Lentil Soup

I wasn't planning to post this soup - thought it would just be another Lentil Soup and not worth posting. But it turned out really well - different from most lentil soups I've had - more Italian, I guess. I used rosemary instead of thyme. Also, 1# of lentils is one bag - more like 2 cups. I had to add extra liquid at the end, between the pasta and beans a lot of liquid was absorbed.

Tricia’s Notes: Used rosemary instead of thyme. Needed to add additional liquid (1# of lentils = 2 cups or more)

Lentil Soup
Giada De Laurentiis/Turtlemom001

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)

11 cups low-salt chicken broth

4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

2/3 cup dried elbow pasta

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boilover high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan, drizzlewith olive oil, and serve.

Roasted Tomato Soup

the soup was a bit like a spaghetti sauce, but not in a bad way. great way to use up some tomatoes. i didn't measure by weight since these came from grandma's garden, i used 8 med-large tomatoes. the soup was good, exactly what i want from tomato soup, but needed a little extra dried thyme and basil at the end. i didn't bother straining it because the seeds don't bother me. whole house loved this one.

Roasted Tomato Soup (Ness 413 via http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/)

3 LB tomatoes
3 TBSP olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1 cup onions, medium chopped (or 1/4 cup frozen caramelized onions)
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (optional)
4 cups chicken broth
Thyme (fresh or dried)
1 cup packed fresh basil, finely chopped (can substitute with dried basil in a pinch)

1 cup milk or half and half (optional)


Heat oven to 400° F. On a baking sheet, combine the tomatoes and 2 TBSP of the olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots (about 50-75 minutes).

In a large pot, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onions until they are softened, then add the garlic and sauté briefly making sure to not burn the garlic. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, thyme, basil and the roasted tomatoes (including any liquid on the baking sheet). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and simmer partially covered for 40 minutes.

Using a food processor or blender, puree soup until it is smooth. Then push soup through a sieve or strainer to remove all pulp and seeds. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the milk or half and half. Season to taste with additional salt, pepper, thyme and basil. Warm the soup over medium heat, stirring often and taking care not to let the soup boil. Freezes well.

Sticky Chicken

Sticky Chicken
barriebaby

1 large pack of chicken (I prefer bone in legs or thighs)
1/2 cup dill pickle juice
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water

In a large skillet with a lid brown chicken , pour off the fat. Add the pickle juice, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until it has almost all evaporated. Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and water. Pour over chicken, cover, and simmer again for another 15 minutes. Just before serving remove the lid and crank the heat to reduce the sauce. It will get very sticky and thick like honey. Serve with rice and veggies.

*Don't mix sauce and veggies, it makes the sauce watery and ruins the stickiness.
*Add ginger and garlic to taste, also add pepper.

Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Parmesan

Wilted Spinach with Bacon and Parmesan
Sharon-- GatorGrrrl

12 oz. baby spinach,washed

2 slices bacon

2 cloves garlic

2-3 tbsp parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crispy and remove with a slotted spoon. Mince garlic and cook 1 minute in oil, being careful not to burn. Add spinach to hot oil and toss with tongs until they are wilted to your satisfaction, mine took about 3 minutes. Salt and pepper and place in serving bowl and top with crumbled bacon and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Creamy Spaghetti and Beans

Creamy Spaghetti & Beans~ This was really, really good. So differant than your normal spaghetti recipe. You really do need a BIG skillet to cook it in if you don't mind a bit of a mess. I used a 12 inch skillet that's about 1 inch deep and every time I had to stir it (until the pasta really started to cook) the noodles were snapping and popping out of the pan. Or you could just break them in half. I did change it up a tad, I used homemade ham broth insted of chicken and grated parmesan cheese, other than that I followed the recipe. We will make this again.
Creamy Spaghetti and Beans
Rachel~burns_toast via ~ Rachael Ray
Risotto meets pasta e fagioli in this Tuscan classic.
Ingredients
•5 to 6 cups chicken stock
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•2 tablespoons butter
•1/4 pound chunk pancetta chopped into small dice
•4 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 pound spaghetti
•1 medium onion, chopped
•2 carrots, cut into a small dice
•1 fresh bay leaf
•5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme
•1 (15-ounce) can Roman beans or small white beans (recommended: Goya brand)
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 cup dry white wine, eyeball it
•1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
•A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Directions
Place the stock in a sauce pot and warm it over medium heat then reduce to simmer.
Heat the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the pancetta to brown slightly. Next add the garlic and spaghetti and toast the noodles lightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onions and carrots, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Soften veggies a bit, 5 minutes. Add wine and allow it to be completely absorbed. Add beans then add a few ladles of stock and stir the pasta. Keep adding stock a few ladles at a time allowing liquids to be mostly absorbed before adding more, as if you were preparing a risotto. When liquids are absorbed and spaghetti is cooked to al dente, 12-15 minutes, stir in cheese. Adjust salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir another minute. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with lots of parsley.

Sweet Potato Mexican Lasagna

Sweet Potato Mexican Lasagna (Laura -SwingSweetheart)

· 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
* 2 cups water
* 3 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 4 teaspoons prepared mustard
* 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
* 1 package Trader Joes corn tortillas cut in half
* 16 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
*1/2 can Trader Joes sweet corn

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3.Mix together with sweet potato and corn
4. In a large baking dish, put a little sweet potato mixture at the bottom of the dish, layer tortilla, then more sweet potato mixture, top with cheese, tortilla, sweet potato, cheese, repeat finishing with cheese.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then turn the broiler on high and broil for 5 minutes until top has browned
6. Enjoy : ) We serve with sour cream and green onion.

Tzatziki

Tzatziki
Michelle (MMmom)

3 oz yogurt (plain)
3 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped fine
salt and cumin to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
olive oil
a few mint mint leaves, chopped

Mix yogurt and cream cheese. Add all other ingredients into bowl. (Add enough olive oil to reach the consistency you like.) Mix well. Refrigerate 2 hours.