Senegalese Peanut Stew with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Weight Watchers. 

Ingredients:
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 medium onion(s), roughly chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), cored and roughly chopped
1/2 pound(s) sweet potato(es), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cup(s) vegetable broth, reduced-sodium
6 Tbsp peanut butter, natural, creamy-variety
8 cup(s) spinach, leaves, stemmed, packed, chopped

Directions:
Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potato and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the ginger, cloves, salt and cayenne; cook for 30 seconds.

Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring once in a while, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the spinach; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Yields about 1 2/3 cups per serving.


One Year Ago: Olive Garden Style Salad Dressing and Garlic Bread
Two Years Ago: Moroccan Lamb Chops & Couscous
Three Years Ago: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Leftover Turkey Soup: Part Duex

Another year, another Thanksgiving, another chance to make Leftover Turkey Soup! This year I didn't have any good leftover veggies to add into the soup, so I roasted some Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts while the broth simmered.

Ingredients:
Broth:
Turkey carcass
2 quarters of a large onion (or 4 quarters of a medium onion)
Celery tops/leaves
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh rosemary
A few leaves of fresh sage
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Soup:
Leftover turkey, shredded or cut into bite-size pieces
Large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped

2 sweet potatoes
1 lb Brussel Sprouts

Directions:
Cover turkey carcass in soup pot with water. Add remaining broth ingredients. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, chop sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper  and roast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut Brussel Sprouts in half. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove stock from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, saving the liquid, and throwing away the carcass, vegetables, and herbs.

In the soup pot, add a bit of oil and cook onions and celery over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add strained stock. Add the turkey and remaining vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls.

Curried Zucchini Soup

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 tsp evoo
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch half moons
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup plain fat-free or low fat yogurt
Salt and pepper


Directions:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, ginger, curry powder, and garam masala. Cook 3 more minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes Puree soup in blender or food processor until smooth. Whisk in yogurt.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1 tbsp evoo
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups water
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Cut cauliflower into florets and slice stems into 1/4 inch pieces. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add water, cover, bring to a simmer, and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree vegetables and cooking liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to saucepan and whisk in sour cream and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Apple-Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe from The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp evoo
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (or 2 packages of frozen pureed squash)
3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup unsweetened apple cider
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add squash, cover and cook 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add broth and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Puree solid ingredients to blender or food processor with apple juice until smooth. Add 1/3 cups of the cooking liquid and puree til smooth. Stir back into the pan.

Pasta e Fagiole

I decided to make an Olive Garden style dinner tonight - Soup, Salad and Bread! The main event was Pasta e Fagiole, recipe adapted from Recipezaar.



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon oil
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
42 ounces beef stock
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jar spaghetti sauce
4 ounces dry pasta shell macaroni

Directions:
Sauté beef in oil in large pot until beef starts to brown. Add onions, celery and peppers and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add beans, beef stock, oregano, pepper, red pepper flakes, spaghetti sauce and pasta shells.

Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.

Leftover Turkey Soup

November was a pretty slow cooking month for me - the beginning of the month was my birthday and the various celebrations that surrounds that date, then we went on vacation for 9 days, which was immediately followed by Thanksgiving! All of which means that post-TDay is the first opportunity I've really had to cook all month, and what a better way than to make use of delicious leftovers! The first leftover dish I made was Turkey Soup, the idea of which came from this Food Network recipe, with my own little twists.



Ingredients:
Broth:
Turkey carcass
2 quarters of a large onion (or 4 quarters of a medium onion)
Celery tops/leaves
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh rosemary
A few leaves of fresh sage
Bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Soup:
Leftover turkey, shredded or cut into bite-size pieces
Half of a large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
Box of frozen corn
Leftover vegetables (I had leftover roasted potatoes which I quartered)

Directions:
Cover turkey carcass in soup pot with water. Add remaining broth ingredients. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.

Remove stock from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve, saving the liquid, and throwing away the carcass, vegetables, and herbs.

In the soup pot, add a bit of oil and cook onions and celery over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add strained stock. Add the turkey and remaining vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls.

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Based off of a friend's recipe, plus these recipes from Allrecipe and recipezaar. Below is my version, using chicken sausage since I don't eat the real thing!




Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb chicken breasts
1 package of al fresco Spicy Jalapeno chicken sausages (package of 4), cut in half vertically, then sliced into bite size pieces
1 large onion, chopped into bite size pieces
2 bell peppers (I used red and green), chopped into bite size pieces
4 stalks celery, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 cups chicken stock (I used bouillon cubes)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
About 2 cups frozen chopped okra
Optional: Hot Sauce (preferably Louisiana brand)
Brown rice, cooked

Directions:
Boil the chicken until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Once cooked, shred into bite size pieces.

Heat oil over medium heat in saute pan. Add sausage, onions, peppers, celery, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and celery is soft.

Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When hot, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until the roux has cooked to the color of chocolate milk, 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the roux. If you see black specks in the mixture, start over.

When you're happy with the color of your roux, add 2 cups of chicken broth, stir, making sure there are no lumps or anything sticking to the bottom of the pan. Then add the remaining 2 cups of broth. Add in the sausage/vegetable mixture once that is soft enough as well as the reserved shredded chicken. Add bay leaf, cajun seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add okra and another 1-2 cups of water depending on how thick you would like the gumbo. Simmer for another 20 minutes.

Serve gumbo over brown rice, or mix rice into the gumbo right before serving.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground round
2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato soup, undiluted
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, frozen
1 1/2 cups hot cooked white rice

Directions:
Heat a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add chopped green bell pepper and onion; cook 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in black pepper, less-sodium beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato soup, and corn kernels; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.

Spoon 1/4 cup hot cooked white rice into each of 6 bowls; top with 1 cup soup.

Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

This soup is amazingly delicious!! Recipe courtesy of About.com.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tbsp curry powder
1 pound butternut squash (about half a medium squash), cut into 1-inch pieces [CB Note: To save time and energy, I used 2 packages of frozen winter squash]
2 ripe medium Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth [CB Note: I used vegetable broth]

Directions:
Heat oil on medium heat in Dutch oven or soup pot. Gently sauté onions until softened—about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and stir, sautéing for 1 minute. Add butternut squash and pear pieces. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until squash and pear are tender. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender and purée until smooth, working in two batches if necessary.

Serves 6
Per Serving: Calories 119, Calories from Fat 17,total Fat 1.9g (sat 0.2g), Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 38mg, Carbohydrate 23g, Fiber 3.2g, Protein 2.5g

Southwest Chicken Black Bean Soup

Recipe found on recipezaar.com

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, strips
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6-8 slices jalapeno peppers (the pickled kind from a jar) - CB Note: I omitted these
2 tablespoons margarine
1 bay leaf
1 pinch tarragon
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch cinnamon
(I also added some cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper)

Directions:
In a medium sized skillet cook chicken until done and no longer pink. Dice and set aside.

Chop bell peppers, onion and jalapeño slices, combine, and add lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

Melt margarine in a large stock pot. Sauté pepper and onion mixture until soft. Add can of crushed tomatoes, stirring, and three cans of black beans, undrained. Add chicken to pot, stirring carefully; then add chicken broth to soup and stir. Next, add all spices. Let simmer until flavors are combined and peppers and onion are soft and tender, about one hour, or until it smells so good you cannot wait.

Late-Summer Vegetable Soup

From my Everyday Food. Top 2 soups I've ever made!!

Ingredients:
4 ears corn, husks and silks removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
8 ounces green beans (stem ends removed), cut into thirds
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup orzo

Directions:
Cut off tip of each ear of corn. One at a time, stand ears in a wide bowl. With a sharp knife, carefully slice downward to release kernels. Discard cobs; set kernels aside.
In a Dutch oven or 5-quart pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Add zucchini, green beans, corn, tomatoes (with juice), and orzo; cook, uncovered, until orzo is tender, 8 to 11 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


I didn't take my own picture apparently...

Tortilla Soup with Chicken and Avocado

Hands down the best soup I've ever made. From the Williams-Sonoma Soup cookbook.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro (Since I hate cilantro, I substituted parsley)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken stock
1 skinless, boneless whole chicken breast, cut into bite-sized strips
Salt and pepper
4 corn tortillas
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
1/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 tsp lime juice

Directions:
In a frying pan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and the 2 tsp cilantro and saute just until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, combine the sauteed mixture and the tomatoes and process until smooth.

In the same frying pan over medium-high heat, warm another 1 tbsp oil. Add the tomato mixture and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and darkened, 5-6 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan over medium-low heat and add the stock. Cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken stripcs and simmer until they are just opaque throughout, 2-3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While soup is cooking, cut the tortillas in half and slice each half into thin strips. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Drop a tortilla strip in oil, and if it sizzles immediatey, the oil is ready. Drop handfuls of the tortilla strips into the oil and fry, turning with tongs, until crisp and browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Divide the tortilla strips, the avocado, cheese and lime juice evenly among bowls and serve immediately.

Pureed Vegetable Soup

Courtesy of the Williams-Sonoma Collections: Soup Cookbook.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 leeks, including light green parts, finely chopped
4 zucchini, sliced
3 waxy or all-purpose potatoes ~ 1lb. total weight, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
6 cups (48 fl oz./1.5L) chick stock or prepare broth
1 cup (6 oz/185g) canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. finely chopped lemon zest

Directions:
In a large saucepan over meduim heat, warm the oil. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and potatoes and sauté until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stock, cover partially, and simmer unti the vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Add the chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Remove the soup from the heat.

In a blender or food processor, purée the soup in batches until smooth and return soup to the pan. Alternatively, process with a handheld blenger in the pan until smooth. Return the soup to medium heat and reheat gently. Stir in 2 tbsp of the parsley. Taste and adjuste the seasoning.

My prepped Zucchini, Potatoes, and Leeks.


Cooking the Leeks


Added the potatoes and zucchini.


Added the stock, tomato paste and simmered!


Pureed Soup!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
6 cups chicken broth
2 (12-ounce) jars roasted red bell peppers preserved in water, drained
1 russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 (3/4-inch thick) baguette slices, cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, bell peppers, potato, wine, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup slightly.

Using an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot until it is smooth. Alternately, working in batches, puree the soup in a regular blender, taking care while blending warm liquids. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and saute until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Dollop a tablespoon of mascarpone in the center of each bowl and top with croutons. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

Silky Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps

Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman

Soup:
1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crisps:
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Chopped chives, for garnish


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop, and reserve. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup, or puree in small batches in a blender* and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, make the Parmesan crisps: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread the shredded cheese over the foil in 1 even thin layer. Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisps. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple shards and a pinch of fresh chives.

Tuscan Tomato Soup

So, I bought this soup cookbook from Williams-Sonoma a few months ago and with the weather getting so cold, I finally decided to give it a shot! The first soup I decided to try (the picture in the book made Justin go "oooh! I want that!") is the Tuscan Tomato Soup!

Tuscan Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
6-8 slices French bread, one inch
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, then diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup finely chopped basil leaves, plus 6-8 whole leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned, turning once, 10-15 minutes total. Set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and stock, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the tomatoes are softened, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches, leaving a little bit of texture if desired, and return the soup to the pot. Return the soup to medium heat and reheat gently. Add the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a slice of toasted bread in the bottom of each warmed bowl and sprinkle with a spoonful of Parmesan cheese. Ladle the soup on top and garnish with a basil leaf.

Makes 6-8 servings.