Golden Beet and Sweet Potato Soup....and a Side Table

This weekend I discovered my new favorite blog, Knock off Wood, where Ana gives instructions on how to make Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and other furniture knock offs. I love a good project so I was excited to get started right away! My first piece was a knock off pottery barn side table. It was really easy and inexpensive, thanks to Ana's great instructions, and I'm already looking forward to my next piece--a knock off pottery barn bed to match.

After I finished up with the table, I was hungry, and since it was cold and raining, I was really craving a good soup. I decided to make a golden beet and sweet potato soup. It is a great warming soup, that is naturally quite sweet. And it has cinnamon in it, which as some of you know by now, I am obsessed with. You don't need to include the apple juice, you can always use water instead, but I feel that it brings out the sweet earthy flavors of the beets and sweet potatoes. This soup is thickened and flavored with coconut milk, which I realize that I have cooked with quite often and not really discussed.

Coconut milk contains calcium, potassium, chloride, vitamin A and vitamin E. Due to the lauric acid present, coconut milk boosts the immune system and fights off bacteria and germs. This is due to it's anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Lauric acid also helps to keep the arteries and heart clean and healthy, which makes it beneficial in the prevention of heart disease. Coconut milk has hydrating, moisturizing and repairing properties, which makes it great for hair, skin and nails, whether applied externally or enjoyed while eaten.

I would, of course, be remiss, if I did not mention the nutritional benefits of beets. Beets are an excellent source of folate (a B vitamin) and a very good source of manganese and potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Beets reduce inflammation, are an excellent blood tonic, have cancer preventing properties and are great for those who are at risk for heart disease. So make this soup and eat up!

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INGREDIENTS

• 6 yellow beets, peeled and diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup pure apple juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• sea salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, then add beets and sweet potatoes. Saute, partially covered, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add apple juice and continue to saute, about 10 more minutes, until vegetables are tender and caramelized.

Add the spices and cook for a minute. Then add the coconut milk, salt (about 1 teaspoon) and enough water to cover the vegetables (about 4 cups). Simmer for 5 minutes, then puree well in the blender or with an immersion blender. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve!

Now, if only I had thought to take a picture of the bowl of soup on the table...

 

Vanilla Bean and Gurer Payesh (Rice Pudding)

Over New Years, K and I went to Seattle to stay with his family. His mom (who makes unbelievable mouth watering Bengali dishes) gave me short grain rice and gur from India to make payesh. She said to make it for a special occasion. I decided to make it for my day off, and I called and got her approval—that was indeed a special occasion! :) The recipe she gave me was very, "a little bit of this, a handful of that", just the way she cooks. I tried my best to follow her recipe exactly (we even have the same size hands) but I didn't use half and half and I added vanilla bean. I love vanilla beans and I can't imagine a creamy dessert without them.

What I love about this dish is the addition of gur mentioned above. I was so lucky that she gave me a huge mold of gur to use. Gur is a natural sweetener that contains high levels of iron, potassium and magnesium. It is made from the sap of palm trees and is boiled down for hours. The concentrated liquid is pored into molds to dry. To use, you take a knife, tap it with a hammer, and you get pieces of gur to sweeten your dishes. Gur stores very well, about 3-4 months in the refrigerator, and can also be used to sweeten curry sauces, chutneys and to prepare other sweets. I hope you enjoy it as much as K and I enjoyed my first attempt at payesh!

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INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups whole organic milk
• 1/3 cup short grain rice
• 1/3 cup gur (or other sweetener such as rapadura, sucanat, etc.)
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 vanilla bean pod
• optional shelled and chopped pistachios

DIRECTIONS

Wash the rice and set aside. Slice open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Combine the milk, vanilla seeds, vanilla pod, cardamom and bay leaves in a heavy bottom saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring all the time, until milk has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the washed rice to the pot. Cook the rice, about 25 minutes, and keep stirring. Don't stop stirring or the milk will burn! Once the payesh has thickened, remove the vanilla, cardamom and bay leaves. Stir in the gur and cook about 5 minutes more, until fully incorporated. Cool slightly and serve while still warm. Alternatively, cover and place in the fridge for a few hours for a thicker, chilled payesh. Top with optional pistachios.