End of Summer Veggie Soup

Today was the first rain of the season and it got me thinking about soup.  Now that the weather is getting colder we’re all craving warm, comforting foods.  Here’s a nice smooth soup that uses those summer veggies still found in the grocery store.  It’s all blended up and topped off with beans and leftover rice.  

End of Summer Veggie Soup

1 fennel, chopped into large chunks

5 roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded

1 red bell pepper, chopped into large chunks

2 medium zucchini, chopped into large chunks

3-4 T tomato paste

3T Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil (Grub recipe) 

juice of one lemon

zest of one lemon

salt & pepper

garlic powder

1t fresh rosemary, chopped 

water

1 can of white beans (or leftover frozen beans, thawed) 

leftover brown or wild rice (or any grain, for that matter)

 

Place all cut veggies into a baking dish and toss with rest of ingredients, not including water, rice, and beans.  Roast, uncovered, for 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees.  Toss half way through.  

Let veggies cool slightly and blend with tomato paste in blender until smooth.  Be careful the lid doesn’t pop off due to the heat.  (You may want to cover the lid with a towel just to be safe.) Adjust consistency with a little water.  Adjust the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Top with a generous dollop of warm rice and beans and a drizzle of Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil.   

So, there you have it.  A warm, nourishing way to end a long rainy day.

Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil

Here’s a way to add a little unexpected flavor and flare to your dishes.  Super easy to make and looks great out on the counter. 

Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil

1 cup olive oil

5 whole garlic cloves

6-8 dried chili de arbol (in the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store)

glass bottle with poor spout (Cost Plus has some cute ones to choose from.)

Heat all ingredients in a pot over medium heat until garlic cloves turn slightly golden.  Don’t burn the garlic because it may make the oil turn a bit bitter.  Let oil mixture cool in pot, so the flavors can meld.  Using a funnel, poor spiked oil, garlic, and chilies into a glass bottle.  

I use this on toast when I want something else besides the standard butter.  It’s great over fresh sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with kosher salt; or drizzled over soup or pasta.  It’s spicy and gives a little kick to your dish, and you don’t need much.

And Lulu thought she was the only hot stuff around here!

Pasilla Chile and Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Chew

So, I was off to my mom’s house the other day, and wanted to take a little homemade something along with me.  The nut freak that I am, I rummaged around the freezer and cupboard and came up with this little crunchy munchie.  Super flavorful with a little spicy kick.  But, don't share because you won't have any left!

Pasilla Chili and Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Chew

1 cup whole raw cashew nuts

1 cup whole raw pecan halves

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of chopped dried pineapple

1/2 cup of chopped dried papaya

1/2 cup of large raisins (I like the Jumbo Raisin Medley from Trader Joe’s)

1 T pasilla chili powder 

1 T cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup honey

Toast nuts and seeds in a dry pan, watching they don’t burn.  Once you smell them, remove from heat.  Add the dried fruit and toss.  Evenly sprinkle the chili powder, cinnamon and salt and lightly toss - not too much though.  You don't want all the spicy goodness to settle on the bottom of the pan.  

Spray a 1/3 measuring cup with non-stick spray and measure honey.  This will allow the honey to pour right our.  Add honey to granola mixture and stir together, coating everything.  Spread out on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  (a silpat baking mat works nice here too.)  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Break apart and store in old clean jars.

Tips - 

Clean up immediately so the leftover honey and spices don't harden on the pan and spoon.

I found pasilla chili powder from the local Mexican market.  It’s usually used in sweet recipes, so it goes perfectly with cinnamon in this.  It's not super spicy, good for those who don't like things too hot.  The course granules of the kosher salt make a nice contrast too.  It’s totally addictive!

Variations - 

If you prefer different nuts or dried fruit, switch it up.  Sesame seeds would be a great substitute for the sunflower seeds.  A big jar of this tied with a huge bow would make a great gift.  (Think Christmas!)

Basil Pesto

Ok, so I’m not going to tweek this one much. It's a pretty classic dish. There are so few ingredients, but they're all needed to make this rich, delicious, and versatile sauce.

Basil Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves

4T nutritional yeast

1-3 raw garlic clove (depending on how “garlicy” you like it)

juice of 1/2 lemon

olive oil (this is where you use the good, yummy stuff)

In a food processor, blend clean, spun-dry basil leaves, nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice. When blended to a chunky consistency, add olive oil and continue to process until it becomes spread-like. The amount of oil depends on the desired consistency. I've never really measured it, but I imagine it's about 1/2 to 1 cup.

Easy and super versatile, basil pesto is delicious on pasta, a spread on thinly sliced toast, or mixed in with warm, boiled red potatoes. If you don’t care for the basil flavor, try arugala, cilantro, parsley, or a mixture of these greens.

I put some leftovers in an ice cube tray to freeze. Usually, it all gets eaten up, but I made so much this time. Once completely frozen, pop out of tray and store in a zip-top bag. You can also put it in the fridge and poor a layer of olive oil over the top to preserve the color. It tends to turn a darker green after a while when exposed to the air.

Pear Walnut Butter Salad

Easy, quick, light. Need I say more?

Pear Walnut Butter Salad

1 head of butter lettuce

1/4 cup raw walnuts, toasted

1T shallots, chopped

1/4 cup and 1t olive oil, divided

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1T dijon mustard

salt and pepper

1 pear

lemon juice

Chop lettuce into bite-sized pieces, wash and dry. Toast walnuts in a dry pan and remove from heat when they start to brown. Watch they don’t burn. Finely chop shallots and saute in the 1t olive oil until tender. In a bowl, add shallots to vinegar, oil, and mustard. Whisk to combine. (The mustard acts as an emulsifier, so it shouldn't separate.) Season with salt and pepper. Slice pear and drizzle with lemon juice to prevent browning.

To serve, place lettuce on a plate. Top with pear and nuts. Drizzle with vinaigrette. (You won’t need to use all the dressing.)

Like I said, easy, quick, and light. Goes great with Zucchini Pesto Pasta!

Zucchini Pesto Pasta

So, we just got together with the hubby’s family this weekend.  Always a huge event,  loads of fun with tons of food, kids running through the house, and us grown-ups chatting and having a good old time.  To my surprise, we have a couple of gardeners amongst us.  Apparently they’ve grown some beautiful veggies and have an abundance of zucchini.  Well, that got me thinking of some zucchini recipes.   This is what I’ve come up with so far.

Zucchini Pesto Pasta

whole wheat pasta, penne or fusilli

1t olive oil

2T shallot, chopped fine

4-6 zucchini (I’m assuming they’re about the size of the ones you find in the grocery store)

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1/3 cup basil pesto (store bought or home made)

veg stock

1/4 pine nuts, toasted

parmesan cheese (use a block of cheese, not that god-awful stuff from a container)

salt and pepper (although you probably won’t need additional salt)

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  (Don't forget to add a good sprinkling of salt to the boiling water.  It makes a big difference.) I prefer more veg than pasta, so I only cook up about 1/3 to 1/2 of the bag.  

Remove the ends of the zucchini and slice into quarters lengthwise, then chop into dice-sized pieces.  Add oil to pan and sauté chopped shallot until it becomes translucent.  Add zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes until tender.  

Meanwhile, in a small pan toast pine nuts, tossing a lot.  Once they start to brown, turn off the heat.  Watch these little buggers, because they burn very easily.  (I always toast extra for future use.)

Add peas to zucchini, mix and cook for an additional minute or two.  Stir in pesto and pasta.  Add enough veg stock for desired consistency.  Adjust s&p and serve up.  Top with pine nuts and shavings of parmesan cheese.  (try using a veg peeler for the cheese.)

Ok, so this one does involve a bit of cooking, but it’ll take 20 minutes, tops!  This one's nice with the Pear Walnut Butter Salad.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

You know when you go to a pot luck or bbq and the host asks you to bring that delicious dish you brought last time, and you know exactly what they’re talking about?  Well, this is one of mine that always gets hit on.  It’s super easy and keeps for a long time, not like those mayo ladened, fattening dishes.  It’s super refreshing and there’s NO COOKING INVOLVED!  

Black Bean Corn Salsa

2 cans of whole black beans

3 cups of frozen corn (no need to thaw if not eating right away)

1 red bell pepper, chopped (chop to the same size of corn and beans)

1-2 pickled jalapeno pepper, chopped, seeds removed

2-4T pickled jalapeno juice

juice of 1-2 limes

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4t ground cumin

salt

Put all ingredients into a bowl and gently mix.  If it’s not spicy enough, adjust jalapeno and juice.  If you have cucumber, green bells instead of red, or some beautiful tomatoes, use them!  And, if you're like my mom and can't stand the flavor of cilantro, use fresh flat leaf parsley, or leave it out completely.  It will still knock your socks off!

So, there you have it.  A no-cook, easy-peasy recipe that travels well and goes wonderfully with chips or over the top of a fresh green salad!  You can do this one with your eyes closed!