Gazpacho

As a family we try to do at least one meatless meal each week.  We actually have a few nights of the week themed to make meal planning easier: Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fun Friday, and the one night my oldest daughter gets to cook.   Last week's meatless meal was Gazpacho with homemade croutons and lemon basil aglio olio.  The Gazpacho recipe was from Ina Garten ( one of my favorites) and it was so simple. I love her recipe because there is no cooking involved at all!  No blanching, no peeling, very little chopping.  The food processor does all the work! I couldn't ask for an easier meal. I did change a few ingredients to match what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

• 6 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped*
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 white onion (or purple) roughly chopped**
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 oz tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• dash cayenne pepper*
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Handful fresh basil for garnish

*Changed from original recipe.

**I  used half of an onion because a whole onion seemed overpowering.  

Roughly chop each vegetable. Put each veggie into the food processor separately and pulse it until it is coarsely chopped.  Do not over process. I did the tomatoes first, then the pepper, cucumber, and the onion last.

Combine them in a mixing bowl.  Add your garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Mix well, and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.  The longer the soup chills the better the flavor gets.  

Not the best idea to use a red bowl for this- oops.

 While the gazpacho was chilling, I made some homemade croutons to go with it.  I cut up a loaf of Italian bread, tossed the cubed pieces with garlic infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then I baked them at 400F until they were toasted and slightly browned.

Be sure to spray your pan with a little cooking spray to prevent sticking.

 We served the gazpacho with the croutons and some fresh basil from our garden.  Paired with my Lemon Basil Aglio Olio (recipe to come soon), this was the perfect meatless summer meal.

You can also serve this as an appetizer.  I made gazpacho "shooters". for dinner with my parents and served them in small ball jars while the rest of the meal was cooking.  They were just the perfect appetizer size (and healthier than chips!)

You can kick the spice up in this by adding more cayenne, or some Tabasco.  I kept it pretty mild since the girls were eating it too.

To keep this completely gluten free, you can omit the croutons, or make them out of gluten free bread.  Or you could toast and spice some nuts- walnuts or almond slivers would work great- and use those as a garnish.

What is one of your favorite easy summer time meals?

Recipe Adapted from: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Copyright 1999

Simply Homemade~ Beef Stew

This is one of my family's absolute favorite winter time meals and one I grew up on as a kid.  It's so easy, requires few ingredients, and the best part- it is a slow cooker meal that require no attention all day until about 30 minutes before you are ready for dinner.  It takes about 4 hours on high or 6 on low. I make this on nights we have sports, Scouts, or drama classes.  Last night I made it for my husband and daughters so they could eat while I was at my Brownie meeting.  I made a bowl for myself when I got home and it was perfect for warming me up after being out in the cold.

Ingredients:

1lb stew beef

1 medium onion diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4-6 carrots, sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

3-4 medium potatoes, chopped.  

1/4 cup flour 

water

Salt and pepper to taste

I didn't include a picture of the raw stew beef because raw stew beef is unappetizing.

Directions:

1. Heat about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Add your diced onions and your stew  beef.  Season with salt and pepper and let cook until the meat is browned on the outside and the onions are translucent.

2. While the meat and onions are browning, prepare your carrots and celery and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Don't cut the potatoes- those get added later in the cooking process.

3. Once the meat is browned, cover with water.  This will help to de-glaze the pan, and to make a a broth for the stew.  Let cook until it starts to simmer.  

4. Pour the stew beef, onions, and water into the slow cooker.  Add additional water if needed to make sure all the meat and veggies are covered.  Season with additional salt and pepper.  Let cook  for 4 hours to 6 hours.

5. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, add in your peeled and diced potatoes.  The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook.  Once you can break them up with a fork, they are done.  

6.  Thicken the stew by combining flour and water to make a paste and adding that to your stew.  You can make this as thick or as thin as you like.  We prefer ours thicker than soup so I usually use about a 1/4 cup flour mixed with roughly 1/2 cup water and whisked into a smooth consistency.  Make sure there are no lumps in your paste. (You could also use cornstarch instead of flour, I have  used it for this before)

  Add it to your stew and stir well.

You will need to add more salt, especially since you do not use a premade broth.  Potatoes absorb salt, and every time I make this we have to add more salt. Just be careful not to add too much.

We serve this with crusty bread and salad.  It feeds a family of 5 easily with leftovers for the next day. I can't wait for lunch today!

What is one of your favorite winter time soups?   

Chicken Noodle Soup~ to Cure What Ails You

It's that time of year again. No, I am not talking about Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am talking about cold and flu season. It is upon us again. Blech. Anyone who has kids, especially more than one, knows that the sick season takes on a whole new meaning when you are a Mom. I read somewhere that the average child get between 5-6 colds per year! That's amazingly awful news. Luckily, my kids don't get that many, but we still get a couple a year. Since becoming a mom 8 years ago I have dealt with my fair share of sick kids: colds, ear infections, RSV (that was NOT a fun one), Strep, bronchial spasms, Pneumonia, the Flu, the dreaded stomach bug, Roseola, and various other mysterious undiagnosable illnesses that all kids get. Looking at that list it would seem my kids are sickly. They aren't! Spread those out between 3 kids and 8 years- it's not too bad of a track record.


My go-to food whenever I am sick has always been chicken noodle soup. It tastes so good when your throat is raw, your nose is stuffy, and your head is pounding. But the canned stuff isn't the real thing, and can be pretty gross (at least in my opinion). Yes, it's easy and ok in a pinch, but it can be oily, high in sodium, and lower in nutrition. I prefer to make my own and my kids ask for it whenever they are feeling under the weather- they call it Mommy's Magic Soup. This week we had our first cold of the season. The Middle One brought it home from preschool and shared it with the Little One, and then the Big One. Luckily it's been a fast mover and pretty mild. But the girls still wanted Mommy's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup to help them get better faster.

This is a super simple recipe. It is not a gourmet soup, it's a comfort food. Oh, and there actually isn't any chicken in it:-) It's veggies, broth, noodles, and a few spices and that's it. But it does the trick. It is intended to be as easy as possible, and to be made quickly.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Onion- half of a small one, diced
4 large carrots-sliced
4 celery stalks-sliced
2 32 oz boxes of Organic chicken broth, or if Vegan, vegetable broth
2 cups Water (or more if needed)
Ground gingers- start with a teaspoon and add more to your taste
Thyme- again, a teaspoon then add more as needed
salt and pepper to taste.
noodles of your choice


Or for vegetarian or vegan:




Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pot on medium high heat. Add your chopped veggies. Let cook until the onions are translucent, stirring often. Be careful not to burn the carrots.


2.Add 1 box of broth, 1 cup of water, ginger, Thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer until the carrots start to soften.





3. Add your noodles- last night I used the rest of a bag of Fusilli I had in the cabinet. Use roughly 1-2 cups of noodles. As they cook, you may find you need to adjust your liquids. You can either add more water for a blander soup, or more stock for more flavor. I usually add half of another box of broth and 1/2 cup of broth. Adjust your seasoning as you go, to your taste preferences. Every time I make this soup it's a little different. I don't measure my spices anymore, I just eyeball them and go by taste.








This, along with a glass of orange juice, helped my girls feel better last night.

The soup does not last well overnight because of the noodles, they tend to soak up all the liquid. It is best eaten fresh. What I will sometimes do is make the broth, and reheat portions and add noodles so we can keep it around for a day or two. Or, what I am going to do this week, is make up a few batches of the broth and freeze it. That way I will have it already made when I need it.



*This is also good to make if you are recovering from the dreaded stomach bug. I use rice instead of noodles ( to go along with the BRAT diet: Bread, Rice, Applesauce, Toast). Either cook the rice separate, or use 5 minute boil-in-a-bag rice, otherwise you will lose all your liquid. I don't use onion, since that can be hard to digest. I also cut the veggies up much smaller and let them cook down. Carrots and ginger are good for calming the stomach.*

What's your go-to sick food?

Rochelle's Beef and Root Vegetable Soup

... That's the name I invented for this dish that doesn't have an "official" name (as far as I know). It's my friend, Rochelle's, Mom's recipe. This is the very first meal Rochelle ever made for us, and it's the first meal we all shared as friends. I also happens to be one of my very favorite soups for several reasons. First- it's so easy! It cooks all day long and makes the house smell so good. Second- it makes enough to freeze a few meals worth. 3rd, it gets my kids to eat veggies they normally wouldn't eat, like parsnips and turnips. The only downside to this soup is the size pot you need to make it in (unless you downsize the recipe). I'm going to have to go find a pot soon, since I always borrow theirs to make this!

Ingredients:
1 bone in roast (I like to use an arm roast, but Rochelle has also used bone in steaks before with a boneless roast- use what you can find)
4-6 carrots- grated
2-4 parsnips or white carrots- grated
1-2 turnips- grated
spring onion or 1-2 regular onions- grated
4 medium white potatoes grated, 4 medium white potatoes chopped
3 ribs of celery-chopped
Two Manischewitz vegetable soup mix packets( it contains dried barley, lentils, peas, mushrooms, etc.)This you find on the German food aisle at your local grocery store- it comes in a tube shaped packet. You can also use their Minestrone mix packets if you can't find the vegetable soup packs.
Water
Salt

I used more veggies than are pictured.


Method:
I start cooking this at about 10-11am to have it ready by 6pm.
Rinse meat, put in the pot, add salt, cover with water and boil. Let simmer until par-cooked.
While meat is cooking, wash, peel, and grate the 4-6 carrots, 2-4 parsnips, 1-3turnips, 1-2 onions, and 4 medium potatoes. I have used a hand grater before, but I recommend using a food processor- it's much easier.
I like my soup to have a lot of veggies, so I use as much as I can of each. The more veggies, the thicker the broth will be.



When meat is par-cooked, add in the soup mix packets, and all the shredded veggies. Add more water as needed.
Let cook all day, simmering on low or the bottom with burn. Stir occasionally, and add salt and pepper as needed. The potatoes absorb a lot of the salt, so keep that in mind.



When the meat starts to fall apart, take it out of the soup and cut it into small pieces, and remove any bones and excess fat.

About an hour before you want to eat, add the chopped celery and some chopped potatoes.



Serve with a crusty artisan bread- we like the garlic infused breads- and a good, light red wine or a Merlot. Pairs very well with Jam Jar (A South African red wine.)




*Freeze the leftovers- if you make a large pot you will get at least 2 other full meals out of this recipe, plus lunch for 2 for the next day. We served it to 4 adults and 4 children last night- 4 of us had second helpings, and I still had enough leftover to send a full meals worth home with them, and keep a meals worth for us.*

**Recipe courtesy of Rochelle Vermeulen and her mother**

Roasted Butternut Chowder with Apples and Bacon

Tonight's new recipe was one that I have never made before. I went through my new Food Matters Cookbook, thought this one looked good and decided to try it. Well that, and my Mom got me an immersion blender for Christmas and I REALLY wanted to try it out.
Before I share the recipe, let me say it's better as an appetizer or lunch dish than dinner. It was very tasty, but not heavy enough to stand on it own. My husband suggested it would pair very well with paninis made with crusty sourdough bread. And it's more for adult tastes than kids' taste.



Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock.

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the squash, onion, apples, bacon, and garlic in a deep roasting pan or on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Roast until the veggies are tender and the bacon is crisp. About 45 minutes.



2.Remove the roasting pan from oven. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add either the water or the wine, and the sage. Set it on medium heat.


3.Add the chicken stock, and break the veggies up some with a spoon. Cook until the soup begins to thicken.



Here's where I differed a little from the recipe: At the end, I used my immersion blender and blended it to be more like a bisque. When you serve it, you can sprinkle ground allspice or nutmeg on top. I used allspice, my husband used both.




It was a very tasty meal, but like I said before, better for lunch or as an appetizer to a dinner.


*Recipe from the Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman*

Easy Black Bean Soup

My family loves black beans. We eat them so often I buy them in bulk now. My oldest daughter loves my homemade black bean dip (that recipe will be posted the next time I make it). I add them into tacos, make black bean and beef enchiladas, and I've posted my Black Bean and Andouille Sausage recipe recently. I found a recipe for a Black Bean Soup that I had been dying to try, and finally got a chance to make it last week. It was so good! I think it makes a fabulous lunch, especially as it gets colder outside.

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 large carrots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 15.5 oz cans black beans. (I prefer the Goya brand, but I do also like the Trader Joe's brand)
1 cup or more chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
2 Bay Leaves
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons- 1/4 cup (depending on your taste) chopped fresh cilantro.
*Adobo ( or other hot sauce) to taste I used Nando's Peri Peri sauce because it is what I had on hand. You can buy it at The World Market.





Directions:
1. Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and all seasonings, EXCEPT the hot sauce, and cook for about 30 seconds.
2.Add vegetables and saute, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender



3. Add the chicken broth, beans, chopped cilantro brown sugar, and vinegar and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or so, or until the soup thickens.
5. Remove the bay leaves and season with the hot sauce to taste. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.