Tomato Soup

 4 lbs. tomatoes (or at least 2; you can supplement with good, canned diced tomatoes)
 1 large onion, chopped
 1 medium carrot, thinly chopped (for a change I will use 2 red bell peppers instead of the carrot)
 1 stalk celery, chopped
 1 clove garlic, chopped
 4 T. butter, room temperature
 1 1/2 T. flour
 2 sprigs fresh thyme
 water
 1 c. milk
 salt
 pepper

 Turn the broiler on in the oven and set the rack six inches below it.
 Spray a sheet pan with non-stick spray. Core the fresh tomatoes (not as essential with Romas) and spread them out on the pan. Broil on both sides until the skins are blackened. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
 In a large saucepan (larger is better so it doesn't spit at you), sauté the onion and a couple of pinches of salt in 2 T. butter for about 5 minutes over medium high heat. (Adding the salt immediately with the onion helps to bring out the sugars in the onion, which will help it to carmelize faster.) Add the carrot and celery and continue to cook until the onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 more minutes, until they're more thoroughly browned but not burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
(I have found that I perfer to slow roast the tomatoes, rather than broil - cook onions and tomatoes in the oven at 250 for 4-5 hours until fully cooked and browned around the edges.)
 Place all of the contents of the saucepan in the blender. If you're supplementing with canned tomatoes, add a 15-oz. can, juice and all, along with the onion mixture to the blender, purée the tomatoes, in two batches, in the blender. Strain the seeds and skins and add to the saucepan. Stir everything together and return to heat. Add 1 cup of water and leaves from the thyme sprigs. Bring to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

(Beurre manié (French "kneaded butter") is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter. When the beurre manié is whisked into a hot or warm liquid, the butter melts, releasing the flour particles without creating lumps)

Stir together the remaining 2 T. room temperature butter and flour to make a beurre manié.
Stir the beurre manié into the soup and continue stirring as the soup thickens slightly. Stir the milk into the soup and remove the pan from the heat. If you prefer a thinner soup, you can add more milk. I like to use whole milk for a richer soup.


 Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
 You can, of course, strain the soup if you don't like the tomato seeds in there. It wasn't a big deal to me, and straining would take a while. Plus I really liked the consistency of the soup, which would smooth out more upon straining. Removing the skins before puréeing the soup takes away the biggest reason to strain, but use your own judgment.
 Also, one or two tablespoons of chipotle purée would be a great addition if you're not serving it to spicy-sensitive kids.

Mashed Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. 
2. Allow potatoes to cool enough to peel the skin off with your hands.
3. After peeling, put the sweet potatoes in a bowl, add butter and season with the salt and pepper.
4. Mash with potato masher
5. Serve

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

• Calories 214
• Calories From Fat 50%
• Fat 12g
• Sat Fat 7g
• Cholesterol 31mg
• Sodium 230mg
• Carbohydrate 26g
• Fiber 4g
• Sugar 5g
• Protein 2g

Kale Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 14 oz), ribs removed and leaves sliced into 1/4-inch shreds
• 1/2 cup finely grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus shavings for garnish
• 2 Tbsp whole wheat breadcrumbs, toasted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper flakes. Add kale and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes.
2. Add grated cheese and breadcrumbs and toss.
3. Garnish with shaved cheese before serving. Cover and refrigerate leftovers up to two days.