On my first vacation on Isla Mujeres (2005), we mistakenly stayed near Punta Sur not knowing the layout of the Island. Now there were some benefits…we walked so much we didn’t have to worry about our calorie intake, there was a beautiful quiet pool at our villa and the sunrises on the craggy cliffs were exquisite.

I couldn’t find any food photos from that evening but I did find this blast from the past. The three sisters taken that night at Casa O’s.

One evening we walked the dark road to see what might still be open and couldn’t find a thing but with research we discovered Casa O’s and set out to celebrate my sister’s birthday on one of our last evenings on the island.

I can’t tell you a whole lot about what we ate and drank but I can tell you that the Lime Soup was a.m.a.z.i.n.g! On subsequent trips to Isla we heard that Casa O’s owners Lynn and Tom McGrath decided that they had to close the restaurant. Does anyone know what is in that space now?

Anyhoo the reason for that preamble is that I found the recipe for their soup in my Cocina Islena Cookbook. Here’s what it indicates with the recipe:

This Maya-style soup was a favorite of Paul Newman when we had Casa O’s restaurant. We didn’t have any photographs of Paul enjoying his meals as we didn’t want to bother him or create a fuss when he was in our restaurant. What a great, great guy he was.

Here’s the recipe:

Over the years we have found many other Isla restaurants that do a good job of Lime Soup too….La Lomita for one!

Kath’s quote: “A person can only be judged by their actions, and not by their good intentions or their beliefs.”-Paul Newman

Love never fails.

 

In the olden days when I was a young Mom, I had a couple of go-to recipe books where many of our family’s meals originated.  The Best of Bridge was one resource and the Company’s Coming cookbooks another.  But the most family meals likely came from The Campbell Soup Cookbook.  With a few simple ingredients, a can of cream soup (it didn’t much matter whether it was cream of chicken, cream of mushroom or cream of celery) could be transformed into supper.

Fast forward to present day where I try to cook as “clean” as possible, avoiding processed foods, “white” ingredients, reducing fat and increasing fibre.  BUT, my family still have favourite dishes that they love the taste and memories of.  This week our youngest was writing her last major paper of her winter semester at university.  On the day that she successfully sent it off,  I asked her what she would like me to make for dinner to celebrate her hard work.  The answer: Chicken Enchiladas and I knew that I better not muck around with the recipe too much because this particular offspring is a stickler for tradition and authenticity.  So I had to be sneaky about it.  I prefer to refer to my tactics as “clever”.

The original recipe is pretty basic: cook up fresh or left over chicken with diced onion and chili powder.  In the mean time, mix a can of cream soup with equal parts of sour cream.  Add a couple of dollops of this mixture to the chicken.  Place the chicken mixture in a line across the edge of a flour tortilla.  Roll up, place in a pan and spread with the sour cream mixture.  Cover with foil and bake until the centre of the middle wrap is heated through and add grated cheese over top.

I modified the recipe by mixing up a batch of the soup substitute:

I also substituted no-fat sour cream, whole wheat tortilla shells and fat reduced marble cheese.  The result? My family a) could not tell the difference and b) preferred the modified version to the original.

The consistency was different, the substitute version in foreground.

The two versions looked identical when added to the chicken and heated.

The difference in consistency was evident before they were placed into the oven.

Both versions side by side and you couldn’t tell the difference (even to the discerning taste buds of Daughter #2).

Lucky for us, J1, J2 and the Wee One arrived at our door right at supper time so we had another expert judge at the table and at our house at dinner time, it is always to more, the merrier.

Kath’s quote: “Serve this dish with much too much wine for your guests, along with some cooked green vegetables and a huge salad. You will be famous in about half an hour.” -Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet)

Love-that is all.

 

Today my Guest Blogger is my much loved daughter in law, J2, married to my son (J1).  She is a successful blogger in her own right and has started up her own business and can you tell, I am so very proud of her?

“I wouldn’t classify my husband as a picky eater. His palate is very wide and he is no stranger to trying new things (we both tasted fertilized egg embryos when we lived overseas…). There are a few things though that he strongly dislikes. He dislikes beans, or more specifically anything with a chalky texture – lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans. He dislikes most foods that are overly pungent (he also dislikes when I eat them, but I LOVE them) – olives, blue cheese, black licorice. He dislikes broth-y soups. Chicken noodle, minestrone, hamburger…if you can see through the broth, he will probably decline. I love soup, so I try to be creative in finding thick and creamy soup recipes that we will both enjoy.

One soup that we can both agree on is Jamie Oliver’s Sweet Potato and Chorizo Soup from Jamie’s Food Revolution. This happens to be one of the recipes on our weekly meal plan this week and it was a perfect fall meal after raking the front yard.

I have used a regular blender in the past (before I received my beloved immersion blender as a gift), but be sure to let the soup COOL OFF before you blend. Otherwise it will end up all over the walls.
I modified slightly and blended the soup before I added the sausage for a little more texture. Delicious!

Jen Grisim, Providing Pre & Postnatal Services in the Heart of Winnipeg www.specialdeliveriesfitness.com Check out my blog: www.babyladyoftheprairies.com”

From Kath: By coincidence, Jamie Oliver was in Toronto this weekend and so was I.  He was there for a Jamie Junior T-Fal event.  Jamie is our families’ favourite chef and I would love to meet him.  Maybe next time…..

Kath’s quote:

“Said Aristotle unto Plato,
‘Have another sweet potato?’
Said Plato unto Aristotle,
‘Thank you, I prefer the bottle.’”

Owen Wister

Love-that is all.

This week in Winnipeg has been warm and sticky and believe me, I am not complaining.  But when the summer weather hits, I just cannot decide what I feel like eating.  I certainly do not want to turn on the oven or stand and stir anything around over a warm element.

I had the pleasure of meeting and working alongside Chef Michael Allemeier yesterday, as he wrapped up a multi-city tour with the Canadian Dairy Producers and their Everyday Magic Challenge.  Three TV Chefs were challenged to come up with two wholesome and nutritious recipes to be featured and Chef Michael dreamed up this refreshing chilled soup.  I happened to whip it up recently, had a bowl for lunch and have the rest chillin in the ole fridge as I understand that the summer weather is here to stay.

 

You might think with cream as an ingredient that the soup would be too rich, but this is not the case.  The recipe calls for no other fat  and when the scant 1/2 cup of cream is immulsed with so many veggies, the result is both refreshing and velvety.

Kath’s quote:

‘Tis not her coldness, father,
That chills my labouring breast;
It’s that confounded cucumber
I’ve ate and can’t digest.”-Richard Harris Barham

Sister #2 is a very special woman (and not just because she’s my sister).  No she’s not a brain surgeon but her occupation effects the health and well-being of many people, everyday.  She and my precious bro-in-law keep a beautiful home and they are famous for their love and treatment of their beloved pets.  There is often an extra dog being baby-sat, as there was when I arrived at their home last evening.

Sister #2 with our Mom and 1 of Mom’s 5 great grandchildren

My task was to pick up Daughter #1’s favourite soup and here’s what makes Sister#2 so special:  when she batch cooks for her family (because her job causes her to travel), she spreads the love to our extended family or friends and neighbours who could use the gift of time.

I thought that perhaps my daughter’s favourite soup was my brilliant “refridgerator” soup but alas, it was a fragrant concoction of chicken stock, herbs, a hint of curry?, crunchy vegetables and cellophane noodles.  Let me know if you want her recipe.

In the mean time, I can satisfy you with this: her Lentil Stew is absolutely incredible (and this comes from a non-bean lover):

“The important ratio are the lentils and water/stock.  All other ingredients can be improvised.

1 c dried lentils to 2.5 c water (and 1 chicken stock cube)

1 small can tomato paste

1 chopped onion

chopped celebry and shredded carrot to taste

cook for one hour or until lentils are tender

I add a protein, usually ground chicken, beef, sausage, or in the most recent batch-veggie ground round

For the batch I gave you:

I added a can of tomatoes, a box of brown rice and black bean mix, and a rub that I had made for grilled vegetables:

1 T cloves

1 T black peppercorns

1 T ground coriander

1 T cumin

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t cayene pepper

Other batches I have added curry, coconut milk, jarred Indian sauces, cilantro, beans, spinach, imagination.

I serve on rice or pasta (if the later, I add a can of diced tomatoes).  Real cheap to make, taste and freezes well!  Love you.”

If you do not have the time, talent, or inclination to batch cook for loved ones, do not fret.  I got a “door hanger” recently about the “Soup Bee”.  They are a non-profit social enterprise supported by the WBDC (also non-profit).  Their goals is to provide supportive employment opportunities in the downtown core, promote food security and local producers, all while leaving a small carbon foortprint.  They create soup each week for delivery to River Heights, the south end, St. Mary’s Rd, Wolseley and West Broadway.  Visit www.soupbee.ca  for more information or call 218-SOUP (7687).  I think that you should order a batch for your self and another for someone who could use the lovin. 

Kath’s quote:  “Only the pure of heart can make good soup” Beethoven

 

We are family, I’ve got all my sistas with me!