CHICKEN MISO SOUP with Butternut Squash, Sage & Apple

     Our chicken population was getting out of control. We were going through a bag of chicken feed every week and so it was definitely time to cull the flock. Although these lovely birds of ours aren't great for roasting, they do make great stock. If I remember to pick the meat off early enough, then I have a some nice tender meat to make sandwiches and soups with too.
     When it comes time to make soup, I often ask myself the same question; is there any way I can make chicken soup a little more exciting? Here was yesterdays chicken soup redo with a batch of the sourdough biscuits my family loves so much slathered with salty butter...

CHICKEN MISO SOUP with Butternut Squash, Sage & Apple

2 pounds leftover cooked chicken meat

2 onions, chopped

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

3 cups, peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 cup peeled and diced parsnip

1 1/2 cups apple cider

2 cups mineral rich chicken stock

2 cups peeled and chopped apple

2 Tbsp chopped fresh sage, or 2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp peeled and grated ginger root

2 tsp sea salt, or more to taste

fresh black pepper

1/2 Tbsp white miso per bowl of soup

Method: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, drizzle with oil, and saute onions until soft. Add the vegetables, apple, chicken, stock and cider. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until squash is tender. Place 1/2 Tbsp miso in each bowl, dilute with some stock, and then fill with soup. Stir and serve.

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SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sourdough culture

Method: In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add the sourdough culture, stirring with a fork. Add more flour as necessary to prevent the dough from being to sticky and wet. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead very briefly until the dough is soft and barely sticky. Add more flour as needed. 

Using your hands form the dough into a rectangle about 2 inches thick. Using a large knife cut into 8 biscuits. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours. Bake in a preheated 375*F oven for about 20 minutes or until golden. Serve hot.

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STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

     Seeing as this was the first week for fresh, local strawberries, I just had to make some strawberry shortcake.  Yesterday we enjoyed the first quart of strawberries on my husband's chocolate birthday cake.  Even though we still had leftovers of that, I had a craving for whipped cream and biscuits, loaded with strawberries.  Now the beauty of this recipe is it included using up some of that Rhubarb Compote I wrote about a few days ago.  I had a batch sitting in the fridge, and it was a yummy, sweet addition to the shortcake.  

It seems I've got strawberry fever.  Not only am I eating lots of strawberries, I'm planting them too!  I bought some strawberry plants the other day at Avery's Farm Market on my way home from the city.  So of course, then I needed somewhere to plant them.  That was when I decided a perennial vegetable garden would be perfect for planting not only these healthy strawberry plants, but the asparagus seeds I've been meaning to plant, and some rhubarb too.  Thanks to Scott's hard work today, we now have a new raised bed that's waiting for a soil delivery.  I can't wait!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

1 batch organic whole wheat biscuits http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-biscuits-ever.html (you may want to add some more sweetener to this recipe)

1 batch rhubarb compote http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2010/05/rhubarb-compote.html 

1 quart local unsprayed or organic strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 carton organic whipping cream

Method:  Slice a biscuit in half with a serrated knife.  Drizzle the sliced strawberries with most of the maple syrup and let sit for 15 minutes.  Make the whipped cream by adding a drizzle of maple syrup to the bowl before you use an electric mixer to whip the cream for about 5 minutes.  Slather each side of the biscuit with some rhubarb compote, top the bottom half with whipped cream, followed by some strawberries and syrup.  Top with the other half of the biscuit.

BEST BISCUITS EVER!

So Scott's dad

 was coming into town the other morning.  As a courtesy, Scott decided to make his father a cup of tea and set in on the table for when he arrived.  He placed his own breakfast of nicely warmed biscuits and molasses down as well and when his father arrived he let him know that his tea was on the table.  Greatly appreciative, Glen sat down to a meal of Scott's breakfast and washed it down with tea!  Poor Scott, he had to eat cold biscuits and molasses.  Faegan really likes them too...

TEA BISCUITS

2 cups organic whole wheat flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder (non aluminum variety and gluten free

 will mean no GMO cornstarch)

2 tsp sugar (optional)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic palm oil

4 tbsp cold unsalted organic butter

2/3 cup organic milk

Method: Preheat oven to 450*.  Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Cut in the palm oil and butter.  Stir in the milk.  Knead 4-5 X.  Pat out dough 1/2 " thick.  Using a long sharp knife, cut dough into squares or rectangles.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet until golden, about 10-12 mins.