Butternut Squash Apple Soup
Fall is in the air. We did our apple picking a few weeks ago and then last weekend we headed to the corn maze. After Fun Fall Frolicking we needed some tasty fall dishes.
Tag: Alborn Photography
Smoked Gouda Ravioli with Sun Dried Tomato Garlic Sauce
We went to Easton’s Garlic Festival last weekend & enjoyed many tastings of local goodies. We enjoyed taking part of a tasting in which we enjoyed 8 different raw garlics (chopped up) in order to vote for our favorite (we both really like “Music” – a garlic …
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?
Borsht: Chilled Beet & Tomato Soup
Survey says: Rich thought it was a little “earthy tasting” (but he hates beets). My Grandmother called me when she was eating the leftovers I gave her and was “Oohing & Aahhing” over it (love you Grandma). Mom & Dad were both very impressed & thought it was better than they were expecting!
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 …
Cucumber Boat Appetizer
Rich always come home from work hungry. His first move is usually to go straight to the freezer and take out ice cream (sorry Rich – your secret is out). In an effort to try to give him a healthier alternative (in addition to using some of our beautiful goodies from our [and our neighbor’s] garden) I decided to whip up some of these Cucumber Boats for when he got home.
This is the season of carefree entertaining and although I love me some roasted veggies (the house smells awesome from roasted veggies right now – look forward to those posts in the coming days & weeks) we don’t always want/need to heat up the house! This recipe easily serves 1 or 2 as an appetizer, but is obviously very easy to adapt for more. Just count (about) a whole cucumber per person as you adapt this for your next gathering.
Enjoy these the next time you get a few extra veggies laying around – super fast and easy and tasty (and good for you too)
Stuffed Cucumber Boat Appetizers
(adapted from Jenn’s Cuisine)
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1/2 medium [red] onion, finely chopped
- 1 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese (or shredded from the bag) AND add in some fresh grated parmesan if you have it
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 T good Olive Oil
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
Slice cucumbers in half vertically, and core out the seeds. Three of these halves of these will be the “boats” to serve the salad in. Take one of the halves and peel the outside, then dice. Dice the tomatoes with the same small size dice you used on the cucumbers. Mix in a bowl diced cucumber, tomato, onion, mozzarella, and the dressing ingredients. Let sit about 10 minutes. Drain the liquid & carefully scoop into the 3 cucumber boats and serve.
And I leave you with this Question of the Day… What is your favorite “after work snack” and how do you fix your unhealthy cravings and turn them into healthy ones?
