Fresh Tomato Salsa

8-10 large tomatoes (pour boiling water over them to remove skins)
1 bunch of cilantro
2 medium onions
6 hot peppers (jalapenos, etc, seeds removed - wear gloves!)
garlic to taste (a lot in my case)
salt to taste
basil to taste
2 tbsp sugar

We chopped everything and then threw it in the blender until it was very fine. This amount of tomatoes will make a lot, so maybe you want to do half.

Here's where the musician part comes in...

For the first time in world history, I'm doing a show on Friday night, from 7-9pm at Vanilla's coffee shop on Plainfield. It's in the MC Sports plaza :)

Tomato Soup

Found a fabulous recipe for tomato soup:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/garden-fresh-tomato-soup/Detail.aspx

My husband, who isn't usually a fan of tomato soup, requested that I make more of this one for him!

Watermelon Gazpacho

If the idea of cold soup weirds you out, you can use this as a salsa!

Ingredients:

5 cup watermelon, cubed (about half of a small watermelon)
1 large tomato, pureed
1/2 of a bell pepper, minced
1 small cucumber, seeded and minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
2 Tbsp red onion, minced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp unsweetened lime juice
2 Tbsp mint leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
Feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

1. Puree 4 cups watermelon in blender until smooth. Transfer puree to large bowl.

2. Add remaining 1 cup diced watermelon and the rest of the ingredients; stir to combine.

3. Cover gazpacho and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

4. Divide gazpacho among bowls; top with 2 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese.


Note: This makes four servings, at 3 Points (Weight Watchers) a serving.

Italian Rigatoni Casserole

Forewarning: This makes a lot of pasta! My family is visiting this weekend, and the six of us were only able to eat half of the dish.

Ingredients:

24 oz rigatoni noodles, cooked and drained
2 cans (14 oz) tomato sauce
1 lemon, squeezed
3 links turkey sausage
1/2 small onion, diced
1 medium zucchini
3 mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
1 (8 oz) bag mozzarella cheese (divided into two parts)

Instructions:

1. Saute sausage & onions; set aside.

2. Saute zucchini, mushrooms and garlic; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine noodles, sausage mixture, and vegetable mixture with tomato sauce and seasonings. Add 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. At this point you can either refrigerate the mixture too bake later, or bake immediately.

4. Scoop mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake at 350° for 45 min to an 1 hour (depending on if you have refrigerated).

Strawberry-Lime Creamy Cheese Pie

This recipe is a shout out to my friend Teri Miles, who made me my first creamy cheese pie. I have altered the recipe slightly...

Ingredients

1 9-in graham cracker crust
1 8oz block cream cheese (room temp.)
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c lime juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 quart strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese with hand mixer for 3-5 minutes, until smooth.

2. Add condensed milk slowly, while mixing.

3. Mix in lime juice and vanilla.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the strawberries and sugar together.

5. Pour the cream mixture into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least two hours.

6. Top with strawberries and serve.

Eggplant with Mozzarella & Marinara

This was a winner at my house tonight...

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized eggplant

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/4 olive oil

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used smoked mozza)

3 c wide egg noodles

for the sauce:

1/4 med-sized onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 c dry red wine (I used cabernet sauvignon)

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

basil, salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Peel eggplant and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thickness strips. Lay on paper towels and salt both sides. (This will drain excess water from the eggplant and make it easier to fry.)

2. While eggplant is draining, saute onions and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil until onions are translucent. Add red wine and lemon juice; cook until wine has reduced by half. Add remainder of sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer until everything else is done cooking.

3. Cook noodles.

4. Heat oil in deep frying pan. Pat eggplant dry; dredge eggplant in egg first, then bread crumbs. Fry that eggplant! When removing eggplant from frying pan, sprinkle with cheese and put in the oven to keep warm. Feeds 4 (or 3 hungry people).

5. To serve: Layer noodles, cheese, eggplant, sauce and more cheese. Enjoy!

Deep-Fried Tofu Tacos

Just made this recipe tonight, and me and the husband love it.

Ingredients:

for the tofu:

1/2 block firm tofu

1 tsp taco seasoning

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp corn starch

oil for frying

for the sauce:

1 tbsp adobo salsa

3 tbsp mayo

1 tsp taco seasoning

pinch of salt

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tbsp honey

suggestions for the other taco ingredients:

lettuce, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, cilantro, queso fresco or any other cheese

Steps:

1. Drain tofu (see video for details), and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.

2. Heat oil in a tall saucepan (enough oil to cover the tofu).

3. Mix corn starch, flour, and taco seasoning.

4. Dredge tofu in dry mixture and deep fry.

5. Stir together adobo salsa, mayo, taco seasoning, lime, and honey.

6. Chop other taco ingredients.

7. Assemble tacos and enjoy!