Ultimate Cream of Tomato Soup

 I'll be honest - I've never been a fan of tomato soup. But this soup - this soup had me licking the bowl. It is so creamy and delicious! I will be making it again and again.

Taken from: https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/recipes/1501-ultimate-cream-of-tomato-soup

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes (not packed in puree), drained, 3 cups juice reserved, tomatoes seeded

1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large shallots, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Pinch ground allspice

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons brandy or dry sherry

cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees; line jelly-roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Spread tomatoes in single layer on foil, and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Bake until all liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to color, about 30 minutes. Let tomatoes cool slightly, then peel them off foil; transfer to small bowl and set aside.

Heat butter over medium heat in medium nonreactive saucepan until foaming; add shallots, tomato paste, and allspice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds. Whisking constantly, gradually add chicken stock; stir in reserved tomato juice and roasted tomatoes. Cover, increase heat to medium, and bring to boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 10 minutes.

Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Process solids from strainer and 1 cup strained liquid in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Return pureed mixture and remaining strained liquid to clean saucepan. Stir in cream and heat over low heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in brandy. Season with salt and cayenne to taste, and serve.

5

TO MAKE AHEAD: This soup can be prepared through step 3, cooled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat over low heat before proceeding with step 4.

Tomato Chickpea Orzo with parmesan and basil

This yummy one-pot meal was adapted from https://www.thekitchn.com/easy-pasta-and-beans-257210#post-recipe-12665

INGREDIENTS: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 pound orzo pasta

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp spicy pasta/Italian seasoning (Durkee)

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken or vegetable broth

1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, and pasta seasoning and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring frequently so that the orzo doesn’t stick, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes or according to package instructions. (If the pasta isn’t completely cooked at this point, add another splash or two of broth or water to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.) Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with the chopped basil and additional grated cheese, if desired.

SERVES: 8

Deconstructed Burger Bowl (FWTFL)

 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Extra Lean Ground Beef
• 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 head Romaine Hearts (chopped)
• 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes (chopped)
• 8 stalks Green Onion (chopped, green tops only)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pan over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Break the meat into small chunks with a spatula and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess drippings, but keep the beef in the pan.
2. Add the Italian seasoning, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the beef and stir to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
3. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.
4. Divide the lettuce, tomatoes and onion between bowls and top with cooked beef and the Dijon mayo. Enjoy!

Chicken Shawarma

This is another great recipe from Cook's Country: cookscountry.com/recipes/10840-chicken-shawarma

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head red cabbage (1.5 pounds)

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

1 cup whole-milk yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

2.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 plum tomatoes, sliced thin

1/2 English cucumber

Pita bread

DIRECTIONS:

Prep: Core and thinly slice cabbage. Chop parsley and dice cucumber into small pieces. Trim chicken thighs.

Mix cabbage, parsley, 1/4 cup oil, and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt into a bowl. Mix yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper into a second bowl.

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler and preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack inside the sheet.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, combine chicken, paprika, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Place chicken in single layer on prepared wire rack, smooth sides down. Trim ends and halve lemon. Place lemon halves cut side up on rack. Broil until chicken is well browned and internal temp is at least 175 degrees, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through broiling. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Slice chicken into thin strips and transfer to platter. Squeeze juice from 1 lemon half over chicken. Squeeze juice from remaining lemon half into cabbage mixture and stir to combine. Transfer cabbage mixture to platter with chicken. Arrange tomatoes and cucumber on platter. Serve with yogurt sauce and warm pita bread.

Creamy Lemon Butter Chicken

This is a recipe from Hello Fresh, which is no longer on their website. It's a family favorite!

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 2 zucchini
• 4 scallions
• 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp Tuscan Heat Spice (can sub Italian seasoning with a dash of cayenne or chili powder)
• 20 oz chicken cutlets (can butterfly chicken breasts and pound to even thickness)
• Israeli couscous (or pearl couscous)
• 4 tsp Better than Bouillon roasted chicken base
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice zucchini into 1/3 in. rounds. Thinly slice scallions, separating the whites from the greens. Zest one lemon and half the other.
2. Roast zucchini on baking sheet with generous drizzle of olive oil, 1 tbsp Tuscan heat spice and salt and pepper to taste. Should be golden brown and tender when done - about 15 minutes on the top rack.
3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with 1 tbsp Tuscan heat spice and salt and pepper to taste. Heat large drizzle of olive oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through - 3-5 minutes per side (165 degrees internal temp). Transfer chicken to plate.
4. While chicken cooks, heat drizzle of olive oil in small pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and cook until softened. Add couscous, stir until toasted (about 30 seconds). Add 1 1/2 cup water, 2 tsp Better than Bouillon and pinch of salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until couscous is tender. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
5. Once zucchini is done, turn on broiler to high. Sprinkle zucchini with Panko and mozzarella, then broil until brown and crispy (2-5 minutes). Watch carefully! 
6. Heat pan from chicken to medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup water, 2 tsp Better than Bouillon and a couple squeezes of lemon juice. Simmer until reduced, then add sour cream and 2 tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
7. Add 2 tbsp butter, half lemon zest, juice from one lemon, half scallions greens, salt and pepper to couscous and stir well. 
8. Plate couscous, chicken and zucchini. Spoon sauce over chicken and top with remaining scallions greens and lemon zest to serve.

Ramen Noodle Bowls

These have become a family favorite! I highly recommend the Cook's Country magazine - it's amazing. The best food magazine I've ever read, hands down. Here's a link to their recipe: www.cookscountry.com/recipes/10051-one-pan-noodle-bowls

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 (12-ounce) pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 (3-ounce) packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets reserved for another use
12 ounces broccoli florets, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 scallions, sliced thin on bias

DIRECTIONS
Whisk 1 tbsp hoisin, 1 tbsp soy sauce, and cornstarch together in a bowl. Add sliced pork and toss to coat. Set aside.

Whisk broth, remaining 3 tbsp hoisin, and remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce together in another bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large, nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add broth mixture and bring to a boil. Arrange the noodles in skillet in a single layer; cover, reduce heat to medium.  Cook about 3 minutes. Noodles will be soft on bottom, but still dry on top.

Uncover first skillet and use tongs to flip noodles and stir to separate. Spread noodles in an even layer and scatter broccoli over the top of them. Cover and cook until noodles and broccoli are tender, about 3 more minutes, tossing halfway through.

At the same time, in another skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork in a single layer and cook until browned on one side (1-2 minutes). Flip each slice and brown the other side, then stir to make sure pork is cooked through.

Divide among 4 bowls and top with the scallions.

Yucatan turkey chile verde

I saw this recipe on one of those meal-prep mail service websites and decided to recreate it on my own. I have made some tweaks, but it turned out really well. Not too spicy, but a lot of flavor.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 cloves peeled fresh garlic
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 lb ground turkey
• Yucatan spice blend 1/8 tsp each (paprika, coriander, powdered garlic, cumin, allspice and cinnamon)
• 1/4 pound crushed tomatillos (1 used 2 fresh, diced)
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 lime
• fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1 Prep the chile verde ingredients

• Peel and coarsely chop onion
• Finely chop, press, or grate garlic
• Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the poblano; thinly slice the poblano lengthwise, then finely chop. Wash your hands after handling.
• Chop green peppers
• In a medium bowl, gradually whisk together the almond butter and 1.5 cups hot tap water until smooth.

2 Brown the turkey

• In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add the turkey, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until lightly browned but not yet cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the turkey to a plate. Do not clean the pot.

3 Make the chile verde

• In the same pot used for the turkey, if dry, add 1 to 2 teaspoons oil. Warm over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, garlic, and peppers, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables start to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. 
• Stir in the Yucatan spice blend and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
• Stir in the tomatillos then add the peanut butter/water mixture and the turkey. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the turkey is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• When the chile verde is almost done, prepare the garnishes.

4 Prep the garnishes

• Cut the lime into wedges.
• Coarsely chop the cilantro

5 Serve

• Transfer the chile verde to individual bowls. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

Serves: 4