Oven Dried Tomatoes

Whenever you’re not happy with some decisions you make, the easiest thing to do is blame it on your parents. Time and time again, I have boldly stated my love and commitment to cooking seasonal, local foods. So you may ask yourself…why I am sharing an oven-dried tomato recipe at the end of April when I live in NYC.

I’m blaming this one on my parents. 😉

I recently came home to Chicago for a visit and wanted to make dinner one night. As I searched through our refrigerator I came across a pack of tomatoes in the refrigerators. My Mom suggested of using them in my dinner. I, of course, shot her the look of disappointment, “tomatoes in April…really?” Nevertheless, they were available so I set out to use them.

The only way to eat to tomatoes out-of-season is to cook them to allow the natural sugars of the tomatoes to awaken, so they don’t taste like bland, acidic, rocks.

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Makes 4 Servings

1 serving = 1 Point Plus

• 1# tomatoes cut into medium pieces
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 garlic clove sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Combine the tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Lay your tomatoes onto the baking sheet making sure there is enough room between each piece of tomatoes.

Allow to slowly cook in the oven for 2 hours. Tomatoes should be caramelized on the outside but still soft and moist on the inside.

I realize that it is extremely difficult to constantly be focused on seasonal ingredients, especially when you in cooler climate places (like NYC, Chicago, or even North Dakota). The most important thing is to buy seasonal and local when you can. It’s not realistic to think people can do it 100% of the time, no one is perfect, but if you can do it once or twice a week it’s a great start for the environment and for your local economy. Even I buy things out-of-season, but for now I’m still blaming this one on my parents.

Cheap White Bean and Ham Soup

This will be one of the cheapest and most flavorful things you will ever make. I was actually shocked when I calculated the cost per serving of this soup. But beyond, the cost the soup is definitely delicious, filling, nutritious, and the perfect thing to keep in your freezer for those days when you don’t feel like cooking anything.

White Bean and Ham Soup

Makes 14 servings

1 serving = 1 cup = 5 Points Plus

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1# dry great northern beans, picked through and rinsed
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 8-10 cups of water
• 2 ham hocks
• 14 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped

Spray your dutch oven or large stockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Sweat your onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until soft and tender (at least 13-17 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.

Add in your dried beans, ham hocks, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Stir to combine and cover with at least 8 cups of water. Bring up to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer and cover with a lid.

While the soup simmers, check the consistency and water level every 20 minutes or so. Adjust accordingly and keep stirring occasionally to make sure there is nothing sticking to the bottom of the pot.

After an hour or so added your crushed tomatoes and kale. (You might have to add the kale in batches depending on how large your pot is.)

Cook for another hour.

After 2 hours or so the ham hocks should be tender. Remove from the pot and let them cool for at least 20 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle remove all the meat from the bones (this will yield a small amount of meat, around 2-3 ounces).

Put the pulled ham meat back into the pot and continue to simmer until the beans are tender and the right consistency has been achieved. (You might have to add up to 2 extra cups of water throughout the cooking process depending on how water is absorbed into the beans or is evaporated. You can make the soup as thick or thin as you want.) Enjoy a bowl now and freeze the rest for later!

Here’s the cost breakdown:

• Onion                                                                        $0.99
• Carrot                                                                         $0.75
• Celery                                                                        $0.50
• Garlic                                                                        $0.25
• Beans                                                                        $1.80
• Bay leaves                                                            $0.40
• Thyme sprigs                                                            $0.25
• Water                                                                        FREE
• Ham Hocks                                                            $3.23
• Canned Tomatoes                                                $1.50
• Kale                                                                         $1.79
• TOTAL                                                                        $11.46
• Divide by 14 servings                                    $0.82 per serving