Quick Dinners: Soup and Sandwich Night

Making dinner is a little difficult with a three month old who just wants her mommy to play with her and a three month old who just wants to eat. As much as I love to try new recipes and experiment in the kitchen I've been steering our weekly meals towards meals that require simple ingredients (as in ones I won't forget to pick up at the grocery store...who has time to search for obscure ingredients when you have two kids in tow?!) and short prep-time or steps that aren't time sensitive (as in its not going to burn while I nurse or play "grocery store/business/library check out girl." I've found that soup is the perfect solution to this dilemma. It requires a few steps: chop, simmer, serve, that can be punctuated by periods of neglect without ruining the soup. Unfortunately my husband does not consider soup a "food" much less a "meal." So soup really isn't the main dish, pastrami paninis are. Once a week we have "Soup and Sandwich Night" and everyone has come to love it! Here's how we do it Canney-Style:

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Sandwiches:

We make hot paninis with our waffle maker. I know. A little unconventional, but it works just as well as a panini press or sandwich maker and doesn't require that we purchase a space-hogging appliance.

The BREAD: We use Ezekiel Bread, which is a sprouted grain bread that is hearty, nutty and delicious, especially when toasted. We've been eating it for so long that now when my husband tastes whole wheat bread he said is seems to him like Wonder Bread.

The SPREAD: I spread the exterior with coconut oil and then layer the inside with any combination of pesto, dijon mustard, goat cheese, provolone, swiss, pastrami, turkey breast, bacon and anything else that looks good.

A few minutes in the waffle maker and they come out crispy and warm, cheese oozing out the side. Yum!

Soup:

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My go to is a Homemade Tomato Basil and I recently experimented this week with a Curried Pumpkin Coconut soup, which wound up being delicious!

Homemade Tomato Basil:

1-2 carrots

1 sweet onion

2 large cloves garlic

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

salt and pepper

heavy cream

fresh basil

1. Roughly chop carrots, onion and garlic and saute in olive oil until onions and garlic are soft and slightly browned.

2. Add can of tomatoes and chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. With an immersion blender of food processor puree the soup to the desired consistency. (Return to the stove on low heat if using a food processor)

4. Add 4-6 oz of heavy cream (I like using heavy cream because it gives the otherwise fat free soup added fat to help keep us all full longer. Plus it just tastes better). Take soup of the stove. Roughly chop the basil and stir into soup.

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Curried Pumpkin and Coconut Milk Soup

1 large carrot

1 sweet onion

2 large cloves garlic

1 large sweet potato

1.5 to 2 cups chicken stock

1 tbs hot madras curry powder

fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tsp ginger

salt and pepper

1 can pumpkin

1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk or cream

pinch of cinnamon

1.  Roughly chop carrots, onion, sweet potato and garlic, and saute in coconut oil until onions and garlic are soft and slightly browned.

2. Add chicken stock and spices: curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, ginger salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer until sweet potatoes and carrots are soft. 10-15 minutes.

3. Remove bay leaves and any stems from the thyme. Use an immersion blender of food processor to puree the soup to the desired consistency. (Return to the stove on low heat if using a food processor).

4. Stir in canned pumpkin and coconut milk until thoroughly combined add a pinch of cinnamon (just a pinch, a little cinnamon goes a long way).

What are your weekly "go-to" quick and easy dinners?

--Sarah