Hearty Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 fresh or frozen chicken breast

1 bulb garlic chopped

4 red or white potatoes chopped

1 sweet onion chopped

4 carrots chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

2 boxes chicken broth

1/2 tsp red pepper

2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp olive oil (preferably flavored such as basil, neopolitan, italian herb)

1 cup milk at end

Add all ingredients to crcok pot (except milk).  Cook on high for about 8 hours.  Take chicken out and shred, then Add back to crockpot.  Add 1 cup milk and more salt to taste.  Serve hot preferably with crusty bread.

My Marry Me Chicken (full throttle edition)

Ingredients

3 large chicken breasts, cut in half (to make thinner)

Flour, salt and pepper the chicken to coat on each side.

1 box of pasta cooked to instructions

2 tbsp olive oil (or use the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes!)

2 tbsp butter

1 head garlic minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk, plus 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp. Cornstarch to thicken the sauce (I use 1% milk)

3/4 cup shredded parm

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/2 tsp. Oregano

2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil with oil drained (save the oil for another day)

Fresh basil to top

Saute the floured chicken in large skillet the butter and oil until cooked through, set aside.

Saute garlic in the same skillet until fragrant.  Add broth and simmer a few minutes, deglase the pan.

Adjust heat to medium, add seasonings, milk and parm.  Simmer to thicken (a few minutes).  Add milk with cornstarch last, slowly and only as much as is needed to get to desired consistency.  Add your sundried tomatoes, mix, then  add chicken.  Simmer 1-2 minutes.  Serve sauce ans chicken over warm pasta.  Serve immediately.  Great with a side of wilted spinach with garlic and butter.

Lower Guilt Crockpot Marry Me Chicken

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts

1 box Chicken Broth

1 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1 diced bell pepper

2 diced sweet onions

1 hwad garlic chopped

1/2 bottle sun dried tomatoes in oil (but do not use the oil!)

1 brickmoower fat cream cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan 

Add all ingredients except cream cheese and parm to crockpot.  Cook 8 hours or low.  Shred chicken and then add 1 brick low fat cream cheese and parm and mix until melted.  Make pasta of your choice.  Serve hot over pasta.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken witRoasted Chickpeas and Cauliflower on Toasted Naan with Guacamole

Chicken:

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cut into tenders

Prepared Guacamole or Hummus

naan bread

Marinade Ingredients:

1 tbsp minced onion

3 tbsp. Brown sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. Seasame oil (olive oil will work)

1 tbsp. Seasame seeds (optional)

Place all marinade ingredients into medium sealable bowl or smaller sealable cassserole dish and mix until incorporated.  Add chicken (chicken should be mostly covered by marinade.  Marinate 6-24 hours.

Toasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas:

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower chopped

1 can chickpeas drained and dried

1 sweet onion diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. Tumeric

1 tap. Curry

1 tbsp. Minced garlic

2 tsp. Salt, plus more to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  Mix all ingredients in bowl until coated.  Cover a baking sheet (jelly roll pan with sides) with parchment.  Pour chickpea and cauliflower mix into baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 30 minutes until lightly toasted.

When there is about 10 minutes remaining, its time to saute or grill the chicken.  Either grill your chicken on your grill until done, or saute in 2 tbsp. Butter in large skillet (even layer) until done.

With about 5 minutes left, heat your naan until warm and plate, for each serving cover one piece of naan  with a generous layer of prepared Guacamole (or hummus works).  Place some grilled or sauteed chicken slices on top, then top with a generous helping of cauliflower.  Serve hot.

Also see my recipes for Guacamole and Hummus.

Serve hot.

Curry Cabbage with Chicken Sausage Skillet

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage cut into 1/4 inch cabbage steaks, then sliced into pieces

Olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

2 chicken sausages (preferably an apple flavored) sliced into circles

1 generous tbsp. Curry

1/2 tsp salt salt, more to tasrlte

3/4 tsp fried ginger

1 tbsp. Dry mined onion

3 cloves chopped garlic

Heat oil in large skillet.  Add all ingredients and cook on medium until sausage is cooked and cabbage has softened (10-12 min).  Enjoy hot!  Great with a side of hummus and naan.

Curry Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage cut into 1/4 inch cabbage steaks

Olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

Curry, salt, ginger and minced onion to tatse.

Preheat oven to 375.  Spead cabbage steaks on a large jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides), do not overlap.  Pour olive oil over the steaks so each has a good coating on both sides.  Sprinkle curry powder, ginger powder, salt and mined dried onion over each steak.  Be liberal with the curry, but only lightly sprinkle the ginger.  Bake for 35-40 minutes flipping about half way through until cabbage has some crisping at edges.  Enjoy hot!  Great with a side of hummus and naan.

Apple Dutch Baby

Ingredients:

2 peeled and sliced apples

2 tbsp. Butter or bacon grease

Batter Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp. Melted butter

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk (almond milk can be substituted)

1/4 tsp. Salt

3 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Lemon or Orange zest (optional)

Preheat iloven to 400.  Cook the apples with the butter or grease in a large cast iton skillet until apples soften.  In the meantime, make the batter by mixing all batter Ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.  Pour batter over hot apples, bake in skillet at 400 for 20 minutes.  Switch to broil for 2 minutes to get a good brown on the top.  Serve immediately with some powder sugar sprinkled on top (or maple syrup).  Great with a side of bacon.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dried split peas

1 bag frozen peas (16 oz.)

2 boxes chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Tumeric 

1 tsp. Thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. Paprika 

1 Tbsp. Chicken Bouillon 

1 sweet onion chopped

3 smaller potatoes chopped

2 carrots chopped

3 cloves chopped garlic

Stovetop method:

Place all ingredients in soup pot. Cook on high to simmer, cover with lid ans cook on medium-low at a simmering boul for 2 hours.  Serve hot with homemade bread.  Take bay leaves out before serving.

Crockpot Method:

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 8 hours.  Serve hot with homemade bread.  Take bay leaves out before serving.

Easy eggplant and carmalized onion pizza

Ingredients:

1 tube biscuit dough (Pillsbury or a store brand)

1 eggplant 

1 sweet onion

1-2 grilling sausages (chicken, pork) OPTIONAL

4 gloves garlic

1 tbsp salted butter

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp salt plus more to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella 

2 springs fresh rosemary, leaves removed for use (toss the woody sprig)

1.  Get your eggplant in the broiler.  Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch tick rounds.  Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. On the parchment paper place your eggplant round, liberally cover with 1/2 oil (less a 1 tsp or ao for later).  Slidebthe eggplants around in the oil to make aure both sides are covered in some oil.  Salt the eggplant to taste.  Broil for 6-10 minutes per side (depends in how hot your broil is) until eggplant has a light toast to it.

2.  Meanwhile get your onions going.  Cut an onion in circles, then in half.  Cook in a frying pan with the tbsp butter and 1/4 salt on med to low heat watching constantly until carmalized (light brown, not burned).  If you are adding sausage, then when the onion is translucent but not light brown, add sausge chopped into circles to the onion and saute with the onion for the rest of the sauting time.  Chop your garlis into larger circles (rough chop for larger chunks, you want to taste it).  Once rhe onion is cooked, add the garlic and saute 2 more minutes then take off heat.

3.  Prepare your 16 inch round cast iron skillet for baking your pizza (if you don't have one, then a jelly roll pan or casserole dish will do, approximately 12 by 16 or 14 by 14).  Line your skillet woth parchment paper.  Take some butter and grease the parchment.  Take out all the biscuit and flatten each one and fit it into the pan so it comes together as one dough.  Brush the dough with the remaining olive oil.

4. Now let's top that pizza!  First spread the mozzarella, neat layer of eggplant to cover the whole pizza (use it all), now cover with caramelized onion mixture, finally sprinkle evenly the fresh rosemary.  

5.  Bake at 430 degrees for 19-24 minutes until crust is lightly browned at edges.  Slice and enjoy.

Asparagus Salad

Peanut Butter Ramen Noodles with Veggies

Peabut Butter Noddles with Ramen

Ingredients:

1/2 Tbsp. Seasame Oil

2 Tbsp chopped garlic

1 chopped bell pepper

1 chopped zucchini

Honey roasted peanuts for topping (opt)

4 packages ramen noodles (discard seasoning).  

Cook noodles in boiling water according to instructions.  Meanwhile make your sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp ground red pepper flakes

2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Garlic rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

Mix all sauce ingredients in large saucepan until incorporated and hot.  Mix hot noodles with sauce to coat.    Set aside in serving bowl.  In same pan, add seasame Oil and garlic and veggies, and cook for 1 minute (just to warm).  Add ramen back to pan and stir to mix.  Put in serving dish.

 Can also add sauteed chicken or shrimp.  Add more pepper to taste.  Top with peanuts

 Serve hot (also good cold).

Simple White Breadmaker Bread

Easy Breadmaker Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour 

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. dry quick acting yeast

1 Tbsp. salt

1-2 Tbsp. salt free seasoning of choice (or minced fresh garlic)

3 Tbsp. butter cut into slices

1 1/3 cu warm water

Directions:

Put in the Bread Maker in this order, and set to "Basic" cook setting and start.  Serve warm, with butter.

Crockpot Eggplant Gram Masala

Crockpot Eggplant Gram Masala

In crockpot place all ingredients:

1 eggplant thinly slices into strips

1 sweet onion chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger chopped

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp. Paprika

2 tsp. Tumeric

1 tsp. Gram masala

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can chick peas with juice

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon

Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.  Add 1/2 can coconut milk and about 1/2 cup greek yogurt.  Serve over rice or coconut rice.  Enjoy hot.

Biscuits

3 cups flour

3 tbsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. Cream of tartar

4 tsp. Baking powder

1 1/2 sticks of butter cut into slices

1 cup skim or low-fat milk

1 egg or egg substitute

Preheat oven to 450.

Place dry ingredients in large bowl and stir.  Add butter and blend with a pastry cutter until coarse.

Add beaten egg and milk, stir to combine.

Makes 11 to 12. Biscuits.  Shape into appropriate size round, and place in cookie sheet (I line with parchment paper, or you can grease the sheet).  Bake for 12-16 minutes until done.

Serve hot, preferably with eggs and bacon.

Savory Peach Chicken

Danish Milk Cake

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

5 tbsp. Butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Milk

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Vanilla

Melt butter.  Preheat oven to 350.  In bowl, Mix together all ingredients until smooth.  Pour into greased lines 6 by 10 inch or 9 by 9 inch baking pan and bake for 30 min.  *You can add 1-2 sliced peaches or apples to the batter for a special treat.

While that's baking make the topping:

1 stick + 1 tbsp. Butter

5 tbsp. Milk

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup coconut

About 10 min before cake finishes in the oven, melt your butter in a suacepan.  Add milk and brown sugar.  Mix until dissolved and going at a slow low boil.  Take off heat, add coconut.  Pour topping over cake.  Bake cake 15 more minutes.

Let cool 20 min so topping will set before you serve.  Enjoy!

Chicken, Veggie and Barley Soup

In crockpot place:

1 large chicken breast (fresh or frozen)

2 boxes chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. Poultry seasoning

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. Parsley

1 tbsp. Minced garlic

1 large diced onion

1 large sweet potato diced

5 carrots diced

1 cup barley

Pepper to taste

Cook in crockpot all day, serve with homemade bread.

creamy Spinach Ricotta and Vegetable Pasta

Ingredients

1/2 pkg asparagus, end trimmed off, cut into three pieces each

1 small onion chopped

1 small bell pepper chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp. Season salt or salt

1/2 box shell pasta

1 tbsp. Bullion (or 1 cube)

1 + 1 Tbsp. Olive oil

2 tbsp. Minced garlic

3 chicken sausages sliced up into circles

8 cups baby spinach cleaned

3/4-1 cup ricotta (part skim)

3-4 ouces cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

In large suate pan melt butter.  Add asparagus, onion, bell pepper and zucchini.  Saute til done, set aside in bowl.  Do not clean pan.

Meanwhile, cook pasta to directions, do not drain.  However, add the 1 tbsp boullion and 1 tbsp olive oil to water.

When the pasta is about 7 min from done, add 1 tbsp. Olive oil to saute pan and cook garlic and sausages over medium high about 2 min.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 min.

Add remaining ingredients and stir to melt together, add salt only to taste.  Spoon in pasta with a slotted spoon so some water is in your sauce.  Mix to combine.  Serve hot.

Tumeric Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Butter

4 tbsp. Garlic

1 onion minced

3 carrots diced

1 tsp. Dry ginger

1 tbsp. Tumeric

1/4 tsp. Dry Thyme

Bag of frozen peas

8 cups chicken broth

1 large frozen or fresh chicken breast

3 spring rosemary 

6 springs fresh thyme, leaves only no stem

1 tsp. Salt or more to taste at end

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 cup barley

Place everything in crockpot.  Cook on high 8 hours.  Serve hot.

Crockpot Thai Peanut Butter Chicken

In crockpot place 2 large or 3 medium chicken breasts (frozen is fine), 1 can less 1/2 cup coconut milk (reserve), 3/4 cup peanut butter, 3 tbsp. Minced garlic, 3 tbsp. Honey, 3 tbsp. Soy sauce, 2 tbsp. Lemon or lime juice, 2 tbsp. Rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes.  Cook in crockpot 4 hours on high or about 6 hours on low.  Mix every hour or so.  Serve hot over prepared rice (or coconut rice), top with peanuts and or fresh cilantro.