Tag: bell peppers

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Sarah

Okay. So I’m going to forget for a few moments that it’s been in the 80s here in Indiana this week and last, and transport myself back to a time a couple weeks ago where the temperatures were barely in the low 60s and the rain was steadily pouring nearly every day. This requires a bit of willing suspension of disbelief, if you will.

Now that I’m back in those chilly early days of fall if only in my memories, I can recall a delicious soup that popped its way into my oven, onto my stove, and into my heart. A soup that requires little to no effort, sans some chopping, scooping, and measuring that yields a slightly spicy, thick, and comforting bowl of Roasted Vegetable Soup.

Now, despite my love of vegetables, I am by no means a Vegetable Soup kind of girl. Brothy soups are not for me. So when I saw this recipe pop up on my Google Reader, I was a bit skeptical. A soup just made out of vegetables? How much flavor can that really have? Sure, there are some herbs but what can they really do?

Oh, silly me. Clearly I forgot the lessons I learned with Roasted Tomato Sauce or any of the other roasted vegetable dishes I’ve shared on this ‘lil blog. Roasting vegetables makes all the difference. While cooking vegetable stovetop leaves them mushy and a little blah, roasting them brings out tons of flavor and that smooth, creamy texture that I love. This soup’s perfect for cozying up to on a cold, rainy evening, and is the best vehicle for endless bites of warm, crusty bread. Mmm, good!

I’m so glad I decided to give vegetable soup a try. What’s one food that you’re glad that you decided to try?

Roasted Vegetable Soup [from Good Cheap Eats]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 7 baby eggplants, halved lengthwise [about 3 1/2 cups; original used 1 large eggplant]
  • 2 medium yellow squashes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
  • 4 small sweet peppers [or 2 bell peppers], seeded and halved
  • 2 large carrots, chunked
  • 3 medium tomatoes, halved
  • 4 large cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 small hot pepper [optional]
  • olive oil
  • freshly ground pepper and salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4-6 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the vegetables–eggplant, squash, zucchini, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, garlic, and hot pepper–on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet [or two, in my case]. Brush with a thin layer of oil and season with a generous amount of pepper and a little salt. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until tender and spotted with brown.

Add vegetables to a large stockpot, scooping pulp from eggplant, squash, and zucchini first. Add oregano, basil, and bay leaf, then pour in 4 cups chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

Remove the bay leaf and discard. Use an immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Alternatively, use a blender or food processor with caution since the liquid is hot. Add up to 2 more cups of broth if desired to thin. [I didn’t do this.] Serve warm with crusty bread.
Time: 1 hour 40 minutes [10 minutes active].
Yield: 5-6 servings.
Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Pacific Natural Foods.
Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads

Corn Cake Salad

Sarah

So, in addition to my Farmer’s Market finds that helped create this fantastic lunch, I also gathered some extra veggies to help create the salad of my summer. The one, the only, the colorful, the complex… Corn Cake Salad!

I mean serrrrriously, people. Can you just see why this is the salad of the summer? Let me just count the reasons.

  1. Tons of veggies… check.
  2. Juicy peaches for sweetness… check.
  3. Lime juice for kick… check.
  4. Fried, slightly spicy corn cake for a delicious awesome topping… check.
  5. Avocado and tomato relish for pizzazz… check.

What more can a girl ask for?

Maybe a dessert other than six year old candy from study abroad that she can’t bear to eat, throw away, or deal with in any other way except storing in the pantry in the same bag she received from the store that said candy was purchased at… in Cameroon… in 2005.

Umm, yes. I’m weird. And I ate some, in case you were wondering. So did Ben. Afterwards, it went right back into the pantry. Sugar doesn’t rot, does it? Fortunately, the making of this salad does not require prior discovery and/or consumption of six year old foreign candy. But it does require quickness as the end of the season of  summer sweet corn is rapidly approaching. So what are you waiting for? Pumpkin will still be here next week!

Corn Cake Salad [from Annie’s Eats]
printable version

Ingredients:

for corn cakes

  • 3 large ears of corn, shucked
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons milk [or buttermilk]
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • canola oil

for relish

  • 1 large tomato, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • pinch garlic powder
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

for salad

  • mixed baby greens
  • 1 peach, pitted and sliced thin
  • 1 carrot, shaved
  • 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper, diced
  • juice of half a lime

Directions:

Place 2 cups of corn kernels in a food processor and pulse several times to render the corn chunky but still pureed. Transfer the corn to a bowl with the remaining kernels, then stir in flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and baking soda. Season with salt and pepper, then gently mix in eggs, milk, and butter.

Make the relish by mixing together all ingredients except avocado and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, then fold in avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, add a little oil [once around the pan] to a large skillet set over medium heat. Form cakes by dropping 1-2 tablespoons of batter in the skillet, and fry 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. You can prepare 4-5 at a time depending on the size of your skillet. Remove to wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels.

Lastly, make salad. In a large bowl, toss together mixed baby greens, sliced peaches, shaved carrot, chopped tomatoes, and diced pepper. Squeeze lime juice over salad and toss again. Serve corn cake over salad, relish over corn cake, and enjoy!

Yield: 12 corn cakes, ~1.5 cups relish, and 1 large salad [for two].

Time: 30-45 minutes.

Quinoa, Recipes, Sides

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Sarah

So, after a week spent snuggling up in sweatshirts and blankets, drinking tea as I got back into the spirit of the school year [do I hear a sarcastic *yay* for reading journal articles?], the temperature is back in the 80s and the skies are sunny. Guess summer wants to hang on a bit longer here.

After a visit to our local Farmer’s Market last weekend, I whipped up this quick, refreshing, and healthy lunch salad to enjoy all week long.

Every bite of Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad provides a thorough mix of a variety of the season’s most abundant vegetables with a mix of yellow summer squash, tomatoes, sweet pepper, and corn–all made sweeter [if that is even possible?!?!] by my latest favorite way to prepare vegetables: oven roasting. Roasting vegetables just adds another depth of flavor and texture that I’ve fallen in love with this summer. Mix in my favorite vegetarian protein, black beans, and a chewy, filling grain like quinoa and you have yourself a tasty and satisfying salad–perfect to eat at home or on the go. Any grain [rice, barley, couscous, etc.] would work in a pinch so just use whatever you have handy. I also think some cilantro thrown in would be just lovely, but I didn’t have any around so that was a no-go for me.

As much as I cannot wait to wear boots, eat my weight in apples, and take long walks with Ben while sipping a Pumpkin Spice latte, I’m content to enjoy summer’s bounty for a little while longer if it means more lunches like this Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad. I just can’t get enough!

Reader Question ~ What part of summer do you want to hang onto just a little while longer?

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 2 small yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
  • 6 small roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 small sweet pepper, chopped [I used Carmen]
  • 1 ear sweet corn, kernels cut off
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup dry quinoa
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • small handful fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, tomatoes, corn, and peppers in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables become slightly blackened, flipping every 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare quinoa. First, rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer [to remove bitter hull]. Next, place in a 4 quart saucepan with 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes or until grains have turned transparent and spiral-like germ has separated.

When quinoa and vegetables are ready, gently combine in a large bowl. Fold in black beans, red chili flakes, and basil. Serve immediately or chill for a cold lunch salad.

Yield: 4 cups.

Time: 40 minutes.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Roasted Tomato Sauce

Sarah

So, let’s talk about red pasta sauce. Ahh, that oft-neglected component of many Italian dishes [at least in my world]. Funny, red pasta sauce is a staple in my kitchen yet I don’t really think about it. I’m too busy thinking about the layers of cheesy, meaty goodness in lasagna or the fact that spaghetti is a speedy, brainless, and relatively healthy dinner to truly consider what the sauce is made out of and how it tastes. Most of the time, I purchase a decent store-bought jarred pasta sauce and that’s the end of the story.

Things are a-changing now. I’ve moved passed the typical “end of the story” and on into uncharted waters. A sequel, if you will.

This journey takes us into the land where pasta sauce is just veggies and herbs, with a tiny bit of seasonings and oil, but mainly just the good stuff from the ground [and the bush and the tree, I suppose]. But you get my gist, right? It’s all about the flavor and freshness of ripe August tomatoes, nutty yellow summer squash, sweet onions, crisp Carmen peppers, and mellow cloves of garlic.

Not only do the flavor and freshness of these veggies make this sauce stand out, but the cooking method does as well. Slow roasting the vegetables provides extra depth, richness, and sweetness that cooking down on the stove top cannot achieve. Plus, this relatively hands-off cooking method is a breeze! Feel free to add a pinch of sugar or extra seasonings to taste, but we found anything else to be unnecessary.

We love topping hot noodles with Roasted Tomato Sauce, but it’s equally great eaten cold with a spoon in front of an open refrigerator door… or, you know, as a bread dip. Delicious either way. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this wonderful land of veggielicious pasta sauce. Stay with me? And eat cold pasta sauce? You know you want to…

What do you eat cold in front of the refrigerator? Fess up below! 🙂

Roasted Tomato Sauce
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups roughly chopped tomatoes [I used Roma]
  • 1 small yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 Carmen pepper, halved [or substitute half of a bell pepper]
  • 4 cloves garlic, papery skin removed, and cloves smashed
  • olive oil
  • black pepper
  • salt
  • dried rosemary
  • fresh basil [about 4-5 leaves]
  • fresh oregano [about 2-3 sprigs]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Using two baking sheets [preferably jelly roll-style pans with sides at least 1 inch deep], lay out all vegetables [tomatoes, squash, onion, pepper, and garlic] skin side down in one layer. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with pepper, salt, and rosemary. Bake for about 60 minutes or until vegetables start to blacken around the edges.

Remove to a deep bowl and add basil and oregano. Use an immersion blender to puree mixture until you reach your desired level of smoothness. Alternatively, a blender or food processor would work too but be careful with using hot food in those appliances. Serve on top of your favorite pasta.

Yield: 4 cups

Time: 70 minutes [10 minutes active]

Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Recipes

Kale Frittata for Two

Sarah

So, we left town for vacation on a Thursday. Since Wednesday is our CSA Day, not only did I have the task of packing and cleaning out the fridge that evening before we left, [because nothing is worse than coming home to half a rotten, mushy cucumber…ask me how I know] but I also had to figure out what to do with a pound of potatoes, three bell peppers, a bag of kale, two heads of garlic, and three sweet onions from that day’s CSA pick-up. Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about it again. But it was necessary… I already gave up a week of my CSA while we were gone [a friend got to enjoy it]; I didn’t want to miss out on another week, too. I am happy to report that I was able to deliver on this very important task. Read on to see how.

In order to guarantee success, I did what any good blogger/blog reader would do–take to the interwebs! After perusing posts I had saved in my Google Reader, I came across a lovely little recipe that was sure to satisfy our packing-induced hunger and our abundant amount of produce.

Introducing… Kale Frittata for Two! This little gem can be prepared in about twenty minutes and is packed full of veggie goodness, but a healthy dose of cheese makes everyone happy–even those who aren’t the biggest bell pepper fans, like a certain husband ‘o mine. We loved that each bite contained a variety of textures and tastes–from cheese and eggs to veggies and herbs, each bite was flavorful and simply delicious to behold! And a bonus–since it’s sized “for two,” you won’t even have any leftovers! Well, on second thought–that’s not exactly a bonus if you want leftovers, so adjust comment in your mind accordingly. 🙂

In my book, the no-leftovers was a great thing and was a huge help in finishing all the produce. For the record, here’s what I did with everything:

  • pound of potatoes–roasted about half in the oven for dinner, saved the rest in the pantry
  • three bell peppers–used one in the frittata, flash froze the rest for future meals
  • bag of kale–used 1/3 in the frittata and made a marinated kale salad with the rest
  • two heads of garlic–used some in the frittata and refrigerated the rest
  • three sweet onions–refrigerated

I’d call that a victory, especially when you look at all the pretty colors on our plate… since color = nutrients, I’d say we passed the test for our last homecooked pre-vacation meal with flying colors!

And in case you’re worried about making a frittata, like I was… you’ve have no reason to be nervous. They really aren’t as complicated as you think. This was my first time making a frittata and so I wasn’t exactly sure to what to expect, but Megan’s directions were super clear and concise to guide me through the process. This is definitely a recipe that I’ll be making again and again, perhaps next time with different variations–spinach, tomato, and feta, anyone? Enjoy!

What’s the most creative pre-vacation-use-up-the-fridge meal you’ve made? Creative does NOT have to equal artsy-fabulous like mine. I must say, I was quite impressed with this meal… usually our finish-the-fridge meals are crazy random concoctions like yogurt with soup and the odd carrot or two.

Kale Frittata for Two [adapted from What Megan’s Making]
printable version

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • about 1 cup chopped kale leaves, washed and stems removed
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4-1 cup shredded cheese [I used a combination of cheddar and colby jack]
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a small oven safe skillet on medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic to skillet and saute until just softened. Add the kale and cook until it begins to wilt [it may be helpful to cover the pan to help the process].
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl and stir in pepper and tarragon. Mix in water and 2/3 cup cheese. Add eggs to the pan, using a spatula to evenly distribute the vegetables. Allow to cook for a couple minutes, until the bottom of the frittata starts to set, then use a thin spatula to lift the edge of the frittata. This allows the uncooked egg to transfer to the below to cook. When eggs are almost set, top with remaining cheese and place in the oven to cook for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cool briefly before cutting, then serve warm.