It's starting to feel like fall around here....or at least it is inside my home :) Outside is another {91 degree} story. When I paid a visit to my local Pottery Barn recently, the sales associate told me that "fall is what we create in our homes" and that couldn't be any more dead on. I threw together this apple crisp over the weekend, while I burned my favorite pumpkin scented candle. The ambiance inside my home felt like fall, and that's all that matters. This apple crisp is so delicious you guys. Warm, gooey apples, topped with a crunchy spiced topping, this recipe is so comforting you won't even realize that there's no eggs or butter. All the feelings of a big ol' helping of apple pie, sans guilt. Just the way I like to do things around here! Leftover apple crisp makes an equally tasty breakfast treat. Warm it up in the microwave, and serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt - so scrump!
Hope you enjoy.
Ingredients
6 medium tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Honey Crisp; peeled, cored, and sliced. 3/4 c. packed brown sugar 1/2 c. gluten free white rice flour 1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/4 c. chopped pecans 1/3 c. coconut oil Almond milk ice cream, or regular vanilla ice cream if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread apples in an ungreased 8 inch square baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, spices, and nuts. Place ingredients in a food processor or blender, and add the coconut oil. Pulse until mixture is crumbly & completely blended. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown, and apples are tender. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
There are many different names for this soup. "Tuscan bread + bean soup", "peasant soup", and "leftover bread soup" to name a few. I like to call it "Heaven in a bowl soup".
What this soup is actually called is Ribollita. Ribollita is a famous hearty soup, native to the region of Tuscany that is made with loads of veggies, cannellini beans, and bread. The soup is cooked for hours on the stove until it boils down to more of a stew like consistency. It actually does have "peasant" origins, as ribollita translates to re-boiled in Italian and relates to the fact that this soup would be reboiled on a wood stove and fed to a family for days at a time. It really embraces what I imagine Italian peasant cooking to be all about; cheap + damn good food to warm you up and refuel your body. I first fell in love with this soup on my very first trip to Italy. Adam took me to Italy for my 30th birthday. My birthday is in January, so naturally it was freezing outside. We popped into a little hole in the wall restaurant to mainly get out of the cold weather and I ordered the soup to warm my frozen bones. The rest is history... it was love at first bite :) Every time we go back to Tuscany I seek out the soup. We even served this to our guests at our wedding in Val d'Orcia!
The flavors are so delicious, and every component of this stew compliments each other perfectly. It is actually pretty healthy {minus the bread factor} since the ingredients are simply tons of veggies, chicken broth, and cannellini beans {which are an excellent source of fiber + protein}.
This dish is extremely time consuming, so plan to be your kitchen for hours. I promise it will be so worth it!! Pour yourself a glass of vino, do some laundry, relax, but please I beg you, do not rush this recipe. It really does need to simmer down for the flavor to intensify.
Buon Appetito! xx
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup dried cannellini beans 12 large sage leaves 8 garlic cloves; 5 sliced & 3 chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 large celery stalks, diced 1 large carrot, chopped 1 large unpeeled yukon gold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered through core and sliced crosswise 1 large pinch dried thyme 1 small bunch swiss chard, center stem removed and cut into 1" ribbons {about 6 cups worth} 4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage 1 small bunch of kale {any variety}, cut crosswise into 1" ribbons {about 6 cups worth} 5 large plum tomatoes, chopped 1 2" square parmesan cheese rind Pinch of dried crushed red pepper 2 cups {plus extra for thinning out} good quality chicken broth 6 half inch slices crusty white bread {such as focaccia or country white} torn coarsely with crust intact. water salt & pepper Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine 8 cups
water, beans, sage, and sliced garlic in large saucepan. Bring to boil;
reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beans are tender, stirring
occasionally and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls to keep beans
submerged, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on age of beans.
When beans are tender, add 1 teaspoon
sea salt; simmer 10 more minutes. Uncover and cool beans in their liquid. Do not discard liquid as you will be adding this to the soup later on.
Heat 3 tablespoons
olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with 1 tsp sea salt.
Cook until onion is translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add
chopped garlic; stir 2 minutes.
Add celery, carrot, potato, fennel, and
thyme; cook until vegetables are tender and begin to turn brown in
spots, stirring often, 15 to 18 minutes. Add kale, chard, cabbage,
tomatoes, Parmesan rind, 5 cups water, and 1 teaspoon sea salt.
Bring to
boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are
very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Add beans with cooking liquid and
crushed red pepper. Add 2 cups chicken broth. Season with salt and generous
amount of pepper.
Add bread to soup
and bring soup to a simmer, stirring often to break up bread into smaller pieces and
adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin, if desired. Season with sea
salt and pepper.
Divide ribollita among bowls, drizzle with oil, and serve.
**This soup will feed your family for days & the flavor is even better on day 2! You can also freeze any leftovers in tupperware and it will hold for months in your freezer**
Over the weekend, I used my leftover Thanksgiving mashed potaters and made fried latkes for breakfast. In case you're not familiar, latkes are a traditional Jewish dish of potato pancakes that are usually served around Hanukkah. This was the first time I had made latkes, but my hubby grew up eating them and said they turned out perfect! :) I added in some grated cheddar cheese and chives from my balcony garden to give them a little more flavor.
Making latkes is a great way to used leftover mashed potatoes {and you definitely don't have to be Jewish to enjoy these fried little gems!}. They most certainly are not the healthiest recipe around, but usually any tasty dish this time of year is not the most nutritionally sound.....so go ahead, indulge! 'Tis the season!! xx
Ingredients
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese 1/4 c. sliced chives, plus extra for garnish 3 tbsp flour {I used white rice flour} vegetable oil salt & pepper
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, egg, and flour. You want the potato mixture to feel like a stiff dough, so if it feels too loose add in more flour until it reaches this consistency. Stir in cheese, chives, and salt + pepper to taste; combine well.
Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Drop about a quarter cup of batter into the skillet and flatten with the back of your spoon or a spatula {you want these to resemble pancakes}. Take care not to overcrowd the pan; you will have to make several batches.
Fry latkes for about 4-5 minutes on one side {until they turn golden brown}, then flip and cook until the opposite side is crispy & golden brown also. Remove from heat and place on a large plate lined with paper towels.
Season with salt and extra chives for garnish. Serve immediately Latkes pair perfectly with applesauce or greek yogurt! yumyum :) *makes around 8-10 pancakes depending on the size*
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