Tomato Artichoke Soup

I'm a planner. Not surprisingly, I plan our meals a week in advance, However, there are the occasional meals that just seem to slip by me.  I had no plans for dinner tonight but after taking stock of what we had in our kitchen (and perhaps more importantly, what was not there), a delicious-sounding tomato artichoke soup recipe that I had saved fit the bill.  Pair that with the prosciutto, mozzarella and smoked gouda in our fridge as well as the homemade pesto in our freezer for a panini and a green salad to round it out, dinner was sounding better and better.

This soup didn't disappoint.  It had great flavor.  We loved it the way it was although Bryant suggested adding some steamed clams for more of a Manhattan-like clam chowder variation. Additionally, the original recipe calls for all the soup blended but we like our soup on the chunkier side so I only blend half of the soup.  Blending half gave the soup a great creamy consistency but with lots of chunks of tomatoes and artichokes.

It was as if I had planned dinner all along.

Tomato Artichoke Soup
Taken from: A Couple Cooks
Serves 4-6

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves  
• 28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Muir Glen's no-salt tomatoes)
• 15 oz can artichokes, drained
• 1 cup water (I used 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of chicken broth for a little extra flavor)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• 1 cup milk (I used skim)
• salt and pepper

 Extras:

• grated parmesan
• croutons (try homemade)

1. In a large soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter. Sauté the chopped onions, minced garlic and 3 bay leaves until the onions are translucent.
2. Chop the artichokes into smaller pieces. In the soup pot, add the artichokes, tomatoes (including the juice), water (and chicken broth), oregano and basil. Simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaves.
3. Using an immersion blender (or blender), blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Add 1 cup milk. Serve immediately, topping with croutons and a little parmesan, if desired.
   *When reheating, make sure to heat the soup thoroughly but do not bring to a boil.

Lentil Soup

There's really nothing like soup on a cold day (although I'd happily eat it on a hot day, too!).  And lentil soup happens to be one of our favorites - lots of vegetables (but less chopping than I had expected), incredibly good-for-you lentils and a tomato-based broth.  Mmmm.  There are also a lot of ways to make it your own - some people add cumin and curry spices for a more Indian flair but for us? Grated parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon sprinkled on top of each bowl does the trick. 

However, we had to make do with only parmesan this time.  I have plenty of bacon in the freezer so a lack of bacon wasn't the reason.  Instead, while cooking, our bacon caught on fire.  I like to broil bacon by placing a drying rack on top of a cookie sheet; this makes the bacon nice and crisp as pan-frying just doesn't work well for me.  Broiling also allows a lot of the fat to drip off the bacon onto the cookie sheet. I've been using this technique for a while but accidentally set the bacon on the top rack (I usually do second from the top).  When I pulled the bacon out, expecting a nicely crisped piece, I saw a small flame instead consuming our bacon.  Luckily, we always have baking soda so we successfully doused the flame (and sadly, bacon right along with it).

So whether you have bacon or not, try this lentil soup recipe! We served it with cornbread but a slice of good bread would go well with it, too.

Lentil Soup

Taken from: AllRecipes

Serves: 8-10

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 carrots, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed, diced or whole peeled tomatoes (I had whole peeled tomatoes which I chopped up), including juice
• 2 cups dry lentils
• 8 cups water (could substitute chicken broth for all or part of the water)
• 2 cups spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons wine (optional)
• grated parmesan cheese, for serving
• 2-4 slices of cooked bacon, for serving

-In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
-Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes (including the juice). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar and wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Serve with grated parmesan and crumbled bacon on top, if desired.

Cream of (Roasted) Tomato Soup

This tomato soup is perfect for the cold nights that we've been having the last few days (although perhaps I just got wimpier since we've moved to California). And it was even better serving it with grilled cheese sandwiches and a cabbage salad. (We might have including crispy bacon inside our grilled cheese. I like to call it our almost non-meat meal.)

I couldn't decide whether to call this roasted tomato soup or cream of tomato soup, so why not combine the two?  Roasting whole peeled canned tomatoes (I did this ahead of time), stirring in a spice or two, adding just a touch of cream and whisky...whew!  We pureed half of the soup in the blender which made a very creamy texture but kept nice chunks of tomato.  I also lightened this recipe and we didn't miss the extra butter/cream/etc. 

Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup
Taken from: Smitten Kitchen
Serves 4-6

• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained, juices reserved
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup of large minced shallots, about 4 (I used minced onion instead)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Pinch ground allspice (you can substitute equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, black pepper or omit entirely)
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose or white whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned low-sodium
• 1/4 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half-and-half)
• 1 tablespoon brandy, dry sherry, whiskey (optional)
• Salt and ground pepper 

-THIS STEP CAN BE DONE AHEAD OF TIME: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Lined rimmed baking sheet with foil. With fingers, carefully open whole tomatoes over strainer set in bowl and push out seeds, allowing juices to fall through strainer into bowl. Spread seeded tomatoes in single layer on foil. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to color, about 30 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly, then peel them off foil; transfer to small bowl and set aside.
-Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat in large saucepan until foaming. Add shallots/onions, tomato paste and allspice. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add chicken stock, whisking constantly to combine; stir in reserved tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes (this is an excellent time to make the grilled cheese sandwiches!)
-Pour half to 3/4 of the mixture to blender and puree until smooth. Place pureed mixture back into saucepan with remaining soup. Add cream and warm over low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in brandy and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. (Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Warm over low heat until hot; do not boil.)

Light Loaded Potato Soup

I love soup.  I think there was a month there where I might have made a different kind of soup every week. It also might have been a month when it was 90 degrees outside each day.  So imagine my excitement that we finally have (much more) appropriate weather for soup!  And as soon as I saw two different blog posts about this Light Loaded Potato Soup from Cooking Light, I immediately put it on our week’s meal plan.  It didn’t hurt that I had leftover red potatoes, broccoli was on sale and I always have bacon in the freezer.

The soup is remarkably true to its name – it tastes exactly like a loaded potato! The soup is extremely thick and creamy, even though I used skim milk.  Throwing a little bacon on the top (just a little) makes each bowl that much more luxurious. However, I had the leftovers for lunch today without the bacon and it held up just fine without it.  I tweaked the recipe by pureeing ½ of the potatoes in the food processor and mashing the rest. I also threw in some steamed broccoli which I really enjoyed.

Light Loaded Potato Soup
Taken from: Ezra Pound Cake
Serves 4-6

• 4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I did 2 Tbsp all-purpose, 1 Tbsp. white whole wheat)
• 2 cups skim milk, divided
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 bacon slices
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions
• 1-2 heads of broccoli, steamed

-Steam broccoli.
-Scrub red potatoes and dice into about 1 inch cubes. Place potatoes in sauce pan, cover with water and then bring to a boil.  Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until cubes are easily pierced with a fork (meanwhile, start cooking onions as below).  Drain potatoes into a colander.  Mash potatoes (I used a whisk) and then transfer half of the potatoes to a food processor.  Pulse until potatoes are creamy.
-While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add broth.
-In a small bowl, combine flour and 1/2 cup milk. Add the mixture to the pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook for 1 minute.
-Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in sour cream, salt and pepper. Set aside.
-Move oven rack to the top-middle section and heat broiler. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place bacon strips on top of cooling rack. Broil for approximately 3-5 minutes.  Flip over and cook 30 second to 1 minute on the other side.  Drain bacon on paper towels and then crumble.
-Serve soup with cheese, green onions, crumbled bacon and broccoli.

Chicken & Chickpea Soup

Do you know the feeling when you think you're on the verge of a cold? You're not sick yet but you can feel it coming.  Bryant felt like that on Tuesday so that means sleeping a lot more, lots lof buying some orange juice and making chicken soup.  However, this chicken soup is a bit different than others because it uses chickpeas instead of noodles.  Also, the spices in this soup seem much more Moroccan to me - cinnamon, cumin and coriander. It's delicious and a nice twist on the classic soup. So whether you're fighting off a cold or not, enjoy!

Chicken and Chickpea Soup
Taken from: Everyday Food Magazine
Serves 6

• 1 Tbsp.olive oil
• 3/4 to 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained OR 1 1/2 cups of cooked dried garbanzo beans
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• salt and pepper
• squeeze of lemon

- Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add chicken breast (it can even be frozen) and cook 10-15 minutes until fully cooked through (there should be no pink on the inside).  Cool chicken and then shred with fingers or two forks.  Set aside.
-Bring a large pot to medium-high and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 4 minutes). Add garlic and spices; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth and shredded chicken; add bay leaves.
-Bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium simmer, partially cover, and cook 10-15 minutes. 

-Add chickpeas and celery and just a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Top with cilantro just before serving.

Week's Menu Plan & Slow Cooker Chicken Broth

So it's back to the working world for me on Monday - which I'm quite excited about although quick weeknight meals will be a much bigger factor from now on!  I'm assuming that I'll be a bit drained after the first work week so I tried to pick things for this menu plan that are much easier to make or the prep work can be done ahead of time.  And we'll be celebrating on Friday with a little homemade pizza!

I'm especially looking forward to the skirt steak and blue cheese salad (Bryant loves blue cheese although I'll be topping mine with feta instead) because our farmers market just started carrying grass fed beef. And I'll be stocking up, too, as the end of farmers markets is rapidly approaching (it'll be goodbye to the farmers market, hello to CSA [Community Supported Agriculture] boxes!).

I've been wanted to make my own chicken broth for a while.  I've been shelling out for Trader Joe's chicken broth and while it's good, I figured making my own would be cheaper AND better.  At our local grocery store this week, free range, antibiotic-free whole chickens were only $1 a pound, so I jumped at the chance.  Bryant and I only really like white meat so I cut off the chicken breast and roasted it along with some vegetables last night.  The rest of the chicken was thrown into the pot for stock and simmered all day yesterday.  For a 5 pound chicken, we got a great meal (or two) AND tons of broth!  I haven't tried the broth yet but I'll be using it in the Vietnamese chicken pho that I'm finally making this week.


Week's Menu Plan

Saturday: marinated chicken skewers, tzatiki, Greek salad
Sunday: Sauteed Tilapia with Lemon Sauce with risotto
Monday: spaghetti with meatballs with sauteed vegetables
Tuesday: skirt steak and blue cheese salad
Wednesday: Spanish Tortilla with biscuits
Thursday: Vietnamese chicken pho
Friday:  homemade pizza


Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
Taken from: Ina Garten
Makes approx 4-6 cups of chicken stock (which can then be thinned with water, if desired)

• 1 (5-pound) roasting chickens (or the parts leftover that you didn't want to eat)
• 1 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and halved
• 1 stalks celery with leaves, cut into thirds
• 7 sprigs fresh parsley (all I had was dried so I just threw in probably about a teaspoon)
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme (again, only dried)
• 20 sprigs fresh dill (optional, I omitted)
• 1/3 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (don't use ground as it'll be too spicy)
• 8 cups water

-Place the chicken/chicken parts, onion, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a large stockpot or slow cooker.
-Add approximately 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours over the stove OR place a slow cooker on low and cook 8-10 hours.
-Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids.
-Chill the stock overnight or at least 8 hours. The next day, remove the surface fat.
-Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months (Bryant laughs but I package mine in 2 Tbsp. ice cubes and then freeze them that way.  This means 8 chicken broth cubes would be one cup. It's a lot easier to get the amount you want and a lot quicker to thaw!)

Corn Chowder

While Bryant is very, very easy to cook for (he eats just about anything), he does have his favorites. The first time I made this corn chowder, I was actually a little nervous he didn't like it because he was so quiet while he ate it. Turns out it was a good silence, the kind where you just focus on your food. We actually have a "5 star menu" which lists our favorite recipes. And this chowder recipe is one of them. It's even better now with fresh corn in season.

Corn Chowder
Taken from: Everyday Food
Serves 4

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced (I used red onion because we didn't have scallions)
  
• 2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 20 ounces frozen corn kernels OR 2 cups of fresh corn (approx. 2 ears)
  
• 2 cans (approx. 30 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups milk (I use skim)
  

-In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add white part of scallion, carrot, chili powder, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallion is soft, about 2 minutes.
-Add potato, corn, broth, and milk.
-Bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potato is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
-Stir in green part of scallion, and season with salt and pepper.

Minestrone Soup and How to Cook Dried Beans

So many recipes to share, so little time. It was a serious debate with Bryant which of the past weekend's meals to share. We decided on the minestrone soup but the blueberry scone and the quiche recipes are sure to follow.

Minestrone soup is probably my favorite soup. Whenever I see it at a restaurant, I always want to get it (but often balk at paying $5 for a cup of soup). So of course, making it at home is a lot cheaper! Also, it has so many fresh vegetables that summer is the best season for it.

This recipe makes a lot of meals. It says that it serves 8 but I think we're going to get more than that out of it. We had it for dinner Saturday night, then I had it for lunch 3 days in a row and I still froze about half of it for a future meal! Definitely worth all the chopping.

Minestrone Soup
Taken from: Allrecipes

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
  
• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups tomato sauce OR 4 cups crushed tomatoes OR 6 fresh tomatoes (crushed in the food processor)
  
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
• 1 cup kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup white beans, drained (I used canario)
  
• 2 cups baby spinach, rinsed
• 3 zucchinis, quartered and sliced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano OR 1 tsp. dried oregano
  
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil OR 1 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried thyme (optional)
  
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
  
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup whole wheat short pasta (I used rotini)
  
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese for topping

-In a large stock pot, over medium-low heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add celery and carrots, saute for 1 to 2 minutes.
-Add chicken broth, water, tomatoes and red wine, bring to boil, stirring frequently.
-Reduce heat to low and add kidney beans, white beans, spinach, zucchini, oregano, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, the longer the better.
-Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until tender. Drain water and set aside.
-Once pasta is cooked and soup is heated through place 2 tablespoons cooked pasta into individual serving bowls. Ladle soup on top of pasta and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top to taste.

Cooking Dried Beans

Also, I've finally figured out how to cook dried beans! Sad, but true. Bryant and I had a black bean fiasco a couple months ago where we soaked the beans overnight, all day and STILL they weren't ready to eat! I had also decided to soak the entire bag about 3 weeks before we moved to California. Needless to say, we had a lot of black beans before we left. I definitely had to get creative to use those up...and probably cleared out our systems in the process!

So I hadn't bought dried beans since...until they had some at the farmers market on Saturday and was going to make minestrone soup that night. Bryant reminded me of "the incident" so after searching the internet, I found that you some easy directions to follow AND they don't require overnight soaking.

Also, since dried beans are cheaper than canned, it always helps our budget (Bryant lovingly calls me "the budget nazi" thanks to my extensive excel sheet, large collection of coupons and money-saving tips). Cooked beans can also be frozen so unless you're moving in 3 weeks, you could always make a few cups at a time and freeze them for easy future uses (as I mention below, dried beans will typically triple in volume). Finally, any time you can get away from added sodium and preservatives, found in canned beans, is always a benefit!

-Rinse beans to be cooked (dried beans will typically triple in volume so 1 cup of dried beans makes 3 cups of cooked) and pick out any bad ones.
-In a large pot halfway full of water (do not add salt), bring them to a boil and boil for at LEAST 10 minutes. (Apparently, dried beans have low levels of a toxin so you need to boil for 10 minutes to make sure the toxin is removed.)
-Drain beans. Place beans in slow cooker and add 3 cups of water for every one cup of beans. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for approximately 4-6 hours. Cooking times can vary by bean type.