Mozzarella, Tomato, & Avocado Salad

South African Curry

During the Olympics this year, the South African athletes have been amazing... particularly Oscar Pistorius, the "blade runner", or "the fastest man on no legs".  He is not only tough, persistent, and fast - but very gracious.  

My son-in-law made this curry dish for us just before the Olympics began, and I thought it was a good time to share it.

The term “curry” can mean different things to different people - similar to all the different salsas in the US & Mexico.  Typically curry is a spicy dish of vegetables and/or meat served with rice.  This version is specific to Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  Spices are what most people define as “curry” - and they vary region to region.

My son-in-law served his LDS Mission to South Africa years ago.  He has never forgotten this specific blend of spices and ingredients in the curry he enjoyed there.  In Port Elizabeth, you get your spices from a spice shop - mixed just the way you like them.  The woman who wrote this recipe down for him (see below) always ordered hers this way:  A mixture of Mutton, Mother-In-Law, Mixed Masala, Garlic & Ginger.    

In many parts of South Africa there are spice markets.  The spicy blends of curry powder have really unusual names - including “Mother-In-Law’s Tongue”, Mutton Masala, “Chicken Licken”, etc...  They are piled into pyramids in enamel bowls and you request your own special blend.  Travis’ friend mailed him her “recipe”, complete with the local dialogue. 

This dish is made with curry ingredients my daughter found at Winco Foods.  Probably not totally authentic, but Travis thinks it's close enough.  

Although I’ve never been to South Africa, I do love their curry.  It’s a delicious, filling meal that doesn’t take a lot of time to pull together for an evening meal.  The aroma that fills the house is so good - you’ll have to make it yourself to see what I mean.  If the US has an equivalent dish to curry (as far as being easy to make and well-loved) - I would say it would have the word(s) “Casserole”, “Goulash”, or “Skillet” in the title.

For the full recipe, go to:
www.changeabletable.com

Low-Fat Tomato Basil Soup

I’ve tried a LOT of Tomato Basil Soups.  They are all delicious.  It’s hard to duplicate the creamy, thick variety.  I found a secret... crushed tomatoes (skins and all)  This adds great texture, and a bright fresh flavor that are hard to achieve without roasting fresh tomatoes (which are rare this time of year)

This all came about because I wasn't paying attention when I was shopping for canned tomatoes at Sam’s Club.  I get tired of paying over $1.00 for a 15-oz can - and that’s a LOT of cans to open!  I bought a #10 can at Sam’s Club for $2.89.  That’s 96 ounces (almost the equivalent of four 28-oz cans).  So it was a bargain.  But what I didn’t realize was that it was CRUSHED tomatoes, skin and all.  When I first opened it, I was so disappointed.  Tomato skin is not very appetizing (to me), and I almost threw it out.  That would have been a mistake.

This put me on my quest for a soup recipe that utilized crushed tomatoes (there aren’t many out there...)  Most of the time, crushed tomatoes are used to make pizza and pasta sauces.

Everyone loves Tomato Basil Soup.  Tomato soup has come a LONG way from the Campbell’s in a can - thanks to fresh ingredients, lower sugar, and very little starch.  

I looked all over for a recipe that met my expectations, so this is a combination of about four.  But, as I said before, the secret I found was a can of crushed tomatoes. It adds body to the soup in a way that thickening (such as flour, cornstarch, etc...) can’t.  At the same time it retains a really fresh-from-the-garden flavor - not to mention the color.  The red is so bright it will blind you! 

You can thin this with cream or milk, which makes the flavor less intense.  I chose not to.  Add toppings of your choice - including grated parmesan, a drizzle of sour cream, orzo pasta, etc...

For the recipe/photos/instructions - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Oven (or Crockpot) Stuffed Tomatoes

If you’re still enjoying a bumper crop of tomatoes from your garden - you’ll appreicate this hearty way to use them.  Tender tomatoes form a flavorful jacket for the satisfying filling.  A generous layer of melted cheese over the meat & rice makes them irresistible.  No need to skin the tomatoes either, as it aids in holding it all together during baking.

I keep waiting for our amazingly LONG summer to turn into full blown fall - and it’s taking it’s time.  My tomatoes were late getting started, and now are looking really great (once I remembered to turn off the water so they would ripen)  

This is one of several recipes my daughter & her husband used to survive their summer cooking in a hotel room (see "Dining @ the Super 8" post HERE).  She turned into quite the ‘slow-cooker gourmet’ - by necessity!  She shared this with me a few months ago, but it has taken all summer to save up enough tomatoes to actually try it.

Mistakes happen, and sometimes that’s the beginning of something good.  I recently purchased a can of diced tomatoes - only I didn’t notice they had jalapenos.  I opened them for taco soup and then realized I had grabbed the wrong can - so I decided to try them in this recipe.  I liked the little extra heat it added - so if you think this is too bland for your tastes, use the jalapeno variety.

I always make a grundle of rice, which I keep on hand in the refrigerator for recipes like this one.  You could also use instant rice if you are in a hurry.  This was really a fun meal - great for a change, and so pretty with fresh tomatoes.  You can also stuff green peppers with this mixture for a change of pace.  


For one more way to use your summer tomato harvest - go to:  
www.changeabletable.com 

Tomato Basil Pie

Tomato pie can take on many personalities.  The addition of basil adds a new dimension to this classic way to use an abundance of summer tomatoes.  If you think ahead, brush your hot-from-the-oven, freshly baked pie shell with egg white to seal it and prevent it from absorbing the tomato juice.

I have a new appreciation for tomato pie the past few years.  It is always a success because it’s hard NOT to like something baked in a flaky pie crust.  The addition of fresh basil make this (possibly) even better than my favorite recipe of a year ago (HERE)

I found the amount of mayonnaise and sour cream to be extreme (at least for the small amount of tomatoes I had on hand at the time).  You may want to adjust up or down - but my preference would be to cut both the mayo and sour cream to just 1/3 cup (instead of 1/2 cup)

This recipe called for sliced green onion and large basil leaves.  Since I don’t like finding an entire whole basil leaf in anything - I thinly sliced mine.  It was much easier to serve and consume that way.

I find I like mine served cold, since it holds it’s shape and has an entirely different flavor.  But I wouldn’t refuse a slice fresh from the oven...

For the recipe, and step-by-step photos - go to:

www.changeabletable.com

Pumpkin Chili - no beans, yet rich and velvety/thick...

We had a Chili & Cornbread Cook-Off tonight in my LDS ward Relief Society. I didn’t want to show up with a ho-hum variety - so I went to work hunting down a new recipe I hadn’t tried yet. I found this one on RecipeGirl.com - and I was intrigued with it. I have a bunch of surplus canned pumpkin in storage, and decided not to wait until Thanksgiving to start using it.

If you are a chili fan - you fall into one of two categories: BEANS, or NO Beans. I happen to be in the latter... But chili without beans is usually watery and (seemingly) less rich. Adding a little pumpkin solves that problem in this velvety, just-thick-enough recipe. Delicious!

I’m happy to say that I LOVE this chili. I can’t wait to try it in “Walk-Arounds” (I’ll post that one sometime...) and any other recipe that calls for canned chili. And yes - I might just try adding some black or pinto beans also (to make it go further if I have family home) It is great plain - and especially tasty garnished with grated cheddar and sour cream.

I detest chopping a lot of onions - I don’t like to cry because I hate putting my makeup back on so late in the day... I use my blender full of water to chop both onions and green peppers. Chop in large hunks, and give it a whirl or two (be careful not to completely pulverize them, which is easy to do once you start flipping the switch!) The green pepper will “foam” and you will think you’ve ruined it, but it diminishes as it sits in the strainer.

I made several interesting kinds of cornbread also (you HAVE to have cornbread with chili - it cries out for starch!) I’ll post those tomorrow. But for now - give this a try... you won’t be disappointed.

For the recipe, detailed photos, and links - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

Asparagus/Bacon/Tomato Tart - more fun than a quiche...

A quiche is fun, but a tart is divine... Something about the visual texture of the crust in a tart makes it special. If you have a plethora of fresh tomatoes in your garden, this is certainly worth a try. The bacon and asparagus add a rich flavor. Using fresh tomatoes (surprisingly) didn’t make this soggy either...

I finally splurged and bought tart pans. I LOVE them... other than I have tiny cuts all over my fingers now (see, they really ARE new!) It was just as simple making a tart as it is putting together a pie - but the advantage is you don’t have to make a fluted edge. Just slice it off even with the top and you’re good to go!

I found the beginnings of this recipe on foodnetwork.com, and combined it with one on racoonandlobster.com... Tweaking is so much fun.

For this recipe, photos, and links - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)

The Classic BLT - the summer sandwich of your childhood...

Today was officially my “Sunday Dinner Strike”... I have had enough cooking this week - and I wanted something fast and filling. Fresh tomatoes with crunchy lettuce and bacon on toasted buttered bread - is your mouth watering yet? Now is the time of year for a classic easy meal like the “BLT”...

There are some days that I am so DONE cooking! Today was one of them. Myself (and especially my family) are real fans of making a fantastic Sunday dinner - a day that we can usually relax and enjoy a meal together. After an especially crazy week I was kind of glad not to have anyone coming by for dinner today (but that will change - I LOVE having people over usually)

I gave my son a choice between Pork Roast & Mashed Potatoes (usually a favorite) and BLT’s. I was shocked when he chose BLT’s. But, after all - we have some pretty great tomatoes in the garden and everything else that makes the classic BLT - fresh white bread, crunchy lettuce, Miracle Whip, mustard, and (most important) THICK sliced bacon. You may not normally like mustard - but try it (even a tiny bit) and you will notice a subtle difference that make a superior BLT.

It had been a long time since we had these, but I still crave them occasionally. And, after all - it IS the day of “rest” (for some of us anyway) You may think it isn’t necessary to have a real, written-down recipe for something this simple - but my college kids think you can’t have enough directions for the good things in life. So here goes...

For this "recipe", photos, and some fun "BLT" trivia - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("empty nest" tab)

Easy as (Tomato) Pie - using all that garden produce can be really delicious...

Tomato pie (I have found) is a Southern delicacy - and they are as passionate about it as we Utahns are about our “funeral potatoes”. There are almost as many variations of Tomato Pie as there are people at Costco waiting for samples on a Saturday. After all that browsing - this is my variation...

Before you look at this recipe title and go elsewhere - just remember you (supposedly) haven’t really lived until you’ve tried the legendary TOMATO PIE. I found a (similar) recipe for this on KSL5.com a few years back, and I shrugged my shoulders in disbelief that anyone could actually LIKE something like it. But this year I have enough tomatoes to make me feel guilty - but not enough to make me want to bottle them. So I remembered that strange recipe I found long ago, and decided to be daring and try it.

I particularly enjoy reading comments on recipes. You can often get a good feel for the possible success of a recipe by taking a quick glance through them. The consensus on the “typical” recipe seemed to be that you either LOVE or HATE the real mayonnaise and the “wateriness” of the tomatoes. If you want to read an entertaining tomato pie recipe - go HERE to satisfy your curiosity.

I decided I couldn’t handle an entire CUP of real mayonnaise, and that I wanted a touch of bacon, and PLENTY of cheese. It was a good decision - and the only thing I’m still trying to get used to is the issue with how liquid-y the tomatoes tend to be. But that is the nature of the beast, and after it sits out at room temperature for about 15 minutes - that takes care of itself.

For this use-up-your-garden-produce recipe, with photos and tips - go to:
www.changeabletable.com ("full house" tab)