Green Tomato Vegetable Soup

Tomatoes went in late this year so we ended up with a lot of green fruit left on the vines as the days got shorter and colder this fall. Oh, green tomatoes. I’ve dutifully tried frying them and have tasted pie made with them, but just haven't developed a taste for them. At least not until I played with some recipes and came up with this last weekend. It’s on the light side but more flavorful than I expected from a simple and quick soup. Because of the cumin it smells like chili on the stove, but ends up tasting like - well, like delicious vegetable soup. The cumin does lovely things for the slightly-acidic green tomatoes.  

Green Tomato Vegetable Soup 

2-3 Tblsp. olive oil

1 onion chopped
1 ¼ cups chopped carrots
1 ¼ cups chopped green beans
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
¾ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp marjoram
Pepper to taste
4-5 green (unripe red) tomatoes, chopped into small dice (I left skins on)
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or equivalent fresh red chopped tomatoes)
1 - 15 oz. can corn, drained
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, well-rinsed
8 cups vegetable broth
Salt (to taste if needed)

In a medium sized stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion  and carrots and sauté about 3 minutes. Add the green beans and garlic and sauté about 2 more minutes. Add the spices, tomatoes, black beans and corn. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook about 20 minutes until all vegetables are cooked and flavors have blended. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve with sourdough bread or garlic crostini or tortilla chips. 

The kids were meh on this dish but didn't hate it. Recipe above made enough for dinner for 4 with generous leftovers for the next day's lunch.

Squash and Black Bean Taco Filling

I haven't been blogging much lately. Or cooking much. Is it the change of the weather? The cold that has dragged on for weeks? Or did I mention it’s NaNoWriMo? (National Novel Writing Month. I’m, um, behind on my word count. ‘Nuff said.)

The boys adore Mexican-inspired food and they would eat beans with cheese and sour cream several times a week if it was offered. This evening the idea was to maximize the wonderful healthy ingredients – black beans, fresh vegetables – and make it so flavorful the kids wouldn’t ask for the sour cream and cheese (yeah, not happening yet. I’m raising the Dairy Council’s biggest fans.) Nothing especially original here, just the familiar flavors we all like mixed and matched with the fresh produce of the season.

The kids had this on soft corn tortillas, but it was also good served low-carb style, plain in a bowl.

Squash and Black Beans Taco Filling

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon ground pepper

1 small or ½ large butternut (or other hard-shelled) squash, peeled and diced in small pieces

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

About 2 tablespoons jarred salsa

1 small can tomato sauce, divided

(Hot sauce or cayenne, optional)

In a large skillet or saucepan, saute onion, garlic, and bell pepper about 2 minutes over medium low heat, until just starting to soften. Add cumin, oregano and pepper and stir to coat. Add squash pieces and continue to sauté until the outside of the squash is starting to soften. Add the diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, salsa and half of the tomato sauce. Stir and cover. Cook on medium-low heat until squash is soft but firm (time will vary depending on how small the pieces are – 15-20 minutes.)  If mixture is too dry, add more tomato sauce. If mixture is too soupy, remove lid and stir more frequently. The filling should end up thick and lumpy, with squash pieces cooked but firm and holding their shape.

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with taco shells or tortillas and other taco toppings like lettuce, tomato, sour cream, scallions and grated cheese.Serves 4 (generously as taco filling, adequately served alone.)

Why do I end up with photos like this? Anyway, there is taco filling under all that lettuce.
And look, evidence that children actually will eat the green stuff!

Ratings: The kids gave this two thumbs up, although they started out a little iffy about the squash in the mix. I thought it was a bit carb-heavy with the tortilla, and might leave out the corn next time.