Tortellini Winter Soup

Found the base for this recipe on Pinterest, but I made enough revisions that I elected to repost it as my own recipe. Ryan gave this soup two enthusiastic thumbs up! 

It mixes the winter-ness of soup with a couple of veggies and cheese filled pasta - Yum!

Ingredients: 

1 package refrigerated tortellini (any variety, I used cheese filled)

1 package of mild Italian sausage (I used chicken sausage to keep the fat content low), casings removed

1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup of fresh spinach, chopped
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
4 cups low sodium fat free chicken broth
1 can 2% evaporated milk
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried chives
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage and crumble into small pieces. Remove from heat. 
2. Saute onion in same pan with drippings from the sausage until soft and golden. Remove from heat. 
3. Combine chicken, onion, chicken broth, evaporated milk, parsley, oregano, chives, and red pepper flakes in a soup pot or medium sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While the soup is simmering, add chopped spinach to a non-stick skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, remove from heat when all spinach is mildly wilted but still remains green in color. 
5. Add tortellini to soup and cook according to package (my instructions were about 7-9 minutes more). With a few minutes remaining, add in 1/2 can of drained tomatoes stirring well (add up to one can to your taste). Remove from heat, add spinach and serve immediately. Top with Parmesan cheese.

I served this soup with multigrain french bread topped with a small amount of butter and Parmesan cheese that I toasted in the oven @ 350 degrees for 5 minutes. 

So good! Trust me! Make it tonight!

Happy Cooking!

Pecan-Encrusted Chicken w/ Pesto (or Tapenade)

This was one of those rare recipes I found and made that actually turned out to be pretty yummy! I like that it doesn't use a million ingredients, and has just a few simple steps. This recipe comes from the book Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD.

Ingredients:

2 four oz chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 large egg
1/4 cup coconut milk or dairy milk (I used coconut milk.)
1/2 cup ground pecans (I accidentally bought walnuts instead, and it was still yummy!)
3 tbsp grated Parmesan
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons pesto, tapenade, or caponata (I used pesto.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 30 minutes.

2. Lightly beat the egg with a fork in a shallow bowl. Beat in the milk.

3. Stire together the ground pecans, Parmesan, onion powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.

4. Roll the chicken in the egg, then in the pecan mixture. Place on a microwaveable plate and microwave on high power for 2 minutes.

5. Top with pesto, tapenade, or caponata.

White Chicken Chili - my latest obsession!

On the opposite side from Whitney's Bison chili, has to be my winter warmer White Chicken chili. Just talking about the toppings makes my mouth water! The recipe has a lot of chopping, but it is well worth it!

Ingredients:

• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans white beans
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 medium poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 limes, juiced, plus lime wedges, for serving
• 1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Sour cream, for topping
• Tortilla chips, coarsely crushed, for topping

Rinse, drain and mash the two cans of beans and set aside. 

Heat a dutch oven on the stovetop over med-high heat and add the oil. Combine the peppers, onion and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant, then season with salt and pepper. Add the cumin, coriander and chili powder (you can use regular if you don't have ancho), and saute 1 more minute to toast the spices. 

Add the chicken broth/stock, and juice from the limes. I also zested the limes last time, but (as Tyler knows) we love a lot of lime flavor. Bring this all to a simmer and then add the beans. Let this simmer/reduce for about 20 minutes (until about 2/3 of broth is reduced), then add the shredded chicken. Make sure to eat some of the delicious chicken while you are shredding it. We don't always add cilantro, but if you do, now's the time. Warm it through so the chicken is heated up and then serve!

I always serve with sour cream and the LIME flavored Tostito's brand chips---soo good! 

It also makes for great leftovers!  ENJOY!

Dad's Famous Fudge

Every year at Christmas time, my dad and I would make several batches of his famous fudge recipe to share with friends and family. I always insisted on one batch without nuts, and he liked one batch with walnuts. We'd pour the fudge into pans and set them outside on our screened-in porch to chill. At my house, it doesn't feel like Christmas until I've made this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/8 cups brown sugar
13 oz evaporated milk
32 large marshmallows
3 oz milk chocolate
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 tbsp vanilla
*optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil. Lightly butter the foil. Set aside.

2. Combine butter, sugars, and milk in large sauce pan over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Stir frequently and bring to a boil. Cover, boil 5 minutes without stirring.

3. Remove from heat. Add marshmallows; stir until dissolved. Add chocolate one variety at a time, stirring until melted. Add vanilla. If including walnuts, add now.

4. Pour into prepared 9x13 baking dish. Chill before cutting (about 2 hours in the refrigerator).

Bison Chili

Michael and I found this chili recipe when we were doing the Primal Blueprint diet, and it became a favorite. If you're looking for a low-carb meal, this is a good option. It saves and reheats well. Bonus: bison meat is lower in calories and higher in protein than beef.

Ingredients:
2-3 slices of uncooked bacon, chopped (or 24 oz finely chopped pancetta)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lb ground bison
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 - 2 cups water or beef broth (I use equal parts of each.)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with liquid (28 oz can may be used, depending on how liquidy you like your chili) or 3-4 medium size tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 peeled carrots, chopped

Optional garnishes: finely chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, grated cheese, sour cream, or creme fraiche

Instructions:
1. In large sauce pan (at least 4 quart sized)or Dutch oven, over medium-low heat, cook bacon or pancetta a few minutes until slightly brown and some fat is rendered out.

2. Add onions to the pan and stir into bacon. When the onions are semi-translucent add garlic and stir. Cook a a few minutes longer.

3. Add ground meat to pan and cook over medium-low heat until brown (cooked) throughout and no pink remains. If fat seems insufficient add some lard or olive oil to keep the meat from sticking to the pan and drying out.

4. Add spices, water or broth, tomatoes, and carrots and stir well to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to prevent sticking.

5. Add vinegar and cocoa powder and stir well, adding additional water if necessary, then simmer uncovered another 20 minutes. Taset and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

This recipe came from the Primal Blueprint Cookbook by Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier.

Quick Chicken Marsala

This recipe is quick and reliable. You can whip it up on a week night in 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken cutlets
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
8 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup marsala wine (can substitute a 1/2 cup mixture of 3 parts chicken broth to 1 part balsamic vinegar)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Italian seasonings (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary - whatever you like), to taste

1. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasonings. Coat each piece of chicken in the flour mixture.

2. Add butter and olive oil to large sauce pan, over medium heat. Once butter has melted add chicken to the pan. Cook until lightly browned on one side.

3. Turn chicken. Add mushrooms around the chicken. Add marsala wine (or chicken broth/ balsamic combo). Cover and cook another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

I usually serve this over egg noodles, with a green vegetable like steamed broccoli. But mashed potatoes could be good too!

Serves 3-4 people.

Carrot-Ginger Suop

I came across this recipe while looking for a weeknight soup that calls for ingredients I usually have on hand.  This soup is delicious when prepared  as below, but it's even better with apple juice substituted for 1/2 the vegetable stock.  And butternut squash can be used in place of carrots, adding a pinch of brown sugar.

This recipe pairs well with a grilled Gruyere cheese sandwich.

Simple Carrot Ginger Soup
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/3 cup peeled and finely chopped ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
Pinch curry powder (optional)
Salt & ground pepper
Optional Garnishes: plain yogurt or sour cream, chives or parsley

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and garlic; saute for 5-10 minutes. Add the stock and carrots. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender or food processor. Season with curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. This soup may be served immediately, keeps in the refrigerator for at least 3 days and freezes well.