Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Even though I am not at home, I am trying to get in some cooking time. I made this roasted tomato-basil soup the other night and will add this to my “I will make this again” list. I served the soup with sourdough garlic bread from Whole Foods, but I think the next time I will just add croutons.

tomato and basil soup

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

10 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
4 – 6 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 – 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

roasted tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange tomato halves in a roasting pan. With the cut side up, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the basil and the minced garlic evenly over the tomatoes. Then drizzle 4 tablespoons of the oil evenly over the tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes until they are soft when pierced with a fork and the skins slip off easily, 40 – 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the skins.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1-tablespoon oil and sauté the onions until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, wine, and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the tomatoes have broken down, the mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pan and reheat. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining basil.

Soup trials

I know I have been a little lax lately, but I will be trying out some new soup recipes this week, and I will let you know how they turn out. In the mean time, stay warm!

Happy New Year!

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies

This is the first time I tried this recipe and the family wasn’t demanding more which makes me wonder. These lovely cookies are slightly sweet, but seem to have more the texture of a true pretzel rather than a cookie. I dipped the tops of about a half dozen or so in chocolate and that seemed to cause more excitement, but I make so many chocolate cookies, this may not make the cut next year.

vanilla pretzel cookies

Vanilla Pretzel Cookies

6 tablespoons margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Rumford baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

White nonpareils

Beat margarine, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Gradually add rice milk; then beat in the flour. Place in a smaller bowl and cover with plastic wrap; chill for 4 hours or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tablespoon of the dough into a 9-inch long rope. Loop each rope into a pretzel shape and place on cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, combine egg and one tablespoon of water and beat lightly. Brush cookies with the egg mixture and sprinkle with nonpareils. Bake 12 – 15 minutes or until light brown along the edges. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

This year I decided to try a butter-free version of this family favorite. Surprisingly, I liked it better than the headache-inducing butter one. These take a little time to make, but they are worth it!

chocolate pretzel cookies

Chocolate Pretzel Cookies

1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup Earth Balance margarine
½ cup shortening
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons Frontier vanilla flavor
2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
½ cup Vahlrona cocoa
1 teaspoon salt

chocolate pretzels

Blend sugar, margarine, and shortening until creamy; add egg and vanilla. Add mixture of flour, cocoa and salt, mix well.

Roll out a teaspoon of dough into an eight-inch rope; twist into a pretzel shape and place on baking sheets. Bake at 350º about 5 – 7 minutes. Cool on racks. Dip cookies in glaze; sprinkle with nonpareils and place on wire rack to dry.

Glaze: Melt a bag of chocolate chips with two teaspoons margarine; add a little hot water to thin.

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

I’ve made shortbread with butter, but never with margarine, and, yet, this cookie turned out surprisingly good.

cranberry-orange shortbread cookie

Cranberry-Orange Shortbread Cookies

1 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon Frontier vanilla flavor
1/2 teaspoon Frontier almond extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon Rumford baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 – 1 cup chopped dried cranberries

wax paper

Beat margarine until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Add extracts and orange zest. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and dried cranberries; beating at low speed until blended. Divide dough into two 8-inch logs, wrap in wax paper, and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice logs 1/4 – 3/8-inch thick, place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate-Covered Raisins

I remember seeing chocolate-covered raisin clusters years ago and thinking, “I can make those!” Well, I did, and they have been a family favorite ever since.

chocolate-covered raisins

Simply melt (on low heat) a bag of chocolate chips (I use Sunspire’s Bittersweet) in a heavy pan. Remove from heat and stir in raisins (about 8-ounces). With a spoon, scoop out clusters of raisins and place them on waxed paper. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Easy and delicious!

Cookies for Christmas

Nothing tastes better on a cold wintry day than a warm, chewy, chocolate cookie. As long as I have my Chocolate Crinkles, I don’t mind that almost all the other Christmas cookies are made with butter.

chocolate crinkles

Chocolate Crinkles

½ cup canola oil
5-6 ounces unsweetened Scharffen Berger chocolate, melted
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup good quality cocoa
2 teaspoons Rumsford baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix oil, melted chocolate and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time; blend well. Add vanilla. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together; add slowly to the chocolate mixture. Cover and chill overnight.

Roll in to a ball and then roll the ball of dough in the powdered sugar. Place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for about 10 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.

Cherry-Almond Muffin

Sweet, moist, and entirely too decadent to be called a muffin. We love these delightful treats anytime-not just for breakfast. The first time I made these, I used one can of tart cherries, but they just didn’t have enough cherries, so I added another half of a can.

These muffins actually taste better the next day, if there are any left.

cherry pie muffins

Cherry Almond Muffins

1 1/2 cans red tart cherries in water
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons Rumford baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk
2 eggs

Topping:
Cut 2 tablespoons cold margarine into 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup flour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin pan. Mix cherries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix oil, almond milk, almond extract, and eggs; pour into dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Fold in cherries. Scoop into prepared pan; sprinkle with topping. Bake 15 -20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Rice and Potato Soup

We love soups! After all the measuring, peeling, chopping, and stirring, they are worth it. I usually end up with enough soup for two or three days which allows me do something else apart from making dinner.

 

rice and potato soup

Rice and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain brown rice
salt
pepper

In a deep pot, cook the potatoes in the olive oil, turning occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, onions, and celery; cook 2 – 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic.

Pour chicken broth into pot; heat to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 40 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add rice and cook 12 minutes, or until rice is tender. Serves 4.

For the dairy crowd: sprinkle some Romano or Parmesan cheese on top.