SouleMama's Carrot Tomato Soup

Carrot-Tomato Soup
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled* and sliced in half with stems removed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
(optional) fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cover with most of the olive oil (reserving 2 TBSP or so), and the salt and pepper. If you'd like a little more flavor, I sometimes add a fresh sprig or two of oregano or thyme atop the tomatoes. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to roast.

Halfway through the roasting, melt the butter and remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables begin to get soft (15 minutes or so). When the tomatoes are done, add those to the pot (removing the sprigs of herbs), along with the stock. Simmer on low until the vegetables are all tender (another 15 minutes or so).

Puree the soup. (I don't have an immersion blender, so my regular blender works just fine, doing it in batches.)

Stop here and see below if you'd like to freeze some of the soup for later!**

Return the soup to the pot and onto the stove. Heat slowly. Add the chopped basil and heavy cream.

Enjoy!

Simple Vegetable Meals Featuring Tomatoes

Monday I sauteed onion and garlic, then added chard, then lots of tomato, and cooked it with white beans and some of the water I cooked the beans in. When it was done, I cut up cherry tomatoes and threw them into the stew. We ate it with homemade bread and more slices of tomato.

Then tonight I sauteed a corn, tomato and okra mix. I sauteed an onion and some garlic first, cooking the onion until it was brown. Then I added tomato and let it cook down into a stew with the onions. Then I added the corn for a couple of minutes, and finally I added sliced okra, covered it all, and cooked it about 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. We ate that with more of those white beans, a big green salad, and more toast with tomatoes. Oh, and I roasted beets.

Sunday I made stuffed peppers with all the leftover veggies in the fridge. We ate it with collard greens cooked with tomatoes. And arugula and cherry tomato salad.

Blueberry Corn Salad

(recipe Better Homes & Gardens)

• 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 small cucumber, sliced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped*
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

In Dutch oven bring salted water to boiling. Add corn. Cook, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs.

In a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. For dressing, in screw-top jar combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover; shake well to combine. Add to salad; toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours). Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Found on: Shutterbean

Red Potato Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, organic if possible 1/4 cup Dijon or Dusseldorf mustard 1/4 cup dry white vermouth 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 yellow onion 2 stalks celery 2 tsp capers 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley Chopped fresh dill to taste 1/2 lb steamed green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes in their skins, covered, just until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife. 2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing in a jar, combining mustard, vermouth, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste; shake well. 3. Drain potatoes, let cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into thick slices. Place in a large bowl. 4. Pour dressing over the potatoes while they are warm, tossing well. 5. Add chopped onion, sliced celery, capers, finely chopped parsley, dill and, if you like, other chopped vegetables (red bell pepper, radish). 6. Correct seasoning. Chill until served. 7. If desired, you can toss in lightly cooked fresh green beans as a good last-minute addition.

Chocolate/Peppermint Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:2 large Bananas

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 cup Soy Milk (or more)

2 medium Dates, chopped

1 T Cacao or Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Peppermint Extract (a few drops to taste)

Instructions:

Cut up bananas into small one-inch pieces, place in a baggie and freeze for 24 hours. To high-powered blender, add soy milk, vanilla, cocoa powder, dates, peppermint extract, and blend. Drop frozen banana pieces in slowly. You may need to add more soy milk to get the right consistency.

From: JANA DIEDRICH

White Bean Dip with Dill, Lemon, and Garlic

from Peter Berley

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked white beans (from 1 cup dry)
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. EVOO
2 Tbsp. chopped dill
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Coarse sea salt
Freshly milled black pepper
Paprika for garnish

1. Puree the beans in a food mill or mash by hand in a medium bowl. Add the lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. of the oil, dill, garlic, lemon zest, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

2. Just before serving, season with additional salt to tast, dust with paprika, and drizzle with the remaining tsp. of oil.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Dinner Ideas:
-Serve with some kind of bread/cracker/toasted pita and crudites
-Salad on the side

Sandwiches for Dinner

Great Sandwich Ideas:

• Avocado, sprout, and cheddar cheese on multi-grain bread. Simple and classic, but so good. The secret is to have great cheddar cheese.
• Avocado, bacon, and tomato. Or a BLT, but everything's better with avocado.
• Vegetarian Rueban (avocado or cheese, sauerkraut, tempeh bacon-optional on rye or pumpernickel with mustard and thousand island dressing)
  
• Grilled cheese
  

Serve sandwiches with a simple side dish or veggies.

• Quinoa salad
• artichokes
• pickles and carrot sticks
  

Peter Berley's Quinoa Salad

This was so, so good. It took a while to pull all the ingredients together, but was practically a meal unto itself once it was done.

Have with:

• fish
• chicken

Ingredients (for shopping - this includes the salad and marinade):

• 1/3 cup hulled sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup arame (I left it out and it was fine)
  
• 1/2 tsp. course sea salt
• 1 cup quinoa
• kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn (or 16 ounce bag of frozen)
• 1 red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 bunch red radishes (8 to 10)
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 2 scallions
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• salt and pepper
  

For the salad:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the 3 types of seeds (1/3 cup each) on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Then let them cool.
2. Combine 1/2 cup arame with 2 cups of warm water and set aside to swell for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the quinoa. Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil and salt with 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt. Add 1 cup of rinsed quinoa. Return to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. (I sometimes cover, but then it takes more than 20 minutes for the water to absorb.) When water has been absorbed, spread quinoa out on baking sheet to cool.
4. In a pot fitted with a steamer, combine the corn kernels and one diced red onion. Steam for 3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Remove to a colander and chill under cold running water. Drain thoroughly.
5. Dice red pepper, cut radishes into matchsticks. Grate the carrot.
6. Combine everything and pour marinade over it. Mix well and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marry the flavors.

Marinade:

1. Chop about 1 cup of cilantro. Leaves and tender stems.
2. Trim and slice 2 scallions, white and green parts.
3. Seed a jalapeno pepper and mince it.
4. Mince a garlic clove.
5. Combine all of the above with 1/2 cup of cider vinegar and 1/3 cup of EVOO. Add salt and pepper and wisk.
   

Rosemary-Mayo Chicken Burgers

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Mayonnaise:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Burgers:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sandwich rolls or burger buns
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup arugula, divided

Directions

For the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, garlic, and rosemary; set aside.

For the burgers: Preheat a gas or charcoal grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture. Using clean hands, gently combine the ingredients and form the chicken mixture into 4 patties. Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels and let rest for a few minutes.

Have with:

• salad
• roasted veggies

Curry Soup (from Marti)

Ingredients:

2 cups lentils
2 qts. vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. curry paste
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
Any combination of vegetables

Combine and cook for 20-25 min.

Sauteed Baby Artichokes

Sauteed Baby Artichokes Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds baby artichokes
Bowl of water with 3 cups of water and juice from 2 fresh lemons (about 3 Tbsp) or equivalent amount of vinegar

1 cup of water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 green onions (scallions), chopped, including the green ends
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
1 pinch of Herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup to taste)

Method:

1. Rinse the baby artichokes. Set out a bowl with 3 cups of ice-cold water; add the fresh squeezed juice from 2 lemons (about 3 Tbsp of lemon juice) or vinegar. Working on the artichokes one by one, cut off the stem to 1/4-inch from the base; peel back and remove the petals until only the top third of the cone tip is pale green green. Cut off the pale green tips. Trim off any remaining green from base of artichoke. Halve or quarter the artichokes, depending on their size and drop in the bowl of acidified water (to prevent discoloration).

2. Drain artichokes. In a large skillet, heat the artichokes and 1 cup of water to boiling. Cover and simmer 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the artichokes. Drain well.

3. Using the same skillet, heat to medium high and add the olive oil. Add the artichokes, onions, garlic, and Herbs de Provence. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle on 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper. Put in serving bowl, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Serves 4.

I tossed this with whole wheat angel hair pasta and added lots of grated Parmesan cheese. Yummy! We had boiled asparagus on the side.

Reference Links

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables to buy organic