Mimi's Fit Foods

Burrrrrr!  It’s been cold outside so I’ve TOTALLY been in the mood for soup!  I kind of want it every day.  I love tomato soup and I’ve been dying to try American’s Test Kitchen’s (ATK’s) method of making it creamy.  It didn’t disappoint and I loved that it made a nice big pot so I could enjoy it as my carbohydrate side dish for a few days.

So, this recipe rocks and I must tell you why.  It has FABULOUS tomato flavor and is creamy without adding cream (most creamy tomato soups will come in around 300-450 calories per cup, but not this one!).  Quite honestly, the cream generally dulls the tomato flavor.  ATK figured out that if you add bread to the soup, it achieves a creamy texture.  Interesting, eh?  I thought so.  Thus, I just HAD to try it.  When the bread breaks down and is blended into the soup, it adds creaminess and helps to temper the acidity of the tomatoes.  It also helps thicken the soup to just the right consistency.

You might also find it odd that we use canned tomatoes in this recipe.  ATK has tested using fresh tomatoes versus canned tomatoes, and no kidding, the canned tomatoes give the best flavor result.

Also, one other little trick to the soup is to puree the tomato soup with a little extra-virgin olive oil  Adding it to the soup during this stage helps to ramp up the flavor and the flavor remains clean and fresh.  Plus, while blending, the oil is fully incorporated into the soup.

I’m telling you, ATK is all business and I’m pretty darn impressed with this soup thanks to the easy methods applied.  (It was even a little easier for me since I have a stick immersion blender and could blend it right in my soup pot.)  If you love tomato soup, you gotta try this!!

Creamy Tomato Soup Without the Cream
Adapted from “The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook”

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 sliced high-quality white sandwich bread, crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons red cooking wine (I used Sherry)
salt and pepper
Multi-Grain Saltines, for serving (optional)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven (or heavy duty stock pot) over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes with their juice.  Stir in the sugar and bread, bring to a simmer, and cook until the bread begins to dissolve, about 5 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf.  Puree the soup with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a blender, in batches, until smooth.  Return the soup to a clean pot, stir in the broth and red cooking wine, and cook gently over medium0low heat until the soup is hot.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If desired, serve with multi-grain Saltine crackers.

Serves 9.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = Approx. 1 Cup Soup)
Calories:  120
Protein:  2g
Carbs:  12.6g
Fat:  6.6g (1g = Sat)
Fiber:  2g

If this salad doesn’t scream, “Take me to your next BBQ!” then I don’t know what does!  This is a unique salad that most people haven’t tried, but trust me when I tell you that everyone who has tried this salad when I’ve made it . . . has loved it!  Since quinoa is still kind of making it’s way into the food world, most people look at the salad and wonder what in the world that funny grain is!  I briefly explain and then tell them to try it.  Then, I watch with a big smile on my face as each person surprisingly loves the taste and goes back for more!  This is great for a BBQ because it can be served at room temperature or chilled.  So, it travels well and isn’t particularly temperature sensitive.

I have a sister who loves food like I do.  We kind of gave her the “food snob” label in the family (lovingly, of course) because she is ALWAYS on the lookout for the next best restaurant or food find.  We share a love of good food and when we find a dish that we love, we always share it with each other.  This, my friends, is one of her finds that she graciously shared with me.  And, I’m SO glad she did because it’s a keeper!  The Mediterranean flavors come together is such a delightful way.  This salad tastes fresh thanks to the veggies and herbs, it tastes tangy thanks to the balsamic vinegar, and is well-rounded with a slightly salty bite thanks to the feta cheese.  Don’t worry; when I recently made this . . . I made the ENTIRE batch.  Yep!  It serves 20, and I made the whole blasted thing.  I wanted to eat the leftovers for days.  Yes, I did share about one third of it with friends, but Beau and I have been enjoying the rest these last few days.  It works great as a side dish (it’s a great complex carb exchange for rice) or it can easily be made into a main dish.  I’ve been eating it for lunch and just adding some protein to it and it’s deeeelish!

I thank my sweet sister for this recipe and if you try it, you’ll be thanking her too!!

MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA SALAD
Recipe Source: Amber Hunter (sister)

4 cups water
4 tsp. vegetable stock (I used Better than Bouillon from Costco)
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 cup uncooked quinoa (Red/White or a mix)
1 large red onion, diced
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 pint cherry/pear shaped tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Bring the water, bouillon, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the garlic clove and scrape the quinoa into a large bowl.

Gently stir the onion, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, parsley, chives, and salt into the quinoa. Drizzle with the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Stir until evenly mixed. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Makes Approximately 10 cups.   Serves 20.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/2 Cup)
Calories:  119
Protein:  3.2g
Carbs:  15.1g
Fat:  5.1g (0.7g = Sat)
Fiber:  1.4g
Sugars:  2g