Tortilla Soup

I took about 5 different recipes and made this tortilla soup that turned into quite a winner!



Tortilla Soup



Ingredients:

I red bell pepper, spilt and seeded

1 cup of frozen corn

2 large chicken breasts, diced (about a pound)

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

1 small zuchinni, diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
1 chipotle in adobo (2 if you like it REALLY hot), chopped with 1T of sauce
2 (14 oz) cans of stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce
3 cups of low sodium chicken stock

Garnish options:
Tortilla chips, broken into large pieces
1/2 cup cheddar or pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup low fat sour cream (or better yet- plain yogurt)
Chopped red onion
Chopped cilantro
Diced Avocado

Directions:
Place red pepper cut side down on cookie sheet, with frozen corn. Broil until corn is lightly charred and red pepper skin is black (8 minutes or so). Place red pepper in glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Remove charred skin and dice red pepper.

While veggies are cooking, heat 1T oil in large soup pot over hight heat. Add chicken, poultry season, cumin, salt and pepper. When chicken starts to brown, add zuchinni, onion,s garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a bubble and reduce heat to medium low.

Stir in corn and red pepper, and heat until warmed through.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes.

Apple-Cheddar-Squash Soup

I saw this recipe on the Food Network facebook page one day, and thought it sounded SO good. But, when I saw there were 34g of fat per serving, I freaked! That's a whole days' worth of fat in one little bowl of soup!  I will post the recipe as published by the Food Network with notes as to what I did differently.

Ingredients:
5 Tbls unsalted butter (I used 1T of butter and 1T grapeseed oil)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium apples, thinkly sliced
1 large white potato, diced
1 1/2 cup chopped peeled butternut squash, fresh or frozen (I used frozen pureed squash, it was fine)
Kosher salt & Freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried sage
2T all purpose flour
1/3 cup apple cider
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I use Stock)
1cup milk (I used skim)
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto torn into pieces (I used 1 oz)
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (I used one cup, and a little for garnish)
Chopped chives, for garnish
Crusty Bread

Directions:
Melt 4 Tablespoons (I used the butter/oil combo) of butter in large pot over medium-low heat and add the onion, apples, potato and squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the sage and flour. Add the cider and cook over high heat, stirring, until thickened. Add the broth and milk, cover and bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the potatoe is soft, 8 to 10 minutes.  (If you are using the box of frozen pureed squash, I suggest adding it after the onions are soft, and before the sage and flour)

Meanwhile, heat the remaing 1T butter in aa large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the proscuitto and cook until crisp, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes, drain on paper towels. [ok, while there isn't a ton of fat in prosciutto, I always cook bacon like meats on a broiler pan in my toaster oven. No need to add extra fat]

Add cheese to the soup and stir over medium -low heat until melted (DO NOT BOIL). Puree in a blender in batches until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the prosciutto, more cheese and chives. Serve with bread.

Apple-Cheddar-Squash soup, with Sixx, my feline "helper".

Here's my healthy tips! You don't need 4 tablespoons of butter to saute a few veggies. Be smart! There are a lot of veggies here, but halving the butter/oil cuts out 20+ grams of fat! (about 11 per tablespoon).  Cheese is another kicker! Lots of fat there! I wasn't sure it would be good with half of the cheese, but it was! And those were the two big changes I made that dropped the fat from 34g to about 12!! Without losing taste!

Winter Salad

 This salad has been around for a while. I've changed up the dressing to be slightly healthier. It is a crowd pleaser, and the perfect dish to lighten up those heavy holiday meals!!


Winter Salad



Ingredients:

2 heads of Romaine lettuce, torn

1 cup of shredded swiss cheese

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 cup cashews



1 apple, cubed

1 pear, cubed

Toss together in a large bowl, adding cashews just before serving.

Dressing:

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbls grated onion (or 1/2 tbls of onion flakes)- optional
1 Tbls poppy seed
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)
Mix well then add
1/2 cup canola or Grapeseed oil

Add dressing just before serving.

Tip:To make ahead, chop up the pear and apple, and toss them in the dressing to keep from turning brown. Then toss all together just before serving.

Cinnamon Sugar Bread

While this bread isn't super healthy, it takes like a cinnamon roll without all the extra butter and sugar on top! I brought it today for my potluck at work, and it disappeared before I thought to take a photo, but rest assured- it looks like any loaf of bread from your bread maker!


Cinnamon Sugar Bread



Ingredients:

1 cup of milk (I used almond milk)

1 egg

1/4 cup of butter or margarine, softened

3 cups of bread flour (sub up to half with whole wheat flour)

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp yeast

1. Place ingredients in bread maker per manufactures instructions

2. Use sweet bread setting (or white bread setting)

3. When bread cycle is complete, let sit for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Serve with honey butter (mix butter, honey and a dash of cinnamon to taste).

Family Favorites: 2 for $50!

Looking for a unique Holiday gift? Offer this package deal to your friends and family, or order it for yourself to ease your Holiday stress! For just $50 you can choose 2 of the following entrees (baked in 8x8 pans, feeds 4-6), one prepared fresh and hot to your table, including a green garden salad with my  homemade signature dressing, and another entree prepared to freeze for another day (baking instructions included).

These family favorites are made healthier with lean meats, lots of vegetables, and low-fat sauces. Entrees may be customized to fit your family’s needs.

Shepherd’s Pie:                Ground beef * with mixed vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes.

Veggie Mac-n-cheese:
                Roasted Broccoli and Squash, mixed with whole grain shells, in a creamy cheese sauce.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole:
                Baked Chicken, wild rice, kale and squash in a creamy mushroom sauce.

Taco Bake:
                Ground Beef*, onion, tomatoes and  our own taco seasoning baked into corn bread, topped with cheese! Make it vegetarian by choosing black beans instead of meat.

Chicken Parmesan:
                Whole wheat pasta smothered in red sauce and topped with panko crusted chicken breasts and Parmesan cheese.

Tater Tot Hotdish:
                A pan full of veggies and ground beef* in a homemade cream sauce, topped with tater tots.

Spaghetti Primavera:
                Whole wheat spaghetti, mixed with red pepper, carrots, onions, and spinach, topped with either a garlic cream sauce or a hearty red sauce.

*Ground Turkey can be substituted, or the dish can be made meatless.

**All meals will be prepared in your kitchen.

Contact me to reserve your meals today!

1 pan- 5 ingredient Turkey Dinner

Are you looking for a substitute to the Traditional turkey dinner?! Or maybe a fun way to use up some leftover turkey? This recipe gives you nice Fall/Thanksgiving flavors without the hassle. Plus it's a small portion- about 2 servings.

What you need!
2 turkey tenderloins (raw) OR about 2 cups of chunked leftover turkey (cooked)
1 granny smith or other green apple cut into bite size pieces
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 yellow onion, finely sliced.
3/4 cup white wine, cider, or stock
salt/pepper/poultry seasoning
Flour

If you are starting with raw meat. Season the Turkey with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, and dredge in flour.  Heat oil in large skillet. Brown turkey on both sides and remove from the pan.

(If you are using leftover meat, start here). Heat oil in skillet. Add apples and onion and cook until apples are slightly browned and onions are tender. Add cranberries, and liquid (wine, stock,cider) and bring to a simmer, scrapping any browned bits from the bottom. Slide the turkey back in and simmer until liquid reduces by half and meat is cooked/heated through.

Serve with traditional Thanksgiving favorites like mashed potatoes and green beans. Or, try serving over arugula for a great salad like twist!

Spaghetti Squash Cakes

My new favorite TV show is The Chew, on ABC. It's a lot of work keeping up with a daily TV show, but I enjoy a good food- related challenge! :)  This is a tweaked (read: healthier) version of  Michael Symon's Spaghetti Squash Fritters, I just can't deep fry! I followed his recipe, except I made "cakes" and pan fried them instead of dropping them in oil. Probably not as much fun to eat, but equally tasty.  I also cut back the blue cheese, it was a little too over-powering for me.

Ingredients:
1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (cooked and shredded)
1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves minces or grated
2 oz blue cheese crumbles
3T all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1 scallion (greens and whites) thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
zest of one orange, reserving 1 tsp (optional- I skipped this),
1 large egg
Canola oil

To prepare the squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Roast cut side up in a large glass pan or baking sheet for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool before shredding with a fork. Then, place squash in a dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Mix all the ingredients (except the oil,whole sage leaves and reserved orange zest) in a medium bowl.

Using scant 1/4c portions, form squash mix into patties.

Heat small amounts of oil (1T or less) in a large pan and cook patties until outside is crispy and brown (about 5 minutes per side). Cook in batches. Fry sage leaves, carefully, as they will pop!

Place cooked patties on a plate and garnish with salt, fried Sage leaves and reserved zest!


Spaghetti Squash Cakes