Roasted Tomato Soup

12-16 Campari tomatoes - halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers - seeded and quartered
1 yellow onion - peeled and quartered
8 cloves garlic - separated but in paper
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
3 T Olive oil (divided)
6-8 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 6oz can tomato paste
Fresh Thyme (optional, few sprigs)
Fresh Basil (1 whole container or bunch, to taste)
Salt and Pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the tomatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic cloves with 2 T olive oil and 2 T balsamic vinegar.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves if using.
2.  Roast vegetables in the oven until charred in spots, 35-45 minutes.
3.  Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the tomato paste and cook a couple minutes to cook out the tin can taste.
4.  Add the roasted veg, stock and basil leaves to the dutch oven.  Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
5.  Puree the mixture with an immersion blender.  Continue to cook to desired consistency.
6.  Salt - Taste the soup first then add.  I start with 1 tsp.  Stir it in and let it simmer for a couple minutes.  Taste again.  You might add an additional half tsp or full or none depending on desired amount and whether you used low sodium broth.
7.  Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich or cheese toast, of course.

(garlic missing in this photo)

Roasted Chicken Bites

Rub
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

1 package chicken thighs - usually 1.3-1.5 lbs

Baste
1/8 cup honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and put in zip loc bag
3.  Mix all rub spices together.  Drizzle chicken with olive oil in bag and throw in spices.  Shake around until coated.  Refrigerate until ready to cook.
4. Baste chicken with baste, roast in the oven 5 minutes.  Flip, baste again, and roast another 5-7 minutes.
5.  To crisp, broil for a couple minutes.
6.  Serve with toothpicks!

Fajita Steak Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 T chili powder

1 large garlic clove - minced

pepper

Marinate your steak, the longer the better!

Asian Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin usually comes in a bag of 2.  I usually marinate them separately, each in a gallon size freezer bag.  This is the marinade per bag, so double if marinating together.

1 pork tenderloin

Marinade

2 tsp olive oil

2 T finely chopped onion

4 T hoisin sauce (found in Asian section of grocery store)

4 T soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp Sriracha sauce

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1.  Combine marinade and pork in a ziploc bag and marinate 3-4 hours or as long as possible.

2.  Grill pork and serve.

Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant with Asian Dressing

Zucchini sliced lengthwise into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces

Eggplant sliced lengthwise into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces

Dressing

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 T Sriracha sauce

1 tsp honey

2 T sesame oil

2 green onions - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced

1.  Combine all dressing ingredients.

2.  Drizzle veggies with olive oil and grill, 2-3 minutes per side or until done.

3.  Pour a little dressing over the veggies and serve.

Chick Pea Salad/Dip

This is a great side dish to grilled meat or use as a dip with pita chips.

Salad
2 16 oz cans of Chick Peas - drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper - chopped
1 green bell pepper - chopped
2 green onions - chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes - halved or quartered
1 english cucumber - seeded and chopped
3 oz feta cheese - about 3/4 a block chopped
1/2-3/4 cup kalamata olives - halved or quartered
1/4 bunch fresh herbs - cilantro or parsley - I like cilantro

Dressing - Lemon Honey Vinaigrette
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
1 small garlic clove - minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (scant) olive oil

1.  Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.
2.  Combine all Salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing.

Jerk Spiced Shrimp

The Rub

1 T Sugar

1 T Paprika

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/4 tsp Thyme

1/8 tsp ground Allspice

Shrimp

Olive oil

1.  Toss the shrimp with olive oil then coat in the Rub to taste.

2.  Cook shrimp as preferred, I generally cook in a skillet, 2 minutes per side depending on the size of the shrimp.

3.  The shrimp are good on a salad or as an appetizer.  

Shown here: Toss 1 avocado with juice of 1 lime, salt and red pepper flakes.  Toast halved won ton wrappers coated in cooking spray, 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cut shrimp in thirds (mine were big).  

Prosciutto Wrapped Pears

1 ripe pear
Arugula
4 oz sliced Prosciutto
1 T lemon juice
Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar - Aged 25 years

1.  Core and cut pear into 1/4 inch slices.  Toss with lemon juice (about 1/4-1/2 of a lemon).  Sprinkle with pepper.
2.  Prepare assembly line.  Toss some arugula on a cutting board next to the pears and prosciutto.
3.  Take one slice of prosciutto and cut in half.  Place one slice of pear at the base and a few arugula leaves.  Roll up! This can be made ahead a couple hours at this point.
4.  Drizzle with good balsamic when ready to serve.

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette

This is a great chicken marinade, salad dressing, grilled veggie skewer marinade, sauce etc...

Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T white wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
1 T honey
1 small garlic clove - minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup (scant) olive oil

1.  Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.

Roasted Tomato White Beans with Farro

2 cans Cannellini Beans - rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic (in paper)
1/2 cup dry farro (I use Trader Joe's 10 min Farro)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce (good organic kind)
2 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
Chicken stock
Parmesan cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2.  Toss the tomatoes and garlic in olive oil and roast in the oven until slightly brown, about 20 minutes.  Flip the tomatoes half way through.
3.  While the tomatoes cook, cook the farro according to package directions using chicken stock instead of water.
4.  Incorporate beans, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic (remove from paper and smash into pot), cooked farro, spinach, tomato sauce, spices and water in a large sauce pan.  Stir to combine and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or more to allow flavors to combine.  Add salt, pepper or red pepper flakes as desired.
5.  Serve, topped with parmesan cheese (if desired) and any protein.  I like to serve with fish or mixed with zucchini noodles as a "pasta" sauce.

Citrus Sauce

** This is a great sauce for pork, chicken or fish.

1/2 cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Juice of 2 Oranges, or 1/2 cup Orange juice
Juice of 1 Lime
1 T Apricot Preserves
1 Garlic clove - minced
1 Green Onion, chopped

For Sauce:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan, whisking to combine.
2.  Simmer over medium/low heat until reduced by 1/3, or until somewhat coats a spoon, about 15 minutes.
3.  Serve over cooked meat or fish.

You can also use as a marinade.  Combine the ingredients in a ziploc bag and add your meat.  When ready to cook, remove meat and reserve marinade.  Then follow instructions above to reduce sauce.

Sweet Potato and Kale Gratin

2-3 Large Sweet Potatoes - peeled.
1/2 bunch curly kale - chopped
Parmesan Cheese - grated
Milk - 1 cup
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Slice potatoes on a mandoline at 1/8 inch.  Toss with olive oil.
3.  Drizzle bottom of casserole dish with olive oil to prevent sticking.
4.  Place one layer of potatoes on bottom of dish.  Sprinkle with parmesan, salt and pepper.  Add a layer of kale and drizzle with olive oil.
5.  Place a second layer of potatoes, parmesan, salt, pepper and kale drizzled with olive oil.
6.  Place a third layer of potatoes.  Pour on one cup of milk (we usually have 1 or 2%).  Then sprinkle generously with parmesan, add salt and pepper to taste.
7.  Bake covered for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes or until brown and bubbly.