Roasted Garlic Soup

I clipped this recipe from a newspaper a few months ago. Garden of Eve, an organic farm on the north fork of Long Island, holds a garlic festival every September. The festival was coming up, and I was keeping my eye out for garlic themed recipes. I'm so glad I found this one! I love everything about garlic; its taste, smell, health benefits. Roasting the garlic, like you do in this soup, really enhances the flavor (and makes the house smell great!).

For weeks now I've been meaning to make a batch to keep in the freezer. This soup is perfect for colds, especially since garlic has antiviral and antibacterial properties. I don't know how effective garlic is once it's been roasted and once you're already sick, but the soup is at least comforting. I made a few substitutions, like oil for butter, to make it vegan. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but it's still rich and creamy (and much more healthy) without it.

When I made this yesterday morning, it took a lot of willpower not to eat a bowl right away. As much as I love garlic, I know not everyone does. I was going to a spin class and as a courtesy to the other spinners, I didn't want to be sweating garlic. What I'm getting at is, after eating this soup, you're probably going to stink. I didn't notice it last night after dinner since we all ate it, but when Logan had a bowl for lunch today he really reeked!

*The key to this recipe is roasting the garlic. To make it easier to extract the actual clove once it's roasted, cut off the top of two whole heads, exposing the cloves. Place the cut heads on a piece of tinfoil with a couple bay leaves. Drizzle with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and wrap it up. Roast in the oven at 350º for 45 minutes.

When the 45 minutes is up, remove the foil packet from the oven and let it cool slightly. Over a bowl, squeeze the heads so that the cloves are released from the husk. 

The roasted garlic cloves in the bowl, and the husks on the foil.

Roasted Garlic Soup

Makes about 6 servings

• 2 heads of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1 large potato, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast the garlic. See above for directions*
2. In a large pot, saute the onions in 2 Tbsp of oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the roasted garlic, and mix well. 
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Lower heat and simmer covered until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 30 minutes.
6. Transfer batches to a blender using a slotted spoon, and blend until smooth.

Irish Morning Juice

As delicious as they are, I'm getting a little tired of Bloody Nikkis. It's time to find a new juice. I started today by using an assortment of stuff in the fridge. Carrots were definitely getting juiced since I have way too many of them. I also have a lot of celery, since I'm trying to grow new stalks from the base of an old one. I heard you can propagate celery that way. I'll let you know how it goes.

Soak in a shallow dish of water.
This is as far as I got, since I forgot to plant it today.
I'll keep you posted on its growth.

To propagate from an existing stalk,
cut the stalks off just above the base.

Apples seemed like a good addition, and on a whim I threw the liquid part of the coconut milk I had leftover from making coconut whipped cream. this may have made the juice too sweet, so I won't be doing that again. Other than being sweet, it wasn't too bad. Leave the coconut milk out if you want to skip the sweetness.

I have a question for you juicers. When you juice an apple, do you core it first, or do you throw in the whole apple, seeds and all? I know some people include the seeds, but don't they naturally contain arsenic? That doesn't seem appetizing.

I'll be trying different juices until I find the perfect one, so juicers stay tuned!

Irish Morning Juice

Makes 2 servings

Before stirring, the green and orange reminded
me of the Irish flag, thus inspiring the name of this juice.

• 1 apple, cored
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• A couple Tbsp coconut milk liquid

1. Juice.
2. Sip.
3. Enjoy.

Bloody Nikki

This nutrient rich juice recipe was given to me by my friend Nikki, who is a big fan of detox juices like this. I haven't experienced any detox effects from drinking this, but I continue to make it because it makes a nutritious, filling breakfast. It has three simple ingredients. Beets give this juice it's "bloody" color. Eaten raw, beets are an excellent source of folate, so eat up preggos. They also contain high amounts of Vitamin C, potassium and other minerals. This root is also a source of glycine betaine, which lowers homocysteine levels in the blood, thus lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. Celery provides Vitamin C and fiber. It also contains a phytochemical called coumarin, which lowers blood pressure and increases the activity of white blood cells. Cucumbers are high in calcium and unique antioxidants that play a role in aging. These are just some of the benefits to these foods, and since they are consumed raw, you will be achieving their maximum benefits. As usual, organic is best, so skip the pesticides if your budget allows it!

Bloody Nikki

Makes 2 one cup servings

• 2 beets, greens removed
• 2 whole cucumbers
• 6 celery stalks

1. Wash the produce thoroughly and process through a juicer.
2. Drink immediately

Andrew added two carrots once, which made it very sweet. If you're not a fan of beets (the dominant flavor of the juice), the carrots lessen the taste.