Roasted Tomato Basil Soup with Quinoa

2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
1/4 c quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup basil
Small pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400. Wash tomatoes and chop in half. Toss in a small bowl with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 15-25 minutes. Set aside. Heat 1 T of olive oil in a dutch oven (or other non-reactive pot). Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic and saute a few seconds until aromatic. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes and 1/2 cup stock or water to blender (or use immersion blender) and blend well. Return to pot, add the rest of the stock or water and bring to a simmer. Add quinoa, basil and red pepper flakes, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until quinoa open up. Season with salt and pepper.

I'm not a big fan of pureed soups unless it's as a side with bread or a sandwich. Adding quinoa to this soup gives it a nice texture. It turned out so delicious. I adapted it from here.

Cashew Chicken

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed
small red and green bell peppers, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted cashews, toasted or boiled
2 T cooking sherry or wine
1 T white wine vinegar
2 t cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 T soy sauce/tamari
1 t rice vinegar
2 T honey
1 T vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
1 t roasted red chili paste
1 t chili powder
red chili flakes to taste
cooked rice, brown or white

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with 1 t oil, chili powder, 1 T soy sauce, 1 T honey. Marinate in fridge for at least a half hour.

In a small bowl, mix broth, soy sauce, vinegar, 1 T honey, roasted red pepper paste, red pepper flakes and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 T oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and work in batches if necessary. Add more oil if needed and cook the vegetables until crisp-tender. Add chicken back in and whisk in sauce. Cook until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

This is my take on take-out cashew chicken. I've adapted it from a few recipes. Its pretty good. What can I say? It's cashew chicken! Yum! Add more red pepper flakes or even cayanne if you want more heat.