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Karista Bennett

Chef & Food Writer

Five Spice Powder

Five Spice Pork Meatballs with Savory Blueberry Sauce

Five Spice Roasted Delicata Squash

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This is probably one of my favorite cookie recipes

This is probably one of my favorite cookie recipes. It’s simple, I almost always have the ingredients on hand and it includes sunflower seed butter, which I’m sort of obsessed with. 🤓

Sun Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies from my book, The Oregon Farm Table Cookbook. You can find the recipe in the book and the book is sold everywhere! So you’ll find it at your local bookshop or online. And you can always find a link on my website. But, you can also DM me and I’ll send the recipe to you. Happy Thursday! 🍪
#cookies
#chocolatechipcookies
#sunbutter
#oregonfarmtablecookbook

This silky RED CURRY CAULIFLOWER SOUP comes togeth

This silky RED CURRY CAULIFLOWER SOUP comes together easily and makes the perfect light lunch or dinner. It becomes a bit heartier when paired with a grilled cheddar and apple sandwich. Sometimes the simplest meals make the coziest evening.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee or extra virgin olive oil
1 large head cauliflower (about 2-2 1/2 lbs) stemmed and chopped
1 large yellow onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups vegetable broth
1 14oz can coconut milk (not light)
1 ½ tablespoons Thai red curry paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
Squeeze of lime juice to taste
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with sliced green onions or fresh chopped cilantro
Directions
In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. When it’s hot add the onion and sauté until
translucent. Then add the garlic, chopped cauliflower, fresh ginger, ground coriander and vegetable broth. Let the veggies and broth simmer on low for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft Next, stir in the coconut milk, Thai red curry paste and turmeric. Bring it back to a simmer. Let the soup simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes to bring all the flavors together.
With an immersion blender, blend the soup to a puree. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the soup to a blender or vitamix and puree.
Then pour the soup back into the pot. If the soup feels too thick, add another ¼ cup veggie broth until you feel you have the right consistency.
Season with salt and pepper and then add a squeeze or two of lime juice to taste.
Garnish with sliced green onions or fresh cilantro.
#cozyfood #comfortfood #winterfood #soup #cauliflower #healthycomfortfood

I make a tuna salsa with packaged or canned wild a

I make a tuna salsa with packaged or canned wild albacore tuna which is found off our beautiful Oregon coast. My brother first made this recipe for me about 20 years ago. It’s simple and flavorful and it’s become a staple in my kitchen.

I made this tuna salsa last week but I decided I needed to go all out comfort food that day and so I made it into a tuna salsa melt. 🤓

It was delicious! I’m in sandwich mode for some reason. So this tuna salsa melt had to happen. Even Mr. B loved it.

Here is the casual recipe. You can adjust ingredients to your taste or dietary needs.

Tuna Salsa Melt
1 5-6 ounce package of tuna, drained
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced (I used pickled jalapeños)
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Slices of your fave bread (I used Texas Toast)
Slices of pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese (cheddar would be good too)
A little Mayo
A little butter

Mix together the tuna, cilantro, onion, lime juice, jalapeños, a drizzle of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat a griddle pan over medium low heat. Spread some butter on the outside of the bread and a little Mayo on the inside to help the tuna and cheese to stick. Add the tuna and cheese to the Mayo side of the bread slices. Then place the sandwich cheddar side down on the skillet and let the sandwich slowly toast. This part is not to be rushed. Then once it’s toasty and melted flip to the other side.

If I make these for my family, I’ll place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and pop them in a warm oven until all the sandwiches are done.

Serve with extra jalapeños and chips. Enjoy!
#sandwichesofinstagram
#tunamelt
#oregonseafood
#comfortfood

You know how much I love the combination of bluebe

Yesterday I made these Crispy Rockfish Pub Burgers

It’s cold and rainy here in the Willamette Valle

It’s cold and rainy here in the Willamette Valley and it’s the perfect weather to serve this hearty, flavorful, but super delish Spinach Lentil Soup.

This soup is almost like an Indian Dal but with a bit more soup consistency. The gorgeous Indian spices make this soup taste fancy but it really couldn’t be easier.

I love to serve this soup with Garlic Naan or Socca, a chickpea bread. The recipe follows!

Spinach Lentil Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups yellow or green lentils, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a soup pot over medium heat, add the ghee or coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and fresh ginger and
cook one minute longer.

Stir in the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, mace and cayenne. Then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils and at least 2 cups broth. Add more broth if needed. Bring the soup to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes.
When the lentils are done, stir in the fresh baby spinach, lemon juice and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm and garnish with additional cilantro.
#wintersoup #winterfood #winterrecipes #winter #dinner #soup #indianfood #indianrecipes #easydinner

We’re going live on Instagram on Thursday, Janua

We’re going live on Instagram on Thursday, January 14th at 4pm!! Join me and Chef @lauriepfalzer for a live recipe demo of her luscious Warm Citrus and Thyme Sauté which we will be pairing with a gorgeous piece of Pacific Black Cod. I’ll be demonstrating a few techniques for cooking seafood (and the black cod)so you don’t want to miss this!

In the meantime if you don’t have Chef Laurie’s book, Simple Fruit, or my book, The Oregon Farm Table Cookbook, you can find both of them at your local bookshop or online wherever books are sold.
Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday! 😘
#oregonfarmtablecookbook #simplefruitcookbook #learnhowtocook #cookinglive #recipedemo #chefsofinstagram #cookbooks

I had planned on making these Crab Stuffed Mushroo

I had planned on making these Crab Stuffed Mushrooms in December. But for some reason I just never got around to it. It was another busy holiday season, with birthday celebrations included, but certainly not so busy I couldn’t have made them. Actually, what most likely happened is I planned way too many recipes for the month and these little lovelies just kept getting pushed down the list. This is classic Karista. 🤓

The holidays have passed and things here at Casa Bennett have slowed down as they always do this time of year. I’m intentional when it comes to a winter pause. It’s my time to reflect, bask in the winter stillness and breathe a little deeper.

And as well, an opportunity to make a few of the recipes that got left off the December list. 😉 I’ve listed the Crab Stuffed Mushroom recipe below. They make a delicious satisfying Saturday night nibble.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 6-8 / Makes 16-20
Ingredients
16-20 cremini or white button mushrooms, stems removed
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
6-8 ounces crabmeat
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Garnish with additional parsley and chives
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor, mix together the cream cheese, chives, Italian parsley, garlic, lemon juice and ¼ cup grated Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then stir in the crabmeat.
Place the mushrooms on the baking sheet and then fill each mushroom cap with the crab and cream cheese filling.
Mix together the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, Panko breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon of
fresh chopped parsley. Top each mushroom with the Panko and Parmesan mixture and then
place them in the oven for about 10 minutes, just until the mushrooms and cheese are warmed through. Serve immediately.

I’ve posted only a handful of social or politica

I wrote this ten years ago. It was a moment when i

I wrote this ten years ago. It was a moment when it felt as if everything in my life was falling apart and I had no control. I’d walk into my kitchen and start cooking. It became sort of meditation practice. A way to process my thoughts and feelings, breathe deeply and then concentrate on preparing a delicious meal that would soothe my family and bring comfort to our souls.

Now I practice meditation daily, but while sitting on my meditation cushion instead of wielding a knife. 😉 But the act of cooking, preparing something sumptuous with ingredients from the earth, still touches my soul and brings me a peace I will always relish.

Time spent preparing the simplest of food is always time well spent. ❤️
#thoughtsoftheday #foodquote #thepoetryoffood #foodlove #quotesoflife #quoteoftheday

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