Tomato Basil Soup

I am a huge fan of soups. They are so easy to make and extremely practical.  I love making a huge pot of soup to enjoy throughout the week, allowing for stress-free nights with no extra meal planning required!  Another plus— if you don’t want to eat the same thing all week you can throw it in the freezer and save for it a later date. 

Inspired by my recent grilled cheese quest, I decided to make tomato basil soup.  A cup of tomato soup and a grilled cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly, it’s meant to be!  One of my college friends loved this pairing so much that she would make a point to eat in the dining hall on every “tomato soup day” just so she could have the mouth-watering combo. I am not sure if I have ever met anyone who was so excited to eat on campus as she was on tomato soup day.

Creamy tomato soup is obviously the best kind.  It is so rich and flavorful.  However, in the interest of my waistline (bathing suit season is on the horizon), I opted to make a tomato soup that had the creamy texture without the extra calories.  For this recipe, I traded out the heavy cream for lactose-free whole milk.  I don’t feel it compromised the rich flavor and texture one bit.  I have tried out a handful of tomato soup recipes in the past. I saw this particular recipe on Barefoot Contessa and, with a few adjustments, it has become my new favorite!  This recipe calls for carrots (weird I know) which adds a nice sweet note to the flavor palate.  Carrots also make the soup even healthier by incorporating a few more of our necessary daily vitamins.  Of course, I was also attracted to this recipe because of the basil.  With springtime officially here I am more than willing to embrace the fresh seasonal flavors!   This one-pot wonder stayed absolutely delicious from the first night of cooking until the last drop at the end of the week.

The best advice I can give to anyone making homemade soups is to have everything requiring chopping cut and ready to go before you begin the cooking process.  This makes it so much easier to transition from one step to the next.  To begin, chop the onion, carrots, tomatoes and basil.  For this recipe you don’t have to spend too much time perfecting your dicing—it’s important for the ingredients to be cut at similar sizes to ensure even cooking, however these can be roughly chopped because they will end up in the blender.

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil for about 30 seconds.  Then add the carrots and red onions.  Onions make me cry so I always chop them last and get those babies into the pot as fast as I can. I have tried every onion-chopping trick in the book but despite all off my efforts, they get me every time!  Sauté the onions and carrots over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes. Once they’ve begun to soften, add 2 cloves of minced garlic and stir for about a minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.  

Next add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, sugar, chicken stalk, salt and pepper.  Stir all of the ingredients together, crank up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling, lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer uncovered.  Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the tomatoes and carrots are tender.  When tender, add 3/4 cup of lactose-free whole milk and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Next, pour about 1/3 of the mixture in the blender and puree to desired texture.  Hold on tight to that lid!!  Repeat with the remaining 2/3rds until all of the soup has been pureed.  I like mine to be a little chunky to give the soup some added texture, but it can be made as smooth or as chunky as you like!  

When ready to serve, reheat the soup in a large pot.  Transfer the soup into serving bowls and (I would highly suggest) garnish with a little fresh basil!  This soup was so easy to make and even easier to clean up after because it only requires one pot!  Whipping up this recipe resulted in a simple meal-planning week and I was able to enjoy a soup that despite its simplicity was rich, creamy AND healthy.

Recipe Details:

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium sized red onion
2 carrots 
2 cloves minced garlic 
4 pounds vine ripened tomatoes 
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves (save a little for the garnish) 
3 cups chicken stalk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
3/4 cup lactose-free whole milk 

Chop carrots, onions, tomatoes and basil and set aside.  In a large pot heat olive oil.  Place the carrots and onions in the pot and sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Add minced garlic and stir for about 1 minute.  Next add the sugar, tomato paste, basil, tomatoes, chicken stalk, salt and pepper.  Stir to incorporate ingredients evenly.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are very tender.  Once the vegetables have softened, add the lactose free whole milk.  Stir and then transfer into the blender, blending 1/3 of the soup at a time.  Blend to desired texture.  Reheat the soup in a large pot when ready to serve.  Transfer to bowls and garnish with remaining basil!  

For the Love of Grilled Cheese

It is always an interesting conversation when you tell people who know you are lactose intolerant, that one of your favorite foods is grilled cheese.  But as I’ve talked about before, cheddar cheese is a lactose-intolerant’s best friend and the perfect cheese selection for a grilled cheese sandwich! Who would have thought the simple pairing of bread and cheese could produce such a magical result?  It can be dressed up with sweet or savory trappings, or remain the down-to-earth, iconic sandwich we loved as kids. White bread with cheddar cheese, grilled to perfection on a buttery skillet is my absolute favorite way to enjoy this dish.  Reaching the last bite never fails to bring on a pang of sadness that leaves me wanting more.

Sometimes, however, I find my inner “foodie” wanting to take my “go-to” grilled cheese to the next level. With the essence of grilled cheese being bread and cheese, it is the perfect vehicle for additional toppings resulting in so many different, delicious combinations– culinary exploration at its best! Grilled cheese has a very special place in my heart because it was the first meal Mike and I ever cooked together (baby steps).  I have been mulling over a few different grilled cheese recipes that I have been wanting to try, so I thought it would be ever so fitting to try out these new recipes with Mike on our date night-in.  Thankfully there are so many great lactose free cheese options available such as, cheddar,  parmesan, asiago and lactose free ricotta.  Any combination of these cheesed with the toppings of your choice can bring your grilled cheese to a level that even the biggest foodies will be impressed with.   

Bacon and Jalapeño Cheddar Grilled Cheese

Mike LOVES bacon, so I wanted to incorporate it in one of our grilled cheeses.  I thought I would spice it up by using some jalapeño cheddar, instead of classic cheddar cheese.  For both recipes, we used fresh plain white bread from the local bakery right downstairs

To start off, cook 2-3 thick slices of bacon in a frying pan, set aside to cool and then crumble.  Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan. This will be used to cook the grilled cheese in, enhancing the bacon flavor even more!

Next, butter two slices of bread on the sides that will be exposed to the pan.  We were liberal with our butter, so I give you permission to be equally as generous!

Slice up the jalapeño cheddar to desired thickness and cover one slice of bread evenly with cheese.  We used about 8 slices, a little less than 1/4 inch thick.  Cover the cheese with the bacon crumbles and top the sandwich with the second piece of bread.

One final step, melting it all together! Heat the frying pan with the remaining bacon grease for about 30 seconds on medium-high heat and once warm, place the sandwich in the skillet.  Cook the first side for about one minute, then carefully flip the grilled cheese over and cook the other side for another minute.  I like to warm both sides of the sandwich in the beginning so that the cheese will melt evenly throughout and bind the sandwich together.  Next, turn the heat down to medium-low so the bread won’t burn before the cheese is melted.  Keep checking the bread and flipping from side to side until the bread is grilled to desired color and crispiness.  I like mine a little more on the well-done side, nice and golden brown with crispy edges.  Once the cheese is melted and the bread is perfectly grilled, take out of the skillet to cool, cut and serve!

You know you have the perfect grilled cheese when you cut it in half, pull it apart and have the gooiest cheese stringing between the two halves!  These bacon, jalapeño cheddar grilled cheeses were cheesy, salty and had the perfect spicy zing to them. 

Crab Meat and Chipotle Aioli Grilled Cheese

For our next grilled cheese, this winning combination came to me in a dream.  Being from New England I love seafood.  I have always loved a classic tuna melt sandwich so I thought how about changing it up and using crab instead.  I knew that the combination of crab, cheese and chipotle aioli would create the flavor palate I was looking for.  What I really love about this grilled cheese is that while it sounds quite fancy, it was truly very easy to make—perfect for impressing friends at a dinner party! 

Just like the last recipe, begin by buttering the two slices of bread. Slice up about 8 pieces of cheddar cheese (the classic version this time) and place evenly on one half of the bread.  Next, spread the chipotle aioli over the cheese slices.  The great thing about aioli is that there is no dairy in it!  It is a wonderful condiment and thankfully the main ingredient in it is eggs.  I used store bought aioli for this recipe but you can always substitute with chipotle mayonnaise (also dairy free) if you can’t find it in your local grocery store.  Whatever suits you!  Be as liberal as you would like with the aioli, this is truly done to taste.

Using half a can of white crab meat (about 3 ounces), layer the crab on top of the cheese and aioli.  Top with the second piece of bread and the sandwich is ready for grilling!  Grill just as before— preheat the skillet for about 30 seconds, heat each side for 1 minute over medium-high heat, then turn down the heat to medium-low while the cheese melts.  Take off the skillet once you’ve reached the desired color and crispiness, cool, cut and enjoy!  

The buttery crab with the melted cheese and spicy aioli were to DIE for.  These would also make great appetizers cut into quarters (or smaller) and served before dinner.  It is tough to say which one of these new creations I liked best.  They were so delicious yet so simple to make.  That being said, there will forever be a special place in my heart for a classic grilled cheese, but it was really fun to take a night and experiment with a timeless recipe.

Now it’s time to get really cheesy… 

As I shared earlier, grilled cheese is actually a sentimental meal for Mike and I. When we first started dating and were getting to know each other, we discovered our shared love for grilled cheese.  Being the thoughtful man he is, he offered to cook me his special grilled cheese recipe.  Unbeknownst to him at the time, my lactose intolerance was not a fact that I wanted to bring up on one of our first dates.  Babbling about digestive issues really didn’t seem like something I should share with someone I was newly dating.  It seems so silly now, but I was so embarrassed to tell him about my lactose intolerance that I almost cancelled the date, thankfully I didn’t! 

I am glad I didn’t let my lactose intolerance get in the way because over 2 years later, we are still enjoying grilled cheeses together.  I have learned not to be afraid to tell the world that I can’t eat dairy as it is what has empowered me to share my recipes and endeavors with you all!  Over the years I have discovered that with just a few modifications, no one ever has to feel left out at meal time.  I am so glad I was honest with Mike and I couldn’t be happier to have him helping me in the kitchen and trying out all of my lactose-free creations. 

Don’t be afraid to share your lactose free stories!  

Recipe Details:

Ingredients: 

Bacon and Jalapeño Cheddar Grilled Cheese

8 slices of jalapeño cheddar cheese (enough to cover a slice of bread)

2-3 slices of thickly cut bacon

2 pieces of fresh white bread

butter

For the Bacon and Jalapeño Cheddar: To start off, cook 2-3 thick slices of bacon in a frying pan, set aside to cool and then crumble.  Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan. Next, butter two slices of bread on the sides that will be exposed to the pan. Slice up the jalapeño cheddar to desired thickness and cover one slice of bread evenly with cheese.  I recommend about 8 slices, a little less than 1/4 inch thick.  Cover the cheese with the bacon crumbles and top the sandwich with the second piece of bread.

For the Crab Meat and Chipotle Aioli Grilled Cheese

8 slices of cheddar cheese

3 ounces of white crab meat 

chipotle aioli to taste 

butter

Butter two slices of bread on the sides that will be exposed to the pan. Slice up about 8 pieces of cheddar cheese (the classic version this time) and place evenly on one half of the bread.  Next, spread the chipotle aioli over the cheese slices.  Using half a can of white crab meat (about 3 ounces), layer the crab on top of the cheese and aioli.  Top with the second piece of bread and the sandwich.

For both

Heat the frying pan with the remaining bacon grease for about 30 seconds on medium-high heat and once warm, place the sandwich in the skillet.  Cook the first side for about one minute, then carefully flip the grilled cheese over and cook the other side for another minute.  Next, turn the heat down to medium-low so the bread won’t burn before the cheese is melted.  Keep checking the bread and flipping from side to side until the bread is grilled to desired color and crispiness.  Once the cheese is melted and the bread is perfectly grilled, take out of the skillet to cool, cut and serve!