May 24, 2012
Shaved Asparagus Salad
September 11, 2011
Stuffed Tomatoes
These stuffed tomatoes are everything you could want in a late summer meal…. fresh, filling, healthy. They are easily adaptable too! Think of Stuffed Tomatoes as you would Stuffed Peppers… they work basically the same way! I wanted to go full-out Italian so I stuffed these with the same type things I would use if I were making a nice bowl of summer pasta!
Italian Stuffed Tomatoes
- 4 – 6 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 1 cup rice
- 1/2 cup frozen (defrosted/drained) spinach
- 1/2 cup ricotta
- 1/4 cup pesto (garlic pesto if you have it)
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic (if you are using a basil pesto – with garlic pesto: omit)
- 1/4 cup parmesan
- 2 Tablespoons Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Basil (or about a dozen fresh leaves)
- 1 Tablespoon Oregeno
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
Prepare rice according to package directions. Cool rice a little bit, then mix in all of the rest of your ingredients (except tomatoes). Cut the tops off of your tomatoes & scoop out the insides (put them aside – they are perfect for making soup/salsa/juice/sauce). Stuff your mixture into the tomatoes, top with some mozzarella or fresh grated parmesan & place them in a lbaking/casserole dish. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… what foods do you like stuffed (chicken, mushrooms, pepper, etc) and what do you like to stuff them with!?
September 8, 2011
Habanero Tomato Soup
Do no get scared off by this title – I ‘only’ used 1 habanero in the pot of soup and it was just spicy enough for me to feel it in my nose a little but without being too killer.
We had a whole bunch of tomatoes in the fridge that would have gone bad on the counter. They had spots that needed to be cut off of them and I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner. We also had some leftover Enchilada Pulled/Shredded Chicken (I just shredded all of the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and heated it with a can of store-bought enchilada sauce which I doctored up with some extra cumin and such). I decided to make a Mexican Tomato Soup & of course our over-abundance of habaneros seemed like a logical choice to fit in with this!
This is an easy “after-work” meal. The first few days of school (and a long Labor Day Weekend) have thrown me off my normal schedule – but this soup has me back to my normal kitchen adventures, I have missed it! To create this meal I litterally just threw tomatoes in the blender & thought about flavors. Then pureeded batches of tomato & friends went into the pot to be heated/reduced/tasted/enjoyed. Perfect with a quick quesadilla on the side to finish off the “Mexican Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Dinner” theme.
Habanero Mexican Tomato Soup
- 8 cups pureed tomatoes (I just threw tomatoes in the blender and the amount of tomatoes I had which were ready to go ended up being about 8 cups – feel free to be flexible here
- 1 habanero (or jalapeno, whatever your tastes enjoy)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 roasted red pepper (from the jar or fresh – whatever)
- 2 sun-dried tomatoes (I have a jar in olive oil in the fridge)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 – 2 cups shredded chicken (if you don’t have leftovers: approx. 1 large breast – just boil and shred it)
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) & 1/2 t pepper (to taste)
Working in batches, place all of your ingredients (except chicken – if using)) in the blender. I started with whatever fit in the blender & then dumped and went back to the blender for more. Place pot over medium heat and allow to come to a boil. Skim off the bubbly parts that rise to the top. I allowed this to simmer for about 30 minutes and thicken up quite a bit – allow it to just become as thick as you enjoy your soup!
Serve in bowls with some shredded cheese and sour cream. The ideal sour cream was mine that I mixed with some of my tasty Salsa Verde. Serve with a quick pan-sauteed quesadilla & enjoy the Mexican flavors of Tomato Soup
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… When do you know when something is too spicy – how do you walk that line?
August 22, 2011
Roasted Tomato Soup
IT’S TOMATO SEASON
And just in case you don’t believe me – take a look at my counter!!
I love tomatoes and at this point I am still enjoying them and all of their bounty (from our garden & the CSA) – so I am not quite ready to get to making sauce yet, although when you check in with me in about a week I’m sure I’ll be on the sauce-making path). After roasting up veggies for my Tomatillo Salsa & Zucchini Baba Ganoush, I was really in the mood for some roasted tomatoes. What better way to really enjoy the flavors of tomato and roasted tomatoes than in soup (ok – I am sure there are plenty of ways to enjoy these flavors – but a girl can only eat so many sliced tomatoes with salt/pepper on them a day).
Take some of those fresh tomatoes, roast ‘em up with some garlic, smash in the pot, add some milk & enjoy (or puree for a smoother soup – that would have been my preference but Rich requested a chunky tomato soup). This is perfect with a nice piece of grilled cheese (we used Mozzarella on some Rosemary bread “grilled” in the George Foremen). Enjoy & play with these basic flavors to get the exact recipe and flavors you are looking for!!
Roasted Tomato Soup
- 8 medium tomatoes (or about 4 lbs total of whatever tomatoes you have)
- 4 – 6 (or more) cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- approx. 1/4 cup olive oil
- Rosemary, Thyme, & Oregano (approx. 1 sprig each or some dried)
- 6 + Tablespoons milk
- Coarse Sea Salt & Coarsely ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Lay the tomatoes on the pan cut side up with the garlic cloves (skins on) and quartered onion. Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt. Roast until the tomatoes are soft and caramelized, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Peel the tomatoes and add the pulp and juices to a soup pan. Squeeze the garlic from its skin and add it to the pan. Place the pan over medium heat, and begin mashing the tomatoes with a potato masher until it’s pulpy, but not chunky OR if you want it smooth – you should place your peels tomato & garlic right into a food processor or blender to make it smooth & then place in the soup pot.
When the mixture is hot but not boiling, stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt. Season with some oregano, rosemary & thyme. Add a pinch of sugar, if needed & grind some fresh pepper on the top of each bowl when you serve it.
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One year ago - [Fresh] Stuffed Tomatoes (these were totally awesome: garden fresh tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella & goat cheese – go check ‘em out & get to using more of those tomatoes!)
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.And I leave you with today’s question of the day… how do you like your tomatoes (fresh, roasted, sauced, salsa, none, everything, etc)?
Like this:
August 20, 2011
Tomatillo Salsa
Just the other day I was wishing that I had some Tomatillos because I was craving a green salsa! That day just happened to be a Friday and I was getting ready to go over to our CSA. Lo & Behold we got a pound of tomatillos in our pick-up that day. I let out a little cheer and got to researching some recipes so I could make the most of my salsa without screwing it up! This is a mixture of dozens of websites worth of research on Tomatillo Salsa, including Jersey Girl & Tyler Florence.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Self – what is a tomatillo”. I’m here to help! Tomatillos are a fruit (related to tomatoes) which grows in a paper-like husk that must be removed (and the fruit washed to remove the film from the husk) before using. They are most often picked and used green (although the husk often has a yellowish-brown color to it and like tomatoes, there are many different varieties with different colored fruits). When used fresh they have a slight lemony/acidic flavor to them so roasting them brings out the flavors and softens the skins, but also breaks them down (making them more soupy – not a problem for a salsa). Growing up working at Quiet Valley, we grew these things – but called them “Ground Cherries”. I do not remember what we used them for but I just recently found out they were the same thing! 
That was your lesson for the day, hope that you feel more educated & learned something new for the day (can we tell its back to school time & I will be once again just a “teacher by day” and only a “chef by night”).
This is awesome on chips, used to kick up your quesadilla, on top of grilled meats, eaten with a spoon, mixed into something to spice it up – just enjoy (we enjoyed it as an appetizer before my dad’s birthday dinner & cake celebration).
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Tomatillo Salsa
- 1 pound tomatillos [husked & rinsed]
- 1 white onion [peeled, sliced, quartered or whole]
- 4 garlic cloves [in paper]
- 2 – 4 jalapenos OR 1 – 2 habaneros
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 T sugar (optional)
Pre heat oven to 400 On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.
One year ago: Grilled Fresh Veggie Panini 
Oh yeah & have you checked out my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY post from earlier his week about an AWESOME Chocolate Ice Cream Layer Cake I made to celebrate Dad’s Birthday and my Blog-iversary??
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And I leave you with this… What fruit/vegetable/etc have you seen at the market and have had no idea what to do with. (AND – did you buy it and experiment or just keep walking?)
