Shredded Carrot and Orange Soup (see posting below) is a recipe I created by using a combination of other recipes and using my own preferences. It is still a work-in-progress, and here are some of the suggestions I received:

“Carrots are a little dense, maybe use less.”
I’ll probably adjust the recipe to read 5-6 carrots instead of 7-8. I also kept my soup thick, so maybe add more broth. I used just under 6 cups the first time I made it.

“More garlic, less thyme.”
I agree more garlic, probably 1 or 2 more cloves (totaling 1 1/2 to 2 tsp), but I felt the thyme was just right. Maybe more garlic will help.

“More pepper.”
I used a little under 1/8 tsp of pepper, I would increase that to a round 1/8 tsp or a 1/4 tsp. I may also add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat to balance out the sweet of the orange.

In the cookbook Million Menus, there is a recipe for Carrot and Orange soup. It calls for grated carrots, potatoes, onion and orange juice to be fed to a food processor or blender. I tried this and didn’t really care for the consistency of the soup (think baby food). In my version, I’ve added a few more ingredients and made it a broth-based soup.

6 to 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 to 3 small sweet onions, grated
16 oz (2 pkg) sliced or quartered mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced (1 tsp)
1 large baking potato, peeled and grated
7 to 8 (1 1/2 lbs) carrots, grated
4 to 5 ribs celery, chopped or diced
1 large orange, zested and halved
several springs fresh thyme, leaves removed
salt and pepper

Pour broth into a medium saucepan over low heat. Melt butter in a large, heavy duty saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and saute until mushrooms are tender, about 7-10 minutes. Salt to taste, about 1/4 tsp.

Add potato, carrot and celery. Stir well to incorporate mushroom mixture. Stirring constantly, cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are heated through.

Add enough broth to cover vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return pan with broth to low heat.

Add the zest of 1 large orange and leaves from thyme, about 1 tbsp each. Squeeze in juice from orange. Add more broth until soup reaches desired thickness. Let soup simmer for about 3 minutes. Add pepper to taste, 1/8 to 1/4 tsp.

Remove from heat and let soup sit covered for 5 minutes. Skim off any film that floats to the top. Serve warm with crusty bread and sliced cheese.

Preparation Suggestions:

Dice, chop, grate or slice your veggies anyway you want, the above are just my suggestions. You can also add any other veggies you might like in your soup.

Go vegetarian by using vegetable broth and olive oil instead of butter. Cut calories by using a butter substitute such as I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter Light.

Use fresh ingredients, not pre-cut varieties.

This is a revision to a previous post (December 5th, 2006). The original recipe comes from Cooking Light.

1 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic (1 tsp)
3 cups chicken broth
1 package frozen broccoli
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/3 cup flour
10 oz Velveeta processed cheese
1/4 tsp pepper

In a large, heavy-duty saucepan coated in cooking spray, saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Once mixture begins to brown, add chicken broth and broccoli. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

Whisk together milk and flour. Slowly pour into pan and stir well. Cook 5 minutes or until soup begins to thicken, stirring constantly (don’t bring to a boil). Add pepper and remove from heat. Add Velveeta cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

Serve with thick, crusty bread. Top with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, green onions, and sour cream as desired.

From AOL Food, here is a great recipe for tacos without using prepackaged taco mix. This is similar to the filling in Mexican Lasagna (posted August 2nd, 2006).

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
taco shells or flour tortillas, warmed
toppings, such as lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa, sour cream
hot cooked spanish rice, such as Vigo’s Saffron Yellow Rice

Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well. Remove beef, wipe skillet with a paper towel.

Saute onion in hot oil in the same skillet. Add beef, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally and coating beef with spice mixture. Stir in corn, tomato sauce, water, and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes or until liquid is reduced.

Top evenly with cheese and cilantro. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand for 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Build tacos by layering meat mixture, desired toppings, and rice.

Here is my first attempt at fish (or any seafood for that matter). This recipe comes from Smuckers.com and can be used with salmon, sole, or flounder. Just be careful when preparing this dish to remove all skin and bones from the fish fillets.

Fish Fillets:
1 egg
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs or bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp pepper
4 small fillets of salmon (sole or flounder)

Apricot Lemon Sauce:
2/3 cup Smuckers Low Sugar Apricot Preserves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp prepare mustard
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 425F and coat a baking sheet in cooking spray.

In a pie plate or shallow bowl, combine egg and water. In a plastic bag, combine crumbs, salt, paprika, and pepper. Shake bag well to distribute ingredients. Dip each fillet into egg mixture, drop into bag and shake to lightly coat with crumbs (do not over coat). Arrange fish in a single layer on baking sheet.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork (do not turn fish). Be careful not to over bake or the surfaces will start to harden.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients over low heat. Stir occasionally and serve sauce with fish. TIP: use one whole lemon, cut in half. Use the first half for juice and grated peel. Cut the second half into wedges to serve on plates.

Serving Suggestions:
Since salmon and citrus are both high in anti-oxidants, why not make an anti-oxidant meal? Serve this dish with a fresh spinach salad tossed with raw almonds and olive oil, pomegranate juice or green tea, and dark chocolate for dessert. Also try with a white & wild rice blend mixed with sliced almonds and chopped celery.

The sauce is very tart, to make it sweeter follow the below instructions:
Use regular preserves or add 1/2 tsp sugar
Increase salt to 1/4 tsp
Add 1/8 tsp regular or red pepper
Substitute honey-dijon mustard for regular mustard