Homemade Tomato Soup

 

Step aside, Campbell’s! There’s a new tomato soup in town. This soup is thick and rich and oh-so savory. After having it for lunch, my husband declared, “This is restaurant quality.” I agree. It’s so flavorful and filling. I hope you enjoy it!

Tomato Soup

• Makes 4 servings 
• Calories: 125 
• Carbs: 12g 
• Fat: 7g 
• Protein: 3g 
• Fiber: 3g

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes in puree*
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, optional
• Fresh basil, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and the butter on medium high heat in a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch Oven. Add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent and golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the paste darkens in color, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, rosemary, and basil, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the canned tomatoes with all their juices and the chicken broth, along with the baking soda. The soda will fizz a bit, but the foam will dissolve as you stir. Put a lid on the pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir well.
5. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add the half and half and the lemon juice and stir until fully incorporated. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with fresh basil, and serve hot.

Notes:

* Certified San Marzano tomatoes are known for being longer, thinner, sweeter, and less acidic, with thicker flesh and fewer seeds than other plum tomatoes. They’re an heirloom variety grown near Mt. Vesuvius in Italy. Make sure the canned tomatoes you buy are marked “D.O.P” to assure authenticity. If you use different canned tomatoes, you'll probably need to balance the acidity and tang of the resulting soup with a little sugar and a bit more baking soda.

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High Protein Low Calorie Ranch Dressing

During the winter months, I swap chopped cabbage for lettuce in my salads. I add all sorts of other veggies--cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, olives, cauliflower florets, carrots, celery, etc.--anything that offers a good crunch. I also add a handful of nuts and seeds. Sometimes I add a protein (chicken or tuna or boiled eggs), but most of the time I eat salad sans meat.

I have been making my own High Protein Low Calorie Ranch Dressing. With just 3 ingredients, it’s easy and tastes delicious. Better than the bottled stuff, and I’m not lying. I use full-fat cottage cheese because I like the flavor. I used half and half because that’s what I happened to have on hand. You could cut the calories and fat even more if you used low fat or fat free cottage cheese, although I don’t think the end result will have the depth of flavor that this recipe offers. You could also use milk to replace the half and half. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

High Protein Low Calorie Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup 4% Cottage Cheese
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 2 tablespoons Badia Ranch Seasoning Powder

 Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to blender (I use a Ninja Nutri Pro) and process until smooth.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Makes 5 servings of about 4 tablespoons per serving.

Calories per serving: 56

Protein per serving: 5 g

Fat: 2 g

Carbs: 2 g

Please note: Traditional bottled ranch dressing usually contains 130-150 calories for a 2 tablespoon serving with a very high fat content.

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Almond Flaxseed Crackers

 These crackers are a wonderful addition to any cheeseboard. The best thing about them
is that almost any spices can be used as flavorings. Use your favorites, and don’t be stingy. For the crackers I made, I used 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon za’atar, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary. Don’t skip the step of blooming the spices in the hot water. It does make a difference in the depth of flavor you’ll get.

Almond Flaxseed Crackers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup flaxseed, ground
• 1/8 cup hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Spices (of your choice):
•    1/2 to 1 teaspoon: garlic powder, onion powder, za’atar, rosemary, thyme, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, etc.
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds (white, black, or a mix of both)

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix together the almond flour, flaxseed, and hemp hearts. Set aside.
3. In a glass measuring cup, add the boiling water, the oil, the salt and pepper, and your choice of spices. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to allow the spices to bloom.
4. Add the spiced water and oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the sesame seeds, and stir to combine all ingredients. Once a dough has formed, allow to rest for 5 minutes. This resting time will allow the dry ingredients to absorb the liquids.
5. Divide dough in half. Place half the dough on a cook sheet lined with parchment paper (or sil pat mat). Roll the dough into a rectangle 1/16-inch thick. I use this rolling pin; it is excellent and very easy to use.
6. Score the crackers into 1-inch x 1-inch squares. This pizza cutter does an excellent job of this.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, removing the crackers at the edges as they turn golden brown. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Yields about 72 crackers.

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Cranberries And Cream Cookie Bars #Recipe

I found a recipe online that combined a cream filling with an oatmeal crust and I fiddled with the recipe a bit. I added extra cranberries and vanilla to the cream filling. I decreased the salt and swapped out the white sugar for brown sugar in the crust. The result is a cookie bar that is wonderful served warm (with a scoop of vanilla ice cream???) or cold (with a cup of hot tea!). I hope you enjoy!

Cranberries and Cream Bars

Ingredients:

CREAM FILLING:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries

CRUST:

• 1 cup butter, very soft
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray a 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Set pan aside.

2. Prepare cream filling. In the top of a double boiler, whisk together the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt until well combined; stir in the cranberries. Cook and stir over simmering water until mixture is thickened, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, oats, salt, baking soda, and coconut. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Press HALF of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake the bottom crust until set, about 10 minutes. (The remaining dough will become the topping.)

4. Remove the bottom crust from the oven. Spread cranberry cream mixture over crust and crumble reserved dough evenly over the top of the cream. Bake until filling is set and top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

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Her Mr. Miracle 

An Almost Perfect Christmas 

Grown-Up Christmas List 

Fried Green Tomatoes... And I'm Not Talking Fannie Flagg #recipes

I went to our local farmer's market yesterday… one of my favorite places to visit on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Before I knew it, my cart was filled with local peaches, apples, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, and other beautiful fruits and vegetables. Then I saw it! A huge basket heaped with the largest, plumpest green tomatoes I'd ever seen. That's when I realized that I'd never eaten green tomatoes.

How could I call myself a southerner, I wondered, without ever having tasted the very popular southern dish called Fried Green Tomatoes? I decided, then and there, to rectify the problem. I chose a couple of those luscious, green babies and put them in my cart.

I decided to try a dry/wet/dry method to coat the slices. Don't worry, it's easy. I'll explain in the directions.

Fried Green Tomatoes

2 large green tomatoes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon granulated onion powder

1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder

Large pinch of cayenne pepper

2 eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Slice tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. 

Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. 

Heat oil in a skillet.

Dry/wet/dry method:

In one bowl, stir together the flour, onion and garlic powders, and the cayenne pepper.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs until well scrambled.

Put the panko bread crumbs into a third bowl.

Dip the slices into the flour mixture, then into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumbs (get it… dry/wet/dry).

Fry the slices until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes on each side.

Drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Fried green tomatoes taste like nothing else I've ever eaten. The coating is crunchy and spicy, and the inside is firm but moist and has a slightly sour taste. Very delicious! Have you ever eaten green tomatoes? Where you eating out, or did you cook them yourself? How were they prepared?

Seasoned Pretzels

 I recently fell in love with seasoned pretzels. They’re perfect with a glass of wine or when you’re in need of a flavorful snack. The store-bought seasoned pretzels I tried were tasty, but they seemed a greasy to me and had a high calorie count. Plus, they are mega expensive! Times are hard and families everywhere are trying to spend less. I’ve come up with a recipe that costs less, contains less fat (healthier?), and are cheaper, by far. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. Let me know what you think.

 

Seasoned Pretzels

 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pretzel sticks (about 3/4 pound)*
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons water 
• 3 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder*
• 2 tablespoon dry ranch dressing powder*
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (A lipped baking sheet works best.)
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cheddar cheese powder, ranch powder, and cayenne pepper until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, oil, and water until fully emulsified. Don’t worry about any air bubbles or froth that forms.
4. Add pretzel sticks to the large bowl and gently toss until completely coated with the egg white mixture. Using 2 silicone spoonulas for this step in a scooping, turning motion, will assure that no liquid remains in the bottom of the bowl and are gentle on pretzels.
5. Sprinkle the dry seasoning mixture over pretzels and continue scooping and turning to evenly coat the pretzel sticks.
6. Spread pretzels evenly on the baking sheet.
7. Bake 20–25 minutes, turning halfway through, until dry to the touch and seasonings are set.
8. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

*Notes:

Aldi has great pretzel sticks that are inexpensive.

The Cheddar Cheese Powder I’ve linked to ($16.99 at the time I posed this) is the lowest unit price I could find. The 2-pound bag is enough to make the above recipe over 20 times. This powder is great for making mac & cheese. It’s good sprinkled on popcorn, too.

The Ranch Dressing Powder I’ve linked to ($4.14 at the time I posted this) contains enough to make 3 batches.

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Almond Cookie Recipe #GlutenFree

 Usually, when people describe their baked goods as “gluten free,” I pause. The phrase usually means the cookies or cakes are dry, or the texture is off, or the flavor needs a little… help. Well, I’m offering this almond cookie recipe that is just scrumptious. Think of these as delicious cookies that happen to be gluten-free.

Almond Cookies

Makes about 18 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Wholealmonds for decorating

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and almond extract and beat until fully incorporated.
3. Add almond flour, salt, and baking powder to wet ingredients and stir using a spoon until just combined.
4. Scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. (I used a medium size cookie scoop.) Press the dough lightly to flatten a bit. Top with almonds and press them lightly into the dough.
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until edges are golden.
6. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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