Sunday Soup

We make this soup from scratch almost every Sunday, which is where the name "Sunday Soup" comes from...


Ingredients:

• 3 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 peeled and sliced large carrots
• 4 green onions, chopped thin
• 5 celery arms, sliced
• 3, 900 mL boxes of chicken broth
• vermicelli noodles (as much as wanted)

* you may want more/less of the vegetables, or even a different kind; you can add whatever you would like really...

Instructions:
1. Turn on the stove and boil water, once water is boiled, add the chicken and let cook for 45-50 minutes on medium-high heat.
2. In the mean time, put the chicken broth and vegetables in a pot and let cook on medium heat so the vegetables can soften and flavours can blend.
3. Once the meat is done, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup...
4. Add the noodles, cook 15-20 minutes until softened.
5. Make sure to stir every once and a while.

Makes around 3/4 of a pot full of soup.

Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad the other day, it was delicious! I found it on http://www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• a bag of tri-coloured spiral pasta
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• half of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups of cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 can of black olives, chopped
• 1 bottle of Italian-style salad dressing
• 6 tablespoons of salad seasoning mix

Instructions:

1. In a large pot of  boiling water, cook pasta as directed on package, rinse under cold water, and drain.
2. Whisk together salad dressing and seasoning mix.
3. In a salad bowl, combine pasta, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and olives. Pour dressing over salad; toss and refrigerate over night.

Changes:

I added some cut cucumbers as well.

yogurt dressing

I made a yogurt dressing and found the recipe here

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

** Instead of dried dill weed I used dried tarragon.

Preparation:

Combine oil, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and tarragon with a tight-fitting lid. Shake until thoroughly blended. Store dressing in refrigerator. 

We ate this dressing on spinach salad and the dressing was on the side. 

Tomato Soup

I made Tomato soup I found the recipe here. 


  
INGREDIENTS

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 cups tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)

** Instead of bay leaf I used dried thyme,

PREPARATION

          Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned. Sprinkle the flour over the butter mixture and continue to stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, bay leaf, sugar, and salt and continue to cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the milk, and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and put through a strainer. Taste and correct seasonings. Reheat before serving.

I just asked my mom to show me how to make an easy soup, so I chose to make this soup with her. I also really like it every time she has made it before.
We got this recipe from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/butternut_squash_apple_soup/

Butternut Squash Apple Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter (we used coconut oil)
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped (ours was pre-cooked in the oven for 30 mins)
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*
• 1 cup water
• Pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper
• * We added almond milk as well to make it more creamy*

*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free broth.

Method

1 Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1-2 minutes. Do not let it turn brown. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for 5 minutes, taking care to turn the heat down if the vegetables begin to brown.
2 Add squash, apple, broth and water. Bring to boil. Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots soften. Puree, and return to a clean pot.
3 Add salt and spices to taste, and garnish with chives or parsley.

Yield: Serves 4-6.

Broccoli & Potato Soup

Tonight I made Broccoli & Potato soup from a recipe I found on allrecipes. It was served with buns.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 packages of chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
• 1 potato, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
2. With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Changes:

• I didn't add any onions, because onions taste like they were grown with the tears of orphans.
• Instead of adding 1 potato, I added 2.

Black Bean Vegetable Soup    

*(for some reason, it would not let me add a photo)

Ingredients: 

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil        
- 1 onion, chopped          
- 1 clove garlic, minced        
- 2 carrots, chopped        
- 2 tsp chili powder            
- 1 tsp ground cumin          
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 (15 ounce) cans black
beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (8.75 ounce) can whole
kernel corn
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed
tomatoes.

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, and carrots, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Add chili powder and cumin; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock, 1 can of the beans, corn, and pepper; bring to boil.

2. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree together tomatoes and remaining can of beans; add to pot. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.

*I substituted the black beans for navy beans, since I prefer them more. Also, I added a lot more spices than the original recipe called for, since I love to experiment. It turned out delicious and everyone loved it!

Greek Salad

When I used to live in Sudbury, there was a Greek restaurant my family ate at all the time, with the best part being the salad.  I've been looking for the recipe, but this was a good alternative.  I found this recipe on simplerecipes.com.

Prep time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, peeled, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives (preferably brine-cured), coarsely chopped
• A heaping half cup crumbled feta cheese

METHOD

1 Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and dill weed together until blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewhisk before using.)

2 Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

Yield: Serves 6.

Changes: I don't eat olives, so I didn't use.

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (1 oz/375 g)
• 2 cups (500 mL) vegetable stock
• 1 tsp (5 mL) salt
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pepper
• 3 cups (750 mL) frozen broccoli pieces
• 1 can (385 mL) evaporated skim milk
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh chives or green onions

Preparation

In large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook onions and potatoes, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Add stock, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add broccoli pieces; cover and cook for 5 minutes.
In food processor or blender, puree soup until smooth. Return to pan; stir in evaporated milk and heat through. Serve sprinkled with chives.

Chicken Tortilla Cups (Appetizer)

Ingredients

• 6 small flour tortillas
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp (5 mL) chili powder
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) diced, cooked chicken breasts or turkey cutlets or red kidney beans, (rinsed)
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded old Cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) finely chopped jalapeño peppers or pickled jalapeño peppers, (drained) (optional)
• 1 tsp (5 mL) minced fresh parsley

Preparation

Brush both sides of tortillas with oil; stack and cut into quarters. Fit each wedge into mini muffin cup to make 24 cups.
In small bowl, sprinkle chili powder over chicken; toss to coat. Divide among cups; top with cheese, and jalapeño peppers (if using). Bake in 425°F (220°C) oven until cups are golden and cheese is melted, 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

-these were really good, and really easy to make!

Beef and Vegetable Soup

I made this soup yesterday for lunch. I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from a magazine years ago.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Lean ground beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Carrot, chopped
• 1 Stalk celery, chopped
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp Dried Basil
• 1-4 tsp Each salt and pepper
• 1 Can tomatoes
• 1 Can beef stock
• 1-1/2 cups Water
• 1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups Cubed peeled potatoes
• 1/2 Small shell pasta
• 1 cup Cubed zucchini

Directions
1. In large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook beef, breaking up with spoon, for 3 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink; drain off any fat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, basil, salt and pepper; cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
2. Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon. Stir in beef stock, water and Worcestershire sauce; bring to boil. Reduce heat and stir in potatoes; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in pasta and zucchini; covered, for 8 to 10 minutes or until pasta in tender but firm.

Things that I changed: My mom had made this soup before and knew that the pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid so I added a whole 900 ml carton of broth and only added 1 cup of water. I also added a drained can of kidney beans to it.   

Week 3: Soups!

This week we are cooking soup.  Between now and Wednesday, February 27, post a soup recipe that you prepared.

happy cooking!

Fruit Salad

I wanted a snack the other day so I just threw some fruit together, it was really good.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

Bananas

Kiwis

Oranges

Grapes

(types of ingredients amounts vary, depending on what you like and how much you want to make)

Instructions:

1. Peel banana and slice it.

2. Scoop the kiwi from its skin, slice it, and cut the slices   into halves.

3. Cut grapes in half.

4. Peel the orange, and cut the orange wedges into 3 or 4 pieces.

5. Put all of the cut fruits in a bowl and mix them.

*optional*

6. Add whipping cream.

Cherrie Brie Tossed Salad

This salad is very crisp and fresh tasting.  It is one of those recipes that I like to make when I have company over. 

I have made the recipe with the dried cherries, once, but I have replaced them with dried cranberries because the cranberries taste just as good and are a lot less expensive.
The original recipe can be found here .

Ingredients

Dressing:

         1 cup cider vinegar

         1/2 cup sugar

         1/4 cup olive oil

         1 teaspoon ground mustard

         1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds

        

Salad:

         2 tablespoons butter

         3/4 cup sliced almonds

         3 tablespoons sugar

         8 cups torn romaine

         1 round (8 ounces) Brie cheese, rind removed and cubed

         1 package (6 ounces) dried cherries

Directions

         In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients; set aside.

        

         For salad, in a heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add

         almonds and cook and stir until nuts are toasted, about 4 minutes.

        

            Sprinkle with sugar; cook and stir until sugar is melted, about 3

         minutes. Spread on foil to cool; break apart.

        

         In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, cheese and cherries.

Whisk dressing; drizzle over salad. Sprinkle with sugared almonds and toss to coat.

Pastry Burek (Appetizer)

I recently found this recipe on this website, acanadianfoodie. I decided to give it a try making some few minor changes to the original recipe...However my family loved it and it is one I will be trying again very soon.

European Burek

Yield: 12 burek (two rounds of dough)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 340g (400ml) water
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 kg freshly ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 large or 1/2 medium onion, minced

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together, and knead until dough is soft, but not sticky
2. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and rest for thirty minutes
3. Divide into two portions and make each into a ball (each will make 6 burek )
4. Preheat oven to 260 C
5. Roll each ball on a flour dusted sturdy paper, turning only once, until about 1/4 inch thick
6. Spread oil over the surface of each rolled pastry oval very lightly, but cover the entire surface area to enable easy stretching later
7. Rest for 15 minutes (and not more than 5 minutes longer) and prepare the meat (mince the onion and mix all ingredients together)
8. Transfer one disc of pastry dough to the middle of the table covered using hands gently from the middle of the pastry to stretch it and lay it out
9. Then, pull the dough out little by little around the table and around again until it covers the table and then pull it to just go over the edge of the table; use your fingers in a pinching motion very lightly
10. Take half of the meat portion and lay it out on the edge of the table little by little until there is some meat all around the circumference of the table
11. Add the oil to the melted butter and sprinkle just a little over the pastry on each portion (make a circle with the sprinkling)
12. Cut the dough in half down the middle of the table; and cut off the thickened edge of the dough from the overhanging portion
13. Flip the overhanging pastry from the side of the table to over the meat laid out on the table until all is covered
14. Then, lift the cloth gently to force the dough to gently roll toward the centre of the table; stop it when you can easily roll the rest by hand
15. Use the butter and oil to grease the baking pan; roll each end of the two ropes of dough into two burek portions and leave enough in the middle for a third
16. Place all in the pan and very lightly brush with butter oil mixture
17. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 260 and remove from the oven
18. Pour about 1/2 cup of water over the golden burek and return to the oven for 5 more minutes
19. Take out of the oven and cover with a towel for at least five minutes before serving
20. Serve with yogurt (not required)

Garlic Cheese Bread (Elijah's Way)

Yummy!!!

Ingredients:

• Italian Bread
• Cheese
• 1 cup butter
• 2 tspns Garlic Powder

Direction: 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, and garlic powder in a bowl, and apply generously upon bread. After buttering bread wrap it in tin foil, and place in oven for 8-10 mins. Take bread out, and remove tin foil to apply cheese as needed. After applying cheese place back in oven till cheese melts. Then eat.

Citrus Fruit Salad

I got this recipe from www.kraftcanada.com. This took me about 20 minutes to prepare and serves 12

What you need:

2 navel oranges, peeled, sectioned
1 grapefruit, peeled, sectioned1 each apple and pear, cut into thin wedges1 banana, peeled, sliced1/2 cup cubed Cracker Barrel Light Medium Cheddar Cheese (1/2 inch)1/4 cup Kraft Calorie-Wise Coleslaw Dressing2 Tbsp. honeyDash ground cinnamon

COMBINE fruit and cheese in medium bowl.

MIX remaining ingredients. Add to fruit mixture; toss to coat.

SERVE immediately.

Changes: I didn't use cinnamon

Spinach Pomegranate Salad

     I made this salad on the long weekend, it looks colorful so it is especially for the valentine's day. And they are all healthy as well.

I found the recipe at here.

Ingredients:

1 (10 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves, rinsed and drained

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup crumbled feta

1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts (optional)

1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds separated

4 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette

Directions :

Place spinach in a salad bowl. Top with red onion, walnuts, feta, and sprouts. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top, and drizzle with vinaigrette. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This salad is often made for our big family get togethers, and so this weekend I decided to make this salad recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 2 cups eggs, diced (optional)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tbsps white wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Crumble and set aside.
2. In a medium sized salad bowl, layer in order, broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and bacon.
3. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, sugar and wine vinegar. Drizzle over top and serve.

Changes
I tried the salad making it with smaller servings with the eggs, but it didn't taste right, so I took them out of the recipe I made for a bigger number of people. I also added more bacon to spread out evenly.

Greek Salad

Tonight I made a Greek salad which was served with chicken strips and rice.

Ingredients for salad:
This is an old family recipe.

• 2 cucumbers 
• 4 tomatos (although the tomatos I used were a bit smaller than regular tomatos)
• 1 orange pepper
• 2 layers of red onion 
• 1 pack of feta cheese
• 1 clove of garlic
• a handful of olives

Ingredients for dressing:
I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.

• 1 1/2 quarts of olive oil
• 1/3 cups of garlic powder
• 1/3 cups of dried oregano 
• 1/3 cups of dried basil
• 1/4 cups of pepper
• 1/4 cups of salt
• 1/4 cups of onion powder
• 1/4 cups of dijon mustard
• 2 quarts of red wine vinegar

 Changes:
The garlic and olives weren't originally in the recipe, I added those myself.

Shredded Rainbow Salad

On Saturday night I made this salad. The recipe came from Jamie Oliver's Great Britain cookbook. The beets ended up making the whole salad red. When we initially ate it, we couldn't taste any of the dressing. We had lots of leftovers so I put another recipe of dressing into it. The ingredients mingled over night and the salad tasted much better the next day.

For dinner tonight, I decided to make a delicious macaroni salad.

Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

2/3 cup white sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup graded carrot (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.  

I made a few changes to the recipe since there are only five people in my family, and it calls for four cups of pasta. So, I divided the recipe in half. Also, I did not add pimento peppers since they are not my favourite. Other than that, I can't wait to try it tonight!