Annie's Vegetable Beef Soup

I love a good soup in the wintertime for lunch or dinner.  This is one of my favorites that my mom has always made.  It has great flavor from all the spices and is easy to put together thanks to the use of frozen veggies.  The whole recipe takes less than 30 minutes of hands on time and makes a large  quantity for eating, freezing, or sharing!

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1/2 tsp. Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. Lantana (all purpose seasoning)
- 1/2 large green pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz. diced tomatoes with seasoning
- 14 oz. beef broth
- 72 oz.  V-8  juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 oz. frozen corn
- 8 oz. frozen butter beans
- 8 oz. frozen carrots, sliced
- 8 oz. frozen okra, sliced
- 8 oz. frozen  pearl onions
- 8 oz. frozen green beans, cut

DIRECTIONS:

Brown the meat with the spices.  Saute the chopped onion, celery, garlic, green pepper in a small amount of olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes.

Mix the meat and veggies together in a large pot and add all other ingredients.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.  Enjoy!

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Feta Rice

I just found a very easy, quintessential summer recipe from my lasting issue of Cooking Light.  It is so delicious and the whole family can enjoy it (assuming all of your family members can use a fork).  And it's healthy!

I just love Cooking Light magazine.  How do they come up with such inspiring healthy recipes month after month?  I don't know, but for the bargain price of something like $1 an issue, I will pay to find out.

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Grilled Lemon Chicken with Feta Rice

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1 cup rice)

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves $

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided $

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided $

2 teaspoons minced garlic

Cooking spray $

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 (8 1/2-ounce) pouches precooked brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's)

3 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 3/4 cup) $

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1. Combine chicken, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon oil, and garlic in a zip-top bag; turn to coat. Let stand 5 minutes.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade, and discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; grill 6 minutes on each side.

3. While chicken cooks, heat rice according to package directions. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add rice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, feta, and basil; toss. Serve rice with chicken.

I just used regular short grain rice that I had on hand and cooked it according to the package.  I can't wait to make this again soon and next time I am going to double it so I have leftover for lunches throughout the week.

Enjoy and happy blazing hot summer!

Easy 5-Ingredient Chicken Enchiladas

I am always looking for seriously easy and delicious recipes these days.  Particularly ones that I can make while Jack naps because cooking while he is awake is NOT an option.  I am in constant fear that a splatter of hotness will land on his cute little face and no amount of delicioso is worth that!

 

This recipe is so good and easy. 

 

The only thing I did differently was to add a little bit of sour cream to the filling because it looked like it needed a little more moisture.  And I used chicken breasts.

 

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East  5-Ingredient Chicken Enchiladas

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ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• One 7-ounce can mild fire roasted green chilies, drained and chopped
• 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
• One 28-ounce can green enchilada sauce
• Eight 8-inch flour tortilla (sometimes marked as soft taco size)
•  
• From your pantry:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch pan with non-stick spray.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken thighs and sear for 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and set aside on a plate.

Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the pan and stir up any browned bits. Pour in the enchilada sauce and bring to a low simmer. Add the chicken back to the pan along with any juices that may have accumulated on the plate.

Cover with a lid, turn to medium-low and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate and cool. Shred with two forks or roughly chop. Stir in chilies.

Add 1/3 cup filling to each tortilla and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in the prepared casserole dish.

Pour sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes, until sauce and cheese is bubbling.

Get Cooking: http://www.target.com/r/recipes/easy-5-ingredient-chicken-enchiladas-recipe#ixzz3XKTykApN

 

You can't beat a yummy, easy, Mexican meal any day.  Enjoy!

PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I forgot just how delicious PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps were until I got to eat at the restaurant again last week in Denver.  You see, we small town folk don't have all the big city restaurants like the super delicious chain PF Chang's.

I loved them so much I searched the World Wide Web for an at home recipe and I found this gem from damndelicious.net, that I dare say tastes even better than the real thing and is an absolute cinch to make.

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PF Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste
• 1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 head butter or iceburg lettuce

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.
• Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.

NOTES

Adapted from Eat. Drink. Love.

I used some Veri Veri Teriyaki as my topping sauce which was wonderful.

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Northshore Slaw

My mother in law gave me this recipe from her friend and it is SO GOOD!  It's easy to make, goes with basically any protein, and is pretty healthy aside from the sugar which you could probably omit.

Northshore  Slaw     

(double it for a crowd)

1 pkg. Broccoli slaw  mix   

4 Tbs. red onion or  scallions

3 Tbs. pine nuts

1 Tbs. sesame seeds

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1 c. coarsely chopped  pecans

1 pkg. chicken ramen  noodles

2-4 Tbs. sugar

1/2 c. oil (peanut)

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

4 cloves of garlic finely  chopped

1/2 tsp. sal t

1/2 tsp. pepper

 

Toast seeds, nuts and ramen noodles at  325 until lightly brown (10-15 min.)

Add broccoli slaw

 

Mix dressing--oil, sugar, opinions,  garlic, vinegar, pepper, salt and packet of chicken seasonings from  noodles. 

Mix in with slaw.

 

*You can add small florets of  broccoli, cauliflower and red bell peppers.

**Tastes better if it sits  overnight.

***Add a dash of sesame oil to dressing if you have it.

 

Enjoy!!  

Ode to the Spiralizer

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but it's because nothing has really inspired me lately...that is, until I got my Spiralizer!

I have been wanting one of these things for many years and I finally got one for Christmas.  Even though someone already discounted it as a trendy kitchen accessory that I will never use, I love it so.  I will definitely be using it a lot.

Easy, beautiful "Zoodles"

It's perfect for me because it is a great way to get vegetables into your meals without having to eat a meal that tastes too vegetabley, and you can basically make anything into a pasta-like meal with it.  I actually don't like pasta much at all but adore pasta sauces and all accompanying toppings, so I can get the good stuff I like without all of the calories of the pasta itself.

And it leaves this funny shaped thing behind in it's spiralizing wake.

This is what I made last night and it was wonderful.  It was also my first time using anchovy filets.  Exciting!

SHRIMP ZUCCHINI PASTA PUTANESCA

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This is what I want to make next.

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And thanks to this website I have endless inspiration.

http://www.inspiralized.com/

Also, I really want to be healthy with all of Spiralizer creations, but doesn't this just scream, "Make curly fries next!"

I think so.

Grilled salmon fillets with sun-dried tomatoes

I saw this recipe on the Today Show recently and even though I'm not a huge Salmon fan, Kathie Lee raved about it so much that I couldn't resist making it.  

And it was as delicious as she promised.

I'm definitely going to make this again and absolutely going to experiment more with baking sundried tomatoes like this.  It was almost like crispy little sun dried tomato bacon bits!

Grilled Salmon Fillets with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets with skin on (6 ounce portions)

3/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash original blend seasoning

Pam cooking spray for high temp cooking

Aluminum foil

Directions:

Remove salmon fillets from refrigerator and allow them to reach room temperature.

Make topping: In a small bowl, combine sun dried tomatoes and butter. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Preheat grill or cast iron griddle to medium heat. Brush fillets with grapeseed oil and season with Mrs. Dash seasoning.(I used a bruschetta seasoning I had on hand).

Generously spray cooking surface with cooking spray. Place fillets on the grill, skin side up. Grill side without skin for approximately 2-3 minutes, watching carefully not to burn.

Flip to skin down side and grill for 3-4 minutes. Cover with foil until skin is crispy.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place generous portion of sun dried tomato topping on top of fillets. Heat for another 6-7 minutes, until sun dried tomatoes begin to crisp.

Serve immediately.

Easy Chocolate Peppermint Loaf Cake Recipe

If you like minty things, and especially minty chocolate things, make this!

Easy Chocolate Peppermint Loaf Cake

It tastes like a fudgy Thin Mint and is totally easy.

I made some for my neighbors today.  Instead of making two large loaves I made 5 mini loaves.  That why I got to keep one for myself.  :)

One of them deflated in the middle for some reason, so I gave that one to my very understanding neighbor.  

Merry Christmastime.  'Tis the season for peppermint everything!

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ingredients

• For Cake:
• 1 box (16.5 ounces) devil's food cake mix
• 1 box (3.5 ounces) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• For Topping:
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons water
• 12 to 16 peppermint candies, chopped

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark or nonstick pans and 2-3 minute longer baking times). Grease and lightly flour mini loaf pans.

For Cake:

In a large bowl, blend together mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, water, milk and extract at low speed for 30 seconds. Continue mixing at medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes for mini loaves (40-50 minutes for full-sized loaf) or until top springs back to touch and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pan.

For Topping:

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and 1 teaspoon water. Add a few drops of water at a time to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cakes and top with candy pieces.

Tip: Mini chocolate chips will distribute throughout the cake and create a more uniform chocolaty texture. If using regular chocolate chips, toss them with a teaspoon of flour before incorporating to help keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pan.

Get Cooking: http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/easy-chocolate-peppermint-loaf-cake-recipe?CCAID=cknwrdne04943at&s=s0098787256s&mid=2066011&rid=98787256#ixzz3LzZEmCsH

Pumpkin Caramel Tart with Gingersnap Crust

If you're like me you're pretending to be really healthy this week after feasting way too much over the Thanksgiving holiday and eating lots of desserts like the one below.

But if you are not, then make this.  It has a variety of textures which keeps it interesting and all the warm flavors of Fall in it.  Plus it's a cinch to make and pretty unique so it's an all around winner.

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Pumpkin Caramel Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Crust

1. 2 cups firmly packed gingersnap crumbs
2. 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
3. 3 tablespoons sugar
4. 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Filling

1. 1 (12-ounce) jar hot caramel topping*
2. 3 large eggs, divided
3. 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
4. 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
5. 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. Garnish: whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice, caramel topping

Instructions

1. To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and egg white, stirring to combine well. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and up sides of an 11-inch tart pan with re- movable bottom. Bake for 10 minutes; set aside to cool.
2. To prepare filling: In a small bowl, whisk together hot caramel topping and 1 egg, whisking until smooth. Pour caramel mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, remaining 2 eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Pour pumpkin mixture over caramel layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Let cool completely in pan. Store refrigerated. To serve, garnish with whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice, and additional caramel topping, if desired.

Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan and Sundried Tomato Sauce

This is the bomb.  This is beautiful.  This is so easy and delicious.

The author of this blog makes the most amazing looking things and I always want to try them, but never want to make them because they look too complicated.  But this recipe is so easy! 

Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan and Sundried Tomato Sauce

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ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 (~6 ounce) skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 1/4 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)

directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, before setting aside.
2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
3. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
4. Add the broth, cream, sundried tomatoes and parmesan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Mix in the chicken along with any juices, season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and mix in the basil.

It involves all of my favorite ingredients and it really is beautiful in color.  And even though it involves heavy cream, it's really not that high in calories but taste like a decadent delight.

I served mine with rice and roasted asparagus.  It is a winner!

White Chicken Chili Recipe

This is the easiest chili recipe I've ever made and one of the most delicious.  I was surprised how much flavor it had because it really is so simple.  But it is packed with flavor thanks to a cornucopia of spices.

White Chicken Chili 

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Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, with liquids from beans
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilis, with liquids from chilis
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Instructions

1. Add chicken to a 4-quart, heavy bottomed Dutch oven or stockpot. Add chicken stock and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Shred chicken with two forks and then add back to the liquid.
2. Add garlic and onion to stockpot, white beans, green chilis, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh oregano. Stir until well-combined. Taste for flavor and adjust to your preference.
3. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

I just added a dollop of sour cream to each cup and a few dashes of hot sauce and it was the perfect light but delicious soup for a crisp fall lunch or dinner.