Potato & Leek Soup with Cilantro

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/

I'm a week late! Ack!

I've never had vichyssoise before but I guess this soup would be similar, as they're both pureed potato and leek soups, however this soup is served hot and is probably not as thick as vichyssoise, and obviously vichyssoise does not have cilantro in it.

It's delicious and easy to make, although sometimes it can be a pain to have to puree a large amount of something.

This recipe is from 101 Meatless Family Dishes by John Ettinger, published in 1995.

3 tbsp butter

4 cups (about 1 pound) leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped*

2 stalks celery, sliced**

3 cups water

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

3 cups milk

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional, or you may use parsley or watercress instead)

*One leek will yield 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped (white part only).

**I chose to omit the celery as I don't like the taste of cooked celery all that much.

Melt butter in a large pot, add the leeks and celery, and cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

 Add water, potatoes, milk, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, or until potatoes are tender.

 Remove to a blender or food processor and puree. Stir in cilantro, or sprinkle on top and serve.

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Orange-Basil Butter

 

http://community.jeroxie.com/groups/cookbook-challenge/ 

The current Cookbook Challenge theme is Outdoors. I think it would have been neat to do a recipe that involved ingredients grown in my own garden, but it's much too early in the year for that, so I had to settle for an outdoor grilling recipe. Luckily, I had just gotten my husband a small gas grill for Christmas. Despite the cold, often rainy weather, we've been grilling things nearly every weekend. It's not just for Summertime! Since I'm mostly a vegetarian, I picked out a recipe that didn't involve grilling any meat. Not that I have a problem with cooking or working with meat, I just wanted to make something that I could eat.

This is from Best of Weight Watchers Magazine: Volume 1, published in 2002. I don't do Weight Watchers, but I came across this cookbook for very cheap at a thrift shop and it has a lot of good recipes, so I had to get it. If you do Weight Watchers, each ear of corn is 2 points (or 111 calories) if made with light butter.

4 ears fresh corn

2 tbsp light butter, softened

1 tsp grated orange rind

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Spray the grill with nonstick spray; prepare the grill for a medium-hot fire. Husk the corn and remove any corn silk. Lightly spray the corn with nonstick spray and grill, turning occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.

 

No awesome grilling action shots, as it was too dark outside.

Meanwhile, combine the butter, orange rind, vinegar, sugar, basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

 

Brush the grilled corn with the orange-basil butter and serve immediately.

 

These turned out really great! It was a flavor combination that I had never tried before, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it worked.

If you don't have an orange or dried basil on hand, try lemon and thyme or cumin and cayenne!