Creamed Fennel and Cauliflower Soup (Paleo & Vegan)

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Last week I went to my dads house carrying a basket full of apples, and some how left his house with a lot more. The apple tree in the backyard is officially up for harvesting (so expect a lot of apple recipes coming your way soon), and I have plenty of apple love to share. (Apples are my favorite. The fact that I'm giving them away must mean that there are a lot of apple in the backyard). The garden at my Dad's house was flourishing, and with a lot more than apples--Kale, chard, basil, cucumbers, fennel. He loaded me up. There was so much kale growing in the garden bed that he said, "You have to take a bunch of kale home for every other vegetable you pick". 

Fair enough. (Actually, fair is the wrong word. I think I won that bargain...)

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One of the vegetables I picked was a fennel bulb the size of my abdomen. (Seriously. This thing  was large enough to be shaped into a fennel body suit). Even after pulling off all of the fronds, the bulb was probably twice as big as my face. Intimidating? Yes. But I know better than to fear an oversized vegetable.

Into the Instant Pot it went! Along with some bone broth, onion, garlic, and cauliflower. I made this soup the day after having my wisdom teeth removed, and pureeing it was the only answer. It took out the chew factor, but it also converted the soup into a lusciously creamy treat that was perfect for snuggling up on the couch with. 

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Enjoy this while fennel is in season! It's super easy. Now... does any one have a good recipe for Fennel Fronds? I tried making a pesto--not impressed. 

Creamed Fennel and Cauliflower Soup

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

This soup get it’s creamy texture from cauliflower.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the salad:
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 extra large or 2 medium sized fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds removed
• 1 pound cauliflower florets
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups broth (bone broth or vegetable broth)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Optional: Truffle oil, for serving
• Optional: Black pepper for serving (NOTE: this recipe is AIP-friendly if you skip the pepper).

Directions:

1. Slice the onions, mince the garlic, and chop the fennel. If your cauliflower is not already chopped into florets, do that now. In the bottom of your pressure cooker, heat up the coconut oil. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, fennel, and cauliflower. Sauté for 5-10 minutes, until the edges of the vegetables begin to turn golden.
2. Pour the broth and coconut milk into the pot. Add salt. Cook on the soup setting for at least 5 minutes.
3. Once the pressure cooker is done cooking, release the pressure and remove the lid. Use a standing blender or an immersion blender to puree the soup to a smooth, creamy consistency.
4. Scoop into serving bowls and drizzle with truffle oil. Top with freshly cracker pepper, and garnish with a left over fennel frond. Serve hot.

White Wine Sangria with Figs and Pears

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Have you even tried Verdejo wine? It's nutty and fruity but not too sweet. It's my new favorite summer wine, and I'm usually more of a red wine person. Verdejo with figs works well because the wine is subtle enough to let the fig flavor come through. The nuttiness of the wine is also a nice compliment to the fruit. And what's better than eating a fig straight? Eating a fig juicy with your new favorite wine. Chilled with pears, a few allspice berries, and a tiny bit of cinnamon, this is the beginning of fall in a glass – the evenings are still warm, but there’s a hint of cool breeze, and the best crops of the year.

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White Wine Sangria with Figs and Pears

Published August 31, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Total Time: 10 active minutes

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Ingredients:

• 5 figs
• 1 bartlette pear
• 1 lemon
• 1 three-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 whole allspice berries 
• 3 whole cloves
• 2 cups white wine, preferably Verdejo (A drier Sauvignon Blanc may be a good sub)
• 1-1/2 cup pear juice (apple juice will work in a pinch)
• 2 cups sparkling mineral water or peach-pear La Croix

Directions:

1. Wash the fruit. Half the figs, and slice the lemon into thin slices, removing seeds. Core the pear  and slice it into very thin slices. 
2. Put the sliced fruit and whole spices in the bottom of a jar or pitcher. Pour the wine and juice over fruit. Close the jar. Let the wine marinate with the fruit for at least two hours in the fridge.
3. To serve: Spoon fruit into glasses, pouring wine to fill half the glass, and top off with sparkling water. 

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Warm Spinach Salad with Figs & Butternut Squash (Paleo & Vegan)

Update: I updated this recipe with new images on 8/18/2018. Same recipe, just better photography! :) 

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It seems like the blog world is sprinting at a million miles an hour. When I first started religiously food-stalking in high school, the blog world was small. While I have no idea how much it has grown, it certainly seems like there are more than ten bloggers today for every blogger there was in the mid-2000s. It's more than the numbers: the opportunities for bloggers to do things outside of their blog have erupted, too. Back then there were clubs like the Daring Bakers and support groups like Adopt-a-Blogger (my blog at the time was adopted by Jordan of Kitchen Karate). A few, standout bloggers seemed to be going above and beyond, scoring deals to author cookbooks, or speak on talk shows. These days, bloggers blog like it's nobody's business. Actually, they blog like it is their business and in a few cases, it really is.

You're probably wondering why I'm rambling about this. It turned into more of a ramble than I intended. But when I started Foraged Dish, I was shocked by the number of opportunities that immediately presented themselves to me. 

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Warm Spinach Salad with Figs & Butternut Squash

Published September 1, 2014 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 3   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 to 2 cups raw butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, and cubed

1 clove garlic, minced

6 figs, halved (I use Brown Turkish Figs or Black Mission Figs, but feel free to experiment)

1/4 small red onion, diced small

3-4 huge handfuls fresh spinach (baby OR chopped normal spinach)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (Also delicious with candied pecans!)

Directions:

1. Heat the coconut oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until it sizzles. Place the fig halves flesh-side down in the hot oil, and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and the sugars begin to caramelize. Remove from pan, set aside.
2. Place the red onion, butternut squash and garlic in the pan with the oil. Sauté until the squash it is soften through and browning on the edges (to get a nice sear on the squash, stir only every few minutes, allowing each side to crisp up before turning).
3. Turn off the stove, and add the spinach to the skillet. Stir, and allow the spinach begins to wilt from the residual heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scoop everything into your serving dish. Arrange the figs over the top of the salad, and sprinkle with toasted almonds.