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Celebrate the new season: Spring Pesto Soup

March 23, 2011 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegetarian Entrees

Spring vegetables with the rich flavor of pesto

This tastes like the essence of early spring, fresh and bright yet somehow also rich, with the nuttiness of the freshest pesto melded in. It was inspired directly by one of my favorite cookbooks of recent years, “Cooking for Isaiah” by Silvana Nardone. I present it here with some variations in the vegetables, the addition of pine nuts and some optional Parmesan, with a different cooking technique, but the essence is her inspiration, reminding me of the lovely Provencal soupe al pistou.

I already have no doubt that this is an immediate staple dish, to be replicated this time every year, as often as possible. It’s also a great phase one recipe for low carbers, and is easily vegan; the original had no dairy anyway, I just threw a bit in since I like my pesto this way -  it is just as delicious without. Read the rest of this entry →

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Soba Noodles and Tempura: Daring Cooks February 2011 Challenge

February 14, 2011 in Appetizers, Entrees

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I now know what an episode of “I Love Lucy” making tempura would have been like. I have lived it.

Tempura has always seemed hard to me. One of those dishes best left to the Japanese restaurant chefs. Tempura embodies the elegance and simplicity of Japanese culture and life. So simple. Yet so complex.

Yet, I find myself grateful for the Daring Cooks challenge this month, because I NEVER would have made tempura otherwise. Not in a million years. But I am grateful that I did, if only for the knowledge of how hard it is to create the zen of the perfect tempura bite. I will appreciate this dish immensely now whenever I order it.

My whole kitchen was taken over for a whole afternoon while I tried to get the tempura just right. Bowls everywhere – batter dripped everywhere – oil spills everywhere. Flour dusting in my hair. Gloppy batter-coated fingers. Oily paper towels. Wire racks. Chopsticks. Ice cubes floating in batter. I think you get the idea. “I Love Lucy” does tempura.

Lisa from Blueberry Girl – if you’re reading this – THANKS for a very challenging challenge. I learned a lot. One of the things that I learned is that I am ordering my tempura from now on!

My boys loved this challenge, I must say. They gobbled up all the shrimp first and then even ate the veggies, too. Amazing how a thin crispy batter can make ANYTHING taste delicious. One of them smiled and said “What’s cookin’ next month, Ma?”

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Super Appetizers for Super Bowl Sunday – Our Highlights for a Fab Frugal Feast

February 4, 2011 in Appetizers, Contests and Carnivals and Roundups

No matter which team is your champion, we are ALL united in our support of GOOD FOOD! Here are some of our faves from appetizers of the Fab Frugal past!

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Make Our Carrot Beet Soup Recipe for National Soup Swap Day: January 22, 2011

January 19, 2011 in Appetizers, Entrees, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Entrees

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Beet and Carrot Soup with Queso Fresco and Cilantro Garnish

My name is Donna and I am a soup-aholic.

I absolutely LOVE soup. Especially this time of year where I live in the snowy Rocky Mountains. What’s better on a snowy evening than a bowl of steamy spicy soup with some crusty bread dippers or toasted tortillas? I can’t think of one single thing!

So imagine how thrilled I was to learn of National Soup Swap Day coming up on January 22, 2011. What a great concept – sort of a Cookie Exchange Party, only healthy and comfort food-y. Real simple. You just invite some friends who like to cook to bring soup to your house in labeled quart-sized containers and then you exchange them just like you would at a cookie party. If you invite, say, a total of 8 friends, you have them all bring 8 quarts and each person takes home 8 different quarts of soup. This is the best idea since, well, cookie exchange parties.

Make our uber-healthy and colorful Carrot Beet Soup (above) or some of our other favorite fab frugal cold-weather soups (below).

DSC_7141Gluten Free Gumbo

DSC_6673Oprah’s Famous Vegan Celery Root Soup

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DSC_4023Weeknight Chicken Posole

Cheers to all you ‘Soupies’ out there!

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Invite Julia Child to Your Holiday Celebration – Easy Elegant Cheese Tartlets with only Five Ingredients

December 24, 2010 in Appetizers

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Julia Child's Easy and Elegant Cheese Tartlets

Easy and Elegant is always a winning combination. That’s what I love about Julia Child’s recipes – they are unquestionably elegant, but Julia makes them easy enough for an average home cook like me to master.

I love Julia Child. I often pause in my kitchen and repeat the phrase that Christians often use: WWJD? – but when I’m  in my kitchen WWJD means “What Would Julia Do?” Whenever I feel discouraged about my cooking prowess, I snuggle on my couch late at night and watch an episode of The French Chef. I laugh out loud every single time, and am strengthened and renewed. When truly serious discouragement hits me, I bring out the big guns: Saturday Night Live’s French Chef Skit: “You’ll need a knife . . . a very, very, very sharp knife. . .” I dare any cook to watch this and not laugh out loud!  It was during one of those late-night couch sessions that I saw her make cheese tartlets. I took copious notes, and I’m glad I did, because I have not been able to find this recipe written down anywhere. You’ll just have to trust my note taking on this one.

I don’t know about all of you, but I’m inviting Julia to my New Year’s Eve celebration this year by making her cheese tartlets. Yes, I know. They are neither low-fat nor low-calorie. But. It’s the Holidays! Let’s Celebrate! I am certain that Julia would agree.

These are a masterpiece. Truly. I dare you to make appetizers that are as simple and yet sophisticated as these. It is impossible. They are the perfect blend of rich, satisfying flavors and melt-in-your-mouth comfort. If you have a favorite pie crust recipe, use that, or check out my miracle Never-Fail Pat-in-the-Pan Pie Crust. The best pie crust I’ve ever eaten!

Bonus: they take only minutes to throw together. Another bonus: they are very forgiving, and can be served warm or at room temperature. Make yourself a resolution right now to add these mini-tarts to your Hostess Bag of Tricks. I promise you won’t be sorry.

Happy Holidays to All Our Fab Frugal Friends!

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Sushotto: Fun Fusion Appetizer for Fab Frugal Friday

November 5, 2010 in Appetizers

Sushotto

Many people know that a classic appetizer, arancini (cheesy Italian rice balls,  often stuffed), can be made from leftover risotto. (And many of you out there will automatically be thinking “Leftover risotto? What on earth is that?” I understand. I have the same response to recipes using ‘leftover’ avocados or wine.)  At any rate, whether you have the restraint to keep leftover risotto overnight or, like me, you purposely made a batch the night before and refrigerated it expressly for this purpose, behold my fun and easy appetizer equation: Risotto + sushi = sushotto. Read the rest of this entry →

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Easy Halloween Treats – And Our Two-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes for Fab Frugal Friday

October 29, 2010 in Appetizers, Desserts

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It’s not to late to make these easy spider web cupcakes for your Halloween party!

TWO INGREDIENTS will get it done: a 15-ounce can of pumpkin and a chocolate cake mix. That’s it. Spider web frosting optional but adorable, of course.

And, for your festive holiday enjoyment, here’s a reprise of some of our other Halloween happenings.

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Spider Punch Anyone?

Festive Jack-o-Lantern Cheese Ball
Savory festive Halloween cheeseball!

Reese’s got nothing on our Homemade Peanut Butter cups!

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Creepy Crawly Spider-Topped Deviled Eggs!

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Healthy Halloween Carrot Rice Mini Jack O’ Lanterns!

– posted by Donna

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Eat, Drink and be Scary! For a Festive Halloween Beverage Whip Up Our Easy Black Licorice Spider Punch

October 19, 2010 in Appetizers

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Easy Halloween Punch - Complete with Black Licorice Spider Garnish

I love Halloween. And, I especially love easy but fun Halloween food and drink ideas – like this one!

Five minutes until the party starts? No beverage to liven up the party? No problem!

If you have two things on hand you can make a festive drink that will impress any gouls or goblins! All you need is orange juice and grenadine syrup, a pomegranate syrup used mostly by bartenders – but you can find it at any mega mart these days. This drink is basically is a virgin tequila sunrise. To get the “layered” look in the glass, place in glass in the following order: a little grenadine syrup; ice cubes to fill the glass; orange juice; more grenadine syrup. That’s it!

This presentation idea came from this month’s issue of Everyday Food by the Martha Stewart folks – but I changed the beverage to something completely different. Black licorice ropes and black sanding sugar make this presentation spectacular, but are entirely optional. For the spider, just cut some spider “legs” and bundle them together and tie with a long licorice strand. For the black top of the glass, place a piece of tape around top of glass about 1/2 inch from the top. Then, rub corn syrup over the top 1/2 inch and then roll in black sanding sugar. Remove tape. Couldn’t be easier!

Other Halloween beverages worth sipping:
Cherry Fizz Punch, Lunch Box Bunch
Witch’s Brew,  eCurry
Halloween Happy Hour, Macheesemo
Bootiful Beverages, Talk of Tomatoes
Blood Red Punch, Noble Pig

– posted by Donna

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Cinnamon Curry Apple Chips

September 22, 2010 in Appetizers, Desserts, Frugal Tips, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegan Recipes

Cinnamon Curry Apple Chips

If you have a surfeit of apples in your kitchen or in your backyard at the moment, here’s a simple, healthy snack, for mere cents compared to the cost of the store-bought kind. Kids are bound to love them! Lots of apple chip recipes use cinnamon, of course, but I thought I’d add a little twist. The curry is NOT overpowering here, but is just enough to give it that little “Hmmm, what IS that?” factor (to blatantly ape Rachael Ray’s frequent line about nutmeg). Read the rest of this entry →

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Oprah’s Famous Celery Root Soup – Simplified for Meatless Monday

September 20, 2010 in Appetizers, Entrees, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Entrees

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Oprah's Famous Celery Root Cashew Soup

Celery root soup hit the celebrity circuit last winter when Oprah called it her new favorite soup. I was determined to make a simplified version as soon as fall brought its first golden leaves and chilly air. What’s better than a comforting bowl of soup in the fall?  Perfect for a Meatless Monday treat! This soup recipe is so unique and refreshing, and surprises your taste buds. The rich flavor of the cashews pairs perfectly with the celery root, and the apple adds tartness. And, I love how the recipe calls for a few of the stalks of celery, which ups the celery flavor and health benefits.

I simplified things quite a bit by not making the “cashew cream” called for in the recipe, but I blended cashew butter and water in the blender and had success. The chive oil is a nice touch too, but optional.

Tal Ronnen, of The Conscious Cook fame, is the vegan chef who rose to celebrity status when he cooked for Oprah when she did her 21-day vegan cleanse. If this innovative soup is typical of things to come, we can’t wait Chef Ronnen!

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