At Lit Group on Friday, hostess Cathy, told us about a yummy, easy and healthy soup. Here is that recipe:
Fresh Vegetable Soup
PointsPlus™ Value: 1
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 35 min
Cooking Time: 13 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Some say this soup is the secret to their weight-loss success. It's a great midday snack or dinner appetizer.
Ingredients
2 clove(s) Garlic, fresh, minced
1 medium Onion(s), uncooked, diced
2 medium Carrots, uncooked, diced
1 medium Peppers, sweet, red, raw, diced
1 stalk(s) Celery, raw, diced
2 small Zucchini, raw, diced
2 cup(s) Cabbage, green, shredded
2 cup(s) Chard, Swiss, raw, chopped
2 cup(s) Cauliflower, fresh or frozen, raw, small florets
2 cup(s) Broccoli, uncooked, small florets
2 tsp Thyme, fresh, fresh, chopped
6 cup(s) Broth, vegetable
2 Tbsp Parsley, or chives, fresh, chopped ½ tsp Salt, table, or to taste ¼ tsp Pepper, black, or to taste
2 Tbsp Juice, lemon, fresh, optional
Instructions
1. Put garlic, vegetables, thyme and broth into a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in parsley or chives; season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
Here is the recipe for the main dish she made for us:
Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers
Serves 4
Why this recipe works:
For pronounced meaty flavor, we rendered some crumbled sweet Italian sausage in the skillet we used to build our Baked Ziti recipe’s sauce. We then added whole canned tomatoes that we’d processed in a food processor and simmered the sauce to rid the tomatoes of their raw flavor and concentrate their sweetness. We cooked the ziti until it was just shy of tender, then stirred in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese before transferring the skillet to the oven where our Baked Ziti finished cooking.
You can substitute penne, campanelle, medium shells, farfalle, or orecchiette for the ziti; however, the cup measurements will vary.
Ingredients
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
1 pound sweet Italian sausage , casings removed
6 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1½ cups water
8 ounces (2 1/2 cups) ziti
1 red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 ounce Parmesan cheese , grated (1/2 cup)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
6 ounces mozzarella cheese , shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Instructions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped and no large pieces remain, 6 to 8 pulses.
2. Cook the sausage in a 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the processed tomatoes and simmer gently until the tomatoes no longer taste raw, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the water, ziti, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a rapid simmer. Cover and simmer vigorously, stirring often, until the pasta is just tender, 14 to 17 minutes.
4. Off the heat, stir in the cream, Parmesan, and basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted and browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.
And then there was her wonderful salad with the orange dressing:
Simple Green Salad with Orange-Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4
Any type of orange juice will work here; however, the flavor of fresh squeezed juice really sparkles. This fruit juice dressing work best on sturdy or flavorful greens, such as endive or arugula, but will overwhelm more delicate greens, such as Bibb lettuce. The vinaigrette recipe makes 1 cup of dressing; use 1/4 cup for the salad and reserve the additional 1/2 cup for other uses. This recipe was published in The Best Light Recipe.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
2 cups orange juice (see note)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon minced shallot
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
8 cups mixed greens (loosely packed), see note
Instructions
- For Vinaigrette: Bring the orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the juice is thick, syrupy, and measures 2/3 cup, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer the orange juice syrup to a small bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes. (The syrup can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to 2 days.)
- Transfer the cooled orange juice to a jar and add the lime juice, olive oil, honey, shallot, salt, and pepper. Seal the lid and shake the mixture vigorously until emulsified, about 20 seconds. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 7 days; bring to room temperature, then shake vigorously to recombine before using.
- For Salad: Wash and dry the greens. Tear the greens into manageable pieces with your hands just before serving the salad. Add the greens to a wide-mouthed salad bowl and add 1/4 cup of the dressing, drizzling the salad in small increments. Toss gently, adding more vinaigrette if needed.
Per 1-Tablespoon Serving of Vinaigrette:
Cal 35; Fat 2 g; Sat fat 0 g; Chol 0 mg; Carb 5 g; Protein 0 g; Fiber 0 g; Sodium 75 mg
Thanks, Cathy! What a treat to spend time in your beautiful home and eat your delicious food!
