Roasted Tomato Soup

I love to make soups in the fall, they are so easy and a great way to warm up on a chilly day.  Soups are also so easy to make and freeze well so you don't have to eat the whole pot at once.  This year we probably had close to fifteen tomato plants in our backyard that turned into more of a tomato hedge.  I had so many to use up I thought that making a soup would be a great way to use up the tomatoes and enjoy them when we can no longer eat them fresh off the vine.  Plus I love tomato soup.  It makes me think of rainy days spent at my Grandma's house when I was growing up.  This isn't her recipe but any tomato soup brings back the memories.
This is an easy recipe to make and one you can do while making something else for dinner.  It has a lovely flavour to it and a wonderful thick consistency.  If you prefer a thinner soup simply add more stock to it.

Roasted Tomato Soup

5 large tomatoes, cut into 3/4" slices1 onion, cut into 1/2" slices1/2 jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise, seeded2 bell peppers, seeded, cut into 4 piecesolive oil1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika1/2 teaspoon garlic powder3/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)freshly ground black pepper2 cups vegetable broth1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus additional cheese for garnishing)few tablespoons of heavy cream or creme fraiche (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 375.  On cookie sheets or in a roasting pan place the vegetables and sprinkle with olive oil.  Roast them for 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Blend the roasted vegetables in a standard blender and add them to a pot.  Add the remaining ingredients.  If you are using an immersion hand blender add all the ingredients into the pot and then blend.  
3. Bring the soup to a boil and then serve.  Garnish with parmesan cheese and or cream if you desire.

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Garlic

So this year we decided to grow some chard in our backyard this year and we still have a lot left to use up before the frost comes so when I had my family over for dinner I thought it would be a great time to use some of it up.  I wanted to try something different so I decided to search for a new recipe.
This recipe was fairly easy to through together last minute while my husband was carving the beef.  I hope you enjoy it.

Swiss Chard with Pine Nuts and Pan Roasted Garlic

2 tbsp oliveoil

3 cloves garlic

1/3 pine nuts

1 bunch Swiss chard

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper

dash of lemon juice

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  
2. Slice garlic very thinly and add to the oil, cooking until it is lightly browned.
3. Add the pine nuts and sauté until golden brown.  Remove the garlic and pine nuts and set aside.
4. Trim stems from the chard and cut them into bite size pieces.  Add the stems to the pan with water and simmer until the water has evaporated.
5. Chop chard leaves roughly and add to pan.  Season lightly and toss them until they wilt. 
6. Return the garlic and pine nuts to the pan and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Green Tomato Chutney

I hate to waste good produce that I have been working hard to grow all year.  This year we had a late start with our tomatoes because of lack of sun and with fall coming I new that the rains would be coming soon.  The other day it looked as if it was going to start to rain soon so I called on my husband to help me pick the many unripened tomatoes in our back yard.  The whole process took about two hours and now anywhere there is a window that gets sun in our house there are a bunch of tomatoes laying in front of it, just waiting for the chance to ripen.

The past couple of years I have had more green tomatoes than window space and so I have started to make green tomato chutney with the extras.  I usually do this with the cherry and smaller tomatoes because they require less chopping.

Green Tomato Chutney

1 3/4 lb tomatoes, cut into chunks

2 granny smith apples, cored and cut into chunks

1 cup sliced shallots

2 dried chillies, seeded and finely chopped

1 inch grated ginger

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 brown sugar

1 tbsp mustard seed

1 tsp ground cardamon

1/2 tsp all spice

1 orange zested

1. Mix together all the ingredients in a non-reactive pot.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low boil, stirring frequently for 45 minutes.
3. Pour into sterilized jars and process according to the size of your jar.

* this recipe makes about a 1 litre of chutney

Blueberry Basil Vinegar

I am always looking for new and inventive ways to use the different produce we grow at the farm.  Blueberries are one thing we have a lot of, especially since this year we added another 16 bushes to our collection as well as five more of the pink lemonade blueberries.  I already had a knew a lot of different ways to use them but I wanted to try something a little different.  I was very excited when I found a blog called Creating Nirvana because it has a lot of really great recipes that I look forward to trying.  This is one that I decided to start with.
It takes time because you have to allow it to sit for four weeks before canning it but I canned mine last night and it was definitely worth the wait!  I am looking forward to using it in salads all winter when I don't have fresh blueberries available to sprinkle on my salad.

Blueberry Basil Vinegar

4 cups blueberries

4 cups white wine vinegar

1 cup loosely packed basil

1 lemon, zested

1. In a large glass bowl, crush the blueberries.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
4. Keep the bowl in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks.
5. Stir the contents every 2 or 3 days.
6. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the vinegar into a pot.
7. Heat the vinegar to 180 F.
8. Ladle into sterilized jars and leave 1/4 inch of head space.
9. Apply the lids and process in a hot water canner for 10 minutes.

***If you like you can add some fresh blueberries before you boil the vinegar.

***Makes about 2 pints.

Healthier Zucchini Brownie

I am constantly looking for new ideas on how to use up the many zucchinis I grow in a summer.  I only have so much room in my freezer for grated zucchini to use during the year.  I was excited to find this recipe because it is always nice to find a desserts on the healthier side of things.  This recipe has zucchini, apples and bananas in it.  The addition of these keep the brownie unbelievably moist.  The people I shared this with all seemed to really enjoy it.

Healthier Zucchini Brownie

1/2 apple sauce

2 small or medium mashed bananas

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups finely shredded zucchini

2 cups flour

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Mix together the apple sauce, mashed bananas and sugar.
3. Add the vanilla and cocoa powder and stir until combined.
4. Then add the baking soda, salt and zucchini.  Mix together.
5. Finally add the flour and walnuts, stirring until everything is well blended.
6. Spread evenly into the pan and bake for about 25 minutes.  The brownie should spring back when it is touched.

Orange Almond Biscotti

Well the weather making it feel like fall is on the way and with the cooler weather around the corner I like to enjoy a nice warm drink after being outside in the cold.  I am not a coffee drinker, I prefer hot cocoa or a nice apple cider.  When I am enjoying my warm drink the kid in me still love to dunk in a cookie or a biscotti.  I especially like how the almond and orange in this recipe enhances the flavour of the drink and vice versa!
The first time I made these I was really surprised at how easy the were to make.

Orange Almond Biscotti

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 oranges, zested 

3/4 cup sliced almonds

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter,  melted

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 egg white, slightly beaten

decorating sugar (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, zest and almonds.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar, butter and almond extract.  Combine both mixtures until the form a sticky dough.
4. Form the dough into a long ball on a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into two.  
5. On a parchment lined baking sheet, make two long logs.  Brush with the egg whites and sprinkle with the decorating sugar.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Allow it to cool for five minutes before transferring to a cutting board.  Slice diagonally into 3/4 inch pieces.  Return them to the baking sheet with the same side upright and cook for another 20 minutes, or until golden.
8. Transfer to a cooling rack and then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark

I am a bit of a chocoholic and I enjoy Dairy Milk's Fruit & Nut bar as a treat every so often but I was really excited to find this recipe.  It isn't hard and I am sure I could figure it out myself but sometimes you need to see a recipe before you decide to make it.
I also like to pretend it is a little healthier when I make it than the store bought bar because I like to use good quality chocolate and different fruits that I have dried myself.  In my mind the home made bark cuts out at least some of the preservatives and saturated far.  Even if you don't agree with me please let me continue in my ignorance.  As they say, ignorance is bliss! ;)

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bark

3 cups dark Belgian chocolate

3/4 cup mixed dried fruit

3/4 cup toasted almonds

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in a hot water bath.  Once the chocolate begins to melt remove from the water and stir the chocolate until it has all melted.  If you need to, return it to the hot water bath.
2. Mix in the dried fruit and almonds.
3. Spread evenly onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and allow it to cool and harden.
4. Break it up into pieces and enjoy for yourself or share it with others.