Gluten Free Taco Soup

This recipe comes from Dan's mom and it's one that Dan likes to make. It's pretty simple and foolproof. You can use whatever ground meat that you want and any type of taco seasoning. #glutenfree

Taco Soup

Brown 1 lb. Hamburger, drain fat. Add 1 Envelope Gluten Free Taco Seasoning, 1-15 oz. can Corn, 1-15 oz. can Chopped Tomatoes, 1-15 oz. can Tomato Sauce and 1-15 oz. can Pinto Beans. Use the liquid in the cans. Add a pinch of Sugar and a pinch of Soda before serving.
Top with crushed corn chips, sour cream and grated cheese.

Pork Chops with Pomodorino Tomatoes and Mushrooms

 

This is a recipe a came up with a couple of weeks ago. I knew I was serving the Roasted Rosemary Baby New Potatoes and wanted something really good to go along with them. I saw these beautiful pomodorino tomatoes and I thought they would go great with mushrooms on top of pork chops. So here is the recipe.

 

Pork Chops w/Pomodorino Tomatoes and Mushrooms

 

Season 2 thick cut bone-in pork chops with salt, pepper and dried rosemary. Heat  1 Tbsp, olive oil in a skillet on medium heat add chops and brown on both sides. Remove from the pan, place in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Slice 100 grams pomodorino tomatoes in half, slice 75 grams button mushrooms in half, and slice 1 garlic clove, thinly. To same skillet add 1 Tbsp. olive oil, then  mushrooms, sauté 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and dried rosemary. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve over cooked pork chops.

Skillet Lasagna

This was an easy lasagna recipe that came from Martha Stewart's Real Simple. I've had this one for awhile so I do not recall from which issue it came. I changed up the sauce a little to make it closer to what I would normally prepare. This is a good one for dinner in about an hour.

Skillet Lasagna

3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (28oz) can tomato puree
1(15-oz) can diced tomatoes
8 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 (12oz) box no-boil lasagna noodles
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil  and add garlic, stirring for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and basil, bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix egg yolk, ricotta and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Carefully pour sauce into heat proof bowl and return 3/4 cup to skillet; spreading sauce evenly. Add a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit. Top with half of ricotta mixture, spreading evenly. Follow with a second layer of noodles, then 1 1/2 cups of sauce. Add a third layer of noodles, then remaining ricotta. Follow with a final noodle layer, then remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bale until golden and bubbly, about 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta w/ Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

I found this recipe in my Aug/Sept 2009 Cooking Pleasures magazine and decide to prepare it, because it was so similar to my own no cook sauce, but with the added pleasure of Brie. It turned out that I did not care so much for the Brie after all. The cheese overpowered the rest of the dish, but it was a nice alternative.

Pasta w/Fresh Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 garlic clove minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

4 oz. pasta

3 oz. Brie, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Combine tomato, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Cook pasta according to package; drain. Toss pasta with tomatoes, Brie and basil.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

This is a quick recipe for a topping that's good on grilled meat or fish, or as I served it over penne pasta. The trick to adding pesto to pasta is too use some of the pasta water to thin out the pesto. This helps the pesto coat the pasta so that you don't have clumps of pesto.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 (10 oz.) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 cup (packed) fresh basil
3 garlic cloves
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Blend sun-dried tomatoes, their oil, basil and garlic in a food processor until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cheese, salt and pepper.

Fresh tomatoes in KC

Heather asked where you can find good, homegrown tomatoes in Kansas City. I found some really good ones at the Farmer's Market at Briarcliff Village. The market is on Thursdays from 3:00 PM until 7:00 PM. I have also bought some nice ones at Green Acres at Briarcliff Village. There are so many little farmer's markets popping up across the city and there is also the City Market. Parkville has a nice market on Saturday mornings and North Kansas City has one on Friday mornings.

Cherry Tomato and Watermelon Salad

My friend Lisa gave was the inspiration for this salad. She commented on an earlier post about a watermelon salad that she makes and I went with what I had. I have no shortage of cherry tomatoes, they come up every year on their own in one of my flower beds and I just let them grow freely.
I cut cherry tomatoes in half, salted them and added a splash of olive oil and fig flavored balsamic vinegar, chopped fresh basil and one clove of garlic. I then added some chopped watermelon in an equal proportion to the tomatoes and topped it all with freshly grated Piave Vecchio.
This was a great salad to pair with the pasta. I really love using watermelon this way and would never have thought of it before.

Risotto w/ Fresh Mozzarella,Grape Tomatoes & Basil

This is one of those recipes that sound really good, but the end result is just okay. I was excited when I saw this recipe in my September 2007 copy of Cooking Light, it seemed to have so much going for it. I added garlic to my recipe thinking it would need that, but in the end it was still lacking in flavor. The balsamic syrup that you drizzle over in the end was wonderful and could have made this dish much better if there was more of it. It was also my first experience with leeks and in my opinion there was way to much of that in the recipe. In the end, I think it needed an addition of Parmesan to give it that added creaminess you expect from risotto. I will try this one again next summer, it could be a really good dish.
As I am typing the recipe, I find that part of my problem is the fact that I don't always pay attention to instructions. The recipe calls for an addition of half and half that I totally forgot to add. There went my creaminess! I will definitely try this one again.

Risotto w/Fresh Mozzarella, Grape Tomatoes & Basil

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 1/2 cups fat-free, less- sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped leek
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup half & half
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1/4 fresh basil, chopped
5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, finely diced

Place vinegar in a small, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly syrupy and reduced to 1 tablespoon, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Keep warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and saute 3 minutes. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add wine and cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup of broth; cook five minutes and stir often. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup a time, until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Stir in half and half, salt and pepper and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tomatoes, basil and cheese. Place about 1 cup risotto into six shallow bowls; drizzle each with 1/2 tsp. balsamic syrup and 1/2 tsp. oil.

Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce

This recipe comes from my October 2007 Cuisine at Home magazine. I only made a few changes to it, but will post the recipe I made. This sauce is spicy and tangy and we loved it at our house. I used a ziti pasta with ridges, the magazine recommended shells. You want to use a pasta that the sauce clings to, because it is so thick and creamy. I started the sauce after I put my water on to boil, so the pasta and the sauce were done at the same time. Use a 1/2 pound of pasta for this recipe.

Tomato-Gorgonzola Sauce

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup onion, diced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can tomato puree

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup creamy Gorgonzola, crumbled

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

salt to taste

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add onion, red pepper flakes and black pepper; cook 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add tomato paste and garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Stir in tomato puree and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Add cream, simmer for 1 minute. Stir in cheese, basil, cooked pasta and salt. Serve immediately.

Lemon Basil Risotto

This is a recipe that I adapted from Cooking Light some time ago. My copy had "Good" written at the top and was even underlined twice. I decided to make it for dinner last night, because it seemed summery and I needed the comfort food factor. It has a fresh tomato topping on it that is similar to my Fresh No-Cook Tomato Pasta Sauce and I remember the lemon being a nice addition. Well, when I made it last night it did not do it for me. The lemon was way too strong and drowned out all the other flavors. Needless to say, this dish did not do it for me this time and I doubt I would try it again.

Lemon-Basil Risotto

Topping:

1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

Dash of sugar

Dash of salt

Dash of black pepper

Risotto:

2 tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 (32 oz) box less-sodium chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

For the topping, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover and let stand at room temperature. To prepare risotto, bring chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice;cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in wine and cook until liquid is absorbed. Stir in salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Start adding chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed and continue until all the broth has been used, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in cheese, juice, zest and basil. Serve in bowls with tomato topping spooned over.

Fresh Tomato Soup

In the past, I've always had a fairly nice vegetable garden with around 12 tomato plants. Last year finally did me in with the lack of rain, deer and squirrel issues and the bugs, that I did not put the garden in this year. I had so many tomatoes that I was constantly trying to come up with recipes. Since Dan hates cucumbers, gazpacho was out. But I wanted an alternative and here is what I came up with. It's a great starter or it works well with a salad for your evening meal. To make gazpacho add 1/2 pound of peeled and seeded chopped cucumber. For a smooth version of the soup, process in a food processor in batches to desired consistency.

Fresh Tomato Soup

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 lbs. vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 jalapeno or whole hot cherry pepper, finely chopped
fresh ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups tomato juice, chilled

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (3 is perfect).

Tomato Tart

My tomatoes are almost here! Sadly, this year I have only planted patio tomatoes. I gave up my vegetable garden this year because the last few seasons have been too hot and dry and the deer and squirrels felt the garden was grown for them. This year I will have to rely on the farmers market for my tomato needs, because the store bought ones lack the flavor of a good homegrown one. Here is a great tomato recipe that I adapted from one Martha made on her show. I use a refrigerated pie crust for mine, they taste good and are a lot less hassle. This makes a great dinner with a nice big green salad on the side.

Tomato Tart

1 head garlic
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
1 cup smoked mozzarella, grated
1 1/2 pounds firm but ripe tomatoes (4 medium) cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
fresh chives, chopped for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic in foil and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Wrap and place in oven. Bake about 45 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Raise oven temp to 450. When garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves from their skins into a small bowl; mash with fork and set aside.
Roll out pie crust and place into 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom, press into sides. Trim dough to be flush with edges; transfer to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
Spread garlic evenly over crust. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Arrange tomatoes over cheese in overlapping circular pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drizzle with remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil. Transfer to oven. Reduce temperature to 400 degrees and bake until crust is golden, about 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Caprese

Ahh, summer is upon us and one of my favorite things to serve is a nice caprese salad. Even those these tomatoes were not home grown, they still tasted great. The first time I had a caprese salad was in Italy and it always takes me back when I serve it at dinner. While our tomatoes pale in comparison to what you eat over there, the addition of the oil and balsamic vinegar help with the flavor. I added a handful of mixed cherry tomatoes to the center of the plate, because I had them on hand and it made for a nice presentation.

Caprese

1 lb. tomatoes, sliced thin
8 oz fresh mozzarella sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Arrange tomatoes and cheese on plate, overlapping every other one. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil. Drizzle with oil and vinegar.