Baked Kale Chips

I just love them!!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

creamy parmesan orecchiette with butternut squash and broccolini

From pinchofyum.com

INGREDIENTS

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
   Coupons
• ½ cup white wine (optional)
• 2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or milk
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• lemon juice to taste
• salt to taste

For the Pasta:

• 16 ounces orecchiette (I used DeLallo whole wheat orecchiette)
• 3 cups cubed butternut squash
• 3 cups broccolini (I used regular broccoli)
• olive oil, salt, and pepper
• pumpkin seeds
• additional Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. SAUCE: Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until soft. Add the flour and whisk until smooth - let it cook for a few minutes to avoid a floury taste. Add the wine and whisk to incorporate. Add the broth or milk, ½ cup at a time, and whisk to incorporate. When thickened slightly, add more liquid. Finish with the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Sauce should be smooth and light.
2. VEGETABLES: Place the veggies on two separate baking sheets. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, until tender but not falling apart.
3. PASTA: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside.
4. FINISH: Toss everything together (sauce, pasta, vegetables, additional broth as needed to keep it loose) and top generously with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

 

From pinchofyum.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups mirepoix (just a simple mixture of chopped onions, celery, and carrots)
• 1-2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• 2 12 ounce cans evaporated milk
• 2 1lb. packages DeLallo mini potato gnocchi (about 4 cups) 
• 6 slices bacon
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and broth in a crockpot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken directly in the crockpot.
2. Add the cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi. Stir and replace cover. Cook another 45 minutes - 1 hour until the soup has thickened and the gnocchi has softened.
3. While the soup is thickening, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Drain on paper towels and wipe most of the bacon grease out of the pan, leaving just a little bit for the spinach/garlic. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat. Add the bacon and spinach to the crockpot. Stir to combine.
4. Add any additional liquid as needed (I added about a cup of water once it started to thicken) and season again with salt and pepper as needed.

NOTES

Be sure to taste and adjust with salt/pepper before serving. It may need more depending on the saltiness of your broth. 

You can use something other than evaporated milk, but I found that evaporated milk has the creaminess of half and half or heavy whipping cream without actually needing to use up all my good half and half in the soup. :)

The leftovers do soak up a lot of the moisture, so you might need to add more evaporated milk depending on how soupy you want it and/or how long you'll be keeping it around.

For Real Homemade Green Bean Casserole

I have never really been a green-bean casserole girl.  But I realized that I don't really like canned green beans very much, but I love fresh ones.  And cream of mushroom soup is always best fresh, right?  So, I found a recipe for the casserole with fresh green beans and homemade cream of mushroom, and it is honestly so delicious.  It is extra work, and the cream of mushroom is rich, but for special occasions, this is such a great recipe!!!

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Preheat Oven to 425.

Green Bean Prep

1 lb green beans, ends snapped, snapped into bite size pieces
1 Tb table salt (author recommends if you don't have table salt, you can use double of kosher or sea salt)
Large pot of boiling water

Prep green beans while bringing water to boil.  Add the salt and the beans to the water, cover, and cook for 6 minutes, or until still crisp-tender and bright green.  The beans won't get much softer after this, so cook them as thoroughly as you like them.  While the beans are cooking, prepare a large bowl full of ice water.  Drain the beans in a colander and plunge them into the ice water to stop the cooking process.  Drain the beans again in a colander.  Place the green beans in a single layer on paper towels to dry.

Cream of Mushroom Sauce (I think I may have needed to make more sauce than this, but I can't remember for sure.)

8 oz favorite mushrooms
1 Tb unsalted butter
1 Tb fresh garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
Fresh pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tb flour
3/4 C chicken stock
1 Tb dry sherry
3/4 C half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Clean the mushrooms, break off and discard stems.  Break the tops into pieces. (The author insists that cutting with a knife will change the texture of the soup!) Melt the butter in a skillet or pan.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Cook about 6 minutes, till mushrooms soften, stirring often.  Stir in flour and cook a minute.  Start adding chicken stock and sherry 1 Tb at a time.  Once the liquid and the flour start to gel into a sauce, you can add the stock and sherry more quickly.  Bring to a simmer.  Add the half and half, simmer till the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Stir in cooked beans.  

Place casserole ingredients into a casserole dish.  Top with crispy onions, if you like them, and bake in the oven until cooked on top, about 20 minutes.

Pear and Parsnip Soup

I made this for Mom while she was in town, and she requested I post it.  I do love this soup, and Leigh does too.  Today I had some for lunch and my friend Lisa requested the recipe, so I guess it is time to share!

Pear and Parsnip Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tbs. unsalted butter
• about ½ C diced onion
• kosher salt
• 2 cups parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped (2 to 3 parsnips depending on size)
• about 1 ½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• about 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
• 1 to 2 cups pear, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup half-and-half or cream
• 1-2 drops lavender essential oil
• Pepper, optional

Instructions:

1.    In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the onions, a pinch of salt, and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the parsnip, rosemary, and pinch of salt and continue to sweat for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the pear, and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the white wine, increase the heat to high, and reduce by half. Just eyeball it – it should be about 5 minutes.

2.    Add the stock, the Herbs de Provence, and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the half and half or cream.

3.    Transfer the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender, and purée on high speed until smooth. Taste. Add more salt if necessary.

Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

From Cookie+Kate.
So Good!

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower

• 1 large head of cauliflower, sliced into bite-sized florets
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Seasoned lentils

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¾ cup brown lentils, picked over for debris and rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water

Chipotle sauce

• ⅓ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers) or chipotle hot sauce to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Everything else

• 8 small, round corn tortillas
• ½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (cilantro haters, substitute some fresh spring greens instead)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To roast the cauliflower: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss cauliflower florets with enough olive oil to cover them in a light, even layer of oil. Season with salt and pepper and arrange the florets in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway, until the florets are deeply golden on the edges.
2. Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for about 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the lentils and the vegetable broth or water. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes to 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender and cooked through. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, and add more broth or water if the liquid evaporates before the lentils are done. Once the lentils are done cooking, drain off any excess liquid, then cover and set aside.
3. To prepare the chipotle sauce, just whisk together the ingredients and set aside (if you have no choice but to use whole chipotle peppers from the can, use a blender to purée it all).
4. Warm tortillas individually in a pan over medium heat. Stack the warm tortillas and cover them with a tea towel if you won’t be serving the tacos immediately.
5. Once all of your components are ready, you can assemble your tacos! Top each tortilla with the lentil mixture, cauliflower, a drizzle of chipotle sauce and a generous sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

Chocolate Pudding

This is from one of Christina's recipe books. I asked her for the recipe a while back and then had a hard time finding it, so posting it here so I know where to find it next time! It's a keeper!

2 1/2 c. fat free milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Place 2 cups milk in a medium, heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Combine 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring well.

Gradually add half of hot milk to egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butter, vanilla, and chocolate, stirring until melted.

Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in a large ice filled bowl 15 minutes or until pudding is cool, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill.