Tomato Soup

I had gotten some tomatoes in my veggie box last week and hadn't yet figured out what to do with them. Then I saw Debbie Macomber's blog post about tomato soup and grilled cheese. Bingo! And today was the perfect day. This was really good and pretty easy as well, perfect for lunchtime. Goes perfect with a grilled cheese.

Tomato Soup
serves 2-3

1/4 c olive oil
4 tomatoes
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil, more to taste
1 c vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp half & half, optional

Preheat oven to 425*. Pour oil onto a baking sheet. Slice tomatoes in half and arrange on baking sheet, cut side down. Cut onion into eights and put onto baking sheet. Peel garlic, leave whole, and add to baking sheet. Roast in the oven about 35 minutes, until tomatoes are blistered and the onion and garlic are soft.

Transfer the vegetables to a pot and scrape all the leftover oil into the pot as well. Add the salt and basil. Puree with an immersion blender until no chunks remain. Add broth, puree until smooth. Heat the soup over medium, just until boiling, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir; add half and half, if using.

modified from Debbie Macomber's recipe

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

We were out of town over the weekend and I haven't had time to hit the grocery store so I had to make dinner with whatever was at home. I pulled some chicken out of the freezer last night and knew I had some broccoli in the fridge. I was thinking stir fry, chicken, broccoli, carrots since I was pretty sure I had some. When I got home from work I found facebook was reading my mind and had a Food Network chicken and broccoli stir fry recipe waiting for me. Creepy. But the stir fry was so good!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
serves 4

2 chicken breasts, cubed
3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced on the bias
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
about 1/3 c water
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
5-6 c broccoli, trimmed, sliced stalks and medium florets (keep them separate)
3/4 to 1 tsp red chili flakes, optional
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

In a medium bowl toss the chicken with the scallions, about half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Mix the remaining cornstarch with 1/3 cup of water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the florets and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Stir-fry until the broccoli is bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl.

Let the skillet heat up hot again then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes if using. Stir-fry until the chicken browns, about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce; return the broccoli to the pan and toss to heat through. Stir the cornstarch/water again then add and bring to a boil to thicken. Add more wwater if needed to think the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds.