Summer Minestrone Soup

2 T olive oil
1 c sliced carrot
1 c sliced celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
8 c. chicken stock
14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes, drained
14.5 ounces cannellini beans, drained
2 c chopped yellow squash
2 c chopped zucchini
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 c fresh green beans
1/2 c uncooked pasta
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 ounces kale, chopped
1/4 c. pesto
2 ounces parmesan cheese

Add oil to a pan and heat.  Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste, cook 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and tomatoes, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.  Smash 1 c of the beans in a bowl and add the beans (smashed and unsmashed), squash, pepper, green beans, pasta to the pan.  Increase heat to medium and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in kale and cook 2 minutes.  When you serve, top with pesto and cheese.

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin

1 T canola oil
1 lb pork tenderloin
5/8 tsp  ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted chicken stock
1/2 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 425
Heat  a large skillet to medium  heat and add oil in the pan.  Swirl to coat.  Sprinkle pork with pepper and salt.  Add pork to the pan and cook for 4 minutes.  Turn and cook one more minute.  Cover the pan and bake at 425 for 5 minutes.  Uncover nd bake for another five minutes.  Let the pork stand for 10 minutes and then cut.

Return the pork to the pan and add in stock, cornstarch, and vindegar to the pan.  Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.  Serve!

Tortellini soup

1 bag frozen tortellini
1 sm bag of fresh spinach
2 cans italian diced tomatoes
1 box of veggie broth
1 block of cream cheese

Put it all into a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Best breakfast muffins

1 lb sausage (hot or regular or low fat)
8 eggs
1/4 c skim milk
1/2 T veg oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375
Cook the sausage and put it in a muffin pan that has been sprayed with Pam.
Mix the eggs, milk, oil and baking powder.  Pour over the sausage
Top with cheese and bake until the egg is set

These freeze really well.  Also, they can be chopped up for an instant breakfast burrito.

Baked mozzarella sticks

1/3 c. Panko
3 sticks of mozzarella cheese
3 T egg substitute (or eggs)
 Dipping sauce

Preheat oven to 425.  Add panko to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until toasted.  Cut the mozzarella sticks into 1" pieces.  Dip the cheese into egg and then to panko.  Put on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes or until the cheese is soft.

Kale Caesar Quinoa Salad

2 T hot water
2 T mayo
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp pepper
1 garlic clove
6 T parmesan
6 c kale
1 1/2 c quinoa (cooked)
1 1/2 c chicken (cooked)
2 T toasted walnuts

Combine water, mayo, oil, juice, pepper, and garlic in a bowl and whisk together.  Stir in half the parmesan cheese.  Add kale, quinoa, chicken and toss to coat.  Top with rest of paremsan and walnuts.

*I have not tried this yet, but will*

Risotto primavera

Oh snap, this is good.  I will admit that it requires a little attention, so prep beforehand and do not try to multitask while you are cooking it.  Even if you screw it up, and it is mushy, it still tastes amazing. This recipe is from Cooking Light, with some hints and adaptations from me.  

2 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. water
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T minced garlic
1 T chopped thyme
4 oz. sliced button mushrooms (which, if you are not a mushroom person, are the little white ones, just the regular old mushrooms.  Get them fresh and slice them because you will feel fancy if you do)
1 c. uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. frozen green peas (thawed but not cooked)
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 T cream cheese
1 tsp sherry vinegar (which is really hard to find, so I used red wine vinegar instead and it was great)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (I didn't measure the pepper or salt because that is not how I roll)
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Make sure your chopping is finished before you start anything (onions, mushrooms, etc.)
Bring veggie broth and water to a simmer in a small pan, and then turn the heat to low
Heat a big pan to medium high and add oil.  Swirl it around to coat the pan.  Add in onion and sautee for 2 minutes.  Add garlick, thyme, mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes.  Add rice, and cook 1 minute.  Add wine, cook 30 seconds.

Reduce heat to medium low and add in 1/2 c. of the veggie broth mixture from the small pan.  Cook until absorbed, so about 4 minutes.  Repeat this in 1/2 c. increments until all the broth is in the pan.

Remove from heat, stir in peas, parsley, cream cheese, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle with a little more thyme and parmesan cheese.

Skillet chicken and mozarella

I found this in Cooking Light and adapted it a little.  And cleaned up the very confusing directions. (you're welcome) This is easy and was a hit at our house.

1/3 c. panko
2 T grated parmesan
2 tsp butter (melted)
1 T olive oil
4 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 c chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c. chopped tomato
3/4 c. marinara
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T chopped oregano
2 oz. mozarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400
Chop the tomatoes and onions, and have the minced garlic ready to go (so peel and chop now if you need to).
In a small bowl, put the grated parmesan cheese and butter.  
Heat a large skillet to medium, and add panko.  Saute for 3 minutes - it will start to turn brown.
Add the panko to the bowl is parmesan and butter.

In the hot pan you just dumped the panko out of, add olive oil, and swirl it around until the bottom of the pan is coated.  Put chicken in the pan and salt/pepper it.  Cook 5 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes on the other side.  Remove the chicken from the pan and put it on a plate.

In the same hot pan that the chicken just came out of, add a little more oil, onion, and garlic.  Saute for 2 minutes, and then add tomato, marinara, chicken broth, some salt and pepper, and oregano.  Put the chicken back in the pan with this mixture and bring it all to a boil.

Pour all the mixture in the pan into a corning ware dish, and sprinkle the panko mixture over the top.  Bake in th eoven on 400 for 10 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Cowboy Soup adapted from the Pioneer Woman

• 2-1/2 pounds Ground Chuck (I used one pound)
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (14.5 Ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 3 cups Beef Stock Or Beef Broth, Plus More As Needed (I used four cups)
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 4 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced On The Diagonal
• 5 whole Red Potatoes, Cut Into Chunks
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, More To Taste
• 2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (more To Taste)

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the onion, celery, and garlic. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off as much fat as you can. (Discard the fat once it cools.)

Return the pot to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15-20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender but not overly mushy.

Soup should be somewhat thick, but if you'd like it to be more "soupy," add 1 to 2 cups more broth OR hot water and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.

My adaptation is that I browned the meat with the onion, celery and garlic.  I added it to the crock pot with all the other ingredients and let it cook on low all day.  Served with thinly sliced sourdough, a little cheddar on top of the soup.