One Meaty Meal

Here is one recipe that I think fits all of the criteria mentioned in the previous post.

I used to make this meal all the time back when I worked late (needed something quick), was in school (needed something cheap), and ate meat (although this meal can be adjusted to fit just about any needs/dietary objections.)


Homemade Burritos N E Way You Want

You will need:

• Large flour tortillas: this are fairly high in calories, which is why I only recommend one burrito per meal. For other dishes I recommend corn tortillas because they are about a quarter of the calories and less processed. But they are impossible to use for burritos.
  
• Meat if you wish: I think ground beef or ground turkey works best. Ground turkey is the lighter, healthier option. But choose what you want. You could also use tofu, grilled chicken strips, etc.
• Rice, if you wish: I think instant rice is just fine. Brown is better, of course. If you are watching your calories, just don't use too much. I like Uncle Ben's Instant Brown Rice. I use stock instead of water.
• Pepper and/or onion, if you wish.
• Beans, if you wish: Black beans are great. Canned are just fine. Just rinse them first.
  
• Salsa, if you wish.
• Cheese of your choice: cheddar and mozzarella work best. You can buy it pre-shredded, but it's cheaper to buy a block and shred it yourself.
• Any other topping you like: guacamole, sour cream, etc. Making your own guac is super simple. Just buy the flavoring pack and 2 ripe (black) avocados. Then mash it all together in a bowl. If you like sour cream and are watching your calories, try plain greek yogurt instead.

To make:

1. If using meat, cook it. Ground meat is the easiest, because you can just quickly brown it in a pan. You could even toss in some garlic. You could also sprinkle it with taco seasoning (another one of those little packets) for added kick.
2. If using rice, cook it. Like I said, I use instant made with broth/bouillon.
3. If using peppers and/or onion, cook them. I like to slice them and saute them in EVOO.
   
4. If using beans, cook them. Rinse them, then microwave. You can try adding seasoning to these as well. I've used taco seasoning before and it was pretty good, just don't use too much.
5. Place a tortilla on a plate.
6. Sprinkle cheese on the tortilla.
7. Place meat, rice, peppers, etc on the cheese.
8. Top with salsa, sour cream, etc.
   
9. Roll up and enjoy!

You can even have a small side of beans and/or rice with the extra if you want.

Mmmmmm....Meaty! (Beware this one features a rambling personal story!)

I recently had a friend ask for recipe ideas that fit the following criteria:

• fast
• easy
• common ingredients
• relatively cheap ingredients
• minimal ingredients

She also requested something with spinach and without onions, or a minimal amount. Her request also implied that she was also looking for recipes for complete meals that involve meat (preferably chicken, beef or turkey.)

Her request brought something to my attention. All of my recipes I've posted here so far have been vegetarian. But I did this with good reason:

1. You can always add meat to any of my recipes
2. To expose my readers to new ideas/ingredients/cooking methods
3. Because vegetarian meals are typically cheaper
   
4. To educate my readers on different ways to cook/prepare vegetables and healthy items that might otherwise be missing from their diet simply due to a lack of kitchen knowledge.
   
5. And finally, because I myself am a vegetarian. I like to post about what I make/have made to give my faithful readers a more hands-on explanation of what works and what doesn't rather than just spouting off recipes that may not even be good. Since 90% of what I make these days is vegetarian....

HOWEVER, contrary to what some might think, I know how to cook meat also, and actually enjoy doing so now and then. Despite my personal preferences, upon which I will soon elaborate, I am a registered dietitian. One aspect of our training is food science and food service. I have actually had labs on how to tenderize meat, for example. So even if I don't cook it on my own anymore, I do have the know how and a few recipes up my sleeve.

But back to me and my preferences. Because this is a blog afterall, I will now take a few liberties and share a bit more about me...not just to be vain, but so you, my readers, will get a better understanding of who I am and how my past/experiences affect my views on food and nutrition.

I wasn't always a vegetarian, ya know. But it has been an interesting culinary journey for me that began when I was about five....(insert the sounds Wayne and Garth make when going back in time)....

When I was very young I had a few experiences that had a lasting effect on my diet.

The first occurred while visiting my family in MI. I was sitting at the table with my grandfather and we were sharing some summer sausage. It was soooo good! After we'd been snacking for a few minutes, he smiled and said "you know you're eating Bambi, right?!?"

The second experience was at daycare. The place I went served soup and sandwich every day for lunch. Every day I had "oodles of noodles" aka ramen and a grilled cheese. But one day they were out of ramen and I had to eat beanie weanies. Even at that age, something about meat, especially processed meat, seemed odd to me. So I ate all the beans and picked out the weenies. But one weenie stuck to my spoon and made it to my mouth. When I wasn't expecting it the chewiness totally grossed me out. Plus it made all of the other kids at my table laugh at me....soooo embarrassing! ;)

Finally, a few years after these encounters, I had a wonderful dinner with my dad and my new stepmom. Can you sense the sarcasm? When they first married, my stepmom didn't really know how to cook. (She once made boiled okra that had the consistency of boogers.) So one night she made meatloaf. I didn't like meatloaf anyway, and I had not been eating much meat in general. But my dad pulled the dad card and made me at least try it. I ate a bite and within minutes had a violent reaction of projectile vomit. I don't know if it was the cooking (or lack of) or the taste of squashy meat, but it gave me a free pass to pass on the meat at the dinner table.

In high school I finally became an official "vegetarian." I use the quotation marks because at the time I really didn't eat like a true vegetarian. I didn't eat salad (later I realized this was because I didn't like dressing with mayo and didn't know there were other options), or any veggies other than canned items like green beans and corn. I ate lots of cereal, bread, pasta and potatoes.

I was a vegetarian for nearly 5 years. But it all ended in undergrad. One day I really wanted a chik-fil-a sandwich. So I ate one. After that, I had broken the seal and since it was soooo much easier to eat at the school cafeteria when I wasn't limited to vegetarian options, I didn't look back. Even before I went back to school for my degree in nutrition, I learned how to prepare steak, roast, and a myriad of meat-laden dishes, largely due to the help of foodie friends.

But at the same time, I started to try new vegetables and ethnic foods. I really expanded my horizons in a short period of time. And within only a few years, I completely changed the way I eat from the way I ate during the first 18 years of my life.

Then, once again, it all changed. During my graduate program I learned even more about how the food industry works. I learned about food processing. (I learned about issues I'll discuss later like organics and GMOs and food politics.) I tried to stay realistic about things. I tried to turn off the part of myself that was starting to regret eating meat that had been produced on factory farms. But then a professor showed us part of the movie Fast Food Nation. At the end they show in graphic detail the entire process of slaughtering a cow and making meat (as it occurs in our food industry.) I got sick and even cried a little. I realized that, for me personally, I just couldn't do it anymore. I didn't want to become a vehement vegetarian who scorned all who didn't share my views. And I didn't want to become difficult or limit myself to the point of being ridiculous. But I knew that from then on, unless with good reason, I could no longer eat meat.

It was, and remains, a personal choice.

I do intend to share my views on this blog, because part of my purpose is to share my knowledge and opinions on all matters of food and nutrition. And, frankly, most people don't have a darned clue what they are eating or what it took to get food to their plate. Nor do they realize that there are easily accessible alternatives out there, often that end up being more appealing for various reasons. I don't want to preach (although it may come to that sometimes). Instead, I want to raise awareness and provide an avenue for exploring options.

All of this being said, if there is one thing I know about nutrition and eating, it's that it's all a matter of personal preference and picking our battles. So to best serve my audience, I will happily share any of my knowledge, if it will help you in the grocery store, in the kitchen, or if it will help you with your waistline.

So please do not hesitate to ask me a question or make a request, even if you think it doesn't fit my usual scope of post topics.

Since this post is SOOOOOOOOOO long, I will wait until the next post to include a recipe that fits the criteria that started this whole shpeal.

Indulgence!

Since yesterday I have been in a mood....just a little stressed and not feelin so hot, ya know?

So when it came time to eat my healthy soup for lunch today I just couldn't do it. I had my usual low fat cottage cheese and fresh fruit for breakfast and pretzels for a snack. But what I really wanted was french fries. I was trying to resist and talk myself into being happy with soup and an apple. But then my co-workers invited me to grab something at McDonald's. How could I refuse?!?

So I got a small fry and a side salad with italian dressing. Even though the dressing is Newman's, it's full of artificial this and that. Nothing something I would usually condone for myself or recommend for others. But it has cracked pepper and probably crack cocaine, because it is sooooo good! And it's only 60 calories a serving (I barely use 1/2 a serving), so it balances out the calories from the fries.

Overall this isn't a balanced meal I would recommend, but I am the REALISTIC nutritionist, remember? I know that we all have cravings. We all have certain foods we like and certain foods we hate. Most people can't live on steamed veggies alone, myself included. So I don't go overboard and I don't throw my whole healthy way of eating out the window when I get a craving (well, sometimes I do, let's face it, but those occasions are very very rare.) We can't always be perfect or do what we know is best. But we can minimize the damage and keep trying to be the best little eaters we can be.

I ate my fries and enjoyed them. And for the rest of the day I will be cautious of what I eat to compensate.

Healthy eating is all about balance...didn't I say that once already? ;)

Not Quite What I Expected

Last night I made a meal that didn't turn out quite how I expected. But I may have gone overboard with my new toys.

I had an eggplant from my spud's order. So I wanted to use that. I gave Cakewalk the option of ratatouille or eggplant lasagna and he chose the latter. I had seen a recipe that used eggplant as the lasagna noodle to make basically a casserole of veggies and cheese. Sounded good.

I used my food processor to slice the eggplant. Yes, my food processor is AWESOME and can even slice vegetables to various thicknesses. But I probably shouldn't have done that, because it produced an overwhelming number of eggplant slices.

I also used the processor to chop carrots, herbs and peppers. Then I added ricotta and an egg and blended it all. When I took the lid off it slipped out of my hand (have I mentioned I'm a VERY messy cook???) and flew across the counter. I got orange colored ricotta stuff all over the place. Luckily JPC licked up what hit the floor (it's useful to have 2 dogs sometimes) so I didn't have as much to clean up.

After I cleaned and got my wits about me, I continued making my "lasagna" concoction. I layered organic pasta sauce (it's lower in calories and has less artificial junk in it), then eggplant, then ricotta, then chopped roasted red peppers, then shredded mozzarella then repeated until I ran out of stuff.

In hindsight, I used way too many eggplant slices. They ended up a little funky tasting since they couldn't cook properly. Also, the whole dish was liquidy....probably because there wasn't any pasta to soak up the moisture. Or possibly because I was trying to rush and didn't drain the peppers like I should have. Oh well.

Was it great? No. Am I going to share the exact recipe? No. Was it aweful? No. It was actually kinda ok. And Cakewalk even ate 2 helpings.

I can't always make spectacular dinners. But I can help you avoid the same pitfalls and mistakes I make.

So here is my tip for the day:

When cooking eggplant for a dish like this lasagna or eggplant parmesan (which IS a meal I know how to make well), you need to salt it. Slice the eggplant. Then lay one slice on a paper towel and sprinkle it was a tad of salt. Then lay another slice on top and salt it, and so on until you have a tower of eggplant. Then place another paper towel on top. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so. This will provide a much more tender product. If you are making ratatouille (another dish I make well and might make soon), there is no need for this step because you will be stewing the eggplant for a long period of time.

Eggplant can be super tasty if prepared properly. If you had it and it was chewy or tough, it wasn't done well.

"What's chard?"

Last night I made a new and delicious meal! I also got to introduce a new green leafy to Sir Cakewalk.

On Sunday evening, I sat down with my papa spud's orderpage and my recipe books to come up with meals for the week that would utilize my order and my new kitchen toys. I will continue to recap the success or failure of these meals the day after I make them.

Monday night I made Butternut Squash Soup with Cilantro Pesto and Homemade Croutons. Yum! But that meal didn't include any of my spud's items since they don't come until Tuesday.

Last night I made Swiss Chard served over Crook's Corner Grits. Soooooo good!

As we were eating (scratch that...inhaling) our food, Sir Cakewalk said: "This is great! What is it and why is it red?"

I told him it was chard and briefly explained what chard was....apparently he didn't read November's Vegetable of the Month post. For others who don't remember or weren't reading then, chard is a green leafy. You can eat the leaves and the brightly colored stalk (Swiss chard has a red stalk while Rainbow Chard has multiple colors).


Who knows what green leafies are and why we should eat them? Anyone? Bueller?

Green leafies include any dark green leafy vegetable. Didn't see that one coming, did ya? They include greens (another shocker, I know), kale, spinach, broccoli, chard, etc.

Green leafies are an incredibly concentrated source of nutrients. They provide Vitamins A, K, C and many B vitamins. They also contain iron, calcium, and some phytonutrients.

I try to eat green leafies at least a few times a week, if not more. If you could eat them everyday, it would do wonders for your health. If you currently don't eat any, I challenge you to eat 2 servings this week. If you know you don't like one green leafy, try another. Try to prepare them differently. Check out the recipes I included in the previous post. Or try this one:

Chard over Crook's Corner Grits

You will need:

• Plain grits. I used Crook's Corner grits that are not instant. But instant could work too.
  
• Bouillon. My favorite cooking ingredient. Tired of seeing it in the list yet? Too bad! It gives nearly any dish a depth of flavor you can't get with other plain liquids.
• Water.
• One bunch of Chard.
• 1 T butter. I use real butter made locally. I really wouldn't recommend margarine. I guess I should explain my hatred of margarine in a post sometime. But for now, I will say that it is only 1 T for a whole meal and it provides richness and creaminess.
• 1/2 - 1 T lemon or lime juice.
• Feta cheese. You will use this as a topping. I used about 1 T on each dish. I LOVE Trader Joe's real goat's milk feta.
  
• S&P

To prepare the gritty goodness:

1. Read the instructions on your grits, as they will vary if you are using instant or not. I made enough to produce 4 cups of cooked grits (enough for 2 people and leftovers.) For me, I used 1 cup of uncooked grits.
   
2. Bring appropriate amount of water with appropriate amount of buillon cube to a boil. (I used 4 cups of water and 1 large cube.)
   
3. Slowly stir in grits. Be careful if you are using instant, as they will cook immediately and may start to bubble and spit hot liquid magma at you.
   
4. Reduce heat to low/simmer.
   
5. If using instant, continue cooking as directed on the label...it should not take very long. If using regular, allow to simmer for ~20 minutes with occasional stirring.
6. When grits are creamy and most of the water has been absorbed, stir in 1/2 T of butter and season with S&P.
   
7. Cover and remove from heat until serving time, but stir frequently to avoid clumping. If they do clump before the rest of the meal is ready, simply add a little water or a touch of milk and heat on low while stirring until they are creamy again.
   

To prepare the chard:

1. Roughly chop the entire bunch. I do this by holding the bunch in one hand the knife in my right hand. I start by chopping about a half inch off the bottom of the stalks and then continuing my way up the stalk and through the greens. Then, place everything in a pasta strainer/drainer. While doing so, use your hands to pull apart/tear any large pieces of greens.
   
2. Rinse the chard well.
   
3. Shake out some of the water, but leave most on the leaves.
4. Place the chard, still wet, in a stock pot.
   
5. Cover and heat to medium.
   
6. Stir occasionally until the greens are tender and cooked down. This took me about 10 minutes. I probably overcooked mine...they were very cooked down...but they still tasted great in the end, so don't fret if yours turn out the same.
7. Once cooked, drain the chard in the pasta strainer to remove any extra liquid. Then put back in the pot.
8. Put the pot back on the burner, but turn off the heat.
   
9. Stir in the other 1/2 T of butter until melted and mixed through.
   
10. Stir in about 1/2 T of lemon or lime juice. If you like the taste, add more. I probably used about 1 whole T in mine.
11. At this point, your chard is done. However, just for kicks, I added one last secret ingredient. Upon recommendation, I ordered Big Daddy's Marinade with my spud's order and was so anxious to try it, I drizzled a little into my greens.
    

Note: I started my grits first, since mine were not instant. Then while they were doing their 20 minute simmer, I chopped and cooked the chard. It was all ready at almost exactly the same time. However, even if this doesn't work out, the items will still be good if you cover them and allow to sit on the stove at a very low heat or even without heat on warm burners.

To assemble and enjoy:

1. Ladle about 1 cup of grits onto a plate or bowl.
   
2. Using a slotted spoon, spoon some chard into the center of the gritty pile. The slotted spoon will allow some of the liquid to drain off, but leave some to add flavor to the dish.
3. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
4. Inhale/eat!
   

Makes me hungry just 'splainin it! Good thing I have leftovers for lunch! ;)

Diets Are Like Bellybuttons...

WARNING: This post contains a fair amount of sarcasm and even some derision. Read at your own risk.

It's a new year...which means it's time for everyone to hit the gym with fervor and start a new contrived diet plan. While this is great for various industries, this may not be good for you.

As the title implies, everyone has a diet plan these days from movie stars to fast food joints, all directed at you and your new years resolutions.

By now most people have seen the commercials for the Special K Challenge, a fancy title for a gimmicky crash diet. To join the challenge, you are instructed to eat 2 meals consisting solely of one serving of some Special K product: cereal, waffle, bar, etc. Your third meal you can eat "as you normally do." Then, you can choose two snacks from this appetizing list: protein bars, cereal bars, fruit crisps or protein water mixes. Yum! You are allowed to enjoy fruits and veggies as additional snacks...how thoughtful of them.

You may also have seen commercials for the Taco Bell Diet. Yes, I said the TACO BELL DIET. OMG. For this plan, you choose one of 6 fresco items (meaning no sauces and extra salsa) as your meal. The instructions beyond this are rather vague. Apparently one woman ate one thing from the fresco menu at meals (doesn't mention how often), and lost weight over a 2 year span. Congrats lady! Good luck keeping off the weight and warding off a host of health complications.

Why does this diet work? Because it is based on calorie restriction. Basically any and all diet plans revolve around calorie restriction. But some are worse than others. What do I consider a poor diet plan???

Markers of a Poor Diet Plan

• The plan revolves around a particular product or company, aka its a business/money making scheme. This includes the two plans mentioned above, along with Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss, SlimFast, etc. The one exception is Weight Watchers, with a caveat. The WW plan itself isn't a poor diet plan because most of the remaining bullets do not pertain to it. However, this does not hold for the WW food items and products.
  
• The diet restricts choice. Telling someone they can only eat one of a handful of things at a meal usually isn't healthy and it leads to overeating or straying from the plan.
  
• It limits or focuses too much on certain nutrients (carbs, protein, fat, etc). Yes, the Atkins diet works (limits/eliminates carbs). It works because it is a form of calorie restriction. Its also one of the unhealthiest things you can force upon your body.
• The plan revolves around unhealthy food items such as tacos, processed bars, packaged meals, etc. By unhealthy I mean foods that are laden with saturated fat or cholesterol (although served in such a small serving its still a limited number of calories), lacking in vitamins and minerals, lacking in carbs, protein or fat (see previous bullet), packed with artificial ingredients and foods that don't really resemble food at all.
  
• Plans that demand extreme caloric restriction. While there is a time and a place for a medically supervised liquid diet, it should NOT be used to lose a few pounds or cleanse your colon. Similarly, fasts are a vital part of many religious practices and sometimes a medical necessity, but they should not be used as a diet plan. It's dangerous to eat too few calories. Plus, at a point, your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto extra fat for dear life. These plans will also make you hungry, cranky, and all around miserable.
• The plan omits or restricts fruits or veggies. This should be a no-brainer. But in my food service experience, I've had tons of people tell me they no longer eat fresh fruit or vegetables because their diet doesn't allow it. Come on people! If you want to be healthier and/or lose weight, you should be adding more F&V to your diet (although these should be fresh or frozen and not soaked in sugar or butter.)
  
• Finally, I consider a poor diet plan anything that is not sustainable as a permament lifestyle change. Could you really eat Special K or even Taco Bell every day for the rest of your life? Ewwwwww. When you consider a plan, consider whether you can maintain it long term....as in forever. I once heard a weight loss expert give a talk on diets and methods for helping people lose weight. He said that losing weight is the easy part. Pretty much any diet that restricts calories will do it if done correctly and you stick to it long enough. The problem is that a staggering number of people who lose weight gain it back. This is because they choose plans they can't maintain. And what's worse, every time you lose and gain, lose and gain, you put more stress on your body and set yourself up for more health complications.
  

Looking to lose weight in 2010? Here are some healthier suggestions:

• Do not follow a poor diet plan outlined above. If you aren't sure if yours is "poor", ask me.
• Do not impose new and strict rules upon yourself. Set a few realistic goals and slowly incorporate them into your lifestyle.
• But also set quantifiable goals. For example, plan to workout 3 times a week, limit yourself to one soda a day, try to eat a fruit at every meal, eat 2 servings of veggies at dinner, or set a specific and realistic weight loss goal such as 5% of your current weight.
  
• Cut back on calories, but in an intelligent manner. Limit your sodas or sugar intake. Watch your portions. Experiment with lighter versions of your favorite meals/recipes. Cut back on alcohol. Etc.
  
• Meet with a RD. It might be covered by insurance.
  

I'm always available for questions/suggestions/opinions/advice. Or, if you did not head the warning and you don't agree with this post and it's hefty helping of harshness, please contact me and we can discuss.

New Toys & New Re-Sip-EEEs

You don't need a lot of fancy kitchen gadgets and gizmos to make healthy meals....but they sure make it easier and more fun!

Between Christmas and my Bday (two days after Christmas), I (or we rather) received the following kitchen items:

• stick blender
• Kitchenaid professional stand mixer
• Kitchenaid food processor
• mandolin
• calphalon sauce pan
• 3 blade slicer/peeler
• mixing bowls
• strainer/sifter
• measuring cups
• large non-stick saute pan
• grill

And I'm probably forgetting something. ;) Needless to say, it was a great holiday and I got a lot of great cookware.

You know how you always think of things you need like shaving cream, but then when you get to Target you forgot what they were? Well, as I sift through recipes and watch the food network I always think of things I would like for my kitchen. And then when I get them I can't seem to remember why I specifically wanted them in the first place. So I've been looking for ways to use my new toys.

Here's what I've come up with so far:
Last week I made a "salsa" of sorts and served it with seared tuna. I can't take credit for the recipe, I got it from the cooking class I took. But I can take credit for my creative use of leftovers. I took the extra salsa, which consisted of finely sliced onions, oranges, fennel, and more (recipe to come later), and mixed it into plain whole wheat couscous. It was sooooooo good! Now we have a whole new meal using something that would've gone to waste.

Then last night I made a butternut squash soup with cilantro pesto and homemade croutons.
Here is the recipe.

Butternut Squash Soup

• About 1 pound of butternut squash. I used the pre-cut kind, as it was actually cheaper than buying, peeling and cutting a whole squash (always check for the best price!)
• Bouillon for broth
• 1 onion
• olive oil or fresh butter for sauteeing
• S&P
• The original recipe also called for a can of pumpkin to make the soup creamy, but all of the stores I visited were out of pumpkin, so I omitted it.

1. Slice or dice your onion
2. Heat about 1 T of EVOO or butter in a stock pot
   
3. Cook onion in pot until fragrant and slightly browned
4. Add water to the pot (be careful this will produce steam) As usual, I can't say how much to add. I guessed and just filled the pot about halfway. The end goal was to have the water just covering the squash after it was added.
5. Add bouillon cubes to the water. I used 2 large cubes. Don't be afraid to add bouillon, but don't add too much, it can make it salty. You can always add some salt and seasoning at the end, but you can't take salt away if you add too much in the beginning. So if you want to be more precise than I am, start by adding maybe 6 cups of water and the correct proportion of bouillon based on what it says on the box (varies by size and type of cube.) Then add more water and cubes if needed.
6. Add the squash to the pot. If the squash is not all submerged, add a little more water.
7. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
8. Cover and bring to a boil.
   
9. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook ~10 minutes or until squash are soft.
10. At this point I used my new stickblender to blend away the chunks and produce a creamy soup. Unfortunately, because I didn't add the pumpkin and I used a little too much water, this left with with a very liquidy soup....but it's soup, right?!? And it still tasted great, but read on for those results.

Homemade Cilantro Pesto

• ~2 cups of roughly chopped cilantro or any fresh herb you have
• 2 T of fresh thyme (0r half the amount of dried thyme)
• Lemon or lime juice (I think we used about 1 T) (I don't know for sure because Sir Cakewalk made this part of the meal)(but you really can't go wrong, cause you can always taste it and adjust...just start with a small amount)
• 1/4 cup EVOO of good quality
• Salt (no P)
  

1. Place cilantro and thyme in food processor and blend until finely chopped
2. Add lemon juice and salt and pulse to combine
3. While it is mixing, slowly add in the EVOO
4. Taste and adjust (ours was a tad too liquidy, so we added a little more cilantro and salt)

Homemade Croutons

• Bread with a hardish crust (I like Rye from Trader Joe's)

1. Slice your bread into cubes
2. Place on an ungreased baking sheet
3. Cook in oven at ~350 until bread is crunchy

Now put it all together:

1. Ladle soup into bowls
2. Spoon about 1/2 T of pesto into the center of the soup
3. Top with a few breadcrumbs
4. Enjoy!

This meal was delicious and very simple to make! Plus we have tons of leftovers. We also used some of the uncooked bread to dunk into the pesto like a dip. Yum!!!! It left us with stinky breath, but it was worth it.

Note: If you are watching your waistline, just go easy on the pesto since it is mostly oil. The soup has very little calories but tons of vitamins and fiber. So overall this is a very light meal, even with the pesto accent.