Cannellini Bean and Spinach Soup

This is an easy soup to pull together and takes about 10 minutes preparation time and 30 minutes to cook using pantry items like canned beans.  The soup is really tasty and with the vegetable broth has a good depth of flavor.  Smashing about 1/3 cup of the beans helps thicken the broth which gives it a heartier texture as well.  This soup is a keeper and something that is fairly easy and fast to prepare and most of the items are things you would have on hand so no special trips to the grocery store for this soup!

Ingredients:

1. 1 small onion chopped
2. 1 large carrot diced (approx. 1 cup)
3. 1 tbl.  Olive Oil
4. 2 -15 oz. cans of cannelini, great northern, or white kidney beans drained
5. 2 cubes of Knorr's vegetarian broth
6. 4 cups water
7. 2 tsp. of Italian Seasoning
8. 1 - 5 or 6 oz. package of baby spinach
9. 1/3 inch of garlic paste or 1 glove garlic minced
10. 1 tbl. Olive Oil
11. Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Add 1-3 to stock pot and saute for approx. 5 minutes.  Add 4-7 and bring to a boil.  Simmer for approx. 20 minutes.  Mash some of the beans to thicken the soup stock if desired.  In a separate skillet, saute the baby spinach and garlic paste in olive oil until wilted, about 3 minutes.  Add the wilted spinach to the soup.  Simmer for at least 5 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chopped Salad - The Perfect Vegan Salad

Summertime with all the fresh fruits and vegetables at the Farmer's Market is the perfect time to try new recipes and tonight I tried a Chopped Salad recipe that would satisfy vegans and carnivores alike.  The salad was fairly straightforward and lends itself to any combination of veggies that are in season.  The dressing is an avocado lime dressing and brings the salad together in a really nice way.

The salad includes chopped red onion, chopped red and green bell pepper, cooked corn, black beans, scallions, tomato (I used orange tomatoes from my dad's garden) and avocado.  I used roughly 1/2 cup of all the items except the onions and scallions.  I used about 1/4 cup of chopped red onion and 2 tablespoons of scallions and 1/4 to 1/2 chopped avocado.

The dressing was made from 1/2 ripe avocado, 1 tablespoon olive oil, about 1/6 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/8 tsp. cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.  I intended to use an immersion blender to blend the dressing but mine did not work.  I was able to mash the avocado with the other dressing ingredients until well blended and then added the dressing to the chopped vegetables.

The finished salad was really pretty and very tasty.  Because of the fat from the avocado I think it is filling as well and could serve as the main dish if you are vegan.  You could serve it with a slice of whole wheat toast, or flax crackers to make it a meal.

Homemade Granola

If you have never had homemade granola you have missed something special in the world of breakfast cereals!  Fresh granola is something you don't forget and the stuff in boxes in the grocery store just doesn't come close to how good the homemade stufft is.  The basics for this recipe came from a crock pot cook book for vegetarians.  The nice thing about cooking granola in the crock pot rather than the oven is that it doesn't burn and is easier to stir.  The sky is the limit in terms of what you can add to the granola.  The basics are rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit, a little vegetable oil, and maple syrup.  The standard amounts are as follows:

5  to 6 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of chopped or sliced almonds (or walnuts, pecans, etc.)

1 cup dried mixed fruit 

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

2/3 cup of pure maple syrup (grade B)

1 tsp cinnamon

To make the granola in the crock pot, lightly oil the insert of the crock pot (should be a large one 4, 5, or 6 quart).  I use a 6 quart crock pot for my granola.  Add the oats, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon and mix together.  Add the oil and syrup and continue to mix until all ingredients are wet.  Cook on high with the lid off for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.  After 90 minutes, turn the crock pot to low and continue to cook with the lid off for the next 2 hours or until the mix has dried.  Continue to stir the mixture every 15 minutes or so.  Once the granola is ready, pour it out on a large sided cookie sheet and spread out to let it cool.  Once cool it can be packaged in a canister or for gift giving, cellophane bags are nice.  The granola is best if eaten right away and within 2 weeks after making it.  It usually doesn't last that long!

Things to add to the granola mix include dried cherries, plums, apricots, blueberries, or just plain raisins.  A quarter cup of sesame seed is a good addition and you can also add coconut if you like.  Some recipes call for wheat germ and I haven't tried that yet.  I especially like to add dates in addition to the dried fruit  because I love dates and they give a nice sweetness to the granola.  The maple syrup is the only sweetener I have used although there are recipes that call for honey or date sugar as the major sweetener for the granola.  However, Grade B maple syrup is a very flavorful syrup and I would consider it is the heart of this granola recipes.  I wouldn't substitute andything else for the maple syrup and I would recommend only real maple syrup and the grade B variety as it has a deeper maple flavor.  If you use honey in the recipe the granola is no longer vegan so if you are giving the granola as a gift to a vegan you'd want to stay with the Maple Syrup.





Cici's Chili

It has been way too long since my last post but I hope to post more recipes in 2011! The Chili recipe to follow is one that I've used for over 25 years and I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It is fast, easy, and satisfying. Most importantly, the recipe is somewhat flexible so that you can adapt ingredient amounts to suit your taste or what you have on hand.

The basic ingredients are hamburger, canned beans, canned tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onion and bell pepper.  Plan on about 20 minutes to prep and 20 minutes for cooking so that you can have this on the table in a little less than an hour. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

2 cup chopped onion (about 2)

1 large green bell pepper chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 15-16 oz. cans of kidney or pinto beans rinsed and drained

2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes undrained

1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoon chili powder (variable depending on your taste)

1 tsp. dried basis crushed (optional)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)

When making this chili don't get stressed out if you don't have everything on the ingredient list.  For example, I have made the chili with only one onion rather than two.  I have omitted the chili powder and added diced tomatoes with green chili.  I have made the recipe without the basil and also used diced tomatoes with oregano and it has turned out fine.  Also the amount of chili is really to taste.  I don't use 2 tablespoons because that is too spicy for my family.   The point is that the flexibility is built into the recipe and don't be afraid to experiment.  I do prefer to use pinto beans and I usually add more beans to the recipe than called for.  For health reasons I have always upped the bean content so that this recipe didn't rely so heavily on the hamburger. 

Directions for making this are as follows:  In a 4 quart stock pot or large dutch oven cook the ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic until the meat is brown.  Drain fat and stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, chili powder, basil and black pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Now how easy is that?  You may top the chili with shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream. 

This is especially good on cold nights.  I made the chili this week on Thursday night and it was a big hit with Morris and Cait.  Many of the ingredients are stables you may have on hand (hamburger in freezer, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, canned beans in the pantry, onion and bell pepper in the fridge, and the basic spices).  This makes the dish convenient to make at a moments notice.  I hope you try it and like it!

Roasted Turkey Breast

This is an easy way to roast turkey which should come out moist and juicy. The trick is to let the turkey breast soak in a brine for about 6 to 8 hours or overnight. The brine helps the turkey retain the juices as it roasts. This can be used for chicken as well. The brine is a mix of salty and sweet and a 5 to 6 lb. turkey breast will require about 1 cup of coarse salt and 1 cup of packed brown sugar in a pot of water. Place the turkey in the pot, bone side up. The water should cover the turkey breast. Place a plate on top to help hold the turkey down (the turkey will float to the top otherwise).

After the turkey has soaked in the brine for at least 6 to 8 hours, rinse it off well and pat it dry. Place the turkey breast on a baking sheet (preferably rimmed) and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Let the turkey sit for about 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. By waiting the 20 minutes or so, you are letting the turkey "rest" and this helps the juices to solidify so when you slice the turkey, the juices don't all run off but are retained in the turkey meat. It really works!

Trader Joe's Chicken Tortilla Soup

A visit to Trader Joe's today resulted in picking up all the ingredients to make TJ's Chicken Tortilla Soup. Sampling tables are great for sales and today's sampling table included this soup marketed to take only 15 minutes to make. Everything was there at the display ready to put in your shopping cart! Wow, a great marketing strategy and Morris said the soup was good! We loaded our cart with all the ingredients and I made the soup when we got home. Easy as they said it would be and tasty too! Here's what you need:

15 minutes
A large soup pot
1 Can Black Beans drained and rinsed
1 Can Corn drained
1 Can Chunk chicken
1 Box (32 oz.) Chicken broth
1 Jar Double Roasted Salsa (16 oz.)
1 hand full of tortilla chips

Add all ingredients to a large pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Serve in soup bowl with a dollop of tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, sour cream and/or fresh avocado sliced if desired.

Easy and good! How often does that happen?

Applesauce

Applesauce is pretty easy and after you make it once you probably won't need a recipe. This recipe is from allrecipes.com and is a basic recipe to follow. However, remember that it is about what tastes good to you so these are all approximate amounts.

Ingredients:
6 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions
In a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, and simmer 5 more minutes.


I like to use Granny Smith apples for applesauce. They are a little dryer in texture and hold up well when cooked. You can experiment with different apples until you find one you like. Also I don't think I would use 3/4 cup water but would use about 1/2 cup. You can also use apple juice and reduce the sugar. The reviews for this recipe talked about using less water (you can always add more if you need to). The reviews also talked about less sugar. I don't think I would add more than 1/4 cup sugar. Some reviewers didn't use clove either. Again, try it or not it should be good either way. I probably would use a little more cinnamon.

Overall I think this is a good starting point and should get you where you want to go. I usually take more time for cooking, about 20 minutes or so. I like my applesauce chunky but you can use a fork to mash it up so it is a smoother consistency. After it is cooked I would put it in a container and refrigerate it for a couple of hours. I like it cold right out of the frig! So good!

My grandmother made applesauce on a regular basis and so did my dad when I was a kid. I loved to make applesauce sandwiches! I know you and your dad didn't like them but maybe you will give it a try.