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ITALIAN ORZO SPINACH SOUP

7/7/2017

This delicious Italian Orzo Spinach Soup is simple, flavorful, and so comforting.
TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS / PREP TIME: 5 MINS / COOK TIME: 25 MINS
INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups loosely-packed spinach
salt and black pepper
optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper as needed.
Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.

Our Rating:

Do it again!
OK, but not too often
Pass on this one

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Recently, Dr. Oz touted EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) saying if it did not harden in the refrigerator it was not authentic EVOO and may have other oils blended with it. Testing all my 'higher end' EVOO, I was a bit miffed that mine remained liquid. Let the research begin ... bottom line, refrigerating your EVOO is not necessarily a solid test of authenticity. Do your own research and see what you discover.

Here's my limited research...

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Basil Pesto

7/3/2017

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We do enjoy basil and grow it in our garden.

Ingredients:

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil with a spinach / kale mix, if you'd like
1/2 cup pine nuts (what's a pine nut?)
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

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Portobello Fajitas

7/3/2017

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Tom and I enjoyed these, though the residual liquid from the fajitas was an unappealing gray, aside from that ... I think we'll enjoy these. I used a red, green, and yellow pepper which made it a very colorful dish. Tom isn't a fan of guacamole, so he used fresh salsa.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

3 bells peppers, seeds removed and sliced thin
1 yellow onion, cut into thin rounds
2 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and wiped clean
2 ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 lime
sea salt, cumin, and garlic powder, to taste
1 tsp. A1 steak sauce (for mushrooms)
6 small flour tortilla, warmed
fresh red onion, hot sauce, cilantro, salsa - optional

Directions:

Heat large skillet and a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a dash of oil to large skillet, then onion and peppers. Season generously with salt, cumin, and garlic powder.
Cook until softened and slightly caramelized, stirring often.
Set aside and cover to keep warm.
At the same time, add a dash of oil to the medium pan.
Add mushrooms.
Once softened and brown, add dash of A1 (vegan-friendly) for more flavor (optional).
Remove from heat, set aside, cover.
Prepare guacamole by adding two avocados to a bowl then adding the lime, salt, and whatever else you like - onion, tomatoes, etc.
Warm tortillas in oven or microwave and serve with mushrooms and pepper/onion mix.
Top with whatever condiments you like.

Our rating:

Do it again!
OK, but not too often
Pass on this one

0 Comments

ITALIAN ORZO SPINACH SOUP

The Scoop about Olive Oil

Basil Pesto

Portobello Fajitas

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