Can you believe it's Christmas week? WOW!!! It totally crept up on me, and to be honest, I don't know how it is truly Christmas week. But let's embrace it and
eat lots of yummy food!!
Monday: Mr. Smith is going to see
Avatar with a friend, so probably Movie Popcorn for dinner. (So healthy I know.) Meanwhile, I'm having dinner with a friend as well, but somewhere that serves real food. :)
Tuesday: Spaghetti! No recipe here. We are using Trader Joe's Low-Fat Marinara and organic diced tomatoes... then we add spices as we like. Lots of basil, and we have a penchant for crushed red pepper that sometimes verges on going overboard. We are using Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti noodles this time. Salad here too.
Wednesday: Leftover spaghetti. Yum!
Thursday: Christmas Eve dinner with family.
Friday: Christmas Day dinner with family.
Saturday: Tomato Soup and Gruyere with Caramelized Onion Paninis. The soup is a Giada recipe, discovered and first shared by
Vineyard Vogue. The paninis are from
PaniniHappy.com.
Sunday: My parents will be in town, so we'll probably go out with them.
And here are the recipes. My notes for healthier substitutes are in
italics.
Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon & RosemaryGia*da's Kitchen, Gia*da DeLau*rentiisMakes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
(I'll use 1tbsp to cut back the fat.)1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup creme fraiche
(And here, FF Sour Cream to cut back a little fat but keep the consistency.)Zest of one lemon
Directions:
In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately.
Gruyère with Caramelized Onions Panini
Adapted from ‘wichcraft: Craft a sandwich into a meal–and a meal into a sandwich
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (We'll use 1/2 that.)
- 4 medium yellow onions, halved and cut lengthwise into 1/8″ slices
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried Sicilian oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
- 8 slices rye bread
DIRECTIONS:
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and onions and stir vigorously to avoid scorching. Add the oregano and season with salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the onions have a deep brown color. Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the onions are soft, 30 to 45 minutes. Set aside.*
Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat (375°F).
For each sandwich: Place 1/4 of the cheese on a slice of bread. Follow with a generous amount of onions. Close the sandwich and place on the panini grill. Grill for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the bread is toasted with golden grill marks. Serve immediately and enjoy!
* Either use the onions immediately to make the panini or refrigerate them for up to 1 week.