Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

 If your garden is full of big, red, ripe & juicy tomatoes this recipe is for you! I had a cup of this yummy soup for lunch at my desk this afternoon and it reminded me of why I love fall. So I snapped a picture and I am sharing the recipe with you.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

5-6  large ripe garden tomatoes, cored and sliced into three slices
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2" slices
1 large  jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded
2  medium bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4 pieces
olive oil
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable  or chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus additional cheese for garnishing)
½ cup of heavy cream 

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange the tomatoes on a  baking sheet with sides. Place peppers and onions on a separate sheet.  Drizzle olive oil all over. Roast tomatoes  for 20 minutes and veggies for 30.

2.      Take out of oven and let cool. Depending on the size of your blender, combine 1/2 of the tomatoes and juice with veggies in blender and blend till smooth.  Do the same with the second half. Put in a large pot and add the broth and spices.

3.      Heat all together over medium high  heat and add ½ cup of heavy cream

4.       Garnish with Parmesan cheese and croutons. Enjoy

Cantaloupe Pasta

  Cantaloupe Pasta!  I know, you're thinking it sounds too weird to be good, but it has a refreshingly good flavor. Sweet yet spicy, kinda like - but not exactly like the Asian sweet chili sauce you buy in a jar.

I tried this recipe out on a whim for my daughter's birthday dinner because her friends are such good sports when it comes to my experimental cooking. Plus it was supper easy and paired up nicely with the savory salmon.

The  recipe came from the Fred Meyer Sunday paper produce ad.
You never know where you're going to find a fun recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 16 ounce package linguine or spaghetti
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1 Cantaloupe, cubed (the more ripe, the better)
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1/2 Cup Half and Half ( I used a little more)
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 3/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Seeds, shelled and toasted

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta as directed.
2. Heat butter in a skillet. Add melon and saute until it breaks down. Mash with a potato masher if needed, it will still have lumps in it.
3. Add tomato paste, cayenne pepper and salt; cook for 3 more minutes.
4. Add 1/2 cup of half and half, salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
5. Toss with spaghetti, top with pumpkin seeds and serve immediately. 

  

 

Olympic Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

The perfect summer salad for an evening of watching the Olympics. Not only is it red, white and blue, it is medal winning  in flavor with  a refreshingly sweet and tart taste.   I feel like I should apologize for the picture.  Or maybe I should apologize to my family for bringing my phone to the table and annoying them by taking pictures of their food.
I was just thinking it would be a good recipe to share...

RED,WHITE AND BLUE.....Go USA

Chili & Lime Dressing

This dressing is worth making. I just love it. 

6 Tbsp low fat mayonnaise

 3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped   

3 Tbsp water

1 medium  or 2 small scallion(s), minced   

2 Tbsp fresh  squeezed lime juice   ( 1 lime)

2 tsp sugar  

 1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix the above ingredients well.

Olympic Salad

Small bunch of spinach torn into bite size pieces

1 head  of  Romaine Lettuce Chopped

1 Cup of fresh blueberries

1 can white beans ( cannellini or Great Northern)

1/3 cup cranraisens 

Feta Cheese

Tomato - optional  ( I had a few slices left over from the other parts of dinner to use up) 

MIX the above and toss with dressing.  

Some info I thought you might enjoy.

Cannellini beans are large and have that traditional kidney shape. With a slightly nutty taste and mild earthiness, they have a relatively thin skin and tender, creamy flesh. They hold their shape well and are one of the best white beans for salads and ragouts.

Great Northern beans are smaller than cannellinis and and suitable for any number of uses: salads, soups, stews, ragouts, purees. Their texture is slightly grainy, with a nutty, dense flavor. Popular in North America, Great Northerns look like white baby lima beans.

What?  You want to see a picture of another dinner item?

Turkey burger ( made with garlic and basil) topped with a tomato slice, feta cheese (light broiled) & more basil.

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

 Salted Caramel Oatmeal Squares

Made these yummy bars for our church's in between service social
this morning.  Not what I typically serve for a breakfast item, but I figured if Nutella considers itself a breakfast item, these could be too. At least they have oatmeal in them.

But really, I just wanted a reason to try these since I've been reading some great salted caramel recipes lately on Pinterest. So I took my favorite oatmeal bars and added  salted caramel to the middle. yum.

Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Cup butter (2 cubes softened)
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs
2 1/2 cups quick oatmeal
12 oz chocolate chips ( optional - I left out this time)
Chopped walnuts
 9x 13  Pyrex pan

Caramel
10 ounces caramel squares
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Melt in microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring about every 20 sec.
Stir & heat till smooth.

Directions

1.Blend butter, sugars, vanilla and water; beat in eggs. ( Love my kitchen aid mixer for this)
2. Stir together and add flour, soda, and salt.
3.Stir in oats and chocolate chips.( sometimes I add cran raisins or coconut)
4.Press 1/2 of the batter in a 9x 13 glass pan prepared with non stick cooking spray.
5. Pour  and spread caramel sauce evenly over the bottom layer.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt ( I like the sea salt in a grinder from Costco)
7. Drop small spoonfuls of cookie dough over the salted caramel and spread dough with a spatula till caramel is covered.
8. Sprinkle  top with chopped walnuts ( optional) and additional sea salt.
9. Bake bars for 25-30 minutes at 375.  Allow bars to cool  on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting.

Let me know what you think!