Posts Tagged by barefoot contessa
Mexican Tortilla Soup with Shrimp
| February 2, 2012 | Filled under Fish & Seafood, Main Dishes, Snacks & Appetizers, Soup & Sandwiches, Southwestern, Vegetables |
This dish is hearty, deliciously satisfying, and super easy to make – it’s a variation of traditional Mexican tortilla chicken soup. Suprising, even though I lived in Arizona where Mexican food is amazing and bountiful, I didn’t make this soup until I got back to Canada. I guess it’s the cold dark winter months that’s got me craving a taste of sunny Scottsdale, which is warm and wonderful this time of year. Dear Scottsdale, I miss you. Send over some summer while I make this soup and remember the good times we had together.
PS – make this soup ahead of time and reheat mid-week with a grilled cheese sandwich or quesadilla for a fast comfort food dinner.
I happened to find some colourful carrots at the market over the weekend, but normally I would use regular carrots. And that may look like a lot of jalapeno, but this recipe makes quite a bit of soup and it adds a nice flavour and not a lot of heat. Also, when using canned tomatoes for this soup, get the crushed kind if possible. I only had whole tomatoes in my pantry, so I did a little puree after it was done to break up the big chunks.
Lately, I’ve started using organic chicken bouillon cubes – no msg. This recipe was based on Ina Garten’s ’Barefoot Contessa at Home’ cookbook and she’s got a great recipe for homemade chicken stock. If I had more time and freezer space, I would make buckets of homemade stock. But for now, these cubes are a life saver. PS – this brand has a ridiculously high amount of sodium, so maybe try one that has less or use less of it.
Not a fan of shrimp? Chicken is the traditional way to serve this soup and store-bought roasted chicken is a great way to easily switch it up. Just shred the chicken breast and add it in when the recipe calls for shrimp. Or throw in some canned black beans for a vegetarian option. Either way, it’s a belly warming delicious soup that will wipe your winter blues away without packing on the pounds.
Mexican Tortilla Soup with Shrimp (Serves 6 to 8 ) Adapted from Ina Garten’s barefoot contessa at home
Ingredients:
- 2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
- 1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
- 2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Liters/quarts water
- 2 organic chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 can whole tomatoes (28 oz can)
- 2 to 4 jalapeno peppers
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
- 36 to 40 medium sized raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
To serve:
- 6 to 8 corn tortillas, cut into ½” strips
- 1 avocado
- Sour cream (optional)
- Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
- Corn tortilla chips (optional)
Directions:
- In a medium pot, bring water to boil and add chicken bouillon cubes to make stock. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and add onions, celery and carrots. Cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes or until onions start to brown. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add stock, canned tomatoes with juices, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, and ground black pepper. Add half the tortilla strips and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer covered for 25 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Before serving, add the shrimp to the soup. The shrimp will be cooked after two minutes or when shrimp pink. To serve, add cubed avocado and garnish with remaining tortilla strips and fresh coriander sprigs. Add a dollop of sour cream, grated cheddar cheese and broken corn tortilla chips if desired.
Peach and Blueberry Crumbles
| September 19, 2011 | Filled under Desserts, Fruits |
This past weekend was perfect for strolling through Ever Green Brickworks Farmer’s Market. An early start meant lots of parking and first pick of the goods. It was my first successful visit; my original failed attempt was due to the psychotic parking situation which had me vowing to get there before 11 to avoid the near fist fights in the parking lot. The covered market was full of amazing local/organic produce, awesome eats, a greenhouse and a few artisan crafts.
It’s the first farmer’s market I’ve been to where there was a variety of gluten free options from multiple vendors. My standout GF snacks were: a vegan chocolate cupcake and sweet potato beignets from LPK Culinary Groove , JKKitchen‘s organic fries with cilantro aioli, and Roasted Tomatillo Avocado Salsa and artisan corn tortilla chips by The Mad Mexican. Definitely a recommended Saturday morning excursion – thanks to StylinMommy for posting about Brickworks.
Besides the snacks, the trip also yielded a massive haul of produce including a boatload of Ontario peaches, baby eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, GF focaccia with poppyseed & onion, sweet potatoes, kale, and fancy mushrooms. The peaches were by far the best score – about 2 dozen peaches for $8 – but what do you do with that many peaches? I peeled and sliced up a few and froze them for future use and will give some away.
These crumbles were a great way to chip away at three or four of them. I feel like fruit desserts are as healthy as a dessert can be while still satisfying your sweet tooth, especially if they are homemade, vegan, and gluten-free. This recipe is an adaptation of Ina Garten’s recipe in Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook. I have a signed copy of the book – I met Ina after standing in line for about 2 hours to get her autograph at Chapters. She is as lovely and likeable in person as she is on her cooking show.
The easiest way to peel a bunch of peaches is to immerse them in boiling water for about 30 seconds and then immediately dunk them in cold water. After this, the peach skin peel off very quickly and easily. I remember when my mom would can peaches and skinned bushels of peaches so we would enjoy her canned peaches throughout the winter.
The gluten free crumble is mainly a blend of brown and white sugar, Earth Balance’s Vegan Buttery Sticks, and Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Flour (all staples in my pantry/fridge). You can make this for your gluten eating friends and they won’t be able to tell that it’s vegan and gluten free. Also, this recipe can easily be multiplied for a crowd. It’s both a satisfying way to end a meal and say goodbye to summer as we head into fall.
Recipe (4 servings)
Fruit
- 1 lb peaches (about 3 or 4)
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest (preferably pesticide free)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2/3 cup blueberries (I used wild blueberries frozen)
Topping
- 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, diced into cubes
Special Equipment: Four 6 ounce ramekins (mine are from Crate and Barrel - for $2.50 a pop they’re a steal)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium pot of boiling water, dunk the peaches in for about 30 seconds. Remove and immediately dunk in a bowl of cold water and remove after 30 seconds. Peel the skin off (it should slide off in large pieces very easily). Cut into 1″ wedges.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Add the peaches to the mixture and stir to combine. Add the blueberries and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl for a stand mixer, combine the ingredients for the topping and using the paddle attachment, blend on low speed until mixture resembles small peas. Using a fork, break up any large pieces. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a pastry cutter instead.
- Place the ramekins on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spoon the fruit mixture into the ramekins in an even layer. Spoon the crumble mixture on top of the fruit, one table at a time, until the fruit is evenly covered. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature, scoop of vanilla ice cream is optional.
Chocolate Fig Quinoa Granola Bars
| August 29, 2011 | Filled under Breakfast, Cookies & Bars, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Snacks & Appetizers |
The glue that holds the granola together is a mixture of maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, and vegan butter. You just put everything together in a small pot until the butter melts and comes to a boil.
These are the dried figs up close. I used dried Calimyrna figs which aren’t as sweet as Mission Figs. I dig that the seeds kind of look like quinoa. I found them at Whole Foods. If you don’t dig figs, just swap for your fave dried fruit.
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2 cups Gluten Free Oats, not the quick cooking kind (Bob’s Red Mill)
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1 cup uncooked quinoa
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1 cup chopped walnuts
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1 cup shredded coconut
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1 cup dried figs, diced into 1/4″ cubes (or other dried fruit)
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1/4 tsp salt
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3 Tbsp agave nectar
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1/4 cup honey
-
3 Tbsp maple syrup
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3 Tbsp vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks)
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1/3 cup chocolate chips
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1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Chicken Meatballs with Pesto Gnocchi
| April 18, 2011 | Filled under Italian, Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, & Grains, Poultry, Sauces & Dips |
One day I wanted to make meatballs but didn’t know what to eat them with. I didn’t feel like pasta, or a sub, or Ikea sauce, so what else do you do with meatballs? The Barefoot Contessa made her chicken meatballs into Italian wedding soup (yum!). Instead, I thought I’d do a GF gnocchi in a pesto sauce. I had made her chicken meatballs before but adapted them to be gluten, dairy, and egg-free and they were amazing – you don’t need the cheese in them at all. The secret ingredient is the sausage meat. So much flavour with so little effort is just how I like it.
I also had some leftover homemade pesto in the freezer, made with garlic, fresh basil, arugula, walnuts, olive oil, and Drunken Goat cheese (a mild Spanish cheese soaked in red wine for a few days, leaving it with a berry stained edible outer layer – I’m not fan of super strong cheeses so I use this instead of parmesan). You just toss the gnocchi with the pesto and some fresh arugula and you’ve got a simple fast meal when you want some comfort food. PS – this meal is very garlicky so keep those post dinner breath mints handy.
I first learned how to make homemade pesto in a cooking class at Dish Cooking Studio in Toronto. My biz partner J and I drunkenly victoriously outbid everyone at a charity auction to win the class where founder Trish Magwood taught us how to make a simple basil, pine nut pesto – so easy and so much fresher and tastier than the oily, jarred store bought pestos. I changed the recipe cuz I like the bite of a little arugula and the brain food qualities of walnuts.
The good news is both the meatballs and pesto recipes make more than you would need for a dinner for two so any leftovers can be frozen for the next time you need a no-effort comfort meal. Frozen extras = presto pesto.
Recipes
Chicken Meatballs (gluten/nut/dairy/corn free)
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Italian Wedding Soup recipe on FoodNetwork.com
- 3/4 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 lb chicken sausage meat (I used sweet Italian basil)
- 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I thew a couple of pieces of day old bread in a food processor)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 egg replacer (I use Ener-G brand)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together gently until just combined – do not handle too much or over mix. Gently roll about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 1″ balls (doesn’t have to be perfectly round) and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Basil, Arugula, Walnut Pesto
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1/4 cup baby arugula
- 4 -5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup finely grated hard cheese (I use Drunken Goat as mentioned above.)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Put the first five ingredients into a food processor and chop until finely minced. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time and blend until combined.
Gnocchi
I used Nuvo brand gluten-free gnocchi from Whole Foods. It’s very tasty, fresh and quick cooking. Cook the gnocchi in 4 litres of boiling salted water for 2 – 3 minutes. Drain and return gnocchi to pot on low heat. Stir through 2 tablespoons of pesto and a handful of fresh arugula. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and crushed red peppers (optional).
One day I wanted to make meatballs but didn’t know what to eat them with. I didn’t feel like pasta, or a sub, or Ikea sauce, so what else do you do with meatballs? The Barefoot Contessa made her chicken meatballs into Italian wedding soup (yum!). Instead, I thought I’d do a GF gnocchi in a pesto sauce. I had made her chicken meatballs before but adapted them to be gluten, dairy, and egg-free and they were amazing – you don’t need the cheese in them at all. The secret ingredient is the sausage meat. So much flavour with so little effort is just how I like it.
I also had some leftover homemade pesto in the freezer, made with garlic, fresh basil, arugula, walnuts, olive oil, and Drunken Goat cheese (a mild Spanish cheese soaked in red wine for a few days, leaving it with a berry stained edible outer layer – I’m not fan of super strong cheeses so I use this instead of parmesan). You just toss the gnocchi with the pesto and some fresh arugula and you’ve got a simple fast meal when you want some comfort food. PS – this meal is very garlicky so keep those post dinner breath mints handy.
I first learned how to make homemade pesto in a cooking class at Dish Cooking Studio in Toronto. My biz partner J and I drunkenly victoriously outbid everyone at a charity auction to win the class where founder Trish Magwood taught us how to make a simple basil, pine nut pesto – so easy and so much fresher and tastier than the oily, jarred store bought pestos. I changed the recipe cuz I like the bite of a little arugula and the brain food qualities of walnuts.
The good news is both the meatballs and pesto recipes make more than you would need for a dinner for two so any leftovers can be frozen for the next time you need a no-effort comfort meal. Frozen extras = presto pesto.
Recipes
Chicken Meatballs (gluten/nut/dairy/corn free)
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Italian Wedding Soup recipe on FoodNetwork.com
- 3/4 lb ground chicken
- 1/2 lb chicken sausage meat (I used sweet Italian basil)
- 1/2 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I thew a couple of pieces of day old bread in a food processor)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 egg replacer (I use Ener-G brand)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together gently until just combined – do not handle too much or over mix. Gently roll about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 1″ balls (doesn’t have to be perfectly round) and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Basil, Arugula, Walnut Pesto
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1/4 cup baby arugula
- 4 -5 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup finely grated hard cheese (I use Drunken Goat as mentioned above.)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Put the first five ingredients into a food processor and chop until finely minced. Add the olive oil one tablespoon at a time and blend until combined.
Gnocchi
I used Nuvo brand gluten-free gnocchi from Whole Foods. It’s very tasty, fresh and quick cooking. Cook the gnocchi in 4 litres of boiling salted water for 2 – 3 minutes. Drain and return gnocchi to pot on low heat. Stir through 2 tablespoons of pesto and a handful of fresh arugula. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and crushed red peppers (optional).
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