Tag Archives: tomatoes

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Roasted Tomato Soup

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Do you know that feeling when you have a dozen gorgeous tomatoes on the counter and you go grocery shopping, and you forget, and you come home with another eight gorgeous tomatoes? Yes, of course you do. 

This week, I decided to make fresh tomato soup, which I had never made before. I have loved tomato soup since I was a kid. I especially loved my friend Mendy’s tomato soup when we were in graduate school, which was half a lifetime ago. I added white beans to this recipe, but no one will know unless you tell them. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Gazpacho!

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If your counter looks anything like mine, it’s probably that time of year when you gather up your haul of tomatoes and turn them into soup. Tomatoes are best stored and eaten warm, so you’ll probably be starting with tomatoes at room temperature. Plan on making this recipe early enough in the day that it has time to cool thoroughly. It will be worth it, especially on these hot, humid, late summer days. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: The Very Best Gazpacho Recipe

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It’s August, and I’m posting a gazpacho recipe every week for the entire month! Gazpacho is soup and salad, both at the same time. This one is made with golden tomatoes, and it looks as good as it tastes.

Chief Cook-and-Bottle-Washer brought home a tray of golden, acid-free tomatoes one Friday, and I had my eye on them from the minute they entered the house. We ate a few on Friday night, and more on Saturday. Then I couldn’t resist, and I swooped in on Sunday morning to pulverize the rest! Chief C&BW said it was okay, he would go buy more. Thank you, Chief. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Rustic Zucchini & Tomatoes

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A very long time ago, I spent an exhilarating and exhausting day working up an appetite climbing inside the Giza Pyramids in Egypt. Later that night, I ate a dish just like this in a busy restaurant in Cairo. My memories of that meal are layered through with the sounds of noisy waiters running between the kitchen and the small round tables, clanging pots, joyful patrons, and the smart smack of pottery plates, all while dozens of cats walking silently above us on the beams of the restaurant’s ceiling. If you’ve been gardening this summer, or if you’re friends with someone else who has, there’s a good chance that you already have what you need to make this recipe. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Greek Lentil and White Bean Soup with Gremolata

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This recipe comes to us courtesy of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which has all kinds of great nutrition information for doctors, medical students, scientists, and everyone else who is interested in learning to cook great food with lots of flavor! This recipe caught my eye because I love gremolata! It’s guaranteed to give this soup tons of deliciousness. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Chopped Salad

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My parents moved into the house next door to us a year ago, so instead of getting to eat my father’s cooking only a few times a year, we are now lucky to count ourselves as regular beneficiaries of my father’s superb cooking. Not long ago, my father, also known as Chef Ira, cooked dinner while the rest of us put in a full day of work. The menu for that memorable meal included fresh cod; roasted potatoes, eggplant, squash, and Brussels sprouts with caramelized garlic and onions; and his famous chopped salad. My dad’s chopped salad, which appears at most if not all the meals he cooks, is “to die for!” and it is certainly worth learning how to make.  Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: White Beans with Roasted Tomatoes

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This recipe makes a simple and lovely meal that could not be more delicious or satisfying! Like many recipes whose featured ingredient is one or more types of beans, it still tastes wonderful even if you fiddle with the ingredients a little. The name of the game is flexibility. Continue reading →

YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Homemade Ketchup

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My dad has a very hard time with the fact that high-fructose corn syrup (HCFS) is the first ingredient in most national brands of of ketchup. He is on a mission to get people to eat less HFCS without compromising their love for ketchup. Recently, he asked if I would post an entry about this. Absolutely. Here you go, Dad! Continue reading →