Base Soup Meal 1 - Basil Soup & Grilled Chevre Sandwich

I received some sage advice on keeping up with this blog from some fabulous friends (thanks Ladies- Sarah, Lauren & Melissa- you are beautiful). One thing that I will certainly consider is that I don't have to post to you everyday, so long as I am consistent. Well, I am going to do my best then to be consistent and post on Sunday and Thursday of the week. That's my intent- we'll see how well I stick to it.


Given this intent the recipes and meals I made from the big batch of GardenTomato Base Soup or Sauce will be the topic of the next several posts and weeks. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do eating them. If I get more inspiration or, really, more time then I might post more frequently. At least for this series in case you, too, are sitting on a bunch of tomatoes you're not quite sure what to do with.

As you may recall, I posted last about a Garden Tomato Base Soup or Sauce. This was the result of having a TON of tomatoes and not knowing what 1 person could do with them all. I have since managed to make use of nearly all of them. I made this giant batch of soup or sauce and stuck in the fridge, each night (well almost each) making something new with it.
I mentioned in that first base post that I was so tired after cooking all the tomatoes, I opted for something extremely simple. So I made a tomato basil soup and grilled a sandwich with fresh basil and goat cheese. Nothing too fancy, but really, really satisfying!

This is not the most exciting post I'll share, however, it is the first of the dishes I've made with the Base Soup/Sauce and as promised I am telling you about it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C Base Soup or Sauce
1-2 T fresh chopped and torn basil
1/4 T garlic powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup onion rings
2 slices of low-calorie, whole wheat, no crap added bread (45 calories a slice in this recipe and still NO crap added!)
1/2 oz soft goat cheese
Olive Oil Spray

Make It:

1. Bring the base tomato soup to a boil, add spices and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for several minutes while you slice the onions and prepare the bread.
2. Prepare the bread by smearing the goat cheese on both pieces, but only 1 side of each. Then place largely torn pieces of basil on the cheese. Set aside.
3. Heat a small frying pan with some olive oil or olive oil spray and stir-fry or 'grill' the onions until browned. Remove from pan.
4. Add the remaining basil to the soup and stir. Cover and keep on simmer.
5. Return frying pan to heat, coat with olive oil spray, place 1 piece of bread (cheese side up!) in the pan, add the onions to the cheese side and then place the other piece of bread (cheese side down!) on top of it. Cook on med-hi heat to brown and then flip to grill the other side. Slice in half.
6. Pour the hot soup into a soup bowl and serve with the grilled sandwich.

Again, not too involved but a really tasty meal! And it's really low in calories but high in nutrients! Under 300 calories and over 16 grams of protein- not to mention all that C and A from the tomatoes and everything else in there. You really can't go wrong with this simple little dish.

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 263.0

Total Fat: 7.9 g

Cholesterol: 6.5 mg

Sodium: 908.9 mg

Total Carbs: 37.0 g

Dietary Fiber: 13.7 g

Protein: 16.8 g

Pesto Brie & Veggie Sandwich & Salad (baked)

Last night, someone asked me "what are you doing tomorrow?" I said, "I don't really know. I like to keep Sundays free and open and see what moves me or comes of it." And we left it at that. And just as I said, I woke up today with no real plans. It's kind of nice. What ended up moving me today was gardening and cooking. But the weather had other plans, so mostly cooking was accomplished. I also wanted to do some sewing, but I think I've really screwed the machine up and will need to take it to a professional before I can move on with it. I had a lot of time on my hands today, so I decided to revisit the blog world. As updated in the "about this blog and me" page, it's been a long time.
I really want to share cooking and food related information. Plus the occasional random thought, little thing that makes me happy, or thing that makes my face crinkle into "WTF?", or piece of art/sewing I'm working on... Really, I have high hopes, but I've had them before...

So for tonight's post: My Dinner, as I eat it.
In the few minutes I had in the garden, I was able to collect a lot of herbs. Many are flowering (busy life means less time to catch bolting herbs and greens). But I was able to get a ton of basil, some parsley, lots of chives, and some lettuce greens.

Hence, salad was calling my name, especially coupled with this hot-ish summer day (although really stormy!). But I wanted to try a sandwich too. One of my sisters and I have been talking about grilled cheeses for sometime now. She got one yesterday. Today is my turn!

What follows is the ingredient list and instructions for my Pesto Brie Veggie Sandwich and Salad (baked). Feel free to amend whatever, but note that the nutritional information will vary based on your amendments.

The Sandwich

Whole Wheat Bread, 2 slices (I have a great bread that is only 45 calories a slice, please check your bread for info) 

Trader Joe's Goat Brie Cheese at 90 calories per 1 oz 

Fresh chives, long sprigs several 

Zucchini, .5 cup- sliced lengthwise 

Carrots, raw, .5 cup, sliced lengthwise 

Basil leaves torn 

The Salad 

Leaf lettuce, 1.5 cup, chopped 

Red Onions, .25 cup, sliced 

Basil, 5 leaves torn 

Parsley 10 sprigs chopped 

Fresh chives, chopped 

Mushrooms, fresh, .25 cup slices 

(some kind, your preference) Vinegar

Check out my sweet $1 toaster oven!
I <3 thrift/second(3rd, 4th???)-hand treasures.

Instructions:

Cut the zucchini & carrots thick enough to grill (or roast or or bake saute). For tonight, I am going to bake them: I have 3 large slices of each. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. I used the toaster oven because it's too hot to use the big oven. Plus, it requires less energy, which is a bonus when you're trying to have less impact on the planet and your wallet. On average a toaster oven uses 1/2 the amount of energy as a full size oven. Not less than a microwave, but "microwave" does not compute in my kitchen, so it's a non-argument. Bake on 400 until tender (15 minutes).

Spread 1 tablespoon, between the two pieces bread, of my almond pesto recipe (to be posted soon). Bake for 4 minutes to toast. Add brie to toast and bake 3 more minutes to soften/melt. Remove from oven, layer veggies, add the fresh chives and torn basil leaves and close the sandwich.

Toss lettuce with onions, shrooms, basil, parsley and vinegar (of your choice, I choose red wine). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Another filling, satisfying, lovely meal just under 300 calories but full of nutrients!

I think next time I will have 4 slices of each vegetable and maybe add a leaf of lettuce to the sandwich, or put the mushrooms on the sandwich instead of the salad. Overall this was a tasty dinner!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 294.7

• Total Fat: 13.9 g
• Cholesterol: 10.0 mg
• Sodium: 502.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 25.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 12.2 g
• Protein: 18.7 g
• retrieved from: (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1758274)