Saturday, July 30, 2011

Double Duty Roasted Garden Veggies


This is the time of year to buy veggies and make a ton of sauces and soups to freeze.... everything is in season, fresh and CHEAP!!! Try this recipe and make a couple recipes out of it... 

1 Whole Large Onion, Thick Sliced
3-4 Whole Zucchini, Thick Sliced
4 Chiles, I used Anaheim you can also use Bell Peppers
13 Cherry Tomatoes (I used what I had, you can also use 7 Roma), Sliced in Half
1 Large Tomato, Sliced into 4-6 Pieces
10 Cloves of Garlic
3 Carrots, Peeled and Rough Chopped
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Ground New Mexico Chile
5 Tablespoons Olive oil













I used a roasting pan... tossed all ingredients together and bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. 



After 20 minutes... I mix everything.... 




My brain goes nuts.... I can think of dozens of dishes to make!!!

Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce

This is a wonderful recipe and uses 1/2 of the roasted veggies from above. This recipe makes 25 servings of sauce!!!!! I will show you below how to freeze the sauce for future use...

1/2 of the Roasted Veggies from above
1 6-lb Can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 Tablespoons Oregano
Fresh Cracked Pepper
2 Tablespoons of Kosher Salt
2 Cups of Water
1 Cup Fresh Basil

Split the veggies from above... 


I buy these at Sam's Club.... they are about $ 2.25 a can!!!





I use the same roasting pan that I used for the veggies... 


Add the Oregano, Salt and Pepper...


Add the Basil... 



Simmer for about 30 minutes... 


Using a hand blender...


Blend to your liking.... some people like it chunky... I blend it smooth.
Let it cool.


I use a pitcher.... stick the bag in the pitcher to ladle the sauce into the bag. 
The pitcher system keeps the process clean. 


Bring the pitcher to the sauce (keeps things clean)


5 Ladle fulls will feed a family of 5.
Adjust accordingly.  If you are only doing a 
couple of servings.... use a sandwich bag and 
use a cup or glass instead of a pitcher. 



Take the air out of the bag.... 

Lay flat... 




Makes 5 batches of 5 servings each.

Put on a baking sheet and freeze flat... 


Once the sauce is frozen... label it and stand it up in your freezer.


Roasted Garden Veggie Tortilla Soup


I enjoy making recipes that will save me time in the end... this is one of them.  It is a huge batch so you can freeze the leftovers... or give some away.  Regardless this is a healthy, fun way to eat a ton of veggies!

Base Recipe Above.... 

For the Soup:

1/2 of the Roasted Veggies from Above
12 Cups of Water
4 Tablespoons Tomato Bouillon
( You can also use 12 Cups of Chicken or Veggie Stock & Omit the water and Tomato Bouillon)
2 Corn Tortillas
Cheese for Garnish
Corn Chips for Garnish
Cilantro for Garnish



Bring water to a boil and add 1/2 of the roasted veggies from above. 



Add the tomato bouillon (if you are using it), and the tortillas.


Using a hand blender blend until smooth.... the tortilla will thicken the soup and 
give it that delicious tortilla flavor... 



You are left with a divine, silky, velvety soup... 
I freeze it and use it as a base for other soups... 
Get creative and add other ingredients to make it your own!






Friday, July 29, 2011

Lemon Cucumber, Daikon & Shrimp Ceviche


So I received my Harvest 2U yesterday and in front of me where these strange looking lemons...! I thought... Huh... that's a bit different!  Turned out they were Cucumbers!!! Beautiful little 
lemon cucumbers!! This is a very simple, fresh and crispy ceviche! 

4 Lemon Cucumbers, Diced
1/2 Daikon, Peeled and Diced Small
5 Cherry Tomatoes, Diced
1/2 Onion, Chopped Small
15-20 Shrimp, Cooked in Salted Boiling Water for 2-3 minutes
(Cooled)
2 Tablespoons Mirin
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
Pepper


Lemon Cucumbers


Daikon


Inside of Lemon Cucumber...



Daikon... 


















Combine all ingredients and chill before serving.