Roasted Tomato, Cauliflower and Bell Pepper Soup

I was in the mood for grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in tomato soup.  That's comfort food to me on a chilly January evening.  But I was feeling a little frisky, so I decided to roast the tomatoes.  And then there was that head of cauliflower staring at me in the fridge.  And the jar of roasted red peppers I'd made last week when the peppers were on sale.  So I  threw it all together.  Scrumptious!

Roasted Tomato, Cauliflower and Bell Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

• 6 medium Roma tomatoes, cleaned and halved
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, cleaned and cut into florets
• olive oil
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• 2 - 3 cups water
• 1 cup roasted red peppers
• large pinch of thyme
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss the cut tomatoes and cauliflower florets in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a few dashes of TSSS.  Spread out onto a baking sheet and roast for 25 - 30 minutes until the cauliflower is tender (it should have a few brown, almost charred spots, but remain mostly light/white).  Remove from oven.  When the tomatoes are cool enough, peel off the skin and discard.  It should come off very easily.
• Transfer the roasted tomatoes and cauliflower to a soup pot.  Add 2 cups of water, the roasted red peppers, thyme, and a few dashes of TSGG.  Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
• Purée the soup with an immersion blender.  If it's too thick, add more water until it's at the consistency you like.  Add TSSS to taste.
• Ladle into bowls.  If you like, you can top the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits, parsley, or anything you'd like.  Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches for dipping.

Simple Escarole and Beans

My friend Melissa mentioned on Facebook last week that she'd made escarole and beans.  I adore escarole and beans.  A long, long time ago I used to have a delicious escarole and beans recipe.  But of course now I can't find it.  Anywhere.  I don't remember everything that went into it, but I do remember there was Parmesan.  And escarole.  And, well, beans. 

Tonight I tried to re-create it partly from memory and partly by making things up as I went along.  It turned out really good.  The hubby, who had never had escarole before and was leery of the dish, was a good sport and tried it.  And went back for seconds.  I'd call that a success.

Simple Escarole and Beans

Ingredients:

• a couple tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 15-oz. cans of cannellini beans, drained (I used great northerns tonight)
• 1 cup water
• 2 large heads of escarole, washed and roughly chopped
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• a large handful (or two) of shredded parmesan

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add the beans and water and stir for a few minutes until heated through.  Mash some of the beans with your wooden spoon, it helps to thicken the sauce.
• Add the escarole.  2 large heads may seem like a lot and that it won't all fit into the pan, but the escarole does wilt down a lot, I'd say to about 1/3 or 1/4 its original volume.  I did this in handfuls, starting with the firmer white pieces, stirring them until they wilted a bit, then adding more, and ending with the more tender green pieces.  Once the escarole is all lightly wilted, add a few dashes of TSGG and some TSSS and black pepper to taste.  
• Stir in the shredded parmesan.
• Ladle into bowls and top with an additional sprinkle of parmesan.  Serve with crusty bread.

Sweet and Salty Granola

ETA on 1/24/13:  I've made this several more times since the original post.  Yes, I do realize it's only been 5 days.  But yes, my family loves granola.  Anyway, I made one modification that gives it a little extra kick.  Instead of mixing the entire teaspoon of salt into the dry ingredients, I only mixed in half.  Then when the batch is done cooking and I'm ready to stir in the cranberries, I also sprinkle on 3/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt and stir that in.  That way once the granola is cool and you eat it, you get nice little pops of salt on your tongue.  :-)

We are planning on taking the kids out for a hike on Monday, so I decided to make some granola to bring along.  Lately I've been more into salty snacks than sweet, so I decided to compromise (the kids like sweet) and make a sweet and salty version.  I threw this together based on what was in my pantry.  The house smells awesome while it's baking, and it turned out really good. 

Sweet and Salty Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup raw pepitas
• 1 cup raw slivered almonds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix together the first 5 (dry ingredients).  Set aside.
• Place honey and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl and heat on medium heat until the coconut oil is soft (about 45 seconds).  Whisk until melted.
• Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Spread the granola onto two baking sheets lined with Silpats.
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until lightly browned, stirring the granola every 10-15 minutes to ensure even browning. 
• Remove from oven and stir in the cranberries.  Let cool completely.  The granola will be soft while it's hot, but once it cools completely it will be nice and crunchy.
• Store in an airtight container.

Mushroom Gravy

A quick, easy way to glam up a steak.  Or pour over brown rice for a hearty vegetarian meal.

Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 8oz. package of sliced crimini (or other mushroom)
• Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic (or regular garlic powder)
• Tastefully Simple Onion Onion (or regular onion powder)
• 1 cup water, divided
• 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt

Directions:

• In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and a few dashes each of TSGG and TSSS.  Cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently, until tender.  It should have released some liquid - that's the flavor jackpot!  Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a soft boil.
• In the meantime, stir and dissolve the flour into the remaining 1/2 cup of water.  Add to the boiling mushrooms and stir.  Bring the gravy back to a boil to thicken, then reduce to simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add TSSS to taste.
• Serve hot.