Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Prosciutto

I first experienced a watermelon gazpacho in 2002 in Sedona, Arizona at a restaurant called The Secret Garden. I have no idea if their menu still includes watermelon gazpacho, but with a quick Google Search, it appears to still be in Sedona. Then a few weeks back at our favorite restaurant in SLO County, Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, we had a DEVINE Cantaloupe Gazpacho that I instantly knew needed to be recreated. 
Pictured here is the Cantaloupe Gazpacho from Thomas Hill Organics.

Cantaloupe Gazpacho with Prosciutto

cleaneatingwithkatie
The sweetness of the cantaloupe paired with the salty and savoriness of the prosciutto and with the herbs packs this soup with flavor. It's so simple and yet it feels very fancy.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large cantaloupe rind removed, seeded, & cubed
  • 4 mint leaves
  • 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil garnish
  • cilantro leaves optional garnish
  • 4 pieces prosciutto garnish

Instructions
 

  • Add the cantaloupe and mint leaves to a high-speed blender. Blend until the consistency is very smooth. 
  • Refrigerate the cantaloupe mint mixture for at least one hour before serving. 
  • Before serving, heat a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto to the pan to crisp. Once it crisps up, turn over to crisp the other side. Allow to cool. 
  • Before serving, portion out the chilled cantaloupe gazpacho into four bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, add a few cilantro leaves, and one piece of crisped prosciutto to each bowl.
Keyword cantaloupe, cantaloupe gazpacho, gazpacho
Here is my copycat version of Cantaloupe Gazpacho.

Low-FODMAP Chili

What’s a FODMAP? It’s not a fad diet or something that everyone needs to try. I recently began working with a Gastroenterologist on solving some digestion problems, specifically SIBO, or small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Part of this process means going on a low-FODMAP diet for about 5 weeks. 

FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides Disaccharides Monosaccharides And Polyols. These types of carbohydrates that are not absorbed properly in the gut, which for some, can trigger symptoms like bloating, gas, & abdominal discomfort. 

I am having to navigate restaurants and cooking while doing the low-FODMAP diet and I decided that I really wanted chili, but that means no onions, garlic, & celery, which are staples in my chili. It took some creativity, but I think I created quite a winner.

Low-FODMAP chili

cleaneatingwithkatie
While working on healing my SIBO, I needed to try a low-FODMAP diet, which meant removing some staples from my typical chili recipe (onions, garlic, & celery). Regardless of whether or not you are low-FODMAP, this chili recipe is tasty and will be a nice addition to your recipe repertoire.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

Chili Ingredients

  • 7 oz organic tomato paste
  • 18 oz diced organic tomatoes
  • 1 cup bone broth
  • 2 lbs grass-fed ground beef ground meat of any type will do
  • 4 large carrots diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper diced
  • 4-5 kale leaves destemmed and coarsely chopped
  • 2 serrano peppers thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chiffonade
  • 1 tbsp grass-fed butter
  • 6 yukon gold potatoes, baked optional

Spice Blend

  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
  • ½ tsp coriander
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder

Instructions
 

  • Add butter to a large soup pot and melt. Then add carrots and bell pepper and sauté over medium high. 
  • Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, one of the serrano peppers, and broth to mixture and stir well. Add spice blend, stir again. 
  • Add in the ground meat, crumbling it in as you add it.
  • Stir everything together and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 35 minutes. Add the kales leaves and about half of the chopped cilantro into the soup pot about 15 minutes before it's done cooking. 
  • If desired, serve on top of a baked potato and garnish with cilantro and remaining sliced serrano peppers. If not using a baked potato, serve in a bowl and add garnishes.
Keyword chili, gluten-free, grain-free, low-FODMAP chili, paleo chili

Tomatero Farm Box Soup

Sometimes when you pick up the farm box, you realize you have more veggies than you can quickly eat. While organizing farm box pickups with Tomatero Farm during shelter in place, I made another round of Farm Box soup. I make soup year round, although I know not everyone thinks soups sounds appealing in warmer weather, but in equatorial countries all over the world, they eat soups, stews, and spicy foods to help them break a sweat and cool down. I learned that in Jamaica ?? back in ‘07!

Anyway, here is a rough recipe for this soup – but I urge you to use what you have on hand!

Tomatero Farm Box Soup

cleaneatingwithkatie
When you have more vegetables than you know what to do with after a farm box pick up, soup is a great way to keep the veggies from going to waste.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 med leek sliced
  • 3 med carrots sliced
  • 3 med zucchini sliced
  • 24 oz puréed tomatoes
  • 1 lb ground pork pasture raised
  • 1 lb ground beef grass fed and finished
  • 3 tbsp Italian spice blend
  • 1-2 cups beef bone broth
  • 10 kale leaves destemmed and coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp basil chiffonade
  • sea salt to taste
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • red pepper flakes optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large stock pot sauté the leeks in butter. After they become aromatic and fragrant, add in the carrots, zucchini, bone broth, puréed tomatoes. Adjust heat to medium-high.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, use your hands to mix the beef, pork, and Italian spices. Form into meatballs and then add to the soup pot.
  • Cook on medium heat for about 20 more minutes. Add in kale and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
  • Before serving, top with some fresh basil and enjoy!
Keyword farm box, soup

A slightly different version of Tomatero Farm Box soup. Each farm box is different, so each soup will be too!

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut squash soup is something that I could eat nearly everyday during the winter months. Hearty, filling, healthy, and delicious. I found a recipe for it about 5 years ago, and since then, I’ve tweaked it to make it my own. I found the act of peeling the butternut squash simply ridiculous. It is insanely hard to peel a raw butternut squash. Then, while in Miami, a friend ordered some butternut squash at a restaurant and it arrived roasted with the skin on. MIND BLOWN. I decided then to stop peeling the squash for these three reasons. 1) It’s way too hard, 2) I’m going to puree the soup with an immersion blender anyways, and 3) the skin is where the nutrients are! So here is my favorite recipe for butternut squash soup. Enjoy!

  1.  

Butternut Squash Soup

cleaneatingwithkatie
Butternut squash soup is one of my favorite fall and winter meals. I usually pair it with a sausage and then I have a balanced meal. Because you don't have to spend time peeling the butternut squash, this recipe is that much sweeter!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • immersion blender (or food processor or blender)

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 1 large butternut squash seeded and coarsely chopped
  • 6 celery stalks diced
  • 6 carrots diced
  • 1 med. onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic diced
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp grass-fed butter
  • 2 cups chicken bone broth

Spice Blend

  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garlic sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 2 lemons juiced
  • 2 tbsp cilantro optional garnish
  • 1 tbsp grass-fed sour cream optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • Place a vegetable steamer in a large stock pot. Add water, butter, and butternut squash. Steam the butternut squash until pierced easily with a knife.
  • Once steamed, place squash in stock pot (leave water in pot). Add carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. 
  • Add all of the spices. Keep at simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
  • Use an immersion blender to purée soup (a regular blender or food processor will also work).  Add lemon juice (don't skip the acid step!). Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and garnish with cilantro.
Keyword butternut squash soup, paleo, soup

Onions are a good source of vitamins C and B6, potassium, and manganese. They are also rich in antioxidants, particularly quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin, which all play a role in cancer prevention. Onions also help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Carrots are good sources of vitamins A, C, B6 & K, biotin, potassium, thiamine, and fiber. They are also rich in antioxidants and good source of starchy carbohydrates.

Butternut Squash is a good source of antioxidant carotenoids, vitamins C, B1, B6, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. It is also a good source of potassium, manganese, and fiber. Dark-fleshed winter squash is shown to be protective against cancer, especially lung cancer, heart disease, and and type II diabetes.