Through the entirety of winter, even a relatively warm one like we’re currently having in the Midwest, just about the only thing I want to eat is soup. Because of this, it shouldn’t be too surprising that my ideal winter weekend includes a big pot of the stuff spending its afternoon simmering on my stove. And, in keeping with my eternal goal of eating as many vegetables as possible, soup is made even more wonderful when packed full of them.

I started making this soup during college and it was a big hit with my roommates and friends who came over for dinner parties. When Tuesday sent me an image of her produce box a few weeks ago and cauliflower was in it, I could easily figure out what to do next.

ingredients:

• 4 strips chopped bacon (omit and use 2 tsp. olive oil in its place if that’s your thing)
• 2 thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only (should be approximately 1 1/2 c.; feel free to throw in an onion if you’re low on leeks)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3ish c. cauliflower florets (approximately one medium-sized head)
• 2 large potatoes, cubed (or 4 small ones)
• 2 c. chicken broth (I used a jar saved from when we cooked a whole chicken; vegetable broth will also work)
• 2 tsp. salt (depending on whether or not the chicken/vegetable broth is salted, more salt may be necessary — I don’t salt my broth so I added a total of 2.5ish tsp., plus a few pinches more after blending)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (amazingly, 40 full rotations on a pepper mill)
• 2 heaping tsp. smoked paprika

directions:

In a stock pot over medium heat, fry chopped bacon until semi-crispy. Sauté leeks and garlic in fat from bacon. (If not using bacon, sauté leeks and garlic in olive oil.) Add cauliflower, potatoes, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cover with chicken broth and 1 c. water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree soup with an immersion blender or allow to cool further and transfer in batches to an upright blender. I do not have an immersion blender but it would make this process and many other processes — beating large batches of eggs, blending smoothies or milkshakes, storing the thing — easier. Adjust seasonings to taste (and add additional water or broth for a more liquid-y soup, if you’d like) and serve with a hunk of toasted crusty bread.

I always make a double batch of this soup — thus the two heads of cauliflower — and it does beautifully in the freezer. The recipe I adapted comes from Clean Eating. Enjoy!!

I am such a breakfast person. Almost immediately upon waking each morning I am hungry. My typical breakfast runs the gamut from fried eggs and sautéed veggies, to oatmeal piled with fruit, to toast heaped with nut butter or other toppings. On Sundays, I’ll sometimes get a bit fancier and whip up a quiche or batch of pancakes.

Tuesday and I chatted recently about our  respective morning fares, and I learned that she often does nothing more than grab an apple or banana or handful of trail mix on the way out the door. (GASP!) Obviously there is nothing wrong with this, except that I am a firm believer in the importance of a well rounded meal and a moment of pause to start one’s day. Bonus points if a crossword puzzle and cup of black tea or strong coffee are involved. Because of my devotion to the practice of eating breakfast, I’ve decided to do some evangelizing and see if I can’t liven up Tuesday’s busy morning routine.

Requirements for a Tuesday-proof breakfast:

• quick
• minimal prep and minimal mess
• portable
• nutritious
• able to be prepped ahead of time in large batches
• stores well

Where does this leave us? Granola.

Granola is great for a lot of reasons, one of the most notable being its customizability. Not a fan of honey? Use maple syrup as your sweetner/glue. Not into dates or coconut or berries? Choose another combination of dried fruits. Trying to up your protein intake? Add extra nuts and seeds. You get my point.

ingredients:

• 3 c. old fashioned oats
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp. flax seeds
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 3/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 c. chopped dates
• 1/4 c. dried cherries
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of sea salt

directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Melt coconut oil by running a sealed jar under hot water. Add melted coconut oil, salt, and other wet ingredients (vanilla, honey) to a small bowl. Add all other ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit) to a large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, using hands to combine. Evenly spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, and store in a sealed container. (I used a half gallon Ball jar, pictured below.)

Warning: This granola is of the un-chunky variety. If you’re a fan of granola clump-age, consider trying this tip from Food52.

And there you have it, folks. Serve on its own, with milk, or over yogurt. If only the rest of the week was as simple as making this granola.

 

Three weeks ago, Tuesday texted me and said that she had turnips and parsnips in her weekly CSA. She asked if I had any ideas. I said that I did! She texted me at a perfect time! I would think about it and get back with her! A week later, I realized that I forgot to follow up and my heart sank as I considered the plight of those turnips and parsnips. I contacted Tuesday to check. “I am REALLY sorry for not getting back to you sooner about your vegetables. What is their status?” She replied, “Goners.”

Just as I suspected. After several minutes of guilt, I decided that the only thing to do was get Tuesday prepared for future turnips and parsnips. I would come up with the perfect turnip- and parsnip-containing recipe, so that when those funny guys showed up in her CSA again, she’d know how to handle them. In brief, I was on a mission to avenge the deaths of a few roots.

In another conversation had with Tuesday months ago, I expressed my love for pot pies. This love was cultivated while living in Chicago last winter and having the great fortune of wise and wonderful roommates who took me to the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants that I never would have found on my own. (THANK YOU CAROLINE AND NAT AND DAVID AND KELVIN!) Pleasant House is a lovely little spot in Bridgeport which serves a variety of pot pies. It is perfect for a lot of reasons, one of the biggest being that you can order your pie of choice and then head next door to Maria’s Packaged Goods where you’ll warm up with a drink and board game, and have the pies delivered to your table. It is one of those almost too good to be true things in life. The mushroom and kale option is delicious.

I digress. After learning that Tuesday also enjoys a pot pie and at one time in her life wondered how to make them and that her parsnips and turnips needed a home, I knew this marriage was meant to be. YAY!

I wanted to create a vegetable pot pie to make up for my entirely chicken-focused past recipe post. But, with all of that freshly-cooked chicken sitting around, it seemed a shame not to turn it into a pie as well. Thus, here you’ll find two pot pie recipes. The first is a traditional option featuring a whole chicken that everyone now knows how to cook. The second features a slew of root vegetables — vegetarians, rejoice! In case you don’t recognize them in the image below, the turnips are to the far left (white radish-like orbs with green tops) and the parsnips are in the bottom center, between the carrots and mushrooms. PS — All of these vegetables were found at the winter farmers market in Indianapolis. HOLLA for winter crops which should not be underestimated. Here we go.

pie crust ingredients (this is for both top and bottom — two — crusts):

• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 16 tbsp. frozen unsalted butter (two sticks)
• 10ish tbsp. ice cold water

pie crust directions:

Mix together dry ingredients. Grate frozen butter into bowl with dry ingredients. Gently mix to combine. Slowly add ice water to the mixture and combine with hands, working to create a ball of dough. Split dough into two equal parts, wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out dough into a circle to fit inside of and on top of pie pan. (If you want, you can make a large batch of crusts and freeze them for eternity, or until you need them to bake another pot pie, a quiche, or a dessert pie. Pull the crust out of the freezer and leave on the counter for 30 minutes prior to rolling out.)

traditional pie ingredients:

• 2 – 3 c. of cooked cubed chicken (from the whole chicken that you cooked!)
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. chopped carrot
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 3/4 c. diced potatoes
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. chicken stock (from the whole chicken that you cooked!)
• 3/4 c. peas (I use frozen, but fresh would work too)
• 2 pie crusts

traditional pie directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. In a dutch oven or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and potato until tender. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and herbs. Once vegetables are tender, and this mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Add milk and chicken stock gradually and bring to a boil. Stir for a few minutes until the mixture thickens and add chicken and peas. Adjust seasoning to taste.

In a pie pan, lay out the bottom crust and fill with vegetable and chicken mixture. Cover with the second finished crust and seal the edges, or allow the top crust to hang over the pan. Make four slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust turns golden-brown.

winter vegetable pie ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. diced sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 c. diced white potatoes
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. chopped carrots
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1/2 c. chopped turnips
• 1/2 c. chopped parsnips
• 1/2 c. mushrooms
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 c. milk
• 1 c. vegetable stock
• 2 pie crusts

winter vegetable pie directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. In a dutch oven or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté mushrooms. Once mushrooms have softened, add onion, carrots, celery, turnips, parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and herbs. Once vegetables are tender, and the flour mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Add milk and vegetable stock gradually and bring to a boil. Stir for a few minutes until the mixture thickens. Adjust seasoning to taste.

In a pie pan, lay out the bottom crust and fill with vegetable mixture. Cover with the second finished crust and seal the edges, or allow the top crust to hang over the pan. Make four slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the crust turns golden-brown.

Lastly, and arguably most importantly, make pinwheels with your leftover pie dough. What on earth is the point of making anything with a crust if you aren’t going to make pinwheels? (Through some googling, I learned that these little creatures are also called bumblebees, tuzzie muzzies, gobblies,schmekels, doodads, and piggies. Has such a simple treat ever had such an adorable and ridiculous lot of names?!)

Final notes: You may have noticed that the pile of vegetables I used in making these pot pies is enormous. That is because I occasionally get in a stock-piling mood and make a ton of a particular item for the freezer. The batch of veggies pictured made 6 pies altogether which I will happily be eating over the course of several months. On that note, I should mention that completed pies do freeze well. When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and allow to sit for 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 425F; place the pie on a baking sheet and cover loosely with foil. Bake for 30 minute. Reduce heat to 350F, remove foil, and bake for an additional 55 minutes, or until the crust turns golden-brown.

The traditional pot pie recipe I used is adapted from this one. The pie crust recipe is nearly identical to Smitten Kitchen’s, though I am a true believer in butter grating and Deb is not.

Thank you and goodnight!