Tortellini Soup

I know I'm lazy at posting here, but that's because I'm lazy at typing.  A friend asked me for this recipe and so I thought I'd copy it here too....

Tortellini Soup

easy, 30 minutes prep and cook combined

heat 2 T olive oil

add 6 cloves chopped garlic (I put about 3 T of pre-chopped, refrigerated garlic)

add 48 oz chicken broth and some red pepper flakes

when boiling add tortellini (packaged in pasta aisle... I prefer the spinach and cheese for this recipe)

cook for half the tortellini cook time

add 14-28 oz crushed tomatoes (the recipe calls for 14, I always do about 26)

cook for remainder of tortellini cook time

add some fresh spinach leaves, cook for a minute or so

Tomato-Peach Salad

Had a bunch of fresh tomatoes and peaches from the farmer's market, saw this easy recipe on the food network's website, and gave it a try!  Yummy!

Ingredients:
Tomatoes
Peaches
Red onion
Cider vinegar
Olive oil
Sugar
Salt
Pepper

Cut tomatoes and peaches into wedges.  Toss these together in a bowl with thinly sliced red onion. Drizzle with cider vinegar and olive oil; season with sugar, salt and pepper.

Park City Cashew Chicken

While I have my Rachel Ray cookbook out...

I have been craving this one.  It can be very spicy, or not so spicy depending on how much chipotle in adobo you use.

Ingredients:

2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. unsalted butter
1 large onion, 1/4 finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders; boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces
2 tbs. grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
3 tbs. chipotle in adobo
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tbs. honey
1/4 cup real maple syrup
3 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup raw cashews


Directions:

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, combine 1 tbs. olive oil and the butter. When the butter melts into the oil, add the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the rice and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add the stock and cover the pot.  Raise the heat to bring the stock to a rapid boil.  Once the stock boils, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 17-18 minutes.
2. While the rice cooks, make the chicken.  Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then the chicken.  Season the chicken with the grill seasoning.  Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, then move off to one side of the pan.  Add the remaining onions, the garlic, and the bell peppers.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then mix the vegetables and meat together and add the chipotles and cumin.  Toss to coat.  Glaze the mixture with honey and maple syrup and turn off the heat.  Add the chopped cilantro and the nuts.
3. Top the rice with the cashew chicken and serve.

Lemon Scented Blueberry Cupcakes

From Cookinglight.  Recommended by Britt.  Delicious, and love the frosting!


Ingredients
Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups (about 6 3/4 ounces) plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divide
10 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Frosting:

1/4 cup (2 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Fresh blueberries (optional)


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.


Place 12 decorative paper muffin cup liners into muffin cups.

To prepare cupcakes, lightly spoon 1 1/2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Measure 1 tablespoon flour; level with a knife. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour plus 1 tablespoon flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Combine melted butter and egg in another large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk, milk, and 1 teaspoon rind to butter mixture; stir with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Toss blueberries with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Fold blueberries into batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon rind, vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar (do not overbeat). Stir in juice. Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes; garnish with blueberries, if desired. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Spiced Grilled Chicken and Veggie Pockets

It has been hot hot hot here, and I can finally stomach and enjoy vegetables again, so I cooked a fresh, cool, summer dinner last night.  We really liked it, and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today.

Yes, it is a huge list of ingredients, but many are spices you already have and fresh veggies.

And this comes from a Rachel Ray cookbook.

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1 tbs. ground cumin
1 tbs. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 pounds chicken tender
1/2 cucumber, finely chopped
3 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese - I omitted this as I am pregnant
10 olives chopped - left these out too
4 green onions, chopped
1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped - I used cilantro instead cause I like it better
2 tbs. fresh dill, chopped
2 cups shredded red leaf lettuce
1 heaping tbs. Dijon mustard
2 tbs. red wine vinegar
2 tbs. olive oil
4 pita pockets
salt and pepper


Directions;

1. Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to high
2. in a shallow bowl, combine the yogurt, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and cilantro.  Add the chicken tenders and coat evenly in the yogurt marinade.  Marinate for 10 minutes (I did 30 min.)  Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until charred at the edges and firm and cooked through.
3. While the chicken is working, in a large bowl combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, olives, green onions, bell peppers, carrots, parsley, dill, and shredded lettuce.
4. for the dressing, in a small bowl, combine the mustard and red wine vinegar.  In a slow, steady stream, whisk in the olive oil.
5. When you remove the chicken from the grill, place the pitas on the grill to blister and warm through.  Chop the grilled chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the veggies along with the dressing;  season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat thoroughly.  Cut the pitas in half; fill the pockets with chicken and veggies.

Broccoli Pasta

This is from my friend Ashley who is great at cheap and easy meals....

1 head of broccoli
1 box of pasta
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil

1.  bring broccoli to boil
2.  add pasta to water and broccoli
3.  when pasta is finished,drain
4.  add parmesan cheese and olive oil

Everyone in my family gobbled it up, and it was soooo easy.

Fried Rice

Paula’s Fried Rice
(Taught to her by her mother, Lora Dee Christensen)

Ingredients:

Rice (cooked ahead and refrigerated) the amount is totally dependent on how much you want! (2 cups rice cooked in four cups of water)

Bacon (I use the grease to sauté the vegetables in, so how many slices, again, depends on how much you
want to make!)  (4-6 slices bacon)

Vegetables:

Onion, chopped into small pieces (one medium onion)
Celery, sliced at an angle thinly (two stalks celery)
Broccoli, broken into very small pieces (can be microwaved ahead and placed into the mix at the very end of the process if it is easier for you) (half cup broccoli pieces)
Green pepper (or any other color pepper!), cut into small pieces one green pepper
Carrots, grated (1 cup grated carrot)
Frozen peas (I don’t always use these, but they add a nice touch!), take them out of the freezer shortly before you are going to use them so that they don’t totally thaw out.

Meat, can be ham, chicken, turkey, shrimp, pork…… (1 cup meat OR MORE!)

Eggs, scrambled (2-4 scrambled eggs)

Soy sauce (2-4 Tablespoons)
Pepper
Canola oil

Instructions:

1) Cook the rice the night or morning before you are going to make the fried rice, if possible. This
is not necessary; it just makes the texture of the rice better in the fried rice. It will just be kind
of “mushy” if you don’t, but will still taste good!

2) Prepare the vegetables ahead of time. This is also not necessary, but makes the process MUCH more enjoyable!!! I usually get out a bunch of plastic bags and do all the vegetables ahead and have them ready earlier in the day to facilitate being able to make the rice quickly and without being frustrated later!

3) Fry the bacon to “crispy” but no further! Watch carefully so that the grease doesn’t get too cooked, because you are going to use the grease to sauté the vegetables in.

4) While the bacon is frying, cut up the meat into the size pieces you want to have in your rice.
5) When bacon is finished, take out the bacon and set aside for later use.
6) Sauté onions, celery, broccoli and green peppers until soft to degree you like them (probably about five minutes).

7) While vegetables sauté, scramble eggs in separate pan, set aside with bacon pieces.

8) Also while vegetables sauté, cut up the cooked bacon into small pieces.

9) When vegetables are done, throw in the rice and meat. Cook until rice and meat are warm.  Add the grated carrot and partially thawed peas. Cook until peas are just warm.  Add the scrambled eggs.  Add soy sauce and pepper to taste.

If the rice is dry, add some canola oil until moist to taste…a very little at a time!

CONGRATULATE YOURSELF!!!
ENJOY!!!!