When summer is about over, school starts, and football season is in the air, we just start thinking about Fall, one of THE best times of the year, and of course, I’m going to be thinking about Fall foods. I love soup all year, but especially during the Fall!
Today I am so excited to introduce my granddaughters, which, if you know me, you’ve heard about them before! Our Sophie, who is 12, has always been our baker, a very accomplished one I must admit! She has been baking now for years and loves to bake from scratch and loves to take on challenges like gluten-free, sugar-free, and dairy-free. Check out Sophie’s Instagram pictures @sophie_freeman06 @sophies_sweets06 and @chefsophie06_
On the other hand, Scarlett, who is 15, has never really had any interest in the kitchen, except to eat what others have made. But now, she loves to eat at home and loves healthy food, which I am so excited about, and I’ve been amazed at some of the dishes she’s created.
Today’s post includes two of those dishes which came from a new cookbook she purchased lately “Sweet Potato Soul”. Of course, I had to get the cookbook too, and I’m very impressed. None of us are vegan, but Scarlett tries to stay away from dairy, gluten, and sugar as much as she can for her skin and gut health.
I hope you’ll try these recipes. They are delicious! Enjoy!
SWEET POTATO-PARSNIP BISQUE
Scarlett found this cookbook “Sweet Potato Soul” by Jenne’ Claiborne, full of healthy vegan recipes, brought it home, marking all the wonderful recipes she wanted to try. None of us are vegan, but Scarlett just loves healthy food, has some intolerances, and has really gotten excited about getting in the kitchen and creating new foods, which makes me SO happy! I had to get the book, and it is really good! This is one of the recipes that Amber said she felt like she and Scarlett could have eaten the whole pot!
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups
2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
3 tablespoons grapeseed or coconut oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced or grated peeled fresh ginger
2 cups cooked cannellini beans or 1 can, drained and rinsed (reserve a handful for garnish)
2 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk (from a can, shaken well)
2 cups vegetable stock, 2 cups water plus 1 teaspoon veggie bouillon paste, or 2 cups water plus 1 veggie bouillon cube – I just used chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes and parsnips with 1 ½ tablespoons of the oil. Arrange the veggies evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender.
A few minutes before the veggies are done, heat the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. (At this point, I used my pressure cooker on brown.) Add the garlic and ginger and saute until the garlic turns slightly golden. Be careful not to burn it.
Remove the roasted veggies from the oven and add them to the pot along with the beans. Stir in the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. (At this point I turned my pressure cooker on high pressure for 8 minutes.) On stovetop, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to incorporate. Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper and cayenne (I added 1 tsp. Garlic salt).
Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the soup until silky smooth. If you do not have one, let it cool, then transfer it to a blender or processor.
Garnish the bisque with parsley and the reserved beans and serve hot.
FLUFFY SWEET POTATO BISCUITS
This is another recipe from the Sweet Potato Soul cookbook that Scarlett is so excited about, and these biscuits are definitely a winner!
INGREDIENTS:
Makes 9 biscuits
¾ cup mashed sweet potato (from ¾ baked medium sweet potato)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup plain unsweetened soy or other nondairy milk
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour, plus more for dusting (Scarlett used GF)
2 tablespoons cane sugar or coconut sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons very cold vegan butter (or coconut oil)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the sweet potato, vinegar and milk and set aside. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter or coconut oil and pulse until you have a coarse meal. Add the sweet potato mixture and pulse a couple times to fully combine.
Generously flour a clean work surface and transfer the dough onto the prepared work space. The dough will probably be fairly wet, so use the flour on the counter to help make it more manageable. Add a little more flour to the dough if needed.
Fold the dough over a couple of times, then pat the dough to about ½ inch thick. Cut the dough into biscuits using a biscuit cutter, a large cookie cutter (if you want fun shapes), or a wide-rimmed glass. Transfer the cut biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Enjoy immediately with cinnamon honey butter or maple or sorghum syrup.
Store the biscuits in airtight container.