Sweet Love and Ginger

Vegetarian

Easy Tuscan Bean Soup

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Tuscan Bean Soup

These are the months where soup is king. It’s loaded down with nourishing vegetables and holds the warmth and comfort we all need this time of year.

There is something about it that is just so healing.
This soup was especially well received in our house. I think the craziness of the summer and the gazillion fall weddings that are happening have both Chuck and I craving a slower pace. We need something home cooked, rustic, and hearty. It just has to happen.
Honestly I didn’t hold any hope that this would be a soup that chuck would fall for, usually he shy’s away from these light flavors, and complains about the lack of meat, but he seemed really into it. He liked the flavor that the kale absorbed from the broth, and had several bowls. The whole wheat oat bread (that I totally bought pre-made) was also a nod to a hearty rustic meal, adding some grit and texture that was a perfect match.
It was the perfect thing to usher in fall as the temperatures begin to drop, and we begin to re-establish ourselves in a new season.
Tuscan Bean Soup

 

Easy Tuscan Bean Soup
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium to large carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 4 cups of low sodium vegetable broth
  • 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 cans of cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
  • 4 cups chopped kale
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese for Garnish
Instructions
  1. In a large thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat and sauté onion until it becomes translucent (about 1-2 minutes).
  2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding carrot and celery.
  3. Cook for another minute before adding broth, thyme, and bay leaf.
  4. Bring to a simmer and add beans and kale.
  5. Cook stirring regularly until the kale turns dark green and beans are soft.
  6. Adjust seasoning and serve warm, with a sprinkle of cheese on top.

 

Red Lentil Stuffed Peppers

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Chuck and I have about a million favorite restaurants, but Boca is pretty high on the list. They are always coming out with more and more impressive items on their Spanish style menu, and they never disappoint.
This recipe is my own version of something off one of their tappas menus. They served piquadillo peppers stuffed with a wonderfully creamy red lentil stuffing that was pocked with texture building black beans. It was served on a super hot plate topped with an amazing salsa verde.
For my version I went with a larger bell pepper, mostly so I didn’t have to stuff 8 million peppers for one meal, and they were cheaper. I served a premade salsa on the side, because I’m a busy girl, and an added side of Spanish style rice to make it a little heftier.
It came out wonderfully, and I have now made it a bunch, it’s so filling that even Chuck doesn’t mind that it’s ‘gasp’ vegan. I mean woah. He does prefer to put the rice inside his pepper rather than on the side.
This is the kind of thing that would make a great dinner party or picky family meal. You could set up all the fillings, meat, rice, cheese, beans, or sautéed veggies and let each person stuff their own pepper before popping them in the oven together.
For someone who always thought they didn’t like stuffed peppers, I am now a convert.
Red Lentil Stuffed Peppers
Red Lentil Stuffed Peppers
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Vegan Red Lentil and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers 1 cup red lentils 4 medium bell peppers ½ tbsp oil 1 small onion, diced 1 cup vegetable broth 1 tsp cumin ½ tsp chilli powder Salt & pepper to taste 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed Add 2 cups of water to the lentils and let them sit overnight.
Ingredients
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 4 medium bell peppers
  • ½ tbsp oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained & rinsed
Instructions
  1. Add 2 cups of water to the lentils and let them sit overnight.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove seeds, then set aside.
  4. In a thick bottomed skillet sauté onion over medium high heat, until it turns translucent.
  5. Add lentils, broth and spices, stirring well to combine. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
  6. Return to pan and stir in black beans. Adjust seasonings, and cook until the mixture is thick and creamy (it should roughly hold its shape if you plop a spoonful on a plate).
  7. Stuff peppers with the filling and place in an oven safe pan.
  8. Cover the pan with tin foil and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften and brown.
  9. Serve immediately.

Yellow Tomato Jam & Learning to Can

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I’ve mentioned before, rather recently in fact that my tomato
plants have gone a little nutty. A few of them are even taller than I am, and
they are producing a lot. I never realized how many tomatoes you could actually
get from one single plant let alone the 3 that I have.
I decided to try a canning experiment this year, since the
tomatoes are abundant and everyone knows how much better home grown tomatoes
are. I of course went to seek the oh so wise words of the internet for a good
recipe and method for canning these little babies, and settled on this recipe
from Food in Jars.
I made about 1/3 of the prescribed batch, and the recipe for that
is listed below. The sauce was amazing and the spare can I left out for tasting
was gone in minutes. I’m sure this would be a great pairing for scones at a tea
party, or mixed with cream cheese at a cocktail party. It’s pretty versatile and
totally delicious.
Yellow Tomato & Basil Jam
1 1/3 pounds Sungold tomatoes, halved
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of ½ a lemon
1 ½ tablespoons basil, chopped
Toss the tomatoes with sugar in a large bowl. Let them sit for an
hour or more and allow their juices to release. In a thick bottomed sauce pan add
tomatoes, their juices and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes
stirring continuously, until the sauce becomes thick. Remove from heat and stir
in lemon zest. Can immediately, or allow the sauce to cool and serve. The sauce
will store for up to one year in sealed jars.
I used the water bath method for canning, which I have seen Miss
Amy do about a million times, though she usually prefers large batches. I think
this method of just sticking leftovers into the water bath while I’m cleaning
up dinner is a method that will work for me. There are always leftovers with it
just being me and chuck around here, and this is a great way to get that
amazing flavor year round, and stay a bit greener, which is always a bonus.

Since I am not an expert yet, (yes, I plan to one day be) I don’t
think my experiences are enough to go by to tell you how to can things
properly. Besides I don’t want anyone to get botulism on my account. I suggest
using this website for the canning basics, it is a wealth of information.

Simple Burst Sun Gold Sauce

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So. Many. Sun Golds.

Aren’t they beautiful? They are so sweet and delicious. I’m
thinking of all kinds of ways to use them in all kinds of recipes. This one so
far is one of my favorites.
This is probably the simplest sauce I have ever made. I don’t
even know if you can call it a sauce, since it’s pretty chunky, but it lent
itself well to pasta so I guess it’s a sauce. I just had so many sun golds that
were supremely ripe and ready to be devoured so I decided to roast them, easily
with some flavor boosters and because I like them in their oozy burst state I
decided not to blend them. Again so easy.  

I’m sure this recipe would work with nearly any type of
tomato, but I like the bright color and super sweet taste in these babies.
For the ravioli I made those about as simple as possible. I
have been experimenting with varying pasta dough recipes to find my favorite. I
used this recipe this time around and found it to be difficult to work and
a bit dry, but that could have also simply been the heat in this tiny kitchen
in the summer. The filling was plain old ricotta, with nothing else, again because
we were going simple here. I also served it with a Pinot Grigio for good measure.
I’m thinking that this sauce at least may make itself into
rotation for our dinner parties, it’s just too easy. We might even have to try
it over some chicken, or with rice or something. Experiments are always fun.



Burst Sun Gold Sauce (Serves 4)

1 quart sun gold tomatoes
½ a medium red onion, sliced thin
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-5 sprigs of thyme
Chopped basil for garnish

Preheat the oven to 375. Combine tomatoes, onion, salt,
pepper and oil in a large baking dish. Toss well to combine and spread evenly. Bake
in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to burst, and release
juices. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Garden Updates and Panzanella

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The garden has been on overdrive. I have been freezing more
beans than I think we can eat this year (yessss!), and the tomatoes are turning
bright colors of red and gold.

There is nothing better than fresh garden tomatoes, they are
so incredibly sweet and have so much flavor. One of my tomato plants has
actually outgrown its cage and I had to add some wooden stakes to keep it
upright. It has gotten so bushy I can’t even begin to prune it. I am not the
only one I know with this problem, so I’m thinking it must be the year of the
tomato around here.
I recently had to pull all of my arugula and lettuce mix,
since a lot of it went to seed while we were on vacation a couple weeks ago. I
think I’m going to do a late summer radish crop or maybe some other cold
weather veggies, I will have to look at what my options are. My peas are
reaching the end of days with the heat, so I’m going to pull them soon and get
ready for a fall crop of peas. Maybe this time around I’ll be able to store some
for winter, Chuck it pretty good about eating them before I can get them
stored.
In the mean time let’s talk about one of my favorite meals
with these garden treats. This year I have been loving these wonder bowls,
but also a simple classic panzanella. A nice warm panzanella with fresh garden
produce and a big glass of white wine and you have one happy camper over here.
Simple Early Season Panzanella
3 cups day-old crusty bread, cubed
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
3 cups arugula
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp diced red onion
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a large cookie sheet toss
bread with1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and toast for 5-6 minutes, tossing
once. Remove from heat, and set aside. In a large bowl add all other
ingredients and toss to combine. Add the bread, and toss again. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6