Vegetarian Kale Soup

So...this weekend I needed to fix a nourishing meal that me and the hubs could enjoy.  Sweet boy would enjoy it too, I'm sure, but he's still nursing, so breast milk is as good as it gets these days!  Anyhow, me and Jay needed something warm and comforting and filling but not too heavy.  I searched around and found this - Vegetarian Kale Soup!  Yummers!!!  I whipped up a batch and it was delish!  In fact, I just finished it off for lunch today.  This is a tasty soup, so get your taste buds ready!  All the credit goes to allrecipes.com!  I don't have a picture of the food to accompany this post so I'll just post a pic of my little sweet boy instead. :-)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves

chopped

8 cups water

6 cubes vegetable bouillon (such as

Knorr)

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans

(drained if desired)

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons dried parsley (I only used 1 tablespoon though)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the water, vegetable bouillon, tomatoes, potatoes, beans, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Simmer soup on medium heat for 25 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with a piece of cheese toast and a tall glass of milk!
~Priscilla

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

Okay, before I give you this recipe, I must tell you that I changed a LOT to turn it from an appetizer to an entree.  But I will give you the original recipe and then let you know the changes that I made later on.

Ingredients

all-purpose flour, for rolling

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 T sour cream

1 t. grainy mustard

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 large leeks, white and light-green parts only

1 T unsalted butter

3/4 lb. grape tomatoes, halved, or plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick, or a combination

2 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled

2 t. fresh thyme or basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12-inch square; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.  In a small bowl, stir together sour cream and mustard and season with salt and pepper.  Spread sour cream mixture evenly over pastry.  Fold over 1/2-inch border on all sides and press edges to seal.  Refrigerate 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, halve leeks lengthwise; rinse thoroughly, pat dry, and slice 1/4 inch thick.  In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high.  Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 5 minutes.  Arrange leeks evenly over sour cream mixture on pastry.  Top with tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp, 25 minutes.  Let cool slightly.  Top with goat cheese and herbs before cutting into squares.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Okay, here are the things I changed:

1. I used feta instead of goat cheese.

2. I used 8 oz. of feta instead of 2 oz. of goat cheese (I love cheese!  2 ounces is not enough!).

3. I put the cheese on before putting it in the oven so that it would be melted in.

4. I added salami slices to make it more substantial and entree-like.

It was delicious!  I'm sure the original recipe is good too, but the changes I made were quite good.  The leeks add a tangy flavor, plus lots of greens to the "pizza".  It was really good.

*Recipe adapted from Everyday Food Issue 75*

- Sarah

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

ripe, red, beautiful tomatoes, sliced
fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
good olive oil
good balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preparation

Arrange sliced tomatoes on a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay slices of fresh basil and mozzarella on each tomato slice and drizzle with as little or as much olive oil and balsamic vinegar as you like. Delicious.

- Sarah