Black beans and rice is one of my favorite meals and I always have leftovers. Time to make some delicious black beans and rice soup. Topped with crumbled tortilla chips and sour cream.
Reminder: I can not give you specific measurements of ingredients. Amounts are dependent on how much leftovers you have. Do not worry about this. Soup is very forgiving and you can always adjust flavors and liquid consistency.
Pour a small amount of olive oil in your soup pot. Add chopped sweet onions and allow to saute for 5 minutes. Add some chopped fresh garlic (optional). Add 1-2 cans of chicken broth, chicken stock or dissolved chicken bouillon, and leftover black beans and rice. Include some diced canned tomatoes and one large chopped carrot, and 1-2 bay leaves. If you need more liquid add water or more broth. Allow soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes as the carrots soften. Taste your soup and decide if you would like to add the following seasonings: salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne powder, crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Remove bay leaves. Serve with crumbled tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream on top.
ENJOY your delicious, healthy soup!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
LEFTOVER MASHED POTATOES AND CORN = POTATO CORN CHOWDER
Leftover Mashed Potatoes and Corn will be turned into a scrumptious -
Additional potatoes and corn will probably be necessary for this soup unless you were feeding an army :-)
Reminder: I do not give specific ingredient amounts since they are strictly dependent on how much you have in leftovers. Soup is very forgiving, so do not worry about this. Flavor is an individual preference. Just remember it is easier to add MORE of a flavor, then take too much OUT.
Okay, so let's start with chopping some sweet onions and sauteing them in a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot. While the onions are slowly cooking over a low-medium heat, peel and dice some potatoes. I prefer red potatoes as they are not as starchy tasting as regular (Idaho type potatoes). My husband on the other hand, prefers the starchy flavor. So once again, everything is a matter of taste. Use what YOU like.
Put the potatoes in the pot with the onions and just cover with water. You do not want too much water, just enough to cook the potatoes. Turn heat up so the potatoes come to a boil. The water should reduce (disappear) quite a bit as the potatoes absorb the water and the heat evaporates it. The potatoes should be soft within 7-8 minutes after the water began to boil. Do not drain the pot.
Add a can or two of chicken broth. stock, or crush a bouillon cube into the pot. If you use a bouillon cube add 1-2 cups of water. Turn the burner down to a lower-medium heat. After pouring the broth in the pot the temperature of the soup should not be at the boiling point anymore. Therefore, we are safe to add some milk (I use fat-free, or skim). You can use whatever you like, whole milk, 2%, or even half & half. Stir.
Okay, now this is my preference, you can do this step or not. But I do not like chunks of potatoes in my soup. I have bitten into way too many piping hot potatoes, that I have burned my tongue, roof of my mouth and even my throat. For whatever reason, potato chunks really hold their heat. So I take a potato masher and lightly smashed the potatoes in the pot. I want smaller pieces of potato and this also helps to thicken the soup.
Add your leftover corn, add more if desired and add mashed potatoes. Stir. Soup should stay at a simmer (not a boil). Add 1-2 bay leaves, a washed stalk of celery and a washed whole carrot (these 3 ingredients will be removed before serving). Add salt, pepper and a tablespoon of butter, margarine, or butter spread. Soup is the one dish where I actually use real butter.
Why? Because a very small amount of butter can add huge flavor to your creamy soups. It is also distributed over so many portions that the fat and calories are really insignificant. If you use a small amount! :-)
Allow soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes. At this point taste your soup and decide on whether you want more salt or pepper.
You can also add:
Basil
Dill weed - wonderful with potatoes
Bacon bits - I recommend Hormel's 50% less fat bacon bits. A small amount adds a lot of flavor.
American or Cheddar cheese - stir continually as cheese melts so that it incorporates smoothly into the soup.
Remove the bay leaves, celery and carrots.
Okay, now that your flavor is where you want it and you have allowed the soup to simmer for at least five minutes after adding the last ingredients, how is the thickness of your soup? I like a medium to thick chowder. If the potatoes and cheese have not thicken your soup to where you would like it put 1-2 tablespoons of
cornstarch into a bowl and mix in some cold water as you stir with a fork. You want the mixture to be milk consistency. Make sure your soup is simmering, it has to have a slight bubble for the cornstarch to thicken the soup. Pour the cornstarch into the pot while stirring. Allow to simmer, while you stir, for 5 minutes.
You are ready to eat some delicious soup! ENJOY!
POTATO CORN CHOWDER!
Additional potatoes and corn will probably be necessary for this soup unless you were feeding an army :-)
Reminder: I do not give specific ingredient amounts since they are strictly dependent on how much you have in leftovers. Soup is very forgiving, so do not worry about this. Flavor is an individual preference. Just remember it is easier to add MORE of a flavor, then take too much OUT.
Okay, so let's start with chopping some sweet onions and sauteing them in a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of your soup pot. While the onions are slowly cooking over a low-medium heat, peel and dice some potatoes. I prefer red potatoes as they are not as starchy tasting as regular (Idaho type potatoes). My husband on the other hand, prefers the starchy flavor. So once again, everything is a matter of taste. Use what YOU like.
Put the potatoes in the pot with the onions and just cover with water. You do not want too much water, just enough to cook the potatoes. Turn heat up so the potatoes come to a boil. The water should reduce (disappear) quite a bit as the potatoes absorb the water and the heat evaporates it. The potatoes should be soft within 7-8 minutes after the water began to boil. Do not drain the pot.
Add a can or two of chicken broth. stock, or crush a bouillon cube into the pot. If you use a bouillon cube add 1-2 cups of water. Turn the burner down to a lower-medium heat. After pouring the broth in the pot the temperature of the soup should not be at the boiling point anymore. Therefore, we are safe to add some milk (I use fat-free, or skim). You can use whatever you like, whole milk, 2%, or even half & half. Stir.
Okay, now this is my preference, you can do this step or not. But I do not like chunks of potatoes in my soup. I have bitten into way too many piping hot potatoes, that I have burned my tongue, roof of my mouth and even my throat. For whatever reason, potato chunks really hold their heat. So I take a potato masher and lightly smashed the potatoes in the pot. I want smaller pieces of potato and this also helps to thicken the soup.
Add your leftover corn, add more if desired and add mashed potatoes. Stir. Soup should stay at a simmer (not a boil). Add 1-2 bay leaves, a washed stalk of celery and a washed whole carrot (these 3 ingredients will be removed before serving). Add salt, pepper and a tablespoon of butter, margarine, or butter spread. Soup is the one dish where I actually use real butter.
Why? Because a very small amount of butter can add huge flavor to your creamy soups. It is also distributed over so many portions that the fat and calories are really insignificant. If you use a small amount! :-)
Allow soup to simmer for 20-30 minutes. At this point taste your soup and decide on whether you want more salt or pepper.
You can also add:
Basil
Dill weed - wonderful with potatoes
Bacon bits - I recommend Hormel's 50% less fat bacon bits. A small amount adds a lot of flavor.
American or Cheddar cheese - stir continually as cheese melts so that it incorporates smoothly into the soup.
Remove the bay leaves, celery and carrots.
Okay, now that your flavor is where you want it and you have allowed the soup to simmer for at least five minutes after adding the last ingredients, how is the thickness of your soup? I like a medium to thick chowder. If the potatoes and cheese have not thicken your soup to where you would like it put 1-2 tablespoons of
cornstarch into a bowl and mix in some cold water as you stir with a fork. You want the mixture to be milk consistency. Make sure your soup is simmering, it has to have a slight bubble for the cornstarch to thicken the soup. Pour the cornstarch into the pot while stirring. Allow to simmer, while you stir, for 5 minutes.
You are ready to eat some delicious soup! ENJOY!
Friday, August 19, 2011
HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE (spaghetti sauce) = A CREAMY BASIL, TOMATO SOUP!
Okay, first I have to say I stopped buying jarred red sauces over 8 years ago. I got tired of reading the labels and seeing more and more unnecessary ingredients. One day my husband suggested that I should experiment with tomato paste and make my own sauce. Why not, right? Tomato paste is nothing more than condensed tomatoes, and very affordable. I began to read labels and was discouraged that even tomato paste had added ingredients; I just wanted tomatoes! Finally, I was happy to find that Publix brand tomato paste only had one ingredient: tomatoes!
Making homemade marinara sauce is one of the easiest and healthiest changes you could make to your diet. Especially if you are red sauce lovers like we are. I usually make large batches and freeze in freezer bags to use later over pasta, with lasagna, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, as a dipping sauce, meatball subs etc. Really is a wonderful product to have in the freezer.
Amounts of ingredients are always dependent on personal preference. Including the amount of liquid. Some like a thick, chunky sauce, others a thinner sauce. A chunky sauce is accomplished by less water and the inclusion of canned stewed, diced, or whole tomatoes.
For a 6 oz can of paste start with about 3-4 cups of water. For a 12 oz can of paste 6-8 cups of water. I suggest the lower numbers as you can always add more liquid.
In a pot, over medium heat, pour your water and add the paste. Whisk until paste dissolves. The following ingredients are strictly up to your preference, you will need plenty of seasoning though. My preference is as follows:
Add - diced tomatoes, diced green pepper, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, dash of cayenne, 2-3 large bay leaves, and stalk of celery (bay leaves & celery will be removed later). This truly only takes minutes. The longest part of the process is chopping the onions and pepper, which is only a few minutes.
Now you could do what the jarred recipes do and add processed sugar. I don't like adding sugar to my recipes. However, it is necessary to add some kind of sweetener to the sauce to cut the acidity. What I put in my sauce are 2-3 carrots and/or a large apple sliced in half (take the seeds out). The longer you allow the sauce to simmer the better - 2-3 hours allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
Remove the carrots, celery and what is left of the apple, as well as the bay leaves. It is very important to count your bay leaves and make sure they are removed before serving. There have been incidences of people choking on bay leaves. Please be diligent about counting them as you put them in the sauce and be sure they are all removed before serving your dish. You do have to add what seems like quite a bit of salt. BUT it will still be far less than the huge levels of sodium in the jarred versions. I always use Sea Salt which contains less sodium than regular salt. Let the sauce cook and the flavors meld before deciding on whether more salt is needed. It probably will need more, but it is up to taste.
If you do not have 2-3 hours of simmer time, do not fret! If you need to whip a sauce up for dinner, and only have 20-30 minutes simmer time, it will still taste better homemade, then store bought.
CREAMY, BASIL TOMATO SOUP from leftover marinara.
Like red sauce, there is usually a personal preference to the consistency of tomato soup. I like my tomato soup about medium consistency, with a creamy flavor and texture. This is accomplished by the addition of milk, cream or cheese. For example, if you like your Campbells Tomato soup diluted with milk, you like what I like. If you prefer diluting it with water, for a thinner, more tangy tomato soup, you can substitute the milk and sour cream suggestions, with water or veggie/chicken broth.
I use fat-free milk for all my creamy soup recipes. If you want to use whole cream or fat-free half & half, the flavors will be even more indepth. However, even with the healthier fat-free milk the soup will be delicious!
Pour marinara sauce into a pot.
Because we are adding a dairy product to the soup we do not want to bring it to a boil. The soup may "break" (milk or cream curdles). So put your burner on a lower setting and proceed to add about 1/2 cup of milk to the cold sauce and a couple tablespoons of low-fat sour cream, whisk until blended. Continue stirring on a fairly regular basis. I LOVE fresh basil with any tomato product. If you have fresh basil add it to the soup in any way you prefer; whole, chopped, or pureed. If not, dried basil is very tasty. Remember, dried herbs have a stronger flavor than fresh, so go easier on the dried basil, then the fresh.
Your marinara sauce already had a TON of flavor so there is really nothing more that you need to add other than the cream base and basil. Taste-test and add seasonings as needed: sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, more basil, onion powder, or even some cheddar or American cheese if you like. Just keep stirring as you add ingredients. Soup is ready when it is nice and hot (don't boil) and you are ready to eat!
ENJOY your healthy, homemade Creamy Tomato Basil Soup!
Making homemade marinara sauce is one of the easiest and healthiest changes you could make to your diet. Especially if you are red sauce lovers like we are. I usually make large batches and freeze in freezer bags to use later over pasta, with lasagna, eggplant parmesan, chicken parmesan, as a dipping sauce, meatball subs etc. Really is a wonderful product to have in the freezer.
Amounts of ingredients are always dependent on personal preference. Including the amount of liquid. Some like a thick, chunky sauce, others a thinner sauce. A chunky sauce is accomplished by less water and the inclusion of canned stewed, diced, or whole tomatoes.
For a 6 oz can of paste start with about 3-4 cups of water. For a 12 oz can of paste 6-8 cups of water. I suggest the lower numbers as you can always add more liquid.
In a pot, over medium heat, pour your water and add the paste. Whisk until paste dissolves. The following ingredients are strictly up to your preference, you will need plenty of seasoning though. My preference is as follows:
Add - diced tomatoes, diced green pepper, onions, garlic, basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, dash of cayenne, 2-3 large bay leaves, and stalk of celery (bay leaves & celery will be removed later). This truly only takes minutes. The longest part of the process is chopping the onions and pepper, which is only a few minutes.
Now you could do what the jarred recipes do and add processed sugar. I don't like adding sugar to my recipes. However, it is necessary to add some kind of sweetener to the sauce to cut the acidity. What I put in my sauce are 2-3 carrots and/or a large apple sliced in half (take the seeds out). The longer you allow the sauce to simmer the better - 2-3 hours allows the flavors to meld beautifully.
Remove the carrots, celery and what is left of the apple, as well as the bay leaves. It is very important to count your bay leaves and make sure they are removed before serving. There have been incidences of people choking on bay leaves. Please be diligent about counting them as you put them in the sauce and be sure they are all removed before serving your dish. You do have to add what seems like quite a bit of salt. BUT it will still be far less than the huge levels of sodium in the jarred versions. I always use Sea Salt which contains less sodium than regular salt. Let the sauce cook and the flavors meld before deciding on whether more salt is needed. It probably will need more, but it is up to taste.
If you do not have 2-3 hours of simmer time, do not fret! If you need to whip a sauce up for dinner, and only have 20-30 minutes simmer time, it will still taste better homemade, then store bought.
CREAMY, BASIL TOMATO SOUP from leftover marinara.
Like red sauce, there is usually a personal preference to the consistency of tomato soup. I like my tomato soup about medium consistency, with a creamy flavor and texture. This is accomplished by the addition of milk, cream or cheese. For example, if you like your Campbells Tomato soup diluted with milk, you like what I like. If you prefer diluting it with water, for a thinner, more tangy tomato soup, you can substitute the milk and sour cream suggestions, with water or veggie/chicken broth.
I use fat-free milk for all my creamy soup recipes. If you want to use whole cream or fat-free half & half, the flavors will be even more indepth. However, even with the healthier fat-free milk the soup will be delicious!
Pour marinara sauce into a pot.
Because we are adding a dairy product to the soup we do not want to bring it to a boil. The soup may "break" (milk or cream curdles). So put your burner on a lower setting and proceed to add about 1/2 cup of milk to the cold sauce and a couple tablespoons of low-fat sour cream, whisk until blended. Continue stirring on a fairly regular basis. I LOVE fresh basil with any tomato product. If you have fresh basil add it to the soup in any way you prefer; whole, chopped, or pureed. If not, dried basil is very tasty. Remember, dried herbs have a stronger flavor than fresh, so go easier on the dried basil, then the fresh.
Your marinara sauce already had a TON of flavor so there is really nothing more that you need to add other than the cream base and basil. Taste-test and add seasonings as needed: sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, more basil, onion powder, or even some cheddar or American cheese if you like. Just keep stirring as you add ingredients. Soup is ready when it is nice and hot (don't boil) and you are ready to eat!
ENJOY your healthy, homemade Creamy Tomato Basil Soup!
Don't Throw Leftovers Away!
Tell me what leftovers you have and I will help you make a deliciously simple soup!
CLICK ON ARCHIVE TAB TO THE RIGHT AND SEE ALL MY DELICIOUS RECIPES.
CLICK ON ARCHIVE TAB TO THE RIGHT AND SEE ALL MY DELICIOUS RECIPES.
Leftover Pasta e Fagioli = Fabulous Pasta e Fagioli Soup!
Put leftovers in a pot. Add beef broth, beef stock, or dissolve a beef bouillon in hot water and add to pot. Low sodium versions of broth, stock or bouillon is a healthy option. More liquid will make a thinner soup, less liquid will make a thicker, more stew-like soup.
Add 1-2 bay leaves and salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, basil to taste. Simmer 20-30 minutes.
Enjoy a deliciously EASY, healthy soup that your family will love!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)