Tomato Soup

Serves 6 to 8

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil , plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

2. Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out pot and return soup to pot. Stir in broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

Whiskey Crab Soup

I’m brand new to this online recipe blogging and wanted to start with something that will sure be a hit in the coming winter months!

I first tried this soup at a local seafood restaurant in Bellingham, WA and knew at that moment I NEEDED to learn how to make this recipe! After an extensive search on the web, I finally found a base recipe from All Recipes and started modifying and tweaking from there. So I can safely say this is my own near and dear creation…

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Ready: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil or 2 T salted butter
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 - 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
• 1 - 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (or your own canned tomatoes)
• 1 to 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 3 1/2 T flour
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like a little more bit!)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 - 6 oz cans of fancy white crab meat, un-drained
• 1/4 cup whiskey (I use Jack Daniels)

1. Heat the olive oil/butter in a large pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until tender.
2. Pour in the chicken broth, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil.
3. In a small bowl, mix the heavy cream and flour (to avoid clumping).
4. Stir the mixture into the pot, and continue cooking until the soup is slightly thickened.
5. Season the soup with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Mix in the crab and whiskey, and cook until heated through.

Caprese Salad with Reduced Balsamic Vinegar

I love this dish. Basil. Mozzarella. Balsamic vinegar. Oh, did I mention basil? Mmm!

Ingredients:

• ~ 3 Tomatoes (I buy the ones that come on the vine)
• 1 bunch basil
• ~2-3 ovoline balls of fresh mozzarella
• ~1/2-1/3 C. Balsamic vinegar, reduced
  
• Salt
• Pepper

Recipe:
1. Reduce the balsamic vinegar by initially bringing it to a boil over med to high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and watch carefully. Fully reduced balsamic vinegar is a thick, syrup like liquid. The final reduction will be probably 1/4 to 1/3 of the original volume you measured out.

2. Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into slices of even thickness (~1/4 in. thick). Separate basil leaves from stems.

3. Arrange tomatoes, basil, mozzarella onto a serving platter, repeating the pattern (any way you like).

4. Drizzle with reduced balsamic vinegar.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tomato Arugula Sandwich

This was a quick simple sandwich that was full of flavor and very satisfying. I made it on Vollkorn bread from Macrina Bakery, which is my new favorite bakery. Vollkorn is a hearty bread with whole grains and seeds but it is sweetened with honey and molasses. The arugula came from my CSA and was spicy and peppery and really made the sandwich. The tomato was an large heirloom. I toasted the bread lightly, spread a layer of herbed goat cheese, added a thick tomato slice and some arugula.

Cherry Tomato Coucous

For a side dish to dinner this week, I decided to make a dish from one of my favorite food websites. It was easy, quick, and delicious.

recipe from 101cookbooks.com

3 C couscous
1/2 basket cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 med. cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4" pieces
1 C cooked chickpeas
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
~1/4 C EVOO
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/3 C basil or cilantro, chopped
1/3 C goat cheese

• Cook the couscous
• In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, citrus juice, EVOO, salt, pepper
• Add couscous to veggies, mix together
• Top with basil/cilantro and cheese
  

Servings: 4-6 (mine probably made around ~8 servings (see below))

I modified the ingredients and made a LOT of this dish
- Approx. 4 C. couscous
- Used one basket of cherry tomatoes
- 1 can (~15 oz) of chickpeas
- Added basil to veggies before couscous (but would still add the cheese last)

Next time I make this recipe, I think I will leave out the cucumbers and perhaps add another bean (e.g. black beans).

Tomato Sauce

8oz can whole tomatoes
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup carrots
4 cloves garlic
EVOO
salt, pepper, italian seasoning to taste

Finely chop green pepper, onion, carrots, & garlic and sauté in EVOO. Puree tomatoes and add to vegetable mix. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. Season to taste.

This is really easy (especially if you have a blender or food processor). It tastes better than sauce from a jar and there is far less sugar than sauce from a jar. I boiled all the water off to almost make a paste and used as the sauce on a vegan chicken sandwich.