Island Popcorn

This one is unique in that it isn't quite sweet and definitely not buttery or salty.  My cousins who hail from Hawaii showed me how to make this special treat.

Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a pan and add 1/4 cup popcorn. Place the lid on the pan and shake it while it pops. Once that stops, pour it into a bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Toss to blend. Guilt-free, simple, and a great snack for kids.

- Kim Fielding

Savory Popcorn

Popcorn is fun.  We used to eat it in the movies, when we were at amusement parks, and on weekend nights when we stayed in and played games or watched something on the television.  Popcorn, at least for me, is associated with something involving family and friends.

We started making popcorn when the boys were growing up and we would stay in to watch a movie.  Granted, I always had to drag the vacuum out afterwards to swoop up the mess on the floors, but I think of it as a guilt-free snack.

Over the years we have devised several recipes for popcorn which are a deviation from the norm.  With two vegans and a lactose-sensitive individual in the house, we don't use butter or cheese.

Last night's offering was popcorn made the old-fashioned way with basic vegetable oil, in a saucepan with a lid, popped, and then tossed into a bowl.  The seasoning is what makes it something special.

Let's just say truffle salt is an awesome addition.  Then, sprinkle with a little Nutritional Yeast to make it feel buttery without adding anything else.  We made two batches and it is all gone.

Serves: at least four
Prep and cook time:  maybe 10 minutes

Start with a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan that has a lid.  Add a half-cup of raw popcorn and let it explode!  Dump it into a larger bowl and toss with seasoning.

Other option include herbs such as dried thyme and lemon pepper.  If you like southwest flavors, sprinkle with dash of chile powder, salt, and maybe a hint of cumin.  I know someone who adds taco seasoning to her popcorn.  Oh, and boy #3 simply sprinkles garlic powder on his.

Popcorn is a blank palette.  Add whatever flavors rock your boat.

Or NOT...  Sometimes people like popcorn just plain.  Set some aside for the purists in the group.

- Kim Fielding

Carrot Ginger Soup

Our "Loyola Cookies", aka members of our own Loyola Cooking Club, have done it once again.  The host of our recent club lunch has a friend whose daughter is a food blogger.   The Loyola group is loyal to friends and we always want to support those kids who are venturing into projects that they love.  Like this blog.

Pink Brandywine is the name of a tomato.  Our blogger was treated to this little gem and fell in love with the taste, the smell, and the experience of something that she found divine and which inspired this blog.  If we think back through our lives, we have all experienced an "aha"! moment with a food or recipe.  Taste is innate and special taste experiences stay with you and form how you feel about cooking and eating.

The pinkbrandywine.tumblr.com blog has tons of recipes.  Dishes presented yesterday featured Kale Winter Super Salad, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce, Beets with Almond Mint Pesto and Goat Cheese, Spicy Balsamic Honey Mustard Chicken, Cauliflower Alfredo and Zucchini Noodles, and Creamy (creamless) Carrot Ginger Soup.

Every recipe prepared was really, really good.  Some took a little license with the recipes (like me), and some altered how the recipes were presented. For example, the beet salad on the blog shows the beets cut into cubes and served, whereas our beets were sliced and layed out in a line on a narrow plate.  The pesto was drizzled over in a line and the goat cheese sprinkled around.  Very pretty.  (I can't seem to remember to take pictures when we are wowing over all this food!)

My Carrot Ginger soup recipe was super simple to prepare.  I doubled it thinking it would serve six small cups at lunch and four men at dinner.  Next time I will triple the recipe because that soup pan was scraped bare.  That is a testament to how good it is.  Since there is no dairy in the soup, it should freeze nicely.

Since the soup will be pureed, there is no need to fuss about chopping everything just so.

Serves:  6
Prep and Cook time:  One hour of which 40 minutes is just simmering

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
A knob of ginger root, grated or chopped
4 large carrots, chopped (just less than 3 cups)
Better than Boullion vegetable base broth
Salt and pepper
Fresh mint, chopped, for garnish

Saute the onion and ginger in the oil until softened.  Add the carrots and just enough broth to cover the carrot mixture.  Cover pan and simmer about 40 minutes or until the carrots are thoroughly softened.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Blend the soup with a hand-held device or in a regular blender.  Be careful of hot soup splashes.

To serve, top with a sprinkle of fresh mint.

My family enjoyed this soup as a starter for dinner that included grilled salmon, rice pilaf, greens salad with avocado and a light vinaigrette, and steamed cauliflower with lemon.

Calories per serving of soup is approximately 60 with 8.5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, and about 2.5 grams mostly monounsaturated fat.  Two-thirds of your vitamin A requirement for the day is met with just one serving of this yummy soup.

- Kim Fielding

http://pinkbrandywine.tumblr.com/