They say “Necessity is the mother of invention”.  While my inventions aren’t inspired by mankind’s ambition to land on Mars, they are certainly driven by more mundane and earthly necessities.

As a busy woman juggling a career, kids, home (read husband) and a full social life (offline & online), the only thing on my mind as I drive back from work is “What should I make for dinner tonight?”.  Of course, I always want the most nutritious and best tasting food for my family. But equally important is the ease of preparing it. So there it is……..my self-serving necessity for inventing simple, delicious and ‘Good for you’ meals.

Here is a recipe for an all natural, preservative-free Tomato & Carrot soup that you will love! Perfect for chilly Autumn evenings….

Things You’ll Need

·         Tomato cubes/chunks, preferably Roma tomatoes (2 ½ cups or 5 medium tomatoes)

·         Diced carrot (1 cup)

·         Onion chunks (1 cup or ½ of a medium onion)

·         Garlic (2 small cloves)

·         Black peppercorns ( 7 or 8 )

·         Salt (to taste)

·         Pepper (to taste)

·         Sugar (to taste, no more than 1 tsp)

How To Make

Mix the tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and black peppercorns, and cook in a pressure cooker until soft and tender. Let the cooked veggies cool a little until they become warm to touch. Then puree them in a blender.  Heat up the blended puree in stove top and add water to achieve desired consistency. Add salt, sugar and crack more black pepper on top.

Tips

1)      If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can boil the veggies on the stove top or cook them in a slow cooker.

2)      When blending the veggies, remove the transparent glass valve on the blender lid and cover it with a kitchen towel instead. This lets the steam escape safely, avoiding a blowup.

3)      You can also an immersion blender directly on the stove top as you add the seasonings

4)      Cool the puree to room temperature and freeze it. Stays well for a month and you can get homemade soup in minutes!

Serving Suggestions

1)      Top with croutons or any variety of salty crackers you like

2)      Want a richer soup? Place a dollop of fresh cream just before serving.

3)      To make it kid friendly, float a few Whole Grain Goldfish crackers on top

4)      For a spice lovers, garnish with finely chopped onions and cilantro

Make it a wholesome meal!

Pair the soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwich, or Bread and ‘Egg Bhurji’ (Indian scrambled eggs)

Happy cooking and stay tuned for more in my next post! Also, would love to see your ideas and recipes on this forum.

Ingredients

1 - 19 oz can Progresso Minestrone Soup

1 - 14.5 oz can of each of the following:

      diced tomatoes with oregano and basil and any other herbs

     yellow corn or mexi-corn

     okra or zucchini with tomato sauce or both

     black beans

    mixed vegetables

2-4 shakes of hot sauce and pepper if you like. (substitute this with Maggie Masala Chilli) if desired)

Put it all in a heavy pot and heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking . Don't drain anything just dump them in the pot.

Makes a big pot full to enjoy.

Ingredients

oil

6 medium sized beets, peeled and diced

8 cups vegetable broth or water or chicken broth

2 cups apple juice

3 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and diced

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and ground pepper to taste

Creme Fraiche for garnish (optional)

1. Place the broth, juice and beets in a heavy pot.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 45 minutes.

2. Strain the broth and return to it to the pot.

3. Melt the butter over medium low heat. Add apples and saute until caramelized for about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Puree the apples and beet in food processor. Add the broth if desired.

5. Mix the puree, broth, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pass the soup through strainer if desired.

6. Serve the soup hot or cold, dolloped with creme fraiche if desired.