Potato and Cheddar-Cheese Soup

This soup was made with love by Nick during my cold week. I had a water fall of boogies coming out of my nose that week.

A few simple ingredients make a sumptuous soup. Be sure to use a high-quality cheddar; it's crucial to the dish's flavor. Choose a yellow cheese for the richest color. For a chunkier soup, skip the pureeing and just break up some of the potato with a spoon.

Yield: 4

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into thin strips
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 pounds baking potatoes (about 6), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces cheddar, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion tops

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat or, if you don't have 2 tablespoons, add enough cooking oil to make up the amount. Reduce the heat to moderately low.

2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Remove half the soup from the pan and puree in a food processor. Alternatively, mash some of the potatoes with a potato masher. Return the puree to the pan. Over low heat, add the cheese and stir until melted. Remove the pan from the heat. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Serve the soup topped with the bacon and chives.

Wine Recommendation: Serve a Washington State merlot with this rich and smoky soup. Merlots from Washington's Columbia and Yakima Valleys are a bit more restrained than their brethren from California and have a distinct mineral undercurrent that makes them a natural here.

Notes: Boiling potatoes have less starch than baking, or Idaho, potatoes and consequentially hold together better when boiled. This is why they're often used in soups and for potato salads. Not in this soup, though. Since we want some of the potato to break down into smaller pieces and thicken the soup, baking potatoes are the perfect choice.

Crab Cakes with Red Pepper Mayonnaise

* oops the picture does not show the Red Pepper Mayonnaise... but we made it and it was deliciuuus

Panko lends these crab cakes a nice, crunchy crust. These cakes are large enough to serve as a main dish, but you also can form smaller appetizer cakes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 crab cake, about 1 1/2 cups watercress, and about 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise)

Ingredients

• Red Pepper Mayonnaise:
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove
• Dash of hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
• Crab Cakes:
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced celery
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
• 1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 10 cup trimmed watercress (about 10 ounces)
• 6 lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

To prepare mayonnaise, cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 12 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel pepper. Place pepper, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a food processor. Process until smooth; transfer to a bowl, and chill.

To prepare crab cakes, combine 1/3 cup mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients (through crab) and 3/4 cup panko in a large bowl; stir until well combined. Form into 6 patties; dredge patties in remaining 1/2 cup panko. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 patties to pan; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through, turning once. Remove from pan, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and patties. Serve crab cakes with watercress and red pepper mayonnaise. Garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.

Wine note: The sweet, succulent flavor of crab is lovely with a crisp, dry white that's clean and pure tasting. One of my favorites is albariño from the northwestern corner of Spain. Nora Albariño 2004 from Rias Baxais ($16) is zesty, with a hint of citrus, starfruit, and dried peach. -Karen MacNeil

Nutritional Information

Calories:

234 (34% from fat)

Fat:

8.8g (sat 3.5g,mono 1.7g,poly 2.7g)

Protein:

22g

Carbohydrate:

15.2g

Fiber:

1.4g

Cholesterol:

96mg

Iron:

0.9mg

Sodium:

625mg

Calcium:

165mg

Tofu Calzones

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 calzone and 1/4 cup pasta sauce)

Ingredients

1 (12.3-ounce) package firm tofu, drained
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or
2 1/4 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
4 marinated artichoke heart quarters, drained and finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 homemade whole wheat dough
Cooking spray
1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1 cup pasta sauce with mushrooms and olives (such as Classico)
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Preparation
Place tofu on several layers of heavy duty paper towels; cover with additional paper towels, and place on a plate. Place a saucepan filled with potatoes on top of paper towels; let tofu stand 20 minutes to remove excess water. Crumble tofu in a medium bowl.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot; add garlic. Cook 30 seconds or until garlic is lightly browned. Add garlic, lemon juice, and next 6 ingredients to crumbled tofu; stir well.

Unroll pizza dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; cut into 4 squares. Spoon 1/2 cup tofu mixture into center of each square; top with 1/4 cup mushrooms. Fold each corner to center of the square, pinching points to seal; pinch edges to seal. Coat tops of each square with cooking spray.

Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with pasta sauce. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 342 (29% from fat)
Fat: 11g (sat 1g)
Protein: 15g
Carbohydrate: 45g
Fiber: 2.4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Iron: 4.5mg
Sodium: 1071mg
Calcium: 98mg

Shrimp Pesto Pizza

An other super awesome pizza made by me.

1 whole wheat pizza dough

1/3 cup pesto

1 (8 oz) package 6-cheese Italian recipe blend

8 oz cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup coarsely chopped softened sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 minced green onion

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

place dough on baking sheet; spread evenly with pesto. Sprinkle with half of cheese; top with shrimp and tomatoes. top with remaining cheese; sprinkle with onion and crushed red pepper. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into wedges to serve.

* I added mushrooms because that's how I roll...

Serve 6

Nutritional information per serving:

459 calories

29 grams protein

20 grams of fat

825 milligrams sodium

39 grams carbohydrates