Celestine Cooks for One

February is for comfort food & the classic comfort duo: Cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese

February 9, 2017February 11, 2017Leave a comment

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but soups seem to be a recurring theme at my house. I guess soup is the perfect quick comfort food. It’s nourishing, tasty, can be made in every colour of the rainbow and can be made as light or as hearty as you desire. So today I’m sharing my cream of tomato soup recipe. I’ve been making it for over twenty years and the ingredients have evolved over the years. You can swap from milk to dairy alternatives, coconut milk/cream, from the cream cheese to greek yogurt or anything you want to use, experimentation leads to perfection!

Cream of tomato soup

Ingredients

1 28 oz tin of canned tomatoes

1 medium onion with 1 clove inserted

1 medium carrot, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk (or alternative)

1 Tb flour

1 Tb butter (or alternative)

Dash of grated nutmeg

1 cup cream cheese (or alternative)

Instructions

Place tomatoes, carrot and onion in saucepan, season with salt & pepper and cook on medium-low heat , covered, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate saucepan make a béchamel by melting butter on medium heat, add flour and stir until well incorporated and whisk in milk slowly, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. When the milk has thickened, allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside. After 30 minutes, add cream cheese to tomatoes to warm. Put all the ingredients in a blender and process on high until smooth. Makes 2-3 servings, can be frozen for 3-4 months.

Grilled cheese

Ingredients

1 large slice country bread cut in 2 (or 2 slices regular bread)

2-3 slices of cheese of your choice

Cranberry chutney

Butter

Sliced scallion

Instructions

Butter outer sides of bread. Spread cranberry chutney on the inside of bread, place 1-2 slices cheese on top, sprinkle scallion and add another slice of cheese. Close with 2nd slice and cook on medium heat in a cast iron pan until well browned on both sides. Serve and enjoy!

Stick to your ribs chili and can’t stop eating them biscuits

February 5, 2017February 9, 2017Leave a comment

It’s Super Bowl Sunday, so I was inspired to cook up some comfort fare, such as a delicious chili with biscuits to sop up all that juicy goodness. Each are absolutely delicious on their own ( I actually ate ALL the biscuits, I just couldn’t stop! ), but why deny yourself perfection? The long simmer of the chili breaks down the chicken and ends up melting into the sauce. The biscuits are so flaky and delicious, they can be eaten alone, with jam & butter, anything really! I used a combination of whey leftover from making greek yogurt and yogourt instead of buttermilk and the result is fantastic! So let the chili simmer, crack open a beer and enjoy your Sunday!

Chicken chili

Ingredients

230 gr. chicken thighs, cubed

2/3 cup red lentils

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 of each orange, red & yellow peppers, diced

1 tomato, diced

1/2 cup corn kernels

1 1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon mexican chili

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with sour cream, grated cheese, diced avocado and cilantro

Instructions

Sauté chicken thighs until browned, add onions and continue cooking until soft and translucent. Add garlic, chili, cumin and paprika and sweat the spices for 1-2 minutes. Add peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn & cinnamon. Cover and simmer on low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Check that chicken has pulled apart, if not muddle with a wooden spoon until meat pulls appart. Continue simmering for a further hour uncovered. Add lentils and cook for 30 minutes more. Serves 2 with toppings and biscuits. Both can be frozen seperately for 3-4 months. Enjoy!

Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup flour

4 tablespoons butter

45ml whey

45ml yogourt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 ° . Sift all the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter until rough crumbles occur without overworking, add liquid and stir in using a wooden spoon. When you have a shaggy dough, lightly need with your hands 5 or 6 times. It’s important not to overwork the dough, keeping pockets of butter will make the dough flaky. Roll out the dough to 1″ thickness and cut using a floured cutter or glass. PLace on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool. Makes 6 medium or 8 small biscuits, biscuits can be frozen in an airtight container for 3-4 months.

A big bowl of sunshine to combat the february blues

February 3, 2017February 3, 2017Leave a comment

This is the last stretch, the long haul before the light at the end of the tunnel. I need as much sunshine as I can get to see me through. I crave colour and strong flavours. I also fight the instinct to crawl into bed and not come back out for air before spring! This soup is all that and more, colorful, flavorful and very satisfying and the bonus is it is quick to make. 20 minutes from start to finish. BAM! Party in my mouth! Why resist when happiness is so quick and easy to achieve 🙂 I made mine with shrimp but you could easily swap the shrimp out for chicken or beef strips, tofu, fish… Whatever floats your boat! The most important part to acheive perfection is to have good quality ingredients, the stock being one of them. Making your own stock is simple even if it needs some time to simmer, you can just leave it simmering on the stove and go on with your day, you’ll see a huge difference between your homemade stock versus the grocery store variety.

Coconut & red-curry shrimp soup

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 of each orange, red & yellow peppers, thinly sliced

White & pale green parts of a leek, thinly sliced

100 gr. shrimps

1/4 cup coconut cream

1/2 teaspoon red curry paste

Kafir lime leaves

Lemongrass stalk, cut in 2 inch pieces

Salt to taste

Thinly sliced green onions, cilantro & lime for garnish

Instructions

Bring stock to a boil with kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass stalk. Simmer for 5 minutes then add curry paste, shrimps and vegetables. When stock comes to a boil again, add coconut cream. Let soup come back to a boil tbefore serving. Garnish with cilantro and green onions and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!

The most scrumptious cream of butternut soup and a special grilled cheese

January 29, 2017January 29, 2017Leave a comment

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It’s been so grey this winter, it’s hard to not feel a little down when the sun goes awol. Kind of wish I had the means to hop on a plane and head south…! So to combat the grey skies I’m cooking with colour! This creamy delicious butternut squash soup brought a smile back, at least for a short moment! Be sure to scoop out the seeds and use them as well, nothing should go to waste, plus they’re delicious!

Cream of butternut squash soup

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed, seeds removed and reserved

1 medium onion

Enough stock (I used chicken) to cover veggies

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon grilled sesame oil

1 1/2 teaspoons hawaiij spices (recipe below)

1 can cream of coconut, reserve 1/6 for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro leaves and sliced green onions for garnish

Sauté onions in olive oil until soft and translucent, add butternut, spices and sesame oil and sauté until well blended. Add stock and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Add to blender with coconut cream and blend on high until smooth. Serve and garnish with reserved coconut cream, green onions and cilantro.

Grilled cheese

1 large slice of country bread

2-3 slices of aged cheddar

Red curry paste

Cilantro

Sliced green onions

Butter

Spread a thin layer of the curry paste on the bread, garnish with the sliced green onions, cheese then cilantro. Cut in half and close into a sandwich, butter both sides and grill in hot pan with a weight to brown well. Check and when bread is golden brown turn over and repeat. Enjoy with your soup for a delicious meal!

Hawaaij

Hawaaij is a Yemenite spice mixture, varying from home to home, much like the curry mixes in India. This is a blend that Melissa Yeh shared on her blog, My name is Yeh

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Roasted pumpkin or squash seeds

1 cup seeds rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

dash of ground chipotle

Blend all ingredients and spread on a lined baking sheet. Cook in a 350º oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Will keep at least one month stored in an airtight container. Enjoy sprinkled on soups or as a snack!

Happy New Year & hit reset!

January 22, 2017January 29, 2017Leave a comment

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I hope the start of this new year has been good to you, I certainly feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders! I can’t say I truly enjoyed 2016, too many challenges for my liking. Death of a family member, death of toxic friendships, work ups and downs…. I’m happy to press the reset button and start fresh, which is what I’ve been doing as far as food is concerned. January usually sees most of us lighten up to balance the holidays’ enjoyments and I’m no exception! So I’m sharing a vitamin powerhouse smoothie for your winter vitamin starved cells! I was inspired to use this hawaiij spice mix from The First Mess’ Baked apple oatmeal recipe, I just can’t stop making this recipe it’s so delicious!