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Come Party With Me: Almost Meatless Thanksgiving - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:50:06 -0800

If you've got both vegetarians and meat lovers joining you for Thanksgiving, consider serving an almost meatless meal. The only meat dish on the menu is the turkey, but the appetizers and supporting dishes are all veg-friendly. Start with baked brie and toasted walnuts. It's a luxurious way to begin any party and the salty cheese-nut combo will whet guests' palettes.

When you move to the table, serve a sherried kabocha soup with spiced pepitas as the first course. A bay and lemon brined turkey is the main event, while scalloped yukon gold and sweet potato gratin, Brussels sprouts with vinegar-glazed red onions, shiitake mushroom and herb stuffing, and roasted cranberry sauce are the scrumptious sides. To get a look at these savory and seasonal recipes, please keep reading

Fast & Easy Dinner: Potato and White Bean Chowder

partysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:50:45 -0800

With a little help from the grocery store, you can have a piping hot bowl of healthy and delicious soup on your table in under a half an hour.

This recipe combines potatoes with carrots and white kidney beans. Although it calls for milk, it doesn't require full-fat milk, fat-free is fine.

It's hearty and vegetarian, plus any leftovers will make an excellent lunch tomorrow. To learn how to make it, read more.

Potato and White Bean Chowder
From Diabetic Living

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon snipped fresh herb (such as oregano, basil, and/or parsley) or 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 of a 15-ounce can (3/4 cup) white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
Ground nutmeg

Directions

Coat an unheated nonstick medium saucepan with cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat.
Add green onions, dried Italian seasoning (if using), and garlic to hot saucepan. Cook until green onions are tender.
Add the water, potato, carrot, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 12 minutes or until potato and carrot are tender. Do not drain. Slightly mash potato and carrot with a fork or potato masher.
In a screw-top jar combine milk and flour; cover and shake well. Stir milk mixture into potato mixture.
Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in fresh herb (if using) and beans. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Sprinkle individual servings with nutmeg.

Serves 2.

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Reader Recipe: Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Yum Community — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:50:10 -0800

This story was written by member SweetPeasMom and comes from the Kitchen Goddess group in the YumSugar Community. The soup looks like it would make a wonderful cold-weather dinner. It's quick, simple, and perfect for busy weeknights. Check out her recipe when you read more

Is Soup a Part of Your Thanksgiving Meal?

partysugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:53 -0800

Fast & Easy Dinner: Manhattan Clam Chowder

partysugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:30:13 -0800

Living in San Francisco it's virtually impossible to find a Manhattan-style red clam chowder. To enjoy this chunky and filling soup, I have to make it myself, thus I've decided to experiment with this recipe.

With its pieces of clams, tomatoes, and veggies, this red chowder is healthier then the cream-based variation. Serve with a side of mixed greens and a hunk of crusty bread, and you've got a deliciously comforting weeknight meal. Check out the recipe and read more.

Manhattan Clam Chowder
From Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients

1 pint shucked clams or two 6-1/2-ounce cans minced clams
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1/4 cup chopped carrot (1 small)
2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
1 8-ounce bottle clam juice or 1 cup chicken broth
2 cups cubed red potato
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons purchased cooked bacon pieces or cooked crumbled bacon*

Directions

Chop fresh clams, if using, reserving juice; set clams aside. Strain clam juice to remove bits of shell. (Or, drain canned clams, reserving juice.) If necessary, add enough water to reserved clam juice to equal 1-1/2 cups. Set juice aside.
In a large saucepan cook celery, onion, and carrot in hot oil until tender.
Stir in the reserved 1-1/2 cups clam juice and the 8 ounces clam juice. Stir in potatoes, thyme, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes, clams, and bacon.
Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through.

Serves 4.

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Name That Dish!

partysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:15:47 -0700

When making the Italian soup that's pictured below, one could throw in a rind of Parmesan cheese to enhance the flavor. With its ribbons of fluffy eggs, do you know what it's called?

Simple Tip: Use Parmesan Rinds to Flavor Soups

partysugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:30:12 -0700

Good-quality cheese is expensive and if I'm going to purchase a wedge of imported Italian Parmesan cheese, I like to use the entire chunk - including the rind. Luckily, I learned a long time ago that the rinds can be used to season soups and stews. Once you've grated all the cheese off, wrap the rind tightly in plastic wrap and throw in the freezer. The next time you make minestrone, chicken noodle soup, or any other Italian-style, stock-based soup or light stew, simply toss the rind in. It will melt and seep a nutty, cheesy goodness into the soup. How easy is that?!

Do you reserve and reuse cheese rinds? Tell us how below!

Soup's On: Roasted Vegetable Soup

partysugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:00:05 -0700

Now that you've made your own vegetable stock, you'll need a delectable vegetable soup recipe to put the stock to good use. This one is easy, hearty, and soothing. The technique to make this soup is similar to making the stock; it starts by roasting a bunch of vegetables in the oven. This concentrates the flavor and softens the texture of the veggies. While the ingredient list calls for tomatoes, leeks, garlic, and carrots, virtually any vegetables you have on hand will work: red peppers, onions, root vegetables, etc. To check out the simple yet satisfying recipe, please read more.

Roasted Vegetable Soup
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

6 beefsteak tomatoes, halved and cored
2 leeks, white and pale-green parts cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In roasting pan, toss tomatoes with leeks, carrots, garlic, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer (tomato cut sides down) until tender, 1 hour.
Using tongs, peel off tomato skins.
In saucepan, bring vegetables, vegetable broth, and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.
In batches, puree in blender. Stir in basil.

Serves 4-6.

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Do You Have an Immersion Blender?

partysugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:50:41 -0700

Source: Flickr User foodistablog

Make Your Own Vegetable Stock

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:02 -0700

While many soup recipes incorporate vegetarian-friendly ingredients like vegetables, cream, or cheese, the majority call for chicken broth, making them inedible to someone who doesn't consume meat. This problem is easily remedied with one simple component: vegetable stock. Made from vegetables that are roasted and then simmered in water, veggie stock is flavorful and rich.

While you could purchase a boxed variation from the grocery store, it's far more rewarding to make your own batch. Along with mushrooms, carrots, shallots, garlic, and red peppers, this recipe uses a cup of canned tomatoes, which provide depth, a mild sweetness, and an earthy color. If you have some time to experiment with homemade vegetable stock, get the recipe and read more.

Vegetable Stock
From Gourmet

This recipe would also be an excellent base to gravy.

Ingredients

1/2 lb portabella mushrooms, caps and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb shallots, left unpeeled, quartered
1 lb carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs (including stems)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
2 bay leaves (not California)
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 qt water

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss together mushrooms, shallots, carrots, bell peppers, parsley and thyme sprigs, garlic, and oil in a large flameproof roasting pan. Roast in middle of oven, turning occasionally, until vegetables are golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer vegetables with slotted spoon to a tall narrow 6-quart stockpot.
Set roasting pan across 2 burners, then add wine and deglaze pan by boiling over moderate heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 2 minutes. Transfer to stockpot and add bay leaves, tomatoes, and water.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes. Pour through a large fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing on and discarding solids, then season with salt and pepper. Skim off fat.

Makes about 2 quarts.

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