leek Soup

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This soup is a fall and winter favorite as a first course for our special Friday night dinners. 

Simple Leek Soup

Serves 4

• 2-3 leeks, white & light green portions only
• Purified water
• Salt
• 1/2 C whole milk or cream
• Pepper
• Optional: chives or thinly sliced green onions

1. Split leeks halfway down the middle and rinse well.
2. Slice leeks into about 1/2” slices. 
3. Place into sauce pan and add enough water to cover.
4. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.  (If using a traditional blender, blend in small batches to avoid getting burned.) 
6.  Add milk or cream.  Allow to warm but not boil as this will cause the milk to curdle. 
7. Salt to taste. 
8.  Serve.  Garnish with a drizzle of cream, chives and freshly ground pepper.

Menu Monday, October 28

We don't do Halloween.  But to keep the kiddos future counseling fees to a minimum *ahem*, we do our own evening of fun which includes pizza from a local eatery, Hansen's soda (the non-diet variety), salad (to make me feel better...), and a movie.

By the way, take a look at this week's Bundle of the Week.  Freezer cooking.  I want to do more of that!  This offer is only good through Sunday, November 3, so if you want to do some freezer cooking, too, don't wait.

Breakfast (a combination of these items):

• Eggs (we've been doing a lot of scrambles that include various veggies like spinach, mushrooms, onion, etc.); bacon or sausage; avocado; fruit/berries;
• Oatmeal with fruit, nuts, and yogurt 

Lunch:

• Leftovers
• Fruit, raw veggies, cheese, beef summer sausage

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

• Apples or bananas with almond butter
• Vanilla chia seed pudding
• Kefir smoothies

Dinner:

• Monday: Hamburger patties stuffed with bleu cheese & bacon crumbles; rice pilaf; green beans; roasted beet salad 
• Tuesday: Ham & cheese omelets; fried potatoes; green salad
• Wednesday: No Noodle Sausage & Sour Cream Bake; sauteed carrots; whole wheat no-knead sourdough bread
• Thursday: Pizza, Caesar salad 
• Friday: Spinach salad; fresh fish; baked potatoes with sour cream & chives; best-ever broccoli; Chocolate mousse (didn't have last week...again...!!!)  
• Saturday: Minestrone soup with sprouted beans; French bread; salad  

Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Just a quick little recipe to share that is oh-so-good!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 2 C whole milk, preferably raw
• 2-3 T roasted pumpkin or squash, pureed
• 2-3 T maple syrup or raw honey
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• scant 1/8 t nutmeg
• scant 1/8 t cloves
• scant 1/8 t allspice
• 1-2 shots of espresso (about ¼ cup) or ½ cup strong coffee
• whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup (optional)

1. Combine milk and pumpkin in a sauce pan. Whisk to blend thoroughly.  (I use my immersion blender to blend pumpkin and about 1/2 C milk so that it is totally combined and no lumps.)
2. Add the spices and simmer until heated. 
3. Add sweetener and vanilla extract. 
4. Place the espresso or coffee in a cup.
5. Add enough pumpkin mixture to fill the cup almost to the top.