Tortilla Soup (and it's good for you!)

From One Healthy Mama via Kitchn

1 lb. cherry tomatoes
2 med. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos**
32 oz chicken broth
2 cups water
1 t. salt
2-3 T taco seasoning (this is what I use - so easy and no MSG)
1.25 lbs ground turkey breast
1/2 lg onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
15 oz. frozen corn
15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, sliced
shredded reduced fat cheese (I use a mexi-blend from TJ's)
4 whole wheat tortillas, toasted and crumbled (I did this in my toaster oven, but you can also do it under the broiler)
1 lime, sliced into wedges

**Before we get to it, I used 2 tablespoons of jalapenos from the jar in the fridge. This was one spicy soup. You can use one fresh jalapeno (seed it if you want to cut down on the heat) or if you don't like too much spice, dice up 1/2 of a bell pepper instead.

Place tomatoes, carrots and jalapeno in the food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely blended. Make it as smooth as you'd like. (I like to see little bit of tomato and carrot in there, but use some creative freedom.)

In a stock pot, brown ground turkey (I used ground turkey breast because it's lower in fat and calories, but use what you like) with onions and garlic. Once cooked through, add taco seasoning and let simmer for one minute.

Add in tomato/carrot mixture, broth, water, beans, corn and salt, if needed.

Simmer 30-45 minutes.

Ladle soup into bowls, and sprinkle each with toasted tortilla strips, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 3 slices of avocado. Serve with a wedge of lime, and squeeze over the top just before serving.

© One Healthy Mama 2009

Spring-Vegetable Pot Pies

Makes 6 single-serving pies

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (from one 17 1/4-ounce package), thawed
• 6 asparagus spears, cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 red pearl onions, peeled
• 3 thin carrots, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 medium radishes, quartered
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms (about 5 ounces), stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pastry to a 14-by-12 1/2-inch rectangle (1/8 inch thick). Cut out 6 rounds with a 3 3/4-inch cutter; with a 1 1/2-inch blossom-shaped cutter, cut 6 flowers from scraps. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; refrigerate.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; blanch asparagus and scallions until bright green, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain; set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot but not smoking. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in carrots and radishes; cook 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and butter. Add wine and stock; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in reserved asparagus and scallions; season with salt and pepper.

Spoon 1/2 cup vegetable mixture into each of six 5-ounce ramekins. Lightly beat egg and cream in a small bowl; brush egg wash around rims of ramekins.

Roll out puff-pastry rounds to 4 inches in diameter. Lightly press a pastry round over each ramekin. Brush tops with egg wash. Place a puff-pastry flower on each pot pie; lightly brush with egg wash.

Bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

From Martha Stewart Weddings, March/April 2004

Italian Style Garbanzo Beans & Sausage

6-7 servings

1 med onion
4 large Italian sausage
1 can 16 oz garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
3/4 c water or red wine

Peel and slice onion in half and then into strips. Set aside.
Brown the sausage in a medium size frying pan.
Add the beans, tomatoes, onion and water.
Simmer over medium heat 12-15 minutes or until sausage is cooked and sauce is beginning to thicken.

Serve immediately. Good served alone or over pasta.

Easy chicken liver pate

From Martha's Everyday Food, "When the weather gets cold I love to whip up a batch of chicken liver pate that I lovingly call liver butter. It is so simple to make and a great thing to have on hand for casual cocktails with friends."

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground black pepper
1 pound chicken livers, large veins removed
1/3 cup dry sherry
coarse sea salt, for garnish
table water crackers, for serving
fig or plum jam, for serving

In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until slightly sizzling. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken livers, season with salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through (do not overcook), about 7 minutes. Add sherry and reduce by half. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. With machine running, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Fill ramekins with mixture and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Serve with crackers, jam and sea salt.

http://everydayfoodblog.marthastewart.com/2010/01/easy-chicken-liver-pate.html

Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: --

Cook Time: 40 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Recipe from Everyday Italian: Rustic Italian Cooking episode

Tortilla Soup from Everyday Food

Prep: 30 minutes Total: 30 minutes
To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls, and then let everyone pick and choose from among the suggested mix-ins and toppings: toasted corn tortilla strips, lime wedges, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, diced green peppers, sliced scallions, diced avocado, and cilantro sprigs. You can also use leftover or store-bought roasted chicken in this soup; use two quarts homemade or reduced-sodium canned chicken broth instead of the cooking liquid.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

• FOR THE SOUP
• 4 (about 1 1/2 pounds) skinless chicken thighs
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 jalapeno chile, diced (with seeds for more heat)
• 6 corn tortillas, (6 inches)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• salt
• FOR GARNISH
• 1 cup shredded (5 ounces) Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 large scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro sprigs
• lime, cut in wedges

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, bring chicken, broth, jalapeno, and 8 cups of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; let cool.

Brush both sides of tortillas with oil, stacking them as you go. Cut stack in half, and then slice crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. Place strips on a rimmed baking sheet; bake, tossing strips occasionally, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Using a large spoon, skim fat from surface of broth in pot, and strain liquid through a sieve into a clean pot (you should have about 8 cups). Shred chicken with a fork or with your fingers, and return it to the pot. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Divide soup among serving bowls, and add tortilla strips. Garnish as desired.

From Everyday Food, May/June 2003