There are days when it rains and wontons call my name. It’s a craving I can’t resist, and I have yet to find a way to paleofy those thin delicate wonton wrappers. So be warned, unlike most of my recipes, this one is only paleo friendly if you skip the wonton wraps and make little meatballs of filling instead, which is still like a warm hug on a cold day. Our house got struck by lightning, I thought we were going to explode it was so loud and scary. We were about to run out the door when it happened. I’m convinced if we would’ve been outside at the time one of us would’ve been struck. Such an occasion of torrential downpour and a near zap from Thor is a definite occasion to indulge in these little pockets of flavour and texture.
We’re in the middle of our move, the house is chaos, have I mentioned that I hate moving. This is the 5th time in the last year and a half and it is decided that the next time we move it will be to our own land, to build our own earthship or something equally eco friendly and awesome. Thankfully my parents are here to help us, and give J and I ample reprieve from baby holding. We saw 2 baby moose on our way back from the new place yesterday, man they are beautiful creatures.
I really like my wonton soup infused with thai flavours of lemongrass,chilis and kaffir lime, the exceptional flavour makes up for the lack of MSG which lies in most restaurant wonton soups.
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp ground lemongrass or paste
2 kaffir lime leaves or 1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs coconut sugar or honey
2 tsp tamari or coconut aminos
For the broth
8 C chicken stock
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
a few handfuls fresh greens-kale,mustard,bok choi, chard...
For wontons
one package medium sized wonton wraps
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs water
Instructions
For the filling
Add coconut oil to a hot skillet, sautee onion, garlic, ginger until onion is translucent.
Add pork or chicken, chili,lemongrass, kaffir lime,fish sauce,coconut sugar and tamari and cover on medium until pork is fully cooked- about 10 minutes.
Allow filling to cool somewhat before assembling the wontons.
For the broth
Add all ingredients aside from greens to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Assembly
Typically I make a row of wonton wrappers, add a tsp of filling to the centre of each, with a little pastry brush or my finger i use some of the egg yolk and water mix to create a glue around the perimeter, fold them into little diamond shapes and repeat until all the filling is used up.
Make sure to get all the air out when you fold the wraps and they will be less likely to explode.
When you have a sufficient amount of wontons made, approx. 40 you can start adding them to the boiling broth, they only need about 5 minutes to cook, lastly add the greens.
You had me at golden beets, darling. Rare gems which only show themselves for such a short window of time. They overwhelm me with their golden hue, to be turned into a multitude of lip-smacking creations. I want to shred them to top my salads, juice them to give me zesty energy, slice them thinly to show their stripes to the world, roast them and allow their sweetness to burst forth. Since I only had 3 golden beauties, I chose the latter option, because roasted beets alone are wonderful, but combined with roasted cauliflower to form a perfect summer golden beet soup, they really shine. Hot or cold, this soup is divine, I served it chilled since it was such a hot day and we enjoyed it with bumble berry BBQ sauce smothered roast chicken, which was really something. This super simple soup has side effects of: contentment, you are what you eat syndrome, and sunshine spewing out your every orifice. Ok maybe not that last one.
Stunning, right? If your ever wondering what to do with beet greens, well you’ve come to the right place. Just a few ideas…
Lightly steamed with some butter, salt, pepper and lemon
Stir fried in sesame oil and copious amounts of sesame seeds
Blended into a nourishing smoothie with berries, banana and yogurt
Finely chopped and fried with garlic to stuff a piece of chicken or an omelette
Raw in salads
And now, a tiny monologue…for any friends who care to hear my life ponderings.
What I’m realizing lately, is that everything gets better with practice. From taking care of a baby to communicating effectively in our relationships to photography, to washing the dishes. The parallel of practice is change. We can never stop practicing, because we and all things around us are constantly changing. One hurdle may be overcome but the natural progression of things simply brings us to the next obstacle. Natures design for our elevation, also exists to humble. I’ll take a piece of that pie, and come to realize that we are always learning, growing, shrinking, changing, and it’s okay if some lessons take time. Sometimes I think it’s not good enough, I need to be better. But I stop and ask the question, am I doing my best? Is that not all I can ever do? Yes, that’s all we can do, and everything, in time, gets easier.
I’m grateful to have this blog, this space, to write and share my passions with all of you lovely readers. Le sigh, life is good.
Ps. This pesto is great with scrambled eggs, zucchini noodles, or with some lemon and olive oil for a proper salad dressing.
Golden Beet & Cauliflower Soup with Parsley Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Author: Chantelle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
3 golden beets, cut into 1 inch chunks
½ a head of cauliflower, broken into florets
2 carrots
½ tsp sea salt
some fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp+1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 cup coconut milk
1½ cups water
½ tsp tumeric
bunch of parsley, stalks removed
4 small garlic cloves or 2 bigger ones
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F
In a roasting pan combine the beets, cauliflower and carrots coat with 1 tsp sesame oil and salt + pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 30 mins.
In a blender or food processor add pumpkin seeds, parsley, garlic, olive oil and sesame seeds and blend until well combined. Set mixture aside.
Add the roasted vegetables to your blender or food processor with coconut milk, water and turmeric, process until you achieve a smooth and creamy soup.
Top with pesto, fresh cracked pepper and sesame seeds.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
