Gramma T's East Coast Tomato Soup

Today's goodness comes to us from Gramma Terry, my dad's mom. She made this delicious soup for my husband and I the last time we visited Oklahoma and it was to die for! She served it with a crusty baguette and it was so creamy and wonderful. Its a miracle that no one on this side of the family has cholesterol problems, because so much of her cooking involves lots of REAL butter and REAL cream. If you are looking for a bit of a lighter fare, you can substitute the butter for non-hydrogenated margarine spread, and substitute the cream for half and half or milk.

I think she clipped this recipe from Southern Living, or Better Homes and Gardens, but I couldn't find the instructions on how to actually make the soup, so I just copied the ingredient list. The instructions must have been on the next page. When I made it at home, I just leaned on my intuition on how to make soup, and tried to think like Gramma T. (I just did a Google search and found it on Taste of Home).

When I got home and looked at the recipe, I was amused that the pad of paper is from the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council, so I had to mention that. I never expected a food blog would allow me to talk about renewable energy, but why pass up the opportunity? Despite the fact that Oklahoma is still a leader in the nation in producing natural gas, there is an abundant amount of wind that has yet to be tapped. In fact, while reporting for Forbes.com in 2008 as a clean technology intern, I learned that Oklahoma is in the nation's top 10 for generating electricity from the wind, and is number five in the nation for potential wind power.

Ok, so back to tomato soup. I used my favorite roasted tomatoes instead of tomato juice, and I used Kanimi brand Crab Smart crab flavored sea food flakes, which is pollack with a bit of snow crab meat. According to the package, both were harvested sustainably. Canned crab meat works too, but I think it has a bit of a metallic taste from being in the can. You can always omit the crab and just make creamy tomato soup. If you're concerned about seafood sustainability, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch list.

Ingredients:

3 T. chopped onion
1 garlic clove (or 1 t. minced garlic)
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour (you may or may not need this)
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 1/2 c. half and half or cream
2 c. tomato juice (I used my Roasted Tomatoes)
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce1/4 t. ground savory or thyme
hot sauce to taste
2 6-oz. cans of crab meat
garnish with sour cream and parsely

I started by melting the butter in a saucepan and then adding the onions. Sautee the onions on medium heat until they become translucent. You can use green onions too, but they burn quickly, so don't cook for too long. I then added the crab meat, garlic, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. To bring out the flavor of the crab, you want to cook it it a bit first, even if the package says "pre-cooked." Make sure the heat is medium or low, because it can stick to the bottom of the pan quickly.

Once the crab is warmed and the smells fill your kitchen, its time to add the tomatoes (juice or

blended; see my earlier recipe for roasted tomatoes here). Turn up the heat just a bit, stirring constantly so the tomatoes begin to bubble. Add the savory or thyme if you haven't already. Because I used a chunkier tomato sauce, I did not use the flour. However, if you are using tomato juice, this is where you would add the flour. Start by adding just a spoonful at a time, stirring until the flour is smooth, so it doesn't form clumps. By adding it slowly and stirring, you will thicken the sauce but prevent weird flour lumps.

Now its time for the yummiest part! Add the milk, half and half or cream (the more fat, the tastier!), and turn up the heat just a bit. Maintain the constant stirring, so the milk doesn't burn and mixes evenly in your soup. You can either turn the heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or serve it as is. Simmering only makes it a bit richer and the flavor stand out more. You can also skip the sour cream and instead add a pinch of parmesan cheese. Add a dash of hot sauce and you're done!

Here's a word of caution: start with one package of crab meat and sautee with butter and onions. That may be plenty for you, especially if you just want a hint of seafood flavor. I wasn't paying attention and added two 8-oz packages. At first I didn't realize that was 1.5 times as much as the recipe calls for. (I should have done the math in my head first, but I was in a hurry).

Sometimes recipes fail. This was a big FAIL for me. The taste was fine, we both agreed, but the consistency was all wrong. Probably because I used chunky tomatoes instead of tomato juice, in addition to having 1/2 cup too much crab. Rather than soup, it was more like a thick, chunky alla panna sauce (like marinara with alfredo sauce).

But, the key to recession cooking is not to give up when things fail! Instead, take a deep breath and do two things: try it again. You will learn from your previous mistakes and try things differently next time. And most importantly, do something creative with the leftovers (in the next couple of days, so they don't spoil! Leftovers do you no good if they end up in the garbage or compost!). Stay tuned for how I reinvented the tomato soup into a pasta sauce.

Enjoy!

Mackey's Overnight Oatmeal: "Smarter Choice" than Froot Loops

As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In fact, I'm drinking a cup of coffee and eating a vegan cranberry protein cake as I write this post.

Like so many other kids with working moms, my siblings and I didn't always eat a healthy breakfast--I was a huge fan of Pop Tarts and Toaster Strudel. I don't even remember the last time I ate the recently maligned Froot Loops. But I know processed "food-like substances" (as Michael Pollan calls them) did not have fancy labels or logos to indicate the healthfulness of the product back in the 80s and 90s when I was an adolescent.

You might have read about the Food and Drug Administration cracking down on food labeling programs like Smart Choices, as the New York Times reported on Oct 20. Critics contend that unhealthy foods--such as the high sugar cereal Froot Loops and high fat foods like mayonnaise --can brandish this label, which can be confusing to the public.

Three days after the FDA's announcement, the Smart Choices program released a statement saying it would not promote the label and "voluntarily postpone active operations," in order to comply.

But it can be tough to eat a healthy breakfast (regardless of whether you reach for a conveniently packaged, processed food product or cook your own real food). Even for me, I eventually get tired of eating yogurt and granola with bran flakes. And even though I'm not particularly a fan of instant oatmeal (which is great to store in your desk at work and takes 60 seconds to prepare), I discovered a great recipe for regular "old fashioned" oatmeal that doesn't involve 20 minutes of constant stirring over an open stove. And of course, these oats can be bought in bulk and are almost always much cheaper than individually packaged instant oatmeal.

This comes to us from the Whole Foods Blog (say what you will about CEO John Mackey's stance on health care--I like these recipes!), and I have modified it a bit, as usual. A single serving of John McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal has 150 calories, 2 g. fat, 26 g. carbs, 4 g. sugar and 0 g. sodium; but remember to add a bit more fat for the milk or honey you might add. Regular instant oatmeal (plain) has about 27 g. of sodium per serving. This kind of oatmeal has a richer, nuttier flavor than instant, and doesn't get that slimy, gross texture that I've found in so many instant varieties.

I use little Pyrex bowls, because I can pop them in the toaster oven. But if you have a microwave you can use a regular ceramic bowl (never heat up plastic in the microwave!) This is a wonderful recipe because you soak the oatmeal overnight, and take it to work with you in the morning, and the prep (in the microwave) takes about the same amount of time as instant oatmeal. If you are like me and have no microwave, but depend on the toaster oven, this takes a bit more time, but it is worth it.

Ingredients:

1/4 c. dry steel cut oats

1/2 c. milk (I use soy or almond, but animal milk works too)

1 t. brown sugar, honey, molasses, or maple syrup

1/4 to 1/2 c. fruit (frozen, dried or fresh works)

If you're using dried fruit, put it in the bowl first to ensure it soaks up as much liquid as possible. Add the oatmeal to the bowl and cover with (soy) milk--you'll need about twice as much milk as oats. Now add the sweetener at your own discretion--I usually add about a teaspoon, and alternate between real maple syrup and brown sugar.

However, I've discovered that if you're using flavored milk substitute (such as vanilla flavored almond milk), you need much less sweetener than you would if you used regular cow or goat milk. The Whole Foods recipe calls for lemon zest and a teaspoon of vanilla extract, but you don't really need it.

Let the mixture soak overnight. In the morning when you get up, check to see if the oatmeal has expanded to rise above the level of the milk. Add a splash of milk if it has. I sometimes add a teeny pat of butter, but skip it if you have cholesterol problems. If you're using frozen fruit, add it to the bowl now.

When you are ready to cook, pop the bowl in the microwave for one minute. Stir, and cook for one more minute. If you're using the toaster oven, cook for 10 minutes on 375 degrees, in an oven-safe container. Cooking times may vary, so you might want to cook for seven minutes, stir and cook for seven more minutes. If you're using fresh fruit, add it now and voila! Healthy oatmeal and YOU control the amount of sugar you use. Now that is a smarter choice.

Enjoy!

Lentil Burgers: always e-coli free

If you are horrified by reading a recent New York Times article about how a 22-year old woman was paralyzed after eating a contaminated hamburger, ("E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection") learning how to make "burgers" from non-meat products might suddenly sound more appetizing. I did not set out to write this post as vegetarian manifesto, standing on a box of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, saying "I told you so," in a nanny-nanny-boo-boo voice. But when a news peg falls in your lap, it's too good to pass up.

In 1996, about a year into my vegetarianism, Kraft's Morningstar Farms products appeared in the my grocer's freezer section. Coming from a household (and a "southern" food culture) that was meat and potatoes, eating fake meat products made the transition--and resolution to stay meat-free--much easier. More than a decade later, while reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, I discovered that the fake meat products all had corn and soy in them. I had a crisis of conscience when I realized the meat replacer "food-like products" were a part of the same industrial food chain that I was protesting against.

I wish I would have discovered lentil burgers earlier. At the time I read Pollan's book, I was in grad school and had absolutely no time to be making burgers from scratch. But as a freelancer still in search of regular assignments, I've got the time to plan soaking and cooking lentils. I got this recipe from a cookbook our former neighbors left us when they moved out of this apartment. We thought they were at least healthy eaters because they got the same CSA delivery box we did. I adopted this recipe from Meatless Meals for Working People, which also has an extensive section on vegetarian and vega n selections from fast food restaurants.

Ingredients:

1 c. lentils, soaked overnight in water

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 c. wheat germ

1 or 2 garlic cloves, mashed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

2 pinches of cumin

2 pinches of paprika

1 tbs. oil or butter

Remember lentils will expand several times, so you may need to add more than a cup of water while they are soaking. In a 2 or 3 quart saucepan, sautee the onions and garlic until they are slightly golden and transparent. Add the lentils and enough water to cover; cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. Add salt, pepper, cumin and paprika. Because you are mashing them into patties, its okay if they split open or break into pieces.

After the lentils are cooked, drain any excess water if it seems to soupy. Add wheat germ and butter or oil, and mix and mash together until you can form patties. Fry on a skillet with a bit of extra butter or oil, turning to cook both sides evenly. Serve on a warm roll with lettuce and tomato, or if you're feeling spicy, add some curry mayo. It would be best to add curry to Miracle Whip, because regular, un-sweetened mayo wasn't as great as I expected.

The recipe says this will serve 6, but I made 4 patties; I cooked two (ate one) and froze the rest. I'm happy to report that reheating the cooked frozen patty in the toaster oven (375 deg for abt 17 mins), was nearly as delicious as the freshly-cooked one. The other good news is that the onion lentil mixture is a great base for lentils and some Ecuadorean food that I will attempt soon.

Now eating frozen lentil burgers may not represent the pinnacle of health, but it is a quick, hearty meal when you are too exhausted to prepare and cook from scratch. And unless you have some serious hygiene issues, there is practically no chance you could contaminate these burgers with e. Coli. The nutritional information from this recipe book says each serving has approximately: 147 calories, 4 g. fat (more depending on how much butter you use), 10 g. protein, 21 g. carbs, 3 mg. iron, 21 mg. calcium, 4 g. fiber. According to Nutritionpedia, a 2 oz. serving of a real hamburger patty is: 100 calories, 60 g. fat, 10 g. protein, 0 carbs, 0 iron, 0 calcium, 0 fiber. (However, most hamburger patties begin at 4 0z--hence, a quarter pounder).

There isn't anything else I can say about the industrial food chain--or the health, environmental, labor, immigration, and cultural consequences of this food system--that many others have already said, or written about in length. But if there weren't enough other (aforementioned) reasons to try making lentil patties instead of beef burgers, lentils are dirt cheap, more so if you can buy them in bulk. Even if you live far from a locavore oasis, natural food stores or ethnic grocery stores or "world markets" carry bulk grains and legumes, like The Earth in Norman, Oklahoma.

Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna: Ellen's Taco Stew, casserole redux

This is a different take on a classic recipe for which my cousin Ellen is famous. It is similar to chili, but has more vegetables, and can easily be made vegetarian-style. You can make it super-spicy, or stick to the original recipe and keep it mild. Taco Stew is easy to make, delicious and requires little clean up. My husband had the idea for "Mexican Lasagna," which began as just an idea, and we brainstormed until we came up with this tasty concoction.

I realized that this meal counts as recession cooking because it isn't very expensive to make, is very hearty and makes great leftovers. However, it doesn't exactly qualify as "made from scratch," unless you have access to fresh corn and a case of tomatoes you've canned yourself. Some foodies would disagree that food that comes from a can is not as healthy for you as freshly picked, but I'm discovering, as fellow J-school alum Sierra Filucci did in her recent East Bay Express article, ("Back to the Microwave," September 23, 2009), that cooking food from scratch is not only incredibly time-consuming, it also means you're tethered to the kitchen scrubbing dishes every night.

Don't get me wrong, if I had a case of self-canned tomatoes, I would love to make taco stew (or Mexican lasagna) from scratch. But cooking on a budget is often a compromise, and I'm trying to find the balance between staples that are easy to stock in your cabinet (canned tomatoes), and scouring the farmer's market for cheap and fresh food.

I do make one exception, though. I ALWAYS buy organic tomatoes. And not simply because I think they taste better. In addition to the benefits to the farm workers who are not exposed to pesticides, I learned that tomatoes, like strawberries, absorb and retain the most pesticides

compared to all other fruits and vegetables. (Thanks to this great book, Tangled Routes, now in its 2nd edition.) Eat organic. It's better for the farmers, better for the earth and better for you.

Well, food neuroses aside, prepare yourself for a delicious meal! I'll begin with the original taco stew recipe (with spicy additions), then create the Mexican lasagna by layering stew, tortillas and cheese.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained or 1 bag burger crumbles (Morningstar Farms or Quorn will do)

1 med. red onion, chopped (about the size of your fist)

2-3 cloves of garlic (I use more, but modify at your own discretion)

2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes

2 10-oz. cans Ro*tel

2 14-oz. cans sweet corn, drained

1-2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped (1 large or 2 small)

1-2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 packages taco seasoning

2 packages Ranch dressing mix

1 can cheddar cheese soup

2-4 c. shredded Mexican cheese OR

1 package cotija cheese, crumbled

Corn tortilla chips

EVOO

Extra Spicy Additions and Substitutions:

Muir Glenn fire roasted tomatoes (Substitute)

Hot Ro*tel (S)

Hot Taco seasoning (S)

Fiesta Ranch dip mix (S)

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (Add)

1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (A)

1 habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped (A)

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (A)

Red Hot Blues blue corn tortilla chips (S)

1 can fiesta nacho cheese soup (S)

Mexican Lasagna:

1-2 packages corn tortillas instead of tortilla chips

I know, I know, Ellen's original recipe includes "ground beef" which I railed against in my last post. However, meat eaters, I assure you my husband eats the fake meat version all the time and LOVES it! I have yet to try substituting chopped mushrooms and black beans for fake meat, but I bet that would be tasty too.

To begin, you'll need a large stock pot, about 6 quarts or larger. Add a few glugs of olive oil to

the pot, enough to cover the bottom. Sauté onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium-high heat, until the onions start to become translucent. Add fake meat (or beef) and more EVOO if needed, stirring constantly. Cook fake meat for about 5 or 10 minutes, until its no longer frozen and in clumps. (If you use real beef, brown and drain the grease). Add one package of taco seasoning, and stir in red and green bell peppers and hot peppers if you like it ¡HOT! Continue stirring for a few minutes, until the peppers begin to become soft.

The rest is easy. Add your cans of tomatoes, Ro*tel, corn (drained of water, remember!), the other package of taco seasoning and Ranch dip mixes, cheese soup, and for the spicy version, the can of chipotle peppers. Once all ingredients are in the pot, stir until everything is evenly distributed and the whole mix begins to bubble. Turn down to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve in a bowl with tortilla chips and shredded cheese or crumbled cotija cheese.

Mexican lasagna:

This is the same basic principle of making a lasagna--layering.

We took tortillas and cut off the round edges, creating squares or rectangle shapes. Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, turning once halfway through. They should be firm, but not too crispy. In this case, you don't need to let the taco stew simmer for 20 mins; it will do that in the oven.

In a 9 X 13 pan, begin your layers with tortillas, then a few spoonfuls of taco stew to cover. Then add crumbled cotija cheese and shredded Mexican cheese. Continue layering until you have reached the top of the casserole dish, leaving room to top with cheese. Cover with foil and cook for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove the foil and cook for another 20-25 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and calling your name. Cut and serve like lasagna!

¡Enjoy!

(In light of recent FCC rulings about bloggers, I'd like to note, I have not been paid by anyone to advertise a brand or a particular product. All of the brand name products I mention, I do so because they are "tried and true" brands that we use every time and we like very much. This is only an "endorsement" in the sense that we use and like these ingredients, but feel free to use which ever brand you prefer).

Feel Better Tea: a companion

Thanks to plenty of rest and this potent tea, I can say I am definitely much better than a week ago. This is the tea I usually make when I'm feeling under the weather, and can be the base for a much stronger tea when the "common cold" knocks you on your rear. It's basically a concoction of things my grandmother would suggest, and might have resembled something her grandmother used to brew.

My great-grandfather (my grandma's dad) was a pharmacist, but grandma used to say the only thing she ever saw him take was an aspirin. For a cough or sore throat, a hot tea was always the way to go. Lots of honey and lemon, mixed with chunks of ginger soothe your mouth and open up your lungs. I try to use local honey because I think it somehow tastes better, but it's hard to tell whether using it to treat allergies is an effective way to combat irritating pollen spores from the area.

Zingiber officianle, (ginger) however has been noted by many cultures to have medicinal properties, as this University of Maryland Medical Center article describes. (If you are taking medication, make sure to read to the bottom about medical interactions with ginger!) One good whiff of its spicy, earthy scent bubbling in a pot of hot water is enough to remind your senses you will feel better soon. Commonly (mistakenly) called "ginger root," the firm flesh you are about to eat/drink is actually the rhizome of the plant.

Another zinger I added to this tea was fennel seeds--if you add a lot, it will give it a sweet, licorice taste. A commercially packaged tea called Throat Coat uses fennel too, which is where I got the idea. (Straight fennel is too sweet for me, and probably for most people who don't love black licorice flavor). A well-stocked pantry usually has most of these items on-hand already. If you live in California, you can probably scavenge fresh fennel from a neighbor's unkempt side-lawn--it grows wild all over here.

Ingredients:

Fresh ginger (one or two thumb-sized pieces)

Local honey (several tablespoons, or to taste)

2-3 Ts Fennel seeds

or three chunks of fresh fennel stalk

juice of 1 small lemon or half a large lemon

Extras:

organic green tea bag

2-3 cloves (2-3 ts minced) garlic (don't freak out! I'll explain)

If you don't have a tea strainer, you can throw all of these things into your mug and sip around them or chew as you go. I measure a chunk about the size of one or two of my thumbs and break it off from the larger piece. Peel with a potato peeler and cut into pinky-nail-sized chunks. Add the honey, lemon and fennel seeds. If you are using fresh fennel, make sure to scrub it well before you chop into small pieces (abt. the size of the ginger chunks). I add a bag of my favorite green tea, but you don't need it.

Now I know it might sound wretched (to anyone who hasn't eaten my cooking), but putting several big chunks of garlic in your tea will make you feel better if you are wrapped in a blanket, engulfed with a growly, phlegmy cough and generally too miserable to leave your abode. According to the Herb Society of America, Allii sativi bulbus, garlic, has also been used for centuries for its anti-microbial purposes, one of which is the treatment of respiratory illness.

You must be thinking, 'gross, who wants to drink garlic tea?' But who actually enjoys the taste of cough syrup or Theraflu anyway? It might not taste wonderful, but it will make you feel better--even if its just enough to get yourself to an actual health care provider.

If you are still needing something strong for your tea, the ginger-garlic-fennel base is an excellent starter for a hot toddy. Just grab some whiskey (ahem, adults only, please) and slosh a glug or two in your mug. By this point, you won't care what it tastes like, and you'll probably be asleep before too long! Another great-grandfather (my grandfather's father) used to brew moonshine in Oklahoma before Prohibition was lifted in 1959, so the whiskey they put in their tea was definitely homemade!

Enjoy!

(note: these statements are not meant to give medical advice or treat or cure any disease. they have not been approved by the FDA.)