Peppers

Chunky Tomato & Pepper Soup with Parmesan Dumplings

October 22, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love a good, home made tomato soup? Then you throw in some sweet peppers and make some salty parmesan dumplings and you have an over the top tomato soup that will have you asking for seconds!

I came up with Chunky Tomato & Pepper Soup with Parmesan Dumplings for a Soup Contest at a local organic farm, Park Ridge Organics for their annual Harvest Fest. I am proud to announce that this recipe won for “People’s Choice”. It was a very exciting day and I was very proud to accept the award for People’s Choice and was so happy that the people in attendance thought so highly of my soup to vote for it.

Chunky Tomato & Pepper Soup with Parmesan Dumplings isn’t a typical tomato soup recipe, it is full of other vegetables and has chicken stocked added in for another depth of flavor. The parmesan dumplings are a creamy and salty little morsel of goodness in each spoonful.

Enjoy!

Chunky Tomato & Pepper Soup with Parmesan Dumplings

Rating: 51

Yield: 6 Servings

Chunky Tomato & Pepper Soup with Parmesan Dumplings

Ingredients

For the soup:
1 tsbp. Olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
2 medium sweet peppers, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tbsp. tomato paste
1 can – 28 ounces – diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. brown sugar
For the dumplings:
½ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
½ cup plus 3 tbsp. flour (plus more for rolling the dough out)

Instructions

In a large pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and butter. Saute the peppers and onions for 8-10 minutes.
Add in the tomato paste, diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir to combine and add in the basil, oregano and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer.
While the soup is simmering, make the dumplings. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheese and the egg. Whisk in the flour.
On a flat surface covered with flour, roll out the dumpling dough until about ¼ inch thick. Cut the dumpling with a knife into ¼ inch squares.
Turn the temperature of the soup up to medium, making sure the soup is up to a boil. Drop the dumplings in, one by one, and let them cook for 3-5 minutes, until cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/chunky-tomato-pepper-soup-parmesan-dumplings/

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

October 16, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce is packed full of fresh vegetables and is cooked low and slow to become a very delicious sauce to use in all of your favorite pasta dishes.

This recipe for Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce makes a large batch but it can easily be frozen for later use. I always like to have this on hand in the freezer so on those nights or weekends when I have run out of time to make dinner I pull out this sauce and make a quick pasta dish.

This recipe is also a good way to get extra vegetables into a kid’s diet. You will find tomatoes, onions, celery, peppers and carrots in this sauce. I add wine and chicken bouillon to make it taste like it cooked all day long, it has a real deep flavor full of deep herb flavor. You will love it!

Use this in your favorite pasta dish, lasagna, spaghetti & meatballs, chicken & parmesan…..the list could go on forever.

Enjoy!

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Rating: 51

Yield: 12-15 Servings

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
3 medium sweet peppers, chopped (any color)
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 12 cups ripe tomatoes, diced (I remove the seeds from mine)
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 cup red wine, I used Chianti
1 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp. ground fennel (optional)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
2 chicken bouillon cube
Water, optional

Instructions

Chop all the vegetables into small pieces.
In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Add the onions, peppers, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for 10 more minutes.
Add the oregano, wine, tomato paste, parsley, basil, ground fennel, salt, pepper, brown sugar and bouillon cubes.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom. If the sauce is to thick you can add water to the sauce. It will depend on how ripe your tomatoes are if you need to add some water.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/hearty-vegetable-pasta-sauce/

Chop the vegetables

Chop the tomatoes

The sauce slow cooks

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Thick & Delicious

Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Pesto Pepper Pizza

September 3, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Pesto Pepper Pizza is a vegetarian pizza that utilizes pesto in place of pizza sauce to give it an extra zing and is topped off with sweet peppers and mozzarella cheese.

Here is another recipe using home made pesto, (click here to be directed to my recipes for Pesto 3 Ways). For the Pesto Pepper Pizza I used Celery Pesto as the sauce. I topped it with strips of sweet red bell pepper and freshly grated mozzarella cheese. Bake until golden brown and you have a tasty pizza that you can’t put down!

Try my recipe for Pizza Dough for the Pesto Pepper Pizza or a store bought dough would work also. If you make my Pizza Dough, consider making my recipe for Canadian Bacon & Green Olive Pizza or my recipe for Four Cheese Pizza.

Enjoy!

Pesto Pepper Pizza

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Servings

Pesto Pepper Pizza

Ingredients

1 Pizza Dough
1/2 cup Pesto
1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Spread the pizza dough on a greased pizza pan.
Bake the pizza dough for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven.
Spread the pesto on top of the pizza dough. Sprinkle half of the cheese on the crust. Place the pepper strips evenly over the crust. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top of the pizza.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
Cut and serve.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/pesto-pepper-pizza/

Spread the pizza dough on the pan and bake for 7 minutes.

Spread the pesto on top of the crust.

Add half of the cheese and the pepper strips.

Add the rest of the cheese.

Bake until golden brown.

The pesto is a nice alternative to pizza sauce.

Pesto Pepper Pizza

Yummy Pizza!

Fiesta Fettuccine

July 30, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Fiesta Fettuccine is vibrant with color from the peppers, corn and basil. Add to it some spices, pasta and cheese and you have a dish full of flavor.

I could eat pasta every day, really, I love it that much! I try to control the amount of pasta I eat, too many carbs to eat it every day. When I make a pasta dish I like to add in a fair amount of vegetables to off set the carbs. At least in my head I think I am eating healthier. 🙂

There are some wonderful spices in Fiesta Fettuccine, my favorites are paprika and cayenne pepper. These spices add some smokiness and heat to the dish. The cilantro and basil add a fresh element to the dish. Lastly, I added bacon and cheese to the recipe because everything tastes better with bacon and cheese. I’m right, aren’t I?

Enjoy!

Fiesta Fettuccine

Rating: 51

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Fiesta Fettuccine

Ingredients

1 pound fettuccine pasta
3 cups corn, fresh or frozen off the cob
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1 lime, juice of ½, ½ for garnish
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. chili powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper, more if you want it spicier
¼ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. salt
1 sweet pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
½ onion, sliced
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp. parsley or cilantro
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or julienned
6 sliced bacon, cooked & crumbled
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled

Instructions

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
Add the corn to a microwave safe dish and heat for 2 minutes, set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, juice of a ½ a lime, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Take ½ of the mixture and mix it in with the corn. Put the other half in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the pepper and onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until they start to soften.
Stir in the milk and heavy cream. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often, until the mixture starts to thicken. Stir in the cup of pasta water.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the parmesan and cheddar cheeses. Stir to combine, return the pan to the heat. Add in the pasta, corn, parsley or cilantro, basil and bacon. Stir to combine.
Plate the pasta, garnish with queso fresco, a slice of lime and basil.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/fiesta-fettuccine/