Thursday, December 30, 2010

“Sneaking” in Greens, Blogging Gift, and Cookies

I don’t normally “hide” vegetables and “trick” people when it comes to fruits and veggies. However, I lately have been “hiding” a lot of leafy greens in my soups. Our CSA boxes are filled with leafy greens: Swiss chard, kale, different cabbages, bok choy, collard greens, mustard greens… I often use the veggies in stir fries, but my family has become a bit tired of them. In fact, the toddler has started eating around the veggies and picking them out.

So I decided to use them in another way. I add them to my big pots of vegetable soups I make at least once a week. I cook the veggies and then puree them with my immersion blender. At the end, I often add a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt. The mix of veggies and the added yogurt make the soups less “strong” and “vegetably” and everyone enjoys them. Yesterday the toddler ate two cups of soup and loved them! Not that I tricked him, but I know he wouldn’t have eaten nearly as many veggies had they been in a stir fry… Smile

Here is what was in the last pot of soup (all from our CSA box):
  • 2 large leeks
  • 1 onion
  • 6 small carrots
  • 1 bunch of Swiss chard
  • 1 bunch of “other greens” (I’m actually not sure what they were…)
  • Bok choy
  • 5 small potatoes
  • 5 cups of water (the soup was quite thick, but we like it that way)
After the veggies were cooked and pureed, I added some frozen herbs (cilantro, basil, and garlic), salt, pepper, and a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt. The soup was quite thick; I think many would prefer it a bit thinner but we loved it…


Gift to Myself
Several months ago, I came across a website that lets you print your blog and turn it into a book (Blog2Print). Thanks, Kathy, for mentioning it on your blog! I looked at it briefly back then but didn’t do anything with it. However, as the holidays approached, I thought it would be nice to turn part of this blog into a book for us to look at. And so I did! It’s a gift to myself (but hubby and the toddler have very much enjoyed looking at it as well since we got it as well).

As I have mentioned many times, I’m not much of a baker. In fact, I managed not to bake a single thing during the holiday season… So hubby got desperate and decided to make cookies (which was a first for him!). He and the toddler did a great job and made snickerdoodles (which is what I had requested!).


Questions: Do you every “hide” veggies? I don’t usually think of it as “hiding” veggies, but I add lots and lots of veggies to soups and pasta sauces. They add so much flavor, and I love making meals as nutritious as possible. Did you give yourself any gifts lately? If so, what was it? Did you bake during the holidays? If so, what was your favorite? 

Be well,
Andrea