Vegetable Platter: February 2018

Tomato & Cheddar Cheese Soup

I may have just discovered my favourite way of making Tomato Soup. I was always on the lookout for soup recipes that are smooth & creamy without the addition of All Purpose Flour to thicken them And Cheddar Cheese just does that

It has been very cold here in our neck of woods for over a week. We also has a couple of days of mild snow showers. Now that, Spring is almost here, we might as well enjoy the last few weeks of winter instead of complaining

So this Tomato & Cheddar Cheese Soup was perfect for the weather. I've always loved a bowl of well made Tomato Soup. With a small serving of a Salad on this side, this makes for a great Lunch/Dinner.

This recipe is definitely one of my favourites. Mainly because we do not use All Purpose Flour or Corn Flour to thicken them. So,that makes it low carb or Paleo friendly, if you are into that sort of a thing. The next time, I am going to add Basil to add more flavour.

Makes a large Soup Bowl -- Serves 1-2

You Will Need:

1 large Ripe Tomato
1 small or Half of a Yellow Onion
1 medium sized Carrot **
2 tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 tablespoons Cheddar Cheese
3 cloves of Garlic
1 tablespoon of Olive oil + more to drizzle
Half a teaspoon Dried Parsley
Salt as per taste
1/4 tsp Baking Soda *
1/2 cup Milk
Water or Vegetable Stock as needed to make a thick soup consistency

HOW TO:

Boil the carrot & make a Purée. Dice the tomato & onion & set aside.

In a medium sized pot, heat olive oil & add finely chopped garlic. Add diced onions, Tomatoes, tomato paste & some salt. Add Carrot Purée too. Cook until the onion & tomatoes are soft. Allow it to cool a little & blend into a smooth purée.

You can strain the purée if you wish to. Transfer the contents into the soup pot again, add Baking Soda, Water/Vegetable Stock,Milk & bring it to a gentle boil. Also, check for salt. Add grated Cheddar Cheese & stir well & simmer on low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Ladle into bowls & drizzle Olive Oil & a sprinkle of dried Parsley before serving. Serve Warm with a crusty bread on side

NOTE:

* Baking Soda is added to neutralise the acids in the tomatoes so that it prevents the milk from curdling when added to the soup

** Carrots help in cutting the tartness of the tomatoes. Do not skip this

You can also replace milk with a bit of cream or Half & Half

Incase you don't have Cheddar Cheese on hand, Add Amul Cheese Cubes instead

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Leftover Makeover

Croutons -- Made From Leftover Bread

I always have a small pack of croutons handy as I love topping my salads with them. They add a nice crunch to salads. & my son loves to much on them.

Since we were talking about salads in the previous post, I thought, I'll quickly show you all how I made these amazing Croutons from a week old bread loaf.

Croutons are incredibly easy to make & it takes only 10 minutes to bake. So why buy when you can make them on your own. Plus its a great way to use leftover bread & those end slices that nobody likes to eat

Though a day old Baguettes/French Bread or Focaccia work best for making croutons, you could also use any other crusty bread or you can save the crusty ends of a bread loaf & use them to make croutons

White Sandwich bread will not work here. They are too thin & soft to be turned into croutons.

You Will Need:

Old/Stale Bread - I used about half a pound ( I used a multi grain bread which was quite crusty) + a few ends of a bread loaf
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Oregano or any other Herb
2 tsp grated Parmesan Cheese - optional

How To:

Preheat the oven to 375°F

Meanwhile, Cut the Bread slices into small squares

In a large bowl, whisk in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Himalayan Pink Salt, Garlic Powder, Herbs & Parmesan Cheese

Dunk the bread squares in the & mix them with your hands so that oil mixture coat each of bread squares

* Arrange them on a greased baking tray & bake them for 10 minutes

Remove from the oven & cool them on a wire rack. Store in an air tight jar. It should stay fresh for about a week

Use them to top your Salads, soups & just munch on them like my son does.

NOTE:
The Croutons are soft when they are fresh out of the oven & will crisp up upon cooling. Do not be tempted to over bake.

* If using baguettes, It might take slightly longer to crisp up. I haven't tried them yet. Will update once I do.

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Salad

Chickpea & Apple Salad

We've been trying to incorporate a bit of salads into our everyday meals. I've always been a salad fan but when you start eating salads more often, it does get challenging because you don't want to be bored with the same flavours & dressings.

I've been experimenting with new flavours lately & I now have a few good salad recipes that I can bank on.

A bowl of salad can definitely replace one of your meals if it is well balanced with all the macro nutrients.

This Chickpea & Apple Salad filling is one such. It is full of flavours & is very filling too. This can be a great salad for parties or Potlucks

You Will Need:

1 cup Chickpeas
2 large Apples
1 Red Onion
1 A handful of Walnuts
1/2 Red Pepper
1/2 Yellow Pepper
1 cup Rocket Leaves
4-5 slices of Pickled Jalapeños
Croutons - Optional

Dressing:

2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
Himalayan Pink Salt

HOW TO:

Pressure cook Chickpeas in salted water until soft. Drain & set aside.

Dice Apples & Bell Peppers. Finely chop rocket leaves & Onion

In a small bowl, Add all the ingredients mentioned in the Dressing list & whisk

In a large bowl, add chickpeas, Apples, Peppers, Rocket Leaves, Onions & Jalapeños. Add the dressing & give it a mix well.

Let it sit in the refrigerator to 20-30 minutes. Top with Walnuts & Croutons before serving

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Appetizers

Baked Pita Chips

I & the husband both love eating Mediterranean. There was a small Mediterranean Cafe in the same complex where we would do our weekly groceries & we would often hop in to buy a box of freshly made Baba Ganoush or Hummus. I know, they both are super easy to whip up at home, but if you are getting to eat freshly made dips with zero effort, then why not :)

So these dips would come with a couple of pita bread on the side. We are not very fond of Pita Bread to be honest but, we love Pita chips

Instead of buying, I started making my own Pita chips from unused Pita Bread

These Pita Chips are super addictive & oh so easy to bake. In less than 20 minutes, you will have a tray full of crunchy Pita chips ready & they taste much better than those packaged one. Plus, you can play with the flavours & make a different flavoured one each time.

You Will Need:

3 Pita Breads
2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Any Salt to sprinkle - I used Himalayan Pink Salt

How To:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C

In a small bowl, whisk together Olive oil, parsley & garlic powder

Brush with olive oil mixture on both sides of the bread.

Cut Pita Bread into bite triangles or squares. Place them on a baking tray in a single layer.You could line the baking tray with foil to ease up cleaning but I did not. If you are using more than 2 pita breads, you will need an additional baking tray

Sprinkle Salt on top

Bake for 8-10 minutes until they turn golden & crisp. Remove from the oven & cool them completely. Can be stored in an air tight container upto a week

They taste great with hummus. I've also been eating them as a side with my soups & they taste great as Salad toppings instead of croutons