Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

I am trying to be good and eat like Oprah tells me to eat (Afterall, she is the boss of advice). Wasn't her diabetes show scary? I can't imagine that 80 million Americans are living with pre-diabetes or diabetes. Crazy.

Anyway, I made this broccoli soup and have no idea what the glycemic index of it may be but it sounds healthy and there is no added sugar. I was inspired by the boss of food, Ms. Martha Stewart.

Original recipe from Martha Stewart - http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/broccoli-soup-with-cheddar-toasts

Martha Stewart's Recipe below:

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 bunches broccoli (about 3 1/4 pounds), stems and florets chopped separately into 1/2-inch pieces
• 7 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock (or veggie stock like I used)
  
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated or crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
• 8 thin slices crusty baguette

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion, garlic, and broccoli stems; cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add stock and salt; cover, raise heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Add broccoli florets; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until florets are just tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Remove soup from heat, and let cool, about 10 minutes. Fill a blender no more than halfway to puree soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot; stir in milk and cayenne. Cook over medium heat until heated through (do not boil).
3. Heat broiler. Divide cheese among bread slices; toast under broiler until melted and golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds. Divide soup among bowls. Top each bowl with a cheese toast, and serve.

Instead of making the baguette toasts with cheddar like Martha instructs, I added cheddar directly to the soup at the end of the process. I added approx. 1 cup of shredded extra old cheddar. Healthy? Maybe not in this case, but delicious? Of course!

This & That Flatbread

Another inspiration from Fresh365. I took Erin's basic recipe for flatbread and tweaked it a little to suit our taste and what we had in the fridge.

Here are the ingredients for Fresh365's basic flatbread recipe:

3/4 c water
1/2 t dry active yeast
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt

I used organic whole wheat flour and had to add more water but you just play it by ear based on what your flour is doing. Here are Fresh365's instructions for preparing the dough.

"Preheat oven to 500F. In a small bowl, add water and dry active yeast. Stir well, and set aside 3-4 minutes until yeast has dissolved. In a food processor, add flour and salt. Blend. Through the hole in the cover, slowly pour in the water-yeast. Dough will quickly form into a bowl. Transfer dough to a floured surface and divide into two equal size balls. If needed, knead dough until smooth, 1 minute. Roll each ball out until very thin, but not transparent. Transfer to individual baking sheets."

I put my oven at 450F as it gets very hot. I just added a couple minutes to the cooking time later on. I also used the whole ball of dough and didn't break it up so it was a slightly thicker flatbread. Too crispy = crumbs all over the house which I don't like!

Here are Fresh365's instructions for baking:

"Bake dough 4-5 minutes, until beginning to brown. Remove from oven. Top each dough with a drizzle of olive oil, arugula, caramelized onions and Gorgonzola cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes, until edge begin to brown. To serve, slice flatbread and sprinkle with black pepper, to taste."

As I said before, I just added a few extra minutes.

Fresh365 made a Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onion and Arugula Flatbread. I used up a bunch of things from the fridge. That's why it is a This & That Flatbread. Probably one too many ingredients but it was awesome anyway! be creative and add ingredients to suit your menu or what you have on hand.

- sauteed spinach
- sauteed zucchini
- caramelized onions (I was making French Onion soup so borrowed some from that recipe)
- chopped black olives
- chopped green onions
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1/4 c crumbled feta
- 1/8 c crumbled blue cheese
- drizzled olive oil

Here is a link to Fresh365's original: http://tinyurl.com/yfc63fl

Spinach & Tortellini Soup Recipe from Fresh365

I was looking for an easy weekday meal idea for a cold, gloomy January and happened upon Fresh365 - an amazing blog for vegetarians (it`s been in my bookmarks forever but I usually forget about visiting those sites). This recipe was Erin`s 3rd most popular recipe of 2009. Enjoy!

I made the soup and it was very good, very simple and very easy to prepare.

Here is the original recipe from Fresh365 - http://tinyurl.com/ygtnnrz

Pumpkin Bars

Who doesn't have a stray can of pumpkin puree lying around in the cupboard, right? Well, mine had been there for a while and I want a clean slate so to speak so I am using up the old forgotten items. I googled pumpkin puree recipes and up popped an epicurious tag for a Paula Deen Pumpkin Bar. I love Paula Deen for her crazy personality and her free use of all things sugar and butter.

These bars (or "muffins" which I also made which the extra batter) are delicious and really moist. Super easy to do as well. I can guarantee they are easy as I made them while holding the baby (she was put down away from the stove though before I put them in - no children harmed during the making of these muffins/bars!).

Here's what you have to do...

Ingredients

Bars:

• 4 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 15-ounce can pumpkin (that’s about 444ml for the Canadians reading - I had to check)
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

• 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened (1 standard size package of Philly)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Slowcooker Vegetarian Chili - the easy method

Wow - I just realized how long it has been since I have written a post. I can assure you we have been eating as much as always but the time to take pictures and write about our meals has somehow dwindled down next to nothing.

I have been on a chili kick lately (and a homemade soup kick too - more on that next time). It's got to be just about the easiest and cheapest thing to make while still be healthy and filling. Here is the recipe for my vegetarian chili made in a crock pot.

Ingredients and Instructions:

Can of black beans
Can of white kidney beans
Can of red kidney beans
Can of sliced mushrooms or fresh if you have them
Can of whole tomatoes
Can of mini diced tomatoes ( you know the kind, the meal starters???)
4-5 tablespoons of EVOO (I add the olive oil as it gives it some richness that is missing without it)
4-5 tablespoons chili powder or to taste
2-3 tablespoons of cumin
3 bay leaves (remove before eating)
Salt to taste

Make sure to rinse the beans before using them. Use the juices from both cans of tomatoes. Toss it all in the crock pot and set the time for when you want to eat it! Serve with yummy crusty bread.

Mom's German Cheesecake with Blueberries & Raspberries

This cheesecake has been a family favorite since the 70's! My Mom calls it a German cheesecake but I have no idea what makes it German and I have yet to ask - I think it may be the use of cottage cheese instead of cream cheese. Usually she makes it with strawberries but the last time it was a raspberry and blueberry surprise (see pics). I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do...

Ingredients and Preparation:

Base

1 (generous) cup cake & pastry flour 1/3 cup sugar

Pinch salt 1 egg (beaten)

½ cup Becel

Filling

500g tub 1%, or 2% cottage cheese (chunky kind, not creamed) ½ cup sugar

Small tub (175g) plain yoghurt OR 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 eggs (beaten)

Method

Special equipment – 10” spring form pan. Arrange rack in oven so pan can be placed on centre rack. Turn on oven to 350F.

In large mixing bowl, sift flour, add pinch salt, cut in Becel (with round ended knife) until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Fold in sugar. Add beaten egg and mix in with knife just until blended but maintaining appearance of bread crumbs. Sprinkle/spread mixture in bottom of spring form pan, press down and out to sides of pan gently with finger tips. Put aside and prepare filling.

Put cottage cheese in mixing bowl (you can use the same one you just used for the base mixture, no need to wash it!). Blend in yoghurt or sour cream with spoon. Gently blend in sugar. Gently stir in beaten eggs – do not beat or whip. Pour mixture onto base in spring form pan. Place on middle rack in oven and cook for 1 hour or until top is firm and golden yellow coloured (not brown or it will be dry). When cooked, leave to cool then add topping of your choice. Cake improves in taste and texture if served the next day (if you can wait!).

Topping

Cover top of cheesecake with generous amount of halved, fresh strawberries, or raspberries, or blueberries or mixture of all three if you like! You can also use frozen fruit or unsweetened canned fruit. Pour glaze over top (recipe below for the gourmet pastry chef – or cheat and use package glaze mix from store…) and allow to set. Share and enjoy!

Strawberry Glaze

1 quart strawberries 1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon butter

¼ cup water

1. Wash and hull the strawberries. Crush enough berries to make one half cup.
2. Boil the crushed berries, sugar, water and cornstarch two minutes, stirring. Add the butter. Strain and cool.
3. Arrange the berries (whole or sliced in half) over the cheesecake and pour the glaze over the berries. Chill.

Barbecued Cod packets with Fennel, Sweet Pepper and Lime

A very simple and delicious way to make fish (and it keeps the smell out of the house!). You can use this method for a variety of fish and flavours.

Select your fish - a nice thick filet. Cut into personal sized portions. Place in centre of foil. Add the veggies and herbs/spices you would like...add some EVOO, salt & pepper. I also like to add either lime or lemon juice to fish. Wrap the fish into a little foil parcel. Place on the BBQ and grill for 12-15 minutes. When the fish is flaky it is done.

Last night I made cod filets with thin slices of fennel, julienned sweet peppers, lime juice, S &P and EVOO. Excellent!

Fried Red Tomatoes

I saw this recipe the other day when flipping through daytime TV. I couldn't find the recipe so I made mine the best I could from memory (I posted the original recipe below). I pretty much got things right but I did not do the garnish as 1) I don't eat red meat and 2) I had no sour cream. I did buy some turkey "bacon" and may try these again tomorrow with some of that cooked to be crispy and prosciutto-like. A really delicious way to eat your veggies!


Courtesy of: Chuck's Day Off - Episode: The Bro Show
 

 Ingredients and Prep:

• 1/2 cup white flour
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 3 firm ripe tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Dollop of butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Garnish:

• A dollop of sour cream
• 3 slices prosciutto, fried till crisp
• A few sprigs of chives, finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Cut tomatoes into ½ inch slices.
2. Sprinkle with coarse salt & cracked black pepper.
3. Place flour, eggs, and crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
4. Heat oil with a dollop of butter in a medium skillet on medium heat.
5. Dip tomato slices in flour, then eggs, then crumbs.
6. In the pan fry half the coated slices at a time for about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
7. Bread and cook remaining tomatoes.
8. Remove to a serving tray. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled crisp prosciutto and a sprinkle of minced, fresh chives.