While it looks vaguely like a euphemism, the immersion blender is such a key item in my kitchen. It really does the job like nothing else. Since I was the only one in our house who would eat the sweet potato and lentil soup, I shared some with friends who couldn't believe it didn't have cream. So it's been my kitchen secret for a while.
My mother in law was having a not-dangerous-but-tiring medical day on Wednesday, and we were up for the dinner shift. I thought the Dinner: A Love Story tomato and white bean soup would be a good, nourishing but not challenging dish to make for her. Longtime readers with a fetish for details will remember that I am not a "soak the beans" person, so I experimented (!!!) with using two cans of cannellini beans instead. It came together beautifully. I didn't have the bacon (well, defrosted) so I went without and did a lighter take. Result? Unreal. I loved it and couldn't stop eating it once I had my taste. My version:
Olive oil-one carrot-one stalk celery-one half onion--chopped and put in the soup pan together with salt, pepper, and a little rosemary, dried from my plant outside. I skipped the bacon, and while my first thought was, Mmm, bacon would've helped this, on second thought, for this batch--I'm not sorry.
When the veggies were soft, I added the whole 14 oz can of tomatoes, then drained and rinsed 2 cans of cannelloni beans. I saved a few and added the rest, plus one can of chicken stock (could easily be veggie). I heated everything through and used the immersion blender. It came up pinkish-orange and I wasn't sure what would happen with the flavor. But as it turned out, the beans gave it a very smooth texture and it was just right. I skipped the rest of the dinner I'd made that night and just had the soup.
One more note: I made the Joanne's Pork Tenderloin last week and the boys were over the moon. They ate almost all of it the first day, scotching the leftovers plan but still making me very happy. If you are pork eaters and have not tried this yet, do not delay.
This week: I am attending a conference on Wednesday and Thursday. No idea how this is going to work. Deep breaths. Wish me luck.
Monday: roasted turkey breast (with Montreal seasoning like my husband made for our ersatz Thanksgiving leftovers), sweet potatoes, salad
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Slow cooker pork tenderloin I found in the freezer, wahoo! roasted potatoes with rosemary, green beans
Friday: crying uncle and sending for pizza; after all this, I have training at 6pm over the web.
Wishing you a great week!
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1 comment:
Yay! Don't you just love wins? Hope everything's ok with your M-I-L. Have a good week. Sounds like it's going to be a busy one.
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