Spring Has Sprung...Healthy Spinach Bisque

Leeks and spinach give this silky soup its vibrant green color... and also an abundance of antioxidants. Potatoes lend an appealing velvety texture. Perk up your health with this bright Spring time soup!

¼ cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, diced and cleaned

1 T. fresh thyme or 1 t. dried thyme

Salt to taste

Freshly-ground pepper, to taste

4-6 cups GF vegetable or chicken broth

3 cups organic potatoes*, diced

16 ounces spinach leaves, chopped

1/2 cup milk or milk substitute, optional

Garnishes: yogurt, sprigs of fresh herbs, chive blossoms

Sauté onion and leeks, in olive oil over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until wilted. Add thyme, salt and pepper and stir well. Add broth and potatoes, cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and simmer 3 more minutes.

Remove soup from heat and puree using a hand held immersion blender, or puree in batches in a blender or food processor. Return soup to stove and place over low heat.

Add milk, if using, and heat through. Add additional water or broth if a thinner consistency is preferred. Garnish, if desired, and serve warm.

Makes: Six to eight servings.

Notes: *I always use organic potatoes. Produce that grows in the ground such as potatoes, are frequently more contaminated by agricultural chemicals.

This recipe is available in my newest gluten free cookbook: The Farmer's Daughter Cooks Gluten Free, which is available at CeliacDiseaseInfo.org.

"Healthy" Chocolate Candy "Bark"!

 My recipe for healthy chocolate candy can easily be made gluten free and sugar free. Try different nuts, dried cherries, even cinnamon and chipotle spice! 

Consuming a little chocolate and a little coconut oil daily has been shown to have many health benefits!

1 1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 to 1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder
stevia or coconut sugar to sweeten
3/4 cup salted peanuts or other nuts of choice
 a few teaspoons of caramel,
optional

Place chilled (this helps the chocolate to set up more quickly) nuts in the bottom of an 8 x 8 inch baking pan. 

Melt oil over low heat in a small saucepan on the stove. Whisk in sweetener of choice until the sweetener is thoroughly dissolved. Pour the chocolate mixture over the nuts, making a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Place pan in freezer to set up until firm, for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer and drizzle a small amount of the caramel (if using) over the chocolate with a spoon. Allow the caramel to harden a bit, then break up the now solid chocolate bark with a table knife and store in the refrigerator.

Makes: 2 cups of chocolate candy "bark".

This recipe is taken from my newest cookbook:
"The Farmer's Daughter Cooks Gluten Free"
which is available at various retail stores and at my website:
www.celiacdiseaseinfo.org

Valentines... or anytime chocolate "salamis" as gifts or a special treat!

This is a festive fudge that is created by shaping the chocolate into a salami and dusting it with powdered sugar. The recipe was shared with me by an Italian friend who “skyped” this delightful recipe with a cooking partner in Italy. 

Be creative with different variations, such as adding a little chili powder for a Mexican chocolate version, adding dried fruit, different liquors, and hazelnuts or macadamia nuts.**

8 ounces of good quality bittersweet chocolate

1 stick of unsalted butter, chopped into pieces

1 T. Dutch cocoa

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

2 t. GF vanilla extract

½ cup nuts of choice (I prefer pecans or black walnuts)

1 box Pamela’s gluten free shortbread cookies, broken into chunks*

Powdered sugar

Carefully melt the chocolate on medium temperature in the microwave at 30 second intervals or until melted and easy to stir. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Add the cocoa, condensed milk, and vanilla and continue to stir. Gently fold in the chunked cookies and allow to cool to room temperature.

Place cooking parchment on an oblong cookie sheet. Pour one half of the mixture onto the parchment and roll into a tube shape about 8 inches long by 3 inches in diameter, making certain to fold over the ends of the tube so that the mixture doesn’t ooze out the ends of the parchment

casing. Repeat with remaining mixture and twist the ends to secure the salamis.

Tightly encase the salamis in foil and place in the refrigerator for a few hours until firm. (You may choose to re-shape the salami as it chills and sets up, creating a more perfect “tube” shape.) Roll in powdered sugar for a “dusted” salami appearance.** Slice into ½ inch slices when serving.

Makes: Two 8 inch x 3 inch “salamis”.

Notes: *For a variation, use Pamela’s Peanut Butter cookies in place of the shortbread cookies.

**For a gift presentation, wrap the finished, sugar-dusted salami in a little waxed paper or baking parchment. Now wrap in festive paper or fabric, tying the ends with ribbon or raffia and attaching a gift tag. Keep in mind that this is fudge, so it should be kept chilled until ready to slice and serve