Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans & Swiss Chard

Here's another tasty soup recipe. I generally don't like tomato based soups, but this one has won me over. This soup has a little bit of a kick to it, so if spicy isn't your thing, just cut back on the red pepper flakes. This soup is thick. If you like a brothier soup, I would simply increase the vegetable broth.

I can't wait for the farmers market (and my garden) to get going so I can make this soup with vegetables fresh from the garden! Can't you just taste the freshness? Better get tending to my garden...........Enjoy!

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Soup with White Beans & Swiss Chard:

2 Tbsp EVOO

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 small zucchini, sliced (1 cup)

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 15-oz. can small white beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped, plus 2 tbsp oil from jar

1/2 bunch (6oz.) Swiss chard, chopped (kale will work too)

1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 cup torn fresh basil

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute, or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in onions, carrots, celery, zucchini and rosemary, and cook 10-15 minutes, or until the onions are soft.

Add veg. broth and one can of the diced tomatoes, and beans. Scoop 1 cup mixture into food processor or blender, along with the remaining can of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and the oil. Puree until smooth, then stir the mixture into the soup, and season with salt and pepper - if desired. Simmer 10 minutes.

Add Swiss chard and thyme, simmer 5 minutes more, or until chard is wilted. Remove from the heat, and stir in basil.

Serves 6-8 (depending on how hungry your guys are :)

See the link below for information on Swiss chard.

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/swiss-chard.html

Cauliflower Chowder

As you may recall from a previous blog of mine, I have never been a big fan of cauliflower. So again to my surprise, I have a cauliflower recipe for you that taste great and is healthy too. My husband came across this recipe - he was getting tired of me making the caramelized cauliflower all the time!

Here it is....

Cauliflower Chowder:

5 Tbsp. EVOO

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

6-8 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped thinly

2 medium cauliflower, cored and broken- you could use broccoli in place of part of the cauliflower

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

4 cups skim milk

4 cups water

2 Tbsp Vegetable Broth Base

1/8 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

Lightly saute onion and garlic in bottom of pot with 2 tbsp olive oil. Then add all the other ingredients and bring to a very light boil. Let simmer until the cauliflower is soft (about 20-30 min). Stir frequently. Serves 4.

Can you believe how simple this is? Fast, easy, taste great, and it's not loaded down with a lot of fat!

Happy eating to you and your family!

If you'd like to learn more about the health benefits of eating cauliflower and broccoli, check out the links below.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/04/13/broccoli.benefits.wmd/

Pecan-Crusted French Toast

It's important to me to make a special breakfast for my guys on the weekends. They are important to me and this is one way that I try to show that to them. The catch is that in my household, we have a omnivore, a vegetarian (me) and a vegan, so breakfast can get a little tricky.

Recently I came across this vegan French Toast recipe and thought I'd give it a try. It was a hit! The vegan of the house gave it a 4.1 rating and the carnivore of the house rated it at a 4.8 and said it was "The best French toast I've ever eaten." (scale is 1-5, with 1 being the most disgusting food you've ever eaten and 5 being that you'd like to eat it as often as possible).

The only change I would make to the recipe would be that I would add vanilla extract - something I always add to pancakes or French toast. :)

Here it is......

Pecan-Crusted French Toast:

1-1/2 cups soy or rice milk
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons chickpea flour or brown rice flour (found in the natural foods section - good source of protein)
1 cup finely chopped pecans
6 to 8 slices vegan whole wheat or whole wheat raisin bread
Maple syrup for topping

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy or rice milk, corn starch and cinnamon. Whisk in the chickpea or brown rice flour. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl. Place the pecans in another shallow bowl.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsp canola oil to pan. One slice at a time, dip the bread in the milk mixture, turning to soak both sides. Dip one side in the pecans, pressing to coat. Arrange the bread in the skillet (you might have to do more than one batch), pecan side down. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the pecans are well-browned. Carefully turn the bread, and continue cooking until the second side is browned, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine did!

Hummus

Hi everyone! Are you looking for a quick, easy and healthy snack? May I suggest some hummus? You won't believe how easy hummus is to make, and the variations are endless.

What is hummus? Plain and simple, it's a bean dip. It can be eaten with veggies, bagel chips, whole grain crackers, pita bread, etc.

For those of you who have tried store bought hummus and found it not to your liking, I would encourage you to try these recipes. I know they will change your mind about hummus!

Here are my 3 favorites to get you started...

Traditional Hummus:

2 cloves garlic

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans

4 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini

1 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth. Add additional EVOO to get the desired consistency. (I always add more to make it smoother).

Black Bean Hummus:

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp Thousand Island dressing

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Place all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Italian Red Feta Hummus: (my favorite)

1/2 cup roasted red pepper (from jar)

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 4-oz container tomato basil feta cheese

1 Tbsp EVOO

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. There will be bits of feta in the hummus. Chill for several hours or overnight to let the flavors blend. Also good served hot.

Makes 2 cups.

* I have found that with any of the hummus recipes, it always taste best if it has time to chill so that the flavors have time to blend.

Snack away!