Recipe Review from 8/30/10

Weather has been a bit odd lately, a couple days in the 80's, then dropping down into the 60's with very cool winds.  Hard to plan meals when you don't know if it's going to be hot or cold.  That and we've been eating a fair amount out of the garden, like the tomato soup recipe - it used 3 lbs of fresh veggies!

Tomato Bread Soup (Everyday Food Mag, Sept 2010) 2.0
This came as a high recommendation, so I don't know if it was something I did, or if my referral had significantly different tastes.  The flavor of this soup was good - excellent even -  but the chunks of bread were off-putting.  Which is in part why I think it was something I did, that my bread wasn't crusty enough or I didn't tear into small enough pieces.  Anyway, neither the husband nor I cared for this one and needless to say, it was almost a competition to see who could avoid eating it for lunches.  


Tomato Bread Soup
1/4 cup EVOO
2 1/2 cups yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
red pepper flakes (optional)
salt
pepper
3 lbs very ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
3 cups water
6 oz day-old crusty bread, thick crusts removed, torn into pieces
1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a large pan/dutch oven, heat oil over med-high heat.  Add onion, season with salt and pepper, cook stirring often until soft about 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and pinch of red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant about 1 minute. 

Add tomatoes, cook, stirring often until they begin to break down and release their liquid, about 5 minutes.  Add three cups of water, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. add bread, stir to combine.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until bread is soft and soup thickens, about 15 minutes.  Season to taste.  Serve with drizzle of olive oil and basil.  

Curried Quinoa Salad (Ckng Lght, Sept 2010)
This was supposed to be part of lunches, but ended up being supper with modifications.  I used Swiss Chard for the celery, yellow raisins for the currants, and frozen mango instead of fresh.  While the mango was still frozen, I diced it a bit smaller.   I have no idea what Madras curry is, so I used my Penzey's Sweet Curry with 1/4 tsp of Hot Curry to bring up the heat.  I was going to skip the raita, but decided at the last minute to go for it.  I also served it warm, but not over spinach as recommended. 

Result?  This was very tasty!  After having it cold the next day for lunch, I think I actually preferred it warmed up.  The raita sauce was a nice touch, adding a bit of creamy-cucumber-y tang to it.  I recommend this dish. 

Curried Quinoa Salad
This Indian-inspired dish features quinoa, a high-protein grain that cooks relatively quickly. We like the heat that Madras curry powder brings, but use regular curry powder if you prefer.



Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 diced peeled ripe mango
1/2 cup diced celery  (I used Swiss Chard)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons currants  (I used yellow raisins)

1/4 cup finely diced peeled English cucumber
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1 (6-ounce) carton plain low-fat yogurt
1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach


Preparation
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add quinoa and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Cool completely.


2. Add mango, diced celery, thinly sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and currants to cooled quinoa; toss gently.


3. Combine 1/4 cup cucumber, 2 teaspoons mint, and yogurt in a small bowl, and stir well.

( I omitted this part - Divide spinach evenly among 6 plates, and top each serving with about 3/4 cup quinoa mixture and about 2 tablespoons raita.)




Oatmeal Pancakes  (Ckng Lght, Sept 2010)
As par for the course lately, I didn't take any pictures of these delectable pancakes.  The husband and I have found that, on Sunday mornings, we enjoy a breakfast of pancakes or waffles.  We make extra and freeze them for the coming week or to have on hand when we need a quick breakfast.  These were a snap to pull together and very tasty.  I recommend these.   

Oatmeal Pancakes
Yield: 3 servings (serving size: 4 pancakes)


Ingredients
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (1/4 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preparation


2. Combine buttermilk, butter, and egg in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon about 2 1/2 tablespoons batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles; cook until bottoms are lightly browned.