Food: Almost Tastes Like Lasagna Soup

There are a few canned staples I like to keep in my pantry such as Italian stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. It comes in handy for an easy, hearty, one pot dish such as this (I'm a one-pot kind of girl).

Almost Tastes Like Lasagna Soup
Adapted from the Deen Brothers Bobby's Tastes Lighter Than Lasagna Soup recipe
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1-2 T EVOO
16 oz Italian sausage, crumbled mild for kid friendly, hot for the wild folks or turkey for a lean dish
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
32 oz chicken stock
1 14 oz can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb ditalini or about 4-5 whole wheat lasagna strips broken into bite sized pieces.
1 T dried basil or 1/4 loose cup of slivered fresh basil
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesean cheese, shaved

In a heavy stock pot, I like using my Le Creuset round 5 qt., add oil to heated pot and add sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  Cook until sausage is browned and onions translucent, on a medium high heat.  Add chicken stock, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, salt, red pepper flakes (add dried basil at this point) and stir.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, letting it simmer for about 20 minutes, enough for the flavors to blend.  Remember to stir occasionally.  Add choice of pasta, remembering that whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook but, it does add a nice texture to the dish.  Increase the heat and bring back to a boil, boiling the pasta for as long as directed on the package.  Once the pasta is cooked, remove from heat and add (If you're using fresh basil) the slivered basil and mozzarella and stir gently.  The warmth of the dish will melt the cheese.  Sprinkle shaved parmesan cheese and serve.

I used a combination AND double the amount of pasta here, just because it's what I had on hand and I didn't want it soupy for my kids.  Soupy or not, it's great either way!

Food: The Forgotten Legume

Who doesn't like a hearty soup in the winter? I mean, they make you feel warm and snuggly. I grew up on beans and rice, yes, I'm Mexican, but I never really ate any other kind of bean besides pinto (oh and Ranch Style Beans in a can and I'm not really sure what kind of beans those are...hmmm). The first time I was introduced to this forgotten legume was when Ethan (who is now 7) was beginning to eat food that was more complex and with more texture when he was about 9 months oldish. Who is the mystery legume, bean, whatever you want to call it? It's the lentil. Yes, the lentil.

You may have heard about them in the Bible (My Dad always makes the same comment about how the birthright was traded for a bowl of lentil soup by Jacob and Esau e-ver-y time he has it, I love it.) but really, that's about it. When do you ever see a lentil recipe featured in a magazine or on a commercial during Super Bowl Sunday. Let's face it, legumes have been out for who knows how long but you know what? Who cares?! They are amazingly good for you, hearty, and delicious (not to mention CHEAP!). This soup is made with linguica but can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the meat steps. Follow me along this food journey that will, like I said earlier, make you feel warm and snuggly.


Little Lentil Stew

Total Time: 45 min
Serves: 6 with some leftovers for lunch

Ingredients
evoo
1 head of garlic, peeled
6 oz. Portuguese Linguica, chopped (You can also use Mexican and follow the same instructions)
1 medium onion, diced (I used purple, yellow would go nicely also)
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (I had red skinned gold in my pantry so that's what I used. If you have a potato that you can leave the skin on, by all means do so, I did.)
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 head of celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 lb lentils, rinsed
6 c chicken stock
1 t ground cumin
water

I highly recommend purchasing a Dutch Oven in at least a 5qt size. They are versatile and user friendly. You can roast, satué, fry, braise, pan fry... endless possibilities. The one I used here is a round 5.5qt Le Creuset. Pour about 2T of evoo in a large dutch oven or stock pot and sauté the peeled cloves until they have turned a little golden brown, remember to keep everything shiny. Add the linguica to the garlic and sauté until the linguica is cooked and aromatic. It's ok to have the bottom of the pan "colored" with bits. Those will add to the flavor later.



Once you are happy with the linguica, remove from the pot (leaving the garlic in) and add the chopped onion. Cook and medium to high heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water and stir up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Those flavors will make it WOW!



Once the bottom is cleaned up, add the remainder of the veggies along with the lentils. Sorry, onion guy shouldn't be in this picture. He should be long gone!



Add your stock and fill the remainder with water until everything is covered. Mine came out to be about 9 cups of fluid. Add 1 t ground cumin and stir until everything is well mixed. I didn't add salt since the broth alone is salty enough for me



Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and bring the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 20-25 minutes but remember to mix about every 5 minutes or so (I did 20 and like to check it from then on).



Once the potatoes are easily pierced and the lentils are not tough, the stew is done. Mix in your cooked Linguica. You can remove the garlic cloves or serve them to your garlic loving spouse. Hahaha <--- bad garlic breath! jk Yummy!!!

Food: Spinach & Egg Breakfast

You can't tell me that there's a good blog out there that doesn't talk about food. Let's face it. WE LOVE TO EAT! So this morning for breakfast, I made some kind of creation, of course inspired by my mother. There is no name to it so I'll call it spinach and egg. This can easily be made into a vegetarian dish, just exclude the meat options.

Spinach & Egg
Serves 2



evoo
6-8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed (with the flat of your chef's knife laid on the garlic, give it a nice whack to flatten the clove)
1/2 small onion, chopped (I used yellow)
Peppered turkey breast, sliced thinly
Fresh spinach, two large handfuls
Red pepper flakes, optional
1-2 eggs over easy, or however you like them prepared, per person

FYI. I don't like using salt in my food so I use it sparingly. In this recipe, I don't use any since the turkey has enough for my taste. Add salt according to your liking or just try it my way if you're trying to cut back.

In a large non-stick pan, heat evoo and garlic. I bought this bag at Costco, it's great for those that love using fresh garlic. Cook garlic on medium to high heat. Once it's softened a little, add the onion.



Cook the garlic and onion until the onion is starting to become translucent. Add your turkey. You can use whatever meat you want. Linguica would be a nice choice! Add more evoo if needed, you want to keep it shiny, and cook until the meat is cooked through.

Next, add your spinach. I used the boxed salad spinach. It's great for cooking breakfast dishes, or using in your sandwiches in lieu of lettuce, and it makes a great spinach, avocado, shaved parmesan cheese salad with a vinaigrette. So. Turn the heat down to a low medium and if you're going to add red pepper flakes, now is the time to do so. Cover the pan and let the spinach steam wilt. Don't worry, it looks like a lot of spinach but it'll shrink down.



Once the spinach had wilted and the smell has intertwined, it's ready! I made some over easy eggs placed right on top of the mixture. I made them right in the same pan so I wouldn't have to wash another pan! I garnished it with fruit because kiwis are in season. Avocado would make a nice garnish and would a nice slice of toast! Buon Appetito!