Tomato Soup

As I get older, I am finding I like soup more and more and I am a little obsessed with this tomato soup.  That may not seem unusual except I hated tomato soup until I tried this one.

I realized I like each individual ingredient and so I thought I might like them all together as well.  I felt like an outsider all those years watching everyone enjoying their tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. But no more - I am now part of the club cause I like it too.

What's great about it is it doesn't require a special trip to the store because I usually have all the ingredients in my house. Lately it has been my go to meal for those nights I want an easy dinner idea. Although it needs to sit on the stove for about 40 minutes, it doesn't require a lot of attention.

I have dressed it up with diced avocado, and even topped it with grilled cheese croutons, but it tastes good enough in a bowl all by itself.

Tomato Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

4 cups vegetable broth

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup orzo (uncooked)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon salt (I substitute Basil Salt)

1 teaspoon pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook over medium low heat until lightly brown, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate pot cook orzo in boiling water for 7 minutes.  It will finish cooking once added to the soup.  Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in heavy crew and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Adapted from Food Network recipe.

What I Ate Wednesday

Sometimes just deciding what to eat can be a challenge.I look forward to eating my old favorites, but I do like to add some variety to my menu too.  Today was a mixture of both.  Breakfast and lunch are typical, but I stepped out of my routine for dinner.


I always eat  breakfast.  As they say, it is the most important meal of the day and I believe it!!  I am a fan of peanut butter and eat some everyday.  I spread some on a toasted english muffin and top one half with raspberry jelly and the other with spun honey.  By eating it open faced, I can eat more peanut butter and I don't have to choose between honey or jelly.  I can have them both!  This can be messy, but it is very filling and keeps me full for hours.

Lunch is usually a 1/2 cup of yogurt with some fruit or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  (Did I tell you I like peanut butter?) I only know it's a half cup because that the size of the container. Today I'm eating these awesome fresh raspberries I found at the market.  I never started eating yogurt until about a year ago when I tried the Cabot vanilla flavored Greek yogurt.  It is just the right consistency and the flavor is perfect.

Dinner is very exciting, it is a homemade rice bowl.  The bowl is layered with lettuce, fresh spinach, jacked up pinto beans, brown rice,fresh tomatoes, guacamole and cilantro.

Guacamole is another new food for me. (I didn't used to eat avocados either) My husband makes the best guacamole and I could eat it everyday.  When we first started  making it we didn't know how to keep it from turning brown, so we made ourselves eat an entire avocado each time we cut one. Now I have learned how to keep it green, so I don't stuff myself, and I get to eat some the next day too.  I put it in a plastic container and place plastic wrap directly over (touching) the top layer and then seal it with the container lid. As long as I can keep the air out, it stays green.  All in all it was a good food day!

Do you eat the same food everyday or do you like to mix it up?

Asian Noodle Salad

I am totally addicted to this salad I just started making.  I tried it last week and ate almost the whole thing over a three day period.  I made it again tonight and now my family loves it too, so I see I will have to make it again soon as there are only two servings left and one of those is going to work with me tomorrow.  

My sister has been telling me about this salad for years now as it is one of her favorites. I just never really was that interested - what was wrong with me?  It sounded like an odd combination and crunchy ramen noodles sounded weird to me.  Crazy weird - It just all works perfectly together and I can't get enough!

Crumbled Ramen Noodles

It is very easy to put together and that's another reason I like it.  You combine a bag of broccoli slaw, the one with the carrots and red cabbage, chopped green onions, almonds and crumbled Ramen noodles in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the sugar, vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, seasoning packet from the ramen noodles and salt and pepper to taste.  This is the dressing.  Pour it on the salad right before serving and toss to mix.   


The Ramen noodles are crunchy when you first make the salad, but by the next day, they have softened up because of the salad dressing, but taste just as good.  I like to top this salad with crispy rice noodles right before eating and that makes even the leftovers crunchy. Go make this now!! You won't regret it.

Asian Noodle Salad
Serves 6
1 bag broccoli slaw (12 oz)
5 green onions, chopped
1 - 3oz pkg Ramen noodles (chicken) 
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar (I use rice wine vinegar)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
dash of soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
crispy rice noodles for topping

Do you have a favorite salad or salad place?

Vegetable Cream Cheese

I have Trader Joe's envy because there is not one near me, not even close! I want one to come to Orlando. We love good food here, too!  On blogs and product reviews, I read about all these delicious foods you can only get from Trader Joe's. Every time I go to Atlanta to visit my sister, a trip to Trader Joe's is a must.  We have some favorites like the cereal bars, but we continue to try new products and there isn't one thing yet that we haven't liked. 

So you can bet when my daughter Cate went to Chicago last week, we asked her to bring back a couple of things from Trader Joe's.  She brought back the usual cereal bars, Joe-joe's vanilla sandwich creme cookies for a cheesecake recipe we will be making and we wanted to try their peanut butter so she bought a jar of that too. Little did we know  peanut butter is not allowed to fly on carry on luggage, so the TSA man took the jar and sadly it never made it back to Florida. What a bummer!

   

  But I will not leave you on that sad note. My happy ending Trader Joe story is about the yummy vegetable cream cheese I made using their whipped cream cheese.  Better yet you can make it with any brand cream cheese if you don't live near a Trader Joe's either. 

I used Ina Garten's recipe as a guide, but ended up gearing it towards my favorite vegetables and what I had in the house.You can vary the quantity and types of veggies to suit your taste buds.  It was one of those things I used to buy in the store until I realized how easy it is to make.  I like regular bagels, but know I shouldn't eat too many of those, so I eat bagel thins during the week.

Vegetable Cream Cheese

16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons green onions, use green and white part, about 2 onion stalks

2 tablespoons, carrot, about 3-4 small carrots

2 tablespoons, celery, about 1/2 stalk

2 pinches kosher salt

3 pinches granulated garlic

Put onions, carrots and celery in mini chopper to finely chop.  Add vegetables and seasonings to cream cheese, mix until blended.  I store my vegetable cream cheese in the original cream cheese container. 

Do you have a Trader Joe's near you?  Which of their products is your favorite?

How do you eat your bagel?

Spring Break Staycation

I finally made it to spring break!!   I will be spending the week in sunny Florida on my stay-cation.
I know how lucky I am to have a spring break and will not waste a minute.   I hope to get some spring cleaning done and organize some paperwork, but mostly I want to enjoy some unscheduled time and the beautiful weather without spending too much money.

There are many days I am at work thinking of all the things I would be doing if I wasn't at work, so now I have the chance to do them.  So far so good...

a successful trip to the farmer's market

reading a good book

bought a new pair of running shoes, on sale!

completed my first virtual race hosted by Cook Train Eat Race 

I ran a half marathon over two runs and will be sending in

my results in hopes that I can win the cupcake prize!

All this and it's only Tuesday!!

How would you like to spend spring break?

Hearty Pasta e Fagioli

As the days get shorter and the temperatures cooler, I find myself craving comfort food.  This heartier version of a familiar dish hits the spot!!

 This recipe is a twist on the Pasta e Fagioli soup you may have had at Olive Garden.  The twist is adding less liquid to make it more hearty and less soupy. This is a homemade version with the same great flavors and it can be made with or without meat. This makes a great weeknight dinner.

 Most of the prep involves opening cans and dicing vegetables. You can substitute kidney beans and cannellini beans for the pinto and great white northern beans if you prefer. Don't leave out the Frank's RedHot sauce it adds some great flavor, without much heat. You can find it in the condiment aisle of the grocery store.

 This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people, and can't be easily reduced so we had some leftover.  I take my lunch to work everyday and most days it's a pb and j sandwich or a frozen 

diet meal ....unless we have leftovers.  So this gave me a few days of yummy lunches!

Pasta e Fagioli

1 teaspoon oil

1 lb. ground beef

2 large carrots, thinly sliced

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (16 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups broth, vegetable or beef

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon Frank's RedHot sauce

1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce

8 ounces dry pasta, ditalini or shell

Heat oil in large pot.  Add beef and cook until browned. Add carrots, onion, celery and tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients to the pot (beans, broth, Italian herbs, pepper, parsley, Frank's sauce, spaghetti sauce and noodles).  

Simmer for about 45 minutes.  Until pasta is cooked, carrots and celery are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Serves 6-8

Kung Pao

What do you do when the craving for chinese food hits and going out to get some isn't a possibility? - You dig out the vegetables and meat you have in your fridge and start chopping.  Making chinese food at home is easier than you think especially when you use Williams-Sonoma's  Chinois Kung Pao Wok Sauce.   Kung Pao is a mildly spicy blend of ginger, garlic and chili.

I am sauce challenged and this has been the reason my previous attempts at home cooked chinese food never tasted as good as take out.  Needless to say, this was an exciting discovery! Although I could not find this product on-line at Williams-Sonoma to share with you, it is available in their retail stores ($12). 

We also use Hakubaku Organic UdonWheat Noodles in this recipe, a thicker spaghetti-like noodle, but regular spaghetti works just as well. 

Using your favorite meat (chicken, beef or shrimp) and vegetables this dish can be yours in about 30 minutes.   You do not need a wok to cook it, just a large fry pan.

This time we used zucchini, squash, carrot, mushroom and broccoli slaw.

We used the vegetables we had on hand, but you are only limited by your imagination.

Shrimp Kung Pao

To have everything done at the same time, you want to have your noodles cooking while you stir fry the chicken and vegetables.

This is a recipe that cooks of all levels can master.

Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables
1 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 zucchini squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
8 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup carrots, julienned
1 cup snow peas
2 cups broccoli florets
1 package 9.5 oz Hakubaku Organic Udon Wheat Noodles
8 tablespoons Kung Pao sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch



Boil water for noodles, cook according to package directions.
In bowl toss together 4 tablespoons Kung Pao sauce, cornstarch and chicken.  In nonstick fry pan or wok, heat oil over high heat.  Add chicken mixture to pan and sear meat, about 1 min.  Add vegetables and remaining 4 tablespoons of Kung Pao sauce.  Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  
Add boiled noodles to chicken and vegetable stir-fry.
Serve with soy sauce.
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Tomato Pie

Nothing says summer like Tomato Pie, especially when the tomatoes and basil are home grown.  Our Topsy Turvy has been cranking out the tomatoes and we have a small herb garden in containers.  This is a dish I had not experienced until I moved to South Carolina during my high school years.  I have loved it ever since.  It can be the main course as it was for us today.  We try to eat fresh foods as much as possible and one of my children is a vegetarian so  it works for both of us.   There are many variations of this recipe.  This version is very cheesy!  You can easily adjust the quantity of each ingredient to suit your personal preference.

Tomato Pie

4 tomatoes, sliced (peeled if you like)

1/3 cup green onions, chopped

6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup mayonaise

1 9-inch pre baked deep dish pie shell

Salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste

Layer tomato slices, green onions, basil, salt, pepper and granulated garlic in pie shell.

Mix mayonnaise and cheeses together and spread on top of tomatoes.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool slightly before cutting to serve.

Jacked-Up Pinto Beans

This is a family favorite and one of those dishes you can easily adjust depending on who's coming to dinner.  My daughter Caroline is a super-taster (very sensitive to spicy foods)  and this version is a bit spicy, so we use mild RO*TEL, omit the pepper and top it with Monterey jack cheese for her.  For bacon lovers, you can add bacon by omitting the canola oil and frying up 2 slices of bacon to start.  The onions will then be added and you can follow the recipe from there.  It does have mexican flavors in it so we often make it with grilled chicken or beef and tortillas. I think it is hearty enough to be the main course, but works great as a side dish too. It is one of those dishes you can make with items in your pantry.  It takes about 5 minutes to prep and then can simmer on the stove. The longer you simmer it, the softer the beans get. And as long as you don't go crazy with the cheese, it is a low calorie option.

Jacked-Up Pinto Beans

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2- 16oz cans pinto beans, undrained

1-10oz can Original Ro*tel, undrained

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish

3 oz shredded Pepper Jack cheese for garnish

In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until softened. Approximately 5 minutes.  

Add cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 30 seconds.

Add beans, Ro*tel and cilantro.  Stir to mix.

Simmer on medium, uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Garnish servings with pepper jack cheese and cilantro.