Recipes for My Readers
It is Winter...I am pregnant...blah blah blah...anyway....cooking is a favorite hobby of mine...especially when we are snowed in. I thought I would share some of our winter recipes that have made wonderful family dinners and several leftovers for lunches! (We believe there is no better quality time then family dinners, around the table, catching up on each other's lives)
I haven't shared recipes in awhile either here for my dedicated readers so I thought I would finally get on that!
The recipes below have been great dinner recipes and even leftovers for lunches!
ENJOY!!
Mel's Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
Mel is my favorite blogger and always shares the best recipes...this is one of my faves!
Mel’s
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
4-6 chicken breasts, cooked &
diced
1 large (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce) can enchilada sauce
(I use medium, but you can use mild or hot)
1 medium onion, chopped
(Or, if you are a cheater like me, I buy the pre-diced onion. My eyes are SO
sensitive to onion & my eyes water so badly. The pre-diced stuff is the
best invention since sliced bread!)
1 can chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
For the garnish:
Corn Tortillas
Avocado
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Green Onions
Here are the Super Easy directions:
1. Boil your chicken breasts until fully cooked. Then, dice them up!
2. Place diced chicken, diced
tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, mined garlic & corn into
your crock pot.
3. Pour in chicken broth, add cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper.
5. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 6
hours or on High for 2 to 3 hours.
About 30 minutes before you are going to serve the soup, you need to get the
tortillas ready!
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with olive oil (or vegetable oil,
whatever you have on hand!)
Cut tortillas into strips (I use a
pizza cutter) then spread on a baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve,
put tortilla strips over soup.
Then, I garnish that with sour cream, shredded cheese & sliced up avocado
Shells with Crispy Pancetta and Spinach
Another fab recipe from Giada DeLaurentis
Shells with Crispy Pancetta and
Spinach
Ingredients
Shells:
1 (12-ounce) package jumbo shells pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thick-cut pancetta, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 pounds frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta
1 cup grated asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cream
2 cups grated asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the shells:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and
cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to
10 minutes. Drain pasta.
Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta
and cook until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the
pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl. Add the spinach, ricotta
cheese, asiago cheese, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Stuff the shells
with about 2 tablespoons of the spinach mixture each and place the stuffed
shells in a large, buttered baking dish.
For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add
the cream and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to very low and add the 2 cups
asiago cheese, parsley, and pepper. Stir until the cheese is dissolved. Pour
the sauce over the shells. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake
until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve
immediately.
Crockpot Tortellini Soup
Crockpot Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 medium zucchini, in 1-inch cubes, about 1 cup
3 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) canned great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 to 2 tablespoons dried leaf basil
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces fresh or dry cheese-filled tortellini, cooked
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients except tortellini in Crock Pot. Mix well. Cover and
cook on Low setting for at least 6 hours. When ready to serve, increase heat to
High setting. Add cooked tortellini. Cook 10 minutes longer, until heated
through.
Chicken, Fig and Prosciuotto Rolls (I served this with steamed asparagus- DELISH!)
Chicken,
Fig and Prosciutto Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 chicken breasts per person
- 1-2 teaspoons of fig jam per chicken breast
- 1 slice of prosciutto per chicken breast
- 1 slice of mozzarella cheese per chicken breast if you
tolerate/enjoy dairy
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Tablespoons of oil of choice
- optional: balsamic vinegar
- kitchen string
What
to do
- Pound your chicken breasts between 2 sheets of
parchment paper or plastic wrap until they are about 1/4 inch thick.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pound it
flat
- Spread 1-2 teaspoons of fig jam over your flat chicken
breasts.
- Lay a piece of prosciutto over the top of the jam
layer.
- Top the prosciutto with a slice of mozzarella (or
cheese of your choice) if you want to include dairy.
Ready to
roll
- Now roll your chicken jelly-roll style and secure with
kitchen string.
- Brown your little rolls in a frying pan over high heat
with the oil of your choice (I used ghee).
Brown on
all sides
- Put your browned chicken rolls into a 220 C oven (425
F) for an additional 15-20 minutes. I cook with cast iron pans so I just
put my pan right in the oven. You could also transfer your chicken rolls
to an oven proof dish.
I love my
cast iron pans that can go right into the oven
- Optional: drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving.
Crockpot Chicken and Farro Risotto
Crockpot
Chicken and Farro Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
- Combine the broth, farro, mushrooms, leeks, Parmesan
rind, bay leaf, nutmeg, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a 4-
to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with the chicken.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for
6 to 7 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total recipe
time).
- Discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf. Using 2 forks,
shred the chicken into large pieces. Stir in the butter and grated
Parmesan.
- Sprinkle the risotto with the parsley and serve with
additional grated Parmesan.
Roasted Chicken and Winter Root Vegetables
Whole Roasted Chicken with Winter
Root Vegetables
Ingredients
3-4 pounds whole chicken, skin on,
giblets removed
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into
bite-sized chunks
2 medium russet potatoes, cubed
1-2 pound butternut squash, peeled
and cubed
2-3 parsnips, peeled, cut into
bite-sized chunks
1 Tbsp olive oil
kosher salt and fresh ground black
pepper
fresh thyme and rosemary
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Remove chicken from fridge and allow to come to room temperature.
Be sure to remove giblets, if necessary.
2. Meanwhile, cut all your
vegetables. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss to combine. Set
aside.
3. Rinse the chicken under
running water. Place chicken in baking dish, roasting pan, or a shallow
baking pan like photographed above. Use a clean paper towel to pat the
chicken dry.
4. Generously salt and pepper
the chicken- inside and outside. Season with chopped herbs. Tuck
the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place prepared
vegetables around chicken.
5. Roast chicken and
vegetables for 45-60 minutes. By this time the skin should be a nice
golden brown. To check for doneness, remove pan from oven and use an
instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature of the thighs. At 165
degrees, the chicken is safe to eat. However, I prefer to cook the tights
to at least 175-180 degrees. If thigh is not at temperature, place pan
back in the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Then check
temperature again.
6. Once done, remove chicken
from roasting dish. Transfer to a cutting board or serving platter and
allow to rest for a little bit before cutting into. Slice the chicken and serve
with accompanying vegetables.
****The veggies I used were awesome: I opted to use sweet potatoes, red bliss potatoes, red onions, asparagus, golden beets and winter squash***
Taco Pie
Taco Pie Recipe
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas, halved
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 pound ground pork
Kosher salt
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 4.25-ounce cans chopped green chiles
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded mozzarella (preferably reduced sodium)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Add the tortillas and cook, flipping a few times, until
golden, about 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and transfer to a paper towel-lined
plate to drain.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cayenne and cook 30 seconds. Add the pork and 1/4 teaspoon
salt and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in
the tomatoes, chiles and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly
thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from the heat and stir in
the cilantro.
Arrange half of the tortillas in the bottom of a 9-to-10-inch pie plate. Top
with half of the meat mixture, then half of the cheese. Repeat with the
remaining tortillas, meat and cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake until
the cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
Holly's Healthy Chicken Pot Pie
*I substituted phylo dough for the crust- lighter, flakier, tastier and half the calories!
Chicken
Pot Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
·
1 Tablespoon olive oil
·
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and
chopped
·
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
·
2 stalks of celery, diced
·
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
·
2 cups fresh or frozen green beans,
cut to about 1/2"
·
1 cup low sodium, fat free chicken
broth
·
3/4 cup reduced fat milk (We used
1%)
·
1/2 cup all purpose flour
·
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
·
1 1/2 LB boneless, skinless chicken
thighs, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces.
·
1 box of refrigerated pie crusts,
make sure they are not frozen and the crusts are soft enough to be unrolled.
Directions:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil to medium high
heat, add sweet potato, carrots, celery and onions. Saute 1-2 minutes
until vegetables start to soften.
- Add 3 Tablespoons flour, Poultry Seasoning, Black
Pepper and 1 1/4 cups of the milk. Whisk to combine and reduce heat to medium.
- Add green beans. Continue to cook about 5 minutes until
slightly thickened.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth, 3/4
cup milk, 1/2 cup flour, Poultry Seasoning, Black Pepper and Parsley. Make
sure the flour is completely incorporated and there are no lumps.
- Add chicken, sour cream and chicken broth mixture to
the vegetables, stir to combine and increase heat to medium high. Once
mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes or
until mixture becomes thick and creamy.
- Pour mixture into a 2 quart round casserole. Unroll the
pie crust and carefully place over the hot filling. Seal the edges and
crimp or flute if desired.
- With a fork, pierce the top of the crust 4 or 5 times.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pie crust is golden
brown and the mixture is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let stand about 10 minutes before
serving.
