So good. I can't even tell you how good.

I love a good soup. Like, a lot. And this one, my friends, is gooooooooooooood.

I got this recipe when reading an article about this Utah woman who did a crock pot recipe every day for a year-- you know, one of the many cooking bloggers-- and ended up making a cookbook and all that jazz.

So yeah, this is a crock pot recipe. And I happen to love crock pot meals. They are so easy to make and your house smells all good and stuff. If you don't have a crock pot or you don't like that style, I'm certain this would work just as well on the stove top if you just simmer it at the end until the vegetables are tender to your liking.

Here we go:

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Combine in crock pot:

2 cans (14 oz ea) diced tomatoes

1 c. diced celery

1 c. diced carrots

1 c. diced onions

4 c. chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 t. dried oregano

1 T. dried basil

Set on low heat, timer for 5-7 hours, depending on how tender you want your veggies to be.

One hour before finish, prepare a roux in a saucepan with 1/2 c. butter and 1/2 c. flour. Stir with a whisk for a few minutes over low-med heat.

Take 1 c. of soup out of the crock pot and slowly stir it into the (still heating) roux until smooth. Add another 1-2 c. of soup and stir to combine. You should get a fairly thick pasty mixture.

Add this roux mixture into the crock pot, stirring to combine.

Then, add 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese, 2 c. half and half, 1 t. salt, and 1/4 t. pepper. Stir to combine.

Let it cook for the remaining hour.

Enjoy with crusty French bread. DELICIOUS, I tell you! (I'm going to go get another bowl of it right now...)

Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon (freshly ground if you can manage)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. cold skim milk
2 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 small apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

Directions:
1) Combine dry ingredients. Whisk dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center.
2) Add in wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
3) Fold in chopped apples.
4) Pour 1/3 c. onto griddle well-sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
5) We ate them with apple butter or 100% maple syrup.

Happy eating!

Yumm Bowls

For those familiar with the Oregonian restaurant Café Yumm, you know the mythic wonder that is Yumm Sauce. Not having been able to obtain such delight since visiting Oregon in August, I vowed to make a knock-off.

I found this recipe, and it's a decent approximation. It has a distinct lemony and garlic tang. The recipe makes quite a bit, and it keeps well in the fridge for at least a month.

Yumm Sauce:

Original Yumm Sauce:
1/2 cup oil (I used a olive oil, but I imagine other light oils like safflower or canola would work, too)
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (NOT active yeast! This is available in the bulk foods section usually)
1/3 cup canned garbonzo beans - drained (I used closer to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup canned soybeans (available at Good Earth here in Utah and likely at Whole Foods and probably Harmons)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt

A few grinds of white pepper
1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil

Dump the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Serve over rice. My favorite is short-grain brown rice with this. An ancillary benefit of using brown rice is that brown rice leftovers keep better refrigerated. See best way to cook brown rice here.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons over rice and serve with:

Diced fresh tomatoes

Sliced avocado

Canned black beans

Sliced black olives

Sour cream or creme fraiche

Shredded cheddar cheese

This last time, I sliced up baby zucchini from our food co-up, tossed them in olive oil and salt and pepper and lime juice in a skillet, and sautéed them for about eight minutes and served them warm with the other ingredients. Very tasty with this, too.