Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Okay, so I'm on a tomato soup kick, and I am slightly obsessed with the boxed Organic Creamy Tomato Soup, from Whole Foods. I eat it for lunch, kind of... well... like, almost daily. So, I decided I wanted to make my own. I have procrastinated long enough, and finally gathered up all the ingredients, so I could whip up a batch of this Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, from Cooking Light. First of all, it's an easy recipe. Canned tomatoes, basil, onions and garlic. If you have an immersion blender, this is so perfect. I kept mine slightly chunky, and I wish I'd smoothed it out a bit, but still, it was delicious.

Overall, I think this is a 4 bowler. No one else in my family would try it, because they won't eat cheese, but it was definitely a keeper. I am going to whip up another batch in the next few days.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion(or 1 medium onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I used fire roasted with chili peppers)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk (I used skim and it was great)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation 

 Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 1 minute. Add basil and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in cheese until melted. Place mixture in blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Return to medium-high; cook 2 minutes.

Vegetable Lasagna

Oh, how I love an excuse to cook with cheese! My sister was coming in from out of town this week, and she is a bean-hating-vegetarian. I was stumped as to what to cook, since Kevin is a tofu-hating omnivore. I decided a veggie lasagna was in order, and that I would also create a lentil soup for Kevin and Maya (who is quite skeptical about melted cheese). The nice thing about a baked pasta dish, is that you can assemble the entire thing in the morning (or previous day), and then bake it an hour before you want to serve it. Perfect. I raced to the grocery store and back home, which Miss Maya was at school, and assembled this bad boy extremely quickly. It was a whirlwind of activity, but it was well worth it, so I didn't have to destroy my kitchen at 5pm, with a guest anxiously awaiting dinner.

Anyway, the final product...



This is a good one. I will keep this recipe in the files, because it's an easy, go-to recipe for company, or a new mom, or a potluck. It is full of veggies, and you could definitely add more if in the mood. The one factor to consider, is the fact that the recipe is totally dependent on the sauce. This calls for a jar of "fat free pasta sauce," so you really need to decide how far you want to go with this ingredient. I used "Classico Tomato Basil," which is the sauce we buy at Costco. It's not fat free, but a very close second. The thing is, the better the sauce, the better the lasagna (in my opinion), so I think next time, I will try a different sauce. The one I used was good, but it wasn't exceptional. I would like to try making my own, but I haven't found a recipe that excites me. Anyway, back to the final product. I really liked this - it is really delicious, without being heavy or too rich. The sauteed veggies are really nice, and add a great texture to a meatless pasta bake. I felt that using part-skim cheeses didn't affect the flavor of it at all, which was really nice. My only big complaint, is that it really fell apart. The recipe instructions, state that the lasagna needs to "stand" for 10 minutes, which I assume was the time it needed to "set." Well, it still totally fell apart when I cut into it. I recognize that this doesn't affect the taste one bit, but you know how I love pretty food. Anyway, after leaving out for 30 minutes, I cut into it again, and it stayed together just fine. So, the moral is, let it sit for a tad longer, if you want a pretty slice. Oh, I just love layers... Mmmmmmm.



Try this... If you dig cheese.

Vegetable Lasagna


This vegetable lasagna is perfect for making ahead and can easily transport to a potluck or the freezer.


Yield: 6 servings


1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms (omitted - Nora hates 'em)
3/4 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 (26-ounce) bottle fat-free tomato basil pasta sauce
2 tablespoons commerical pesto
1 (15-ounce) carton part-skim ricotta cheese
Cooking spray
6 hot cooked lasagna noodles (about 6 ounces uncooked), cut in half (I used whole wheat)
3/4 cup (3 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375�.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and the next 4 ingredients (mushrooms through onion); cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pasta sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine pesto and ricotta in a small bowl. Spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in the bottom of a 8-inch square baking dish or pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange 4 noodle halves over tomato mixture. Top noodles with half of ricotta mixture and 1 cup tomato mixture. Repeat layers, ending with noodles. Spread remaining tomato mixture over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375� for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Notes: To make ahead, assemble as directed; stop before baking. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature; bake as directed. For easy cleanup, assemble in a disposable 8-inch aluminum-foil pan. If you're making for a gift, deliver uncooked with baking instructions.


CALORIES 328 (30% from fat); FAT 10.9g (sat 5.4g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.9g); IRON 2.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; CALCIUM 418mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39g; SODIUM 491mg; PROTEIN 18.2g; FIBER 3.7g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2001

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

As previously mentioned, I'm in the Fall spirit lately, cooking up a storm of pumpkin flavored yumminess. I decided to try making these, as it's always nice to have a unique brownie/bar in the repertoire. I've been loving all things "cheese-cakey" lately, so this sounded very good to me. Well, it is good. Not terrific, not out of this world, but a good solid flavor. My big issue with this recipe, is that the finished product was super moist and sticky, to the point of looking sort of horrible and sloppy. Basically, they were supposed to be baked in a 10x15." Um, does anyone have a pan this size? I baked it in a 9x13, and it was much more like a cake, than a brownie. Also, there was so much cream cheese topping, it was nearly impossible to create a pretty swirl (yes, I'm a sucker for pretty swirls). So anyway, the moral of the story is, "Tastes great, less pretty." Meh. Oh well. I have about 20 of them in my freezer. Maya loved them, but now she has no interest in the leftovers. I guess I'll be eating them for the next several months. I wish someone else would make these, because I can't understand why they were a sticky, ugly, tasty mess.



This is how they were supposed to look:


The recipe...

Please try this, and tell me how they turn out.

Swirled Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Bars


These spiced pumpkin-cream cheese bar cookies with a creamy, tangy swirl are perfect for Halloween or any autumn get-together. You can chill them airtight for up to 3 days.


Yield: Makes 24 bars


6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature (yes, I used reduced fat cheese. Okay, I'm zipping up my flame suit, and getting ready for everyone to tell me that this is why they turned out sloppy...)

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 eggs, pumpkin, and 1/3 cup water until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In another bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and nutmeg; stir or beat into butter mixture until well blended. Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 10- by 15-inch baking pan.

2. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, remaining egg, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until smooth.

3. Drop cream cheese mixture in 24 evenly spaced 1-tablespoon portions over batter. Pull a knife tip through filling to swirl slightly into batter.

4. Bake in a 350� oven until center of pumpkin batter (not cream cheese mixture) springs back when touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan, then cut into 24 bars.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per bar.


CALORIES 164 (38% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 4.2g); CHOLESTEROL 45mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23g; SODIUM 130mg; PROTEIN 2.6g; FIBER 0.4g

Sunset, NOVEMBER 2003

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Maya has officially started pre-school, which means we'll need to leave the house at 8:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. This may make for a very rushed morning, so I decided to whip up some muffins, that I can grab out of the freezer in a pinch. This recipe, adapted from a Cooking Light recipe for "Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins," is easy, and quite delicious. I would even go as far as to say that they almost taste like bakery muffin! They are really moist, light, and flavorful, with just the right blast of fruit andhint of cream cheese. I usually don't care for nuts in my baked goods, but this time, the walnut pack such a nice texture and taste, so I'm glad I chose to include them. By the way, this recipe makes 2 dozen muffins, and they are actually quite large. I made them a tad too small, and ended up with 27 muffins. I think I need a second muffin pan, so I can be sure to make 24, equally sized, larger muffins. This recipe is a keeper. Anyone want to come and share my leftover 23 with me?

Gorgeous batter.


Devoured by moms and Mayas alike.



Blueberry-Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen, but any fresh or frozen berry would work)
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.

Place 24 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.


CALORIES 142 (32% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.7g); IRON 0.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; CALCIUM 31mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22.6g; SODIUM 138mg; PROTEIN 2.7g; FIBER 1.1g

Adapted from Cooking Light, JUNE 2003