lemony chicken meatball soup with spinach

 

Excellent!  Hall of Fame, in fact.  My family loved this soup.

lemony chicken meatball soup with spinach (my husband found the recipe)

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 small red onion, 1/2 diced and 1/2 grated then squeezed with a paper towel

1/2 cup packed fresh dill leaves, finely chopped (I used 1 tablespoon freeze dried dill)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

kosher salt and black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil (I used half)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more for serving

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups packed baby spinach (I'll double next time!)

2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges for serving

In a medium bowl, add the chicken, feta, 1/4 cup oats, grated onion, most of the dill, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt.  Gently combine without squeezing too hard or overworking the meat.  Shape the meat into small balls about 1 1/2 inches.  You might have approximately 25 balls.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add the diced onion, season with salt and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon turmeric and the red pepper flakes, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Push the onions to the sides as best you can, then add the meatballs.  Cook until browned on two sides, 5-7 minutes.

Pour in the broth and remaining 1/2 cup oats, then gently tilt the pot to the right and left to distribute the oats and broth without disturbing the meatballs.  Bring to a gentle boil; then immediately reduce the heat to maintain an active simmer.  Season with salt.  Cook, gently stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, until the oats have softened and the meatballs are cooked through, about 4 minutes more.

Stir in the spinach and lemon juice until the spinach is wilted.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.  Spoon into bowls, top with pepper and the remaining dill.  Serve with lemon wedges.

pumpkin curry soup

 

I'm regretting not putting a topping on the soup to make it pretty.  That's okay- my husband ate four bowls of this soup so it was fine without the extra effort.  I served this soup with warm naan bread.

pumpkin curry soup (well plated by erin)

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 coups chopped sweet onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I had to use 1 tsp dried ginger)

3 tablespoons thai red curry paste

2-3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 cans pumpkin puree (I used one 28 ounce can)

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (do not omit, it balances the flavor of the soup)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk

for topping:  chopped roasted peanuts or pepitas, chopped fresh cilantro, plain nonfat Greek yogurt

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until translucent.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 additional minute, until fragrant.  Stir in the thai curry paste.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup of the broth and the peanut butter until smooth.  Add the mixture to the pot.  Add the pumpkin, sugar, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, and 1 2/3 cups of the remaining broth.  Stir until well combined.

With an immersion blender, puree the soup until completely smooth, adding a little of the coconut milk if it is too thick to blend smoothly.  Stir in the remaining coconut milk.  If the soup is too thick for your liking, add additional broth until you reach your desired consistency.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired.  Serve hot with toppings of your choice.

greek lemon rice

 

I forgot to get a photo of my greek lemon rice until my greek bowl was stirred up and looking not so photogenic.  That's alright- the rice was great!

greek lemon rice (creme de la crumb)

1 cup long grain white rice

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (I used 1 teaspoon dried dill)

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter.  Stir in rice for 1 minute then stir in turmeric.  Stir in the broth, lemon juice and salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a high simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout.  Fluff with a fork, stir in fresh herbs if desired and serve.

ginger chicken asparagus stir fry

 

This is the best stir fry I've ever made.  My son had three helpings!

I halved the sugar; the full amount is not necessary.

ginger chicken asparagus stir fry (foxandbriar.com)

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, sliced

2 tablespoons oil

salt

pepper

for the sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used 2 tablespoons and it was plenty!)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root 

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce

Whisk together all ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they have released their water and the pan is dry 5-10 minutes.  Remove mushrooms from the pan.

Return pan to heat and add one tablespoon of oil.  Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring often until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from pan.

Wipe out pan if needed.  Return pan to heat and add the other tablespoon of oil.  Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden.

Add the mushrooms and the chicken back to the pan, cook for 3 minutes, until starting to brown.

Add the asparagus and cook 1-2 minutes, until turning bright green.

Add the sauce and stir until everything is coated and sauce has thickened, about 1 minute.

Serve over rice if desired.

mexican street tacos (carne asada)

 

My son said they were "fire".  Or was it "gas"?  Either way,  I'll take it!

mexican street tacos (damndelicious)

2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

mini corn or flour tortillas, warmed

3/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 lime, cut into wedges

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano.

Add steak and marinate for at least 1 hour up to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add marinated steak and cook, stirring often, until steak has browned and marinade has rediced about 5-6 minutes or until desired doneness.

Serve steak in tortillas, topped with onion, lime and cilantro (I combined the onion, lime and cilantro with some diced tomatoes).

easy vegan cabbage roll soup

 

I made this soup for my vegan daughter and froze small portions for her to have on hand.  She texted me, "Wow that was definitely the best vegan soup I've ever ever had!!!  Thank you very much it was super yummy!!"  I'll be making it again for her.

easy vegan cabbage roll soup (adapted from it doesn't taste like chicken)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces (5 cups)

6 cups vegan beefless broth or vegetable broth

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

3/4 cup uncooked basmati rice (I used 1 (15 ounce) can white beans)

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 bay leaf

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup vegan beef crumbles

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped for garnish

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions have turned translucent and begin to brown.

Stir in the cabbage, 6 cups of broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, and all the spices. 

Add the vegan beef crumbles.

Bring the soup to a simmer and cook stirring as needed, for about 25 minutes or until the rice (I used beans) and cabbage are tender.

Serve hot with fresh parsley.

no bake chocolate cheesecake

 

Our sweet neighbor and her daughter delivered a slice of chocolate cheesecake to daughter #3 who LOVES Oreos (the crust is made from Oreos).  It was of course delicious and I want to make it sometime.

This recipe had me at no bake.

no bake chocolate cheesecake (my friend and neighbor jenny)

18-20 Oreo cookies- blend in food processor until crumbs

6 tablespoons, melted- add to Oreo crumbs and blend until combined

Press Oreo mixture into a 12" springform pan.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

filling

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, melted

3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whipping cream- whisk until soft peaks form

Mix cream cheese until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt to cream cheese and mix until well combined.  Add melted chocolate chips and mix well.  Gently fold in whipped cream.  Pour mixture over frozen crust.  Spread evenly.  Refrigerate overnight or until set.

topping

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Heat chocolate chips and whipping cream in a glass bowl in the microwave.  Stir after 1 minute.  Continue to heat until it is fully blended and mixed together.   Pour over top of cooled cheesecake.  Refrigerate 1 hour.  After the cake is cooled, slide a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen.  Open springform pan and slice.  Top with berries if desired.