Ham, White Bean and Tomato Soup

I am at the lake and trying to fill the freezer with healthy soups, using the tomatoes that are on the vines by the side of my house.  I am going to try this soup today.  I picked it out over other recipes, which were also interesting, but asked for things like 1 tablespoon of chili paste.  Having that in my fridge in Calgary, but not here was a small blip, since this recipe calls for a series of dried spices which I do have in my cupboards here.

I am going for it!

2 slices bacon
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) bag Baby Spinach, sliced into thin slices
1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1⁄2 teaspoon allspice
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can white beans, drained
3⁄4 cup chopped cooked ham
5 sage leaves, minced
5 sprigs minced thyme
5 sprigs minced parsley


DIRECTIONS Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until just crisp, turning several times, about 4 minutes; remove bacon, crumble and set aside.

Add onion and celery to skillet; cook until softened, about 5 minutes; stir in garlic, cook 1 minute; stir in spinach, cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.

Season with red pepper flakes, allspice, salt and black pepper; add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans, ham, sage, thyme and parsley; cook until flavors blend about 20 minutes.


http://www.food.com/recipe/ham-white-bean-and-tomato-soup-89130

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I was looking for a way to use up some frozen broccoli in my freezer.

Here is an award winning recipe from the Dairy Goodness people.

I noticed other recipes called for some celery and carrots, which I couldn't see would hurt throwing in.  In the comments section of this recipe one reader said she didn't think thyme, hot pepper flakes and orange rind were a good combination.  Other readers said that they add some chili powder or even a pinch of curry to all cream soups.  You will have to decide.  I am going with this recipe today, to use up that broccoli and to test out thyme, hot pepper and orange rind.  Sounds good to me.  As well I have some bits of Balderson's Double Smoked Cheese and I think I will try that on top.

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli (1-1/2 lbs/750 g)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 small baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups (500 mL) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 tsp (2 mL) grated orange rind

1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried thyme

1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

pinch hot pepper flakes

2 cups (500 mL) milk, (approx.)

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt, (approx.)

1 cup (250 mL) shredded Canadian Cheddar or 

 Gruyère cheese

Peel and chop broccoli stems and coarsely chop florets, keeping stems and florets separate (you should have about 6 cups/1.5 L total).

In a pot, combine broccoli stems, onion, potatoes, garlic, broth, orange rind, thyme, pepper and hot pepper flakes; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min. Add florets; simmer, covered, for 5 min or until vegetables are softened.

Transfer to a blender or food processor, in batches, or use an immersion blender in the pot and purée soup, adding milk, until smooth. Return to pot, if necessary. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until steaming, but do not let boil. Stir in more milk if soup is too thick. Season with up to 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with cheese.

Tips

To dress this soup up for entertaining, sprinkle the cheese on thin slices of baguette and toast under the broiler for elegant croutons, then float them in the bowls of soup.

Reduce broccoli to 4 cups (1 L) and add 2 cups (500 mL) chopped trimmed rapini with the florets. Add 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh sage instead of the dried thyme.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake III

Chocolate Zucchini Cake III

This is a moist fudgy type cake. 

Sweet but not extremely sweet and makes good use of zucchini! 

You can frost it with chocolate frosting or cream cheese icing."

Ingredients

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 cups white sugar

·         3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

·         2 teaspoons baking soda

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         4 eggs

·         1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

·         3 cups grated zucchini

·         3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2.      In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.

3.      Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

Bok Choy and Mushroom

Yes, this is actually what we made.
The originator of this recipe has her
own photo below.
OK.  We didn't cut the X in the top of all of the mushrooms.
But we tried to do everything else right.

I am moving this recipe from its original site  to the Kitchen blog for Rebecca.

She whipped it up for lunch.

I think it might take 30 minutes the first time a person makes it and only 15 minutes thereafter.

What is good about it is that it fits with the Weight Watcher requirements.

Right now Rebecca is being pretty strict with her points.

In fact, we are going to IKEA and I doubt we will get their ice-cream cone.  There is just no cheating going on.

So, over to Rebecca who says, "This is my new favourite.  Takes NO time, and is yummy"

http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/bok-choy-and-mushroom/

... picture from original site ... 

Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice

INGREDIENTS 
326 grams Short grain rice(2 rice cooker cups) 
1 1/2 cups Cold water 
4 tablespoons Rice vinegar 
3 tablespoons Granulated sugar 
1 teaspoon Salt 
STEPS NOTE: A rice cooker cup does not equal 1 US cup. 

Put the rice in a sieve(with holes small enough so the rice doesn't pass through) over a bowl and wash the rice with cold tap water. Use your hands to remove the excess starch off each grain of rice by using a gentle rubbing motion. If you scrub too hard you will break the rice, so don't be too rough. When the water that runs off is mostly clear, drain the rice.

If you're using a rice cooker, add the rice to the bowl of the rice cooker and add cold water to just under the 2 cup line (you want the rice to be on the firm side as you'll be adding the seasoned vinegar after the rice is cooked).

If you don't have a rice cooker, add the rice to a large heavy bottomed non-stick pot, then add 1 1/2 cups of cold water.

* Let the rice sit in the water for at least 30 minutes. This allows the grains of rice to soak up some water before cooking, which results in shinier rice with a better texture.

Next - If you are using a rice cooker, turn it on and let it do it's thing. 

If you are doing this on the stove, turn the heat onto high and bring the rice to a boil (be careful not to let it boil over). Turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for 10 minutes.

While you wait for the rice to cook, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. You can microwave it for a bit to help dissolve the sugar. 

After the rice has had a chance to steam, it should be firm, but the core should not be crunchy. It should be sticky, but each grain of rice should retain its own shape. If your rice was fresh, the surface of each grain should be glossy.

Dump the rice out into a very large bowl, the key is that you want a container with a lot of surface area so you can spread the rice out. Pour the vinegar mixture over the hot rice. Set the bowl on a damp towel to keep it from sliding. Using a broad flat wooden spoon in one hand and a fan or piece of cardboard in the other, gently combine the rice and vinegar using a side-to-side cutting motion with the edge of the spoon. 

You want to separate each grain of rice, so the vinegar penetrates every surface, but you don't want to break the grains of rice or mash them together. 

Use the fan in your other hand to fan the rice. This cools the rice and helps the excess liquid evaporate quickly, which gives your rice a nice shine and prevents it from getting mushy. It's a bit tricky mixing and fanning at the same time, so if you can get a helper or use an electric fan it will be much easier. 

The rice is done when the surface is no longer wet and slippery, the rice is fluffy, and each grain is very shiny. It will still be a little warm, but it should not be hot. 

Spread the rice out over the surface of your bowl, and cover with a damp towel until you're ready to use it. 

Bahn Mi - Pork Meatball Sandwiches, Vietnamese Style

Ingredients

MEATBALLS

1 lb. ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1-2 green onions, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 tsp. sriracha or other hot chile sauce (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

salt & pepper

SANDWICHES

2 cups coarsely grated carrots

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

4 10" individual baguettes or four chunks of baguette

mayo

thinly sliced cucumber (use a vegetable peeler)

fresh cilantro

Directions

In a bowl, mix together the pork, basil, garlic, onions, fish sauce, sriracha, sugar and salt and pepper and mix it all up with your hands. Roll into 1" balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

Meanwhile, toss the grated carrot with the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit until you're ready to assemble your sandwiches.

To assemble, spread baguettes with mayo; top with a squirt of sriracha to taste, and stuff with pickled carrots, cucumber strips, meatballs and sprigs of fresh cilantro.

Taken from Dinner with Julie  Website.  She has adapted the recipe from Bon Apetit, January 2010

Note from Arta: I am going to use moose meat hamburger instead of pork.  I am looking forward to the carrot slaw in the sandwich.

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