Ideas for homemade sauces, dressings, soups?

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Bumpkyns
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Ideas for homemade sauces, dressings, soups?

Post by Bumpkyns » Sun Apr 13, 2008 5:54 pm

I've read threads about lunch ideas, using homemade soups to start with or rice bowls with whatever healthy thing you want thrown in... and add a good sauce. But, what would be a good sauce I wonder, that maybe doesn't have tons of un-pronounceble ingredients, too much sugar, etc...

Anyone know of any already made thats both good and healthy, or does anyone have a recipe for that kind of stuff? (is it ok to put this here, or should I be in another area of the board? I've not even had a chance to explore it yet..
Last edited by Bumpkyns on Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:20 pm

You know, I was just thinking that as we get more members and get more active, a recipes section might not be a bad idea.

I make all my soups pretty much from scratch (might use stock in a box and do use canned tomato products, canned beans and some frozen vegetables).

Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book is one of my favorites for getting food on the table fast. Nearly all fresh ingredients and not difficult. The recipe(s) in the first link are in that book. I make nearly all my soups using that basic recipe as a guide I have it memorized now:

http://www.usaweekend.com/01_issues/010 ... smart.html

http://www.usaweekend.com/03_issues/030 ... smart.html

http://www.usaweekend.com/04_issues/041 ... smart.html

THE QUICK SOUP FORMULA

Serves 4
Oil: 2 Tbs. vegetable or olive oil
Onion: 1 medium, chopped
Vegetables: 1 pound, cut in bite-size pieces. I usually select 2 vegetables to equal the pound, but more variety is fine. Good choices are celery, carrots, cabbage, corn, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, green beans, mushrooms, leeks, kale, spinach, peas and lima beans.
Protein: 1 pound. Your choice of boneless, skinless chicken thighs; Italian sausage in the casing; kielbasa; ham; pork tenderloin; firm-fleshed fish; medium shrimp, peeled; or scallops.
Starch:* Your choice of 1 pound potatoes, cubed; 2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans, white beans, chickpeas or hominy; 4 ounces wide or extra-wide egg noodles, uncooked; or 1/3 cup long-grain rice or orzo, uncooked
Tomatoes:** 1 cup, canned or fresh
Chicken broth:*** 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth, canned or in a carton
Herb or spice: Your choice
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add onions; sauté to soften slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining vegetables, protein, starch, tomatoes, broth and herb or spice. (If using pork tenderloin, shrimp or scallops, add in the last 5 minutes of cooking.)
Partially cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors have blended, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Serve with a salad and good bread.

*I sometimes use beans as the protein and another starch
**Can be omitted
***I substitute vegetable broth sometimes
Last edited by wosnes on Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:50 pm

Oh wosnes, that's SMART! I love that soup formula!

jazzys mom
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Post by jazzys mom » Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:50 pm

Thanks for posting that! Sounds delicious!

Jazzys Mom

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:15 pm

I also often cook this in the crock pot:3-4 hours on high; 6-8 hours on low.

Like I said, it's my basic recipe for soup. If I see or read about another soup, I just substitute ingredients. One of my favorites -- chicken broth with Italian sausage, cannellini beans (or other white bean), and greens (spinach, kale, broccoli rabe, escarole -- whatever is available). Yummy!

The book also has recipes for pan sauces to be served with various poultry, fish or meat main dishes. Plus one for a basic vinaigrette.

There was a recipe for a lighter, "summer" variation of this in the June/July 2001 issue of Fine Cooking. They have a feature called "Cooking without Recipes" that appears occasionally that is one of my favorites.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:15 pm

I'm SOOO going to be trying some of yall's ideas, and checking out that book for pure healthy recipes. I want sauces for rice bowls/wraps that arent' full of junk, dressings for salads that aren't full of junk, and of course "real food" soup recipes and ideas.
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:21 pm

This is pretty close to some rice bowls. At least it's a good place to start.

Confetti Rice
This is adapted from Susan Powter's C'mon America, Let's Eat.

1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup cut carrots (cut into 1"-2" julienne strips)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas

Place water, salt and garlic in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil; add rice, carrots and onions. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until about 5 minutes before rice is done; add zucchini and red bell pepper. Stir well and continue to cook until rice is done. When rice is done, add frozen peas, stir well and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve.

The last batch of this I made I used broccoli instead of zucchini. You can use just about any vegetable you like, just add the longer cooking ones before the rice is done and shorter cooking ones towards the end of the cooking time. Some, like peas and spinach, can be added after cooking.

I purposely omitted other seasonings because you can season this any way you like -- it can be Southwesteren, Chinese, Italian -- just about anything you can think of. You can add one cup of cooked poultry, meat or fish.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

flipturn
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Post by flipturn » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:02 pm

Simple Solutions for Eating Well Cookbook from the Mayo Clinic and Williams-Sonoma . . . (Time-Life Books, 1998) page 56

This is their recipe for lentil soup, which I really love. I usually add a box of sliced crimini mushrooms in place of celery (was there ever a dumber vegetable?).

1 and 1/4 cups dried lentils
3 cups water
2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup salsa

Combine over high heat, when it boils, cover and simmer. Stir every 10 minutes for 40 minutes.

There is a green herb sauce that you can make and serve with the soup, but I don't like it.

This is wonderfully filling with a piece of bread.

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:21 pm

I LOVE lentil soup. That recipe is very similar to how I make it except I use tomato sauce instead of salsa. When serving, I often add a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice. It gives it some zing!
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Wed Apr 16, 2008 5:15 pm

Thanks for sharing good stuff yall.... and the "dumb vegetable" thing cracked me up... soo true. :P
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

flipturn
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Post by flipturn » Wed Apr 16, 2008 7:32 pm

I also make morning glory muffins (Google the name and various recipes spill forth) and make substitutions that are healthy. Instead of 1 cup of oil I use 1/2 c. of unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 c. of pineapple juice (from the canned chunks) and 1/3 c. oil. Two eggs work just as well as three. Instead of 1 and 1/4 c. sugar I use some splenda -- about 1/2 c. -- and omit the sugar. I freeze all but two and then my husband has one for breakfast and I eat the other. The others are defrosted one or two at a time.

jazzys mom
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Post by jazzys mom » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:57 pm

Does any of you former Weight Watcher people remember this recipe? I've been making these for years! I keep them in the freezer and take one out to thaw for a mini sweet treat.

Brownies
3/4 C. semi sweet chocolate chips
2 C. skim milk
1 Devil's Food Cake Mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 - 3 oz pkg. fat free sugar free chocolate pudding

Mix all ingredients together and spread into a 13 X 9" pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool completely and cut into 16 squares. Each square was 2 WW points

Jazzys Mom

Dawn
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Post by Dawn » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:33 pm

I used to have this a lot when on Weight Watchers so I know it's super low in calories - maybe 100 per cup.

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

16oz Frozen Cauliflower
1 lg onion chopped (frozen are even easier)
6 cups chicken broth (I make my broth with granulated bouillon, it is more flavorful than canned broth)
4 cups buttermilk (1 quart)
Black pepper

In a large pot add some oil (1 or 2 tablespoons)
Cook onions and cauliflower (frozen right out of the bag is fine) on low heat until onions are clear – careful, you don’t want to brown them. Add broth, buttermilk and nice amount of fresh cracked pepper and bring to a boil. The buttermilk will curdle, this is normal. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Let cool significantly then run in small batches thru the blender getting completely smooth, this is not a soup that you want chunky style.

Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Note: It tends to separate upon sitting, so always give it a good stir before serving.

You can use any vegetable but I find that nothing works as well as the cauliflower
Dawn

bettyp
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Post by bettyp » Thu Apr 17, 2008 12:56 am

Great recipes!!!

I copyed and saved them !!
Thanks
Less is More

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Thu Apr 17, 2008 5:06 pm

I forgot I had those fabulous WW recipes... good stuff.
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:02 pm

Bumping by Bumpkyns... to hopefully get yet even more ideas... :wink:
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:04 pm

Bumpkyns wrote:Bumping by Bumpkyns... to hopefully get yet even more ideas... :wink:
I'm not sure I quite understand specifically what you're looking for.

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Sun Apr 20, 2008 9:16 pm

Well initially I was looking for asian type sauces for salmon or rice bowls...with fresh ingredients that I can pronounce... and/or homemade salad dressings due to my needing to eliminate vinegar from as many food sources as possible. However, I'm interested in ideas for anything anyone wants to share of course. I'm searching basically as I type for a couple things to post myself if I can just find the darned recipes. :roll: I'm copying the ones here for sure tho, they all sound great. :wink:
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Mon Apr 21, 2008 8:40 pm

This actually reheats really well:

Sweet Potatoes-n-Apples

2 large sweet potatoes
1 onion
1-2 tart apples (granny smiths are what I usually use)
1-2 pats of butter
Handful of diced walnuts, if you like 'em (I do).

Thinly slice sweet potatoes and layer in bottom of baking dish, then add a layer of onions, then a layer of apples. If you have more, add more layers. Top with some diced nuts and a pat of butter.

Bake @ 350F for ~45 mins or until tender.

This is a popular dish 'round my house. It has the advantage of tasting sweet without being "a sweet" for those who have cravings.

Bumpkyns
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Post by Bumpkyns » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:01 am

Wow girl, I just bought some HUGE sweet taters a couple days ago.. I think I'll try this. Thanks!
Blessed are the cracked, for they are the ones who let in the light!

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