Zesty Chicken Soup

I am continuing on my mission to make a soup every week of this winter. This week I choose this chicken soup, full of veggies and a nice kick from the diced green chilies. My husband and I really enjoyed it.

Adapted from Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cooker & Soups, Zesty Chicken Soup

Yields 3 3/4 quarts

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp oil
1 can Rotel or other Mexican style diced tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup medium salsa
3 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 can white corn
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
Shredded cheddar cheese

Place chicken in a soup pot, add water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove chicken; cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Return to cooking liquid.

In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery and garlic in oil until tender; add to the soup pot. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, zucchini, carrots, corn, chilies, cumin, chili powder and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Top soup with grated cheddar and serve.

Lentil Soup

With all the cold weather in the last month soups have been on my menu every week. This lentil soup is a warm and filling.

Lentils are not something I thought I would like. They don't exactly look appealing and in the past I never liked bean soups. Once I tried this recipe I discovered I really like lentils. It is easy to make, budget friendly and can be made in under an hour.

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis Lentil Soup

Serves 6

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
freshly ground salt and pepper
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pound dried lentils
11 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 fresh thyme sprigs
2/3 cup dried elbow pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Add garlic, salt and pepper and saute until all veggies are tender, about 5 - 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in pasta. Simmer until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Spoon into bowls and top with grated Parmesan to serve.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I am a big fan of the South Beach Diet way of eating. I know simple carbs are my weakness and am always on the look out for dishes that really satisfy me without the carbs. In recent years I have seen different versions of lettuce wraps on more and more menus. PF Chang's are my personal favorite and this recipe is based theirs. It appears on the menu as an appetizer but my husband and I really enjoy this a meal.

Adapted from P.F. Chang's Soothing Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2 dinner portions

1 head iceberg lettuce
8 fresh mushrooms, minced
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp rice wine
2 tsp water
salt and pepper
1.5 pounds ground chicken
5 Tbsp oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
2 small dried chilies
1 (8oz) can bamboo shoots, minced
1 (8oz) can water chestnuts, minced
1/4 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

Cooking Sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Mix all ingredients for cooking sauce in a bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, rice wine, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to coat thoroughly. Stir in 1 tsp oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinade.

Heat wok over medium high heat. Add 3 Tbsp oil, then add marinated chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes remove from pan and set aside. Add 2 Tbsp oil to pan. Add ginger, garlic, chilies and onion; stir fry about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry additional 2 minutes.

Return chicken to wok. Add mixed cooking sauce and peanuts. Cook until thickened and hot.

Spoon into lettuce leaf and roll.

Crostata with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Goat Cheese

Many months ago I remember seeing a recipe for a crostata that Giada De Laurentiis made and thinking that that would be a fun appetizer to try to make. There is only one problem; pie crusts are my greatest cooking disaster to date! For Christmas Eve this year I was in charge of bringing an appetizer and I wanted to make something new for my husband's family. I went back to the crostata recipe and decided to cut a corner by using store bought pie crust. To make up for the lack of orginality I really changed up the ingredients to include creamy goat cheese as well as Jarlsberg Swiss. Since our Italian families do not eat meat on Christmas Eve I also omitted the pancetta. My remake of this recipe came out great and can't wait to make it again.

Inspired by Crostata with Mushrooms and Pancetta by Giada De Laurentiis

Makes 2 crostatas

Package of 2 Pillsbury refridgerated pie crusts
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 large sweet onions sliced
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 large shallot minced
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup grated Jarlsberg Swiss cheese
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet saute onions until carmelized over medium heat. Add a sprinkle of sugar if needed. Remove onions from pan, set aside. Add sliced mushrooms, shallots and rosemary cook until mushrooms are tender. In a large bowl toss carmelized onions, mushroom mixture, goat cheese and black pepper until blended. Roll out each pie crust and sprinkle half of veggie mixture on the center of each crust leaving a 2 inch border. Sprinkle each veggie mixture with the grated Swiss. Fold the border up and over the veggies forming a crust. Transfer each to a baking stone and bake for about 30 minutes until crust is golden. Slice and serve warm.

Corn Souffle'

With only 2 days left to Christmas I am really feeling the crunch. We have returned from Mexico and are gearing up for our next trip! All the sudden I realized I haven't posted anything recently. My apologies and here is an easy side dish that even the picky, non-veggie eaters will like, Corn Souffle'.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!

Courtesy of Aunt Phyl

1 can whole corn
1 can creamed corn
8 oz sour cream
1 stick margarine
2 eggs
1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Place in a greased souffle' dish. Bake 1 hour in a 350 degree oven.

Appetizer Sage and Bacon Meatballs

One of my husband's famous lines is " What's for snack?" He loves finger foods, especially mini versions of anything. When selecting my Thanksgiving appetizers it seemed only fair to let him pick one recipe out for me to make. Of course mini meatballs with bacon were his request.

Adapted from Better Home and Gardens Appetizers 2009 magazine

Makes 9 servings

12 slices bacon
1 egg, beaten
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup ground toasted pecans
3 tbsp snipped fresh sage
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh sage leaves
9 four inch skewers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, cook four slices of bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels. Finely chop the crisp bacon; set aside. Cook remaining bacon for 4-5 minutes until just beginning to brown, turning once. Drain. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

In a large bowl, combine egg, 2 tablespoons of the whipping cream, 1/2 cup of the red onion, the pecans, 2 tablespoons of the fresh sage, the salt, and the pepper. Add pork and 3/4 of the finely chopped bacon; mix well.

Shape into 18 meatballs. Place meatballs in a single layer on a large baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until done. Cool 15 minutes.

Thread 2 meatballs and once slice of the partially cooked bacon onto a skewer, weaving bacon around meatballs. Repeat with remaining meatballs and bacon slices. Place on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from flame for 4 to 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp, turning once.

For dipping sauce: Cook the remaining 1/4 cup red onion and the garlic in the reserved bacon drippings until tender. Stir in the remaining whipping cream and the remaining snipped sage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the remaining finely chopped bacon.

Arrange meatball kabobs on a platter, garnish with sage leaves and serve with sauce.

Goat Cheese, Fig & Prosciutto Bruschetta

Goat cheese has become my new favorite ingredient. I see a recipe with it and I have to try it. This recipe originally called for ricotta cheese but I new the goat cheese would be better, and I was right. I was lucky enough to have a jar of homemade fig jam from my Aunt Sandy. This appetizer did not last on Thanksgiving and I will be making it again for sure.

Adapted from William-Sonoma Food Made Fast Small Plates

Makes 24 pieces

1 small baguette cut into 24 thin slices (I used an everything loaf)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup fig jam
8 oz goat cheese, divided into 24 pieces
6 thin slices prosciutto, each cut into 4 pieces
Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Bake until golden, 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

To assemble the bruschetta; spread each slice with a generous teaspoon of the fig jam. Top with a piece of goat cheese and a piece of prosciutto. Season with pepper and serve.