Originally I thought the whole Quarantine/Covid-19 would have allowed me extra time to focus on cooking and sharing these recipes with you, but obviously that was not the case. Maybe forcing me to stay home and cook caused the opposite reaction for me? I just wanted to go out and have someone else do the dishes! Oh well. Now that the super hot temps are starting to back off I’m finding some additional inspiration. This recipe was so easy and I had quite a few people asking me for it – so I’ll do my best.
I started with a package of chicken thighs, this time I used bone in skin on – that is what I had on hand. I put them in a zip lock bag with the following marinade. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper and lemon juice. I’ll do my best to give you amounts, but I really just started mixing until I liked how it tasted. I marinated in the fridge for most of the day. Sorry – I didn’t take as many pictures for you this time!
I chose to use a cast iron skillet for this one – any oven/stove safe dish should work. I placed my chicken thighs in the cast iron and put in the oven at 400 degrees. I set the timer for an hour. When checking on them around 30 minutes I found the tops were nicely browned so I decided to cover with foil and cooked only for another 15. I didn’t even check the temperature like normal, but remember the temperature for chicken is 165 degrees. Also – they will keep cooking after (especially in the cast iron) so if you are close but not quite there that is ok!
Once removed them from the oven, I moved them to a platter and placed my cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. I scrapped the bits off the bottom of the pan and de-glazed with a dry red wine. (you could also use white wine or chicken broth – I just had an open bottle of cooking wine already). Let this simmer for about 10 minutes until you have a thicker sauce consistency.
Lastly, I poured the sauce over the chicken in the serving platter before serving and I sprinkled with some dried thyme.
We really enjoyed this and it was very easy to put together. This time we decided to have roasted carrots and sauteed spinach with dinner. Hope you enjoy as well!
Roasted Honey Balsamic Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (or a little more)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 pieces chicken thighs
- 2 cup dry red wine (or white wine or chicken broth)
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
Instructions
- Mix together the first 6 ingredients with a wisk. Place your chicken thighs in a zip lock or other container and pour the marinade on top. Place in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 24 hours. *I like to shake the bag several times through the day.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place your chicken in a cast iron skillet (or oven/stove safe pan). Be sure to get as much of the marinade as you can in the pan as well. Place in oven and set time for approx 30 minutes.
- Check on your chicken at 30 minutes or so and if they are a beautiful brown, cover with foil. Cook another 15-30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 or close.
- Remove from oven. Place the chicken in a serving platter and your skillet on the stove with the remaining marinade.
- Turn the stove to medium/high heat. Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and deglaze with a dry red wine. I needed approx 2 cups to get the sauce amount and consistency needed, but start with about 1 cup. Simmer for about 10 minutes until you have a thicker sauce consistency.
- Pour your sauce on top of the chicken in the serving platter, coating each thigh. Sprinkle with dried thyme. Enjoy!
Blueberry Jalapeno Glaze
We love smoked salmon and typically keep it pretty simple. Which we did the same prep with this one as well, but I decided I wanted to try out something new. All of the gorgeous fresh jalapenos growing in the garden and it’s also blueberry season right now – inspiration created.
I’ll give a quick simple version of what we do with the salmon first.. I wash and pat dry with paper towels. Then I add my seasonings such as: drizzle of honey, lemon powder, salt, pepper, paprika maybe some oregano. Pretty easy and simple and I let it sit in the fridge for a few hours soaking in the seasonings before we smoke. The blueberry glaze is just as simple!
I diced about one large jalapeno and about 1/4 of a sweet onion (also looking absolutely fantastic at the store right now). Sauteed in a pan with a little olive oil until they were starting to soften. I added about 1.5 cups of blueberries, 1/4 cup of honey and a couple tablespoons of balsamic. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer until the blueberries are almost all popped open. You will need to keep an eye on this and stir occasionally or they will boil over!
I let it cool slightly and then used my immersion blender to smooth it out. If you don’t have an immersion blender you should get one! But seriously, you can throw the mixture into a blender instead. I let this cool all day and added to our salmon halfway through smoking. It turned out great – we all added more as a sauce as well!
Blueberry Jalapeno Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeno large
- 1/4 sweet onion
- 1.5 cups blueberries
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Dice jalapeno and onion. Saute with a little olive oil until soft.
- Add remaining ingredients. Turn heat to lowest setting. Cover and simmer.
- Be sure to check frequently and stir as needed so the mixture doesn't boil over. Once most of the blueberries are popped open, remove from heat.
- After cooled enough to handle, use immersion blender to smooth or a regular blender works as well! ~Enjoy!
Pork Noodle Bowls
This has become a go to recipe for us whenever we have leftover pulled pork. You can also use chicken or really any other meat that you want. If you have leftovers or meat already prepared this dish is super fast and easy to put together!
We started by heating up the pork in a small pan. At the same time – boil water for a couple of eggs. In a 3rd pan, add some bone broth. We were fortunate enough to grab some from our favorite meat market here in AZ last week, but you can work with any brand of bone broth or stock. Bring your broth to a simmer and add in coconut aminos, salt & pepper, gochujang, ginger, lime juice and garlic. (I’ll share approximate amounts, but it’s really all to your taste/preference)
Don’t forget about your eggs. We prefer a nice soft boiled egg which is about 6-6.5 minutes. Add your eggs to boiling water then set a timer.
After you simmer for a few minutes and make sure your broth tastes just how you like, turn the heat up to a boil and add your noodles. They take about five minutes so should be done right about the same time as your eggs! We used the above pictured soba noodles, but there are a variety of options you can use! We also had some shiitake mushrooms in the fridge so we sliced them pretty thin and added in with the noodles.
Once your eggs are done – peel and slice in half. Put your noodles and mushrooms in a bowl and top with your pork. (or whatever meat you are using!)
Then, ladle in your hot broth. Top with and egg and cilantro. Feel free to add any other ingredients you like – hot sauce, thin slice radishes, scallions, other veggies? Grab some extra napkins as it can get kind of messy! Enjoy!
Pork Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups bone broth (or stock or whatever you have on hand)
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2-3 tbsp gochujang
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp ginger dried
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2-3 tbsp minced garlic
- 1.5-2 cups pulled pork or chicken or sliced meat or tofu
- 1/2 pint shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
- 3/4 lb buckwheat soba noodles
- 1 bunch cilantro for garnish
- 3 eggs soft boiled about 6+ minutes
Instructions
- Heat your pulled pork on stove, if it isn't already.
- Cook your eggs to your liking – 6+ minutes for soft boiled.
- Heat your broth in a separate pan. Add all of the ingredients through the minced garlic. Simmer for a few minutes and taste to see if you want to add or amend any flavors to your liking.
- Bring your broth to a boil and add noodles and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add your noodles and mushrooms to a bowl. Top with pork. Ladle the broth over the top. Garnish with cilantro and an egg. Enjoy!
Scalloped Potatoes
I don’t make recipes like this very often. Like this meaning.. I consider it too unhealthy to include in a normal meal rotation for us. But.. I did grow up with a love for cream sauce and what is it really going to hurt every once in a while? The grocery store finally had potatoes on our most recent trip so we snagged a large bag and this just felt like the perfect side dish with our dinner the other night.
First, wash and slice your potatoes pretty thin (they will cook faster that way). I think we used about 4-5 average sized potatoes. We made a LOT – we are notorious for that! Next, melt a stick of butter in a pan. Grab your flour, milk, salt and pepper. Slowing add flour to your melted butter, stirring constantly until you get a nice thick consistency – about like the picture below. You can even go a little thicker – you will just need more milk!
Mix in your salt and pepper to taste. Then start slowing adding your milk until you have a nice, thick yet creamy consistency. It’s pretty darn tasty just like this!
Then add in some cheese. We chose to use sharp cheddar as that is what we had on hand. I’d say it was about a cup. Mix together over low/medium heat until the cheese is mostly melted. Careful not to let the cheese stick or burn to the bottom of the pan.
Take and oven safe dish and layer some sauce on the bottom, then a layer of your potatoes, more sauce and repeat.
It should look something like the picture above. Lastly, I topped this with fresh lemon thyme and parsley. The lemon really added a nice bright flavor to an otherwise somewhat heavy dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes. You can use a fork test to make sure they are done, depending on how thick your slices were they could take a little longer. That’s it – enjoy!
Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes russet
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups flour completely approximate!
- 2 cups milk again – approximate!
- 1 cup cheese sharp cheddar suggested
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon thyme
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
- Wash and thinly slice potatoes.
- Melt butter in pan and slowly add in flour about 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve a thick paste like consistency. Mix in salt and pepper to taste.
- Slowly mix in milk about 1/4 cup at a time mixing well until you have a nice creamy consistency.
- Add cheese and stir over low/medium heat until pretty much melted/incorporated, but be careful not to let your sauce burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Coat bottom of dish with sauce. Add a layer of potatoes. Add another layer of sauce and then another layer of potatoes. Pour the rest of the sauce to cover the top of the dish.
- Top with fresh chopped lemon thyme and parsley.
- Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes or until fork tender.
Brown Butter Sage Roasted Radishes
Radishes are so pretty and very easy to grow! These beauties all came from our little backyard garden. I planted the Easter variety – which is just a multi pack. My favorite is when you are surprised with the watermelon radishes. I just think they are so beautiful! There are a lot of things you can do with radishes and typically that involves simply slicing them thin or eating whole. I wanted to share something a little different with you this time.
This is super simple. Quarter your radishes or halve if smaller. Place in an oven safe dish and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
Melt a stick of butter in a pan. Add sage leaves and simmer until the butter starts to froth and turn a little brown.
Remove the sage leaves and place on a paper towel to absorb extra liquid.
Pour the melted butter on top of the radishes and stir to coat well.
Place your sage leaves on top of the radishes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for another 30 minutes or until the radishes are fork tender. The last minute, turn your oven to broil to crisp up the sage leaves. Enjoy!
Brown Butter Sage Roasted Radishes
Ingredients
- 1 dozen radishes approx
- 1 stick butter
- 1 bunch sage leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Quarter or halve your radishes. Place in an oven safe dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter in a pan on stove. Add sage leaves and simmer until butter starts to froth and turn brown. Remove sage leaves and place on paper towel to absorb extra liquid.
- Pour butter over radishes and stir together to evenly coat.
- Place sage leaves on top of radishes and cover pan with foil.
- Bake in over at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 30 minutes or until radishes are fork tender (check in 15 minutes).
- For the last minute, turn over to broil to crisp up the sage leaves. Enjoy!
“George’s” Chicken Soup
We are having just a couple of cooler days in the desert before we shoot up toward the 90s next week. The cooler days combined with being stuck in the house made soup sound like just the thing for dinner. One of our favorite soups both David and I enjoy is from George’s at the Cove in La Jolla, CA. If you have never been – it’s worth it! The views are incredible and if the seals and sea lions are plentiful, they are just high and far enough away that the smell won’t ruin your appetite!
This recipe is a pretty close play on their soup, which you can find their recipe online as well! We just made a few small changes. To start, we are using leftover pulled chicken. I am loving having all of the smoked meat leftover as there are so many different meals you can create! You can find my beer can chicken recipe on this site as well – make 2 or 3 at a time, pull the meat apart and freeze what you don’t eat for later!
Next, heat some oil in a pan and add your diced veggies, carrots, celery, onion and broccoli (stems and florets). I used approx 2 cups of each. I made a big batch as we like this leftover too! Cook for about 5 minutes until veggies are starting to soften. Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano (Mediterranean or Greek/not Mexican). Stir and cook together for a few more minutes. Heat your pan up slightly and add some white wine to de-glaze the pan, about 1 cup or a little more.
Next, add in chicken broth or stock – I used about 6 cups in this batch. Stir together well and simmer reducing the liquid by about 1/3. Add in your chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in 2 cans of black beans, drained, 3 tablespoons of worcestershire and hot sauce (your favorite brand). Simmer until you are ready to eat.
Before you serve, add in about 2 cups of coconut cream and mix together well. That is just about it! I like to add a dollop or two of Greek yogurt on top to add a little extra creaminess and cool the temperature down slightly. Enjoy!
“George’s” Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups diced carrots
- 2 cups diced onion
- 2 cups diced broccoli stems included
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 tbsp basil
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 tbsp oregano Greek or Mediterranean
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3-4 cups shredded chicken, or cubed preferrably smoked
- 2 cans black beans drained
- 3 tbsp worcestershire
- 3 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 cups coconut cream
- greek yogurt, non-fat/plain optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add diced veggies. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add about 2 tablespoons each of basil, thyme and oregano. Stir and cook together a few more minutes. Turn heat up slightly and add white wine to de-glaze the pan.
- Add in chicken broth, stir together well and simmer until liquid has reduced by about 1/3.
- Add in chicken. Cook for another 5 minutes and then add in beans, worcestershire and hot sauce.
- Simmer on low until ready to serve.
- Add in coconut cream and stir together, cooking for a minute or so.
- Enjoy! Add a dollop or two of yogurt on top if you like!
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Pasta
I always love pasta. I love that you can do so many different things with it. I love that dried pasta keeps in the pantry for a LONG time so you can have it for all of those last minute throw together meals. I love that we typically have it as a one dish meal. And apparently most of the rest of the world must agree with me right now as our shelves are currently pretty bare when it comes to pasta! That’s all I am going to say about the crazy pandemic going on right now as I am sure most of us are sick of hearing about it.
We have our favorites, but you can use any kind and shape of pasta you have on hand for this. Go ahead and bring a pot of water to boil, well salted and cook your pasta per the directions.
While your pasta is cooking, heat some ghee butter in a pan and add a couple tablespoons of minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant and add in your mushrooms. My favorite to use are cremini, but we had baby bella on hand so that is what went in. For this dish I used 2 pint containers. Add in some salt and pepper to taste and cook down for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn your heat up a little and add about 1-2 cups of dry white wine. I added about 2 as I’m making a large batch. Let this cook down until the liquid is 1/2 or less.
Next, I added in some fresh kale from the garden. Any green would work. I just ripped it into approx bite size pieces and stirred into the rest of the mixture. Your pasta should be about done now. Go ahead and drain and set aside, but add about 1/2-1 cup of the pasta water to your pan.
Next you add in your chicken. We like to make several smoked chickens, pull the meat and freeze leftovers for dishes like this and that is just what we did. However, you can use chicken breast, thighs, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store or whatever you have on hand. Cubed, diced or pulled is fine too! Stir that in until it is heated up well (note you do need to pre-cook the chicken.)
I added in about 2-3 tablespoons of parsley and about 1 cup of shredded cheese. Any hard cheese works, parmesan, romano, asiago or a combination of any.
Lastly, I stirred in about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream. If you wanted a healthier option you could use coconut cream or even milk. That’s it – super simple. Add your pasta to the pan, mix together well and serve! I like to add a dash of freshly grated cheese on top and a sprig of parsley for plating if you want to get fancy! 😉
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp ghee butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 pints mushrooms baby bella, cremini or whatever you prefer
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2-3 tsp parsley dried or fresh
- 2 cups kale or fresh greens approx
- 2.5 cups shredded chicken pre-cooked
- 1 cup shredded cheese, parmesan
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Cook your pasta per the directions. Make sure to salt the water.
- While pasta is cooking, heat ghee butter in pan and add garlic. Cook until fragrant and then add in mushrooms.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, cook for about 3 minutes, turn your heat up and add white wine. Cook until liquid is reduced by at least half, stirring occasionally.
- Add in shredded kale and about 1.5 cups of pasta water.
- Add your chicken and cook about 4-5 minutes until meat is heated through.
- Add in your parmesan cheese, stir. Add the heavy whipping cream and stir thouroughly.
- Add your pasta to the mixture, stir together well and you are ready to serve!
Meyer Lemon, Lavender “Quarantini”
Ok – I know.. I guess I’ve been slacking on recipes. I’m coming back with this simple “Quarantini.” Our Meyer lemon tree, as per usual, produced hundreds and hundreds of lemons and we were a little late to getting them all picked this year! But luckily – only sacrificed a few to our lateness.
So.. I’m pulling weeds in the backyard for what feels like the 100th time this month or week at that. And the lovely honey bees are swarming all around the lemon and lime trees as the blooms smell like what I imagine heaven must smell like and they are going back and forth between the trees and the garden where the herbs and the beautiful lavender are growing!
This is just one of the several lavender plants growing in our garden currently! Isn’t it beautiful?
So – I had already picked all of our lemons and peeled and juiced ALMOST all of them. I had a giant pitcher of juice in the fridge waiting to be frozen (like the last 2 gallons) or trying to figure out what else to make!
Save the peels – I will share my “secret” BBQ rub (or all purpose) soon!
So for this Quarantini you will need approx 6-8 stems of lavender and about 2 cups of squeezed lemon juice, preferably Meyer lemon (it’s milder/sweeter). This recipe will make approx 4-5 martinis. You can cut in 1/2 if you don’t want that many!
Begin by making your simple syrup. Equal parts sugar to water. I used one cup of sugar and one cup of water. Bring it to a boil and stir until dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and stir in your lavender stems. Let cool.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice (it is best super cold), strain your simple syrup into the shaker. Add a cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice and shake well. Dip martini glasses in lemon juice (or use a quarter lemon to coat the rim) and then coat in sugar. Pour in 2 oz of chilled vodka and then fill to the top with your lemonade mixture – stir gently. Top with a lavender stem and/or a thin slice of lemon for garnish. Enjoy!
Note: If you are like me and like them a little more tart – feel free to top with some extra lemon juice. And don’t worry – the meyer lemon isn’t too tart! 😉
Lavender Lemon Quarantini
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 6-8 stems lavender
- 1 cup meyer lemon juice (or more) fresh squeezed is best
- 1/8 cup sugar for garnish
- 4 oz chilled vodka
Instructions
- Make your simple syrup. Add one cup of sugar and one cup of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Stir until dissolved. Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add lavender stems. Let cool.
- Add ice to shaker. Pour in one cup of meyer lemon juice and strain the symple syrup into the shaker. Shake until super cold.
- Rim martini glasses with sugar – use lemon juice and then dip in sugar around rim. Fill glasses with 2oz of chilled vodka. Pour lemonade mixture on top until glass is full. Stir gently.
- Add a lavender stem and/or thin lemon slice for garnish. If it too sweet for you – top with a little extra lemon juice. Enjoy!
Lamb Ragu
My husband and I both love lamb and we love ragu. We had roasted a fantastic lamb shoulder from our favorite local meat market and of course, I froze the leftovers. I personally think the lamb really makes this recipe, but if you aren’t a fan you could easily substitute about any of your favorite meats. We also made homemade pasta for the first time to go with this ragu that made it even that much better, but I made several completely different meals with this ragu that all turned out fantastic!
I think you are all going to be completely shocked when you hear how this recipe starts…. olive oil, diced onion and minced garlic – surprise! 🙂 About 2 tbsp oil, 1 onion and 1/4 cup minced garlic. Then, I add in about 1.5 cups of diced carrots. I prefer the organic, colored carrots – I swear they taste better, have a better consistency and of course, I’m growing them in my garden right now! You can use whatever carrots you prefer.
Next, add in about 1 pint of sliced baby bella mushrooms. Then comes the fun part.. add in your heirloom tomatoes, about 8 medium to large. You crush them by hand over your pot. Be careful – sometimes they like to squirt across the room or into an eye!
Add in a whole bunch of fresh parsley – just remove from the stems and throw it in. Then add your meat. We had pre-cooked lamb that I diced into large bite size pieces. You could add beef or chicken or really anything you like, but the lamb is the best. 🙂 Add about 2 tablespoons of dried oregano (I save mine from the garden and I also swear it’s way different than what you buy at the store), 3/4 can of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika, ground peppercorn to taste and crushed red pepper flakes. (again depend on your spice tolerance)
Simmer this down for about 15 minutes and add about 1.5-2 cups of a dry red wine. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes or longer. I always say the longer sauces simmer the better!
Serve over pasta or like we did the following weekend – over potatoes topped with an egg for a breakfast hash. Both were delish! And several friends enjoyed some of the leftovers as well – including ones that had never had lamb before.
Lamb Ragu
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced garlic
- 1.5 cups diced carrots
- 1 pint baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 heirloom tomatoes medium-large
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 cups pre-cooked lamb or other meat approx
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 3/4 can tomato paste small can
- 2 tbsp smoke paprika
- ground peppercorn to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1.5-2 cups dry red wine
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in pan and add onion and garlic. Dice carrots and add to the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms. Crush the tomatoes by hand into the pot. Have a towel handy as this can get messy!
- Add in parsley and your cooked meat (lamb). Stir together well.
- Add in dried oregano, tomato paste, smoked paprika, ground peppercorn and crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in about 1.5-2 cups of wine and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
- Serve over pasta, potatoes, rice or share what other ideas you might have. ~Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Bisque
I’ve always loved tomato soup, especially paired with a fancy grilled cheese. I’ve found that it freezes well, so when I have extra tomatoes from the garden this is one of the things I make with them. I’ve made quite a few different versions of this, some spicy, some sweeter and some with cream and some without. This one is somewhat in between all of the versions – feel free to play with your seasonings or amounts as with all of my “recipes.”
Seems like most of my recipes start out with this… 2 tbsp of olive oil heated in a pot, add 1 onion, diced and 6 small garlic cloves, minced. Heat until the onions start to sweat. In this pot I used 3 small, sweet bell peppers, diced and added to the above.
Next, I added my basil. You can use fresh or dried. I love basil so I dumped quite a bit of it in my pot. I used fresh from the garden and cut up with my herb scissors. Of course you can chop, tear or sprinkle in your dried as well. Next, I took my heirloom tomatoes – about 7-8 medium to large – and quartered them or smaller. Add these to your pot.
Yum.. I could eat these just like that! If you like spicy – I add a dash or two of cayenne pepper here. Cook the tomatoes down for about 15 minutes and then add in about 1.5 cups of chicken broth. Cover and simmer for up to 2 hours. It should look something like this..
Then, I break out my immersion blender. This makes life so much easier! Just start blending until it’s a smooth consistency. *If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can scoop out your soup and use a regular blender. I’d wait for it to cool enough first so that you don’t risk your glass cracking. Then put it back in the pot and bring back to a simmer.
After blending, I let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and then I stir in some heavy cream. You could use a regular heavy whipping cream, a nut based like an almond cream or a coconut cream. I used about 1/2 cup in this pot. You can add slowly and taste as you go. Either serve right away or wait until cool and pour in a zip lock bag for the freezer.
If you freeze with the cream, it’s important to note that you will want to re-heat the bisque very slowly on the stove so that the cream does not curdle. ~Enjoy!
Tomato Basil Bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 small sweet peppers, diced
- basil A LOT
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 7-8 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1.5 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup heavy cream regular or coconut cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Add onions and garlic – heat until onion begin to sweat.
- Add diced peppers and your basil – liberally.
- Quarter your tomatoes (or smaller) and add to the pot. Top with cayenne pepper if you choose. Cook down for about 15 minutes.
- Add your chicken broth, cover and simmer for up to 2 hours.
- Use your immersion blender until you have a smooth consistency. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in your heavy cream. Serve immediately, or let cool completely and pour in zip lock bag to store in the freeze for future.