Making something from nothing seems so magical! Cooking up a steaming bowl of hearty soup from what we typically see as ‘extra’—or at the best something to compost—makes you feel like a real homesteader.
And anyone who has grown broccoli knows, there’s a LOT of extra leaves on those plants! Plus there are so many nutrients—AND so much flavor in the leaves we often toss onto the compost heap.
But this broccoli leaf soup recipe gives you an option for making a delicious, hearty soup with humble beginnings. The broccoli leaves act a lot like collards, and you can use any broccoli leaf that’s still green and not dried out. P.S. my boys actually enjoy de-stemming the leaves, which is the only real prep work to this one-pot soup!
We finally hit a new milestone at our suburban homestead last summer- preserving eggs! When we couldn’t keep up with the eggs our hens were laying we had to make some decisions.
What a wonderful problem to have. But I also wanted to make the most of our surplus for those winter months when the eggs dwindle. Especially because I knew that most of my girls were in for their first serious molting (usually happens around 18 months old) and so we’d be short on eggs come winter.
So, I did what most modern-day, first-generation homesteaders do- I took to the internet and started researching…
This will not only warm your body and soul, but makes your home smell like the holidays along the way… once I start making this Hygge season has officially arrived on our homestead.
Simple and completely able to tailor to your tastes, this recipe lets you add more or less of ingredients as you like.
A little crisp on the top layer, dense and perfectly spiced with chunks of warm apple throughout… This baked apple oatmeal recipe is so easy, uses a single bowl and can feel like a hearty breakfast or delicious dessert depending on how you dress it up!
I love the ‘idea’ of baked oatmeal but so many recipes can fall apart and feel like a good attempt gone wrong. This recipe teeters between baked oatmeal and oat cake/muffins, but I’m 100% comfortable with rocking the oat boat like this- because these are absolutely delicious!
Zucchini Fritters are a healthy ‘fast food favorite’ in our home every summer! We all know how fast those zucchini can grow… so if you want a healthy + savory take on the good old pancake (and use up cups of shredded zucchini all at once)- Zucchini Fritters are for you!
I love the two different versions of this recipe equally, it just depends on what flavors I’m craving more, and if I happen to have some potatoes around as to which I make.
You can use a variety of zucchini in this recipe, and even summer squash too, just be aware of the different moisture content in each variety. Patty Pan are one of the ‘meatiest’ and dense/driest types, while Fordhook + Golden varieties tend to be wetter. If you shred the zucchini and can see extra water in the bowl, squeeze some out so you don’t have too thin of fritters.
More information on Growing Zucchini + More Ways to enjoy them on another post A Zillion Ways to Zucchini.
This vegetarian squash lasagna is comfort food and pantry cooking combined! Using large, thin slices of squash as noodles creates a hearty, satisfying lasagna without the carbs. Did you know that pasta has about SEVEN TIMES the carbs as squash! There’s also something that happens with the baked squash and cheese that makes it’s own sauce, so no need for extra cream here.
Fancy enough to impress guests but cozy for a small family meal – and it makes great leftovers. Hello “Meatless Monday”!
We use the old stand-by winter vegetables of butternut squash, potatoes, kale and red onion with a few tweaks. This recipe can also both work as vegan if you sub in some vegan cheese.
Squash
Using the top solid part of a butternut squash (or slices of Delicata, Autumn Frost or Kabocha) for this lasagna recipe will help it hold together better. You can use the bottom part that you scrape the seeds out of for the smaller chopped pieces for roasting, even adding to a warm winter salad.
You do have to start this process with a sharp knife, but the slicing effort pays off in the end.
My last harvest of curly kale, last week…
Kale
Another start ingredient in the recipe is kale. Yes, I’m obsessed; eating kale makes me feel good, so I’m not going to stop anytime soon- but my northern garden has stopped producing it now. While I still have one bag of the fresh stuff left, I have many bags (and pucks) of frozen kale just waiting for me. This recipe works well with either frozen or fresh kale. I like options… lots of kale options 😉
In the interest of keeping this recipe more local, you can try the hot house grown “Bushel Boys” during MN winters, Grown in Owatana- which is just around 19,000 miles closer than California, the largest producer of tomatoes in the US. I think the greenhouse grown versions are not great for eating raw but they are perfect for this recipe. Unless you have whole frozen or canned tomatoes waiting for you…
Let’s get cooking!
Winter Squash Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 butternut squash 1/2 medium Red Onion 1 small bunch kale 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, 6-8 oz. provolone cheese 2 small tomatoes 1/2 C grated Parmesan *Optional – thin sliced ham or bacon EVOO, S&P
Directions
Heat oven to 425F
Get all the ingredients prepped: Peel and slice the butternut, (I like half circles) Slice potatoes into rounds Slice red onion into rounds, remove stems and shred or chop kale into bite size pieces
Slice provolone Slice tomatoes EVOO in bottom of pan and start layering:
Squash, then onion, then kale (optional meat) drizzle EVOO S&P Then Potatoes and half the provolone Then more kale, more EVOO S&P Then onion, tomatoes Top with rest of the squash and last of provolone
Bake for 30 minutes covered.
Drop temp to 400, and add parmesan to top. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
This is a new favorites- Let me know what you think! I always love to hear when people substitute ingredients too!
Dig In to this cozy comfort food and let me know what you think! Michelle
Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Dig In to this cozy comfort food and let me know what you think! Michelle
Are you ready to take your cocktail game to the next level? With a DIY cocktail infusion kit, you can create deliciously unique flavors at home, transforming your favorite spirits into personalized concoctions that will wow your friends and add a special touch to any gathering. Making your own infused spirits to add flair to your cocktails is simple and fun!
I love playing in the kitchen—being able to coax out intense or subtle flavors from high quality ingredients lets you taste the herbs and spices in new ways! Infusing spirits feels like magic to me…
And magic is always a good gift to give!
Remember to save a jar or two so you can gift yourself as well. 😉
I’ve gotten rave reviews from friends who’ve sipped the results of these infusions so far. They are simple to put together and fun to give—and better than the store-bought versions in so many ways (especially because you can pronounce all the ingredients!). Plus, they can shine bright in their presentation, or be as homey as you like!
For more holiday gift ideas visit my Gift Guide to give from the heart
Gather Ingredients for Your Cocktail Infusion Kit
Similar to mixing and matching herbs for teas from dried-up leaves, infusing imparts flavors (or healing properties like in calendula oil for making salve) without the heat. Letting herbs and spices impart their flavor at room temperature takes longer—but also brings with it subtler scents and layers of flavor.
I have just started seeing these kits in a few specialty shops and farmers markets and they are not cheap! But luckily, making them at home is quite inexpensive.
If making for yourself, you can use fresh ingredients (fresh orange or apple slices and cherries), but these make really fun gifts when fully dehydrated ingredients are added to the jars. Gifting dehydrated ingredients lets the person who receives the gift choose when they want to make the infusion themselves. You can gift with a bottle of spirits or without.
I love a versatile soup—and this healthy broccoli soup recipe can be tweaked so many ways, from silky smooth puree to a hearty chunky pottage, to cheesy and creamy decadence—but it all starts with some beautiful broccoli!
Start with the Best Broccoli
Broccoli is one of our family’s favorite garden veggies to grow. So much so that my boys will even go patrol for cabbage worms, the little green guys that can ravage this plant if left to their own munching.
I also love that when we eat broccoli, we’re eating the immature flower buds! I used to tell my boys they were eating broccoli bouquets, and I like to think that helped them grow in their love for this powerhouse veggie.
I’ve had good luck growing Bellstar, Emerald Crown, and Green Magic varieties of broccoli in our zone 4 gardens (all from Johnny’s Seeds).
Harvesting Tip** Soak your broccoli florets in salty water (1 Tbsp in a bowl of water) for a few minutes so any creepy crawlies float to the top!
Because it is a family favorite veggie, we grow a lot of broccoli and usually have some frozen to use during the winter months. And while we love many veggies from green beans to corn simply heated and eaten as side dishes straight from the freezer, I find broccoli needs a little extra love once frozen.
Soup is the perfect spin!
In addition to the blanched and frozen broccoli from the garden, I’m also saving broccoli stems all season to use in this broccoli soup. To make the best use of them, peel the ‘skin’ from the tender part of the stems closer to the buds. Toss the woody part (further down the stem) into the compost. These add great bulk and flavor to soups. And by peeling, you’ll get rid of the most gas-inducing part of the broccoli!
My secret ingredient in so many pureed soups is a little cream cheese. It adds such a depth of flavor and pairs well with broccoli.
You can keep it really simple, and even skip the pureeing, if you like it chunky. If leaving this kind of soup chunky, make sure to not overcook the vegetables. You can also add up to half cauliflower if preferred. See, super-flexible soups really are the best!
I’ve added the white beans and/or potatoes as a way to thicken this soup without adding gluten, and I like the flavor better too. Leave out the cream/cheese if you want to keep it dairy free or vegan.
Healthy Broccoli Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 celery ribs, chopped
1-2 yellow/white carrots (optional)
1 tsp thyme
1-2 cups shredded zucchini (optional but great thickener)
2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped
4-5 cups broccoli stems and florets (frozen is fine)
6 cups chicken (or veggie) stock
½ cup white beans (optional)
1 cup milk, or ½ cup of half and half, or ¼ cup of cream cheese
Salt + pepper to taste
Olive oil to sauté
Our family’s favorite garnishes for this healthy broccoli soup recipe are roasted chickpeas, pea shoots, green onion—and of course always served with toasted bread.
Directions:
Chop veggies into desired sizes, considering if you’ll be pureeing.
Sauté onions for a few minutes, then add garlic, thyme, and celery.
A few minutes later add the shredded zucchini, potatoes, and stock. If you have lots of good broccoli stems, add those in now as well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Then add in broccoli florets and cook for another 5-10. Or if pureeing, add florets at same time, cooking for 10-15 minutes total.
You can puree some stock with the white beans to thicken, or add milk, half and half, or cream cheese while pureeing as well.
Have fun garnishing! We love to sprinkle microgreens on top of our soups. And make sure that bread is extra toasty!
Welcome to summer at its best – Fresh Garden to Table Eating that celebrates so many of our favorite flavors of the season!
This is a great flexible recipe that can be changed to what you have on hand.
We eat this is as a chilled meal during high summer. While some might call it a salad, I see it as more of a base to add other things to; from leftover grilled chicken, some sourdough slathered with pesto… We’ve also added cooked and cooled cannellini beans to this for a protein boost. If you add beans, plan to add more dressing to keep the flavors balanced.
We’ve garnished with balsamic vinegar, pesto, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, olives, or whatever Italian flavors feel right that night. The main idea with this meal is to let the flavors from the garden shine. All the herbs in this recipe are easy to grow.
You can make this with regular pasta or use zucchini noodles (zoodles) or both if you have split family preferences like we do.
As sunlight hours (if not warmer temps) return to Minnesota, so do the backyard eggs. This gluten free Strata recipe is a beautiful way celebrate the return of spring and fresh eggs. It is also a healthy family favorite, and a great way to sneak in all kinds of veggies.
On Our Suburban Homestead
I love how our chickens help keep us in tune with nature’s cycles. If you’ve been interested in starting a backyard flock of your own, or want to learn where you can buy local farm fresh eggs, I’ve got you covered. This is a family favorite for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Especially when the boys go and collect the eggs then crack them right into the mixing bowl!
