Roasted Tomato & Barley Soup

I pinned this to my "healthy" board on Pinterest because it looked good...and pretty healthy.  I had a lot of the ingredients on hand already, so I thought I'd give it a try today.  I loved it.  It's incredibly easy and very comforting.  I used a hand blender to smooth it out some at the end, and added some salt and pepper.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.  Served with a cheese quesadilla, this made a really great dinner.

From Campbell's Kitchen

1 can (about 28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained, reserving juice (I used these whole peeled tomatoes with a basil leaf)

2 large onions, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness® or Certified Organic)

2 stalks celery, diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Heat the oven to 425°F.  Place the tomatoes, onions and garlic into a large roasting pan.  Drizzle the oil over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Roast for 25 minutes.
• Place the vegetables into a 3-quart saucepan.  Stir in the reserved tomato juice, broth, celery and barley and heat to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low.  Cover and cook for 35 minutes or until the barley is tender.  Stir in the parsley.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos

I thought about taking pictures while I was making this.  It didn't happen.  I didn't get the whole thing done yet, I just wanted to make sure I got the potatoes cooked and the slaw put together so I could have it ready for a weeknight meal.  As soon as the potatoes were done, I scooped some in a bowl and added a little slaw.  Wow, these are DELICIOUS!  I can't wait to add the beans and wrap it in a tortilla.  Such a refreshing, healthy, inexpensive take on tacos.  I got the recipe from Joy The Baker.  Go to her site.  You'll love her.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

serves 4

inspired by WindAttack

Print this Recipe!

For the Potatoes:

2 sweet potatoes (really orange-fleshed yams), peeled and cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and red chili flakes to taste

juice of 1 lime

For the Cabbage Slaw:
2 heaping cups shredded cabbage (I used Chinese cabbage because it's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onions
2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 2 limes
salt and red chili flakes to taste
For the Beans:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lime
small corn tortillas (I'll use flour, just my preference)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place peeled and diced sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet.  Top with olive oil, salt and chili flakes, and lime juice.  Toss together until all of the potato chunks are coated.  Place in the oven to bake until softened through and toasted brown.  This usually takes about 40 minutes.   Remove the cookie sheet once or twice during baking to toss the potato chunks around.  This will ensure that the cubes cook evenly.  Remove from the oven and let stand when cooked through.
While the potatoes cook, assemble the Cabbage Slaw.  In a medium bowl, place cabbage, yellow, and chopped cilantro.  Add lime juice, salt and chili flakes.  Toss to coat and set aside while the potatoes cook and beans heat.  Letting the cabbage slaw sit will help soften the cabbage.
To cook the beans, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add onions and cook until transluscent, about 3 minutes.  Add ground cumin and stir until fragrant.  Add beans and lime juice.  Cook until heated through.
Heat corn tortillas in a hot saucepan with just a touch of oil.  Heat through and serve with potatoes, beans, and slaw. 

Jalapeno Poppers - with Bacon!

The title says it all, really!  Jalapeno, cream cheese and bacon...wrapped in a crescent roll.  YUMMY!  I unknowingly purchased the garlic butter crescent rolls, and that was totally fine.  Made them smell even better in the oven!

Here's the link to the blog I got the recipe from.  She's got a great writing style, and good photos.  So go there.  And make these.  Then eat them.

http://aisletoaloha.blogspot.com/2011/01/pop-em-like-theyre-hot.html

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Yum!  These are good, and they are SO easy.  We were having a big group of family over for a birthday/football party, and I chose to make these.  I'm glad I did...and I'm glad there are a few left!  I used the cheese I had on hand, regular pepperoni and Italian sausage, just because I wanted to.  I'm pretty sure you could use any pizza ingredients you want.

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/02/sausage-pepperoni-pizza-puffs.html


3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 oz mini turkey pepperoni, (about 1/2 cup)
4 oz low-fat sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup pizza sauce


Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. (*I used a silicone pan, no grease.  Came out great!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, sausage and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Emeril's Chicken Salad

I haven't been blogging much lately...obviously. We got an offer on our house and moved 27 days later (yikes!), and then I found this website and haven't really done much else. This recipe though...this is blog worthy. Drool worthy, really. One night, I asked some friends what they'd had for dinner , and one of the responses was "chicken salad wraps" and I thought "yum! I haven't had chicken salad in a long time!" so I did some research and came upon Emeril's Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs. I don't know when the last time was I was this excited about lunch. Try it for yourself. I used light mayo, works just fine. It is a bit spicy though, but you can tame that by cutting the cayenne pepper. I also used the same herbs mentioned (parsley and tarragon). I'm now eating the last of this batch and I can't wait to make it again. It's not yo mamma's chicken salad. It's Emeril's. And now it's mine!

2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 C mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 C finely diced celery stalks, plus 1/4 C chopped celery leaves
1/3 C finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley and tarragon)
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 to 3 avocados, halved and pitted (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. rinse the chicken briefly under cool running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the oil in a 12" ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Roast 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees when tested with an instant read thermometer. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, celery and leaves, red onion, herbs, celery seeds and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into a 1/2 inch dice, add it to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. If not serving immediately, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Serve in avocado halves, if desired.

Used to be Dianne's Lasagna

I can't believe this recipe isn't on this blog yet! I make it fairly regularly. I got a recipe from Dave's sister Dianne. She makes it every Christmas. I've tweaked it to my liking, and now it's mine, but it used to be Dianne's.

Lasagna Noodles - do not cook
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz plain yogurt
2 jars spaghetti sauce (barilla 3 cheese)
1 lb hamburger, browned and drained
8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (State Brand Mild Cheddar)
1Tbsp Tastefully Simple Onion Onion (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. After browning and draining beef, add almost all the spaghetti sauce. If you have it, add some Tastefully Simple Onion Onion to this mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese with plain yogurt and cheddar cheese. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer Noodles, meat sauce and yogurt mixture. Continue layering for a total of three layers, ending with noodles and sauce. Pour remaining sauce around edges.
Cover and seal with aluminum foil so that the steam can not escape. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on lasagna and return to oven (without the foil) for 15 minutes longer or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6

Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker

I recently joined a CSA, which means I get a box of veggies from a local farm every week. Some of them are things I've never tried and am not sure what to do with...like bok choy and kohlrabi. So rather than letting them go to waste while I try to figure it out, I chop them up and use them in soup. I'm thrilled this turned out so yummy, because it is definitely a "throw what you have in the crockpot" kind of soup. So, I prepped my veggies, poached my chicken, and made it into soup. I just finished eating a bowl of it...I wish I would have waited so I could remember what all was in it!

6 chicken thighs, poached (or cooked the way you like)
2 heads kohlrabi, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
bok choy, chopped (not sure how much there was)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
Onion
2 Tbsp chicken base
water

I literally threw everything (varying amounts, whatever I had on hand) into the crock pot, covered it with water, and let it cook on low for 7 hours or so. Then I shredded the chicken and cooked it a little while longer. Sorry it's not more descriptive, but when it comes to chicken soup, I think you mainly have to get the right liquid flavor. I had chicken base (a yellow powdery substance) to use, but I'm sure chicken bouillon would work, as well as using chicken stock instead of water. A recipe I read suggested adding a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the soup, but I don't have any on hand. (*note to self: buy balsamic!)