Southwestern Vegetable Soup

It was a crisp, blustery fall day today. Uh, I mean spring day! We were teased with a week of early-summer two weeks ago, slammed with winter for the past week, and now-- cool temps, rain, wind, and the threat of snow tomorrow. Yippee.

I just couldn't get warm today and decided to remedy that with a hot soup for lunch. I originally wanted to make an Italian-style soup but had no canned cannellini beans. Surprisingly, I only had one can of beans in the pantry, pinto. So a southwestern-style soup for lunch was concocted.

This was a mildly-spicy broth with chewy brown rice and vegetables finished with a swirl of sour cream, shredded cheddar, and a sprinkling of cilantro.

Because Jack prefers thick soups I use a "slurry", a water and flour mixture, to thicken the broth. If your taste is for the thinner broth, simply leave out step 2. Also, I puree the beans both to thicken the soup and to avoid the "you're putting beans in our food again?!?!" comment. ;) They can be added to the soup, whole, during the last 10 minutes of cooking, if desired.




* Exported from MasterCook *


Southwestern Vegetable Soup

Recipe By: Vicci
Servings: 6


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 1/2 ounces chopped onion -- 1 medium onion
2 large garlic clove -- minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
9 ounces pinto beans, cooked -- one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano -- crumbled
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder -- optional
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup brown rice -- uncooked
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
5 ounces carrot -- about 1 cup; 1/4" dice
3 ounces bell pepper -- colored peppers preferred; about 1/2 cup; 1/4" dice
4 ounces zucchini -- about 1 cup; 1/4" dice
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels -- thawed
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons skim milk
1/2 cup shredded lowfat cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


1. In a 4-quart dutch oven over medium-low heat, saute the onion in the oil until softened, stirring often. Do not allow to brown. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add 3 cups of the broth, turn the heat to medium, and bring to a boil.


2. In a small bowl, stir flour into 1/2 cup cool water until there are no lumps. Slowly add to the boiling broth, stirring with a whisk to keep mixture smooth. Turn down the heat a bit and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.


3. In a blender, puree the beans with 3/4 cup of the broth until smooth. Add the bean puree to the soup and stir. Add the next 7 ingredients (cumin through canned tomatoes) and the remaining broth, and stir. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook this mixture for 30 minutes, stirring often, partially covered. Add salt and pepper as needed.


4. Add carrot and bell pepper and cook for 10 more minutes. Add zucchini and corn and cook for 5 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Stir often to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.


5. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk until smooth.


6. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with drizzles of sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro.


Yield:
"approximately 9 cups "

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 234 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (12% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 2mg Cholesterol; 517mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 4 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates


NOTES : Serve with baked tortilla chips or warmed corn tortillas
Diced avocado and fresh diced tomato are nice garnishes, too.

Also, if you refrigerate this soup, the rice absorbs a good deal of the broth so you will need to add anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 cup additional broth while reheating.

Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Tomatillo-Avocado Slaw

A few years ago, I heard mention of fish tacos and was thoroughly unimpressed. Ick. Fish tacos? Bleh.

I grew up in a small town where the most exotic food was… embarrassingly… Italian. Seriously. I never tasted Chinese food until I was in college (again, small town) and this was some sort of chow mein which my roommates heated from a can; the real Chinese food finally came after I graduated from college, working in NYC. A Mexican restaurant did open during my last year of college and that was a fun discovery. My other must-eat cuisines, Indian, Thai, Greek, & Caribbean, weren’t discovered until years later. How deprived I was!!! :)

Tacos. They were supposed to be made of ground beef (or, in recent years, ground turkey) in soft corn tortillas, smothered in taco sauce, piled with shredded cheddar, chopped tomatoes, shredded iceberg lettuce, and sour cream. My idea of comfort food! But fish? Uh-huh. Until a couple of years ago when I belonged to a cooking group and our Cinco de Mayo menu included fish tacos. Tilapia fillets were dredged in a flour, salt, and ground cumin mixture then sautéed. A fillet was then placed in a warm corn tortilla, covered with a piquant roasted tomatillo salsa, sprinkled with finely chopped sweet onion and chopped avocado, then rolled. Heaven! I went home that night and told Jack that I just had to make him that fish taco recipe. He wrinkled his nose. No thanks, he said. Well, in our house I cook and Jack eats. He doesn’t really have a say in what I make. I have to admit that he is a relatively adventurous eater, much more so than some of my friend’s husbands, and there have only been a half-dozen times in the past 24 years where he admitted that he would really appreciate it if I could refrain from making _________ in the future.

So I made the fish tacos anyway. And it was good. So good that this became one of our rare “repeater” recipes, prepared a couple of times a month during warmer weather.

I was flipping through April’s Food & Wine one recent afternoon and found a recipe for Salmon Tacos. This recipe didn’t appeal to me immediately since I think of salmon as having such a strong flavor that it wouldn’t work well with other traditional taco ingredients. But I was wrong. I just happened to have almost every ingredient on hand, and it was a warm spring day which meant that I wanted to grill dinner. Then “Dry-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Tomatillo-Avocado Slaw”, it was!

This slightly out-of-focus photo does not do these tacos justice. I could have sat in my chair and happily eaten them all night long. The salmon was tender and sweet with a spicy crust, the slaw crunchy and tangy; there couldn’t be a more sublime pairing. I served the tacos with grilled roma tomatoes (sprinkled with the same spice mixture that was rubbed on the salmon and a little olive oil and chopped garlic) and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Excellent, excellent, excellent dinner! I didn't have red cabbage for the slaw, so I used all Savoy, but other than adding some color, it's not really necessary.

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday

I couldn't believe it. Winter arrived on Thursday morning. My bleeding hearts are bowed over, as are the clematis and peonies. The hyacinth leaves are darkened and shriveled to the ground. Isn't it supposed to be spring? At least I have the masses of flowers I picked on Wednesday to keep me happy...


And baking! Baking makes me happy, especially holiday baking. Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday, lemon ricotta pie and pizelles for Easter. My holidays all seem to revolve around food!


Again referring to A Year In Bread, the recipe for Kevin's Hot Cross Buns called to me. I make these every Good Friday and was interested in Kevin's recipe because it was a slow-refrigerator-rising recipe. I was able to make them on Thursday afternoon, pop the formed dough in the fridge until the next morning, take them out and set the pan on the table to warm up for a few hours, then bake them as a mid-morning treat. The changes I made were to reduce the allspice to 1/4 teaspoon, add 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, sub chopped dried cranberries for the currants, and I added some toasted sliced almonds as well. These were quite delicious! I inadvertently left them in the oven for about 4 minutes too long (I ran outside fill the birdfeeder and it took longer than I anticipated. Multitasking rarely works for me...) but a little bit of dryness to the bread was the only negative (and that was entirely my fault). The buns had a good crumb and the spices combined with the almonds and cranberries were yummy.

Well, we have had a guest for the past day and now he and Jack are at a hockey game, giving me a few hours to get ready for tomorrow. Go Pens!
and, to everyone,

HAPPY EASTER !!!

Pizza-- again!

For the past several years, Sunday night has been Pizza Night at our house. For most of these years I have used the same pizza crust recipe and we liked it enough that I didn't feel the need to mess around with finding a new recipe. Well, until this past Sunday!


I joined a group called "A Year In Bread", where founding-member Beth posted her pizza crust recipe. It's an unorthodox recipe, the ingredients are mixed while ice-cold and the dough rises slowly in the refrigerator for many hours. As an end result, I'm tossing the old recipe! This made a wonderful pizza dough. It was easy to work with (remember to bring it to room temperature, there's nothing more frustrating than fighting cold dough) and the flavor was excellent.


I made this one with my red pizza sauce, light mozzarella, sweet onions, spinach, roasted red pepper, grilled chicken breast, and grated Parmesan.




The pizza sauce recipe:


* Exported from MasterCook *

Pizza Sauce


Recipe By: Vicci
Servings : 8


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 large garlic cloves -- minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano -- crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil -- crumbled
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste -- if needed


In olive oil, saute garlic and onion over low-medium heat until tender. Add dried oregano through black pepper and stir for another minute. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste, if the sauce is too thin. Mix well, and cook at a simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Cool before using.


Yield: "1 cup"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 26 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (38% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 269mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates


How quickly weather changes here in early spring! I took this photo yesterday, and it was around 80F. Same time today, 35 degrees cooler. Ick. And , since the lows are to be in the low 20's (wind chill in the teens), I picked all of my hyacinths and daffodils. And several branches of forsythia, as well. If it's going to be Christmas outside, I'm gonna darn well have Easter inside! :) It's nice-- my house smells like a florist shop!

Salmon with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc

We were at our lake house for a few days and I had the opportunity to break out the charcoal grill for the first time this year. The whole cooking-with-charcoal process is messy and annoying (I can never seem to get the temperature regulated so I am satisfied with how the food is cooking) and I realize that I hate the cooking grid that is used, but oh, the taste of the food that is cooked on it is so wonderful! There is a depth of smokiness not found in food that is prepared on our propane grill at the farm which I enjoy very much.

Bill (“Old Bay”) posted a recipe for Wild Salmon with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc from Bon Appetit on the Cuisine at Home website. I couldn’t wait to try it since I’ve never grilled grapefruit and I’m always looking for salmon recipes. Of course, the sauce had to be lightened (my Fear of Fat; or, rather, the wrong types of fat!). I cut out a third of the butter but, most importantly, was able to use lowfat half & half in place of the whipping cream. When cooking the sauce, the lowfat half & half separated a bit, as both it and the fat-free version has a tendency to do, but once the butter was whisked in the separation was not at all noticeable.

I didn’t add the anchovy filet because that is one ingredient that I never can find a use for. I bought a can for a bagna cauda dip last year and the remaining anchovies hung around in the refrigerator for months. I never have shallots on hand, either, so I used a lesser amount of sweet onion. And I used farm-raised salmon since I didn’t want to take out a mortgage to buy the wild salmon at the grocery store (which, actually, wasn’t even available now although last time I checked, it was running about $18/pound).

Wow, was this great! First, grilling the salmon and grapefruit slices over the charcoal added a nice, smoky taste. But combined with the fruity, creamy beurre blanc, this was one exquisite salmon recipe that will be repeated often in the warmer (“grilling”) months. My mouth waters just thinking about it!

The salmon and grapefruit were served with green beans & almonds and grilled flatbreads.

Note: I really do not like this photo and will replace it the next time I make this salmon. Fresh produce prices are nuts at this time of year, so I’ve been forcing myself to use frozen produce (fresh green beans were $3/ pound this week). The picture really doesn’t show the salmon to its best advantage, either. Oh, well. Something to improve upon! ;)

* Exported from MasterCook *

Grilled Salmon with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc

Serving Size : 2

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

---------- ---------- --------------------------------

1 large ruby red grapefruit

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons finely minced onion

1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 ounces lowfat half & half

8 ounces salmon fillet -- 2 4-ounce filets

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons butter -- in three pieces

1 dash Worcestershire sauce -- (about 1/16 teaspoon, measured)

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Cut two 2" thick slices from the center of the grapefruit and set aside. Squeeze enough juice from one (or both) of the ends to measure 5 tablespoons. Set juice aside and, if unused, wrap the remaining grapefruit end and refrigerate for another use.

Turn on grill to medium-high and allow to preheat while completing the recipe.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat and add onion. Stir constantly for a minute, then add garlic and stir for another minute. Neither should brown, but should be soft. Add wine and 4 tablespoons of the grapefruit juice, turn heat down a bit, and allow to reduce to 1/4 cup (about 4 minutes). Turn off heat and remove pan from stove for a minute to cool down a little. Slowly stir in the half & half (it may separate a bit, which is common with nonfat and lowfat half & half, but will now affect the finished sauce). Keep stirring to bring to barely a simmer, then turn down heat a little more and allow to simmer for 8 minutes, stirring often.

While sauce is simmering, brush salmon with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil apiece, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill for about 7-8 minutes, turning once, until done. Spray grapefruit slices with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill, turning once, for the last 4 minutes that the fish is cooking. Remove salmon and grapefruit from grill, cover with foil to keep warm, and finish sauce.

Whisk in butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated; then add Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Remove from heat, then stir in remaining 1 tablespoon of grapefruit juice.

Serve salmon with sauce, and a grapefruit slice alongside.

Source:

"adapted from Bon Appetit"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 302 Calories (kcal); 14g Total Fat (5g saturated); (46% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 76mg Cholesterol; 149mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : This is a lightened version of a burre blanc sauce and, having the grapefruit juice adding tang, is absolutely delicious with the salmon.

The grilled grapefruit tastes wonderful when each bite is eaten with a bite of salmon and sauce. It is a little messy, however, as the fruit squirts when cut. Not quite certain that there is a better way to do this, though!

Now, for comparison:

* Exported from MasterCook *

Ingredients Only: BA Wild Salmon with Grapefruit Beurre Blanc

Serving Size : 4

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

---------- ---------- --------------------------------

3 Tablespoons olive oil -- divided

1/3 cup finely chopped shallot

1 whole anchovy fillet -- chopped

1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 cup dry white wine

7 Tablespoons fresh ruby-red grapefruit juice -- divided

3/4 cup whipping cream

24 ounces salmon fillets (4 fillets)

1 large ruby red grapefruit

2 tablespoons butter

1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 544 Calories (kcal); 38g Total Fat (16g saturated); (65% calories from fat); 36g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 166mg Cholesterol; 238mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 6 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Too busy outside...

to cook anything "post-able"! We've had some unusually warm temperatures for the past few days and I am taking full advantage of being outdoors since I've been stuck indoors for so many weeks. Dinner these past few nights have been less than inspired since I usually lose track of time and don't even think about what to make until after 6pm.

Soooo I will show some photos I took today (between weeding, pruning, and cleaning out the goldfish pond)

I planted these crocus bulbs at least 15 years ago and am always surprised when they come up year after year...

Jack bought me a planter filled with these mini daffodils a few years ago, and I planted them outside the back door where they've brightened our early spring days ever since



I'll be back with food posts soon! :)

Five-Grain Bread and Chicken Paprikash

Jack and I eat about a loaf of bread each week and for the past couple of years I have been using this recipe almost exclusively for sandwich-and-toast bread (the no-knead bread is our favorite for accompanying soup and for French toast). This is a bit of an odd recipe—the dough for the first rising is quite soft and is just mixed. After allowing this to rise until doubled the remaining flour is added, then the dough is kneaded, and divided, and placed into loaf pans for the final rise of about a half hour. It makes a very good, firm sandwich bread with 3g fiber per slice. The only drawback is time—it takes about 3 hours from the time the cereal begins to soak until the dough is ready to be placed in the oven. But I usually make this on Sunday, and plan the loaves to go in the oven before our weekly Sunday pizza.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Five-Grain Bread

Recipe By : Vicci

Servings : 28 Preparation Time :3:30

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

---------- ---------- --------------------------------

6 ounces five-grain cereal

2 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup dark molasses

3/4 cup skim milk

1 teaspoon sugar

4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast -- (2 packets)

3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

3 cups whole wheat flour -- divided (white whole wheat flour preferred)

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups bread flour -- divided (may need up to one cup additional, see *)

Place the cereal in a large bowl. Bring the water, olive oil, and molasses to a boil. Pour this mixture over the cereal and allow the mixture to cool to 100-105F. (This may take 45 minutes to an hour)

Heat the milk and dark brown sugar to 105-110F. Pour into the mixer bowl and stir in the yeast. Allow to proof, about 10-15 minutes.

Mix the cooled grain mixture into the yeast mixture. Add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour, the gluten, 1-1/2 cups of the bread flour, and salt and mix at "speed 2", using the flat paddle attachment. Beat in the remaining 2 cups of whole wheat flour for 2 minutes. The dough will be very soft. Scrape the dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray, spray the top of the dough, and cover with plastic wrap. Clean the mixer bowl and flat paddle. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

With a lightly greased spatula, scrape the dough down the sides of the bowl and then scrape back to the mixer bowl. Attach the dough hook. Add as much additional bread flour as needed to make a soft dough* and knead on "speed 2" for about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured board and knead by hand for a minute.

Spray 2 9x5" loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half, form into loaf shapes, and place into prepared pans. Spray the tops with cooking spray, cover with plastic, and allow rise until almost doubled (25- 30 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash tops of loaves with an egg white-and-water mix if desired, and bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until the loaves are deep golden brown. Remove from pans and allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks.

*- Depending on the accuracy of liquid measurements, humidity, etc., this may be anywhere from one to 1 ½ cups of additional bread flour

Yield:

"2 loaves"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per serving: 132 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; 83mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

NOTES : These mixing and kneading directions are for using Kitchen Aid mixer. This process can also be done manually (for the less lazy!).

The flour measurements are, like with all bread recipes, a semi-accurate indication of how much will be needed depending on type of flour and the humidity of the kitchen.

I have been subscribing to Eating Well magazine for a couple of years now and I find it indispensable for the interesting, timely nutrition articles. Although it isn’t my top magazine for recipes, I find a nice selection in each issue and their food photography (especially the cover) is gorgeous. The April issue arrived on the third week of February and I wasn’t mentally prepared for spring (!!!) so I set it aside, just opening it yesterday. I opted to make the Sofia’s Chicken Paprikash as my first from this issue.

The ingredient list wasn't too exciting, but this really turned out to be a good, quick weeknight recipe. The chunks of chicken are simmered with bell peppers and onion in a paprika-infused tomato sauce, with sour cream stirred in at the end of the cooking time to smooth it all out and provide a nice sauce. I served over whole wheat noodles, and with a mix of steamed broccoli and cauliflower.

I used half Hungarian Smoked Paprika instead of all "regular" paprika and a half teaspoon cayenne pepper as well.