Smoky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sammies

I'm a little fussy when it comes to a good tomato soup.   I don't like it overly sweet and I don't like big chunks of tomatoes.  And any good tomato soup must have the perfect accompaniment - grilled cheese sandwiches and some crusty croutons!

This tomato soup definitely hits the spot.  I like the smokiness the adobo chili pepper adds.  You can also add a touch of cream or a dollop of sour cream for a creamier soup.  You can easily make this a complete vegetarian option by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

I can't seem to find 28-ounce cans of the whole fire-roasted tomatoes, so I just get 2 of the 15-ounce cans of the diced fire roasted tomatoes.

An immersion (handheld) blender works best for this soup.  If you don't have one, just use a blender.  But be careful!  Make sure you put a towel over the top of the blender, even with the cover.  Hot liquids have a ability to fly everywhere in a blender - or maybe that's just my blender!

Smoky Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sammies
recipe by Rachel Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Two 28-ounce cans whole fire-roasted tomatoes
One 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped (the more you use, the spicier this will be, so adjust for your taste)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and chipotle; lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Using the immersion blender (or regular blender) puree to desired consistency.

For the sandwiches, I LOVE Stop and Shop's Roasted Garlic Rustic Loaf with Cabot's 50% cheddar cheese.  I add a little mustard to the grilled cheese for a little extra zing! 

If you'd like croutons, any crusty bread will do.  Cut the bread into 1 inch chunks.  Put them on a baking sheet that fits in your toaster oven.  Spray with some olive oil spray (Pam works) and sprinkle with some parmesan cheese.  Toast lightly, flip and toast again.  Toast until they're crispy, but not burned. 

Delicious!

Choose Your Own Flavors - Stir Fry!

Stir-fry is a wonderful way to use up any veggies and proteins you've got hanging around in your fridge.  You can use basic flavors to make something really delicious.  You can easily make the same sauce and choose different proteins and veggies, or use the same ones with a different sauce.

The secret to a good stir-fry is high heat!  You'll spend the most time prepping your veggies and cooking will be done in a flash.

This version is a ginger garlic stir-fry with peppers, asparagus and chicken.  This feeds 2 hungry people!

You should organize your veggies into 4 groups, depending on how long they take to cook. 
Here's how it goes:
carrots, cauliflower, onions, or peppers (first batch)
asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or butternut squash (second batch)
cabbage, celery, chard, fennel, mushrooms, peas, sugar snap peas, summer squash, or zucchini (third batch)
scallions, fresh herbs, tender greens, or tomatoes (fourth batch) 
 
For the protein:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into even sized chunks
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I try to use low sodium)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)

Mix together and set aside.

Cut your veggies and separate according to the groups above.  For this, I used 1 large red pepper, maybe 10 asparagus spears and 1/2 cup of edamame.

Extra flavorings:
2 tablespoons chopped scallions , white part only
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2-4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil

For the Sauce:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (light preferred)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
2 scallions , minced (just use the remaining greens from the extra flavorings)
2 Tablespoons low sodium chicken broth

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Heat your pan over high heat.  Add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering.  Add your protein and cook until done.  For chicken, this is usually about 3 minutes. Remove the protein and set aside.  Add 1 teaspoon oil and add first batch of veggies.  Cook until tender, but still crisp.  Add second batch of veggies and cook until tender, but crisp.  Follow with as many batches as needed.  You may add 1 teaspoon more of oil, if needed.   Once your veggies are ready, make a clear spot in the center of the pan and add the extra flavorings.  Cook for 10 seconds and then mix with the veggies and cook another 20 seconds.  Return the protein to the pan.  Add the sauce and stir-fry to coat for about 1 minute.  Serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.

And you're done!  Sounds complicated, but I promise, it's not.  This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Barley Stuffed Peppers

These barley stuffed peppers are a healthy, vegetarian option.  They are filling and satisfying.  I like foods that allow me to use whatever herbs I have on hand.  This batch used dill, but you can use whatever you like.

Serve with a side salad and you've got a delicious meal!

Barley Stuffed Peppers
4 peppers (I like red, yellow or orange, but you can use whatever you like)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (I use canned chopped tomatoes and drain them) **

1/4 cup fresh dill  (you can use a few tablespoons of dried if you can't get fresh)

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

3 cups cooked barley (I buy the Quaker quick cooking barley)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 375F

Cut top off peppers and remove seeds.  Blanch peppers in boiling water 4 minutes and drain

In medium skillet, heat oil over med-high heat.  Add onions & garlic, cook stirring 2 minutes or until softened.  Add tomatoes, dill and italian seasonings.  Cook until tomatoes are softened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and add barley, salt and pepper.  Spoon mixture into peppers and bake 20 minutes.  

A variation is to add 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese when you add the barley.  

** Here's a tip.  When you drain the tomatoes, save the juice.  You can freeze it in ice cubes for use later in soups or sauces.  I like to use it in beef stews.

Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiche

Well, sorry for the lack of posts lately.  I was just recently diagnosed with something called SIBO - Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.  So now I have to tweak my diet.  I was gluten-free before when my doctor thought I had Celiac.  That was a tough diet to stomach.  Now, I need to cut back on not only wheat, but sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy, soy, and most starches as well.  I'm in an adjustment period and for now, I've been eating a lot of salads, fruits, and meats, so I guess that's a good thing!

So while I'm adjusting, I'll have to post some new recipes!

Today, I made these Canadian Bacon Mini Crustless Quiches! They are so easy, and make great leftovers.

My package of pre-cut canadian bacon came with 10 slices, so I made 10 mini quiches.

10 slices of canadian bacon

10 eggs

red peppers

shallots

chives

salt and pepper

havarti cheese

Those are the ingredients I used, but feel free to play around with any combo of veggies, cheese and herbs you have on hand.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cupcake tin with some spray oil. Cut slices, about 1/2 inch, along 4 sides of the bacon. Place a slice of bacon into each muffin cup. These don't need to be perfect. Place your veggies on top of the bacon. I sauteed mine slightly, but you don't have to. Then carefully put an egg into each cup. Top with some herbs and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. Top with cheese, salt & pepper and voila!

Baked Manicotti from Cook's Illustrated

It's a fact.  I love pasta.  Even more, I love baked and cheese filled pasta.  When I saw the recipe for Baked Manicotti from Cook's Illustrated, I wanted to give it a whirl.  You can find the recipe here if you are a paying member of the site.  But you can also sign up for a 2 week trial of the site.  I find their site to be very helpful with loads of cooking instructions including video, recipes, equipment and product reviews.

The first step is to make the sauce using canned, diced tomatoes, garlic, seasonings and olive oil.  The sauce is very watery, which I was concerned about.

The next step is to take the no-bake lasagna noodles (Cook's Illustrated prefers Barilla) and soak them in boiling water for 5 minutes.  After the noodles have soaked, lay them individually on paper towels.  Then you can begin to fill them. 

The filling is made up of eggs, ricotta, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and more seasonings. 

Spread about a 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture onto the lasagna noodle leaving about a half inch at the top.

Then, roll it up tight!

Place the rolled up manicotti into a 13x9" pan that has some of the sauce mixture on the bottom.

Once you've rolled them all, pour the rest of the sauce mixture over the top, making sure to completely cover the manicotti.  Cover with foil, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Then take the foil off, top with more cheese and broil until bubbly and browned on top.

And remember how I was worried about the sauce being too watery?  Well, thanks to the magic of the no-bake noodles, the water is absorbed making a perfectly al dente noodle!

This makes a ton of manicotti.  We had 2 dinners and I had 2 lunches out of 1 batch!  I think these would freeze nicely for a make ahead meal.