Minestrone Soup

I got this recipe from Ginger, and I think that Carla has one that is similar, if not the same one. I love this soup, and would make it more often if the kids were better at eating it. As it is, we have it more than they would like. :) It's great in the summer when you have fresh garden vegetables, and it's a kind of comfort food in the winter.

Minestrone Soup
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, sliced
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 zucchini, chopped
1 summer squash, chopped
1 potato, chopped
1 cup cooked medium pasta shells
vegetable broth
italian spices (I usually use basil and oregano)
olive oil
salt to taste (depends on the broth you use)

Saute the onion, garlic, and carrot in a little bit of olive oil until they start to get transparent.
Add the potato and the vegetable broth. Bring to boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potato starts to get tender.
Add the kidney beans, canned chopped tomatoes, zucchini, and the summer squash.
Cook for another 10 minutes or so, and add a little water if necessary.
Add the cooked shells and heat through.
Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Options: You could saute some celery with the onion, garlic, and carrot at the beginning. Frozen peas can be added with the beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash. You could also add green beans at that point. You could also substitute some other type of beans, like garbanzo beans, for the kidney beans. I like to have this soup with warm homemade bread. Ginger suggests a baguette and some kind of french cheese, like camembert.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

from Ginger's blog
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine
Serves 6

2 Tbl. olive oil
2 c. finely chopped onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. water
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (do NOT drain)
2 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, rosemary, salt, pepper, chickpeas, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for approx. 20 minutes.Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it is well blended and mostly smooth. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can stick 2 cups of the soup at a time into your blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in the vinegar, and bring soup back to a boil. Remove from heat and serve with a bit of Parmesan grated on top of each serving.

Mandarin and Romain Salad

(salad w/ homemade pita)

recipe taken from Ginger's blog

serves 6

3 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbl. olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinager

1 tsp. honey

2 small garlic cloves, crushed

1 head Romain lettuce

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained and rinsed

3 super thin slices of red onion, rings separated and cut in half

1/8 c. slivered roasted almonds

6 Tbl. crumbled feta cheese

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, vinager, honey, garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine.Rinse and dry thoroughly the Romain leaves, and tear into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl with the mandarin sections, onion, and almonds, and drizzle with olive oil dressing. Plate and serve immediately, sprinkling 1 Tbl. feta on each serving of salad.

Ginger's Pasta

Ingredients:
24 oz frozen ravioli
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (NOT drained)
6.5 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 TBSP olive oil
3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 TBSP parmesan cheese

Cook ravioli, being careful not to split the pasta.

In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over medium heat; add tomatoes, artichokes, garlic and seasonings. Cook 2-3 minutes until vegetables are warmed.

Drain pasta well. Add to vegetables and stir gently.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pass extra cheese at the table.

adapted from Carla's Eden's Harvest blog
The original recipe used fresh tomatoes, which I use when I have them in the garden. Most of the time, I substitute the canned tomatoes as above.
find Ginger here


not sure on servings, it feeds our family of 2 adults and 4 kids with a little left over
time: about 15 minutes