Homemade Tomato Basil Soup

One of the best things about this time of year is the tomato harvest and all of the delicious things you can do with fresh tomatoes. Two of my favorites are homemade tomato sauce and homemade tomato basil soup. I've tried lots of recipes and I think I've finally fine-tuned the one I like the best. It's got the perfect balance of tomato and basil, with a hint of other veggies and spices that give it a great depth of flavor along with a bit of creaminess without the dairy. 

Here's what you'll need:

16 tomatoes

olive oil

salt

pepper

1 tsp. thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 celery stalks, sliced 

1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup fresh basil

a little brown sugar

1 cup almond milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and place cut-side-up on cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and thyme. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. 

While tomatoes are roasting, saute onion in olive oil until translucent, add garlic and saute (do not let the garlic blacken). Add celery and carrots and saute saute until softened. Blend sauteed veggies with vegetable broth until smooth. Set aside.

When tomatoes are finished, let them cool slightly blend them with basil in the blender until smooth. Combined blended ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a slight boil. Add a little brown sugar to balance the tartness of the tomatoes and stir in the almond milk (or other milk of your choice). 

Garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches.  

Thai Shrimp Soup

For some reason, in the month of February every year, I have this yearning for fresh Thai inspired food. It started last year when I joined Bountiful Baskets food Co-op and they had a Thai-inspired basket. I looked for all kinds of recipes I could use to make Thai-inspired food and I came up with a basil-lemongrass ice cream, a delicious stir-fry and the perfect soup (something like pictured above). I photographed all of the recipes with the intention of writing out what I had done with the help of the pictures and blogging it . . . and then my card crashed and I wasn't able to recover any of those photos. I also lost the pictures from a wedding we went to, my daughters fourth birthday party, and most of the photos from a recipe book that I was working on for my grandmother - she had spent a couple months with me and was cooking all of the food. So, I guess my lost Thai recipes were the least important, but still I was pretty bummed. Again, this February, for some reason I've had a craving for this type of food, so I made another attempt at some yummy Thai soup with fresh ingredients on top. As always, I love the contrasting flavors, colors, temperature, and textures of this food mixed together.

Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 lb shrimp, deveined
2 Cups sliced Mushrooms
6 cups chicken broth
8-12 drops Thai fish sauce
2 stocks lemongrass
1 Tbsp Red curry paste
Rice Noodles
1 15 oz can coconut milk

Top with:
Finely sliced Napa Cabbage
Green Onions, sliced
Cilantro, chopped
Red Chili Peppers (I use dried Chile de Arbol)

Slice toppings and set aside in separate dishes.

Saute onion and garlic in coconut oil on medium heat. When onions are translucent, add shrimp and mushrooms and cook until shrimp is cooked through. Add 6 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. add fish sauce, lemongrass, curry paste and let flavors blend for a bit. Turn off heat and add coconut milk.

Prepare rice noodles separately according to package directions.

Serve soup into bowls. Add rice noodles, Top with toppings and enjoy.

Pozole Style - Mexican Chicken Soup

For years, I'd heard lots of people talk of "pozole" but had no idea what it even was, except for that people loved it. I imagined something like mole (¡nada que ver! - not even close!) Then I started teaching amongst a high Mexican population and anytime traditions or favorite food came up in our discussions, pozole, always came up with lots of enthusiasm. Finally, at a Christmas Dinner with friends, I was introduced to it and learned that it's soup with very few cooked ingredients (meat - generally pork and hominy corn) and lots of broth and then topped with fresh ingredients and a spicy kick. I'm a huge fan contrasting textures and tempuratures with food so this has been on my favorite's list since. A lot of the time this soup is prepared with pork, which is very tasty, but I try to make a healthier and simpler version. I don't have a specific recipe to follow, but it's practically impossible to mess this stuff up. If you go authentic, you make your own broth, but my version can be whipped up in no time.

First prepare 2 chicken breasts (I like the crock pot for simplicity) and shred. Then saute diced onion and celery in a stock pot with a little oil until onions are clear. Add chicken, broth, hominy, chick peas, and oregano and let simmer. Remember I don't have a recipe so just use the rule of thumb that you toss quite a bit of salad on top and you'll want plenty of broth so add more broth or less cans of hominy and chick peas if necessary.

Soup Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/2 diced onion
2 stalks sliced celery
2-3 quarts chicken broth
2-3 15 oz cans hominy
1-2 15 oz. can chick peas (sometimes I add these...you don't usually find these in traditional pozole)
1-2 Tbsp oregano

While the soup simmers for a bit, prepare the following with which to top the soup.

Toppings
Finely sliced cabbage
Diced onion
Diced avocado
Diced or sliced radishes (not pictured)
Chopped cilantro
Jalapeño chiles in adobo sauce
Tostadas/chips
Lime wedges (not pictured)

Serve with plenty of broth in a deep bowl. Add toppings generously with a dalop (or more) of jalapeños in adobo on top and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Break tostadas on top for an extra crunch. Repeat and enjoy until satisfied!

Broccoli Soup - Honduran Style

One of my favorite comfort foods that Rina makes is her broccoli soup. And my girls love it too. There's nothing better than to know your kids are asking for second servings on their green veggies!

Ingredients

2 large slices of onion
1 stalk of celery
2 gloves of garlic, minced
2 heads of broccoli
1 large potato, with skin (or 2 medium potatoes)
water from potato
1/4 tsp cumin
butter
salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and Dice potato (with skins) and place in water to boil (just enough to cover it).

2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, and broccoli until the onion is clear (broccoli may still be firm).

3. Place broccoli and other sauteed ingredients in a blender with a small portion of the water from the potato and blend until smooth.



4. Pour liquefied ingredients back into the soup pot and do the same with the potato - blend until smooth with remaining water.


5. Add potato liquid to the warming ingredients in the soup pot and bring to a boil on medium heat.
6. Add a tablespoon or two of butter, a 1/4 tsp (or more if you like it) of cumin. Salt and Pepper to taste. Mix final ingredients well.

Serve warm with bread, toast, or a tasty grilled cheese sandwich . . . or a black bean and cheese quesadilla, like I did here.

Vegetable Wheat Soup

We had this soup at a church activity a few weeks ago and my girls devoured it. I loved that it was packed with vegetables and was healthy and have made variations of it a couple times since then. Here's some general instructions to the best of my memory:

Cook 1-2 cups of wheat grains in a crockpot with plenty of water overnight.

In a large soup pot saute:

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 roma tomatoes, diced

Add:
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped

Turn up heat and add:
Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil.
Add cooked wheat.

Just before all other vegetables are finished, add veggies that cook quickly and that you don't want to turn soggy:

I added 1-2 small zucchini, chopped.
a handful of chopped cilantro

On the second go-around, I didn't have zucchini, so I added broccoli instead. And it was delicious. I was also hesitant to add cilantro as I was taking some to a friend who I wasn't sure liked cilantro, so I substituted with parsley.

This soup can be so versatile. Add any veggie you prefer and it's delicious. And hearty. And healthy. And it's so light, I wouldn't even mind having it in the summer with a salad.

One last suggestion. The first time I made the wheat, I had plenty, so I put half in the soup and froze half of it. The next time I wanted to make it, I just threw in the frozen wheat and it thawed very quickly in the boiling water. It took a whole long step right out of the process.

Taco Soup

Apologies up front for no specific measurements. It's a recipe that's changed over the years from Mom's chili to Daisy's version of Taco Soup.

Brown a pound of hamburger with diced onion, garlic, plenty of cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder.

Add beef broth (enough to make it like a soup, beans (I use black-canned or homemade are great), a can of diced or stewed tomatoes, corn (I like to use frozen), sliced olives, green chiles and let it simmer to blend flavors. Taste to see if it has enough seasoning.

Oh, if you have a ranch dressing packet on hand, its delish in this dish. Shhhh. That's supposed to be the "secret." (wink. wink.)

Garnish with any combination of shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lots of corn chips. It tastes even better when you share it with friends.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana (Tuscan Soup)

I received a delightful email from a friend the other day with an attached 478-page recipe book full of restaurant recipes - anything from A&W's Onion Rings to York Peppermint Patties and everything in-between. I quickly scrolled to the O section.

Olive Garden.

Zuppa Toscana.

Been dying to try it for well over a year now.

Finally, I put the obscure ingredients (not really - just the kale) on a grocery list and sent Armando for the goods.

It turned out DELICIOUS! I would highly recommend this recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup onions, diced 1/8 inch
1 slice bacon, 1/4-inch diced
1 1/4 tsp garlic cloves, minced
1 ounce chicken boullion
1 quart water
2 medium potatoes, cut in half length-wise then cut in 1/4 inch slices (do not peel)
2 cups cavallo greens (kale can be substituted), cut in half, then sliced into 1/16-inch strips
1 1/2 cups sausage link - spicy, pre-cooked, cut in half-length-wise, then cut at an angle into 1/2-inch slices
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Place sausage link onto sheet pan and bak in 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Place onions and bacon into 3 to 4 quart sauce pan and cook onions over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add chicken bouillon, water and potatoes, bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients then simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.

Recipe courtesy Insider's Recipes Master Edition.

**These are just some changes I made or would make to the recipe next time.

• I substituted the sausage link (yuck) for ground sausage. This time I used regular. Armando claimed it lacked any kick. I now have a pound of frozen HOT ground sausage in the freezer waiting for the next time I try the recipe.
• I used the kale. It worked perfect.
• This recipe calls for heavy whipping cream. I don't think it needs it. Milk would suffice.
  

If you'd like a copy of this recipe book, just leave me a comment along with your email address and I'll send it to you.

Tortilla Soup - Warm Up - South of the Border Style

After reviewing my last several blog entries, I realized why I can't seem to kick those last few pregnancy pounds - too many sweets! So, finally, here's a recipe for a refreshing dish - one that will warm you up in the winter, but isn't so wintry you couldn't make it in the summer with all the fresh ingredients you throw on top. A friend of mine shared this with me - she's been learning some authentic latin food recipes from a woman named Olga. A shout out to Olga for sharing such a delicious dish and for letting me pass it on!

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken
1 Celery Stalk
2 Cans Garbanzo Beans
1/4-1/2 Cup Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
1 White Onion
Cilantro Bunch
1 Avocado
1 Can Chipotle Chilies (in Adobo Sauce)
Mexican Oregano
3 1/2 tsp. Salt
6 Cloves Garlic

Instructions:

1. Prepare Chicken:
In LARGE pan, bring 12-14 cups water to boil (Depending on how big your pan is). Add 1/4 whole white onion and 6 garlic cloves (Peeled and Smashed)-Leave big so you can remove later. Rinse whole chicken (Must have bones in it-That's how it gets it's flavor) and place in pan. Boil covered for about 40 minutes. Add 2 tsp. salt. Smash Mexican Oregano in hand (for more flavor), and then add to pan. Continue cooking and drain fat with spoon (You can always tell where the fat is, because it won't be boiling in that place and it just looks dirty and not clear). Add 1 1/2 tsp. more salt. Cook chicken for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours total time or until the chicken doesn't come back at you when you poke it with a fork. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken, onions, and garlic. Discard Onions and Garlic. De bone, skin, and shred chicken.

2. Chop Celery and place in pan with chicken broth from the chicken. Add Garbanzo beans-bring to a boil. While they are cooking, prepare corn tortillas by heating oil in pan (cook on "7"). Cut tortillas in short very thin strips. Fry tortillas until crunchy. Cut in small pieces-onion, cilantro and avocado.

3. Assemble in bowls in this order; First broth, then tortilla chips, onion & cilantro, avocado, and last a spoonful of chipotle sauce.

Conference Chowder

I have a friend who makes "Conference Chowder" with her family every 6 months for Conference. I tried it this time and really enjoyed it. Here's what I did.

Combine and saute in large cooking pot:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 carrots sliced
• 2 stalks celery sliced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium onion, quartered or chopped
• 1/2 cup packed chopped fresh parsley, (OR 2 Tbsp dry)

Prepare the following and set aside to add later:

• 2 medium zucchinis
• 1 8oz pkg fresh mushrooms

Add mushrooms at the end of sauteeing other vegetables.

Combine the following and pour over sauteed vegetables, stirring while pouring:

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground marjoram
  
• 1 tsp ground black pepper (I would recommend less)

Add:

2 cups boiling water
1 can chicken or vegetable broth
2 chicken or vegetable bullion cubes
(I just used 1 large container or chicken broth cause that's what I had on hand)


Simmer for 1 hour

Add the zucchini when there's 15-20 minutes left so they don't turn mush

Add:

13 oz evaporated milk for last 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Experimenter's note: This recipe has a lot of FLAVOR - I found it to be delicious as a sauce over a fresh baked spaghetti squash. Marcela really enjoyed it like that too. You could serve it as a chowder or as a sauce over pasta. It's delicious and very flavorful!