Bare Cupboard Soup

Bare Cupboard Soup, based solely on what I had available in my cupboards and refrigerator-- and the whims of my tastebuds-- was the perfect ending to a chilly New York State day.

BARE CUPBOARD SOUP
(2 servings)

Ingredients...

1 tablespoon oil
1 small carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
A pinch each of salt, pepper, onion powder, dried oregano, dried parsley, crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 large (6 grams) beef, chick or vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup water
1-ounce tomato paste
6-ounces water
15.5-ounce can great northern beans

Directions...

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, sauté carrots and celery in oil for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Measure salt, pepper, onion powder, oregano, parsley and crushed red pepper into a small dish. Add 1/2 bouillon cube, crushed. Add to saucepan all at once.
3. Stir in 1 cup water, tomato paste and 6-ounces water (measured in tomato paste can).
4. Raise heat slightly and cook 8-10 minutes.
5. Stir in great northern beans and heat about 5 minutes more until beans are hot.

What happened to the remaining 5 ounces of tomato paste, you ask? I laid out a small square of wax paper on a small plate. Divided the remaining paste into 5 “plops” and set it in the freezer. Once frozen, I placed it in a small freezer bag, ready to pull out whenever I need more.

While in the freezer, a quick look reminded me that the cupboards are not quite so bare as I thought. There’s a couple of turkey-olive burgers left, a half pound of bacon, and vegetable soup I made last week.

Grilled Turkey-Olive Burgers

For my second time preparing Ellie (Food Network) Krieger’s light (as in fat content) Better Burger with Green Olives, I used my George Foreman grill and made my life easier by covering the grill in foil.

I read somewhere that covering these indoor grills with foil makes for easier cleaning. I hate cleaning all the nooks and crannies of my GF, so this is a win-win situation in my opinion.

Using two pieces of foil, one for the bottom and one for the top, wasn’t exactly the best idea. Next time I’ll use one piece for the whole thing. Also, it makes better sense to turn the foil edges on the bottom sides up just enough to keep any liquids from dripping on the counter. Also, the bottom, front edge needs to be turned down so liquids will run out into the little “catch basin”.


BETTER BURGER WITH GREEN OLIVES
(adapted from Ellie Krieger’s recipe)

1 pound lean ground turkey (or beef)
1/2-cup coarsely chopped green olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried
3/4-teaspoon cumin
1/3-teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and shape into 4 patties.

On a George Foreman grill, cooking will only take about 5 minutes. In a grill pan or on an outdoor grill, allow 5 minutes for each side.

After I placed two patties on my GF, and closed it, I decided to open it back up to take a photo. That’s why the odd colored lines in the patties.

Did you notice that there is no salt added? That’s because olives are very salty.

See how nice and clean the grill is after removing the foil.

Fix the grilled burger “your way”. My way was mustard, ketchup and whole wheat bread. Absolutely delicious!

Stir fry salad

Many of my meals are invented on the spot. When I notice it's time to eat, I check the refrigerator, the freezer and the cupboards. It's like a clothing closet, when you think you have nothing to wear. Experiment, mix and match, see what you can come up with.

A couple of days ago, I made this Stir Fry Salad. It's simple, really, so I won't give you a long, complicated recipe. Only one photo today, but in the future, there will be more for each entry.

The base of this dish is mixed greens. Earlier in the summer, I would have used mesclun from my garden. Sadly, I note that the mesclun is all used up and I truly miss having it fresh each day. You can use your favorite lettuce. Or uncooked spinach. Or any mixture of greens.

I stir-fried zucchini slices, green beans and scallion slices in a bit of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) in a wok. Toward the end of the cooking, I added a quick splash each of sesame oil and Tamari sauce. On another day, I might have used plain soy sauce in place of tamari. If I'd added meat, I might have used Worcestershire.

After placing the stir-fried veggies on the greens, I added some tomato chunks. There was a small amount of salmon left over from the previous night's meal, so I broke it up and added it to the salad. Wish I'd remembered I had olives in the frig; they would have been a nice addition, as would artichoke hearts if I had them.

I drizzled the whole thing with a small amount of EVOO. So easy. So delicious. So filling.


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