3 Dishes and A Pan

Sometimes it is a common thought that in order to have the tasty & healthy food we want, we have to sacrifice our time or we save our time and end up eating not so healthy fair. The following recipe is fast, super easy to make and if you double or triple it you can turn it into tomorrow and the next nights dinner and no one will be the wiser.

The first dish is the base for all the recipes. I prefer it cooked on the BBQ, but doing it in the oven works just as well. Dish #1 is perfect on top of salmon (check out my recipe here), or as a delicious vegetable side to any meal. The second is pasta sauce, which you could add ground beef to, should you choose to. The third is a version of the tomato soup recipe I shared previously.

Raw Tomato Mixture

Tomato Topping - Dish #1

• 1.5 pints of cherry tomatoes + 1 regular tomato (alternatively you could use 7 regular tomatoes)
• 1 medium sized onion, cut into thin strips
• 6 cloves of garlic, peel and cut in half
• EVOO, enough to thoroughly coat mixture
• s & p
• hot sauce, optional

 * Cut half of the cherry tomatoes in half, leave the other half whole. Cut the regular tomato into several chunks, about 8. Do the latter for all the tomatoes if not using any cherry tomatoes
* Combine all ingredients in bowl and stir.
* Bake in Pyrex baking dish in the oven at 400 for half an hour or until the tomatoes have wilted and the onions are soft. If cooking on the BBQ place it in aluminum tray and cover with foil, or put directly in foil and wrap so all the ends meet at the top (kind of like Wontons in Wonton soup) you can BBQ it at medium-high for 20-30 minutes (if you are making extras cook it all this way at once)

Tomato Topping on Salmon with a Side of Potatoes

Pasta Sauce - Dish #2

• cooked leftovers/extras from Dish #1
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 lb ground beef, browned (optional)

* Add spices to 'Tomato Topping' and warm on stove
* Use immersion blender or regular blender and blend until smooth and a sauce like consistency
* Cook pasta as you usually would and top with sauce 

Tomato Soup - Dish #3

• cooked leftovers/extras from Dish #1
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery stocks, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups of soup stock or 4 cups of water + 1.5 bouillon cube(s)

* Combine all the ingredients in a pot on your stove, bring to a boil, then turn down and let simmer
* Remove bay leaf, and puree the mixture
 Voila... Soup!!! Makes a great lunch or starter for any dinner!

French Onion Soup

As a child my mom occasionally would make us French Onion soup. She would get out these special bowls that she only used for this soup, therefore making it an extra special treat. I remember the soft bread and the gooey, stringy cheese more than the actual soup!

I wanted to recreate the soup but didn't have her recipe. Quite a few recipes involved French onions (I know shocking). I found a recipe by Michael Smith he is the Chef at Home on Food Network. This super simple recipe uses simple yellow onions, and who doesn't have a whole bag of those sitting around and chicken stock, for the main ingredients.

The result was a good soup, with the gooey topping I remember but just not with the dark strong broth that most French Onion soups have. This soup is light in colour with a fairly mild taste which actually is nice with the cheese and bread. I used mozzarella for the cheese instead of Gruyere as the recipe suggests. Not my favorite soup of all time, but I would make it again.

Tomato Soup

I love soup! It is such an easy way to get in vegetables, even for those who don't like them. My son 'thinks' he does not like tomatoes. He won't eat raw ones, or ones in pasta that he can see. As long as the tomato sauce is free of any visible tomato chunks he will happily chow down. Same goes with this soup he slurps it back and says "mmm" after every few bites.

My husband and I will only eat tomatoes in salads or on sandwiches if they are really firm, almost un-ripe even. So this recipe is the perfect outlet for the softer tomatoes, you can buy softer tomatoes as well.

Tomato Soup

• 5 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp evoo
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 carrots peeled, chopped
• 2 celery stocks, chopped
• 2 Tbsp ketchup or 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 5 cups of water
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 bay leaf
• s & p

* In large pot, sautee onion and garlic in olive oil, until soft and slightly brown
* Add in carrots, celery and bay leaf, stir several times
* Add in tomatoes and let simmer for about 2 minutes
* Pour in water, bouillon cube, tomato paste or ketchup, salt and pepper. Bring to boil.
* Once boiled bring to medium heat and let simmer until carrots are cooked. Approx. 10 mins
* Remove bay leaf. In blender or with immersion blender blend soup until smooth.
* Allow to cook for 10 minutes more on low, you can cook for longer if you should choose.
* Serve. You can put a dollop of cream cheese, or creme fraise on the soup to garnish.

2 Meals With One Roasted Chicken

In the past I have gone out and purchased a whole chicken, taken the time to prepare it, cook it and serve it. Although easy it is fairly time consuming. The other issue is that to buy a raw average size chicken is $10- $14. I can purchase a roasted one at the local grocery store for $9. No need for me to carefully wash and scrub a raw chicken, stuff it, wait around while it is cooking and no messy clean up! I love homemade food as much as the next person but the difference is negligible. My theory is save your time for something that there is a big taste difference on.

The meal ideas below are both based on a purchased chicken that is roasted and for 2 adults and 1 child. You could easily make the recipes larger if you have a bigger family. Chicken Soup goes super fast in our house and this one has lots of healthy ingredients snuck in. The soup recipe includes cabbage. . . don't be scared! I do not like cooked cabbage at all, yet in this recipe you cannot make out that it is cabbage. The soup looks time consuming but it really isn't and once you have made it once you can make it in about 10 minutes plus cooking time. In fact I make the broth while I am making the sides for day one's dinner and prepare it the next day with all the other ingredients.

Day 1
Remove the breasts from your chicken and use them as the main for your meal. Whip up a salad, some potatoes and a veggie of your choice and you have meal one. Save the bones and the dark meat for the soup on Day 2.

Day 2
Chicken Soup

• bones from 1 roasted chicken
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stocks, chopped
• 1 cup cabbage, (or 1/4 of average size head) cut into dime size pieces 
• 1 large potato/ 4 small potatoes
• 3/4 cup corn (if you have small children reserve some on the side. Since corn doesn't require much cooking time put cold corn in their hot soup to cool it down)
• 1 tsp each thyme/oregano
• 1 bullion cube (chicken or veggie flavour)
• left over meat cut into bite size pieces
• s & p

* In a large pot cook the chicken bones with about 4 -6 cups of water, depending on how brothy you like your soup. You can always add more later. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 1/2 hour. If you have time you can let this simmer for longer, for hours even, and it will just lend a richer flavor to the soup. Spoon of any 'foam' that rises from boiling of the bones. Remove the bones either by straining or using tongs to lift them out of the broth.
* While the broth is simmering in a frying pan, sautee the onions and garlic. Once lightly browned add in all the veggies and spices and cook on med-high just until the veggies are aromatic. Your goal here isn't to cook the veggies but a quick searing so the spices are infused into the veggies and all the tastes become amalgamated before it does the actual cooking in the broth. If you get some sticking to the bottom of the pan, a little water will take it off and be full of flavor.
* Drop bullion into soup broth, add veggies and bring to a boil and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies are cooked but not mushy. Add the left over meat. Since it has already been cooked it doesn't need as long in the broth, it more or less needs to be warmed up.

That's it. . . Enjoy!

Broccoli Soup

I enjoy soup! It can be made heavy and creamy and used as a meal, or light and liquidy as a side or snack. Broccoli soup is a soup that I find is either hit or miss. Generally there aren't that many recipes for it. In the past when I have had in restaurants it is either so heavy and greasy that there is an oily glaze on the top, or it is so water it is basically broccoli floating in broth. . . neither a big hit with me or the family.

 I have tried making several recipes in the past and have never been 100% pleased with the outcome. I have adapted, merged and omitted various recipes and ingredients to make this quick, tasty and nutritious soup. If you want a thicker, richer soup use cream in place of milk. For a slightly smoky taste use 1 cup of smoked Gouda ( start by trying 1/2 smoked Gouda and 1/2 cup regular cheese to ensure you don't find it too 'smoky'), this is the ultimate but I didn't have any on hand.

Broccoli Soup

• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
• 1 1/2 bunches broccoli (about 4 cups), cut up into florets and stem cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 tsp dried ginger (optional)
• s & p to taste
• 1 box (900ml) of chicken or veggie broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cup cheese, shredded (I used marble)

* In a large pot add evoo and onions sautee until soft and limp, add garlic and sautee 1 minute more

* Add broccoli to pot and let slightly cook with onions for about 3 minutes, stir frequently to avoid burning

* Add seasonings, broth and water

* Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium until broccoli is soft and cooked but not mushy

* Puree soup, until smooth but still slightly lumpy. I use my hand held immersion blender and stick it directly into the pot. This saves getting extra dishes dirty. Alternately you could put it in a regular blender or food processor

* Add in milk and 1 cup of cheese, cook until cheese has melted

* Serve using the left over 1/4 cup of cheese to garnish