Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup

recipe altered slightly based on recipe from AllRecipes.com

4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 slice onion

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed (optional)
4 whole cloves (I used ground cloves)
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or just pour it into a blender and blend it up until smooth.

In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt, and adjust to taste.

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We are this with grilled cheese sandwiches and I added a few basil leaf bits to the top of my soup. Yum!

Stir Fry Sauce

Stir Fry Sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sherry or Chinese cooking wine (I skip this or add a little extra soy sauce)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1+ tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp peanut oil (I just use more sesame oil instead)
3 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger or 2-3 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1tsp - 1 Tbsp minced garlic (opt.).

In a small bowl, combine the stock with the soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch slurry, vinegar, and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the ginger and crushed red pepper (and garlic) and cook over high heat, stirring, until fragrant and golden. Add the stock mixture and boil over high heat until thickened and glossy, about 1 minute.

A reviewer on Allrecipes.com (where I got this from) said: I usually add some garlic and some fresh orange juice instead of all that stock and 1/4 t. salt - I think this is really nice because it gives you a lot of sauce - I don't like a dry stir fry, especially over rice.

Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe is very tasty and is quite similar to the Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas recipe I just posted. I love the hot chile paste and I always love water chestnuts!

Kung Pao Chicken

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white wine (or not - I just left this out)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 ounce hot chile paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
4 ounces chopped peanuts

To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

Perhaps less cornstarch or more water if you like it thicker and make double or triple the sauce.

Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas

We had a big bag of snow peas to use so I tried a few new recipes. I'm realizing that chile paste is a great way to really kick up the spiciness.

Spicy Chicken with Snow Peas

Olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pouch (3.5 ounces) boil-in-a-bag long grain brown rice
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 Teaspoons chile paste with garlic
1 teaspoon bottled fresh ginger
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1.5 cups matchstick cut carrots
1 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Place 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add chicken cubes and cook until all sides have turned white and the center is no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Start cooking rice according to directions on the package, but omit the salt and fat. Once rice is done cooking remove from heat, but keep warm.

Combine sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chile paste and ground ginger in a small bowl.

Coat the skillet with cooking spray and add sesame oil, heat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and bell peppers, saute for 2-minutes. Add the cubed chicken and snow peas to the pan and saute for an additional 1-minute. Remove carrot, pepper, chicken, snow pea mixture from the pan and set aside.

Return pan to the stove; over medium-high heat add soy sauce mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook mixture until it has reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1.5 minutes) stirring constantly.

Divide the rice amongst four plates and place chicken/vegetable mixture over the rice. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of sauce over each plate and top with 4 teaspoons of chopped peanuts. This recipe serves 4.

Taco and Fajita Seasoning

I recently gave up on buying Taco and Fajita seasoning packets from the store because I found these seasoning mix recipes that I think are so much better. Plus, you can increase or decrease the ingredients to suit your tastes (I always add extra hotness, like cayenne and crushed red pepper).

Taco Seasoning

To make about 1 packet worth (for 1 lb meat):

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Or 4x it and do this to make about 2/3 cup:

4 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon paprika

6 teaspoon ground cumin

4 teaspoon sea salt

4 teaspoon black pepper

I do the 4x recipe and put the ingredients right into a small container (like an old jam jar or small plastic container) and then shake. To use, add a few tablespoons of the mix and a few tablespoons of water.

Fajita Seasoning (about 3 packets worth)

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons crushed chicken bouillon

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Same as with the Taco seasoning, put the ingredients right into a small container (like an old jam jar or small plastic container) and then shake. To use, add a few tablespoons of the mix and a few tablespoons of water.

Root Beer Float Cookies

Holy cow! These are amazing! So amazing, in fact, that I didn't even get the glaze made and they were disappearing so fast that I decided to skip it this time, although I'm sure it only adds deliciousness.

Root Beer Float Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons root beer concentrate or extract
4 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add milk, eggs, and root beer extract. Stir to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate dough for one hour until firm, then roll into one inch balls. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (or use a silpat like I did). Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before applying glaze.

Cream glaze:
2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Whisk all ingredients until all lumps are gone.

Zucchini Cakes

I found this recipe in Relish Magazine (which comes with the newspaper), and since I had two big zucchini sitting in the fridge and we always have trouble using them, I decided to give it a try. These were delicious and didn't taste too zucchini-y (the recipe claims they taste like crab cakes but I don't know what crab cakes taste like). As usual, I didn't have everything: I substituted a Old Bay spice blend substitute I found online for the Old Bay Seasoning and some white onion for the green onion.

Zucchini Cakes

3 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (from a baguette)
1 egg
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise or plain yogurt
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon butter

1. Place grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand 30 minutes. Press with paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Zucchini should be fairly dry, and you should have about 2 cups. Place zucchini and remaining ingredients (except oil and butter) in a bowl. Mix well. Form into 8 patties the size of crab cakes. Chill.
2. Heat oil and butter in a skillet.
3. Add patties to skillet and cook on both sides until browned. Drain on paper towels.

Clam Chowder

This recipe makes an awesome clam chowder. I used 'fat free" half-and-half (what is that anyways? I thought it was the fat content that determines whether it is milk or heavy cream or half-and-half, etc. Anyone know?) and it still thickened up just fine and tasted great. Also I substituted apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar. The vinegar really makes the flavor pop so don't leave it out! Last time I made it I added extra onion, potatoes, celery, carrots and 4 cans of clams, making it a little heartier but still very delicious, without needing to increase the sauce (besides the added water to cover the veggies while cooking).

Clam Chowder

3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup minced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
bacon (optional)

Pour juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water if necessary to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.

Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies

I know many people aren't big fans of squash, but this is a recipe that even my squash-hating husband enjoyed. I chose this recipe because it has lots of other flavors that do a pretty good job of covering any squash taste. I did make a few modifications: I used half spicy sausage and half ground beef, used a second green pepper and some red pepper flakes instead of the red pepper, used some fresh tomatoes in addition to a small can of tomatoes, and substituted some of the cheddar with mozzarella. This smells delicious baking! Enjoy.

• Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies
• 
  
• 1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred pulp with a fork.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in the green pepper, red pepper, red onion, and garlic. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
5. Mix the shredded squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in 2 cups cheese until melted. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
6. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.