Pumpkin Tomato Basil Soup

I had a baking pumpkin to use and didn't want to make a pie so I found this soup recipe to try. It was delicious!

1 Small Pumpkin
1 can tomato puree
4 cups Chicken Broth
6-7 Carrots, peeled and sliced or diced
1 Medium Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons Basil, chopped
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 pinch Ground Pepper
1/4 cup Cream (optional - I didn't use any but it would make it creamier)
1 Teaspoon sugar

In a large pot, put Chicken Stock, pumpkin and carrot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 1/2 hour.
Sautee onions and mushrooms until browned.
Puree all ingredients in a blender. Place pureed soup into the soup pot.
Add spices, sugar and cream at this time.
Simmer for 10 minutes.

It makes a lot - probably 15 servings.

Zucchini Bread

If you send your husband to the store to get these ingredients, make sure he knows the difference between zucchini and cucumbers!

3 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 1/2 t cinnamon
Sift all this in a bowl

3 eggs
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c natural applesauce
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
3 t vanilla extract
Beat in large bowl then add dry ingredients and mix

4 c grated zucchini
1 c chopped walnuts
Stir in

Pour batter into two greased and floured bread pans. Bake at 325 for 50-55 min. Cool on rack for 20 min. Remove from pan and cool completely before cutting.

granola

6 cups quick oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
2 Tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
optional: raisins, coconut, sesame seeds and nuts (I've never used any of those)
In large bowl combine oats, brown sugar, wheat germ and nonfat dry milk (and coconut, sesame seeds and nuts if desired). Stir that all together. Combine honey, vegetable or canola oil, water and vanilla. Add to oat mixture. Stir to coat ingredients well. (The actual recipe says to do this next part diffferent but when we made it this is how we did it and it turns out well, and this is how the Mechams do it) Place that in one cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees. Leave it in there for 12 minutes and then take it out and sift it with a fork. Then put it back in the oven for about 12-15 minutes and it should turn out! This makes about 14 cups.


this is great because i use my food storage for a lot of it. enjoy!

The Green Burrito!

I had to wait for a good one to post and here it is.

1 Rump roast (any roast for the crock pot will do)
1/2 can Macayo's Red Enchilada's sauce (I actually used the market pantry ones from Target but I like Macayo's much better)
1 can Macayo's Green Enchilada's sauce
About 1 tablespoons of chopped onions (any kind, if desired)
1 small can of green chili's (if desired)
About a 1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Put it all in the crock pot on low BEFORE YOU GO TO BED. I did it at around 9:30pm and I ate it at 1:00pm the next day. It comes out so tender and juicy and flavorful. (10-15 hours should do the trick) (my sister cooks this on MEDIUM for 15 hours, she likes the burnt glaze it creates on the top of the meat...you decide)

To make it healthy, you can drain all the liquid in a bowl, stick it in the fridge and let it cool for a couple hours. When it's cool, all the fat should come and harden at the top. Skim the fat off, reheat the juice, pour juice over meat. You should be able to shred the meat in the pot or you can take it out and use a fork to shred it with.
You can also make this an Enchilada soup and add more enchilada sauce. However you like it it is fantastic. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Caramelitas

My mom makes these and they are so yummy.


3/4 c. butter (melted)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. oatmeal
32 light candy caramels, melted with 5 T. cream
1 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped pecans (opt.)

combine sugar, flour, soda, salt and oatmeal in a bowl. Stir in melted butter. Pat 1/2 of the crumb mixture into 9x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 min or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top, then nuts, then pour melted caramel over. Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mizture over the top, bake 10 more minutes until lightly browned. Let set up and cut into small pieces.

Here is a conversion chart for that last recipe. Sorry we use the metric system over here...bleh!

Conversion Table for Cooking

• U.S. to Metric
• Metric to U.S.
• Cooking Measurment Equivalents

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U.S. to Metric

Capacity

1/5 teaspoon = 1 ml

1 teaspoon = 5 ml

1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 fluid oz. = 30 ml

1/5 cup = 50 ml

1 cup = 240 ml

2 cups (1 pint) = 470 ml

4 cups (1 quart) = .95 liter

4 quarts (1 gal.) = 3.8 liters

Weight

1 oz. = 28 grams

1 pound = 454 grams

[Top]

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Metric to U.S.

Capacity

1 militers = 1/5 teaspoon

5 ml = 1 teaspoon

15 ml = 1 tablespoon

30 ml = 1 fluid oz.

100 ml = 3.4 fluid oz.

240 ml = 1 cup

1 liter = 34 fluid oz.

1 liter = 4.2 cups

1 liter = 2.1 pints

1 liter = 1.06 quarts

1 liter = .26 gallon

Weight

1 gram = .035 ounce

100 grams = 3.5 ounces

500 grams = 1.10 pounds

1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds

1 kilogram = 35 oz.

Skinny lasagna

There is this cooking show here called "Cook Yourself Thin" and they have the most delicious recipes for at least half the calories if not MORE! This one is one of my absolute FAVS! I didnt use the redwine I found that the juice in the tomato can was plenty and I also used turkey mince which is even lower in fat! Check out the website for more recipes!

http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/C/cook-yourself-thin/recipes.html

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

400g lean beef mince (must be the best quality, or you could try and get a butcher to mince it for you)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

315ml red wine

400g tin plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 zuccinis, thinly sliced lengthways

4 sheets of lasagne

For the cheese sauce

500ml semi-skimmed milk

A good grating of whole nutmeg

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons cornflour

1 teaspoon English mustard

80g mature cheddar cheese

Heat up a big saucepan and add the olive oil. Sweat the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for around five minutes over a medium heat.

Heat a frying pan up until very hot and cook the seasoned beef, without any oil, in batches. Then add the beef to the saucepan.

The point of cooking the beef in batches is to get a good colour on it because this adds more flavour.

When all the beef is in the saucepan, turn up the heat and add the wine.

Cook until the wine has all been absorbed and then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaf and oregano.

Season and simmer for 30 minutes or until rich and tasty.

Preheat a conventional oven to 180ºC, or a fan-assisted one to 160ºC.

Heat a griddle pan. Season the zuccinis and lightly chargrill or sear on each side, then leave on a plate until assembling time.

Now make the cheese sauce.

Heat the milk up gently with a good grating of nutmeg, some salt and pepper. Mix the cornflour with 50ml of the milk and whisk back into the milk, continuing to cook for two to three minutes until thickened.

Add the mustard and half the cheese. Check the seasoning and set aside.

Now for the fun part.

Take a baking dish and start layering up the ingredients. Start with a layer of meat, then meat, then zuccinis, then meat, then pasta and finally cheese sauce.

Top with the rest of the cheese and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbling.