Creamy Tomato Soup ~ Dairy Free

Do you or your family have a favorite vegetable that you never tire of eating? We do: tomatoes.  We love eating tomatoes and include them in some form almost all year round. Does it have anything to do with my husband being Italian?  Maybe.  During the summer months a simple cucumber and tomato salad with garlic vinaigrette can be found on our family table. And when the cold season settles in, we add tomatoes to many of our soups. What a blessing for families to be able to can fresh tomatoes from their garden, or from their purchases of a local farmer, for use during the winter months. I so enjoyed being able to preserve home grown vegetables in years past and look forward to it again.

Tomato Facts

 Tomatoes are loaded with vitamins and minerals. If you want another way to ensure you are getting vitamin C, eat some fresh tomatoes. There are many health antioxidant benefits from lycopene found in tomatoes. Studies show it protects against many cancers. WHFoods states that lycopene is extremely beneficial especially when consumed with fat-rich foods such as avocado, olive oil or nuts. This is because carotenoids are fat-soluble. This means they are absorbed into the body along with fats. If you are looking for the most phytonutrient benefits, it is wise to stick to whole, natural foods. Tomatoes can be eaten in many forms, by making your own fermented ketchup, tomato paste, including them in salads, entrées or just eating them whole, just like eating an apple. We enjoy eating them that way.

This recipe that I’m sharing is quite easy to prepare and can be done in such little time. and doesn't require any milk, which I really appreciate.  It only takes minutes to chop the vegetables.  (Make sure you have a sharp knife, it really does help when cutting carrots) .  The original recipe did not ask for celery, but I thought it would be a good way to include sodium without adding it later.  Maybe I will add in leeks next time next time too.  In the past, when I've made this soup I've added some cooked rice at the end, a few minutes before serving.  We prepared a simple meal for last week's Shabbat evening which included this Creamy Tomato Soup, a green salad along with homemade pizza.  We had enough soup left for Shabbat lunch the following day.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 large red onion, diced

4-6 carrots, chopped

2-3 celery stocks, chopped

4 lbs tomatoes (5 14oz cans of diced tomatoes)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp fresh parsley, basil and other herbs

Directions

• Melt the coconut oil. Add diced onion and cook for about three to five minutes until softened.
• Add chopped carrots, celery and tomatoes along with the vegetable broth (chicken stock can also be used) and herbs and stir ingredients well.
• Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes by first bringing to boil and reducing heat to a gentle simmer. When vegetables are tender remove from heat.
• You have a choice to either purée the soup using a vegetable mill or use a blender. I chose to blend the soup in our Vitamix . Once the soup has been puréed or blended, return to the pot and gently reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For more information on the benefits of the tomato, please visit WHFoods .
The recipe was adapted from The Complete Guide of 400 Soups.


This recipe was shared at:
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS
Slightly Indulgent at Simply Sugar Free and Gluten Free 
Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Stay Warm
Blessings ~ Carmen

Roasted Beet Soup

A while ago when I posted the Cold Beet Salad, someone left me a comment on how she preapred her cold beet soup. I was eager to try making a beet soup recipe since I have never made or eaten soup made with beets. Many of these are made with cream. I was able to find one with required no diary. After altering this new found recipe, I came up with one that my entire family enjoyed.  Please scroll down below Beet Facts for recipe.

Beet Facts

Beets come from the plant family Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae, the same family as the swiss chard. Beets are known for its pigments that give them their bright rich color called betalains. There are two basic types of betalains: betacyanins and betaxanthins. Betacyanins are pigments of red-violet in color. Betanin is the best studied of the betacyanins. Betaxanthins are yellowish in color. Other vegetables which include betalains include rhubarb chard, amaranth, prickly peaer cactus and nopal cactus.The better known antioxidant in beets is not beta-carotene, but two other antioxidant carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and manganese are found in beets. The phytonutrients found in beets have shown to function as an anti-inflammatory in our body.

We also eat the beet greens and prepare them similar to eating swiss chard greens or spinach. They have many nutrients in vitamins and minerals as well as carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeazanthin. We steam them for about 3-5 minutes, sauté some garlic and mix in with a little oil and some salt.

Ingredients

3 medium to large size beets

1 large leek, including green and white parts, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 bulbs of garlic

8 cups of water

some oil for sautéing

1/2 tsp fresh ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 F.

• You will want to individually wrap the beets and garlic in foil and roast for about an hour, They should be tender enough that a fork can pierce through easily. Once baked, place the beets and garlic to another glass container to cool. If you choose to not roast garlic, then sauté them along with the leeks and celery as directed below.

• Once the beets are cooled, peel the beets and cut into small cubes.

• In a large pot, melt the oil and sauté the leeks and celery until they begin to brown. Add ground ginger, pepper and other herbs of your choice if preferred. Remove roasted garlic cloves from skins, I find it easier to just slide the garlic out of the individual skins as it is soft and comes out easily. If you’ve chosen to sauté the garlic cloves, add it to the celery and leeks now along with the beet cubes.

• Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for half an hour.

• Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Finely chop a hand full of fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.

This soup may be eaten cool if desired, we ate this soup hot and added Braggs Amino Acids for more taste.

This recipe was shared with:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFLINS
Hearth 'n Soul at A Moderate Life
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop 
Fight Back Friday with Food Renegade

I would like to try not peeling the beets next time.  I've read there is a lot of nutrients in the skin as well.  Who has eaten the skin of the beets.  I'm sure it would be fine in this soup since it passes through the blender.

Blessings ~ Carmen

Crustless Quiche

When making this crustless quiche, it’s a sure winner in our house. My sister introduced me to this method of turning a quiche into a crustless quiche by just omitting the crust. This is great for lunch or dinner. By adding a green salad with some homemade bread, you’ve got a meal.

Ingredients

• 7-8 eggs
• 1 cup of milk/replacement (we use homemade almond milk)
• 2-3 handfuls of spinach
• 6 or more garlic cloves minced
• ½ red onion chopped
• 2 medium sized tomatoes diced
• About 1 cup grated cheese (swiss/mozzarella) we opted to place sheep cheese on after
• Olive oil or butter
• Sea salt & fresh pepper to taste
• Fresh cut herbs
• A few pinches of cayenne pepper
• 9 X 13 glass oven-safe dish

Directions

• Sauté minced garlic, chopped red onion and pepper in olive oil or butter. In the mean time, you can steam the spinach for 2-3 minutes.
• Combine the eggs, milk, fresh cut herbs along with salt & pepper as well as cayenne pepper.
• Grease the glass oven-safe dish.
• Place the sautéed vegetable mixture in bottom of glass baking dish by spreading them around.
• Pour egg mixture over the vegetables.
• Drop diced tomatoes by evenly spacing them in dish.
• Bake quiche for about 25-35 minutes depending on the heat of your oven.
• Serve cold or hot.

Serves 4-6

Quiche topped with crumbled sheep cheese & homemade salsa

on a bed of spinach salad.

Have fun with this quiche and choose veggies you need to use up or whatever veggies your family enjoys. This quiche can also easily be made using an unbaked pie pastry.

If you've prepared something similar, I'd love to hear how your family loves the quiche prepared.

This recipe was also shared on:
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFLINS
Two for Tuesday at GirlChief
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Haricots Verts en Salade/Green Bean Salad with Red Pepper and Flax Seeds

I felt like preparing something refreshing this evening for supper.  I love green beans, and preparing this salad is always quick and easy.  As a young girl, I recall picking green beans from the garden and helping my mom with canning.  I had much success growing them in Canada.  Ten years ago when we arrived in Texas, I had big plans for my vegetable garden.  I soon learned that not all vegetables do well in clay, I think they call it gumbo here.   Green beans are not in my garden this year but that doesn't stop me from eating them.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen green beans (I use organic frozen from Costco)
1 red pepper diced
1 cup black beans, cooked (soaked night before and cooked in the morning*)
2-3 Tbsp flaxseeds
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped small
pure virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar to your liking (about 2 Tbsp each)
salt and pepper to taste
Sheep Feta Cheese (optional)

*I usually cook enough beans to use in other meals for the rest of the week.

Preparation
Steam green beans for 4 minutes. Beans need to be bright green and should still be somewhat crunchy.  Remove from steamer and place in another bowl and let cool.  Once they are cooled, add diced red pepper, chopped garlic, black beans.  Mix ingredients together.  Add oil and vinegar, salt and pepper.  Adding black beans makes the salad more nutritious with its protein and fiber.   Try adding slivered almonds or pine nuts. Want something sweet, maybe some dried cranberries or even sliced strawberries.

This salad can be prepared and served immediately or prepared and chilled in the refrigerator before serving.

Bon Appétit

If you've prepared something similar, please share, we love to try new recipes!

This post is linked to:
The Nourishing Gourmet
Grocery Cart Challenge

Avocado Green Smoothie

I found this recipe and have changed out and added some produce to suit my taste buds. I love this smoothie. The avocado gives it a very creamy taste. This is a great way to drink your veggies first thing in the morning!



Ingredients

3-4	small carrots, broken up
3-4	celery sticks, with greens if possible, broken up
1	red pepper cut up
1/2-1	avocado without pit and peeled
1-2 handfuls	fresh spinach or kale
3-4	fresh tomatoes or 2 14oz canned organic tomatoes
1/2-1 cup	rejuvelac or water
a few sprigs	fresh cilantro
a pinch	cayenne pepper and salt

Add veggies to blender, we own a Vitamix which does a great job. Blend until all mixed. I've also added some lemon cod liver oil or some flax seed oil in the past. Also try adding a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast. If you come up with your own recipe, Please share, I'd love to hear from you. Avocados are a good source of potassium. Please visit www.avocado.org/nutrition/ to learn more about the benefits of avocados. The next time you have an extremely ripe avocado, don't throw it out, make a veggie shake!

Serves 4 or more and some left over!