Archive for the ‘Winter’ Category

Creamy Mashed Swede

Posted 12 May, 2010 in Recipes, Vegetables, Winter [ 1 Comment ]

I recently discovered swedes at my local green grocer. I believe they are called rutabagas in America, but I don’t recall ever seeing it there. They seem to be more commonly available in New Zealand and I can’t believe it took me this long to discover this vegetable. It looks like a cross between a beetroot and turnip with a slightly yellow creamy color with the slightest hint of a deep beetroot like color on the outside.

Compared to a potato, a swede is much lower in calories and carbohydrates making it my new favorite root vegetable. I’m generally not a huge fan of mashed potatoes but I loved the taste of this recipe. It’s super rich, just slightly sweet with the perfect amount of buttery goodness.

This recipe is part of Real Food Wednesdays.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Creamy Mashed Swede

450 grams swede
3 tbs cream
2 tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt

  1. Peel and chop the swede into small cubes.
  2. Boil the cubed swede in water until tender.
  3. Drain.
  4. In a food processor, add in the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
  5. Serve warm.

Makes 4 rich servings.

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup with Thyme

Posted 21 Apr, 2010 in Recipes, Vegetables, Winter [ 2 Comments ]

It’s definitely getting colder in New Zealand as Winter is not too far away. Colder weather means soups and casseroles which can take a bit more time to make. But as I don’t like to spend hours in the kitchen, I tend to stick to simple pureed vegetable soups in Winter.

This Cauliflower Mushroom Soup with Thyme is essentially a combination of the leftover vegetables that I had in the fridge. You wouldn’t think that cauliflower and mushrooms would go well together, but the soup tastes amazing. The less water you use, the thicker the soup will be.  You can also add some sour cream for extra creaminess but I think it tastes fine without it.

This recipe is part of the Real Food Wednesdays hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Cauliflower Mushroom Soup with Thyme

1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tbs butter or ghee
2 cups mushrooms chopped
2 cups cauliflower broken into florets
2.5 cups vegetable stock
2 tsp dried thyme

  1. Sautee the onions and garlic with the butter in a stock pot.
  2. Add in the mushrooms and cauliflower and continue to stir.
  3. Add in the vegetable stock and thyme and bring the mixture to a boil.
  4. Once boiling, lower the heat and cook until the vegetables are soft.
  5. Puree the mixture in a blender.

Makes 4 Servings.

Creamy Pumpkin Mash

Posted 25 Jan, 2010 in Recipes, Vegetables, Winter [ 1 Comment ]

I’m currently in Southern California at the local Starbucks. It’s pouring rain outside- which is really highly uncharacteristic of the weather here- winter or not. For a minute, I thought maybe I’ve been away for so long that I forgot that Southern California does actually get cold in winter. But then I remembered going for a run in shorts and a t-shirt on one Christmas Day. This crazy weather is really just a rare occasion.

I left New Zealand in the middle of a very hot muggy summer and I’m now in Southern California visiting my family. Back in NZ, I was eating summer stone fruits and making myself cold iced teas. Now I’m sitting here drinking hot tea trying to make myself warm. Even after traveling between the 2 hemispheres for the last 7 years, it still amazes me that I can go from summer to winter in a matter of a 12 hour flight.

The seasons are so much more distinct in NZ. Even though it doesn’t snow in Auckland, I know when Winter is here. It is definitely colder and the atmosphere is dark and gloomy. I love having seasons as it means that I can actually wear scarves and gloves without looking ridiculous.

The trend these days is to eat “locally and seasonally.” Living in Southern California, I don’t think that I really ever understood why people craved hot soups and hot drinks in winter and eat lighter foods in summer. But living in NZ for the last 7 years, I finally get it. Not only is eating a hot root vegetable soup in winter natural in that you are eating what your body craves, it is in essence eating seasonally.

Just 2 days ago, I was having barbecued meat and salads for dinner. Now, that I’m back in Winter, I’m craving something warm.

My mom made me the easiest dish ever, a creamy pumpkin mash. My mom used an ice cream scooper to serve so it looked exactly like a scoop of bright orange ice cream. But it tasted warm, creamy and just slightly sweet. Perfect as a side dish or all on its own.

Print This Recipe Print This Recipe

Creamy Winter Pumpkin Mash

2.5 cups kabocha*squash peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons of milk
8 drops of stevia
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Black sesame seeds

  1. Steam pumpkin pieces until tender.
  2. In a food processor or blender, add the pumpkin with the remaining ingredients. Blend well.
  3. Serve using an ice cream scooper and garnish with black sesame seeds.

*This is the type of pumpkin that my mom used, but you can use any variety of pumpkin. See here and here fore more information on Kabocha.