Soup is good food. Especially healthy soup made with a mere five ingredients.

This quick and easy Roasted Cauliflower soup recipe is one that I found in a recent issue of Bon Appetit. Except their recipe had butter and heavy cream; I’ve de-Paula Deened this recipe so that it is the pure delicious essence of a vegetable without all kinds of unnecessary other ingredients and flavors.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite foods. A cruciferous vegetable, it is full of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and healthy fiber.

Here are some other healthy cauliflower recipes:

• Cauliflower Rice
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Mexican Chicken and Rice
• No Potato Salad
• Paleo Dirty Rice

Do like cauliflower? If so what are your favorite cauliflower recipes?

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Tis the season for all things squash and pumpkin. On the menu tonight? Butternut squash apple soup spiced with sweet, warming cinnamon. If you’re looking for an easy soup recipe this one is great for beginners.

My younger son loves this soup and I do too –sometimes I even eat it with a little protein (such as eggs or turkey) for breakfast.

Here are some notes on this recipe:

• Feel free to make this soup with other types of winter squash such as pumpkin, acorn, delicata, etc.
• I used a 2 ½ pound butternut squash for this recipe (weight is prior to peeling and de-seeding)
• Experiment with other warming spices such as ginger and nutmeg
• I used Braeburn apples in this soup; feel free to experiment with other types of apples

Squash is a very healthy, hearty, nutrient dense vegetable, full of carotenoids and other beneficial antioxidants. Further, it is thought that squash is both anti-inflammatory and helpful in regulating blood sugar.

In my house we love eating squash because of its delicious, sweet flavor, and are happy to reap the secondary (health) benefits. What is your favorite winter squash recipe?

For more ideas on how to cook squash, check out these healthy recipes:
-Squash Pie
-Squash Fries
-Squash Latkes

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Tonight is the Oscars and we’re having a nice little party over here (as usual).  I’ll be serving this super quick and easy gluten free Mushroom Soup in little shot glasses.  As you can probably tell by now, pretty much any event is an excuse for me to have people over and cook healthy gluten free food.

I frankly could not really care who wins what awards tonight.  I just like to hang with my posse and have good eats.  In case you’re wondering what else is on the menu, I’ll also be serving Salmon Dill Burgers from The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook (I make those into little balls and serve with toothpicks), as well as a huge salad and my beloved Black and White Cake, plus of course, a big crudite with dip to get the party started.

Mushroom SoupNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound shitake mushrooms, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Heat oil in a 6-quart stock pot over medium heat
2. Add onion and saute for 20 to 30 minutes until caramelized
3. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5 to 10 minutes until tender
4. Pour chicken stock into pot, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes
5. Transfer pot contents to a vitamix and puree on high until smooth
6. Serve

In other news, I’m giving away a copy of Shannon’s (of Nourishing Days) new ebook, The Simple Food {for winter} Cookbook: 30 Grain-Free Recipes To Get You Through The Dark Days. To enter, leave a comment below by Monday, February 28th at midnight.

Update: this giveaway is now over and the winner was Lori!

Here are more gluten free mushroom soup recipes you may enjoy:
-Creamed Mushroom Soup with Toasted Herb Croutons form Dish Towel Diaries
-Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cashew Cream from Joy the Baker
-Cream of Mushroom Soup (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free) from Nourishing Meals

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A piping hot bowl of this gluten free Broccoli Soup is the perfect dish for today.  Why?  We’re expecting a nice balmy high here in Boulder of 15 degrees, while we’re buried in snow from yesterday’s storm.

I was fortunate enough to spend yesterday, my Sunday, at a yoga class, and then hiking the gorgeous Mount Sanitas in the snow.  As you can see, thus far, the new year is treating me well.

If you’re looking for a healthy soothing recipe to help kick off your new year, this is it.  Simple (this gluten free soup is made of a mere 5 ingredients), warming, and easy to digest, it’s the perfectly healthy treat for cold winter days and nights.  Serve it with a salad and you have a quick and easy dinner that the whole family can enjoy.

Broccoli SoupNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch broccoli (a couple of heads), coarsely chopped
2 quarts water
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt

1. Heat oil in a large pot and saute onion over medium to low heat until soft, about 15 minutes
2. Add broccoli and saute for 5-10 minutes
3. Add water and cook until broccoli is soft about 15 minutes
4. Puree hot soup in tiny batches in a vitamix until smooth and creamy
5. Reheat soup and serve

When looking for something warm and healthy to eat, I also like to make this Butternut Squash Soup and some of these other soups as well.

Here are some delicious looking soups from groovy bloggers:
-Broccoli, Garlic and Lemon Zest Soup (SCD) from Milk for the Morning Cake
-Broccoli and Arugula Soup from GOOP
-Mixed Mushroom and Veggie Soup from Gluten Free for Good

The winner of last weeks giveaway for an All-Clad 4-Quart Saute Pan is Caitlyn! Here’s what Caitlyn said her favorite vegetable stir fry combo is:

“Juicy shitake mushrooms sauteed and simmered in sesame oil with garlic, and caramelized onions. Then add roasted red peppers, green peas, and green onion. Add a touch of agave syrup salt and pepper to taste. And serve over a steamy bed of fresh brown rice. Enjoy and Bon appétit.”

Congratulations and enjoy!

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I’m thrilled to be a part of Pacific Natural Foods’ Everyday Chef Challenge!  For the first round of the competition, $5 Dinners, Aggie’s Kitchen, Herbivoracious, A Savory Nest and I will be using a “secret” ingredient along with one of Pacific Natural Foods’ broth products *.

The secret ingredient for this round?  Mushrooms.  I used shiitake, though any type will work for the recipe below.  And I have chosen to use their Organic Vegetable Broth.

Thai Vegetable SoupNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms, trim off bottom of stems
1 quart Pacific Foods Organic Vegetable Broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 head broccoli, trimmed and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
½ cup cilantro, minced

1. Warm oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
2. Add onion, stirring frequently until softened, about 10 minutes
3. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes
4. Stir in broth and coconut milk, bring to a simmer
5. Reduce heat to medium, add broccoli and ginger and cook until broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes
6. Stir in lime juice and salt
7. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro
8. Serve

This gluten free Thai Vegetable Soup can be made in a jiffy with all natural, easy to find ingredients. It’s a wonderful dish to prepare for dinner on a chilly night when you are pinched for time. Get the children to trim and chop the mushrooms for you to speed up the process.  Your end result could be mighty satisfying; my little guy ate 3 bowls of this last night and was lapping it up!

So, head on over to Pacific and place your vote for me (if you like my recipe), or one of my competitors’ recipes. For more information check out Pacific Foods details about the Everyday Chef Challenge.

* Disclosure: I am working with Pacific Natural Foods as a participant in this promotion and have received a stipend

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I love this soup because it is an easy way to take in powerfully nutritious greens. While I love my green juices in theory, in reality, my stomach doesn’t always agree with them, especially when it’s cold outside. That’s when it’s time to make Green Chicken Soup. Somehow, the carrots and kale give the soup a delicious sweet flavor, which makes this high protein, gluten free soup very grounding, and even more comforting than it already is.

Tina Turbin of Glutenfreehelp.info wrote up a very nice review of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. She is also giving away 3 copies on her contests page. The deadline for entry is April 17th, 2010.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that Honeyville is have a huge sale right now. To receive 15% off your entire order use coupon code “NOFOOL” during checkout. Hurry though as the sale ends tonight (4/6/2010) at 6:00 PM PST.

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It seems that Fennel Apple Soup is on everyone’s radar these days.  And what better time than now?!  It’s perfect soup weather here in Boulder –a toasty -2 outside, which begs for soup.

Gluten free Fennel Apple Soup has been popping up everywhere –on various gluten free yahoo groups and in various magazines.  Here’s my version.

Fennel Apple SoupNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
2 (medium to large) fennel bulbs stems removed and diced
2 large apples (I used Honeycrisp), peeled, cored and diced
1 quart chicken stock
2-3 sprigs thyme

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot
2. Saute onion over low or medium heat for 10-15 minutes until soft and almost browned
3. Add fennel and apples and cook for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften or brown
4. Add chicken stock and thyme
5. Puree soup in small batches (for safety purposes) in a vitamix until smooth and creamy
6. Reheat soup and serve

Serves 4

I just received my copy of Stephanie O’Dea’s (crockpot365.blogspot.com) Make It Fast, Cook It Slow and am chomping at the bit to try some of her recipes.  The meatloaf looks especially enticing.

In book news, my gluten free cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook was listed in the latest issue of Publisher’s Weekly.  And I have several media events coming up before the holidays.  A radio interview on Epicurean Corner, a TV appearance on Good Day Colorado and another TV appearance on Daybreak on the Deuce.  I will provide air dates and times for all of the above later this week.

Finally, Greg Mowery of stovetopreadings.blogspot.com reviewed The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook, saying, “Amsterdam offers a fine group of tasty desserts such as Classic Carrot Cake, Choclate Velvet Torte, Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti, Pear Crisp and Pecan Pie.”  Thanks Greg, I hope you have a lot of fun with these recipes and all of the others in my book!

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This recipe was inspired by Jaden’s Lemongrass Chicken and Coconut Soup from her fabulous book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.  I received it in the mail on Friday and played with it all weekend long.  It is a captivating book, full of gorgeous pictures (which she styled and shot herself) and easy recipes.  I’m in love.  Last night, I made this Coconut Chicken Soup, Jaden’s Grilled Fish with Kabayaki Sauce (also from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook) and some stir fried broccoli.

The food was so good that there was not enough to go around.  Never have I seen my boys gobble up fish so quickly.  This is a very family friendly cookbook and frankly, I cannot say enough good things about it.  Stay tuned and I will share my version of Jaden’s Kabayaki Sauce in an upcoming post.

Meanwhile, enjoy this hearty soup.  Tis the perfect season for it.

Coconut Chicken SoupNote: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
3 cups chicken stock
1 fresh thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced into thin coins
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons agave nectar
6 ounces leftover chicken
1 cup mushrooms, rinsed, drained and sliced in half lengthwise
1 medium carrot, julienned
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced

1. In a pot, bring chicken stock and ginger to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes
2. Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, agave, chicken, mushrooms and carrot
3. Just before serving, stir in lime juice and cilantro
4. Serve

I love Asian food, it is so tasty, accessible and easy to make.  I plan on having many fun evenings with The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, in fact, I think it will edge out the time I spend with my gluten free cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, for this week.

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Soup mania continues.  And this dairy free creamy pumpkin coconut ginger soup hits the spot.  I decided I had to make something pumpkin today after making pumpkin pies from my gluten free cookbook (The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook) and finding myself with a bunch of leftover roasted pumpkin.  Of course soup was the easiest thing to make after making one too many pumpkin pies for family and friends.

We’re having nice weather here, in the 60′s and sunny, however with a chill in the air, I can’t get enough soup.  And this one is a rich, filling and nourishing treat.

Everything has calmed down a bit since Halloween and the boys and I are settling into a good routine, other than those late night World Series games –come on Yankees, get the job done already!

In any event, I’ll be serving this warming soup to the boys for dinner tonight with salad greens from the garden (which currently exists in our cold frame).  They’ll finish their chores and then we’ll eat dinner while we listen to the game playing on the radio.

You may want to add more stevia to your soup than the recipe calls for to make it just a bit sweeter.  I sometimes add a couple of drops of stevia to the individual bowls of soup.  If you use a different type of stevia than the recipe calls for you may need to adjust your amounts, since different brands and types of stevia have different levels of sweetness.

The lovely Karina of Karina’s Kitchen also has a recipe for a yummy looking gluten free pumpkin coconut soup.  I think that’s where I first got the idea to combine pumpkin with coconut in a soup, though I know I also saw something similar on one of my gluten free yahoo groups as well.

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It’s a gray day here in Boulder and I decided some soup would be in order.  Chicken Noodle Soup to be exact.  So what’s a gluten free grain free girl to do for noodles?  Zucchini.  Yes, DIY zucchini noodles.

This recipe is super easy if you have chicken stock on hand.  I keep several jars in the freezer and try to have one in the fridge ready to go as well.  Just dice up some carrots, celery and other veggies of your choice and throw in those yummy zucchini noodles and you’ve got some good old fashioned, yet healthy modern chicken soup.

I’ve been sipping this soup all day long to stay warm and am looking forward to serving it to the boys when they return home from school this afternoon.

Bon Appétit is having a “virtual bake-off” in which they’re collecting holiday dessert recipes from food bloggers.  I’ve entered my Tart and Tangy Cranberry Bars into the officially titled Bon Appétit Magazine Blog Envy Bake-Off.

Voting began yesterday, November 1st, 2009, and ends December 13th, 2009. If you like my Cranberry Bars, head on over and give them a vote by clicking on the picture of them on the Bon Appetite website.  The Cranberry Bars are in a category called COOKIES, BARS and BROWNIES.

I spent a lot of time this past weekend making recipes from my gluten free cookbook and had great fun with it.  We turned the holiday cookie recipe into Halloween themed treats using our spooky cookie cutters instead of the Christmas ones.  It’s odd to me that a year after I wrote it, my children and I are still enjoying the recipes from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.

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