BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

 BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

 (recipe from damndelicious.net)

INGREDIENTS:

·  1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

·  3 cloves garlic, minced

·  1 onion, diced

·  2 stalks celery, diced

·  1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·  2 cups vegetable broth

·  2 cups milk

·  1/2 cup heavy cream

·  16 ounces broccoli florets

·  1 carrot, julienned

·  2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

·  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.     Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.

2.     Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in vegetable broth, milk and heavy cream, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in broccoli and carrot.

3.     Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 6-8 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached.

4.     Stir in cheese, a handful at a time, until smooth, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

5.     Serve immediately.

 

NOTE: instead of an immersion blend, I skipped and used a vitamix. Much much smoother consistency. Then add the cheddar after as the recipe says.

RUSTIC TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD

 RUSTIC TOMATO AND CUCUMBER SALAD

(recipe modified from craving tasty)

Ingredients

For the vegetables:

·    5 large tomatoes (fresh and fully ripe; tomatoes on the vine are a very good choice)

·    1 pinch brown sugar

·    1 English cucumber (fresh and firm)

·    1/4 large red onion

·    2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

·    1 pinch kosher salt

·    1 pinch black pepper

For the dressing:

·    1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (very good quality)

·    1/4 cup red wine vinegar

·    freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

·    1 tsp kosher salt

·    2 garlic cloves (pressed)

·    1 tsp brown sugar

·    1 tsp dried oregano

Optional add ons to modify a bit: lemon juice, fresh basil, ginger, omiting the vinegar

Instructions

1.        Core the tomatoes, cut into 6-8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half. Place the tomatoes into a large bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and toss really well.

2.   Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice it into 1/4" thick slices. Add the cucumbers to the tomatoes.

3.   Slice the red the onion into very thin slivers crosswise. Then cut the slivers in half so you have really small pieces Add to cucumbers and tomatoes. Add the chopped.

4.   To prepare the dressing, throw all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together vigorously, until well blended.

5.   Pour 1/2 the dressing over the vegetables and toss gently using both hands. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit at room temperature until ready to serve, for 1 to 6 hours. This will allow the flavors to meld together. Then serve and refrigerate the leftovers for up to 3 days.  If it's missing dressing, add more. For me there was a sufficient amount of dressing, and I saved the rest to use on a green salad the next day.

 

PANTRY PASTA PUTTANESCA

 PANTRY PASTA PUTTANESCA

(recipe modified from itdoesnttastelikechicken)

Ingredients

 

 

·       8 oz pasta of choice, gluten-free pasta if you prefer. I used one full box of rigatoni

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       ½ cup olives with no pits (any kind or a mix). I cut them in small pieces instead of leaving them hole.

·       4 cloves garlic, minced

·       1 tablespoon capers

·       1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

·       2 teaspoons white sugar

·       ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. I used 1/4 instead

·       ¼ teaspoon salt

·       Parmegan for serving (optional) or parmesan if you're vegetarian.

 

Instructions

1.     In a large pot bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

2.     In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the olives, garlic, and capers. Sauté for about 2 minutes until fragrant and the garlic just begins to brown. Add in the tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes if using, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the sauce has cooked down and darkened in colour If the sauce has become too thick, simply add a bit of water to thin as desired.

3.     Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat. Sprinkle of parmegan and a garnish of parsley or basil

Notes: I didn't mix the pasta with the sauce. I put the pasta on the plate, and then covered in sauce as I found there wasn't much sauce to begin with and didn't want it to get totally soaked up by the pasta.

After the sauce simmered I decided to add a bit of vegan cream (Belsoy) to the sauce and I prefered it that way.