Simple Soup Supper

Hey Rachel

You're crazy busy with school, new momhood, etc. so here's an easy recipe you can make ahead on the weekend and then just slurp up for at least two dinners later in the week. Just add some bread and cheese and/or salad, and you're good to go. Microwave here you come!

Shrimp Corn Chowder
serves 4 or so

ingredients
1 pound shrimp, tails off and deveined
about 1 1/2 cups corn, I used frozen but canned or fresh obviously works
about 32 ounces vegetable broth (or chicken obviously)
1 medium zucchini, cut in half and then cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
chili powder to taste

method
After you've taken care of the shrimp, put a little olive oil in a frying pan with the garlic, shrimp, zucchini, peppers and seasonings. Saute until the shrimp is just done, ie. don't overcook.

Place all of this in a large pot, add the broth (might be more or less than the amount above; it depends on how soupy or stewy you want this to be). Heat and serve.

Egg Noodles with Smoked Trout and Sweet Corn Sauce

Rachel here: Things have been pretty hectic in our house as of late since I've started back at school. Those of you who've been reading for a while know that life was filled to the brim last year when I was in school and John was working, so with the addition of M to our family we are definitely feeling pretty scrambled around here these days. Fortunately, we had the foresight to save some of the food our dear friends and family made us right after M was born for these past few weeks (in fact, Ma, I just ate the last of your roasted vegetable soup and it was deeeeelicious). We didn't save much, though, and this has led to a lot of pretty simple dinners (we'd be lost without sausages). Even if we hadn't been investing so little time to our dinners around here these days, though, the dinner John made the other night would have been a stand-out.

In typical John fashion, he didn't write anything down, instead tasting as he went along until everything was just right (oh, this is a skill I wish I possessed...and really enjoy that John does). In case you cook similarly, I offer his ingredient list to you: egg noodles, shallot, garlic, sweet corn, cream, smoked trout. I'm sure a picture would help guide you, but I was too busy eating to take any. If you give this dish a shot, right down what you do and share it with us!

Meatless Mondays: Couscous and Tofu Salad

Rachel here: Quality and quantity are where it's at these days in our house. As we emerge from the shadows of new parenthood (ok, as we try to...), one of our focuses is on eating better. As I told my brother S in my bon voyage post to him as he prepared to leave for college, eating well--for me!--really facilitates taking care of myself in general. We also aim to be realistic, though, and know that there are definitely days in each week where either the energy to cook or the time (M reserves the right to demand to be held at any moment) might fail to manifest. This is where today's post comes in: a big, healthy salad that we ate for several days, thereby satisfying both the quality and the quantity requirements.

ingredients
1/2 c. couscous (before cooking)
12 oz. extra firm tofu
1/4+ tspn. kosher salt
1 small lemon
olive oil
soy sauce
1 small white onion
1 ear corn
2/3 of a large carrot
1/2 large heirloom tomato

method
Crumble tofu and marinate in 1/4 tspn. kosher salt, the juice from the lemon, and a few dashes of soy sauce and olive oil. Saute until crisp and let cool. Chop the onion into large pieces and saute until browned and sweet. Cool. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, tofu, onion, corn, carrot (I shred mine) and chopped up tomato. Add salt and pepper as needed to adjust the flavor. When I served it I added avocado, but the salad is good without it. If you're going to serve it with avocado, don't add it until right before serving so that it doesn't brown. Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Beans and Corn Anyone?

Janet here: I got this recipe from my friend Betsy, who got it from her friend Julie who got it who knows where. I just love that about recipes — that they're about nourishing your stomach but that they're about nourishing so much more. In this case, I can remember when Betsy made this for me and when she gave me the recipe. It's just one of many shared moments we have together and I love that I can't ever serve this salad without thinking of her.

While not a meal unto itself, you could easily add a green salad, a little bread and maybe some cheese, and have a lovely cold summer dinner for a hot day. Here's hoping you will share this with someone you love. Enjoy!

Corn and Bean Salad
serves a bunch

ingredients
2 cans corn
2 cans black beans, rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion, peeled and diced
3 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

for dressing
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
chopped cilantro to taste

method

In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients and let sit.

In a large bowl mix the other ingredients. Then add the dressing and toss well. Check seasonings. I often add chili powder or some hot sauce because that's how we roll in our family. Refrigerate. The longer this sits, the better it tastes.

Guest Blogger: John Dezort

Rachel here: For a while now, we've been meaning to get some other people cooking on our blog. We love the guest posts we've been able to feature on Food for Thought Thursdays but we've also been wanting to do more. Today we are excited to kick off another outlet for voices and recipes other than our own by turning over the post to a guest blogger we're pretty sure you all already know and love: John Dezort. Though you've been looking at his illustrations for months now, and were recently made privy to a Food for Thought post by him, we're excited to show you what he can do when left entirely to his own devices. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, John Dezort.

John here: So it's spring, and even though in California it feels like spring for most of the year and locally grown produce can be bought throughout the year, spring in California brings forth an abundance of new veggies and fruits. I AM bragging, in case you weren't sure. So due to the recent availability of these vegetables, a wonderful woman I work with brought in a case of fresh asparagus she had found on the cheap and divided it among the employees. I ended up with a LOT of asparagus, which is a good problem to have. So I made soup!


Ingredients
6 to 7 cups chicken stock
1 large bunch of locally grown California spring asparagus (joking, any will do)
5 small yukon gold potatoes cut into small cubes
3 small ears of corn
1 large onion
3 stalks celery
1 large lemon--rind and juice
2 T parsley
2 tspn. thyme
2 T. dried mustard
pinch nutmeg
worcestershire sauce, just a little will do
Tapatio, Tabasco, cayenne, or anything spicy
1 pint or so of cream

Method
Dice onion, celery, and the bottom half of the asparagus spears (reserve the tops for later), season with salt and pepper and saute in butter until the onion is translucent and browned slightly. Do this in the pot you will use for the soup. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add minced parsley, thyme and the other spices omitting the nutmeg, but including the lemon rind. Add hot (spicy) ingredients now as well but only to taste with a splash or two of worcestershire. Let simmer for roughly twenty minutes and then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are done. While the soup is simmering, cut the asparagus tops into bite size pieces and blanch in boiling water that is very salty, like ocean-salty (really, it makes a difference). Shock in an ice bath when almost tender and set aside. Add the fresh corn from the cob to the soup (the corn will cook in a matter of minutes). Add a pinch of nutmeg and the juice from the lemon and finish with cream. Do not add the cream to a boiling soup as it will curdle, and don't reheat soup to a boil or it will separate. Adjust seasoning and add asparagus tops just before serving.

Simple Suppers

Rachel here: Oh, we all know those days. You know, the ones where you come home and you sort of realize that your day isn't actually over yet because there's still dinner to figure out. As a city-dweller, this often leads to take-out or delivery in my house. Sometimes, though, even that seems like more effort than I can handle, what with the plentitude of options and then the inevitable waiting. On these nights, there is a staple in my house: the quesadilla. There are always (and I do mean always) tortillas in my freezer and cheese in the fridge. Throw in whatever random vegetable and meat bits we have leftover and a hearty dinner is mere minutes away (particularly if you have made a batch of black beans earlier in the week...see Wednesday's post). After a long day, I can't think of anything better.

Quesadillas
Ingredients
flour tortillas (I prefer corn and John prefers flour, which is what I ended up using for these)
grated cheese (I used a bit of jack and a bit of cheddar)
chicken, chopped into uniform bite-sized piece
medium tomato
avocado (I recognize that avocados and tomatoes aren't in season everywhere, so substitute with a good local alternative)
cayenne
salt and pepper
lime

Method
Cook chicken in large pan, seasoning to your preference with salt, pepper and cayenne. Prepare tortillas by lining one half with a bit of cheese before dividing chicken up amongst them and covering with cheese (Amounts for tortillas, cheese and chicken will vary depending on how many you're looking to feed. I used one large tortilla per person and divided about 3/4 lb. of chicken between them). Place these tortilla pockets back into pan you cooked chicken in (one-dirty-dish cooking is part of the beauty of this easy dinner option!). Flip after a few minutes, once underside is nicely browned and cheese has started melting. Serve when everything is hot and gooey, garnishing with diced tomato and avocado on top and serving with lime wedges on the side. Of course, various hot sauces and sour cream should be waiting on the table to optimal enjoyment. Yum!

Janet here: Rachel has the best idea here for a simple supper you can throw together in minutes. I wish I had thought of it but I didn't so there it is. Anyway my main way of making supper easy these days is cooking ahead. Shepherd's Pie is my go-to comfort dinner in the winter months, and it's a crowdpleaser so it's doubly satisfying. I make this shepherd's pie using ground turkey because I don't eat red meat. I also use taco seasoning as my secret seasoning ingredient. In other words, it's tacos with mashed potatoes, making it a win-win for feel-good meals. Here's how I do it.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups corn (I use frozen)
dried onion flakes to taste (this is the way I get onions into things for picky eaters)
4 Russet potatoes
1 stick butter
3/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Brown the turkey in a little oil. Add the taco seasoning and follow directions for regular tacos. Add in the corn. After it's done, place in the bottom of a casserole baking dish.
While the meat mixture is cooking, cut up some potatoes (skins on is my preference), cook in boiling water until tender. Then drain, put back into the pot with a stick of butter. Mash up the potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste, maybe a little chicken broth with the sour cream to make them as smooth as you like. Sometimes I add grated cheese as well if I'm feeling really decadent.
Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until it's bubbling slightly.