This recipe is sponsored by Know Diabetes by Heart, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.  The opinions and text are all mine. The end.

I love making soups especially around this time of the year not only because my family loves them but because most soup recipes tend to be simple, don’t require much preparation and they are very versatile. I have been wanting to try this tomato basil bisque soup for a while so today I am glad I got around to doing it. It turned out fabulous.

For my tomato basil soup version I was able to shorten the preparation time and steps require to make it, so I hope you get to try it. My family enjoyed it quite a lot. I kind of wish I doubled the batch to be honest.

I am collaborating with Know Diabetes by Heart a collaboration between the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association to bring to your recipe ideas. This tomato basil bisque not only is heart healthy but great for people living with diabetes. 

People living with type 2 diabetes are 2x more likely to develop and die from heart attacks, heart failure and strokes, than people who do not have diabetes.  But it doesn’t have to be that way, reduce your risk. 

It’s time to prioritize your health – do it for yourself and those who love you.

Time to cut your risk of heart disease and stroke and fight for the amazing life you’ve made for yourself.  To get started, visit Knowdiabetesbyheart.org/resources/recipes/, check out even more recipes and resources. Then talk to your doctor to learn how to lower your risk.

You’re ready to say, “Now I know, and now I’m changing my story.” It’s time to change your story and reduce your risk.

Visit Knowdiabetesbyheart.org/  for more information lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you are new to diabetes type 2, if you are managing your diabetes type 2 or helping someone with diabetes type 2, there is a lot of useful information.

You will be able to learn how to best prevent your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. Having the right information is always key.

You can begin your healthier you in the kitchen with heart healthy recipes great for people living with diabetes.

Enjoy!

tomato basil bisque

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 medium leeks (white part only), thinly sliced, or 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 2 small rib of celery, diced
• 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 lb tomatoes
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil
• 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

Directions:

In a large saucepan, over medium to high heat, heat oil and add stir leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add water to the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn heat off and add chopped basil and half and half. With an emersion blender, blend ingredients until desire consistency.

Serve warm or refrigerate in an airtight container until chilled.

Recipe source: KnowDiabetesbyHeart

The post tomato basil bisque appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I love nothing more than making grilled cheese sandwiches especially when I am in a hurry and I want something comforting and tasty. This caprese grilled cheese sandwich was just perfect for dinner tonight paired with some creamy soup. It is the perfect combination.

There is nothing better than gooey, melty, warm cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches are very versatile, I love the fact that you can make pretty much endless variations. I have done different types of grilled cheese sandwiches already but never tried a caprese version before today. I really don’t know what I was waiting for, especially given the fact at how much it is that I love tomato and basil together.

One of the most important components to getting perfect tasty grilled cheese sandwiches is to make them with the best quality ingredients. If you have been visiting my blog you probably noticed that I like to consume the best possible ingredients when making food. My kids love cheese and whenever they have tried a funky type they have noticed right away. Their palate is already refined enough to identity artificial ingredients when trying new foods.

Arla sliced cheese is available in four naturally delicious flavors including Havarti, Gouda, Fontina and Muenster. To browse their products and find out sale locations near you make sure you visit ArlaUSA.com

For this caprese grilled cheese sandwich I used Havarti cheese, which is perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. It has a buttery and gentle creamy taste, is semi-soft and has a mellow aroma that melts perfectly on a grilled cheese sandwich. I also used Fontina which is semi-soft with a slightly sharp edge that adds the perfect upgrade to an every day sandwich. You can use any of the other type of Arla sliced cheese if you like. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

Also, if you are like me and love basil, add more if you like. It gives the sandwiches a great flavor. As far as the bread is concerned, I used mutigrain bread but you can use any other hearty type of bread.

Well, I hope you like these caprese grilled cheese sandwiches. They are for sure the perfect comfort food for the family

Enjoy!

*Made with milk from cows not treated with rBST.  No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated cows.

caprese grilled cheese sandwich

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
• 2-4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp pesto sauce
• 4 oz Arla® sliced Fontina cheese
• 4 oz Arla® sliced Havarti cheese
• 12-15 basil leaves
• 8 slices whole grain bread

 

Directions:

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat.

Brush the outsides of each slice of bread with olive oil, then brush the other side with pesto. Layer sandwich with one slide of Havarti and Fontina cheese, followed by tomatoes and basil. Finish with a slice of bread. Place sandwiches in the prepared griddle until cheese is melty and each side is golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

The post caprese grilled cheese sandwich appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

If you are looking for a new simple pasta recipe look no further, the combo of the garlic, basil and tomatoes it is just heavenly. I actually took this salad with me to school and everyone kept asking how I made it it because it smell so good.

Because they are hardly any ingredients in this pasta salad I suggest you choose the best quality ingredients for it. I used extra virgin olive oil and not just olive oil. It makes a huge difference so make sure that you stick with the extra virgin olive oil.

The same goes for the parmesan cheese. Get the best quality cheese you can get and this Gemelli vegetarian pasta salad recipe will be top notch.

I am all about making simple, tasty healthy dishes over the summer just simply because I don’t have much time lately, it is too hot to cook or bake and I just really want to spend my extra time outdoors.

To obtain this vegetable pasta recipe make sure you visit my friends at Nuts.com Gemelli pasta is a new product from Nuts that I am really excited for you to try. Also, you will be able to shop and purchase any other healthy ingredients you may need for your cooking and baking such as nuts, dried fruits, grains, flours and much more here so make sure you browse around.

Enjoy!

This recipe is sponsored by Nuts.com The opinions and text are all mine. The end.

The post Gemelli vegetarian pasta salad appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have been making pretty good quick dinners for the past week or so. This roasted pepper, goat cheese and basil pasta being one of them.

I will be making this Roasted pepper, goat cheese and basil pasta recipe for time to come because it was really well liked. Not only because it was super simple and super easy to put together, which in my book, that is a huge plus, but it was really tasty and unique.

I think I might have gone over board with the basil. It may seem like a lot when you make this recipe but in my opinion I think it was perfect. My family didn’t complaint so I left the amount of it as is. You can decrease it if you like and instead of using 2 oz of fresh basil you can just use half.

On another note, Friday was a nightmare for me. Hackers got into the server from which I host my blog at I lost my last post. It took a few hours to get the blog up and running. At the time, I was freaking out because I didn’t know if I would loose all the recipes I have been entering for the past three years. It was a very stressful day to say the least.

There is something that I might have to do to protect my blog from hackers getting in it again. I really don’t want to have to worry about it anymore.

Anyhow, next week I am going to have to start my intense 4 months of studying. While I am looking forward to it, I am not looking forward to the fact that my schedule is going to be crazy as heck. I hope I don’t go crazy on the process :-)

I was suppose to post other pear goodie recipes I baked last week but I wanted to post this one first because we really enjoyed it. I think it is a great quick dinner alternative that will be liked by many…

Enjoy!

Here you can see the ingredients in the blender. Just pulse for 20-30 seconds or so. I used a lot of basil, 2 0z, but you can use less. I just love basil :-)

Roasted pepper, goat cheese and basil pasta

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 12 oz jar roasted peppers, drained
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 5 oz goat cheese
• 2 oz fresh basil
• 4 garlic cloves
• Pinch of Celtic salt
• 1 lb whole wheat penne
• 16 oz cherry tomatoes, chopped
• Pepper flakes, optional

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

In a blender, food processor or immersion blender place the first 5 ingredients.

Over medium to high heat, in a heavy skillet, place the chopped garlic with one tsp of olive oil and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute. Ad the garlic and salt to the blender and pulse for about 30 seconds. Don't blend for too long or the heavy cream will whip.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and saute for about 1 minute. Add the sauce, and pasta and combined until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle more Parmesan cheese and chopped basil and pepper flakes if using, and serve immediately.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings. Next time I will try to do a mixture of heavy cream, Greek yogurt and milk to decrease the amount of saturated fat in the recipe.

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I know I know, you must be wondering, basil on a popsicle? Well yes, the flavor of the basil is amazing on fruity popsicles. Just a small amount of it is all you need to get the hint of basil. The flavor combination is truly fantastic so I highly recommend you try these.

If you are still not convinced you can try it with mint, which I am sure it will also be very very good. Either herb will be excellent on these popsicles.

Summer is truly flying by. We didn’t get the hot weather until really the end of June and now, even though it is humid outside, it is raining on and off. We have had thunderstorms for at least a week straight and they are calling for another week of it. What a summer!

For these Pineapple, mango and basil popsicles you will need a popsicle mold and the wooden sticks. I did buy my popsicle mold a long time ago together with my ice cream maker. I have had them for ever and used numerous times, I just love them both. They are perfect to use in the summer.

Anyhow, let me know if you get to try these Pineapple, mango and basil popsicles. I think they have become one of my favorite popsicles.

Enjoy!

Pineapple, mango and basil popsicles

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12-14 popsicles

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large fresh pineapple or 28 oz canned pineapple
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 fresh mango
• 6-8 large fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until smooth.

Pour mixture to the rim of each popsicle hole in the popsicle mold and place a wooden stick on each.

The wooden stick will stay in place because the mixture is a bit thick. Freeze for at least 4 hours.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 12 popsicles

The post Pineapple, mango and basil popsicles appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

This is what I came up with after making the basil humus. I had some feta cheese, pesto and salmon cans in my pantry, plus other ingredients, so I though of making this combination and voila. Pretty good right? or at least we though so :-)

You can use any other type of humus and also tuna if you prefer. Any other type of cheese or just simply make your own combination. This was an easy fix, yet nutritious and delicious.

Enjoy!

Basil Humus and Pesto Salmon Sandwiches

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 whole wheat baguettes
2 cups basil humus
3 cans salmon
4 tablespoons pesto
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 eggs, boiled
Sriracha sauce, any other hot sauce will do
1 cup feta cheese

Directions:

In a bowl mix salmon, pesto, mayo and eggs. Cut the baguettes length wise and place some humus followed by the salmon mixture and cheese. Place some hot sauce on each slice if you desire and serve.

The post Basil Humus and Pesto Salmon Sandwiches appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.