The simplest tomato soup: chop, then use the food mill (left) or a blender to process. If you use a blender, strain the seeds! Simmer, then season to taste. Divine!
(I used golden peach tomatoes)
I went through a phase of tapas-style meals. I'd bought a lot of produce and decided to serve a lot of it at one meal.
I served the soup with some whole-wheat pasta and a parmesan crisp (put small piles of parmesan cheese on baking sheet or in a skillet. Either bake at 350 or fry in a dry skillet until crispy. Like a parmesan cracker.)

Then came a stuffed portobello cap: 1 slice of bread (I use Ezekiel bread), toasted and crumbed (put in food processor or use the trusty stick blender)
1T feta cheese
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only (hold at the bottom and pull leaves off)

salt and pepper to taste
drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 for about 7 minutes. Serve as entree or slice in four for an appetizer. It was so good that I forgot to take a picture until we were almost done.
The second tapas meal blog will have to wait. I'm restless.

Back from extinction

OK, so I exaggerate. I'm fine. I've just been busy. I'm now a business reporter, which seems to be more mentally taxing on me than copy editing was. I think it's because reporting is something new, and it's something that doesn't come naturally to me. In the mean time, I've been cooking. A few recipes:

Easiest fat-free pasta sauce ever:

Handfuls of basil

few sprigs fresh oregano or two pinches dried

2 green zebra tomatoes (or any tomato, really)

1 clove garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Stick it in the blender or use an immersion blender (my favorite kitchen tool)

30 seconds later, and TA-DA!!! Pasta sauce. Pour over whole wheat pasta. (Regular pasta -- I'm SO over it!)

Chickpeas rock!

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then shake them well to dry. Sprinkle with 1T cumin, a pinch of salt and a few cranks of the pepper mill. Either cook over medium-high heat or roast at 400 degrees until crispy. Drizzle with olive oil if you want. Or not. These are a favorite snack of mine!

Busy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been swamped at work. Next Monday I start a new gig, as retail and restaurant reporter for the The Enquirer. It's my first full-time reporting job. so I'm a bit nervous. However, that beat interests me, and I'm eager for a new, more challenging role.
Now, back to the food.
Went to my beloved Findlay Market yesterday after a couple of weeks away. I had this horrible feeling that I had missed all the good tomatoes, but thankfully I hadn't. I picked up more garden peach and green zebras, along with some orange romas. So they wouldn't be lonely, I got a few baby red bell peppers, two honey crisp apples and a handful of prune plums. (I'm on Fred's computer, and I can't figure out how to link! I'll update this later.)
More to write about:
quinoa tart, my new steamer, fish tacos, black beans and rice, the joys of kimchi.