Minestrone Soup

Although the weather has been really mild here in the Northeast, Winter is soup season. So I thought I would kick off the Winter with a recipe I found in this months Better Homes and Gardens magazine. The recipe is by Ellie Krieger. She focuses on healthier recipes which I love and am trying to stick with for 2012. This recipe was really easy and came out delicious! I made my own chicken stock from a rotisserie chicken last week so I used that instead of the store bought stuff which is totally fine too. My only modification to this recipe was that I needed to add 1 teaspoon more of salt once all the veggies and broth were added along with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Otherwise, this recipe was delicious as is. I made a fresh loaf of french bread to go along with it for dunking. Enjoy!

Also one tip of advise, chop all of your veggies before you start cooking. You will need to add your veggies quickly so avoid burning what is on the pot and prep before.

Minestrone Soup

Recipe by Ellie Krieger in BHG.com

Serves 8

Ingredients:

large onion, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, diced (1/2 cup)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt (I used 2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth (48 ounces)

1- 28 ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes

1- 45 ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1- 15 ounce can low-sodium cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup whole grain elbow pasta

1/3 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon sugar (I used this once soup had simmer for 10 minutes)

Directions:

Prep your veggies before you turn the oven on.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat cook and stir onion in hot oil for 4 minutes or until translucent.

Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds.

Add celery and carrot. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add zucchini, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

I made my own chicken broth the week before so I used this. However if you don't have any onhand, store bought works too.

Add the broth and the diced and crushed tomatoes. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Taste your soup now. I added 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Add the beans and pasta. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until pasta and vegetables are tender. Top servings with cheese and parsley.

Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken stock.

Enjoy!

Cherry-Wheat Germ Muffins

Happy New Year! So with every new year comes new resolutions. This year, one of my many resolutions, is to lose weight. I would love to lose 20 pounds but I will start of with 10. However I don't want to radically change my eating habits--just cut out the stuff that is bad for me. I have been hearing a lot about detox diets which sound great but I don't want to give up food for a liquid diet. So instead I am going for an all natural diet. Eating lots of fruits and veggies and eating smaller portions. When I found this recipe in my binder I thought it would be perfect for a snack this week. It will make my sweet tooth happy yet is healthier than a vending machine snack or an oversized muffin I would buy with my coffee every morning.

I was completly surprised how delicious these muffins came out considering they have no butter at all! Also, Cooking Light magazine has it listed under the recipe that each muffin is only 202 calories. That is a perfect amount of calories for a mid-morning snack. Enjoy!

Cherry-Wheat Germ Muffins
Recipe by Cooking Light magazine
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Optional: 1 tablespoons sugar in the raw (I sprinkled just a little of this on top of the batter before baking for a little sweetness)
Cooking spray

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through allspice) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups, and coat liners with cooking spray. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. I sprinkled a little raw sugar on the top of each muffin before baking. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Ready to go in the oven.

Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Then enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I made Chicken Tikka Masala for the first time, last year with a recipe I found in a magazine. The hubby started mentioning the dish recently so I decided to surprise him last night for dinner by making it. The big bummer was that I couldn't find that recipe. I swear my recipe binder is getting too big! So I did an internet search for Chicken Tikka Masala and found this one. It worked out great because I didn't have any garam masala--an ingredient that is often used in this type of recipe--but this recipe didn't call for it. I thought I still had some from the last time I made this dish but I didn't and couldn't find it after searching 2 grocery stores. This recipe was definitely delicious but I think that the garam masala is needed for that authentic flavor.

I made just a couple of modifications, I had 8 chicken thighs I wanted to use up so I substituted the chicken breast with them. Also, I didn't add the jalapeno as I knew it would already have a kick with all the spices. This was a great recipe and the naan I made along with it was a nice way to soak up the spicy sauce. Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala
Recipe posted by Yakuta on AllRecipes.com
Serves 4

Ingredients for marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used 8 chicken thighs instead)
4 long skewers (I didn't use these)

Ingredients for sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (I didn't use this)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions: In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour (I marinated for 3 hours).

Preheat a grill for high heat  (I cooked my thighs in a nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter. It was way too cold to grill these outside). Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice

This recipe looked great so I decided to give it a shot and it came out delicious. Although the recipe called for cooking this dish in a wok, I used a regular non-stick skillet and it worked great. It was super easy and very flavorful. Also, I used flank steak instead of skirt steak and it was wonderful. This is definitely a keeper. Enjoy!

Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice
Recipe by Rachel Ray magazine
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Grated peel of 1 orange and juice of 2 oranges
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 pound skirt steak, thinly sliced on the diagonal and slices halved crosswise
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
1 bunch scallions, white parts thinly sliced and green parts cut into 1-inch-long pieces
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
Salt (I used 1 teaspoon along with 1/2 teaspoon of fresh pepper)

Directions: Place the orange peel and juice in a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the soy sauce and vinegar. Add the steak and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan, bring the rice and 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Cover; simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Using tongs, transfer the meat from the marinade to the wok and cook, turning once, for 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and the scallions to the wok and cook over medium heat, stirring, until wilted, 2 minutes. Transfer to the beef. Pour the marinade into the wok and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and reduce by half. Whisk in the sugar and return the steak and scallions to the wok; turn to coat.

Stir the cilantro into the rice; season with salt. Mound some rice and beef onto each plate.

French Bread and Slow-Cooker Pear and Apple Butter

I have a new passion for making bread. I don't know if it's the smell of fresh bread or the feeling of working with dough and patiently watching it turn into something so delicious. I just love it. I bought myself a french bread pan last year from Williams-Sonoma and it is so wonderful for making french bread. There was a recipe on the belly band of the pan that is super easy and always comes out wonderful. I have made at least 30 loaves of this recipe since purchasing this pan. This year for the holiday, I decided to also make mini loaves. The recipe below makes 2 large loaves but I wanted to give these out as gifts with this slow-cooker pear apple butter recipe I found--recipe below. So I made the recipe for the french bread as usual but instead of shaping two large loaves, made 4 mini loaves. These are so wonderful and I hope my friends enjoy it as much as did making them!

French Bread
Makes 2 large loaves
Recipe by Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
2 cups water (warm 110 F or 43 C)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 -5 1/2 cups flour (plus additional flour for dusting) (I only use 5 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten with a pinch of salt

Directions: In a small bowl, combine the warm water and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the yeast and stir gently to mix. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 4 cups of the flour and the salt. Beat on low speed just until combined. Slowly add the yeast mixture and beat just until incorporated about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium low to medium and beat for 10 minutes adding more flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, (I only needed to use 1 cup) until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Form into a ball and dust lightly with flour. Sprinkle a little flour into a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. 45-60 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough and knead for a few seconds. Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl again. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. 20- 30 minutes.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and punch down. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Let rest 5 minutes.

Line a french bread pan with a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with a little flour. Roll each ball into a log with tapered ends, about the length of the pan, and place on the towel in the pan. Cover with the overhanging edges of the towel and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Position an oven rack in the lowest position of the oven, and place a baking pan 1/3 full of boiling water on the rack. Preheat oven to 425 F (220C). Gently lift the towel holding the loaves off of the pan, taking care not to let the loaves touch each other and set on a work surface. Spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray and using the towel as a guide gently flip each loaf into a well in the pan. Brush off excess flour. Using a sharp knife, make 3-5 diagonal slashes in the loaves about 1/4 inch deep (6mm). Brush with the beaten egg white mixture. Bake on center rack until the bread sounds hollow when tapped, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the loaves in the pan until room temperature.

These are the 4 mini loaves.

Slow-Cooker Pear and Apple Butter
Makes 6 cups
Recipe by Everyday Food


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds Bartlett or Anjou pears (about 5)
2 1/2 pounds McIntosh or Gala apples (about 5)
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cinnamon stick

Directions: Peel, quarter, and core pears and apples. In a food processor, finely grate fruit (in batches if necessary), then transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in dark-brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.

Remove cinnamon stick and reserve. Transfer mixture to processor (in batches if necessary) and process until smooth. Return to slow cooker, along with cinnamon stick, and cook on high, uncovered, until mixture is thick and browned, 4 hours. Discard cinnamon stick and let mixture cool. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate, up to 3 weeks, or freeze, up to 3 months.

Butternut Squash Soup

I love making soups in the Winter. So when I came across this butternut squash soup recipe, I had to give it a shot. It worked out great because I had all the ingredients at home already and just needed to buy the butternut squash. This soup came out nice and thick without having to use any heavy cream. This is was a super easy and delicious recipe. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, (I put this in my blender once it cooled) blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.

White Bean and Hominy Chili

I love chili so when I saw this unique recipe, I had to try it. I never heard of a chili with hominy in it. My family is from Ecuador and hominy is commonly known as mote there. We boil it and serve it as a side dish with a tomato and onion salad. We also buy the dried version which comes in clear bags. We then fry it and it crunches up and we eat it with ceviche. It is called tostado when we fry it. So this recipe called for the canned version which you can find in the international isle of most supermarkets. This chili tasted like a Mexican style chili with the hominy, cilantro and lime. I didn't go out and buy the Mexican chipotle sausage for this recipe. I substituted this with Italian sausage which I took the casing off of and cooked in a cup of water until the sausage was completely cooked. I served the chili with toasted chips on the side and a scoop of sour cream. This is definitely a keeper. Enjoy!

White Bean and Hominy Chili
Recipe from Cooking Light magazine
Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (4-ounce) meatless Mexican chipotle sausage (such as Field Roast), finely chopped (I used Italian Sausage, casing removed)
1 1/2 cups chopped white onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 poblano chiles, seeded and chopped (I did not use these)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 lime wedges
Sour cream (I topped the chili with a scoop)

Directions:
1. Mash 2/3 cup beans with a fork.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage, and sauté for 4 minutes. (I used Italian sausage, casing removed. I placed sausage in the dutch oven with a cup of water and let it get browned and cooked through). Add onion, garlic, and poblanos; sauté 6 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add mashed beans, whole beans, 1 1/2 cups water, and the next 4 ingredients (through hominy). Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in green onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and a scoop of sour cream.