Tomato Bisque made with Canned Crushed Tomatoes

 I pretty much only use crushed tomatoes (vs tomato sauce) in all my recipes.  I use a 1:1 swap.  It started because crushed tomatoes have way less sodium than tomato sauce.  Who knew?  Here's an easy homemade tomato soup recipe from Dinnerbeforedessert.com made with stuff I already had at home.  Note, I only had 3 cups broth, so I added 1 cup wine.  Could use water too.  Hope you give it a try!

Tomato Soup with Canned Crushed Tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion diced

2 stalks celery diced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne

1 teaspoon dried basil

3 cloves garlic minced

4 cups chicken broth

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 cup heavy cream

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, salt, pepper, cayenne and basil for about 5-6 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add in the garlic and stir an additional 45 seconds before adding in the broth, tomatoes and sugar.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes before blending until perfectly smooth with an immersion blender.

Add in the heavy cream, mix well and serve using more heavy cream and parsley as garnishes.

Sally's Favorite Banana Bread

 I love banana bread! (Or what I really should say is that I love banana bread batter. Yum. So good!) Lots of good recipes out there.  Here's a good to try from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Sally's Favorite Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup (80g) plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature (I use Greek yogurt)

2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 large ripe bananas)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

optional: 3/4 cup (100g) chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan or coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no flour pockets remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts, if using.

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to help prevent the top and sides from getting too brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf will come out clean when the bread is done. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

Cover and store banana bread at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Banana bread tastes best on day 2 after the flavors have settled together. See post above for freezing instructions.

Notes

Butter: If needed, you can use salted butter in this recipe instead. Keep all the other ingredients the same.

Cream Cheese Frosting: This banana bread also tastes fantastic with cream cheese frosting on top! To make it, beat 4 ounces (112g) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup (60g) of softened unsalted butter together on medium speed until smooth. Beat in 1 cup (120g) of confectioners sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until combined. Spread on cooled loaf.

Banana Bread Muffins: Use this banana bread recipe to make 2 dozen banana bread muffins. Pour the batter into a lined or greased muffin pan and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total bake time for the banana bread muffins is about 22-23 minutes. The initial burst of hot air helps those muffins rise nice and tall! Or try my quick & easy banana muffins.

Brown Sugar: Feel free to substitute the same amount of regular white granulated sugar or coconut sugar. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners.

No Sour Cream or Yogurt? Feel free to use 1/3 cup mashed banana (in addition to the 2 cups), unsweetened applesauce, or even canned pumpkin puree.

Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas. Thaw them at room temperature and drain off any excess liquid before using in the recipe.

Chocolate Chips: I love this bread with chocolate chips, too. Feel free to add 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips (semi-sweet, dark chocolate, etc). No need to leave out the nuts if you add the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips and nuts are both optional.

Gallo Pinto: Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice

 A must for a "typico" Costa Rican breakfast!

2 TBSP OLIVE OIL

1 MEDIUM ONION CHOPPED

2 CLOVES GARLIC MINCED

3 CUPS WHITE RICE PRE-COOKED (1 cup dry cooked with 2 cups water)

2 CUPS BLACK BEANS PRE-COOKED, DRAINED AND RINSED 

1 TEASPOON CUMIN GROUND

1 TEASPOON CORIANDER GROUND

1/2 TEASPOON GINGER FRESH (1/4 tsp powder)

2 -3 TABLESPOONS SALSA LIZANO* OR WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and cook until the onions are translucent.

Add garlic, cook for 5 more minutes until onion is a caramel color.

Add your beans and rice, spices, ginger and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat until all ingredients are mixing well, for approximately 5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with chopped cilantro, adding tomatoes over everything.

Enjoy!

* use for the most authentic flavor