Monday: Creamy Braising Greens Soup & Savory Smoked Gouda and Sun-dried Tomato Muffins

Creamy Braising Greens Soup

courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
1 slice thick-cut bacon, diced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 pound sausage, dried chorizo or
smoked sausage, diced
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
7 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups mixed braising greens, such as kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens and dandelion greens, thoroughly washed, stems removed, and cut into very
fine strips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1⁄4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Sauté bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving drippings in pan.
2. Add onion and carrot to pan; cook over medium heat until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add potatoes and broth; stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Add greens and cream and continue to simmer until soup is thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Add hot sauce, if using. Add salt and pepper.
5. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with reserved bacon. Serves 10.
Recipe by Tracey Medeiros, "Vermont Fresh," Oct. 2009.

Savory Smoked Gouda and Sun-dried Tomato Muffins Recipe

courtesy of Relish Mag



Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup shredded maple-smoked Gouda (about 4 ounces)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper muffin cups.
2. Mix flour, baking powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, butter, tomatoes and parsley in a large bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until almost combined. Gently fold in cheese; the mixture will be lumpy.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan. Bake until muffins are golden brown and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Makes 10 muffins.

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Farm, Londonderry, Vt., taylorfarmvermont.com. "Vermont Fresh," Oct. 2009.

Easy Pumpkin Bread

from: Betty Crocker's Bisquick Cookbook


my image of this recipe, November, 2005

Note: I made this for some people at work around the holidays and it was a smash! They couldn't believe it was a Bisquick recipe. (I omitted the raisins)

1/3 c vegetable oil
1 c canned pumpkin
3 eggs
2 1/3 c Bisquick
1 1/4 c sugar
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 c raisins

1. Heat oven to 350º. Generously grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches or 1 loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches.

2. Stir all ingredients together except raisins in large bowl until well blended. Stir in raisins. Pour into pans.

3. Bake 8-inch loaves 40 to 50 minutes, 9-inch loaf 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean; cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pan; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

Zucchini-Parmesan Loaf

from: Everyday Food Magazine, Sept. 2005 issue

My images of this recipe



Serves 8; prep time: 15 minutes; total time: 2 hours
The bread is delicious on its own, or spread with creamy ricotta cheese. Try toasting the slices.


1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound zucchini (about 1 medium), coarsely grated

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (6-cup capacity) with oil; dust with flour, and tap out excess.

2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs. In a large bowl, whisk flour, Parmesan, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix in zucchini, then egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough).

3. Transfer batter to prepared pan; press in gently. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly). Cool 15 minutes in pan; turn out loaf onto a rack to cool completely.