Sweet Potato Beet Apple Gypsy Soup

In the 90s I made a soup for Rosh Hashanah that I found in the Nutrition Action Newsletter, which I subscribed to for a time. I loved the soup but lost the recipe. I even went so far as to look at back issues online, but no luck. I think that's the only recipe I ever lost and longed for! It is a version of the Moosewood Gypsy Soup, I have since discovered.

I made it for Rosh Hashanah because of all the sweet ingredients: sweet potatoes, beets, ginger, and apples. It is super nutritious since it also has chickpeas.

Yael Kalman posted a similar Instant Pot version which I tweaked and I think this is now pretty close to the original.

It makes a big pot of gorgeous color soup. The beets contribute their color to the collective.

2 T oil (or butter if you don't mind it being dairy)
1 large onion, diced
2-3 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 t. ginger paste or finely grated fresh ginger
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1 t. cumin (ground)
½ t. turmeric
½ t. coriander
1 t. cinnamon
2 largish sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 peeled, chopped apples
2 or 3 peeled, chopped beets (you can now find these vacuum packed, a time saver - if you like beets, just use the whole package)

1 can chickpeas, drained
2 -3 whole carrots, diced
1 can chopped tomatoes (petite saves time)
6 cups vegetable stock (Telma/Israeli + hot water is fine)
Lemon and/or lime juice (about 2 T.)
brown sugar or agave -  about T

optional: a stem of chopped kale
Parsley or cilantro for garnish
[optional: rice, quinoa, or other grain]

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic, celery, and ginger until soft and transparent.

Add the spices til incorporated.

Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, apples, and beets.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cook about 40 minutes, or a few hours in the Wonderbag.

Add the lemon or lime juice and sugar.

Using an immersion blender, process until it's thicker but leave lots of chunks of vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. Red chili flakes, if you like, give a little heat.

Serve with chopped parsley or cilantro.

Cranberry (or Blueberry) Cornbread

This is a new favorite! I've lost track of where I found it. It's always good to have buttermilk recipes, since it's a handy ingredient to have but hard to use up.

Baking it in a flat sheet pan that fits the Breville makes for a very quick bake and a lot of crust.

In muffin tins, it makes 18. I used silicon muffin pans, and the muffins don't look quite the same -- the tops don't round, and they don't brown quite the same, but they're cute!

1 stick butter, softened (7 T. works, but 8 is yummier)
1/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cornmeal
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 to 1.5 c. buttermilk (I just baked it and accidentally used just 1 c. and it was fine)
1 c. cranberries, halved.  This is easiest to do with a small knife.

• In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
• Add eggs; mix well. 
• Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt
• Alternately add with the buttermilk. 
• Fold in cranberries.
• Transfer to a greased small rectangular pan. Bake at 375° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, ~ 20 minutes in the Breville. 

Another version: 12 oz of blueberries (one and half pints) and some grated lemon zest. It's denser than blueberries muffins, very satisfying.

Baked in the round Lodge cast iron.

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

Sender's birthday, July 26th, is smack dab in blueberry season. I baked this cake for his brit/naming, instead of the spurned Kichel of yesteryear. Seems like I am the only one in the family who really likes kichel, but everyone loved this cake. I will try to bake him one every birthday!

It is from CookingLight, slightly modified.

Pre-Sender, holding Newspaper.
Note Aunt Vivi's toes!

It makes a nice big cake - very heimish presentation.

Abba and Grandpa David at the Brit

2 c granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter (4 oz, one stick)
1/2 lb (8-oz) low-fat cream cheese or neufchatel, softened
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 pint blueberries
1 t baking powder
1/2 t  baking soda
1/2 t  salt
1 (8-ounce) carton lemon low-fat yogurt (hard to find - you can use plain yogurt and add 1 T. lemon zest)
2 t vanilla extract
Cooking spray

1/2 cup powdered sugar
4 t lemon juice

lemon zest (thank you, Microplane!)

1. Spray a 10" tube or bundt pan well

    In 2020, I am into little cakes. I baked 12 mini-muffins, a mini-bundt, and a small     bundt. This cake rises a lot - with 4 eggs + the baking soda and baking powder.

2. Preheat oven to 350

3. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about five minutes). 

4. Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Lightly spoon flour into medium bowl (not the mixer bowl!)
6. Take out 2 T flour and combine with the blueberries in a small bowl, and toss well.
7. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the remaining flour.
8. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
9. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla.
10. Pour cake batter into a 10-inch tube pan (or a combination of smaller pans) . Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan 15 minutes; remove from pan. This cake is heavy! Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle over warm cake. Sprinkle with as much zest as you like, the more the better!