Recipes | thesofiamagazine

Market Minestrone

by Laurie Richardone | Mar 28, 2022 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Women in Business

A variation of a classic minestrone soup. It’s packed with super green nutrients for increased energy. Use whatever you find at the farmers market in season.

Serves 4

Soup Ingredients

4 -6 cups vegetable stock, recipe below

1 bunch asparagus, tips only

1 bunch of spinach, or kale, chopped

2 cups english peas

1 head fennel, sliced, then chopped

4 garlic cloves, smashed with salt

1 spring onion, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 lemon, juiced, plus zest

1 cup olive oil

1 tsp. salt or to taste

1/4 cup parsley,chopped

Pesto Ingredients (Optional)

Bunch of basil leaves, 25 leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup parmigiano reggiano, or nutritional yeast

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted 4 minutes, dry pan

1 clove garlic

squeeze of lemon

Preparing Pesto

Mix all pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse. Leave a bit chunky. Do not over mix, it will make the pesto taste bitter. Set aside.

Preparing the soup:

Add half of the olive oil to a hot pan on medium heat. Add the onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add smashed garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp salt. Add fennel and saute 5 minutes. Add warm stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach, asparagus, peas, and the rest of the olive oil. Simmer for another 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Turn off the heat. Add lemon juice, zest, and chopped parsley. Taste again for seasoning.

Add half of the pesto and mix into the soup. Put soup in bowls and top with more pesto.

Easy Vegetable Stock Recipe:
In a soup pot on medium heat, add 2 tbsp. of olive oil. Then add 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 1 turnip, 1 white onion, 2 leeks, 2 twigs of thyme, a handful of parsley, 1 garlic clove, 7 whole peppercorns, and 1 tsp. sea salt. Add 6 cups of filtered water and simmer for 1-2 hours. Strain Vegetables. Broth keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezes up to 3 months.

Buon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit:
LaurieRichardone.com

Superfood Green Smoothie

by Laurie Richardone | Feb 28, 2022 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Health, Recipes

Start the day with a nourishing nutrient rich green drink. Add a banana for a kid friendly smoothie.

Serves 2

2 cups organic spinach, or kale

1-2 cups nut milk or coconut milk, recipe for nut milk below

1 tsp. grated turmeric

1 tsp. grated ginger

pinch of black pepper

2 tbsp. hemp seeds, or chia seeds

1/2 tsp. cinnamon,or cardamom

2 medjool dates, pitted, or fresh berries

1 granny smith apple, cut into pieces (to replace other fruit, this is lower in sugar)

1 cup hot filtered water, in cooler weather for blanching greens

Add On ~ For gut health, add 1/2 cup goat yogurt

1 tbsp.raw cacao nibs, optional

Optional: Pour hot water just before boiling over spinach or kale. It is good for digestion.

Add to a high powered blender with all the other ingredients. Blend well.

Homemade nut milk: 1 cup of raw nuts such as almonds, cashews,or macadamia nuts, soaked overnight in filtered water. Drain. Add soaked nuts to a high power blender with four cups of fresh water. Add a pinch of sea salt, and a dash of vanilla. Blend well. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. If nuts are not your thing, make hemp milk. (1 cup organic hemp seeds, 4 cups filtered water, pinch of salt, ½ tsp. Vanilla) Blend very well.

For Almond milk, you might want to pour it through a cheesecloth or sieve, for creamy milk. Press down with a wooden spoon. Discard remaining pulp. If using a Vitamix, omit
this step.

Vegetable Soup & Basil Pesto

by Laurie Richardone | Jan 28, 2022 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Women

Serves 8

1/2 lb. haricots verts, cut into 3 inch long pieces or in half

2 cups carrots, (1/2 inch dice)

2 cups red potatoes,or other (1/2 inch dice)

1 cup yellow squash (1/2 inch dice)

2 cups chopped yellow/white onion

2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (3 leeks)

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

3 qt. homemade vegetable stock (recipe below) or organic box stock

1 tsp. saffron threads

1 cup pesto (recipe below)

Fresh parmigiano reggiano for finish

Heat the oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add onions and leeks and saute over low heat, until they become translucent. (about 10 minutes)

Add in potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and saffron. Bring to a low boil. Then, lower the heat and simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender but still firm. (about 15 minutes)

Add the haricot verts and squash. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn heat off, and let sit for 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Remember you are adding parmigiano, which is salty, therefore wait until the end to add more salt if needed.

When ready to serve add 1/4 cup of pesto to hot soup. Then season to taste.

Serve soup in bowls and top with extra pesto and grated parmigiano.

Pesto (makes 1 cup)

Adding the tomato paste gives this traditional pesto a french flare

4 garlic cloves

25-30 large basil leaves

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the garlic, basil, tomato paste and parmigiana in a food processor and pulse a few times.

Start to add the olive oil and continue to pulse until incorporated. You do not want to over mix as the basil can get a bitter taste.

Can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature when serving.

Buon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit: LaurieRichardone.com

The Gift of Self Love

by Laurie Richardone | Jan 28, 2022 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Health, Recipes, Women

According to myth, Cupid was the winged messenger of the gods, and Venus, the goddess of love. Cupid encourages us to give gifts to those we love. Does this include giving a gift of love to ourselves?

Could loving yourself be the path to receive the fruitful relationships that we all desire, and deserve, along with a true sense of well being.? Loving thy self pushes us to take care of our own needs, as well as the needs of the people in our life that we care about.

In a world where we’ve been raised to put others first, self-love can often feel selfish. Setting aside time for ourselves can cause feelings of guilt, and we can struggle to maintain a dedicated self-love practice. Intellectually, we know we need to love ourselves, yet oftentimes, we have difficulty giving ourselves permission to experience it. This could simply be a 20 minute yoga class of gentle stretching to get you ready for the day; Or even a beneficial way to end the day. Personally, I have incorporated this practice into my mornings, which has opened the doors to a more rewarding day.

Many of us have learned the importance of success. We learned how to work hard and the importance of making money; Not to say these lessons can’t support us, they do indeed. However, many of us didn’t learn how to keep ourselves feeling fueled for this exciting journey called life.

Fortunately, we’re living in an era where the self-love revolution is gaining momentum, yet we often have trouble doing the work. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were taught self love and self esteem in elementary school? There are so many opportunities to practice this nurturing essential skill, no matter what our age is. This will support us to move forward in
our life authentically, therefore attracting healthy nourishing relationships.

Let’s find our own inner happiness, so we can give love without feeling depleted, and gain a genuine sense of self.

Shall we bring a bit of self love into the kitchen.? Why not? It could be making a special dinner for yourself, perhaps a beautiful savory soup, or a healthy sweet, to then share with a friend.

For what better gift than the gift of food…

However you go about this, like any other skill we want to master, takes practice, practice, and practice.

To your good health,

If you are a curious cook, join me on my Podcast ~ A taste for All Seasons ~

It is a cooking, cultural, and inspirational way for us to explore the world of food. And… as always, l will share a seasonal recipe, cooking tips, and kitchen essentials that will make your life easier in the kitchen.

You can now listen to all the shows, on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast. We talk to local farmers, where you can learn how to cook your way through the seasons.

Laurie Richardone is a seasonal gluten free chef and certified health coach.

To work with Laurie, visit LaurieRichardone.com

Persimmon Matcha Crumble with Ginger Molasses

by Laurie Richardone | Dec 29, 2021 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Women

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour

2 tbsp. arrowroot

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 sticks of butter (3/4 cup) room temperature

1 tbs. matcha powder

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk, or xanthan gum

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup fuyu persimmon puree, 2-3 ripe persimmons

3 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup cashew milk, or other milk

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, optional

Ginger Molasses

1 tbs. molasses

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, smashed into a paste, or powder

Blend together.

Drizzle around persimmon crumble before serving.

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter or oil inside of muffin trays. Dust with flour.

Whisk flours, baking powder, match powder, salt, psyllium husk in a medium bowl.

Set aside

Whisk milk and 1 cup of persimmon puree in a small bowl. Set aside.

For puree: peel and slice 2 ripe persimmons. Pulse slices in a small processor, or mash by hand. Save some slices of persimmon for garnish.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the sugar and 3/4 cup butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. About 4 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down the sides with a spatula. Add vanilla and almond extract.

Reduce your speed to low and add dry ingredients in 3 additions. Alternate the persimmon & milk mixture with the dry mixture. Add dry ingredients last.

Beat until just combined. Fold in the hazelnuts if using.

Scrape the batter into prepared muffin trays, 3/4 full.

Bake the muffins, rotating half way through, until golden brown and a tester inserted comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan for 20 minutes.

Carefully remove muffins from the pan and transfer to the plate of choice. Make a crumble with the muffins across the plate. Serve with the ginger molasses.

Sprinkle some matcha powder around the plate.

Buon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit: LaurieRichardone.com

Grain-Free Gingersnap Cookies

by Laurie Richardone | Nov 29, 2021 | Asheville, Cooking, Food, Recipes

Makes 24 Festive Cookies

1 ¾ cup almond flour

½ cup arrowroot, or tapioca flour

6 tbs. coconut oil, soft room temp.

½ cup coconut sugar, extra if rolling cookie dough in sugar.

3 tbs. black molasses

1 egg, room temp.

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp fresh ground ginger, or powder

½ tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. sea salt

Fresh rosemary for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven 350.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat coconut oil, coconut sugar, and molasses, until smooth.

Beat in the egg and vanilla, mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients, along with all the spices, and sea salt. Slowly, stir the flour into the wet ingredients, until you have a thick cookie dough. Chill for 30 minutes, so you can roll dough into small balls.

If rolling in sugar, in a shallow bowl, dip the ball into the sugar, and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Place 2’’ apart. Bake for 11-14 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.

Let cool completely on the rack, before removing from the baking sheet.

Place on a serving tray, and place bunches of fresh rosemary around the dish.

Bon Appetito

For scheduled Cooking Classes in Asheville, Visit: LaurieRichardone.com