winter squash soup

Spring forward. Except, as usual, it looks nowhere near spring outside. It's cloudy and rainy and dreary... and the perfect weather for soup.

I received this recipe from my friend Sara after many food discussions during our recent vacation. She and her husband, John, highly recommended it so I thought I would give it a shot. I love squash soup, but it's sometimes difficult to find a recipe without copious amounts of heavy cream. I was happy to see this healthier version - and just as happy with the taste! Freddy and I both give it a thumbs-up and we will be making this again.

I didn't have everything on hand: I used acorn squash, omitted the tomato (but added a bit of tomato paste), used great northern beans in place of the black beans, and a lemon wedge instead of lime. I also went a bit blender happy and blended the whole batch - which I think lent itself to a nice consistency.

Source: Eating Well

Winter Squash Soup
Serves eight

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds buttercup squash, peeled and diced (about 6 cups)
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 15-ounce cans pinto or other brown beans, rinsed
10 ounces spinach, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add broth and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add squash, tomato, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the squash is very soft and almost breaking apart, about 20 minutes.

Transfer 3 cups of the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the pureed soup to the pot. Stir in beans and spinach and cook over medium heat until the beans are heated through and the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.

To make squash bowls:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice about an inch off the top of each buttercup squash. Scoop out seeds and loose flesh. Pour 1/2 inch water into a glass baking dish (or two) large enough to hold the squash. Place squash cut-side down in the water. Bake until the flesh is tender when gently poked with a knife and the squash still holds its shape, about 30 minutes.

seriously yummy (and simple) french onion soup

I'm not feeling well this evening and figured that chicken noodle soup was a must. But, I only had beef broth in the pantry so French onion soup it was! I never realized how simple it would be to make! You definitely need to try this recipe.

Freddy and I derived this from several other recipes. I left the cheese and bread off the top of mine - I didn't think that it was needed. But, I might take the tip from Cooking Light next time and toast a bit of cheese on top of a slice of baguette.


French Onion Soup
Serves two

Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 clove garlic, smashed and left whole (you'll fish this out later)
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 14-oz can beef broth (I used Swanson - use low sodium for a healthier option)
Dash worshtechire sauce
1 small pinch of dried thyme (or 1 fresh thyme sprig)
2 slices toasted baguette
Shredded swiss or gruyere cheese (we used sliced mozzarella)

Instructions
Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onions, brown sugar and pepper, stirring frequently until onions are caramelized. Add garlic, worshtechire sauce, beef broth and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove garlic and thyme sprig, if used.

Transfer soup to ovenproof bowls. Top with toasted bread and cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

frittata

Frittatas are sort of like omelets, but without the fussy French preparation. All the filling is  mixed in with the egg and then set under the broiler to set the top. As with omelets, the possibilities are endless. I made mine with spinach, leeks, mozzarella, tomato and asparagus. Yum!

The following is a basic recipe for a frittata. Fill as you wish. Be sure to use an oven-proof pan.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis


Frittata
Serves three

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 cup of filling total (vegetables, cheese, cooked chicken or seafood, prosciutto, ham, etc)

Instructions
Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Heat the oil and butter in a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Saute the vegetables (slowest cooking first) until tender. Mix in any meat or seafood. Pour the egg mixture over the meat/vegetables and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Sprinkle with cheese (optional). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Slice into wedges and serve.

tuscan vegetable soup

Today was a soup kind of day. Actually, I planned on making this even before I knew it would be a snowy mess. Look at me planning ahead! This recipe is by Ellie Krieger from foodnetwork.com.

We thought it was really good... but it could use a little bit of extra simmering to break down the vegetables more. I also think my can of "diced tomatoes" needed a bit more dicing. They are huge! I have a feeling this is going to be even better tomorrow after sitting in the fridge overnight. I cut the recipe in half, except for the beans and tomatoes - so that I could use the full cans. Most of the comments on the food network site suggested adding an extra can of mashed beans, so it worked out well.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1/2 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed (I used a full can)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 carrot, diced (about 1/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, diced, (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 small zucchini, diced (about 3/4 cups)
1/2 clove garlic, minced (I used 1 small clove)
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounces low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
1/2 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes (I used one can)
1 cup chopped baby spinach leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan, optional (I omitted)

Instructions
In a small bowl mash half of the beans with a masher or the back of a spoon, and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more.

Serve topped with Parmesan, if desired.

poached leeks

These were good too. I love leeks. They have such a great mild onion flavor. But, I need to make sure to cook them a little longer next time! From Russian, German & Polish Food & Cooking.

Poached Leeks
Serves two

Ingredients
2 leeks, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Parboil or blanch the leeks in a pan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse quickly under cold water. Gently pat dry with paper towels.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently cook the leeks for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain well. Sprinkle with parsley and black pepper if desired, and serve with grated cheese on top (I skipped the cheese).

carrots in beer

We needed some type of "veggie" and I think that carrots go great with slow-cooked beef. Add some beer, and you've got an Oktoberfest side! These were pretty good. I would make them again if I'm itching for something to do with carrots. I found the recipe randomly online. However, the original had dill added.

Carrots in Beer
Serves two

Ingredients
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into ribbons with a peeler
1/2 tablespoon butter (no substitute)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 bottle beer

Instructions

Saute carrots in the butter until barely brown. Add beer; cook slowly for 15 minutes. Carrots should be crisp/tender.

Add salt and sugar and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Serve hot.

the perfect steak

NY strip steak was also on sale yesterday, so I changed my chicken piccata plans and we grilled steak for dinner, served with sugared asparagus (one of our favorites) and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

We learned the sugared asparagus trick about a year ago on the Next Food Network Star (we still think Rory should have won)! They're a perfect pair for steak, we think.

Freddy learned the perfect way to grill steak from another Food Network star, Bobby Flay.

Perfectly Grilled Steak

Ingredients:
2 NY strip steaks (ours were about 10 oz a piece)
Dale's Seasoning or your choice of marinade

Freddy's Instructions:
Let your steak reach room temperature before grilling. Some people might tell you that this isn't necessary, however based on the number of articles I have read, I feel that this helps grill your steak more evenly and faster. Season. You can use your marinade of choice. I sometimes use Dale's or put together a do it yourself marinade. A light brushing of olive oil and maybe some fresh cracked pepper is also a simple choice. The Seasoning and marinade is entirely up to you.

Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill.

Place the steaks on the grill and only flip once based on the time outlined below. Take the time and divide in half for each side. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will let the juices flow out from the center so the whole steak is nice and juicy.

I use the following scale below for grilling times by thickness. These times are total cooking times. Times are approximate and will vary depending on the type of grill:

Sugared Asparagus
Ingredients:
1/2 lb asparagus, woody ends removed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the asparagus in olive oil and then sprinkle with sugar to thoroughly coat. Bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 red skinned potatoes
2 cloves of garlic, roasted in the oven (while still in paper) with olive oil until "squishy"
1-2 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Parsley (to garnish)

Instructions:
Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain water. Smash with a potato masher. Add garlic (removed from paper). Mash more. Add 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 tablespoon butter. Mash more and add the rest of the sour cream/butter if needed. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chopped parsley.

Serves two.

spinach + ricotta stuffed chicken with lemon sauce + roasted green beans

I was that strange child that actually loved her spinach. And, to this day, that love has endured. I've been seeing stuffed chicken breast recipes here and there, and decided to give it a go. I guess I was feeling adventurous! I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com, and this one on recipezaar.com, and combined the two.

I thought that I ended up with twice as much stuffing than I needed. And, it was also starting to soften a bit due to the heat, so next time I'll throw it into the fridge. Freddy and I thought it tasted phenomenal. Unfortunately, we ate it before I could snap a picture. We'll be sure to bring it back soon!

Green Beans
1/2 lb green beans, ends snapped off
1/2 pt grape tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Preheat oven to 400°F. Put the pan in the oven until you're ready to use it. Toss green beans and tomatoes in olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes.

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Lemony White Wine Sauce

Stuffing:
1 cup cooked, chopped, and drained fresh spinach
1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup mozarella
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg

Sauce:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Chicken:
2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Italian bread crumbs

Make the Stuffing: In a bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, Gorgonzola, and bacon and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add the egg, mix well, and set aside.

Make the Sauce: Combine the wine and stock in a non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a sauce-like consistency. Whisk in the mustard, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.

Make the Chicken: Place each chicken breast between 2 doubled-up sheets of plastic wrap, and pound to an even 1/4-inch thickness with a meat-pounder or rolling pin. Divide the stuffing between the breasts, mounding it along the center of each. Fold the bottom edge of each breast over the stuffing, fold in the sides, and roll forward until completely wrapped, to form a tight rolled package. Secure each flap with a toothpick. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, to taste and roll in bread crumbs to coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Cover the skillet, turn the heat down to low, and cook until just cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the sauce into the skillet over high heat and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.

Slice the chicken into medallions, divide among plates, and spoon some of the sauce over each. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.