Tomato Soup

 

I've been making a lot of tomato soup of late. It's actually pretty easy...and you can adjust the flavors however you like. The first time I made it, it was too "carroty" said my husband. I was lacking chicken or vegetable broth and used some carrot juice instead. I thought the soup tasted fine. But whatever....

 

Tomatoes

Peppers (red, orange or yellow)

Onion

Broth (I made turkey broth from leftover bones...yum!)

White wine

Baby carrots

S&P

Thyme

Basil

Marble Cheese (I remember recipes asking for heavy cream which I didn't have, so thought cheese will do.)

 

What's also really nice is a pinch of chili powder for some kick.

I also have to say, immersion blenders are the bomb.

Pork Rib Stew & Braised Purple Cabbage

It's getting cold out...and as such, my mind is starting to think of hearty soups and stews. And cooked veggies. This recent experiment turned out decently though I think the pork rib stew flavors could be stronger.

Pork stew:
Pork riblets
Onion
Lime juice
Oregano
Sugar
Chili powder
Soy sauce
Ketchup

Braised Purple Cabbage:
Purple cabbage
Apple
Raisins
Honey
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt to taste

And the cooked cabbage turned out pretty decently too. My husband had gotten tired of the slaw over the summer so to change the texture I tried this. The apples add a nice sweet/tartness to the mix.

All the above was served with brown basmati rice mixed with red quinoa.

Date Chicken and Napa Salad

My Hubby requested date honey glazed chicken for dinner last night. While thinking about what greens to pair that with, I saw a head of napa cabbage sitting in the fridge. It was too hot to eat steamed napa...which is usually how Asians eat it. (That or boiled in a broth for noodles.) Could it be a salad too I wondered...cabbage is cabbage isn't it? A quick search on Google confirmed napa salads do exist, though they were all eaten with raw, wax covered instant noodles and msg seasoning. No thanks. When I think of raw cabbage, I think of kimchi...so this napa salad will be kimchi inspired!

	Napa Salad: Napa cabbage Carrots Fish Sauce Sugar Garlic Olive Oil Vinegar Crushed Chili Powder
	Marinade for the pan seared chicken thighs: Cumin Black pepper Soy sauce Paprika Date honey (drizzled after pan searing)

(Hubby even had third helpings of the napa salad!)