Turnip and Leek Soup

Gillian McKeith's

Turnip and Leek Soup

I had leftover leeks from the Adzuki Bean Stew that I made last week, so I was on the lookout for another recipe that called for leeks.  I found this one in the You Are What You Eat cookbook.

I honestly wasn't sure how this was going to taste after I saw the ingredients.

It was really, really good though.

We all liked it - it has a really great flavor!

You boil 3 cups of vegetable stock with a peeled and diced turnip.

Then you let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Per usual, I used this variety of bouillon for my broth.  I find it at Kroger.

Then you add in your celery and leeks and all it all to simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Then you blend the soup to the consistency you like.

You can transfer it to a blender or food processor and then return it to the pot if you like.

I use my handy Smart Stick right in the pot - much easier.

 

Then reheat and serve!

You can top the soup with fresh herbs or sunflower seeds or nuts or some other garnish.

Or just serve it plain like I did!

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Enjoy!

Adzuki Bean Stew

Gillian McKeith's

Adzuki Bean Stew

When I found this recipe in one of Gillian McKeith's cookbooks, I decided to try it even though I wasn't thinking it would be a family favorite.

Japanese adzuki beans, butternut squash, leeks, and kale.  What do you think?

Surprisingly, it was a hit.  David has mentioned a couple of times that he liked it a lot.

Even Brennan ate a bowl, and asked for more. 

In the cookbook, the opening line for this recipe is, "If you want to lose weight, this is the dish for you."  Well, OK!

The author is from the UK, and I believe some of their vegetables may be different from ours in terms of size.  So, I am modifying this recipe so that it is truly more of a stew than a vegetable side dish.  In addition, I was out of kale so we didn't include it.  David said it's good without it.  I think you could probably go either way.

This recipe cooks in 40 minutes or so, but the chopping takes quite awhile.  I find butternut squash peeling and chopping a chore in itself.  So, plan ahead.

The adzuki bean dates back to 4000 BC. In Eastern Asian cultures it is usually boiled and sweetened with sugar to make a red bean paste and used in many different ways. This was my first time working with this bean. Following the recipe directions, I soaked the beans overnight in cold water before making my dish.

I rinsed my soaked beans well and placed them in a large saucepan with water and boiled them for 15 minutes. The author states that it's necessary to boil the beans hard for those 15 minutes to remove any toxins.

Back up, what???

A quick search online and I see that many dried beans have toxins that can be removed by boiling them. OK, just to be safe - don't skip this step!

While my beans were boiling, I cut up a small butternut squash, 3 carrots, and the white and light green parts of a well-washed leek.

I rinsed and drained the boiled beans and returned them to the pot with fresh water and vegetable bouillon, and allowed it to boil again.

Then I added my vegetables and some spices and cooked the soup for another 15 minutes.  If you were going to add kale, you would do so at the end of this time and let it cook for just a few more minutes until it was tender. 

Surprisingly good!

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どうぞめしあがれ

(Bon Appetit in Japanese!)

Baked Fish with Carrot and Leek Puree

Gillian McKeith's

Baked Fish with Carrot and Leek Puree

Last week I bought a leek on impulse, and realized last night I needed to use it soon.

I found this recipe in my new You Are What You Eat cookbook by Gillian McKeith and thought I'd try it out since I had all the other ingredients on hand!

I started by cleaning and chopping 4 carrots and a leek.

In case you weren't aware, leeks are very dirty inside so they need to be cut open lengthwise and rinsed well.

Then I added a vegetable bouillon cube.

I buy this brand at Kroger, and really like it.

I just barely covered the vegetables with boiling water, then let it simmer with the top on for 10 minutes or so, until the carrots were tender.

Then I pureed the vegetables and broth using my handy handheld blender ("soup puree-er" Brennan calls it).  My mom got me this for Christmas a couple of years ago and I love it.

At the same time I seasoned tilapia with salt and pepper and cooked it at 400* until flaky - about 10 minutes.

Then I cooked frozen garden peas in boiling water for about 3 minutes.

I drained them, reserving 1 Tbsp of the liquid, and tossed the peas with olive oil and cleaned, chopped fresh mint.  Thomas would like me to point out that he went outside in the rain to pick the mint from our pots.  Such a helper.

I seasoned the peas with a little Kosher salt and black pepper, then I smashed the pea mixture up a little with the back on my spatula.

To plate the dish you place some of the carrot and leek puree on the plate. 

Then lay a piece of fish on top, then top off with your peas.

I was really surprised with how well this dish went over. 

The carrot and leek puree was really delicate and flavorful.

Everyone in my family loves tilapia, so I knew that would be an easy sell.

And the peas were really tasty.

No leftovers at all!

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Enjoy!