Bulgarian Tomato Dumpling Soup

This is a delicious soup and perfect solution if you have lots of fresh summer tomatoes. It takes a little time to make but is totally worth it.  It also works with canned tomatoes, and has a thicker consistency. I've tried it with yellow tomatoes, though, and while good, the flavor wasn't as rich. 

(I'm temporarily borrowing this pic til i can come up with my own)

 

 

 

Soup

• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil  
• 6 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 -3 teaspoons hot chili powder
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups vegetable stock

Dumplings

• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill weed (1 tsp dried)
• 1/3 cup milk or 1/3 cup vegetable stock

Garnish

• chopped fresh parsley
• grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Prep Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1.  In a medium soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in oil, stirring frequently until onions begin to soften.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook until the onions are golden and the tomatoes are soft.
3.  Stir in the chili powder, flour, salt, and pepper and mix well.
4.  Pour in the stock slowly while whisking to completely dissolve the flour.
5.  Coarsely blend the soup in a blender or food processor and return it to the pot.
6. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
7. As soup simmers, prepare the dumplings. Cream the butter with the egg yolks.
8. Place the couscous in a small bowl; pour the boiling water over the couscous, cover the bowl with a plate and allow it to steam for 5 minutes.
9. Add the steamed couscous and the flour, salt, dill, and milk or stock to the butter mixture and blend well.
10.   In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the couscous mixture.
11.  Drop the dumpling batter into the simmering soup by rounded tablespoons and cook, covered for about 15 minutes.
12.  The dumplings will rise to the top.
13.  To test dumplings, scoop one out and check to see if it is thoroughly cooked before serving.
14.  Serve hot, topped with fresh parsley and cheddar cheese.

Quick Cheese Omelet

I have been wanting to cut back on meat while still maintaining a high level of protein in my diet. I've also gotten tired of spending so much time preparing lunch. I just found a solution to both of these problems. This is a pretty quick way to prepare a serving (or more, if you scale up the ingredients) of a big dose of delicious protein. I generally throw together a big salad and grab some pieces of fruit, so here's the protein (and some fat) to balance it out.

This omelet is remarkably good for how easy and healthy* it is.  You could add sauteed (onions, garlic, zucchini, etc etc) and it would no doubt be even more delicious, but then it would no longer be in the super-easy category. I was going for something with lots of protein that really just involves throwing a few things together, and throwing it in the oven.

* "healthy" certainly means different things to different people. I'm currently shooting for a zone/paleo diet, preferably with organic, free-range ingredients: minimize grains, sugars, and starchy foods; get an equal balance of fat, carbs, protein (or extra protein) at each meal. I have no problem with fat, unless it's trans fat.

Ingredients
2 lg free-range eggs
1 oz cheese, chopped into small pieces (1 oz = the size of a processed cheese slice) (I used fontina slices from TJ's- very creamy)
~ 2/3 c. fat-free cottage cheese
1-2 T crumbled goat cheese
a little butter, to grease the pan
seasoning: I've used a spice blend with mustard seed, onion, garlic, paprika, chili powder; a tbsp of grainy mustard was also good, as well as a coriander... there is definitely room for experimentation with spices here.


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a small oven-safe dish (I used a round, flat pyrex dish about 5" across)
Crack eggs into medium bowl. Whisk until blended.
Stir in cottage cheese and fontina (or other chopped cheese), as well as salt and pepper, and grainy mustard, if using.
Pour egg mix into dish. Sprinkle goat cheese on top, followed by spices (red spices look especially nice).
Bake for ~20 min or just until set. You can broil for the last min to get a nice golden brown top if desired. Let cool for a few min and serve; or let cool entirely, and pack for lunch!

Nutrition Info:
408 calories
22.5 g fat
5 g carbs
40 g protein

Paleo Hot Chocolate

this could also be called:
Banana-Mint Hot Chocolate

Arnie and I have been experimenting with cutting back on sugar and grains, and we came up with this incredible hot chocolate recipe one night.  It's thicker and creamier than regular hot chocolate, thanks to the coconut milk, almond milk, and the pureed banana.  Between the understated sweetness, the hint of cool mint, and the richness of the chocolate and the coconut milk, this is pretty darn good.


Ingredients (serves 4)

2 very ripe bananas- they should have brown spots.
      (using un-ripe bananas results in a weird, chunky texture and no sweetness!)
2 oz cocoa mass, cocoa powder, or unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 can coconut milk
3 c unsweetened almond milk (I used Blue Diamond brand, comes in a carton)
~4 drops mint extract

Instructions:
Heat the almond milk over medium-low, stirring.
Add the bananas, cut into pieces, and the chocolate.
Blend with an immersion blender.
Add coconut milk.
Ready when heated; stir in the mint extract and serve.

I am a fan of the subtle banana texture, but if this bothers you, you could probably blend the bananas really well beforehand in a standard blender or something.

Mango Guacamole

What to do with all the ripe mangos and avocados suddenly flooding the grocery store?
Mango Guacamole, of course.

Ingredients
3 ripe avocados
2 very ripe and juicy mangos (it's not nearly as good with mangos that are less ripe)
2-3 T chopped cilantro
juice from 1 large lime
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed
2-3 T red onion, finely chopped
salt to taste (plenty)

Instructions 
Combine avocado and mango in a bowl; mash with a potato masher.
Mix in with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy with tortilla chips, plantain chips, etc.

P.S. Anna made this bowl and it is the colors of an avocado; I love it! I will try to feature a better picture of it in a future post.

Almond/Pistachio-Crusted Chicken

I adapted this from here. The almond butter marinade helps the chicken retain flavor and juiciness, and the nuts add great flavor and texture.

Ingredients:
1.5 lb chicken tenders
1 lb chicken thighs
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
2 T soy sauce
2 T honey
1 T grated lemon rind
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/2 c roasted unsalted almonds
1/4 c roasted unsalted pistachios
1/2 c almond meal (ground almonds) (original recipe called for breadcrumbs)
2-3 cloves garlic
1 t salt
1/4 t ground red pepper

Instructions:

• Combine almond butter and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Microwave a little to mix. This will be used to coat the chicken, so if it seems too thick, add just enough water (on the order of 1 tsp) to thin it.
• Put chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag with the sauce; make sure each piece is coated. Refrigerate for 30 min.
• Combine the nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until the nuts are the desired size for coating the chicken (maybe 1/4 cm diameter). (Don't process too much as you'll lose the nutty texture, but don't leave the pieces so big that they'll fall off.) Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking pans with aluminum foil and place lightly greased wire racks on top. 
• Dip chicken pieces in nut mixture and place on the wire racks.
• Bake until cooked through; 25-30 min.

P.S. Some delicious substitutions I've tried: extra-firm tofu in place of chicken, and toasted pecans, or of course peanuts, for the almonds and pistachios.

Cilantro Lemon Shrimp

A simple and tasty dinner, excluding the peeling and deveining of the shrimp (thanks, Jym!)

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 pounds shrimp, peeled & deveined
2 tsp brown sugar
2 T lemon juice
3 T cilantro, chopped
1 T balsamic
2 T whiskey hot sauce

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:
Heat oil over high heat. Cook shrimp in oil until done. Turn heat down to low.

Mix remaining ingredients, season with salt & pepper. Pour over shrimp, stir to coat.

Serve over rice.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I made an artichoke dip around Christmas, that was super healthy. The recipe came from the 101 cookbooks blog, (which I highly recommend checking out, if you haven't already). She replaces the mayonnaise and sour cream with tofu and greek yogurt. I like that the recipe was so healthy, but I wanted to work in some cream cheese, and, in the 101 recipe you puree the artichokes, and I wanted some nice big pieces or artichoke heart. So last weekend when I came across a recipe for artichoke dip with spinach and cream cheese, I decided it was time to try a new recipe, by combining the two.

INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. tofu
5-oz. neufchatel cheese
2/3 C greek yogurt
1/3 C parmesan, shredded + some for top
1/3 C sharp cheddar, shredded
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 C spinach
3 shallots, minced
2 cans artichoke hearts, drained & chopped

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:
Food process the tofu and cream cheese.

Saute the shallots, garlic over medium heat in a little oil. Stir in spinach, keep over heat until it wilts. Drain liquid from this mixture well. 

Combine tofu & cream cheese, spinach mix, artichokes, cheeses, and yogurt. Spoon into baking dish and top with parm. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, then broil to brown.

Apple cheddar ham omelet

 

 This omelet was loosely inspired by a Spanish omelet, but I didn't have potatoes, so I used apples instead, and added some ham and cheese and fresh basil.  The sweetness of the apples with the saltiness of the ham and sharp cheddar are a delicious combo.

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

~3 T olive oil

8 eggs

2 small apples, chopped or sliced thin (I used fuji; a little sweetness is good)

chopped fresh basil (3-4 T)

some chopped ham, as much as you want in there

1 c shredded sharp white cheddar

S + P to taste

Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet (12") (you might want to scale down the ingredients if using a smaller one). saute the onions for ~3 minutes on medium heat. Add the apples, and saute both until lightly browned. 

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, and mix in the cheese, ham, half the basil, S + P, apples and onions.

[Preheat oven to 350]

Make sure the skillet is heated to medium heat (with some oil or a little bacon grease if you have it), then pour the egg mixture in and immediately turn the heat to low; cook for five minutes. 

Move it to the oven and bake until set and lightly browned; ~10 min.

If it looks like it's set but not browned, broil to finish for a minute or two.

Garnish with basil and serve hot.

Sunday Morning Omelets!

Sauteed mushrooms and red pepper, cheddar cheese, leftover sausage from last night. I did the prep work, Jym made the omelets---Yum!

Polenta with Sausage and Peppers

This dinner idea came from this blog post, but I didn't have all the necessary ingredients and I was feeling lazy, so I just through it together, and didn't really follow along with the recipe.
This was my first time making polenta, and I think it would've benefited from a little more time in the pot-- it was not as firm as I would've liked. I plan on getting some better cornmeal (grainier) for next time, too.
The meal was tasty, but I accidentally got some super spicy sausage from the butcher shop, and while the spiciness was a nice contrast to the sweetness of the onions, it was just a little too much for me.

RECIPE:

Polenta---boil 6 cups water with 1 t salt, Add 2 Cups cornmeal; lower heat to medium and cook, stirring often approx. 30 minutes. Stir in 2T butter. Preheat oven to 350, spoon polenta into well-greased baking dish, top with parm and bake 15 minutes.

Sausage---cook sausage over med heat until cooked through. Stir in 1/4 Cup white wine and 1.5 cans diced tomatoes (undrained). Let this simmer for 20 minutes.

Peppers/onions---slice and saute over med-high heat in 1 T oil for about 5 minutes, I wanted them cooked but still crisp.

TO SERVE: Spoon polenta onto plate, then sausage mixture, top with peppers & onions.

Fish Stew!

I found this recipe on a food blog I visit often, Simply Recipes.

When I told some friends I was making fish stew for dinner, the response was.. uncertainty. The name does not do this soup justice. It is so good!

I used fresh wild-caught cod for the fish. I followed the recipe pretty closely, with a few substitutions: canned organic tomatoes instead of fresh (not currently in season), and cumin instead of paprika.

You can find the original recipe on the Simply Recipes site, here: Moqueca--Brazilian Fish Stew.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs of fillets of firm white fish—I used cod
(rinse in cold water, remove any bones, cut into large portions)

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 T lemon juice

1 t salt

Freshly ground black pepper

grapeseed oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1/2 yellow and 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped

14.5-oz can diced tomatoes

1 t cumin

Pinch red pepper flakes

large bunch of cilantro, chopped + some for garnish

14.5-oz can coconut milk

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO:

Place fish pieces in a bowl, add the minced garlic and lime juice so that the pieces are well coated. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Keep chilled while preparing the rest of the soup.

Heat 2 T of oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook a few minutes until soft. Add the bell pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes longer, until the bell pepper begins to soften. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the chopped cilantro.

Add fish pieces—spoon some of the vegetable mix on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour coconut milk over the fish and vegetables.

Bring soup to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Add more salt, lime or lemon juice, cumin, pepper, or red pepper flakes to your preferred taste.)

Garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice or with crusty bread.

I will definitely make this again, and I am already thinking of other ingredients that would work well with this base (chicken, potatoes, carrots--yum).

-Anna

Scrumptious Sloppy Joes

I have fond childhood memories of eating sloppy joes. Part of the fun was just trying to hold the thing together with both hands, as the greasy ketchup-y juices mingled with the mayo from the coleslaw, soaked into the soft bun, and dripped everywhere... mmm.

Of course, other childhood favorites (ahem- Chef Boyardees ravioli, McDonalds cheeseburgers) were vastly disappointing when I revisited them in adulthood, so for all I knew, sloppy joes would just disappoint as well. However, I was cautiously excited when I spotted this recipe in The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook. It promised to be an almost impossible combination of things: quick, easy, delicious, pretty healthy, and even kind of upscale (based on the fact that it was featured in this particular cookbook, which rocks). It did not disappoint.

Open-Face Sloppy Joes: 4 servings (I made more than this)

1 T vegetable oil

1 T salted butter

1 c yellow onion, chopped

12 oz lean ground beef

1/2 c red pepper, chopped

2 c tomato sauce

1/4 c ketchup

1-2 t Worcestershire sauce

4 small hamburger buns, toasted and buttered (I used Trader Joe's par-baked rolls)

Heat oil and butter in a 10 or 12" cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 5". Add bell pepper and ground beef, stirring to crumble and brown meat. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Place a toasted bun, open face, buttered side up, on each plate and spoon the meat mixture on top.

Recommended accompaniment: coleslaw.

I will definitely do this next time.

P.S. It's also delicious with Frank's hot sauce, if you want to go there.

I feel like there's something vaguely wrong with this, but the stuff is so good too...

P.P.S. I plan to make a vegetarian version with fake ground beef; we'll see how it goes.