roasted parsnip & carrot soup

try, try again… so this started off as a culinary experiment gone wrong, but somehow i managed to salvage this roasted parsnip & carrot soup. perhaps it’s because i’m not a big fan of wasting food. or perhaps i was just being stubborn. ;) either way, i’m glad i gave it another go. (hint: cheese & yogurt can do wonders!)

parsnips are new to my kitchen. a root veggie in the same family as carrots, the parsnip is a bit sweeter in taste. i thought the rustic-looking parsnips would pair nicely with organic baby carrots in a homemade soup.

– preheat oven to 400F

prep root veggies:
toss the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
– 5-6 organic parsnips (washed, whole)
– 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
– 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
– dash of sea salt
– ground black peppercorns to taste

roasted root veggies:
– lightly grease baking sheet & roasting pan w/ evoo
– place parsnips (whole) in roasting pan
– place 1.5 cups organic baby carrots (chopped into bitesize pieces) in 1 layer on baking sheet
– add 1 clove garlic (rough chop)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– roast parsnips & carrots in oven for approx 30-40min at 400F

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leek & chèvre brûlée

baked cheese? yes, please! many of us know and love the dessert fave, crème brûlée. total crowd pleaser. this time around, put the brûlée in the cheese with this fantastic savory appy — leek & chèvre brûlée.

this culinary experiment was inspired by (and adapted from) an easypeasy recipe from my fave cooking show on the telly – cbc’s best recipes ever (thanks, kary osmond!). based on ingredients on-hand in my pantry, here’s my take on this fantastic, savory appetizer… it was a fab hit at a dinner party i recently hosted for some good friends on the weekend! :)

leeks are part of the same family as onion and garlic, so they add some really fantastic flavour to soups, dips and other dishes.

prep the leeks:
– cut off the dark green ends and slice leeks lengthwise in half. rinse well w/ cold water in between layers to remove excess soil & sand.
– chop 2 leeks into small bite-sized pieces. yields approx 2 cups chopped leeks.
(tip: as a leek novice, i turned to one of my fave mags, real simple, for a step-by-step video on how to prepare leeks. super helpful!) 

spring bacon spaghetti squash

ok, i’ll admit that i’m no bacon fanatic. shocking, i know. but somehow bacon seemed to be the perfect ingredient to add to this ‘spaghetti’ dish. <insert applause here>

the bacon:
– heat up 1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) in large saucepan on medium heat
– brown 1 large shallot (rough chop) w/ evoo
– add 5 strips of country-style bacon to pan
– fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides
– remove from heat & set aside on plate to cool
– pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil

– preheat oven to 375F

spaghetti squash:
– gently wash spaghetti squash since you’ll be roasting it w/ rind
– cut spaghetti squash in half, along the vertical. gently scrape pulp and seeds using a fork.

(tip: if spaghetti squash is too hard to cut in half, place in bowl with 1/2 cup of water and microwave whole for 5min to soften rind before cutting.)

– gently brush evoo and sprinkle w/ ground black peppercorns

– place spaghetti squash in baking pan (squash side down). bake for 15-20min at 375F.
– allow to cool before handling. using a fork, the squash should ‘string’ out nicely just like spaghetti. true story. :)