Meal Plan Monday April 22

April 22, 2013 by Dawn Marie Leave a comment

Happy Birthday to my Auntie Gayle!! Love you!

Last week I had my two lower wisdom teeth pulled. I had had the uppers pulled a few weeks ago.

The uppers weren’t that bad, in fact I was able to eat chicken for dinner that night. The pain got worse as the days went on, but it still wasn’t all that bad.

So I figured the lower ones would be no big deal. I am a pro now, after all.

Wrong!

Not only did it take longer for the extraction, but the pain was worse, and lasted longer. In fact, they are still sore and swollen.

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My day just took a turn for the worse… #Dentist #NoMoreWisdomTeeth

A post shared by Mama Sonshine (Dawn Marie) (@mamasonshine) on Apr 16, 2013 at 3:25pm PDT

Since I knew I was having them pulled, I planned on making this tomato soup and these grilled cheese sandwiches. I originally thought it was great that the recipe used a crock-pot. However, it seemed unnecessary, since you have to make a roux, and add it before serving. Really you just have to cook the veggies.

So I clicked back through all the links and found a stove-top recipe. Which I ended up altering, a little.

Now, if you know me, you know I am not a fan of soup. I don’t like the liquid with chunks in it. And I don’t like vegetables. And I don’t like soggy stuff.

But blended soups, like tomato soup, I can tolerate.

I have this handy-dandy soup blender. Which to date I have mostly used to make baby food. I figured it was perfect for this.

I was going to make a smaller batch, but changed my mind. I am glad I did, because I couldn’t eat for the next 3 days and the soup was perfect!

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Ingredients:

oil for sauteing

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 cup finely diced onions

3 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz (or 3 cups) diced tomatoes with juices

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil, or 4 Tbsp fresh

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 bay leaf

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups half and half, warmed

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup parmesan-romano cheese blend, grated

1/4 tsp black pepper

pinch of salt

Directions:

Saute carrots, onions and garlic in oil, over medium heat until onions are soft.

Add oregano, basil, bay leaf and tomatoes. Stir for a minute, pour into blender with chicken broth.

Turn heat on high and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook for about 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For Stove Top: After sauteing vegetables add herbs, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-30 minutes.

While soup is simmering prepare roux. Melt butter over low heat in a sauce pan. Add flour and stir until mixed.

Slowly whisk in one cup of hot soup. Add another 1-2 cups of soup, whisk constantly. Add mixture back to the rest of the soup, in blender or soup pot. Simmer while constantly stirring until soup thickens.

The blender is not big enough for all 6+ cups of soup, so I had to add the warm cream in a separate bowl. Blending in two parts.

Remove bay leaf and blend until desired consistency is reached. Add parmesan cheese and blend until cheese is incorporated.

For Stove Top: Whisk in cheese, stir until cheese is incorporated. If you want a smooth soup transfer to a blender at this point. It is fine to serve as a chunky soup too.

Add warmed cream, salt and pepper, simmer another 15 minutes.

Serve with cheese on top and saltine crackers, if desired.