Doesn’t get any better than this.

Happy Valentines Day! Sing, dance and eat.

Click here for video from Tiger in a Jar.

Tags

biscuits, canned tomatoes, dinner, garlic cheddar, Red Lobster, soup, supper, Winter

January Soup Supper

Mexican Roasted Tomato Soup

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Napa Cabbage Toss

I love most all tomato soups, even those in the can. But making it yourself is super easy and simple as a can of tomatoes, some onions and garlic. This time I took a tip from Jennifer Perillo’s blog, and roasted the canned tomatoes for an hour first. It took a decidedly Mexican spin—the only stewed tomatoes I had on-hand were diced stewed and Mexican-style, and the onions were green. I’m glad it did. With a wee bit of heat from the Mexican tomatoes, it was a nice change from the trustworthy, but tired, basil usually found in tomato soup. A bit of cheese swirled into the hot soup topped it off.

We all know the reason to go to Red Lobster is for their Cheddar biscuits. This seems to be unanimous, confirmed by a Google search for said biscuits, where I found pages and pages of recipes. Most of them called for biscuit mix (aka Bisquick), which I have nothing against, but didn’t feel was quite right in this case. I didn’t want the biscuits to taste like the dumplings in my kids’ favorite chicken dish. So I borrowed a page from The Food Network Magazine’s “Copy That” column. As I do with everything, I adapted it to my tastes. The extra green onions I had on hand went into the dough and some garlic-parsley butter brushed on at the end gave the biscuits a perfect, garlicky finish.

Roasted Mexican Tomato Soup

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green onion
1 large chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves chopped
I teaspoon cumin
1 (14-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

1. Drain tomatoes. Reserving juice. Half tomatoes and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Bake at 300° for 90 minutes, or until browned.

2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, green onion, carrot, garlic and cumin. Saute 10 minutes, covered. Add roasted tomatoes, reserved juice, stewed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Mash with a potato masher, or blend with an immersion blender until partially smooth. Add cream, and additional salt and sugar to taste. Serve with Monterey Jack cheese.

Cheddar Garlic Biscuits (aka Red Lobster biscuits)
2 green onions
1 ¾ cup flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
6 tablespoons butter, cold
6 ounces aged Cheddar cheese, grated
¾ cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Place green onions in food processor, pulse until finely chopped. Add flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Pulse until mixed. Add cold butter in small pieces. Pulse until mixture is size of coarse meal. Add cheese, pulse until mixed. Add milk and pulse until dough comes together.

2. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a couple times and pat into a 1-inch thick circle. With a 2-inch biscuit cutte,r cut out biscuits and place on a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.

3. Combine melted butter, garlic and parsley. Brush over hot biscuits. Serve with tomato soup and thinly sliced Napa cabbage tossed with olive oil and sherry vinegar.

Check out these great recipes using Napa Cabbage perfect for this menu:

Thai-Stye Peanut Cabbage Salad

Feta-Cheese Cole Slaw

Tags

budget, citrus, dessert, January, lemons, sweets

I came home from the super today with lemons, limes and tangelos. I decided on a lemon tart–one with 2 whole lemons processed, peel and all, with sugar and eggs, and poured into an almond crust. I topped the unbaked tart with thin slices of lemon, and sprinkled it liberally with turbinado sugar. A little bit of sunshine in January.

Fresh Lemon Tart

Crust:
1/1/2 cups toasted slivered almonds
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon coarse salt

1 stick butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

¼ cup water

Filling:
2 lemons, thinly sliced with seeds removed

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/3 cups sugar
5 eggs
Turbinado sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. To prepare crust, place almonds, sugar and salt in bowl of food processor. Process until finely ground. Add butter, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water, process until mixture comes together. Press into bottom and up sides of 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake 5 minutes.

2. To prepare filling, place 1 lemon and juice in bowl of food processor. Process until lemon is pureed. With motor running, add eggs, one at a time, and process. Add sugar and process until well mixed. Pour filling into crust. Place remaining lemon slices on top of filling. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Place on baking sheet in oven. Bake 45 minutes or until filling is set.

I’m an oatmeal gal. Flat out. I’m not interested in grits or cream of wheat, just a bowl of soupy oatmeal with hot milk, sugar and salt. It’s one of the few things I don’t want butter on. But last month we tested this hot quinoa cereal for our annual March breakfast issue, and now I’m a convert. I’ve had a fair amount of quinoa here and there but frankly was never convinced it was that amazing–despite its super grain reputation. But if you’re a hot cereal gal (or guy), give this one a try. It’s fabulous–just different enough from oatmeal to be refreshing, but familiar enough to be comforting. It’s courtesy of the Georgia Pecan Commission. And not that they’d approve, but I image walnuts or almonds would work just as well. And if you want to go beyond breakfast, here is a link to a fabulous Quinoa Stir-fry with Spinach and Walnuts. Not convinced yet? No worries, here’s a Breakfast Cake that uses leftover oatmeal.

Pecan Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Make this recipe ahead, then scoop a serving into a microwave-safe bowl, top with milk, and microwave 1 minute, or until hot.

• Calories 250
• Fat 14g
• Cholesterol 15mg
• Sodium 70mg
• Carbohydrates 48g
• Fiber 4g
• Protein 12g

I love the videos and photos on this blog. Beautiful and inspiring. Go to tiger in a jar  for the video. If this doesn’t inspire you to make bread I don’t know what will.

Posted by Jill Melton, RD | Filed under Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cheese, chicken, cold, January, rice, soup

January

In January it’s so nice

while slipping on the sliding ice

to sip hot chicken soup with rice

Sipping once sipping twice

sipping chicken soup with rice

–Maurice Sendak

I was craving chicken soup the other day. I pulled out an old recipe I made ages ago,  polished it off, updated it and came up with this rendition.

Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice

This is a great soup to make when you’re piddling around the house all day. It starts by making a flavorful stock with economical chicken quarters. Add rice, milk and cheese for a creamy, homey chicken soup.

2 chicken quarters or 1 (2-pound) fryer

1 peeled potato

1/2 cup brown jasmine or basmati rice

2 cups 2% milk

2 tablespoons flour

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup half and half

1. Place chicken quarters in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 hours. Remove chicken and strain broth. Remove chicken from bones and discard bones.

2. Add potato and rice to broth, simmer 30 minutes. Mash potato. Add chicken to broth. Whisk milk and flour together until smooth. Add to soup and cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and half and half.

This post is part of the Recipe ReDux Project– the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, a group I am honored to be in. The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. This month’s theme was putting the pea in potluck–meaning potluck or party dishes with beans or peas in them. This inspired my Christmas memory from last year. Click on the icon at the bottom to see more healthy party posts from my fellow RD’s.

Last year we did something we’ve never done before—ate out on Christmas day. I’ve always heard of folks eating Chinese and going to the movies on Christmas, but I’ve never been one of those people. I have tons of relatives, and have spent most every holiday surrounded by family, pork loin and platters of Christmas cookies. Last year, however, me and the kids found ourselves alone; which meant an opportunity to start a new tradition. Because it was open and we could, we stopped at Miss Saigon, our favorite Vietnamese restaurant after mass. I always thought it would be weird and slightly depressing to eat out on Christmas. But after Christmas Eve with turkey and all the trimmings, friends, and way too much time in the kitchen, a bowl of warm Pho served by someone else sounded too good to pass up. The twinkling lights, kitschy Santa decorations and flat screen TV blaring football in a room full of Vietnamese families was so fun. It felt slightly naughty, but totally nice. It was our secret get-a-way for the day, made all the better with chopsticks and snow falling outside. With fried rice in a doggy bag for later, what could be better?

Here is a recipe for a New England version of Pho. It contains fall ingredients, country ham, maple syrup, pork, and sweet potatoes, all in a chicken broth made colofrul and nutritious with spinach and edamame. There’s nothing quite as comforting or tasty as slurping a big bowl of Pho on a cold day—unless it’s this version studded with American flavors. Instead of beef and Asian noodles, we used a premarinated pork tenderloin, country ham, sweet potatoes and spinach for a decidedly New England taste. We added edamame (fresh soybeans) for a nutritious nod to our Asian neighbors.

Ingredients
2 ounces country ham (or bacon), chopped
1 1/2  pounds hickory smoke or honey mustard marinated pork tenderloin
1/4  cup maple syrup
2  tablespoons country mustard
2  onions, slivered
1  cup edamame
2  small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4  cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3  cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2  pound whole-wheat spaghetti, cooked
3/4  cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
6  tablespoons chopped green onions
Prep Time - 15
Cook Time - 50

1.    Cook country ham in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Remove. Add pork, maple syrup, and mustard (or marinade) and cook 20 minutes.
2.    Remove pork and shred or chop into bit-sized pieces. Add sliced onion to Dutch oven; sauté 5 minutes. Add pork, edamame, sweet potato and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in country ham and spinach, and cook for 1 minute.
3.    Place pasta into 6 large bowls, and top with pork mixture, cheese, and green onions..

Here, also is a hummus dip of sorts, made with edamame in place of the chickpeas. It’s perfect for the holidays or after.

Edamame Dip with Pita Crisps

2  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1  garlic clove, minced
1/2  teaspoon kosher salt
6  (6-inch) pitas, split in half horizontally and cut into triangles
1 1/2  cups edamame
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
2  garlic cloves, peeled
1/2  cup parsley leaves
3  tablespoons tahini
3  tablespoons water
3  tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, minced garlic and salt. Mix well. Add pita triangles and toss well. Arrange pita triangles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. Cook edamame according to package instructions, omitting salt. Place remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, salt, cumin, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times or until garlic is coarsely chopped. Add edamame, parsley, tahini, water and lemon juice. Process 1 minute or until smooth. Spoon mixture into serving bowl. Serve with pita crisps.

Tags

chocolate, Christmas, cookies, malt, sandwiches

I’m a huge malt fan. I sprinkle it in my regular chocolate chip cookies, brownies and of courses milkshakes. So this cookie, one I adapted from Martha Stewart Living was a no-brainer for me. They take a while to make and assemble, but they’re worth it for extra-special friends (or bosses). I adjusted the filling to make it less rich. I don’t typically have creme friache around, but use sour cream in its place. If the dough seems too thin, add a little extra flour, which will also make a thicker more durable cookie–a plus when packaging and delivering to friends.

Chocolate Malt Sandwiches

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen
•    FOR THE COOKIES
•    2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•    1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
•    1/4 cup plain malted milk powder
•    1 teaspoon baking soda
•    1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
•    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
•    1 3/4 cups sugar
•    1 large egg
•    2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
•    1/4 cup creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt
•    3 tablespoons hot water
•    FOR THE FILLING
•    7 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
•    2 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
•    1 cup plain malted milk powder
•    6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
•    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, malted milk powder, baking soda, and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg, creme fraiche, and hot water. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture.
2.    Space tablespoon-size balls of dough 3 1/2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake until flat and just firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.
3.    Making filling: Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simming water, stirring. Let cool. With an electric mixer, beat malted milk powder and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually mix in half-and-half, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, until thick, about 30 minutes. Mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4.    Assemble cookies: Spread a heaping tablespoon filling on the bottom of one cookie. Sandwich with another cookie. Repeat. Cookies can be refrigerated between layers of parchment in airtight containers up to 3 days.

If there is one book for the cook and gardener on your list this year, this is it.

“I have sown somewhat more than I have reaped. But as somewhere to watch things grow, a place to read and nurture, to sit and eat, to drink and think, to taste and smell and most importantly to understand the unity of growing, cooking and eating, it is a monumental success. At least it is to me. “–Nigel Slater, on his backyard and garden, from his book, Tender.

I have been absolutely mesmerized with Tender, a cookbook and memoir by Brit and BBC food columnist, Nigel Slater. His writing is so beautiful and insightful, I feel he’s sometimes taking the thoughts from my head. The above passage is one such case. This year in the raised bed outside my son’s bedroom window,  I decided to plant wild flowers and herbs and a few tomato plants. While gratifying, I can get bell peppers that are riper, okra that is more tender, and beans and peas that are heartier, from the local Amish produce stand than out of my little garden. A garden is for watching things, anything, grow, and to dig and think and enjoy. Wildflowers provided the beauty, basil the aroma, and tomatoes, the satisfaction of eating something right off the vine warmed from the sun. Plus I enjoyed the flowers with a glass of wine or a cup of coffee in our new Adirondack chairs just beyond the bed.

As for now, my winter garden (my first ever), has chard, kale and lettuce. I just planted garlic and red onions and oh yes hyacinths for color. I’m settled in with Nigel’s book, plus the galley of his forthcoming new one, Ripe A cook in the orchard, to dream and plan and imagine next year’s gardens..blueberry bushes maybe? Whether in the pages of his book, your mind, or your yard, make gardening part of your 2012, and your friends’.

Tags

Christmas, coconut macaroons, goat cheese, menu, party, Pisco, pisco capel, pomegranate seeds, punch, tangerine

 

I’m not a cocktail gal. So when I go to parties with fancy cocktails or punches, they always sound good, but half way through I’m searching for a cold beer. But for some reason, for our second annual Christmas Sweater Party, I decided a drink of some sort was in order.  Although there was no shortage of recipes I was dying to cook,  there was an unfortunate shortage of funds, so I decided that the party food was going to spring from whatever I had in the fridge–an exercise I always think is fun.

As for the drink, I had a bottle of Pisco Capel in the cupboard, that had been there for years, ever since I returned from a trip to Chile, where Pisco Sours, the national drink,  accompany practically every meal, at least by us.  I had tangerine juice on the brain, which my daughter and I had been swilling all month (all the flavor and none of the seeds). Thus was born my Tangerine Pisco Sour. A combination of fresh tangerine juice, pisco, agave nectar (a leftover bottle from a photo shoot), and  lemon and lime juice. Into the pitcher I tossed some pomegranate seeds or  “arils”, and some sliced apples which seemed festive. As it turns out, fruit makes everything look harmless and happy, and even the steadfast nondrinkers were slurping it happily oblivious to the fact that it contained alcohol. Here’s the rest of the menu, all gleaned from leftovers in the fridge.

Roasted Pumpkin Cheddar Pizza with Arugula

Garlic Lemon Chicken Salad

Goat Cheese with Honey and Thyme

Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese with Saba

Roasted Almonds and Cashews

Coconut Macaroons with Sea Salt

German Drop Cookies

Fresh Tangerine Pisco Sours

Fresh Tangerine Pisco Sours

3 cups fresh tangerine juice

1 cup Pisco

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

Juice of 2 lemons and 2 limes

Pomegranate seeds

1 apple, thinly sliced

24 ounces sparkling water or club soda

1. In a large pitcher, combine the juice, pisco, nectar and lemon juice. Stir well. add pomegranate seeds and apple. Add sparkling water just before serving.  Serve cold.

Coconut Macaroons with Sea Salt

I like to make these cookies small, maximizing the crunchy browned exterior, which is the best part.

1/2 cup flour

3 cups unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup turbinado sugar

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Coarse Sea Salt

1. Combine flour, coconut, sugar, milk, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Drop by tablespoons onto a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with sea salt. Bake at 350F for 15 -20 minutes or until browned and crisp.