Roasted Tomato Soup

We have a TON of tomatoes in the garden right now so I'm looking at as many tomato based recipes as I can. I found this delicious sounding recipe online and tweaked it a little to match what we had in the kitchen. It was FAB!

Ingredients:

3.5 pounds of tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved,
10 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1.5 tablespoons of dried thyme
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and paper
3 cups chicken, vegetable or beef stock

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F
2. Halve the tomatoes and place them into a roasting pan, cut side up.
3. Scatter the sliced onions, halved garlic and thyme on top of the tomatoes. Pour the olive oil on top of the tomatoes, sprinkle the sugar and salt and pepper
4. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and slightly caramelized.
5. Place the roasted tomatoes, with the onions and garlic, and juices in a saucepan. Bring the stock to a boil and pour over the tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through a sieve, reserving the stock.
6. Place the tomatoes into a blender and blend, adding it back to the stock until soup is smooth and creamy. To get creamier soup, pass the soup through a sieve again or through a food mill.
7. Reheat if necessary.

Makes around 5-6 cups, with a total calorie count of around 900 calories, which means each cup is around 160-170 calories.

Strawberry Pretzel Squares

 Ingredients:

2

cups finely crushed pretzels

1/2

cup sugar, divided

2/3

cup butter or margarine, melted

1-1/2

pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIACream Cheese, softened

2

Tbsp. milk

1

cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

2

cups boiling water

1

pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1-1/2

cups cold water

4

cups fresh strawberries, sliced

Preparation:

HEAT oven to 350°F.

MIX pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.

BEAT cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate.

ADD boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened.

STIR berries into gelatin; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Cabbage and Noodles

Ingredients:

4 cups wide egg noodles

1/2 cup butter

2 cups sliced sweet onions, about 1/8 inch thick

2 teaspoons brown sugar

6 cups cabbage, sliced thin

1 teaspoon caraway seed (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

Preparation:

1. Cook egg noodles according to package directions, then drizzle with a bit of oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together and set aside.

2. While noodles are cooking, melt butter in large deep skillet over medium-low heat.

3. Add onion, sprinkle with brown sugar and saute, stirring occasionally for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened and just beginning to turn golden.

4. Add cabbage to skillet, stirring well to incorporate with onion, and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in caraway seeds if using, then cover, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

6. Turn heat back to medium, add cooked noodles, salt and pepper, and stir well until noodles are heated though.

7. Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve hot.

Tomato Risotto

So, we got spigarello in our CSA this week and I had no clue what to do with it. I found a recipe online for a tomato barley risotto with spigarello on top, but of course the person didn't put in any measurements and I din't have barley, so I made up my own recipe. It was FABULOUS! So here it is:

Risotto Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup risotto rice

4 cups vegetable broth

1 large tomato, pureed

Risotto Preparation:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan (something that can hold 4 cups or more), add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and stir getting the rice nice and coated. Continue to stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the pureed tomato and 1 cup broth and stir until all broth has been absorbed. Continue adding broth and stirring until the risotto is creamy and no longer crunchy. (It took me almost 4 cups of broth and about 45-50 minutes)

Spigarello Ingredients:

Spigarello, stock removed and leaves cut or ripped into smaller bits

1 tbsp olive oil

red pepper flakes, to desired taste

Spigarello Preperation:

Add olive oil and red pepper flakes in a skillet and heat. Add the spigarello and saute until the spigarello leaves edges get a little crispy.

Plating:

Put a scoop of the tomato risotto on a plate and put the spigarello on top. It make a really pretty plate with the red sauce and the dark green leaves and the taste combo is great!

Winter White Cobbler

Recipe provided by the Hogg! We had a ton of root vegetables from the CSA so we made this with some modifications due to our supply. For example, we added way too many parsnips since we had them and we didn't have celery root, but we had a rutabaga. The replacements were great and I think that makes this recipe super flexible.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter

1 fennel bulb, core removed, thinly sliced

2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced

1 pound turnip, peeled and diced

1 large celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced

1 parsnip peeled and diced

2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups vegetable stock

salt to taste

3/4 cup cream

1 tablespoon flour

The Topping:

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon melter butter

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 cup parmesan

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

kosher salt and ground pepper

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat two tablespoons of the butter over medium high. Add the fennel and leeks and saute for 5 minutes until just soft. Add the turnip, celery root, parsnip, potatoes and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt. Add the cream and bring to a low simmer. In a bowl, mash together the remaining butter and flour. Add to the vegetables, stirring well and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For the topping:

Combine the milk, butter and egg and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cheese, baking powder and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the liquid ingredients and stir well.

Put the vegetables in a 10 to 12 cup baking dish.The filling should reach about 2/3 of the way up the dish; any more than that and it could overflow during cooking. Crop spoonfuls of the cobbler dough over the top and spread to cover big gaps (the dough will expand as it bakes to fill the rest). Bake in oven for 25 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Aloo Paratha

We got arugula flowers in our CSA and I found this amazing recipe online for Aloo Paratha (which is a stuffed Indian style flat bread) with arugula flowers. They were delicious!

To make the dough mix in a shallow, flat bowl or pan:

1 cup whole wheat flower

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drop by drop add warm water until you get a sticky bread-like dough, cover and set aside.

To make the stuffing:

1 large potato - peeled, boiled and mashed

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp fresh arugula flowers

Mix all the stuffing items together well for the stuffing.

In the palm of your hand, create small balls or the dough, and flatten then. Take a spoonful of the filling, place in the center of the dough and gather up all the dough around the filling, then roll it out.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, add a tiny amount of ghee (clarified butter) and cook each paratha individually on both sides until browned.

Rosemary and Leek Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 lb. yukon gold potatoes washed and cubed

1 leek, cleaned & chopped

1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup milk, warmed

salt and pepper to taste

Preperation:

1. Boil potatoes for 15 minutes (or until fork slides through). Drain and mash

2. Skillet cook leek & rosemary in butter for about 5 minutes

3. Stir leek mixture, warm milk, salt & pepper into potatoes and mix well

Three Cheese Zucchini Lasagna

A sauceless light summer lasagna!

Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles

4 tsp. olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tbs.)

5 medium leeks, chopped (about 5 cups)

6 zucchini, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

24 ounces of ricotta cheese

10-12 ounces of spinach (thawed or fresh)

1 large egg, beaten

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1 cup shredded reduced fat mozzarella

Preparation

1. Cook noodles according to package directions

2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and saute 6 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add zucchini and saute 8-10 minutes more. Stir in mint and season with salt and pepper.

3. Blend ricotta cheese, spinach, and egg in a bowl and set aside

4. Pre-heat oven at 350 degree F.

5. Coat roasting pan with cooking spray. Place 3 noodles along the bottom of the pan. Top with zucchini mixture. Spread spinach mixture on top and sprinkle parmesan on top. Repeat until last set of noodles are on top. Sprinkle top layer of noodles with the shredded mozzarella, parmesan and any other cheeses you'd like.

6. Coat sheet of foil with cooking spray. Place over lasagna, and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy Tofu Savory Sauce

Ingredients
3/4 cup almond oil or safflower oil 
3/4 cup water 
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce 
1/8 cup brewer's yeast 
1/4 teaspoon kelp powder 
1/4 teaspoon spike seasoning (herb or vegetable salt substitute) 
1/4 teaspoon basil 
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic 
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional) 
1 1/2 teaspoons tamari 
1 lb firm tofu, rinsed well 

Directions
Blend everything together in a blender. Serve cold or warm.

Smoky Grilled Tempeh

From the Veganomicon cookbook

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package tempeh
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preperation

Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices.

Cut the tempeh in half, widthwise, then cut each of them resulting squares diagonally, to form four large triangles. When the water is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, add the tempeh triangles, and cook for 10 minutes. This steams the tempeh and removes any bitterness, plus readies the tempeh to absorb the marinade.

Use tongs to immediately place the tempeh in the marinade bowl. Let marinate for 1 hour, flipping them every now and again to cover with the marinade.

Preheat a greased cast-iron girll pan over medium-high heat. To grease it, brush lightly with olive oil, or use a spray bottle of olive oil.

Grill each side of the tempeh for 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 seconds.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Ingredients

Chicken breasts
prosciutto, very thinly sliced
sage leaves
parmesan cheese
black pepper
3 tablesppons olive oil
2/3 cup marsala wine
4 tablespoons butter

Preperation

Slice the chicken width wise, cover with plastic wrap and pound thinly without tearing the meat.

Season each scallopine with black pepper, cover with a slice of prosciutto, place a teaspoon of parmesan on top of each and finally place a leaf of sage on each. Roll up each scallopine, keeping the ingredients intact and secure with a toothpick.

Heat a large skillet and add olive oil, hen hot add the roulades, brown on one side then turn over and sear on the other. Turn down heat and cook an additional few mintures on each side, until cooked through.

Deglaze the pan with the marsala, reducing by hald. Turn off the heat. cut the butter into small pieces and quickly incorporate the butter into the sauce.

Serve 3 roulades per portion and drizzle with the sauce.

Asparagus Risotto

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablesppons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preperation

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Remove from water, rinse and quickly plunge into cold ice water. Put the asparagus in a blender, add 1/2 cup water, and puree until smooth; set aside.

Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Allow the remaining butter to soften while ou cook. When it's hot, add the onion, stirring occasionally until if softens, 3-5 minutes.

Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with butter, about 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine, stir and let the liquid bubble away. Use a ladle to add the warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock is just about evaporated, add more.

After about fifteen minutes, add the remaining asparagus pieces, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting the rice, you want it to be tender but with still a tiny bit of a crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stafe. When it does, stir in 12 cup of the asparagus puree. Remove skillet from the heat, add the remaining butter, and stir briskly. Add the parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. The risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
2 Roma tomatos, small dice
1/4 cup basil, julienne
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
4 slices 1/2 inch thick crusty italian bread, approx. 3"

Preperation

Grill bread on a barbecue, brioler or toast in the oven. Rub the garlic clove over the bread.

In a bowl, mix the tomatoes with the olive oil, basil and vinegar. Spoon the mixture over the bread slices.

Jamaican Jerk Marinade

This marinade is good for both chicken and steak.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Ground allspice 
1 tablespoon Dried thyme 
1 1/2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper 
1 1/2 teaspoons Ground sage 
3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg 
3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon 
2 tablespoons Garlic powder or fresh 
1 tablespoon Sugar 
1/4 cup Olive oil 
1/4 cup Soy sauce 
3/4 cup White Vinegar 
1/2 cup Orange juice 
1 Lime juice 

Preperation

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, whisk and pour over meat.

Hawaiian Chicken Marinade

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablepsoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of wine vinegar
3/4 cup or 190mls or pineapple juice
1/4 tablespoons of sherry
1/4 cup or 60mls of soy sauce

Preperations

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour over cut and prepared chicken. This marinade freezes well.

Steak Fajita Salad

Ingredients (I usually make 3 times the amount of marinade)

3/4 lb top sirloin steak
1 can black beans
1 can (or frozen bag) sweet corn
Romaine lettuce (enough for each person)

(Everything below is for the marinade)
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoon lime juice 
1 garlic clove, finely minced 
1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt 


Preperation

• Combine everything for the marinade into a mixing bowl and whisk until everything is mixed together. Cut steak into strips and pour marinade over the strips and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat grill pan and pour steak strips and extra marinade onto the grill pan. Heat corn and black beans in a sauce pan.
• When steaks are cooked to taste and the black beans and corn are heated through combine with romaine lettuce to make the Fajita salad.

No Bake Lemon Pie

From the Vegetarian Times magazine

Ingredients 

1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
3 large eggs
1 5-oz. can fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup lemon juice
1 Tbs. lemon zest
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 9-inch prepared graham cracker crust
Fresh or candied lemon slices, optional

Preperation

Combine sugar and cornstarch in bowl. Set aside. Whisk together eggs and evaporated milk in another bowl. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar-cornstarch mixture to eggs; whisk to combine. Transfer to saucepan.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Continue to cook 3 minutes, whisking constantly, or until mixture has thickened and whisk strokes leave defined lines in mixture. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter until melted. Press lemon curd through sieve into bowl to eliminate any lumps. 

Pour curd into graham cracker crust. Cool on wire rack, and chill well before serving. Decorate with fresh or candied lemon slices, if desired.

Makes 8 servings

Serving size: Calories - 294, Fat - 11g, Sodium - 175mg, Carbs - 45g, Fiber - 1g, Protein - 5g

Vegetarian Toscana Soup

I found a version of Olive Garden's Toscana Soup. I decided to try and make it not only vegetarian but low-fat as well!! and I succeeded!

Ingredients

6 Morningstar Breakfast Patties, thawed and crumbled
Vegetrable spray
1/3 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
red pepper flakes (however much you want to make is spicy)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 potatoes, halved and sliced
2 cups sliced kale
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preperation

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Stir in broth and potatoes; simmer 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add sausage crumbles, kale, the half and half and the cornstarch; simmer until heated through and serve.

Nutrition (makes about 5 servings)

Serving size - Calories - 180, Fat - 5.3g, Carbs -20.3g, Fiber - 2.6g, Protein 13.5g

Ward Burgers!

Ward made these super low calorie and low fat burgers that tasted great. We will definitely be making them again!

Ingredients

1 package (12 ounces) frozen vegetable protein crumbles, thawed
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1.5 tablespoon catsup
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rolled oats
1/4 wheat gluten flour
Vegetable cooking spray

Preperation

Mix all ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl. Knead mixture until the gluten flour helps the mixture to firm up. Make six patties from the mixture.

Spray skillet/grill with vegetable spray and heat over medium heat. Once pan is hot add patties and cook 2.5-5 minutes per a side, flipping once. Serve on lettuce wraps or rolls with the desired condiments.

Makes 6 patties

Serving size (1 patty) - Calories 160, Fat - 3g, Carbs 13.8g, Fiber - 3.8g, Protein - 16.8g

"Sausage" Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

2 Acorn Squash (about 1 pound each)
Vegetable cooking spray
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 package sausage-style all vegetble patties, line or crumbles
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cooked rice
1/2 teasoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Preperation

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut sides down, in baking pan; add 1/2 inch water. Bake, covered, at 400 degrees until flesh is fork tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.

Spray large skillet with sooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Saute onion, garlic, and crumbled vegetable protein for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato, water, rice, sage and thyme. Cook over medium to medium-high heat until mixture is almost dry, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill squash halves with mixture and serve!

Nutrition - Makes 4 servings

1 Serving - Calories - 140, Fat - 2.7g, Sodium - 96mg, Carbs - 27.1g, Fiber - 6g, Protein - 5.1g

Butternut Squash Risotto with Pesto

Ingredients:

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3 cups cubed butternut squash

Preperation:

1. Bring broth and 2 cups water to a boil in a large saucpan; turn off heat
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon pesto in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in rice, followed by 1/2 cup hot broth. When rice has absorbed broth, add another 1/2 cup. Continue adding broth in this manner for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in squash, and season with salt and pepper. Resume adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time until rice has absorbed all liquid. (This should take about 15 minutes) Remove from heat, and stir in 1 tablespoon pesto. Spoon risotto into 6 bowls and top each with 1 teaspoon pesto.

Nutrition - Serving size 1 (makes 6 servings)

Calories - 204, Fat - 5g, Sodium - 350mg, Carbs - 37g, Fiber - 4g, Protein - 5g