Creamy Tomato Soup

I hate canned tomato soup. I always have, just ask my mom. I thought I hated all tomato soup because my only experience with it was the canned stuff. Then one magical day a few years ago I tried Panera Bread's version and it was wonderful. I craved it when I was pregnant with my daughter even though it didn't love me back. Heartburn every day.

I didn't keep track, but it must have taken me at least a dozen tries to get this recipe right. I tested lots of other recipes and they came out either too thin, too onion-y, too acid-y, or too canned tomato-y. As usual, I found it was best to keep it pretty simple. Using a mix of tomato paste and whole canned tomatoes as opposed to all puree gives the soup a better "real tomato" flavor. Don't feel like you need to be virtuous and use fresh tomatoes instead, unless they are at their peak the canned will work better. The carrot, pepper and sugar balance out the acid and add some contrasting flavors. I tried celery instead of the red pepper but it never seemed to blend in quite right and I like the sweetness the pepper adds.

When you sweat the vegetables, the purpose is to make them very tender and well done, without any browning or carmelization at all. If you turn up the heat to try to rush this step, they won't blend as well into the finished soup and might add some weird flavors as well.

Feel free to use half and half or milk as the dairy if you're trying to save on calories. If you're going for a really creamy rich taste, by all means use the cream. This soup can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for several months right up till you add the cream. After it's added make sure you reheat it on low and stir often to keep it from curdling.

I hope you enjoy this - we ate it on a chilly evening with lots of gooey grilled cheese sandwiches and those little oyster crackers my grandpa got me hooked on.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 28oz can whole tomatoes, drained, seeded and chopped
1 6oz can tomato paste
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Add the carrots, bell pepper, onion, and salt and cook, watching closely and stirring often until onion is translucent and vegetables are very soft and cooked through, about 8 minutes. 
Add chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the remaining liquid has evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, broth, black pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil then lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Blend the soup with an immersion blender or let cool and transfer in batches to a blender, blend well and then return it to the pot.
Add the cream and warm gently.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Information:
Per Serving: 276 Calories | 18.3 g fat | 7.9 g sat fat | 1,665 mg sodium | 5 g dietary fiber | 10.6 g sugar | 4.8 g protein

Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa

I made this salsa for my good friend when he was coming home from army basic training. He loves everything with beans, especially black beans and this was no exception. My toddler shares his  enthusiasm for the legume family and kept pointing to the bowl and demanding "MORE!". I think it was a hit.

The poblano pepper in this makes it very mild without much heat at all, perfect for small children and big tough guys alike. If you want it spicier feel free to substitute the poblano with jalapeno or hotter.

Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa

1 1/2 cups diced pineapple
1 cup cooked or canned black beans
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced poblano chili pepper (or a hotter pepper if you prefer)
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from one lime)
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and toss gently. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Let stand at least five minutes before serving, or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Information:
Per Serving: 47 Calories | .3 g fat | 0 g sat fat | 292 mg sodium | 2.3 g dietary fiber | 4 g sugar | 2.1 g protein

Vaegetarian Taco "Meat" (Wannabeef)

Firstly, let me say that this recipe comes with a big disclaimer. This is not something that I ever would have made for myself. Rather, this dish is the result of the give and take that is part of a good marriage. My husband gave up beef a few years ago, and since has been craving the "meaty goodness" that only seriously seasoned ground beef can provide. I hold out hope that someday he will be swayed and finally give up meat altogether, so I make meals like this to help him down the veggie path.
(Husband's note: from here the path looks treacherous and fraught with jicama)

Having said that, I actually quite enjoyed this. It's spicy ad tangy and would be great in nachos, enchiladas or tacos. Which is how we used it. If you are unfamiliar with TVP you can learn all about using it by reading my post on the subject.


Vaegetarian Taco "Meat"

1 cup (3.5 oz) dehydrated textured vegetable protein (TVP)
7/8 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Place the TVP in a small bowl and pour the hot broth and soy sauce over it. Stir it once, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add the TVP. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Meanwhile, mix together the flour and spices. Add the spice mixture and the water to the TVP all at once. Cook, stirring occasionally and watching closely until the TVP is browned all over and all the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Serve in a variety of psudo-mexican dishes.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Information:
Per Serving: 272 Calories | 11 g fat | 0.8 g sat fat | 526 mg sodium | 5 g dietary fiber | 3.5 g sugar | 15 g protein

Meet the Ingredients - Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

If you've never worked with textured vegetable protein (TVP) you may be surprised by just how closely it resembles ground beef There really is no other food quite like it in the vegetarian world. In fact it is often used by thrifty moms and thriftier restaurants to extend meat and is the key ingredient in many vegetarian "meats" that are commercially available. However, making your own "meat" products is much cheaper than buying the convience products in the freezer section.

What is it you ask? TVP is a knobbly, dehydrated product made from reduced fat soy beans. It doesn't have much flavor on it's own, but absorbs the flavor of whatever liquids or spices you cook it with quite well. Nutritionally it is far superior to ground beef, containing no fat and about 80 calories per serving. When not used to excess, it can be a good choice for vegetarians because it is chock full of both dietary fiber, 4g per serving, and protein, 12g per serving.

You can find tvp in most grocery stores or health food stores, Bob's Red Mill being perhaps the most widely available nationwide. You can also buy it at Amazon. Go, Amazon.

To cook textured vegetable protein you must first rehydrate it. You can do this with plain ol' water but I recommend using this as the first opportunity to imbue your TVP with a bit of flavor. Vegetable broth works very well for most any application, and adding some appropriate seasonings always helps as well. I highly recommend adding just a little soy sauce, about 1 tablespoon per cup of TVP,  as well to give it that savory, complex flavor that vegetables don't normally provide. You can then use it to replace ground beef in just about any dish. Remember that unlike ground beef, which releases fat as it cooks TVP is fat free so you will need to add some fat to your recipe or to your pan to keep it from sticking.


If you season TVP well and treat it right, it can be your friend, especially if you are new to vegetarianism or trying to convince an unwilling family. Keep in mind that tvp is a processed food and like any other highly processed product, don't eat it every night. Mostly you should be eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts.

Lemon Muffins

Lemon Muffin with Fresh Raspberries. Yum.

These are my ideal muffins, or muffintopia if you prefer. They're tender and rich with a lemony but not too lemony flavor, have the quintessential crunchy muffin tops and go great with late summer berries. They are also low enough in calories that I don't have to feel too terrible about eating two (or three) at a sitting.

These are tender enough that they will stick to the muffin papers or tins, so don't skip the step of spraying the liners before you add the batter.

Like most muffins these freeze very well. If you don't already do so, I highly recommend doubling any muffin recipe and freezing the extra baked muffins for up to two months in a zip top bag. Reheat them in a 375 oven for 15 minutes. If you have company and have several types of muffins hanging out in your freezer at once, throw a few of each in the oven and serve a mixed media muffin basket. It impresses beyond reason.

Lemon Muffins

For the topping:
2 tablespoons (1 oz) melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup (1.25 oz) all-purpose flour
pinch salt
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until crumbly and the texture of wet sand.

For the muffins:
2 cups  (9 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
1t lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup (8 oz)  plain low-fat yogurt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place muffin liners in standard 12 muffin pan and spray the papers with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt, baking soda, and baking powder an then set aside. In a separate bowl whisk the egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon juice until well combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until just incorporated, the batter will be lumpy.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each to about 2/3 full. Evenly distribute the topping among the muffins.

Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are turning golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins

Nutrition Information:
Per Muffin: 215 Calories | 7.5 g fat | 1.9 g sat fat | 297 mg sodium | 0.8 g dietary fiber | 14 g sugar | 4 g protein