water (enough to fill to just below or at steamer basket bottom)
1 t salt, to taste
2 T olive oil
1/2 to 1 C milk (or more, if you want them creamier – 1 C was perfect for me)
Instructions
Pour cold water into a medium or large pot. Fill to just below or at steamer basket bottom.
Place steamer basket in pot and fill with quartered potatoes.
Steam, covered, until soft, about 25-30 minutes (potatoes should pierce easily with a fork).
Remove potatoes from pot and place in a bowl (or back into dried out pot, or stand mixer). Add milk, salt, and olive oil. Mash to desired consistency (using a potato masher, hand blender, stand mixer…).
Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Notes
These are simple, basic mashed potatoes. You could add: pepper, chives, parsley, roasted garlic, cheese, bacon, butter, or anything else that sounds yummy. You could, of course, also top them with gravy (but, alongside the chicken, I didn’t think they needed any).
Comforting, homemade tomato soup. Perfect for a chilly fall day.
Ingredients
10 tomatoes, each one cut in 6 or 8 pieces
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves of garlic, tip chopped off
4 C veggie stock
1 1/2 C water (or stock)
1-2 t salt
3/4-1 t pepper
1 t sweet paprika
1 t fresh thyme
1/2 t dried oregano (or 1 t fresh)
1/3 C garlic chives
1/2 C basil
3 T balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
1 T heavy whipping cream (or half and half, or milk… whatever you use in your morning coffee) per bowl
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place onions and carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast veggies for about 30 minutes (carrots might not be tender, that’s OK, we’re par-baking them, as they will cook more later).
Add stock, thyme, oregano, garlic chives, paprika, salt, and pepper to soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until veggies are done roasting.
Add roasted veggies to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and cook 15-30 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
Add basil and balsamic vinegar and cook 5 minutes more.
Using a hand blender (or a regular blender – if you do this method, please remove the plug in the lid and cover it with a towel instead, this allows steam to escape, and results in a non-disastrous soup making experience… trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way), submerge into soup, then begin to blend. Be careful, it may splash, and it’s very hot (I know you know this). Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a drizzle of good olive oil.
Serve it topped with a drizzle of cream, alongside a grilled cheese sandwich.
Notes
This soup will freeze and reheat well. To store, cool on counter for a while, then place in the refrigerator. Once it’s completely cooled, freeze in an airtight container. It can be reheated to use in pasta sauces, to add to Minestrone Soup, you could add pasta to it, other veggies, or just reheat it and have it with another grilled cheeeeeeese! You could also eat it chilled, as a Gazpacho.
Drizzle squash with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake on a rack set in the middle or upper position of the oven, for 55-65 minutes, or until flesh of squash is tender (jab it with a fork to find out if it is).
Heat pan, add ground meat. Drain fat and return meat to pan. Add veggies, herbs, salt and pepper. (Add some olive oil if the pan gets dry.) Cook until reduced and saucy, about 13 minutes.
Add red wine vinegar, cook 2 min more.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Remove squash from the oven. Scrape with a fork to get the spaghetti-ness from the side. Fill with meat and veggie mixture.
Top with parmesan cheese, basil, and a drizzle of good quality olive oil (like Bari’s).
Serve with garlic twists or garlic flats.
Notes
To serve more than two as a main dish, add another spaghetti squash. There should be enough filling for 4 people.
It’s almost lunch time as I type this post. I’m hungry. I want to eat everything.
When I was looking at what was going to arrive in this week’s box, the tomatoes (“Ta-may-toh”) kinda jumped out at me. I’ve made stuffed peppers before. Why not stuffed tomatoes?! I’ve heard of other people doing it. I guess we just use our tomatoes up too quickly to get around to doing this. Tomatoes are really good for us: We’re talking lycopene (a natural antioxidant) and it’s thought to benefit the heart*!
Do we really need an excuse to eat tomatoes though?!
I often have leftover quinoa in the freezer. It’s pronounced “keen-wah”. Did you know that? I’d been calling it the wrong thing for years. Now I know. It’s easy to make, higher in protein (about 14g/3.5oz.) than rice or pasta (I still totally eat rice and pasta), and is very versatile. It’s not just a protein, but a complete protein and is high in dietary fiber**. Yay Quinoa!
This could be a dinner, going alongside some Roast Beef (haha I typed “meef”: meat + beef = funny), Pan Seared Pork, Roasted Chicken… You could chop up any of said meats (cooked first) and add to the filling and have this as your main dish with a big salad.
You could eat it as a light lunch (or even breakfast), alongside a Fried Egg and a slice of hearty toast! You could make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and adding chopped almonds for crunch. Get creative with your food!
Happy Eating!
Stuffed Tomatoes
Recipe Type: Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 28 mins
Total time: 43 mins
Serves: 2-6
Summer tomatoes are stuffed, roasted, and topped with crunchy bacon!
Ingredients
4-6 tomatoes, seeded and cored
1 T fresh oregano, diced (1 leaf reserved per tomato for topping)
1 ear of corn, off the cob
1 onion, diced
1 C squash, diced (I used a small zucchini, but any summer squash would work)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 C quinoa, cooked (I used leftovers)
1/2 t salt (I used Lemon, Thyme, and Bay Sea Salt, but regular salt would work just as well)
1/4 t pepper
1 T olive oil
1 T tomato paste
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated (reserve 2 T for topping)
2 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (for topping)
Instructions
Heat a medium sized pan. Add oil. Add onion, squash, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, corn, tomato paste, vinegar, and quinoa, stir (make sure tomato paste is combined) and cook 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then stir in parmesan cheese (reserving a bit for topping).
Stuff filling into hollowed out tomatoes. Bake at 350F (I used the toaster oven) about 20 minutes.
Top each tomato with crumbled bacon, 1 T parmesan and a fresh oregano leaf.
Notes
If you’re not using leftover quinoa: Bring 1 C water to a boil. Add 1/2 C quinoa. Cook about 15 minutes. Will yield about 2 C cooked. It freezes well.
