Hearty Winter Recipes from Fresh Choice Kitchens

From Fresh Choice Kitchens up in Vancouver here are some mouth watering recipes for cold winter days.

The snowfall we had this past while has given us a craving for soup and in homage to the funding we received this year from a major soup company, we decided to include some root vegetable soup recipes in this newsletter. As Stephani mentioned in her article, soups are a great way to enjoy root vegetables. Included in this issue are some recipes from our Many Hands Cookbook

For more recipes, visit our Newsletter Archives. We had some beet recipes, in our November 2009 issue and our premiere issue had a recipe for Beet and Carrot Cake! If you are keen on more soup recipes – our Feb/Mar 2010 was all about soup and we have a yummy Potato Kale Salmon Soup in our May 2009 issue.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

This soup has become a classic that seems to please even the non-carrot lovers among us! You can garnish it with a bit of yogurt or sour cream if you like.
– 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
– 2 medium onions, finely chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 12 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
– 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
– 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
– 2 cups orange juice
– salt and pepper to taste
– 4 Tbsp. chopped parsley (optional)
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, ginger and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the carrots are soft, 20-30 minutes. Puree, or mash with a potato masher. Add the orange juice and season to taste. Reheat and ladle into bowls. Garnish with parsley if you like.
Makes 16 servings

Montebello Beet Soup

Why Montebello? We don’t know, but it sure sounds romantic! The name suits this beautifully colored soup.
– 2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
– 2 medium onions, chopped
– 2 tsp.curry powder
– 16 medium beets, peeled and chopped*
– 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
– 12 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
– 2 Tbsp. honey
– salt and pepper to taste
– vinegar or lemon juice to taste
– ½ cup sour cream
–  ½ cup finely chopped green onions
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until soft. Add the curry powder and cook for a minute longer. Add the beets, potatoes, stock or water. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook partially covered until the vegetables are tender, 30-45 minutes. Puree or mash with a potato masher**. Reheat the soup and add the honey. Season to taste and add the vinegar or lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the sour cream and green onion.
Makes 16 servings
Notes:
*Peeling Beet
Use rubber gloves when peeling and cutting beets unless you like purple hands.
**The Easy Way to Purée
Strain the solids from the soup and return the liquid to the cooking pot. Purée the solids with a food mill, blender or food processor, using a bit of the liquid to keep the mixture blending smoothly. If mashing by hand, you probably won’t need any liquid. Return the purée to the liquid and stir well. This is especially fast and easy when working with large batches.

Baked Bannock

To accompany those big bowls of steaming hot soup….try some baked bannock! Less fussy to make than the fried variety.and more healthy!
– 15 cups flour
– 9 Tbsp. baking powder
– 1½ cups powdered milk
– 1½ tsp. salt
– 1½ cups sugar
-1½ cups vegetable oil
-6 cups cold water, approximately
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease 9 baking sheets.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, powdered milk, salt and sugar. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the oil into the hole and, using your hands, gently mix in the flour mixture until the oil is absorbed. Rapidly stir in the cold water, stopping when soft dough is formed. Divide the dough into 30 equal pieces and pat out to ½-inch-thick buns. Place 10 buns, 1 inch apart, on each baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 90 servings