Tomato Tortilla Soup

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love soup. I would even dare to say that I have a favorite soup - tortilla. I have had so many varieties of tortilla soup, both at home and out in restaurants, and they are all quite different. But they are all fantastic. I never met a tortilla soup I didn't like. And now I have one more to add to the list.

This is a simple and satisfying soup with a hint of spiciness and a rainbow of Mexican flavors. The texture is perfect - velvety smooth with the occasional chunk of tomato. The crisp of the home made tortilla chips is a beautiful contrast. The avocado's creaminess helps to finish off the balance of flavors. If you've never had tortilla soup before, this is a great one to start with. With each bite you'll find yourself thinking of all the possibilities this sub-genre of soup holds.

All I have to say is, when there are no leftovers, you know something went wonderfully right in the kitchen.

Tomato Tortilla Soup
adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave
serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1 corn tortilla, halved and cut into strips
cooking spray
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon EVOO
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups low-sodium veggie or chicken broth
one 14.5 ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 avocado, pitted and sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 375. Spray a baking sheet lightly with nonstick spray, and put the tortilla strips on the tray. Spray the tortilla chips lightly as well. Sprinkle with salt, and toss around to coat. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until browned and crispy. Set aside.

2. Heat EVOO in a large straight-sided skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes, or until onion is translucent and just barely starting to brown.

3. Add broth, tomatoes, jalapeno, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and turn off the heat.

4. Puree soup with immersion blender (or preferred method), but leave many chunks of tomato for texture. Serve topped with cilantro, tortilla chips, and sliced avocado.

It's pretty hard to go wrong with this combination of flavors. This will definitely be a repeat performance. Enjoy!

Garlic Rosemary Bean Salad

I have really grown to appreciate beans in recent months. Partially for their versatility, and partially for how inexpensive they are for a Main Ingredient. The beans themselves come in all sorts of varieties, and you can buy them dried or canned with similar success. They're incredibly good for you, and they are pretty tasty too.

We had a potluck luncheon at work today and this bean salad was my contribution. It's meant to be served warm, but I served it at room temperature and it was really delicious. There were many more decadent dishes on the table, and my beans went somewhat ignored, I'm sorry to say. But those who knew what was good for them (literally) tried it and I received compliments from those noble few.

It seems like there is an insane amount of garlic in this salad, but take my word for it - you want the garlic. You need the garlic. And if you have rosemary growing in your garden (or your front deck, if you're like me and don't have the luxury of a garden) this is a great use for it.

Feel free to substitute the bean(s) of your choice, but I'd recommend that at least half of them be white beans.

Garlic Rosemary Bean Salad
adapted from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper
serves 6 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 slice crusty bread, preferably whole grain
3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
5 large garlic cloves, crushed with a pinch of salt and coarse chopped
1/4 cup good quality EVOO
2 springs fresh rosemary, leaves coarsely chopped
one 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
one 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
additional salt and pepper to taste

1. Start with the topping - coarsely grind the bread into bread crumbs using a food processor. Toast in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat until the crumbs are lightly browned, stirring often. Transfer to a small bowl to cool. When cooled, add parmesan and pepper, and stir to combine.

2. In the same pan, heat the EVOO and garlic gently over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add the rosemary and cook for another minute or so, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn the garlic.

3. When garlic is fragrant and beginning to soften, gently add the drained beans. Toss very gently with a spatula or spoon, coating the beans with the oil, garlic and rosemary. Be careful not to squish any of the beans. Cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Pour the bean mixture into a casserole or other serving dish, and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture. Serve warm or room temperature.

This could be a main dish over a bed of greens, or a side dish alongside fish, chicken, or just about anything. It's simple and delicious. Enjoy!

Lime-Cilantro Grilled Chicken Sandwich

This is another one of those recipes that you don't really need a recipe for. It's more a great suggestion of something to make for dinner. But I will still supply the recipe for you as I made it, because that's what I do. I'm a giver.

This is another Mexican-inspired meal. It's so easy, quick, and satisfying. And if you're not a fan of the avocado salsa, you can skip the topping and just have it with lettuce. My husband assures me it was just as delicious that way.

So imagine, if you will, slices of spicy grilled chicken breast in a big crusty roll, topped with a delicious, cool avocado salsa. Well now you don't have to imagine it. Here's how you make it.

Lime-Cilantro Grilled Chicken Sandwich
adapted from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
3 sprigs thyme, leaves finely chopped
1 lime
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 chicken cutlets, pounded to 1/4 inch thick
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and gently chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 small plum tomato, seeded and chopped
a few leaves of green leaf lettuce
2 crusty rolls, warmed

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a shallow dish, combine half the cilantro with chives, thyme, zest and juice of half the lime, hot sauce, grill seasoning, and EVOO. Coat the chicken and marinate for about 10 minutes.

2. While chicken is marinating, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Prep remaining ingredients. Combine avocado, juice of remaining 1/2 lime, jalapeno, tomato, and remaining cilantro and gently toss to combine in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. When grill pan is preheated, spray with nonstick spray and then grill chicken cutlets, about 5 minutes per side. Remove when done and set aside to rest for a few minutes. After resting, slice the chicken into pieces about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick.

4. Build your sandwich - split the rolls, put lettuce leaves on the bottom, then chicken pieces, and then the avocado salsa. Cover with the top of the bun and serve.

Enjoy!

Pan-Fried Falafel Pitas

Holy vegetarian, Batman! This is one of those meals that convinces me that yes, I could do the whole vegetarian thing if I so desired. I did it once before, for nine months in high school, but my palate was less sophisticated then. The only things I ate as a teenage vegetarian were pasta, cereal, eggs, and cheese. That was back when I thought I didn't like beans or vegetables. Ha, teenage vegetarian self, I laugh at you now. If only you knew such beautiful things as falafel existed. And better yet, a healthy version of falafel.

This recipe produces a non-greasy, non-heavy, non-oh-my-god-what-did-I-just-eat patties of chickpeas, herbs and spices. I'll admit they don't look gorgeous, and I had trouble getting them to stay in one piece, but it didn't really matter. I whipped up a beautiful sauce (recipe included below) and the whole thing tied together wonderfully. It's sort of a deconstructed hummus. In a word, yum.

I've included my suggestions for veggies to include in the pita sandwich below, but you could certainly include whatever veggies you'd like. I'd try to stick to just two, as anything more than that and you'll suddenly be trying to bite into a middle Eastern-style Chipotle burrito.

Pan-Fried Falafel Pitas
adapted from Williams-Sonoma's Eat Well
serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

14.5 oz. can no salt added garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
small handful chives, torn
2 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (or more) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup tahini
juice of one lemon
4 tablespoons EVOO, divided
salt to taste
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
6 or so leaves lettuce
2 whole wheat pitas, warmed and halved

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a food processor, combine chickpeas with chives, garlic and parsley and process until coarsely pureed. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in baking powder and cumin. Chill mixture until cold, at least half an hour.

2. While the falafel mixture is chilling, make the sauce. Whisk together tahini and lemon juice. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO, pinch salt and red pepper flakes. Add water to thin out the sauce to a pourable consistency. Set aside.

3. When the falafel mixture is cold, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, use wet hands to form small patties, about 2-3 inches in diameter, from the falafel mixture. You should get about 8 patties out of it. Place into the oil in the pan. Cook as many patties at a time as will fit without touching. Cook, turning once, until both sides are browned, about 6 minutes. If you have to do the falafel in batches, add more EVOO as necessary between batches.

4. Build your pita sandwich - put in the lettuce and red bell pepper, followed by 2 falafel patties (depending on size) per half pita. Serve with sauce on the side or drizzled over the falafel.

Enjoy!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower is hardly a sexy vegetable. Most people don't particularly like it. Those who do like it don't particularly love it.

All that being said, I'm not above a challenge. I was ready to make a delicious cauliflower-based dish. And I have to say, I succeeded thanks to Heidi Swanson's recipe for creamy cauliflower soup. (I realize the picture above looks like abstract art - let's pretend I was drawing a picture of Mary Todd Lincoln using herbed olive oil as paint and the soup as a canvas, shall we?)

This soup is velvety, spicy, and surprisingly flavorful. You can top it with whatever you like - pesto, flavored oil, chopped fresh herbs, you name it. I used a balsamic and sun-dried tomato olive oil. Even without the oil, the soup was very tasty. We had ours with some crusty sourdough and it was a satisfying lunch.

So put away your cauliflower skepticism and try this soup. I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup
adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking
serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 cups low sodium veggie or chicken stock
2 tablespoons heavy cream
sea salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the EVOO in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions, and red pepper flakes, and saute for 3 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Stir in potato and cauliflower, and cook for another minute or two. Add stock and bring to a simmer.

2. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes, or until potato is tender and easily pierced with a fork. Turn off the heat and puree soup thoroughly with an immersion blender (or your preferred method).

3. Stir in cream and season with salt to taste. Serve as is, or topped with a drizzle of flavored oil or pesto.

Enjoy!

Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yes, I admit it. I bake a lot of cookies. They're fun to make, convenient to eat, and universally loved. (At least within my universe, anyway). This weekend felt like a weekend for good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. No frills, no muss, no fuss. Just yum. And they come from Martha Stewart, so you know they have to be good.

Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies
makes 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or silpat liners.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add salt, vanilla, and egg, mixing until well blended, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.

4. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough, 2 inches apart, on prepared baking sheets. Bake, rotating cookie sheets halfway through, for 12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown but centers are still soft. Let cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.

Pour yourself a glass of milk and sneak a couple of cookies while they're still warm. They'll remind you of the days of after school snacks. Enjoy!

Warm Spinach Salad

I bought a huge bunch of spinach at the beginning of the week.  I had big plans for it.  Big. Plans.  But today I suddenly had a craving for warm spinach salad.  With hard boiled eggs, bits of crunchy bacon, slightly wilted spinach, and a richly flavorful dressing.   So I turned to good ol' Rachael and together we came up with a great version of warm spinach salad.

It's not a glamorous dish, by any means.  It made me feel a bit like a 1970's mom, though I'm not sure why.  But it was comforting, a little bit gluttonous, and filled with good-for-you veggies and protein all at the same time.  It got the job done.  So if you're ever looking for a great meal-sized salad that will satisfy your 1970's mom craving, this is it.

Most of your time will be spent on the prep work - the actual cooking and assembling of this meal is remarkably quick. 

Warm Spinach Salad

adapted from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals (2008)

serves 3

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons EVOO

2 slices center-cut bacon, chopped

1/4 yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 pound spinach leaves, thoroughly washed and spun dry

salt and freshly ground black pepper

pinch of nutmeg

2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat EVOO in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  When it's hot, add bacon and cook until crispy and browned, about 5 minutes.  Spoon out the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel. 

2.  Add onion, garlic, and asparagus to the skillet and cook 3-5 minutes, until onions are starting to brown and asparagus is crisp-tender.  Deglaze the pan with apple cider vinegar, scraping browned bits from the bottom.  Turn off heat.

3.  Put the spinach in a large salad bowl; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and toss to distribute.  Pour the veggies and drippings from the skillet onto the spinach while it's still hot, and toss.  The goal is to wilt the spinach a little bit, so try to get the hot stuff evenly distributed.  Add bacon and toss.  Serve topped with hard-boiled egg.

And of course, this can easily be made vegetarian by eliminating the bacon, but if you're not a bacon-hater, I wouldn't recommend leaving it out, as that's where most of the flavor comes from.  Enjoy!