Black Bean Soup

Tags

beans, black beans, dinner, food, foodie, peppers, postaday2011, recipe, soup, tomatoes, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian

I’ve mentioned several times before that Hubster isn’t a soup fan. Since soup was my father’s forte, I just can’t accept Hubster’s dislike. And soup in summer? It just tastes incredibly better with garden fresh veggies. Besides, our nights do get chilly here…

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 qt. vegetable stock, 4 c. cooked black beans, 2 medium tomatoes, ½ c. shredded carrots, ½ red pepper, ½ green pepper, 2 scallions, 1 lime, fresh cilantro, ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. coriander, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Version 1 Directions:
Dice tomatoes and peppers. Chop cilantro and slice scallions. Zest and juice lime. In a large soup pot bring vegetable stock, lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, salt & pepper to a boil. Add beans, tomatoes, carrots and peppers, cover and allow to simmer. Serve hot and garnish with a spring of fresh cilantro.

What’s not to love about fresh garden veggies?

Advertisement

Colorful Caprese

Tags

appetizer, basil, BBQ, bocconcini, ciliegine, cold food, dinner, entree, food, foodie, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, grape tomatoes, light fare, light lunch, lighter fare, lunch, mozzarella, mozzarella balls, picnic, postaday2011, pot luck, raw foods, recipe, salad, side dishes, tomatoes, vegetable, yellow tomatoes

Caprese is a summer classic, that’s why it’s my go to recipe. It’s always requested, but never the same. You can serve it sliced and stacked, as a kabob or cut and mixed as salad. At the beginning of the year, I served yellow tomato caprese for the teachers’ back-to-school. It seemed only fitting to use yellow tomatoes in my caprese for the end-of-the-year party today! So since I never serve anything exactly the same way twice, I’ll share my current variation. I halved golden grape tomatoes (first time I’ve found these at the store!!!), red grape tomatoes and the mozzarella balls (ciliegine). Then, I tossed them together with extra virgin olive oil, fresh chopped sweet basil, fresh ground sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Just before serving I will drizzle with some balsamic vinegar.

Colorful Caprese

The hardest part is making sure the caprese is not devoured before leaving the house… with this dish, it’s not just Hubster, it’s also me!

Which summer dish do you prepare multiple variations?

Radicchio & Edamame Salad

Tags

Chinese, Chinese food, Chinese New Year, edamame, food, foodie, postaday2011, radicchio, recipe, salad, side, side dishes, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian

Move over Valentine’s Day, you’re not the only reason we’re dressed in and decorating with red this month. Starting on February 3rd and going through the first full moon of the (Chinese) New Year on the 18th. This was just the kickoff to our Chinese New Year Celebration… I don’t think I can fill my next two weeks with that many Chinese inspired crafts and recipes… but let’s see how far we get.

Radicchio & Edamame Salad

Ingredients:
1 head of radicchio, 1 lb. edamame, 2 Tbsp. water, 1 Tbsp. white rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. lemon zest, coarsely ground sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Shred radicchio, add to mixing bowl and set aside. Add edamame, water and salt to saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool slightly. Remove beans from pods and add to radicchio. Add vinegar, oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper, gently mix together. Serve hot or chilled.

This was such a delicious salad, nutty and tasty, crunchy and full of texture. Mmm…

How do you celebrate Chinese New Year?

Baked Pear & Butternut Squash

Tags

butternut, butternut squash, casserole, dinner, food, foodie, lunch, pears, postaday2011, recipe, side dish, side dishes, sides, squash, vegetable, vegetarian

This Baked Pear & Butternut Squash recipe is a variation of my sweet potato apple casserole. As we await our impending winter storm, this delicious buttery version was perfect for this cold night.

Baked Pear & Butternut Squash

Ingredients:
4 pears (I chose 2 red, 2 Anjou), 1 butternut squash, pecans, 1/2 c. light brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter

Directions:
Preheat oven 350°F. Grease casserole dish and set aside. Peel and cube butternut squash. Core and cube pears, leaving skin intact. Sprinkle pears and butternut with sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, toss to coat. Stir in walnuts and transfer to casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Unfortunately I was out of pecans today, but I can’t wait to add them next time I make this recipe. This dish is hearty enough to be eaten as a complete meal, try serving it over orzo.

What other side dishes are perfect for cold nights?

Roast Chicken Dinner

Tags

carb free. diet, cauliflower, cauliflower mash, dinner, food, foodie, low carb, mashed cauliflower, recipe, roast chicken, roast zucchini, roasted vegetables, roasting, side dish, supper, vegetable, zucchini

Last night’s dinner was simple, roast chicken, mashed cauliflower and roast zucchini. Chicken and zucchini are often served in our household, however, I haven’t made mashed cauliflower in a while (I’ve been making my MIL Cauliflower Casserole ), then I saw this post and started craving my creamy mashed cauliflower.

 

Roast Chicken with Roast Zucchini Spears & Mashed Cauliflower

 

Roast Chicken Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken, 2 c. apple juice, 1/8 c. dark brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 Tbsp. paprika, 1/2. Tbsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, fresh crackled black pepper, fresh ground sea salt.

Roast Chicken Directions:
Preheat oven 325ºF. Remove gizzards and rinse chicken. Place chicken on rack in roasting pan and pour apple juice into pan. Mix together remaining ingredients to create the rub mixture. Rub some of the seasoning under the chicken’s skin. Press skin back into place and rub seasoning all over the outside of the chicken. Bake (uncovered) for about 1 hour or until meat thermometer reaches appropriate temperature, juices should run clear when stuck with a knife. Baste occasionally. Remove chicken from oven and cover. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Roast Zucchini Spears Ingredients:
3 zucchini, extra virgin olive oil,  fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Roast Zucchini Spears Directions:
Cut zucchini into spears and toss with olive oil. Spread out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake at 425ºF for about 15 minutes (depends on how thick your spears are). Serve hot.

Mashed Cauliflower Ingredient:
1 head of cauliflower, 1 c. sour cream, 2 Tbsp. dried dill weed

Mashed Cauliflower Directions:
Cut cauliflower into small pieces. Steam until soggy. Place cauliflower and remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend. You can also mash the cauliflower by hand, but the food processor is a bit quicker. Serve hot.

Even though life is really hectic now, I feel better if I take a little time to cook. Now if only my dishes wold do themselves…

What is currently keeping you busy?