Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup ::: The Food Matters Project

This post has to be quick, I am currently doing two jobs at my company and March has been manic! The great news is that I will be taking on a new position in April…more to come there soon.

I love soup, but I rarely make it at home. Strange because I almost always order it at restaurants.

This curried soup recipe from the Food Matter Project was unknown for me. I have never had soup with curry flavors nor have I cooked with coconut milk before. The flavors end up mixing really well. Spicy, sweet, bold, and hearty…this soup will be going into the favorite soups file.

The full recipe can be found here at Eats Well With Others by Joanne and on page 107 of The Food Matter’s Cookbook.

For my version I added an extra jalapeño because I love very spicy soup, 3 stalks of celery, an extra carrot, and used red curry powder.

* I have a lot left over,  so I plan to try the poached egg version where you crack  an egg in the gently boiling soup and then serve.

::: the onion, jalapeño, celery, garlic, and ginger sautéing in dutch oven :::

Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup     serves 4-6

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, minced
  • 2 tbsp red curry powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • big pinch of sugar
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 carrot, chopped
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • salt and black pepper
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 small cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
  • 4 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped, for garnish or opt to poach the eggs in the soup
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Put the oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it is hot add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened 3-5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and sugar. Cook and stir until the spices become fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrots, and celery and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for a minute or 2 then add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, and tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture gently bubbles.  Cook, stirring once in a while, 20 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and adjust the heat to the mixture bubbles gently again. Cook until all the vegetable are very tender about 15 minutes more.

The soup will refrigerate great for 3-4 days and you can also freeze it to re-heat later.

optional: Serve with chopped hard boiled eggs and cilantro.

 

And to see some creative renditions of the original recipe head here to where the other Food Matter’s Project members posted their recipes.

::: keelymarie :::

The Food Matters Project ::: Cracked Black Pepper Sweet Popcorn

 

Oh man! I am home this week from almost 4 weeks of travel and I am pretty thrilled to relax at home with Peter for his birthday tonight. Happy Birthday baby!

This week kicks off, as it will for the next few months, with my Food Matters Project post.

Tell me: WHO goes 28 years NEVER having made any popcorn but MICROWAVE popcorn?!

Well Kate, from COOKIE + Kate, made sure we all knew what we were missing with this week’s The Food Matter Project recipe.

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Not really sure why we all grow up just eating the microwave kind.  This was fast and simple, no bag necessary.

I chose to make my rendition a bit “spicy and sweet” {my favorite combo!}- with some melted butter, fresh cracked black pepper, salt, and sugar.

I actually cannot stop eating it right. this. minute…

 

After the popcorn is made, melt 3 tablespoon of butter with 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of fresh cracked black pepper. Toss the popcorn in the mixture and add more black pepper, to taste. I added more because I love how the cracked black pepper balances the sweet buttery sugary taste.

Follow the recipe to make the simple homemade popcorn over at COOKIE + kate and check out the other FMP members’ renditions here.

I also decided to make a handful covered in red candy coating for some Valentine’s Day love. <3 <3<3

 

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keely marie

The Food Matters Project ::: Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers

 

Interrupting your :::Super Bowl Hangover Monday::: with your new favorite butternut squash dish.

When I saw that Sarah chose Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers as the first recipe for The Food Matters Project I was really curious to see what’s used to make the “Chipotle-Glaze.”

The glaze is pretty simple, made using a mix of chili peppers in adobo sauce (canned at your grocery store), olive oil, honey, and garlic. These squash skewers are a great dish to bring to a BBQ or potluck and a fantastic main dish if you are eating more vegetables and less meat.

 

Head over to 20somethingcupcakes for the full recipe.

The glaze is a blend of smoky, spicy, and sweet. I added an extra tablespoon of honey after tasting. I was a little worried because there are not many dishes I make that call for so much olive oil for, but a lot if it drips off while you roast the skewers. The recipe calls for the glaze to be muddled, but somehow I am without a muddler (makes no sense with  my love of mojitos!). I used the chop option on a food processor for a few seconds.

{TIP: I had a hard time getting the bamboo skewers in the squash without breaking them, I think I soaked the skewers in water too long. So instead I used metal skewers. They were long enough to sit on the sides of my baking sheet which was perfect for roasting the squash cubes. The skewers suspended in the air above the baking sheet, which made it easy to turn them once in a while.}

Next time I make these I will add some pineapple and green bell pepper to the skewers for color & variety in flavor. Since I’m not used to eating only vegetables for a meal (especially not just 1 type of vegetable), adding something else to the skewers would make it more interesting and I think the flavors would go really well together.

You can also head here to see how the other members of The Food Matters Project fared.

::: Chipotle-Glazed Squash Skewers Recipe :::

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Boneless Baked Daytona Bites

Recipe for Copycat Hooter's Daytona Wings by Keely Marie

This post is a bit more like a confessional.

Yes, I have been to Hooters.

And yes, I have been there enough to find out they have a secret wing sauce that is not on the menu.

Tell me I’m not alone?

Continue reading “Boneless Baked Daytona Bites”

Cocktail Meatballs ::: Party Hors d’oeuvre Series

These are great cocktail meatballs! I was on the hunt for a fantastic cocktail meatball for our News Year’s party. Criteria: one bite so you can stick with a toothpick, sweet & savory, with some sort of glaze.

Emeril came through when I found his recipe on FoodNetwork.com. To be honest, it was one of the few recipes I found quickly that sounded really appetizing. I did though, just find out that my Kitchen Aid mixer has a recipe in its recipe booklet that is similar, but calls for a cup of strong coffee in the sauce.

I tripled the below recipe since this was for a big group (yes I had 60+ meatballs) and used 1/3 ground pork for flavor. In terms of seasonings, everything from your cabinet is pretty much in here, but it’s because he wants you to use his “Emeril’s Essence.” Rather than have you make this essence (to set aside and only use 1/2 teaspoon of),  I’ve just added a bit of each in my recipe.  I also baked the meatballs and then put them in the crock pot with the sauce for a few hours instead of frying with oil and butter as he would.

{Adapted from Emeril Lagasse’s Cocktail Meatballs}

Cocktail Meatballs  yields 24- 30 meatballs

  • 1/2 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 pound ground pork {You can use all beef just as easily}
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs {I used Italian because they were on hand}
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 2 teaspoons Creole mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • a few pinches cayenne {more or less depending if you want heat}
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce {hot sauce}
  • non-stick olive oil spray

Sauce

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup grated yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 ° F.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs, except the non-stick spray…obviously. ; )

Mix well with your hands. Form into individual meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter. Spray a baking sheet covered in tinfoil with olive oil spray and place meatballs on the sheet. Spray the meatballs with some olive oil so they crisp up just a  little (without drying out) while in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Put on low broil at the end if needed. {The meatballs should brown on the tops so they stay together in the crock pot.} You may have some grease to drain from the pan once they finish cooking in the oven.

Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking to dissolve the sugar and combine. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. While the meatballs are baking, heat the sauce on medium-low heat in a sauce pan on the stove for at least 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meatballs in a crock pot on low and let cook for 2-3 hours, stirring carefully occasionally.

* Time saving method: If you don’t have time for the crock pot, pour the sauce over the meatballs on the baking sheet after the first 20 minutes. Bake for 15 more minutes until they have a nice glaze from the sauce.

Do you have a great family cocktail meatball recipe?

This is the first I’ve tried!

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keely marie