I made Gazpacho the other night for the first time in a long time. I truly forgot how refreshing this soup is.

Seriously it took about 10 minutes to chop the veggies and in no time at all you will be enjoying a fabulous summer time soup.

This weekend is going to be H-O-T, so this soup would be ideal.  In fact I purposely didn’t post this recipe till today! (there is a reason behind my madness. LOL)

See these ingredients? Simply wash them and start dicing.

Soon you will have gazpacho once you add those diced veggies into the tomato juice! (plus some spices and other goodies)

My Favourite Gazpacho recipe is from Moosewood Cookbook. 

Ingredients:

4 cups tomato juice (I use V-8)
1/2 cup finely minced onion
1 medium clove garlic, crushed
1 medium bell pepper, finely diced
1 teaspoon honey
1 medium cucumber, finely diced
2 scallions, minced (I didn’t have any and my gazpacho was just fine)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced fresh, ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded)
Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

Directions:

1. Finely dice the onion, cucumber, green pepper, tomatoes, garlic

2. Add vegetables into the tomato juice

3. Add lemon juice, lime juice, honey, oil and spices.

*you could puree all the ingredients but I like my gazpacho chunky

4. CHILL and enjoy

Final Result

Happy Summer Cooking!!

 

 

Friday night dinner is a big deal in Jewish households. Not all households have this tradition but I grew up where Friday night dinner was important, and this tradition continues.

It’s also a great way to entertain. I realize I could entertain and host a Sunday brunch or have people over on a  Saturday night, but some traditions are hard to break!!

This week, my guests will be served the following:

-Challah (frozen then baked)

-Gazpacho (courtesy of Moosewood Original Cookbook)

-Pissaladiere (courtesy of New Recipes from Moosewood)

-Pebre (courtesy of Sundays at Moosewood)

-Pita Chips (courtesy of watching my mom make them for decades!)

-Brocoli crunch salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Yellow Bean Salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (courtesy of the Toronto Star).

It’s kind of a “Spring” menu – even if it’s not officially Spring yet!

In this blog post, I’m going to share the Pebre recipe which is also known as Salsa de Ciliantro! This is what you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion or scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

4 medium field tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons of Tobasco or another hot sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate.

Final Result:

 

Once again, I pulled out the Original Moosewood by Mollie Katzen, and made a favorite side dish called Vegetable Almond Medley. I love that you can use any combo of vegetables that you like (or have in your fridge!!)  plus its’ healthy healthy healthy.  (I think you get it)

VEGGIE ALMOND MEDLEY: (From Moosewood Cookbook) 

3 lbs mixed vegetables (your favorites!!)

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped almonds

2 cups water

5 tablespoons butter (or margarine)

5 tablespoons flour

1 tsp prepared horseradish (I didn’t have any on hand)

dash or two (or three) of tobasco sauce

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tablespoon tamari

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

1/3 cup breadcrumbs (fresh..if you can!!)

DIRECTIONS:

Sautee onion and garlic in tablespoons of butter, salting them lightly. When onions are translucent add vegetables. Saute until all are cooked or to your liking.

Take almonds and place in a blender (or Cuisinart) with water. Blend until smooth. This is the “almond milk”

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. Add almond milk and seasonings. Stir CONSTANTLY over low heat until thickened (it works..just be patient)

Combine sauteed vegetables with the almond sauce. Add salt and pepper.

Put into a large buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and chopped toasted almonds.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, uncovered.

FINAL RESULT:

Hope you enjoy this side dish as much as I do. I tend to serve this dish with a fish dish and some type of carb like a baked potato.

Happy Cooking!!

 

Let’s talk about soup. Every one loves soup right? Seriously, have you ever met someone who doesn’t like soup?

I’ve been enjoying a variety of soups from the Moosewood cookbooks for the last two decades. In particular:

• Split Pea
• Russian Cabbage Borsht
• Creamy Squash (New Recipes From Moosewood)
• Armenian Lentil
• Potato Leek (New Recipes from Moosewood)
• Minestrone

However sometimes (only sometimes) I’m short on time and want to make a soup that’s really quick. Guess what? I found a soup that takes NO TIME at all and its delicious. Once again, I found it on the internet (thanks to FoodLoversWebsite)

Here’s the recipe for Spicy Tomato Soup (which I modified a lot cause I bought the wrong can of tomatoes)

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups minced onion

3-4 cloves of garlic cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dill

lots of ground black pepper

12 oz crushed tomato concentrate (I bought canned diced tomatoes by accident)

2 cups water

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon of mayo or sourcream (I used milk)

2 medium sized tomatoes, diced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan.

2.Add onion, garlic, salt, dill, black pepper and stir till onions are translucent (about 6-8 minutes)

3. Add canned tomatoes, water and honey

4. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Because I screwed up buying the wrong tomatoes, I then took a sieve and separated the tomato chunks from the liquid.

Then I took the solids, whizzed it in the Cuisinart while slowly adding the liquids. To make it creamy – I added a touch of milk.

I love soup. In fact my freezer is full of soups at the moment. I crave soup during the winter – don’t you? What’s your favourite soup? Would love to know.