*Smoky Tortilla Soup*

I absolutely love tortilla soup, and I love beans in my tortilla soup.  However, Jay O. is not a fan of beans and every tortilla soup I have tried before and left out the beans I felt something was missing.  This recipe, on the other hand, doesn't include beans and I think it might be my all time favorite.  The flavors go perfectly together and give it a nice smoky finish with a little touch of sweet.  If you wanted to add beans to the recipe, I'm sure it would be delish =)

It looks like there are quite a few ingredients you would have to buy, but most of the ingredients you will have in your pantry.  It was very budget friendly!

Ingredients:

2 Large green chiles, seeded and stemmed                               
1 quart (32 oz) chicken stock
2 Tbsp vegetable oil 
1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 Large red onion, chopped (the entire onion!)
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped (or jalapeno)
1 red chile pepper, seeded and chopped 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used a garlic press)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (28 oz.) can fire roasted diced or crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp honey
1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded (I bought a pre-cooked one at Kroger)
Salt & Pepper
2 Cups water
1 lime
2 ripe Hass avocados, halved
Light sour cream, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish 

Directions:
Add the green chiles and the chicken stock to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chiles are tender.  Remove from heat to cool.

While the chiles simmer, heat a medium soup pot with vegetable oil over high heat.  Add the corn and saute until charred at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reduce the heat a little, add the onions, serrano pepper (or jalapeno), red chile pepper and garlic.  Season with cumin, smoked paprika and cinnamon.  Saute for 5 minutes, then pour and stir in the fire roasted tomatoes.   

Puree the chiles and the stock in a food processor, then add it to the soup pot.  If you have a hand blender, it would work perfectly and you can leave the chiles and stock in the soup pot. 

Stir in the honey and the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Thin the soup with 2 cups of water and simmer over low heat to combine flavors, 5 minutes minimum.  Like I've mentioned before, the longer it simmers the more flavor!  

Zest and juice 1 lime and add to the soup pot.  

Seed and slice the avocados. 

Ladle the soup into each bowl, and top with a dollop of sour cream, a few slice of avocado, and some chopped cilantro leaves if you want the perfect finishing touch :0)

If you want to add the crunch factor, crush a handful of whole wheat tortilla chips in the bottom of each bowl before adding the soup.

Enjoy, and make sure to save some for leftovers!  I assure you it will be hard not to eat all of it in one  sitting!

Herbed Crackers

Ingredients:
1 Box Ritz Crackers
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil 
1 (1 oz) pkg dry ranch dressing seasoning
1 Tbsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery salt

 Directions:
In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk in the vegetable oil.
Put the crackers in a large zip-lock bag and pour the ingredients over the crackers.
Seal the bag tightly and turn the bag, coating all of the crackers evenly with the oil/spices.

For the best results, let the crackers soak up  the flavor for at least 24 hours.    

I got the idea to try out this recipe on the blog "Keeping up with the Joneses."  I absolutely love this blog and it has inspired me to try and take more pictures!  I have a link to Kendall's blog on my right side bar, check it out!!!  The recipe on her blog is the same, but for ritz bitz with cheese.  I will admit, I accidentally bought regular ritz, but they turned out great and I bought some Creamy Havarti cheese to slice up & go with them.  

This is a great recipe to make a head of time and have for snacks when you have guests.  I made them to have for an appetizer this weekend when my in-laws  come to town! 

I hope you enjoy this next time you serve crackers and want to change things up a bit :-)

*Chocolate Dot Pumpkin Muffins*

Okay, so this recipe is MORE than blog worthy...you know how some recipes have been in your family for so long that you feel like you should never unveil the secret of what yummy ingredients go into the pure deliciousness of the recipe???  Well, this is one of them.  And, a must bake for every Fall season of every year.  And, it's not difficult at all!  Now, go get all of these ingredients and be excited for the end product!
  

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1 ½ tsp all spice

1 ½ tsp ginger

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

30 oz. can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups bran flakes

12 oz chocolate chips

 A lot of people add 1 cup chopped nuts here...but I like it better without.

Directions:      

Sift dry ingredients.  Beat eggs, add pumpkin, oil and bran flakes.  Mix well.  Add sifted ingredients, mixing only until combined. Stir in chocolate chips (and nuts, if you want to ruin the ooey gooey deliciousness).  Spread in ungreased pan.

I like this recipe best as mini-muffins, but if you would like to make a loaf or perhaps a bundt follow these cooking instructions...bake at 350 degrees.

Bundt Pan   1 hr 10 minutes

Cupcakes     30 minutes

Loaf Pans    40 – 50 minutes

Mini muffins – 15 minutes

Cool completely before removing.

Now, give some away so you don't eat ALL of them!!!

Cozy up with Chili!!!

So...it seems like every time I make chili I change something up and have never followed a recipe.  However, I made chili for my parents and Jay O. this week and they said it really might be the best they have ever had, so I am going to make my best attempt to get the recipe exactly how I made it because it was definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
2 serrano peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pkg. hot turkey link italian sausage
1 pkg. 99% lean ground turkey meat (I used about 1/2 of this pkg.)
1 pkg. William's Original chili seasoning (the pkg that seasons 2 lb.'s meat)
1 16 oz. can sweet kernel corn
2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans (or 2 if you prefer)
1 can Rotel "chili fixins"
2 Tbsp. hot sauce (I used Louisiana)
4 Tbsp. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 cans (16 0z can) water (add 2 cans if it seems necessary) 
Dash of salt and red pepper flakes

Directions:  

• In a large pot drizzle olive oil on the bottom, and saute onion, serrano pepper & garlic until onion is slightly brown, adding a dash of salt.
• Remove hot turkey sausage from their casings, and cook hot turkey sausage and lean turkey meat stirring the onion, serrano pepper, and garlic into the meat.  
• Once the turkey meat is almost done cooking, add the William's Chili seasoning packet and thoroughly stir into the turkey meat.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot (corn, tomatoes, rotel, water, hot sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, chili beans, salt & red pepper flakes)  
• Stir occasionally and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for at least 30 minutes up to however much time you have.  The longer it simmers, the more flavor it will have!!!

I loved this recipe because it had a kick of spice, but an occasional sweet touch from the corn.  I prefer the hot turkey and lean turkey to make it a healthier dish, but if you wanted to use beef, you could do that, too.  My parents and I prefer beans in our chili, but I made a separate pot with no beans for Jay O. and it turned out great as well.


I served this with cornbread, and sprinkled cheddar cheese onto each serving.


I am sure I will make another chili recipe at some point this season and share it with you :)    We will see what I come up with, but until then, cozy up with this delectable recipe!!!

Strawberry Chicken Salad with Poppyseed Dressing = Exquisite

 

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  poppy seed dressing
• 1/4  cup  mayonnaise
• 1 1/2  pounds  chopped cooked chicken (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 2  celery ribs, sliced
• 1/2  small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2  cup  slivered almonds, toasted 
• 1  (10-ounce) package mixed salad greens
• 1  avocado, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Garnishes: avocado slices, whole strawberries

Preparation

Whisk together dressing and mayonnaise in a large bowl; cover and chill 30 minutes.
Add chopped chicken (after you boil the chicken and either dice or shred-your preference) and next 3 ingredients to dressing mixture, gently tossing to coat. Serve over mixed salad greens, and put strawberries and avocado on the top of the salad.

I served this with multi-grain bread (as usual:))  Pineapple would also be a good addition to the side.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Gnocchi Soup w/Turkey Sausage

I really think I can get by with saying this is the EASIEST recipe I have EVER made, and Jay O. said it was "excellent" & I agree 100%. It only took 15 minutes tops to prepare, and you know how you usually have to let soup simmer for awhile to soak up the flavor?  Not this one!  

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 3  (4.5-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage
• 2  cups  water
• 1  (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Bellino or Vigo- I had no luck finding gnocchi at Kroger, but they have it have Fresh Market and I have seen it at Wal-Mart before...I'm sure they have it at Whole Foods as well)
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
• 1  (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. of your favorite hot sauce - if your not a fan of spice, omit. 
• Red pepper falkes
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble, make sure to spray cooking spray or drizzle olive oil lightly on the pan before adding sausage.
2. Add 2 cups water and next 5 ingredients to pan; bring to a boil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste, stir.   Reduce heat, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi float to the top of pan. Ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle each serving evenly with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:  192

Fat:  4g (sat 1.7g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)

Protein:  10.5g

Carbohydrate:  25.1g

 

I served this dish with multi-grain bread.  Now you have no excuse to pick something up on the way home from work because you don't have time to cook...this is effortless!!!  ENJOY!

 

And, my apologies for being MIA on the blog the past few weeks.  I have been out of commission due to stitches and haven't been able to be in the kitchen.  Doing much better now, and am trying to play catch up on new recipes!  Megan and Charlie are coming over tonight for a new strawberry chicken salad recipe with poppyseed dressing...I'll let you know how it turns out =)   

Turkey Cacciatore Burgers on Portobello "Buns"

Last night Jay O. and I had date night at the house.  It felt weird actually being able to stay home on a weekend night, and not be on the go!  But, it was nice =)  I cooked dinner and we watched the movie "Unforgiven."  Westerns definitely aren't my first choice for movies, but this one was made in 1992 (more recent) and we both enjoyed it.  So, ladies, if your significant other is dying to watch a Western recommend this one =)  Not too shabby.  

Now, for the recipe...I'm sure you are wondering (just as I was) what in the world cacciatore means.  Well, it means it's prepared with tomato, onion, mushrooms, and herbs giving it Italian spice & flavor.  I HIGHLY recommend this recipe!  It looks like there are a lot of ingredients you would have to purchase, but most things you probably have in your pantry or are very inexpensive.  We served ours with baked fries.  Here goes:  

The recipe says 4 servings, but I made 5 patties because they would have been toooooo big with just 4.

Ingredients

·         1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, the average weight of 1 package

·         Salt and pepper

·         6 crimini mushrooms (baby portobellos) stems removed and finely chopped

·         1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

·         1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, smashed away from skin and finely chopped

·         3 tablespoons tomato paste

·         1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·         1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan, a couple of handfuls

·         Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

·         Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

·         4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed

·         Coarse salt and black pepper

·         2 cups arugula leaves, coarsely chopped

·         1/2 pound fresh mozzarella or fresh smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced  (I RECOMMEND SMOKED)

·         Sliced red onion and sliced plum tomatoes (only if you would like these to top it off)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Combine meat with salt and pepper, chopped crimini mushrooms, chopped bell pepper, chopped onion, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire, crushed red pepper flakes, cheese and parsley. Score and form meat into 4 large patties, 1 inch thick. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on top the patties then fry 5 or 6 minutes on each side in a hot skillet.

Place portobello caps on a small baking sheet gill side up and brush extra-virgin olive oil on them. Roast the caps 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and season them with salt and pepper. Turn oven off. Top each cap with about 1/2 cup arugula and a burger. Cap burger with mozzarella and place back in still-warm oven. Melt the cheese 1 minute (I did it for 2). Transfer burgers on "bun" bottoms to plates. Top with onions and tomatoes and serve.

This will definitely be a staple in your recipe box!  

I hope you love it as much as we did =)

Playing Chef! - 3 great recipes

Jay O. & I went to the lake this weekend for probably the last time of the summer (sigh), and spent the weekend with my parents.  Since my Mom & Dad always work so hard to prepare the meals and get things together for the weekends at the lake, I decided to treat them to me going to the grocery store & Jay O. & I cooking all of the meals:)  We enjoyed trying new recipes, and I think my Mom & Dad enjoyed getting to kick back & relax!!!

For lunch on Saturday...

*Southwestern Chicken Pasta Salad*

Ingredients

• 1/2  pound  uncooked  whole wheat penne rigate
• 2  cups shredded skinless, boneless Grilled Lemon-Herb Chick 
• 1  cup  fresh corn kernels (or frozen)
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2  cup  sliced green onions
• 1/2  cup  diced red bell pepper
• 1/2  cup  chopped plum tomato (about 2 tomatoes)
• 1/4  cup  fresh orange juice
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (I substituted jalapeno for spice, because I find the chipotle chiles almost impossible to find!!!)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken and next 5 ingredients (through tomato); toss well to combine.

Combine orange juice and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill

I used a lemon-herb rotisserie chicken from Kroger, removed the skin and shredded the chicken for the pasta, and I also used an entire box of penne rigate pasta, and about 2 cups of corn so that the pasta would have leftovers for the following day:)

This recipe is courtesy of cookinglight.com with a few minor changes.  They say any leftover grilled chicken, etc. would work perfectly.

If you would like to make your own chicken for the above recipe...

Ingredients

• 1  (5-pound) roasting chicken
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Rinse chicken with cold water, and pat dry. Trim excess fat. Place chicken, breast side down, on a cutting surface. Cut chicken in half lengthwise along backbone (do not cut through breastbone). Turn chicken over. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Combine parsley, thyme, juice, salt, and pepper; rub mixture under loosened skin and over breast and drumsticks. Gently press skin to secure. Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Place chicken, skin side up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 55 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 180°. Remove chicken from grill; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Remove and discard the skin.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

322

Fat:

9.9g (sat 3.6g,mono 3.8g,poly 1g)

Protein:

21g

Carbohydrate:

38.2g

*this nutrition info. is if you have 1 1/3 cup of the pasta.  If you have this big of a portion you would want it to be your entire meal, or you can use it as a side item.  

I served the pasta with fresh fruit, and also had sandwiches on a french loaf as an option, too.

For dinner we used Charlie & Ashley's chicken recipe that's a few entries down on the blog with the tomato, feta, and basil (amazing!), grilled pineapple (my favorite), and had the salad below which will be a definite go to for a fresh & healthy summer option! :

*Garden Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette*

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• VINAIGRETTE:
• 3  tablespoons  fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 2 1/2  teaspoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 2  teaspoons  honey
• 1  teaspoon  red wine vinegar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 
  SALAD:
• 1 1/2  cups  (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut zucchini
• 1 1/2  cups  (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut yellow squash
• 1  cup  fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped red onion
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup low-fat feta cheese

Preparation

To prepare vinaigrette, combine the first 7 ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

To prepare salad, combine zucchini and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss well. Cover and chill.

Only 101 calories per serving!!!

For breakfast this morning I made a tasty sweet treat, French toast!  I know my recipes are usually more on the healthy side, but, come on...splurge on occasion!!!  I definitely think it was worth it:)

*PERFECT FRENCH TOAST*

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp sugar

powdered sugar

salt

French Bread or Texas Toast

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk 4eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon sugar and a pinch of salt in a shallow bowl. Heat 1/2 tablespoon butter in a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Working in batches, dip 6 thick slices bread into mixture, cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more butter as needed. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until puffed, 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in the same skillet until browned, about 5 minutes. Drizzle the French toast with the browned butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. (we made homemade maple syrup, but if you prefer to buy it, that works too...just make sure to heat it up in the microwave!)

All of this made for a perfect weekend.  It was nice to finally have a few low key days, and not to be pressed for time:)  I love my family very much!  Missed you Hatley!!!

*Chilled Corn Dip Recipe, Becca in town, & Wedding Festivites*

This weekend was a GREAT one.  We had the now Mr. & Mrs. Wes Mickel's wedding which was fabulous, and Mary made an absolutely gorgeous bride!  And, Becca got to make it to town for the weekend & wedding festivities as well.  She hadn't been home since Christmas!!!  I had a great weekend with Becca being in town, and it was a blast seeing all of our friends.  Saturday during the day I enjoyed acting like 12 year old's at the pool with Megan and Becca (judging their splash contest off the diving boards with the youngin's gave me quite a laugh), and having a dance party & slumber party that night!  It was also very nice having Jay O. be able to hang out with all of us now that the studying is over:)

Saturday evening before the wedding we had a few friends over for appetizers & wine, & corn dip is one of the things we prepared.  The recipe is below.  Becca, thanks for making such pretty mini caprese salad's on toothpicks and Megan thanks for the shrimp cocktail, yum! 

Ingredients
• 2 (11-ounce) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
• 1 cup Light Sour Cream
• 1 cup Light Mayonnaise
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
• 3 large fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
• 3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt or Cajun seasoning, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese


Directions
1. In medium bowl, combine corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onions, chilies and peppers; mix together well. Stir in seasoned salt or Cajun seasoning and black pepper; taste mixture, adding more if desired. Stir in cheese.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Serve with multi-grain tortilla chips, or if you're wanting to splurge go for Frito's :)


Nutrition Analysis
Calories 68 , Total Fat 6g , Saturated Fat 2g , Sodium 178mg , Carbohydrates 4g , Protein 1g , Calcium 30mg  

ENJOY:)

*Spinach & Artichoke Dip*

 This dip is delicious, and very east to prepare.  It will be a hit at any party and has ingredients that everyone is sure to love.

Yield: 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 2  cups  (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 3  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1  (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1  (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1/2  (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
• 1  (13.5-ounce) package baked tortilla chips (about 16 cups)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 6 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

picture from www.cookinglight.com

Now, let your taste buds go wild! :)