~Fancy~ Grilled Cheese & All-Grown-Up Tomato Soup

So, Guy & I wanted to make a quick and easy comfort dinner: Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese. Yum! We both started doctoring the soup & this is what we came up with. It was great! As for the Grilled Cheese, Guy remembers having this at the Chicago Diner when he was still in high school. I don't know how we have had a relationship for 13 years before he shared this grilled cheese secret, but its now my favorite way to have grilled cheese!

~Fancy~ Grilled Cheese

2 Wheat Bread
1/2 C Shredded Carrot

1/2 Refrigerator Dill Pickle, sliced thinly

optional: diced green onion
3 Slices 2% American Cheese
Smart Balance

Heat pan and butter bread. Place 1 slice of bread butter side down to brown. Top 1 slice of bread with 1 1/2 slice of cheese. Top with carrot and pickle. Top with 1 1/2 slice of cheese and 2nd piece of bread. Flip when well browned on first side. Cook until well browned Yum!

All-Grown-Up Tomato Soup
8 oz Small Dry Pasta - I had stars, orzo would work, but keep it small
Water

26 oz Condensed Tomato Soup (Family Size)
28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes - don't drain!
13 oz Water
1 Lg pinch Saffron
3-4 Tbsp Tandoori Powder

Cilantro
Diced White Onion

Cook pasta as directed (mine was 3-5 min). Drain.
Heat tomato soup, diced tomatoes, water and spices. Add drained pasta when ready.
Top with cilantro and diced onion. Enjoy!

Greek Green Beans

Green Beans featured on upper right side!

Here is the link for the Greek Stewed String Beans. We brought these to dinner on Christmas Eve for the Dumper side of the family. I have never had so many complements on a dish!

A long long time ago, or just last week...

You may remember when I posted a bunch of pictures that I was going to update with the recipes? Yeah, that hasn't happened. What has happened is that I have found all of the recipes that are not-so-greatly pictured below from an awesome must-drink-more-prosecco dinner party in Jan 2011:

Here is the link for the Greek Stewed String Beans... if you were lucky enough to have Indian feast leftovers a few weeks back, then the String Beans were included. They will be making an appearance at a potluck this week too!

Also on that plate is the Orzo Salad from Food Network's Giadia DeLaurentiis


And lastly, the Chicken with Salsa Verde, which is more pesto than salsa, but try it yourself. You will want to cover everything in that sauce :-)

Veggie Roasted Veggie Veggie Lasagna

2 Supersized Zucchini

6 Heads of Broccoli

3 Carrots

30 oz Spinach

2 T Olive Oil

3 Onions, diced

3 Cloves Garlic

1T Basil

1T Oregano

1 t Italian Seasoning

2T tomato paste

56oz Crushed Tomatoes

28oz Diced Tomatoes, slightly drained

60 oz Low-Fat Ricotta

1t salt

1t pepper

1t garlic powder

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

4 C Mozzarella Cheese

1 Box no-boil lasagna noodles

Spray 2 cookie sheets with oil. Slice Zucchini into large pieces ½ in thick. Lay tightly on cookie sheets and roast for 25 min. Flip slices and roast additional 15 minutes. Let cool. Slice into bite sized pieces.

Cut Broccoli into florettes. Cut carrots into thin slices. Combine. Sprinkle lightly with S&P. Spray a cookie sheet with oil. Layer vegetables and roast for 25 min.

Make scratch tomato sauce. Heat 2 T Olive Oil in a pan, add diced onion and cook until they begin to sweat. Add 3 Cloves Garlic, basil, oregano & italian seasoning. Cook for 5-7 minutes until starting to get golden. Add tomato paste. Stir until well combined. Add crushed & diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to simmer. Simmer until ready to assemble, at least 15 min.

Wilt the spinach in the microwave. I covered it with saran wrap and added a T of water, then microwaved for 3 min. Drain and toss with Broccoli & Carrots, after roasted.

Combine Ricotta cheese with 1t salt, 1t pepper, 1t garlic powder, and ½ a bunch of parsely.

Spray 2 9x13 (or larger) pans with oil. Assemble each pan of lasagna.

Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Cover with 4 lasagna noodles, layer with ricotta. Layer with zucchini. Layer with mozzarella, layer with other veggies, layer with sauce. Repeat.

Save some mozzarella for the top of the lasagna. Bake 350 for 30-45 min, until bubbly and meltey.

Temphe Tacos

Quick Asian Meal

The best thing to make when I don't want to cook? Dumplings! They are quick and simple with little clean up.
We prefer chicken and veggie ones from our International Grocery store.

We make these in a bamboo steamer with cabbage or lettuce leaves spread out under the dumplings. After the water boils in the wok, it takes about 15 min. til dinner is served.

These are topped with green onion and the sauce put on it includes a couple of shakes of: hot dumpling sauce, soy, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. All things that are just hanging out in our pantry!







Paired with a salad...Lettuce, Carrot (cut in sticks), Cucumber (cut in sticks), Green onion, Sesame Seeds, and 2 T of bottled Asian dressing.

And for dessert... 5 Spice Ginger Oranges! Yum! 

The original recipe from 1000 Low Fat Recipes and calls for:

5 seedless oranges, peeled and pith removed sliced across
1/2t Five Spice Powder
1 t Cinnamon
1/2 C honey
2 T Crystallized Ginger, very thinly sliced

Melt honey (in microwave) til runny. Mix in spices. Pour over sliced oranges. Toss. Sprinkle with ginger.

Sloppy Joes

Yes, this qualifies for a healthy meal. Made with 98% lean ground turkey and having 1/4 of the dish (i.e. 1/4lb of turkey) for all this food is extremely filling and nutritious. We most recently served this with mashed honey sweet potatoes from Rachel Ray.


1lb Lean Ground Beef (or meatless veggie substitute or ground turkey works great too!)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
½ C ketchup
1 T brown sugar, packed
1 T vinegar, white or cider
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 t yellow mustard
¼ t salt and pepper
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
4 Whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Brown meat, onion and green pepper in skillet over medium heat.
Drain fat. (If using veggie meat sub, brown vegetables first, then add meat sub.)
Add garlic & cook 3 minutes.
Mix ketchup, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, mustard, salt and pepper together.
Add mixture and can of tomatoes to skillet.
Mix well and cook uncovered 10 minutes, until thickened.
Divide between buns and serve.
Serves 4.

~ Mom's Recipe

Minestrone Soup

I made a huge batch of Minestrone Soup (modified from this link ) yesterday, man it is sooo good! I think this beats Leona's, which is one of my favorites! I learned that...

This soup has a beautifully rich broth, not too tomatoey, tons of veggies. Reading the ingredients, I didn't think there would be enough. I was SO wrong.

I don't think I have truly appreciated the texture of soaked dry beans vs. the canned variety until now. Don't take the shortcut, it was so worth the wait!

I did use salt pork in the beans, which I have never cooked with before. I didn't cut it up as suggested because it seemed completely flavorless. Next time I would leave this out because the veggie beef stock adds enough flavor, plus then I can share with my veggie friends :-)

I used Better than Bouillon vegetarian beef stock and a total of 2 tsp salt. 

I love my emulsion blender. I think its the most amazing tool in my kitchen! 

I also made1 lb of ditalini pasta separately to go into the soup. In the future, I think I could leave out or 1/2 the potato. I like just a little pasta added to each bowl of soup right before serving. This way the soup doesn't lose all its yum yum broth sucked up by the noodles or get too starchy.

So here is the modified recipe...

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

2 C Dry Great Northern Beans

8 C cold water (for soaking)

12 cups hot water (to be mixed with beef broth concentrate)

4 T (Vegetarian Better Than Boullion) beef broth concentrate

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 med onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, diced

3 carrots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 sm head savoy cabbage, cut in 1” cubes

1 sm potato, diced

3 sm zucchini, diced

1 C loosely packed parsley, chopped

2-15 oz cans diced tomato, not drained

2 teaspoons Salt 

fresh ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish

Method

1.    Soak beans overnight in cold water. Drain beans, rinse, and place them in a large saucepan or stockpot. Add 6 cups of broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook gently for about 1 hour.

2.    In a separate large stockpot, heat oil. Add chopped vegetables (onion, celery, carrot, garlic) and sauté gently 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining vegetables and tomatoes, salt and pepper. Add 6 cups broth. Simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3.    When the beans are done, blend half the beans to a paste using an emulsion blender or food processor. Add all the beans and bean broth into the stockpot. Taste soup and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Simmer 10 minutes longer.

4.    Rinse & clean the bean pot. Bring salted water to boil. Cook the ditalini pasta al dente or to taste. Drain pasta and set aside.

5.    Serve soup with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ C of ditalini pasta per bowl.

Makes at least 24 C of soup.

Turkey Day 2010

These are the recipes that I made to bring to grandma's tonight... eat up! Yum!

Crunchy Sweet Potato Casserole
5 med sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 C butter
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C dk brown sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 C milk
2 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

Topping: 2 C crushed cornflakes, 1 C chopped walnuts, 1/2 C dk brown sugar, 1/2 C butter, diced

Boil diced sweet potatoes in salted water until tender. Let cool. Smash / process until smooth.
Combine with remaining ingredients. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 375 for 20 min.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over potatoes. Bake 10 min. until topping is lightly browned.

From Taste of Home Thanksgiving 2008

And even though I have already posted these...I made a double batch of  Kick Ass Green Bean Casserole, which seems a little too muchroomy, but we will see! 

The Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna used up the remaining butternut squash from my mom's garden. I used a large container of ricotta cheese,  2 packages of casserole ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles in a 11x14 pan. And I had about 2 C leftover squash cheese mixture and 2 leftover noodles to spare! 
I love the holidays and my family!

Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi with Vodka Cream Sauce

Gnocchi has to be one of my favorite Italian foods. There is just nothing quite like it. Its the best part of pasta and dumplings and deliciousness. I had no idea that it was also super easy to make.  The garlic flavor was intense but perfect. I served this with vodka cream sauce, which again, couldn’t believe how delicious or easy it was to make! FYI - Katie says that potato gnocchi dough is much more difficult to handle.

Ricotta Cheese Gnocchi

1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1-3 cups all-purpose flour

1.                   Stir together the cheeses, eggs, and spices in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour.  Continue to add additional flour to form a soft dough.

2.                   Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.                   Bring a pot of salted water to a rapid boil and prepare your sauce.

4.                   Roll a section of dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rope on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces. (The gnocchi almost double in size during the boiling time, so take that into account when cutting your pieces.)

5.                   After you have approx 15-25 pieces, add them to the boiling water one piece at a time to prevent sticking.

6.                   Boil gnocchi for approximately 5 minutes after they float to the surface.

7.                   Using a slotted spoon, transfer the finished gnocchi directly to the sauce.

8.                   Repeat steps 4-7 until all dough has been processed.

Adapted from All Recipes

Vodka Cream Sauce Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis's Everyday Italian

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce

1 C of your best vodka

½ C whipping cream, room temperature

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Simmer the marinara and vodka together at medium-low heat for 20 min, stirring occasionally. Warm whipping cream, if needed (Don’t add cold, it will curdle, yuck!). Slowly add to the sauce. Let cook a few minutes until the sauce is heated through. Add cheese and salt, to taste.

ENTBN 2010

I tried a few new recipes at this year's camping event. Here are the ones that turned out well! 

Giant Cinnamon-Pecan Ring

2 1lb loaves frozen bread dough

1/2 c butter, melted

1/2 c sugar                    

1/2 c packed brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon                 

1/2 c chopped pecans

1-1/4 c sifted powdered sugar  

1/2 tsp vanilla

milk (about 4 tsp)

Cinnamon sticks (optional)      

Pecan Halves (Optional)

Lightly grease inside of dutch oven.  On a lightly floured surface, flatten thawed dough slightly.  Cut each loaf into 4 pieces (total of 8). Form each piece into a rope about 18" long.  Brush each rope on all sides with melted butter.  Stir together sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Place mixture on sheet of foil.  Roll rope in sugar mixture to coat evenly. Shape rope into a coil in the center of the dutch oven.  Roll another rope in sugar.  Attach securely to end of first rope and continue coil.  Continue coating ropes and attaching to form a 10-11" circle.  Sprinkle any remaining sugar over coil.  Sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30-40 min.  Bake at 350 for 30 to 3 min or till done.  Cover with foil last 15 minutes to prevent over browning if necessary.  Cool about 15 min.  Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk to make a thick glaze.  Spoon the glaze over top of cake.  Decorate with cinnamon sticks and pecan halves.  Serves 16. By Ann Audleman, Ft Walton Beach, Fl  From: http://usscouts.org/cooking/cook_05.asp

Pumpkin Delight

Crust                    

yellow cake mix; reserve 1 cup of mix

1 egg; beaten

½ C butter; melted

Filling

30 oz. canned pumpkin

3 eggs; beaten

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 C milk

3/4 C dark brown sugar

Topping               

1 C cake mix                        

1/4 C sugar                           

1 tsp. cinnamon                                 

3 Tbs. cold butter                              

Prepare Crust: Mix together cake mix, egg, and melted butter. Press into bottom and 1 1/2" up sides of a well greased 12" Dutch oven.

Prepare Filling: In a bowl combine all filling ingredients and mix well. Pour filling into Dutch oven to fill crust.

Prepare Topping: In a small bowl combine cake mix, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to mix. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Sprinkle over top of pumpkin filling.

Bake: Cover Dutch oven and bake using 10-12 briquettes bottom and 14-16 briquettes top for 1 hour.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream as topping.

Serves: 8-10

Hearty Chili

2 lbs ground beef ( I used 93% lean)
2 med onions, diced
1 med green bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
30 oz kidney beans, well rinsed and drained
30 oz pinto beans, well rinsed and drained
3 t cumin powder
3 T chili powder
1 t black pepper
1 t white pepper
2 t salt
30 oz diced tomatoes
30 oz pureed tomatoes
30 oz crushed tomatoes
2 C water, if needed

Brown ground beef.
Add onions, pepper, and celery. Cook until softened.
Add beans, stir to combine. 
Add spices, saute for a few minutes.
Add all tomatoes, stir to combine.
Cook stirring every 15 minutes for 2 to 3 hours.
If it is too thick, add additional water.

Adapted from this recipe.

And Liz's favorite...Becky's Israeli Couscous Salad from Trader Joe's

Tofu with Orange and Pineapple

1 pkg firm tofu
2 in piece of ginger, grated
2 t grated orange rind
3 T Oil
2 large onions, cut into thin wedges
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 t brown sugar
2 t white or cider vinegar
8 oz frozen pineapple, defrosted
1 T orange juice
Cooked Brown rice or Quinoa

Cut the tofu block into 6 slices & place side by side between paper towels on a cooling rack w/ a
cutting board on top, and a large weight on the cutting board. Let the tofu press & drain for at
least 10 minutes. The longer it is pressed, the better the texture of the tofu will be after frying.

Combine tofu, ginger, and orange rind in a bowl. Mix well, cover & refrigerate.

Heat wok, add 1 ½ T of oil & coat pan. Stir-fry onion, garlic, and brown sugar until onion is soft
and golden. Stir in vinegar. Cook 2 minutes. Add pineapple and orange juice. Let pineapple
cook until slightly golden. Remove mixture from wok. Cover.

Heat wok, add 1 ½ T of oil & coat pan. Stir-fry tofu in 2 batches, until well browned on all sides.
Drain on paper towels.

Return the tofu & pineapple/onion mix to the pan. Heat through. Serve over brown rice.

Roast Fail, Meatloaf Win!

I FAILED at making a roast overnight. I woke up this morning to find that the lid of the crock-pot had shattered all over the top of the roast. I didn't pull the crock-pot liner down around the outside of the crock-pot. I think that when it got hot, pressure couldn't release through the lip of the pot because the liner was in the way. Instead I think the roast or pressure must have pushed through the lid, hence GLASS INFUSED cider-braised pork shoulder with caramelized onion and apple confit. Boo. I will have to try it another time. It smelled SO GOOD!

So now I need to make something else that can feed 9 people tonight. I'm going to my standby "best meatloaf in the world" by Alton Brown. I made 1 & 1/2 of the recipe and split it into 2 meatloaves. Served with peas and Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes (also from Alton Brown - Thanks for making them Michelle & Justin!). Candle brought a salad and I also made a no-cream potato soup with a yummy pesto from Oprah - who would have thought! I will make this again for sure! I followed the recipe, just added a little additional salt and pepper before serving. The entire party loved it!
Great night, good company, and congrats to Leah & Shawn ~ wish you both a long, happy & healthy marriage!

mmm... hummus!

HUMMUS Recipe (From Cheese Factory Restaurant, Baraboo, WI)

1.5 lbs canned garbanzo beans, drained; reserve 1/2 cup plus 2tbsp liquid
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup roasted tahini
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt

Combine ingredients in food processor and puree until very smooth.

That is what the original recipe reads. We usually add a little more salt and lemon juice in tiny increments and taste until it is perfect. You can add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, roasted red peppers, or herbs to this to switch it up.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with fresh or roasted veggies, warmed pita wedges, feta cheese, olives, radishes, etc...

You can dress up the serving plate with a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and/or paprika.


Visit the Cheese factory website at: http://www.cookingvegetarian.com/

Lasagna of Roasted Butternut Squash

This is one of the most decadent recipes we have ever made. Its super involved, dirties every dish in the kitchen, but is SO worth it - if you have the time. This is uber-comfort, off-the-diet, sooo rich and yummy food. Invite me over whenever you make it!

Lasagna of Roasted Butternut Squash

Soysage Egg Casserole

I made this with Soysage for the first time at our Groundhog Day Party and it turned out delicious! This is quick and easy to make - no overnight prep!

Ingredients
1 tube of Gimmie Lean Ground Sausage (-OR- 1lb Pork Sausage)
1 med. Green pepper, diced
1 med. Onion, diced
10 Eggs
3 C Skim Milk
2 t Dry mustard
1 t Salt
1/2 t Pepper
6 English muffins, torn/cut into bite-size pieces
1 med. Tomato, seeded and chopped
2 C Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions
1. Butter a 9x13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Add 1-2 T butter or oil to the skillet. Cook soysage, breaking up crumbles. * If using sausage, you may need to drain off excess grease.
3. Toss in green pepper and onion with the soysage to soften, about 5 min. Dump into baking dish.
4. Add cut english muffins, tomatoes, and 1 C sharp cheddar cheese to baking dish. Mix together. (You can prep this the night before, if needed.)
5. Combine eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Wisk well.
6. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Press down contents so egg mixture completely covers it.
7. Top with 1 C sharp cheddar cheese. Dish may be refrigerated for up to 1 hour before baking.
8. Bake uncovered 55-60 minutes, until eggs are set.

Sweet Potato Ginger Soup

This recipe made a very large batch, could half the recipe in the future.

I used leeks, but have rarely used these... check here to see how to clean them...How to clean leeks
otherwise substituting with onion and browning slightly will turn out similar.

I wanted to use my Cuisinart, so I used the slicer disk to finely dice the leeks. And since it was already out, I used the chopping blade to cut the sweet potatoes.

2 T Olive Oil
2 C diced leek or onion
1/2 t red chili flakes
3 T minced fresh ginger
4 T tamari or soy sauce
6 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and chopped
2-3 T ground coriander
2-3 T garam masala
8 C vegetable stock
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil. Add the leeks, chili flakes and fresh ginger. Saute for a few minutes.
Add sweet potatoes. Saute for a few minutes.
Add coriander and garam masala. Stir frequently.
Add vegetable stock. Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer 10-15 minutes until potatoes are softened.
Blend soup until smooth. Return to heat.
Garnish with cilantro when served.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Tofu and Cucumber

This is one of my all time favorite tofu dishes. Its one of the few recipes I don't mess with!

Total Time:  20 Minutes                 Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound whole-wheat spaghetti

1 1/4 pounds firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 tablespoon plus 4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

2 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded,  

    and cut into 1/4-inch slices

3 scallions including green tops, sliced

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 15 minutes. Drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, combine the tofu with the 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of the grated ginger. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the remaining 2 teaspoons ginger and 4 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cooking oil, the vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil, lemon zest, salt, and cayenne.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil over moderate heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tofu, pasta, cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro to the dressing in the large bowl and toss.

Recipe reprinted by permission of Food and Wine. All rights reserved.

Nutrition Information

Serves 4 - Facts Per Serving:

Calories:               495         Fat. Total:            15g         Carbohydrates, Total:    73g

Cholesterol:       0mg       Sodium:               728mg   Protein:                24g

Fiber:    13g         % Cal. from Fat:                27%        Fat, Saturated:  0g

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Source: Quick from Scratch - One Dish Meals

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