Looking for some Easter recipe ideas? We’ve pulled a few of our favourites from the past for you to check out!
Cooking with Carrot Tops
Following a trip to the farm for hand-picking carrots, we often overlook one valuable resource right in our kitchen – the carrot tops. These vibrant greens, often discarded, hold the potential to transform into delicious dishes. From soups to pesto to sauteed greens, using carrot tops not only contribute to flavour, nutrition, and creativity but also aligns with minimizing food waste.
Here are three simple carrot top recipes to try:
1. Carrot Top Soup
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of carrots with leaves (carrots coined)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 4 stalks of celery (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon of garlic (minced)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1 15 ounce can of six bean medley (drained and rinsed)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the carrot root from the stems of the carrots. Wash the root and slice into coins. Cut the carrot greens from the stem and place into a colander or bowl to wash away excess dirt. Set aside to dry (approx. 20 minutes). Once dry, remove remaining hard stems from the carrot leaves.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, celery slices and coined carrots to the pot and cook for approx. 10 minutes (until vegetables begin to soften). Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant and browned, approx. 2 additional minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, six bean medley, and bay leaves to the pot and increase the heat to high. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 35 minutes. Add. salt and pepper to taste.
- After the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, remove from the heat, and stir in carrot greens. Add a dollop of carrot top pesto, if desired.
1. Carrot Top Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrot leaves
- 1 cup of spinach
- ¼ cup roasted cashews
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pulse the carrot tops and spinach leaves, cashews, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground. Slowly drizzle in the oil, and process until blended. Add the Parmesan and some salt & pepper, and pulse until combined.
1. Sauteed Carrot Tops
Ingredients
- 4 cups of carrot tops
- 4 tablespoons garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for approx. 1-2 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Add the carrot tops and stir continuously until they are covered in oil and have completely wilted, approx. 2-3 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Tips for using carrot tops effectively
- Wash carrot tops thoroughly before using to remove any dirt or debris
- Store them separately from the carrots in a plastic bag wrapped in a damp paper towel to maintain freshness
- Mix carrot tops with other herbs like parsley or cilantro to create unique flavour profiles
Potato Ham Soup
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
1 medium sized carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 white potatoes, chopped to bite sized
½ head of cauliflower, roughly chopped to bite sized pieces
1 ham steak (or about 1 cup ham), chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
¼ cup cream
1 tsp thyme, ground
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and saute until tender. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
Add the vegetable stock, and potatoes to the pot. Cook on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower and ham and continue to cook until cauliflower and potatoes are tender.
Add ground thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in cream.
Serve hot.
Note: you can serve this topped with cheddar cheese, bacon bits, a dollop of sour cream, and sliced green onions for added freshness and flavour!
Asparagus Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
2 stems green garlic, trimmed and diced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed, then roughly chopped
1 potato, peeled and pureed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup cream
Cottage cheese, for serving
Instructions
Heat oil and butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat, until butter is melted. Add one piece of diced onion, and when it starts to sizzle, add the rest along with the diced green garlic.
Cook until onions and garlic are softened. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
Next, add asparagus and potato to the pot and mix until coated with spices and oil.
Add the broth to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes, until asparagus and potato pieces are soft.
Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth and silky.
Finish off the soup by stirring in the lemon juice and whipping cream, stirring to combine.
Serve soup with a dollop of cottage cheese and enjoy! Pair with a protein and a piece of crusty bread for a delicious and nutritious meal.
Recipe modified from a newspaper clipping (from my grandma!) & photographed by Alex Chesney, RD
Thai Coconut Curry Soup
Today’s freezing temperatures and blustery wind have me craving more soup. Do you feel it too? This recipe is sure to warm you through and through thanks to the flavours of ginger and Thai curry paired with comforting butternut squash and coconut milk. As a bonus, you’ll get a generous dose of vitamins A and C thanks to the squash, and a hit of protein and iron offered up by the red lentils.
The iron found in plant-based proteins is called non-heme iron and is a bit harder for our bodies to absorb than heme iron (found in meat). However, pairing non-heme iron with Vitamin C increases absorption. See where I’m going? The Vitamin C from the squash will work in tandem with the iron in the lentils to fuel you more efficiently. Another bonus of red lentils are their quick-cooking nature and their tendency to start to disintegrate when cooked. This makes them essentially impossible to detect; a great way to power up the picky people in your lives!
Give it a try today and let me know what you think.
*Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 –2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (depending on your spice preference; I used 2!)
1 can coconut milk
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, diced
½ cup red lentils
Instructions
Heat oil in a medium pot, over medium heat. Place 1 piece of diced onion in the pot to test the temperature of the oil. Once the onion starts to sizzle, add the remaining onion.
Sauté the onion for 1-2 minutes, until it begins to soften. Then, add the diced bell pepper and continue to sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
Once the vegetables have softened, and onion has started to become translucent, add the ginger powder, salt, pepper, and Thai curry paste. Mix to combine.
Next, add the coconut milk. Stir to combine, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, gathering up all of those flavourful bits that may have started to stick!
Add the vegetable broth, again stirring to combine.
Finally, add the butternut squash, carrot, and red lentils. Stir to combine, then place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil.
Once the pot reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.
At this point, the butternut squash should be soft, and the lentils should have started to disintegrate.
Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and glossy.
Top with your favourite roasted winter veggie and serve with a slice of whole wheat bread for a filling and nutritious meal. Enjoy!
Recipe created by Alex Chesney, RD
Leek and Potato Soup
The weather has been unpredictable lately — snowy and cold one day then slushy and warm the next. Regardless of the temperature, one thing has remained constant, and that’s my desire for soup. The winter months have always made me crave this warm and comforting meal, and that hasn’t changed this year! Their ease and versatility are also a great selling point. I de!ided to start off 2019 with a classic: leek and potato!
Both leeks and potatoes are crops that keep well long after harvest. The farm has settled into a quiet rhythm for these next few months, but we do still have a few veggies kicking around the barn. I rescued a bundle of leeks and a handful of potatoes to pair with leftover veggies from my fridge and then hit the kitchen!
When preparing the potatoes, I washed them thoroughly then removed any eyes and marks, otherwise leaving the skin intact. As with many fruits and vegetables, the skin houses the majority of the nutrients, particularly the fibre! When it comes to leeks, many consumers are not aware of their nutrition content. Are you? Just in case, I’ll fill you in! Leeks contain an incredibly high amount of Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that helps our bodies heal wounds, and maintain the health of blood vessels and bones. Because it’s fat-soluble, it’s best absorbed when paired with fat. In this recipe, both the butter and the milk/cream contribute fat. Pretty neat, hey?
Overall, this soup is flavourful, creamy, and satisfying. It makes the perfect lunch for a chilly weekend, or a quick and easy dinner for those busy weeknights. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
*Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil or butter
3 large leeks*, white parts sliced into coins
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, diced (or 1 cup frozen diced carrots)
2 stalks celery, diced
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
4 medium potatoes, cubed
½ cup milk or cream
Instructions
Heat oil or butter in a medium stock pot over medium heat. Add one small piece of leek and wait for it to start to sizzle.
Once sizzling, add the rest of the sliced leeks. Cook for 3 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until leeks are softened.
Add minced garlic and other diced vegetables. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, again stirring frequently.
Next, add herbs and spices, mixing until all vegetables are evenly coated. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock and the potatoes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low (maintaining a gentle simmer) and cook for approximately 20 minutes.
Once potatoes are softened, remove soup from heat. Blend the soup using an immersion blender or upright blender until a creamy consistency is achieved. Add the milk or cream and stir to combine.
*Be sure to wash the leeks very thoroughly, as although they are pre-washed before being sold, dirt has a way of working its way inside of this tasty veggie!
Recipe created by Alex Chesney, RD
Late Summer Chowder
Cooler weather is approaching, the official start of autumn is around the corner, and soup season has arrived! I’m looking forward to being able to comfortably use the stove and oven again and put them to work cooking up the tasty fall recipes I have in mind. To start us off we’ve got a hearty, delicious, and easy chowder. Flavour is built by cooking the vegetables in stages, and coating them with a lovely combination of spices. A low-sodium vegetable broth and just a dash of salt at the end will ensure a hearty-healthy final bowl, and all the wonderful vegetables featured make for a soup that is satisfying and filling. Take advantage of these still-in-season vegetables combined with comfortable cooking temperatures and try this recipe today. Let me know what you think!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno, diced (more or less, depending on spice tolerance!)
2 bell peppers, diced
2 cobs sweetcorn, cooked & removed from the cob
1 zucchini, diced
5 small red potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon paprika, oregano, and parsley (each)
½ teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup milk
Salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat until hot. A handy trick to test the readiness of the pan is to toss in a small piece of diced onion along with the oil. When it starts to sizzle you know you’ve reached the right temperature!
Once hot, add all the onion to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent and softened.
Add the garlic and peppers and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the corn, zucchini, spices, and flour. Mix until vegetables are evenly coated with the spices & flour.
Next, slowly add the vegetable broth, stirring constantly.
Once all the broth has been mixed in, add the potatoes. Lower the heat slightly and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are softened.
Add the milk and stir until hot.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Enjoy!
Recipe created by Alex Chesney, RD
Sweet Potato (Squash) Soup
Sweet Potato (Squash) Soup
*Serves 4-6
This soup features a few of the many fall veggies we have on the farm – delicata squash (aka sweet potato squash), sweet potato, and onion. Both of the squash are small and easy to peel & chop. These powerhouse ingredients are chock full of not only delicious flavour, but also vitamins A and C! Blending the soup + adding some coconut milk provides an amazingly creamy texture and the cinnamon and nutmeg add some wintertime depth to the overall flavour.
Ingredients:
2 delicata squash (aka sweet potato squash), peeled and cubed
2 large sweet potato, peeled and cube
1 onion, diced
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
Pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Place vegetable broth in a medium-sized pot and add the diced onion and peeled and cubed squash and sweet potato over medium-high heat.
Bring mixture to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until squash and sweet potato are tender.
Blend soup mixture using an immersion blender or a blender. If using a blender, allow soup to cool and then transfer in small batches.
Once soup is blended, mix in coconut milk and spices. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe created by Alex Chesney, RD
