My other celebration was equally unexpected. When I decided to strike out on my own, I didn't really think about the cooking benefits of being able to work from home. And, yet, twice this week, I've had a chance to put something on to simmer while I was working and have a nice lunch. Yea! No offense to Jimmy John's and Chipotle (the default lunch places at my old office), but I'm pretty darn excited about this unplanned benefit of being my own boss.
I love soup, but with the unbearable heat we've had, I've been avoiding one of my favorite meals.
I made gazpacho earlier this summer, so I decided that it was time to try my hand at another cool soup and picked carrot. I wanted to do something different than the traditional ginger carrot soup and went instead with Cumin Lime. It was really delicious and a great foil to the 100 degree days earlier this week.
For my second dish, I chose to play with the okra I bought at the market last week. I love okra and will eat it just about any way you can cook it. A friend of mine shared that he had roasted okra at a recent dinner party and I decided to give it a whirl. I wanted to spice it up a little bit, so I mixed in some Bellaverdi Farms mustard microgreens at the end to give it some punch. I may have a new summer lunch favorite.
Don't forget to mark your calendar for the Picnic in the Park on Wed 8/5. Come shop at the Triangle Farmers Market (open from 4-8 pm), then meet us on the lawn for dinner. Bring a blanket and/or folding chair and your beverages.
See you at the market!
Cumin Lime Carrot Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches of carrots, trimmed, peeled & chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp cumin (you can increase this if you like a stronger flavor; I did)
salt & pepper to taste
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of water; 1 cup reserved
juice of 2 limes
2 tbsps sour cream
cilantro, chopped for garnish (I forgot cilantro so my photo is missing a garnish. It would have been really good with the cilantro....)
Heat the olive oil in a pot. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes, until the carrots are just tender.
Stir in the cumin, salt and pepper and taste one of the carrots to have the spice level you want. The spice should be on the strong side because you will dilute it when you add the liquid.
Add the 4 cups of broth and one cup of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
Let the mixture cool. Transfer half of the soup to a food processor or blender and puree the mixture. Transfer that half to a bowl and puree the other half. I do suggest using a food processor or blender for this as it is difficult to get the mixture smooth enough using a hand blender.
Stir in the lime juice and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed. If necessary, add water slowly to
thin the mixture.
Place in the refrigerator for several hours (at least 4) or overnight to chill.
Before serving, take the sour cream out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature. Stir it into the soup to give it some creaminess. Garnish the soup with cilantro and lime.
Roasted Okra with Mustard Microgreens
1 lb okra, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (don't cut it too early; the longer it sits cut, the
slimier it gets)
1 1/2 tbsps olive oil, 1/2 tbsp reserved
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 package of mustard microgreens
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place okra in a pan an drizzle with olive oil. Salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring once.
In the last minute of cooking, stir in the mustard microgreens and drizzle with the 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for another minute so that the microgreens are just wilted.
