(Potato) Kale Soup and Cookbook Review

If you're looking for a comforting soup that you can feel good about eating, you're in for a treat. This soup is not only healthy, it's really quite delicious - and my entire family agrees even with the green color. Both children have asked for seconds when we've eaten it.

(2/28/2012: As a side note, I'm linking this post up to the very cool #Soupapalooza event hosted by Dine and Dish and TidyMom. See the bottom of this post for details and how you can join in, too. There are some really awesome prizes!)

The recipe is just very slightly adapted from the "Kale Soup" recipe in Barbara Kafka's new cookbook "The Intolerant Gourmet: Glorious Food without Gluten and Lactose." Barbara Kafka not only has celiac disease herself, but she is the author of several other cookbooks and is the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

I was contacted with a request to review this book and I'm pleased to say that I've so far tried two recipes from it and the whole family has loved each one. I love that all the recipes are free of both gluten and dairy. While I am lactose-intolerant myself in the form of milk, cream and ice cream in their pure forms (I can cook/bake with them and I can eat a little with a Lactaid), I am able to eat cheese, a little yogurt and butter without problems. However, I know several people who aren't able to eat gluten or dairy, or have children who aren't. This would be a great cookbook for them.

Recipes in this book are broken into the following categories: Breakfast; Hors D'oevuvre & First Courses; Pasta & Risotto; Glorious Soup; The Wide World of Salads; Fish & Seafood; Chicken & Other Birds; Beef; Perfect Pig; Lamb; Other Meats; Vegetable Main Courses; Sides; Desserts; Sauces; Basic Recipes (seasonings, stocks, etc.); as well as a pretty comprehensive section covering starches and information on the different types available in this diet.

While the dessert section doesn't include much in the way of baked goods, the recipes look delicious and I look forward to trying them. I especially loved the soup section, which includes a large variety of different kinds of soups. There are a total of 300 recipes in the book, and I think there are plenty to suit any individual's tastes. I don't eat pork because I believe I've developed an allergy to it (didn't really like it before, anyway), or even fix it for my family (my husband cooks up some bacon for himself and the girls on occasion), but I'm sure the rest of my family would like several of the pork recipes offered in this book.

Projected start to finish time: 45 minutes to 1 hour
(Printable Recipe)

1 1/2 pounds kale, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped (about 6 cups)
Approximately 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
*4 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken stock
*4 1/2 cups gluten-free vegetable broth (*use all vegetable broth to make vegan)
4-5 good sized red potatoes, scrubbed with peel on and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste, if desired

Place chopped kale into food processor (work in batches if you have one with 7-cup or smaller capacity) and process until almost pureed. (I probably got it really close to pureed when I made this.)

Move to large saucepan, add oil (she recommends 1/3 cup in original recipe but I found it worked fine to use less - add more if needed) and cook over medium heat for about 25-30 minutes or until the kale has become soft and dark.

While kale is cooking, pour chicken stock into another large saucepan and add potatoes. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced, about 10 to 12 minutes. (She uses peeled Idaho potatoes in original recipe, but I prefer to use red with the peel on when I'm able.)

If you have an immersion blender, you may want to use it for this next step. I have one, but it's not the greatest so I didn't use it for this recipe. If not, I recommend the blender. I tried this in the food processor first in about 1/4 of the processor bowl (and I have a large processor) and it splattered everywhere and was hot. So, work in batches and add the stock and potatoes to the blender (don't fill too high with hot liquid!) and blend until mixture is smooth and uniform.

Add blended stock and potatoes to to cooked kale and whisk together. Salt to taste, and add just a little black pepper if desired.

Serve with gluten-free crackers if desired.

This recipe made enough for our family of four to make two meals out of it.

Enjoy!

Note about book review: I was given a free copy of this cookbook for review. The opinion of this book, however, is entirely mine.

I'll also share today's photo of beauty in this post:

One of our little male house finches, enjoying a meal in our dining room window feeder.

Find beauty in your day today!

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

**More #Soupapalooza information (see second paragraph above): Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset

Beauty in Laundry

Sunday afternoons are family time for us. We usually go to church Sunday morning, or have "family church" at home, then try to spend the remaining day relaxing. We did a good job of this after lunch, watching "All Creatures Great and Small" episodes together and eating popcorn.

I was enjoying time with my family - a beautiful thing in itself - and so didn't remember to pull out the camera. A little while ago I was wondering whether to even post anything for today and then I saw it. The pile. Two piles, actually, of laundry.

In my fatigue lately, the laundry has suffered greatly. Oh, I've made sure my family has always had clean clothes. We've just had to fish them out of the dryer or the laundry basket(s) more often than I'd like recently. I hate doing laundry. More specifically, I don't have a problem washing and drying the clothes but I suffer in the motivation for folding and putting them away. (I really need to get back into my Bill Cosby routine.) The whole family does help out with this, but sometimes especially with tiredness and busyness, it's just easier (or so I tell myself) to fish it out of the basket.

Please tell me I'm not the only one this happens to. (?)

So when I saw the pile of laundry this evening as I was pondering about a blog post and not taking a photo of something I found beautiful today, it struck me that the pile of laundry was beautiful. It was beautiful because the fact that it was so great in volume meant that I had a family who was using those clothes, towels and more. I'm grateful for that. And it was beautiful because the fact that it was still sitting there meant that I spent time doing nothing but relaxing with my family today.

So I added a little quote to the photo, and I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you find beauty in your evening. Tomorrow I hope to have another recipe for you.

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Reddy, Tomato or Cherry

House finches are the most common bird we get in our dining room window feeder. We always put a little nyjer seed (the finches' favorite) in the bottom and top with regular bird food. I find so much beauty in these simple birds. I love the red display on the males, and the females have such a lovely cream and brown pattern.

My daughters have named the male finches "Reddy," "Tomato" and "Cherry." They believe they know the difference between the three, and I'm almost convinced that they do. I love watching all of the birds, but I think the finches are my favorite. In the spring when the babies are hatching, I watch to see the different types of birds introduce the little ones to the feeders. I was quite amused one afternoon to watch one father finch insist that his daughter follow him, scolding her, and she defiantly flew away - with dad chasing and chattering with what sounded like quite a bit of anger. I had to chuckle, as it reminded me so much of us with our daughters.

Today, my youngest insisted this male was Reddy sitting on the branch against the overcast sky, waiting his turn at the feeder after his female companion was finished.

I hope you find also find beauty in your day.

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Light in the Darkness

Last night we had some beautiful dark clouds in our sky and we were hopeful that our parched land would get some more much-needed rain. Unfortunately the clouds weren't generous to our part of the land and went on to give to another area nearby that also badly needs it.

As the clouds broke open on occasion, the sun would cast beautiful rays down upon us. Then clouds lit up with the light behind and underneath them. I was hoping for a pretty sunset full of colors, but we didn't get that. Just these gorgeous skies for a short time. I was thankful for their beauty, anyway. They reminded me of God's light still being there, ever present even in our darkness. When things get tough and we don't see light, it hasn't left us and will break through.

When we woke up this morning, the mountains were completely covered with fog and low clouds. I love cold, overcast days when the mountains are invisible. Sometimes I take for granted that I live in such a beautiful area and the views aren't always awesome to me as they are to those who come for vacations. When the clouds break up and the mountains return, I'm always reminded of what beauty surrounds me. Every day.

And while I was filling the bird feeders this morning, I looked down and saw a purple vinca that had just opened. I've been seeing their greenery slowly pop up around the house in the warmer days we've had lately but hadn't yet seen the flowers. I love the simplicity of these little flowers that blanket the ground - without any water or care - through spring and summer.

I hope you find beauty today.

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Dog Days

Today I found beauty in our dog, Brackets. Well, I think she's beautiful every day. She has a gorgeous color and one blue eye that kind of freaks people out sometimes. I've been trying to get some good photos of her the last couple of days (photos other than these kind where she's running around) but she just won't have it. She thinks the camera is either out to attack her and she's ready to attack back or she wants to sniff it - risking a smudge on the lens. I'll get her, though.

Brackets is 12 years old now, but you'd never know it by the way she acts. I got her when she was just four weeks old (her mother kicked her off for some reason). In case you're wondering, she's half Australian shepherd and half border collie.

Since she's not cooperating for photos right now, I thought I'd make a collage of some puppy photos. I have puppy envy right now as one of my best friends got a Welsh springer spaniel puppy two days ago and my sister got a French bulldog puppy yesterday. And I know others who have gotten some darn cute dogs from the shelter recently. So, I had to look through some of our puppy days photos. Brackets was an awfully cute puppy!

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Go find some beauty today!

Lemon flower

A friend gave me a Meyer lemon "tree" this weekend. I can't tell you how excited I am about this - I've been wanting a lemon tree for a very long time! I had a lime tree once. I grew it from a very tiny little thing just a few inches long and cared for it over a few years. It finally grew some flowers and I was excited to have limes! I'd had a child by then, however, who loved to pick flowers off any plant she saw. She picked all of the lime tree's flowers and the tree ended up dying. True story.

My children have been warned: No picking the flowers! No smelling the flowers, either, in case your nose hits it too hard. These flowers are so very fragrant, you can smell them just by standing next to the little tree. I already have some baby lemons growing, and hope to have more growing soon. I pray I can keep this tree alive!

We've had days a little warmer this week and I've been able to put the tree outside for several hours. The bees love this tree, so I know they are doing their job pollinating and making more little lemons for me.

I couldn't resist snapping a shot of the beauty I find in these lemon flowers. You're likely to see more lemon tree shots as time progresses.

Why I'm sharing this: http://mamameglutenfree.blogspot.com/2012/02/beauty-in-eye-of-beholder.html

Valentine Rose

These beauties are gracing our table today with their white, pink and red loveliness. I hope you find something beautiful today, and I hope you feel loved by someone in your life, be it a significant other, child, parent or friend.

I just pulled heart-shaped rich roll cookies out of the oven and am waiting for them to cool before putting a pink glaze on top.

Happy Valentine's Day!