Chicken Corn Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 onion - chopped

1 whole garlic - minced

Chile powder, to taste

Cumin, to taste

Salt & Pepper, to taste

2 lbs chicken - cubed or whole to shred when cooked

1 can diced tomatoes with diced green chiles

1 can diced green chiles

2 lbs frozen corn

1 can black beans 

1 can refried beans

4 cups chicken broth

(Additional water for broth as needed with chicken bouillon)

Cilantro - chopped

Lemon - topping

Shredded cheese - topping

Tortilla strips - topping

Heat some oil and add onions & garlic on medium heat until softened. 

While that is softening up, season the chicken thoroughly with salt & pepper, chile powder, cumin...I season heavily.

When onion and garlic is fragrant and softened, add seasoned chicken and cook the outsides...do not cool through, just no pink on the outsides.

Add diced tomatoes, diced green chiles, sautée for a few minutes, then add chicken broth.

Start adding the corn and beans and put on high heat. Store frequently.

When it looks close to boiling, add 3/4ths of the cilantro, save the rest for topping. Let boil 5 minutes and turn heat off.

Top each serving with lemon, shredded cheese & tortilla strips. My boyfriend also likes to add hot sauce. 

Enjoy!

Spaghetti Muffins

The other night I decided to, yet again, experiment.  I wanted pasta, but I wanted something "manageable" when I was serving myself, and, the honest truth, I just wanted to see how it would work.

What I found is, it still tastes mostly the same, but has some crunchiness to some parts due to the baking.  Most importantly, I realized this would probably make a great party food.  Easy to serve, fun to look at, and tastes like your favorite spaghetti.  I would say the effort doesn't change the way it tastes, but it sure was fun making it!

INGREDIENTS:

Angel Hair Pasta

1 jar Prego

1 lb ground turkey - Italian seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can mushrooms 

Chopped onions

Minced garlic

Parmesan Cheese

Heat some oil and add onions & garlic on medium heat until softened. Add ground turkey and Italian seasoning and brown - do not cook all the way.

Add tomatoes, mushrooms and Prego and reduce. Set aside a cup or so of sauce for "topping".

In a stock pot cook angel hair pasta.

Once pasta is cooked and sauce has reduced, combine pasta, remaining sauce and about a cup of parmesan (to bind).

Oil muffin pans with olive oil. Filled with mixed pasta & sauce. Try to swirl the pasta to help with the structure. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for at least 30 minutes to set. You should be able to pull out with a spoon and fork when ready. 

Enjoy!

Easy Creamy Tomato Soup

I love tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwich...who doesn't? But I am not a fan of canned soups. Here is a quick and easy way to make Creamy Tomato Soup that's delicious and goes great with your favorite grilled cheese sandwich! Yes, the ingredients do come from a can, but the flavors are still better than a pre-made canned soup! Trust me, one day, I will update this post with a version for fresh tomatoes, but it will likely take longer and it'll still need tomato paste.  Make a big batch and freeze, so you always have this delicious soup ready in a pinch!

(not my pic)

Sorry for the lack of pictures...I'll be sure to take some next time and update this post!

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes in their juices, preferably San Marzano

1 can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once butter foams, add onion and a big pinch of salt. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is completely soft and just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juices to the pan and stir to crush up tomatoes. Add broth or water, tomato paste and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Simmer until tomatoes begin to fall apart, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, discard bay leaves, and allow soup to cool slightly. Carefully purée soup in a blender until smooth (you may have to do this in batches).

Return soup to the stove over low heat and stir in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

My favorite topping for this soup is Goat Cheese...I love goat cheese and the richness adds so much depth to the flavor!

Quick Spinach Alfredo with Bacon and Peas

This is my cousin's recipe that is always quick and easy to make and can feed a whole lot or last a whole week!

Ingredients:

2 jars Alfredo sauce

1 package pre-cooked breakfast sausage

1 package pre-cooked bacon

12 oz bag of frozen spinach

12 oz bag of frozen peas

12 oz box of vegetable bow tie pasta

Directions:

Slice the sausage and bacon into bite size pieces.

Cook the pasta as directed. Set aside.

Empty the jars of Alfredo sauce in a large pot and put on low.

Add the sliced sausage and bacon.

Add the frozen spinach.

Add the frozen peas.

Cook until thoroughly heated.

Add cooked pasta and mix well.

Easy Zucchini Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

Zucchini - sliced into disks

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese - shredded

Directions:

Spray cooking spray on cookie sheet. Arrange sliced zucchini on the cookie sheet.

Spoon pizza sauce on each piece of zucchini.  

Add mozzarella on top and put in oven.

***Toaster Oven Instructions***

I used my toaster oven, which I preheated to 400 degrees. When I saw the cheese started melting, I lowered the heat to 350-300, to cook the zucchini without burning the cheese. I just kept an eye on them and pulled out when the sauce looked like it dried up a bit.