Tomato Basil Soup from Canned Tomatoes

This tomato soup uses canned tomatoes, which means that even before spring’s flowers have started to show, you can zip it together.

It goes without saying that there is a lot going on in the world right now, which means that even though spring officially started last week, comfort food is still in order. This recipe is the epitome of comfort and is easy to make with supplies you have on hand.

P.S., I have gotten very in to making homemade sourdough. I started with this recipe, which I highly recommend, and have been tweaking and exploring as I go. When you have a fresh loaf sitting around, it’s hard not to want soup for dinner, just because of the bread-dipping action.

Tomato Basil Soup from Canned Tomatoes

Published March 19, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 3-4   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tablespoons flour (optional, makes a thicker, creamier soup)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 28-ounce (or 2 14-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2-3 cups vegetable broth

4 sprigs thyme

Salt

Pepper

Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Optional: 1/4 cup fresh basil, cut chiffonade, with one tablespoon reserved for garnish

For serving: grated Parmesan, grilled cheese, croutons, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced onion, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.
2. Add flour to the pot, and continue to cook, stirring, until onions are coated and just starting to brown. Add tomato paste, and stir to incorporate. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add canned diced tomatoes, thyme, and broth. Season with a generous pinch of salt, a few cracks of freshly ground pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
4. Place lid on pot, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes to incorporate flavors.
5. Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove thyme from soup. Discard.
6. Purée the soup: if you have an immersion blender, use it to blend the soup until puréed. If you have a countertop blender, ladle soup into blender jar in batches, and purée. Ensure the lid is on very well!
7. Stir sliced basil (reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish) into soup. Taste, and season as needed with additional salt, and/or pepper.
8. Ladle into bowls, and serve to your preferences (i.e., topped with parmesan, with croutons, a grilled cheese, etc).

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Our local grocery store (Alfalfa’s) has a smoothie bar and every once in a while they’ll set out samples. Recently they had not one but three flavors to sample, and I debated which brightly-colored mini cup to take. I finally landed on tangerine, even though orange is not typically my favorite flavor. Immediately, I was reminded of a story about Orange Julius I post to this blog years ago. It was creamy, with citrus punch and a touch of vanilla. It was a throw-back, a reminder of orange cream soda and orange creamsicles and childhood. It was nostalgia. But, flavor-wise, even better, because it was made with tangerines at peak citrus season. So, I took that inspiration and ran with it, adding a little coin of ginger because I couldn’t help myself.

Tangerine Dream Smoothie

Published February 20, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 1-2   |    Active Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 tangerines, 2 minneola tangelos, or 1 sumo citrus, peeled

1/2 cup plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 banana, peeled and roughly chopped

5-6 ice cubes

1 nickle-sized slice of ginger

Optional: 1 scoop plain, unsweetened collagen or whey protein powder

Optional: 2 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut

Optional: Small drop vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and secure lid on blender jar. Puree until completely smooth.
2. Pour into serving glasses and enjoy cold. 

Root Slaw with Lemon Vinaigrette

It is rare to find an exciting vegetable in the grocery store in the middle of February. It’s all orange-green tomatoes, rock-hard avocados, and kale. This month, however, I was planning a crunchy root salad already when I came across pink daikon radishes. I paused for a minute, knowing that likely, not everyone that reads this blog will be able to find pink daikon radishes. But I bought them anyways, because their brink color was irresistible. Yes: you can use any sort of radish instead. Regular white daikons. Watermelon radish would be pretty. Easter egg radishes. Red cherry radishes. They will all work, and taste just about the same. I just fell in love with how bright and fresh the pink looked, and how it added little pops of pink to this salad. 

Radishes, like many root vegetables, are a good fall back this time of year when little else is fresh or ripe. And while it’s easy to think of root vegetables as potatoes and yams, this salad proves that root veggies can also make a refreshing, bright, and light salad, too. Serve as a side with pulled pork, brisket, chili, or even a panini. 

Root Slaw with Lemon Vinaigrette

Published February 6, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

1/3 cup radish, peeled and julienned (pink daikon radish, daikon radish, watermelon radish, or red radishes)

1/3 cup cucumber, julienned

1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned

1 golden beet, peeled and julienned

2 tablespoons minced parsley 

Black pepper to taste

For vinaigrette:

Juice from 1 Meyer lemon 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon honey 

1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard 

Generous pinch of salt 

Directions:

1. Combine all julienned vegetables and parsley in a medium-sized salad bowl.
2. In a jar, combine all ingredients for vinaigrette. Place lid on jar and shake to emulsify.
3. Drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables to taste (you may not need all of the vinaigrette) and toss to coat. Season to taste with pepper.