Easy, Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

I tried this creamier version of tomato soup recently at a recipe club exchange and was reminded how much I enjoy this dish.  Everyone has their own style for this soup but this is one of the easiest and fastest ways you can throw it all together. 


Of course fresh ingredients are best but when you're pressed for time or if your farmers market doesn't have basil leaves and your tomatoes are already turning brown and soft, just do it like this.  Your family won't really even know the difference anyway. 


I like this soup in the cold months and in the warm months too.  During winter you can dip your grilled cheese sandwich in there and make it a heartier meal.  In the summer months, when it's so hot you can hardly stand it, you can eat this cold or at room temperature and it won't make you sick to your stomach! 


Enjoy!






Easy, Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

(Serves 6, makes about 8 cups)

4 cans (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes - I used petite tomatoes - read label carefully for no added salt, sugar or preservatives
4 tsp. dried ground basil leaves (Or use 12 fresh leaves cut up if you have them on hand!)
4 Tbsp real, all natural butter - I used Kerrygold Pure Irish brand
1 cup of half and half cream - I used organic creamer marked from Pasture raised cows
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
1-2 tsp of lemon juice to garnish (optional)

Heat a medium size sauce pan on the stove.  Pour in the canned tomatoes (juices included).  Simmer on medium-high until the liquid starts to burn.  Remove from heat.  Add in the basil leaves, half and half cream, butter and any seasoning you wish to add.  Stir until the butter has melted. 


Gently pour the tomato-basil liquid into a blender or food processor.  You may need to do this in several batches like I did.  Puree until smooth.  Serve immediately or portion out for several servings like I did so I could enjoy this for lunch a few times this week! 


This freezes well!  I hope you try it and find it tasty too.


Do you eat soups during the warmer, summer months?  Does the heat affect how you eat? 

Simple, Summer Berry Pie

I made this easy dessert on Saturday to welcome my husband back home after being on a week-long business trip.  There are so many berries in season right now here in Florida so it seemed like a good idea.  This would make a great Memorial day weekend treat for you as well, especially by decorating the top with blueberries, red strawberries and some white whipped topping. 


I love these simple, throw-together kind of pies that require miminal work and taste amazing.  I hope you enjoy this one!



Simple, Summer Berry Pie
(Serves 6 to 8)

1 deep pie crust (I used a whole wheat, organic kind OR make your own)
4 cups of berries, divided in half (I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
8 oz package of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 container of whipped cream topping, reduced fat or fat free
1 cup of organic, all natural sugar
4 Tbsp. unbleached flour (I used whole wheat)
A few berries for garnish (optional)

Grease a deep dish pie plate generously with cooking spray.  Use a ready-made store bought pie crust or make your own.  (I have done it both ways, depending on my time and the ingredients I have on hand).   Bake your pie crust at 400 degrees for about ten minutes.  Remove from heat and it let it cool completely.  


Melt the 8 oz package of cream cheese in the microwave.  Spread it across the bottom of the pie crust.  Wash and thinly slice two cups of the berries.  Set the other half aside.  Place the sliced berries over the creamed crust.  Spoon 1/3 of  the whipped cream over the strawberries, covering all of them. 

Place the other two cups of berries in a large bowl.  Mash them until juicy.  In a medium size pot, boil your mashed berries on the stove with the sugar and flour until thick, about ten minutes.  Stir frequently so the strawberry liquid does not burn.  Substance will resemble a jam-like texture.   Let this liquid cool before handling.  Once cool, pour mixture into pie covering almost to the top, like this:

 

Top pie with remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream.  Cut into 8 slices. Enjoy!  

The pie stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days.  I do not recommend freezing this particular pie because the jam-texture of it causes the crust the become a bit soggy after prolonged exposure to cold.

Do you like your pie hot or cold?  Or both ways?  Do you make any summer pies that you love?   

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

I saw this wonderful recipe posted on my bloggy pal Lara's website.  She has such great, easy family recipes that always catch my eye.  When she described this one as pasta that tasted like a hamburger, I knew I had to try it.  Her words didn't disappoint me either. 


I did tweak her recipe to add in some bacon, a liquid-based steak seasoning and a can of tomato sauce to give it a saucey texture.  The end result was amazing!  My husband loved this one and didn't even mind leftovers for two days!  I think you'll enjoy it as well.  It was a quick, simple recipe that I threw together after I came home from work.  Everything was ready in less than an hour.




Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Adapted from Recipe Shoebox

(Serves 6)

1 box (12-ounces) of whole wheat pasta - I used penne
1 lb. ground turky meat
1 onion, diced
1 can (14-1/2-oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 cup of shredded or pureed carrots (optional)
2 Tbsp. mustard
3 Tbsp. ketchup
3 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
1 Tbsp. steak sauce (I used A-1)
1/4 tsp. salt or Cajun seasoning
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, reduced fat
1/2 cup of chopped green onions
1/3 cup of bacon bits

Cook your whole wheat pasta according to package directions on the stove.  Grease a large skillet generously with cooking spray.  Brown beef with chopped onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, pureed (or shredded) carrots, mustard, ketchup, relish, steak sauce, and salt/seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for about seven minutes. 


Add in your bacon bits and the chopped green onions.  Cook for another five minutes.  Stir in the drained pasta.  Cook for about 3 minutes more. Top with the cheddar cheese.  Remove from heat; stir and serve.


We topped ours with some additional cheese and served them with green beans.

 


Enjoy!   This is a good one!  Thanks again Lara! 

How often do you cook pasta dishes?  I realize that we have some kind of noodle meal at least once a week.  I love it!  We buy the whole grain or whole wheat pasta.  It's so easy to add vegetables to your pasta and sneak in a few purees too.  Tomato sauce can easily hide things like carrots, cauliflower and more.  Think beyond just the meat and red sauce the next time you make pasta dishes.  And if you have any good ones you make, please share them here too! 

What's Cookin' This Week (May 16 - 22)?

Wow, last week flew by fast!  I stayed so busy helping out friends by babysitting or delievering freezer meals to a needy family.  I ate from my freezer with previously prepared meals or I ate out.  My husband came back to town yesterday after being gone for a week.  So we finally sat down and had a great, normal meal as a family.  I even made a summer berry pie, a simple recipe that I intend to share later this week. 

I hope to post three new recipes this week - a pasta dish, a salad dressing and a dessert.  I'm also working on a post where I discuss how I do Saturday morning cooking (2-3 hours in the kitchen) that saves me a lot of time later on.  Stay tuned for those!

In the mean time, here is what I have lined up for this week.  I'm continuing with the less is more, simple is good -





Monday, May 16 - Easy Thai Chicken Wraps with a side of steamed veggies (carrots, broccoli, etc.)


Tuesday, May 17 - Turkey burgers and Beer-Cheese soup (both are currently in my freezer)


Wednesday, May 18 - Leftovers or Eat Out with friends


Thursday, May 19 - Chicken Tacos, with corn and pinto beans


Friday, May 20 - Upside Down Pizza by Recipe Shoebox, with a side salad


Saturday, May 21 - Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole with a side of Broccoli Fritters


Sunday, May 22 - Homemade Chili in the Crockpot with cornbread cake (This makes a ton so I freeze 2/3 of it for later use!)


Next weekend I hope to do several hours of prepwork in the kitchen, work for visitiors that we'll be hosting for Memorial Day weekend.  I'll attempt to make a few different desserts listed in my cookbook (such as my delicious cocoa fudge cookies, low-fat brownies and banana toffee squares).  I also intend to do some chopping of onions and peppers along with some shopping.  That way I can enjoy my time with family after they arrive and spend less time slaving over the stove!


Here is the one additional, new dessert I hope to make this week and freeze for the holiday weekend as well.  This one should be easy to make and freeze for simple retrieval on Memorial Day weekend -




Dessert: Angel food cupcakes with meringue frosting!  Yummy and low-fat.  Plus my sister-in-law and her family loves angel food cake.  So hopefully they'll like this version of it.  :-)


What's on your meal plan this week?  What great dish have you made lately?

Better Than Grandma's Ginger Snap Cookies

My grandma always kept ginger snap cookies in a silver canister.  As a child, I remember vividly watching her reach into the cupboard for that tin to hand my father and me several cookies.  It was a tradition for us to receive those and we'd come to expect them at each visit.  Those cookies were good but they were the hard kind, not the soft and chewy cookies that we sometimes prefer. 

Since Mother's day just passed, I was feeling sentimental about my family - how I don't see them very often.  I felt the need to enjoy my grandmother's ginger snap cookies; however, I know she's not well enough or even physically able to make me a batch of these treats.  Therefore, I decided it was time to make my own, perhaps even create some that are better than grandma's.  I am happy to report that I have achieved that goal with this recipe.  My dad was happy to receive a handful of these treats and my mom was too!  I delivered more than a dozen of them to my parents recently.  Even my grandma was able to try some too.  They raved about how good these tasted and how soft they were too!  :-)





Better Than My Grandma's Ginger Snap Cookies

(Makes 3 and 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies)

2 and 1/2 cups of flour (I used half all-purpose and half whole wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
1 and 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of butter, cut into pieces (two sticks, I used Smart Balance brand)
1 egg
1/4 cup of molasses
1/3 cup of sugar in a small bowl, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and take out 2-3 cookie pans but leave them ungreased.  In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves.  Stir well. 

In a separate bowl, place the egg, sugar, butter and molasses.  Beat with an eletric mixer for about three minutes.   Add the dry ingredients to the beaten liquid mix.  Stir together by hand.  Shape the dough into round balls, like in the picture below:  



Dip each ball into the sugar that was set aside in the bowl.  Arrange on your ungreased cookie sheet an inch or so apart.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Let the cookies cool for two minutes before serving. 

Enjoy!  These are so easy to make!  You can even freeze these too.  Simply place them on a plate or in a plastic container to freezer for  a few hours.  Then move them into a plastic storage bag.   To defrost, simply place the storage bag of cookies on your countertop for a few hours, until they reach room temperature.  Or eat them nearly frozen - they are good that way too!  :-)


Do you have a dessert or special dish that reminds you of a grandmother or other elderly relative in your family?

Skinny Pepperoni Pasta Salad

Last week was "Teacher Appreciation Week" at my daughter's daycare/preschool center.  It was only her first couple of days attending the place but I didn't let that stop me from making or giving something special to her caretaker each day.   Even I can be creative last-minute.  

However, since I didn't have time to go shopping, I looked in my pantry for items on hand to make a side dish for their "Teachers' Potluck" last Friday.  Thank goodness I'm usually well-stocked with a variety of food items.  After digging around my shelves for ingredients, I came up with this simple and tasty pasta salad.  I heard that everyone really enjoyed it!  I only tried two bites of it so that the rest would go to the school staff but I doubt anyone could only eat one serving of this!  :-)



Skinny Pepperoni Pasta Salad

(Serves 12 - 15)

1 box (13 oz) of whole wheat (whole grain) pasta - I used rotini
1 cup (8 oz) of cubed reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 and 1/2 cups of chopped green onions
1 bag (4 oz) of turkey pepperoni mini slices
1 cup of Zesty, low-fat Italian dressing - We always keep a bottle of this stuff on hand for marinating and grilling

Cook pasta on the stove according to the package directions.  Drain in a collander.  Run cool water over the pasta so it's not hot when you're combining it with the remaining ingredients. 

In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cubed cheese, green onions, pepperoni slices and tomato pieces.  Stir.  Add the Italian dressing last.  Combine and coat the pasta well. 

Serve.  Or you can store in a plastic container in the fridge until ready to eat.  Past will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

This is a lighter, more refreshing salad that I think you'll enjoy in the warmer months.  It's like having your own delicious salad bar at home!   

What's Cookin' This Week (May 9 - 15, 2011)?

Hi!  Happy special day to you all you moms out there!  I also say happy "Mother's Day" to all the men and women and children who play a nurturing role in the lives of kids or someone they love.  Many people are like mothers to us but they haven't given birth.  Even though I'm not much into commercial holidays, I do appreciate a day honored for the hardest job I've ever had - becoming and continuing to be a mother to my precious daughter Vivian. 


As I've just returned to the workfore this past week, I realize how precious my time at home has been with my three year old.  I'm so glad I had that year and a half to spend getting to know her, shape her and just play with her.  I know I'll still get to do these things as she grows up but we may not ever have a year like the one that just past.  I'm so grateful for it.  I love being her mom even during the really difficult times.  It has given me such a gift and so much to laugh, cry and love about! 


In honor of all moms out there, I'm taking it EASY this week.  Actually it works out good because my husband will be out of town, traveling and working long hours.  So for much of this coming week, it will just be my girl and me.  Therefore, we will be eating from the freezer, having a breakfast for dinner and eating out a few times too.   Here is my meal plan for the coming days --






Monday, May 9 - Macaroni and Olive Salad


Tuesday, May 10 - Eat Out at a Kids-Eat-Free Friendly Restaurant


Wednesday, May 11 - Make a Breakfast for Dinner -- Scrambled Eggs and Pancakes


Thursday, May 12 - Eat from freezer: Veggie-stuffed meatloaf, side of corn


Friday, May 13 - Takeout: Sushi


Saturday, May 14 - Open Faced Sweet and Spicy Meatball Sandwiches, serve with spinach and parmesan cakes

Sunday, May 15 - Sausage and Penne Pasta with side salad and homemade bread, from my cookbook

AND

For one dessert, I'll make these -

Black bean brownies with mint frosting - boy do these look good!  I've seen recipes with black beans hidden in them for cakes and other desserts.  I'm finally going to try it out for myself!!


Have a great week everyone!  I have two pasta recipes I'll be sharing along with a cookie recipe that is better than my grandmother's one I grew up with!  So, check out those yummy dishes here later in the week!   And again, Happy Mother's Day!

Cinco de Mandy - Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole

I love how we Americans take it upon ourselves to celebrate any other country's holiday when it involves food!  :-)  We indulge in Irish food for St. Patty's Day; then of course in May we do Cinco de Mayo.  Most of us don't even know why we celebrate it.  After all, it's not a special day for us the way it is in Mexico.  But we don't care - it's an excuse to eat, live and party it up Mexican (Latin American) style! 

I am no exception.  I've participated in parties and potlucks that involve Cinco de Mayo celebrations.  I have even been known to bring in my Latin American music CD's and dance moves too!  :-) 

A few days ago I made this wonderful, easy Mexican dish.  It involves all the traditional good stuff but I added (snuck) in some healthy veggies too.  My family really liked it and my husband didn't even know that spinach and carrots were in it!  A win-win for all!  And a great party food too.  Enjoy!




Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
(Serves 6 to 8)

2 cups of shredded, pre-cooked (boiled) chicken
2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 packet of taco seasoning mix (such as McCormick's with no MSG)
3/4 cup of water
1 lb. (19 oz) can of enchilada sauce (Or make your own or just use tomato sauce)
3/4 cup of salsa
1/2 cup shredded or pureed carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped or pureed spinach
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 tsp cilantro, chopped
6 - 8 whole wheat flour tortillas
2 cups of shredded cheese, reduced fat


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease the bottom of a 2 QT (11x7 inch) baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place your precooked chicken in a lightly greased skillet on the stove.  Cook for about five minutes then add the water and taco seasoning mix.  Simmer for ten minutes or until most of the water is cooked into the chicken.  Add the brown rice, pureed spinach and shredded carrots.  Add 1/3 of the salsa and 1/4 of the enchilada sauce to further season the chicken mixture.  Cook for another five minutes and remove from heat.  Toss in the cilantro and green onions.  Stir to combine all ingredients well. 

Pour another 1/4 of the enchilada sauce at the bottom of the greased baking pan.  Place 3 to 4 of the whole wheat flour tortillas at the bottom of the pan.  They can be overlapping.  Pour another 1/4 of the enchilada sauce, another 1/3 of the salsa and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese on top.  Then spread half of the chicken-rice-veggie mixture above that. 

Then repeat with a layer of another 3 to 4 flour tortillas followed by the remaining 1/4 of enchilada sauce. Top with the remaining half of the chicken-rice-veggie mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, remaining salsa and any remaining sauce still in the can. 

Place in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Let it cool for about ten minutes before cutting and serving.  I sliced mine into 8 generous pieces. 

Freeze leftovers for up to three months.  Reheat in microwave.  Muy bueno! 



Are you eating Mexican food on this year's Cinco de Mandy, I mean Mayo?  :-)  What's your favorite Latin American dish - tacos, burritos, fajitas or something else?