Here's the Dish

healthy ANDI licious

Curried Cauliflower Soup November 26, 2012

Curry powder & fresh ginger heat up the flavor in this warming soup.

Curried Cauliflower Soup
with ginger & chickpeas

Ingredients

-1 quart reduced sodium broth (vegetable or chicken)
-1 cup cooked chickpeas (or one can drained & rinsed)
-1 1/2 cups sliced tomatoes or grape tomatoes
-1 head cauliflower (separated into florets)
-2 yellow onions (to sauté in 1 tbsp olive or canola oil)
-1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
-2-3 tbsp curry powder (to taste)
-1 tsp lemon juice (or juice or 1/2 fresh lemon)
-1 tsp black pepper
-salt to taste (do not add until serving)

Tip: Store some leftovers in the fridge & some in the freezer for future easy, healthy meals!

Method

1) Peel, chop, and sauté  onions in a large pan with 1 tbsp olive (or canola) oil. Stir frequently. When onion slices begin to brown, add 1/4 cup broth and reduce heat.

2) Rinse and separate cauliflower head into florets. Add florets to skillet with onions and add broth to moisten as needed. Stir frequently and allow florets to soften.

3) In a large pot on the stove top, bring remaining broth to medium heat and pour in contents from the skillet (onions & cauliflower). Add all remaining ingredients (except salt) and blend using an immersion blender.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can pour contents into a regular blender and carefully transfer back to your pot. Do not put hot contents in a regular blender–instead blend ingredients with broth before transferring to your large pot and heating. 

You want to blend until the florets are smooth but so that the soup still has some texture to it (it doesn’t need to be puréed).

4) Serve hot & enjoy! Add a light sprinkle of salt on top of poured soup when it is ready to serve.

 

Zucchini & Fennel Soup October 29, 2011

Zucchini & Fennel Bulb offset Onion and pan-seared Tomato complemented by a spalsh of Lime

Zucchini & Fennel Soup
with fresh lime & pan-seared tomato

Fall and winter in New England are ripe for soup season. The first frosty weekend blew in to Boston this week (including our first snow sighting). Time to get cozy- and try some new soups!

Ingredients (adapted from this Bon Appétit recipe)

– 1 whole onion, chopped
– 1 whole fennel bulb, chopped
-1 whole zucchini, chopped
-2 tbsp olive oil
– 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
-1 whole tomato, chopped
-2 cups brewed green tea (no sugar)
– 1 fresh lime
– pinch of fresh  thyme (optional)
-dash of salt & pepper

Methods

1. Chop onion, fennel bulb, and zucchini and add to large saucepan with 1 tbsp olive oil set at medium heat.  To save time you can chop the three veggies in that order and add them to the pan as they are chopped. Stir frequently to evenly cook added ingredients.

2.While onion, fennel, bulb, and zucchini are cooking, chop tomato and add to a separate pan with 1 tbsp olive oil and a few fresh thyme leaves (optional).

3. Once fennel and onions become translucent, add in thyme and squeeze in the juice from one fresh lime. Stir and pour in 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth.

4. While ingredients are cooking, brew 2 cups of unsweetened green tea. (You can just fill a mug with boiling water and a green tea bag, allow the tea to steep for a 2-3 minutes, add to the pan and repeat.

5. Reduce heat to low and, using an immersion (hand) blender, blend ingredients together. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can transfer the mixture to a regular blender to blend then pour back into your large pot in stages. Add in your dash of salt and pepper to your blended soup.

6. Finally, pour into bowls and garnish with fresh fennel greens and the pan-seared tomato. Serve hot.

Time Saver Tip: Fresh, Fridge, Freeze. Fill your bowl (and others to be served) with hot soup to enjoy fresh. Immediately place a couple of extra servings in a microwave-safe container and put away in the fridge. The remaining soup can go in a freezer/microwave-safe container and stashed in the freezer for a later meal. Be sure to label and date!

 

Fresh Tomato Guacamole December 20, 2010

Fresh Tomato Guacamole

Fresh Tomato Guacamole

Ripe fresh tomatoes blended into the avocado and cilantro base make this naturally potassium and vitamin-E rich guacamole a delicious appetizer or side dish.

Try it at home

Using a blender, food processor, or hand blender, blend two ripe avocados, two fresh (medium sized) tomatoes, a large handful of fresh cilantro, a splash of lime juice, and a dash of cayenne (or chili) pepper.

Serving sizes: Although I love avocados and believe they are a wonderful, healthy part of my diet, I try to stick to limiting a serving to about 1/2 an avocado or less to keep calories in check.  For guacamole, I try to stick to no more than 1/2 cup servings (about 175 calories). This dish can easily serve 4 people. If you’re making it for yourself you can cut the recipe in half or store it in the fridge for a couple of days to spread out the servings.

Serve cool. Pairs well with salsa and tortilla chips (look for a low-sodium variety).

Other tasty guacamole blends

Another guacamole favorite, Whole Food’s recipe for Edamame Guacamole boosts protein and slashes calories in each serving without missing any of the creamy flavor. I’ve made this version several times and it always seems to be a hit with friends.

I haven’t made this one yet, but a guacamole hummus is next on my to-make list. This recipe looks like a delicious on from “Fannetastic Food.” I’ll let you know how it turns out!