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Archive for the ‘Tomatoes’ Category

Our “Go-To” Kale Salad

Posted in Avocado, lemon, Quick, Salad, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

No official name here, not even a *real* recipe, just a framework for you.

We fell in love with kale salads a few years ago. And I was actually surprised that my husband went for it the first time I made one!

I almost always have a bag of Trader Joe’s curly kale in the frig – it lasts quite a while and is pre-prepped (torn and washed) so this salad is easily thrown together. I also always have a ripe avocado – they’re either ripening on the counter or there are ripe ones *on hold* in the frig. This salad frequently accompanies our other “go-to” meal item, our homemade frozen tamales, as the flavors are complementary.

"Go-To" Kale Salad

“Go-To” Kale Salad

Kale, washed and torn from stems

Olive oil

Salt

Garlic powder

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Avocado, diced

Lemon (or lime) juice, just a squeeze, to taste (a few drops of bottled works in a pinch too!)

Sriracha Sauce (aka Rooster Sauce), to taste, if desired

Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Place your kale in a bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and a dash of salt. Massage kale with your hands until the leaves are coated. Sprinkle with garlic powder and let it rest while you make the other parts of your meal; the leaves will soften. Top kale with remaining ingredients and serve.

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Three Bean Chipotle Butternut Chili

Posted in Beans, Soup, Tomatoes, Vegan, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Still feeling like you indulged too much over the recent holiday? Here’s a healthy, hearty chili to offset some of those feelings of guilt.

Chili with Smoked Gouda-Squash Pupusas

Three Bean Chipotle Butternut Chili

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1 cab diced tomatoes

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups (or more) vegetable broth

12 oz butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into chunks, pre-cooked slightly *

3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed well *

1-1/2 Tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo puree, add more or less as desired, check ingredients *

1/2 – 1 tsp salt

Heat 1 Tbsp or so of olive oil in a large soup pot. When hot, add onion and saute for about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and saute until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for one additional minute. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently so that spices do not burn.

Stir in diced tomatoes and sauce. Add broth and squash. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender (when pierced easily with a fork). Stir in beans and chipotle puree. Add more broth if needed, to get to desired consistency. Simmer for 10 minutes more or until beans are heated through. Stir in salt to taste. Serve topped with chopped avocado, cheese, green onions or sour cream.

Notes:

* This time I used pre-cut butternut squash from Trader Joe’s and I pre-cooked it for a few minutes in the microwave.

* Use any variety of beans. I used black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans.

* Be sure to check the label of your chipotle peppers in adobo, not all brands are gluten free. When I open a new can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I throw the contents of the whole can in the blender and blend it into a puree. I store the remainder in the  freezer to use later.

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End of Summer Gazpacho

Posted in Beans, Soup, Tomatoes, Vegan, Vegetables, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 12, 2011| 2 Comments »

I realized the other day that we hadn’t had one of our favorite summer favorites yet – gazpacho! I realized this when I saw the growing pile of tomatoes on the counter and a couple of cucumbers in the crisper drawer, waiting to be used. We also had the last of the shishito peppers from last week’s visit to the farmer’s market to eat up.

This recipe is based upon one that my mom made growing up so I am not sure where her recipe originally came from. I have changed it up a little to fit our tastes and needs but it is still very simple and tasty. Add and subtract as you desire.

A few items to note – when dining out, gazpacho is usually not gluten free as it often contains breadcrumbs. Some recipes call for tarragon vinegar too, which is often made with malt vinegar – a no-no for celiacs. Check your labels. Also, chop all of your vegetables into similar sizes; we prefer a 1/4-1/2″ dice. And one last thing – this tastes better the next day, so make it ahead so that it can chill and the flavors meld.

This week we served it up with some shishito peppers and quick cheese quesadillas which were just corn tortillas with some shredded cheddar between and fried in a little oil on the stove.

Gazpacho

Recipe by Renee, inspired by my mom

46 oz bottle of vegetable juice such as V-8 Low Sodium or Spicy Hot version

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup sweet onion, like Vidalia, chopped

2 cups tomatoes chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup light-tasting olive oil

1 tsp worcestershire sauce or soy sauce *

1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar, or maybe even sherry vinegar)

1-1/2 tsp salt, to taste

1/2 tsp fresh pepper

1 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped

1 – 15 oz can white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)*

Pour vegetable juice into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Chill for 4 hours and serve soup chilled.

Notes:

* Lea and Perrins worcestershire sauce is gluten free but not vegetarian, as it contains anchovies. The Wizards makes a vegan, gluten free worcestershire sauce, or you could make your own. Otherwise, substitute with gluten free soy sauce and adjust your salt as the soy sauce is probably saltier than the worcestershire.

*If we are eating this as a meal, I will often add a can of white beans for protein. We have also added fresh sliced-off-the-cob corn.

Sauteed Shishito Peppers

If you can find them at your market, be sure to grab them while they’re still around. They run about $8 per pound at the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market, but a full pound is enough for the two of us for three or four meals as an appetizer. Here is our favorite way to serve them up, from Deborah Madison, cookbook author. I use canola oil instead of olive oil as she suggests.

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White Beans in Tomato Sauce with Sage

Posted in Beans, Pasta, Quick, Tomatoes, tagged , , , , , , , on July 7, 2010| 12 Comments »

Every time I make this meal, my husband comments that it “smells like Thanksgiving”, essentially because of the liberal use of sage. This is a family favorite that I have been making for years. I wasn’t sure where I found the original recipe but when I did a Google search I found a very similar recipe at Epicurious. The meat-eaters out there may enjoy that version although my meatless version is quite hearty and delicious too. We serve ours over Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Penne. I think this would also go well over polenta.

White Beans in Tomato Sauce with Sage

Adapted from Epicurious

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped carrot

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 tsp sage

2 – 15 oz cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup vegetable broth or water

Cooked pasta, 3/4 – 1 pound

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the carrots, onions and celery and saute for about 10 minutes, until they are beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic and sage. Cook for about 30 seconds. Add the beans, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta.

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Thai Tomato Soup

Posted in Soup, Thai, Tomatoes, tagged , on April 24, 2010| 7 Comments »

I knew we were going to have a busy evening one night this week since we had two new pullets (young hens) coming to live with us along with one pound of honey bees, both on the same day! So I wanted something in my meal plan that was fairly quick and easy.

This was a new-to-us recipe that we enjoyed. I served it with the classic grilled cheese. My grilled cheese was gluten free as it was made on Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Sandwich bread. This bread is wonderful and makes a lovely grilled cheese sandwich, as you can see in the picture below. My husband had his grilled cheese on wheat bread, made separately and carefully from mine, of course.

Thai Tomato Soup

2 tsp oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 inch knob of ginger, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-1/2 c water

1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp chili paste with garlic *

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 c lite coconut milk

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion until tender. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar, chili paste and salt. Remove from heat.

Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot until smooth. (Or carefully blend the hot liquid in your blender in batches – but be sure to let a little steam escape out from under the lid as you do so or you could have a problem.)

Add the coconut milk and heat through. Serve.

Notes:

* Chili paste with garlic can be found in the Asian food section of most large grocery stores. Check ingredients to be sure they are gluten free!

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