Lots of veggies, herbs and tomato sauce add wonderful flavor and vitamins in this veggie soup but what really amps up the flavor is the addition of sweet potatoes and white beans. Sweet potatoes add a nice sweet creamy texture and the white beans give the soup some heft and added lentil protein. With 1/4 cup of fresh basil, lots of thyme and oregano this soup is deliciously good and comforting. Call it a veggie soup or minestrone soup either works, but best of all is how easy this vegetarian soup is to make. Continue reading Sweet Potato White Bean Minestrone Soup
Tag Archives: tomato
Moroccan Tajine
I’ve always loved exotic hand-painted pottery from all parts of the world. There is something organic and artistic about pottery serving pieces that gets me excited every time I see them. They make all my food look beautiful and appetizing. My fetish for handmade pottery is how I came across this beautiful Moroccan pottery called tajine. Years ago when North African cuisine was first featured in the Williams-Sonoma California catalog I bought a Moroccan tajine pot from them. It is no surprise that I bought it because it is a gorgeous piece of hand painted pottery! What makes these North African pottery so unique and beautiful are their intricate hand-painted designs in vibrant colors and ethnic motifs. Tajines look like art pieces, each one different from the other, and each one a potter’s masterpiece. Very often among North African families tajines are collected as family heirlooms and passed down generation after generation. Continue reading Moroccan Tajine
Eggplant Fennel Pasta Bake
There is something truly comforting about a good bowl of warm pasta all tomatoey and cheesy that just screams comfort food. How then can one take a feel good pasta and make it veggie healthy as well? Add in finely cut vegetables and bake with some gooey cheese and no one will ever know that the pasta is loaded with good for you vegetables. This pasta is packed with eggplant and fennel but you could easily try this recipe with any of your favorite vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower, and zucchini just to give you a few ideas. Really an easy and delicious pasta bake this is and I can’t wait to share the recipe with you! Continue reading Eggplant Fennel Pasta Bake
Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
I know I know, I’m so late to using spaghetti squash as angel hair pasta substitute bandwagon. My eldest daughter has been telling me for years “Mom, you have to try spaghetti squash instead of pasta, it’s so good! It’s part of the Whole30 plan.” But honestly I just couldn’t do it! I would tell her “I only have pasta maybe twice a month, and when I crave pasta I want pasta! Not a veggie substitute.” As you can see I’ve known about spaghetti squash for a long time, but just couldn’t bring myself to make it as a pasta substitute. So yeah, I was a holdout. Continue reading Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce
Eggplant Gotsu
Gotsu is a saucy, tangy, spicy cooked salsa made in most South Indian homes to accompany any type of rice dish. I shared a recipe earlier for an easy tomato onion gotsu that my Mom used to make to accompany a lentil and rice pilaf called pongal. Here I would like to share my Aunty Shashi’s recipe for an eggplant gotsu made with eggplant, juicy tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and lots of spices. Continue reading Eggplant Gotsu
End of Summer Minestrone Soup
Late summer veggies like tomatoes and zucchini are in abundance right now, and big leafy greens such as Swiss chard are looking gorgeous as ever, while our herb patch is overflowing with herbs. All these veggies and herbs is what inspired me to make this hearty minestrone soup on this cool September evening. End of Summer Minestrone Soup. The name says it all! Loaded with veggies and herbs that are in abundance now, tomatoes and garlic – minestrone is truly our family’s all-time favorite soup. Continue reading End of Summer Minestrone Soup
Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower, Zucchini Risotto
Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower Zucchini Risotto
Ingredients:
- 1 cup risotto rice
- 5-6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 small head of cauliflower cut into small florets
- 2 heirloom tomatoes finely cut
- 1 zucchini cut into small chunks
- 1 onion finely cut
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Chili flakes (optional)
Continue reading Heirloom Tomato, Cauliflower, Zucchini Risotto
Late Harvest Tomato and Onion Rustic Galette
A rustic galette made with juicy late summer tomatoes all cooked with butter and onions – Mmm Mmm good this simple savory tart is. Seriously folks, the kids and I couldn’t stop eating this tomato tart. To make this delicious tart all I did is take my Mom’s tomato and onion on toast recipe and added it to a pastry dough. And since this is a tomato tart after all, to keep the juicy tomatoes from sogging up the pastry crust, I lined the pastry crust with sharp cheddar cheese. That’s it. A delicious tart made with as few ingredients as possible to appreciate the pure simple flavors of tomatoes and onions. You have to give it a try! Continue reading Late Harvest Tomato and Onion Rustic Galette
Indian Summer Ratatouille
If you are looking for a great way to use up a large quantity of summertime tomatoes and veggies then this dish is the one! That’s the dilemma I faced that inspired this veggie-laden dish. I had loads of peppers, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes, and I knew it would take a few days to use all these up, but these veggies were ready to be had ASAP. I decided to make a giant pot of Indian stew/curry type of dish with all the veggies I could collect from the refrigerator. I also wanted this to be a saucy dish as I had soooo many tomatoes too. Indian Ratatouille, is the name the kids gave this stew. The name sounded pretty cool to me as this stew made with summer vegetables and Indian spices would have otherwise been called Carrot, Zucchini, Pepper Curry; but somehow the name Indian Ratatouille just sounds better. Continue reading Indian Summer Ratatouille
Pasta Pomodoro with Fresh Tomato and Basil
Pasta Pomodoro with fresh tomatoes and basil has to be the easiest and most delicious of Italian pastas. It’s hard not to like the pure feel good flavors of fresh tomato, garlic, and basil all tossed in a pasta with olive oil. Positively comfort food this dish is. In summer when fresh juicy plump tomatoes are in abundance in the garden and at the Farmers Markets, pasta pomodoro is the perfect dish to highlight the glorious tomato. Continue reading Pasta Pomodoro with Fresh Tomato and Basil
