Minestrone Soup

Thought I would do Meatless Monday with this Minestrone Soup. The recipe doubles really well. The original recipe called for Vegetable Broth. I have made this several times and like it best with Chicken Broth. I think it gives it a little more flavor. I love a one pot meal!

Minestrone Soup(taste like the Olive Gardens)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white onions, minced
1/2 cup zucchini chopped
1/2 cup frozen green beans, cut
1/4 cup celery, minced
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth(if you are vegetarian use vegetable broth)
30 ounces canned red kidney beans, drained
30 ounces canned white beans, drained
14 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup shell pasta

Directions:
1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the garlic to the pot and saute the last minute.
3. Add chicken broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency. 

Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Minestrone Soup

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Buffalo Chicken Soup 

Yield: 8 servings

ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
4 t. olive oil(or enough to cover the bottom of your dutch oven)
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots cut into half moons 

1/2 cup celery cut into half moons

1/2 packet dry ranch dressing seasoning mix 

6 T. fresh cilantro, divided

64 ounces chicken stock
1 cup of Buffalo Wing Sauce(like Frank’s or Moore's)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup green onions, chopped and divided
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

directions:

Cook the orzo according to the package directions until about half-way done. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Sauté the yellow onion, garlic and half of the green onions in the olive oil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add carrots, ranch dressing seasoning and 4 tablespoons cilantro. Stir to combine and sauté until the carrots begin to soften.

Add the chicken broth, buffalo sauce, cheddar, and shredded chicken. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the carrots are tender, but still have a slight bite.

Bring the soup to a boil, add the underdone orzo and stir frequently until orzo is cooked.

Serve with sliced green onions, cilantro and blue cheese crumbles.
If you like it spicy you can add 1 1/3 cups of buffalo sauce.  But I would start out with 1 cup and go from there.  My kids ate it and thought it was good.  

Plan Ahead Meals- Chicken 3 Ways

This weekend I decided to try planning ahead a little and make chicken 3 ways. Here's what I did. Cooked 7-8 chicken breasts in the crock pot covered in canned enchilada sauce and a little cumin, and a can of chopped green chiles. Cooked on low for 5- 6 hours and  when it was done I shredded the meat and used some of it for chicken tacos/burritos for that night's dinner. With the remainder I made a Tortilla chicken casserole and a Brunswick stew.

Tortilla Chicken Casserole
This can be made ahead.  Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or fresh avocado diced.  


3 T. veg. oil
1 c. minced bell pepper(red or green) whatever you have
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream(or you could use the garlic flavored Philadelphia cooking creme)
5 c. cooked chicken
12 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese




Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot and then add the bell pepper, onion,garlic and salt. Cook 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the cumin and cook for 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes.  Then add the broth and sour cream and simmer for 5 minutes stirring often.  Add chicken, and stir to blend. 


Soften the tortillas in the microwave by layering them between damp paper towels and heat in batches for 30 seconds.  


Arrange 4 tortillas in a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with 1 c. cheese.   Cover with 4 more tortillas.  Repeat the layers with another 1/3 of chicken and 1 cup of cheese.  Add the last 4 tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese.  Can cover with foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days at this point.  


Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-45 minutes until it is bubbling and slightly browned.  If you did not refrigerate it and are baking right after assembling it will not take as long to cook, and I would check it after about 25 minutes.  


You can also freeze this casserole.  Follow the directions but freeze after preparing it.  When ready to cook, bake the foil covered  frozen casserole at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  I remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.  






Brunswick Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork(or can use Kielbasa type sausage cut into bite size pieces, or leftover BBQ)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 (3 pound) whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup hickory flavored barbeque sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 2(14.75 ounce) cans cream style corn
• 1 can of lima beans

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions and celery until soft. Mix in the pork and beef, and cook until evenly browned. Do not drain.
2. Transfer the pork and beef mixture to a large stock pot over low heat.  Could also add it to the crock pot at this point. Stir in the shredded chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Place the green pepper into the mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours, or until thickened.
3. Stir the cream style corn into the stew mixture. Continue cooking 1 hour, or to desired consistency. 
4. If you decide to use the crock pot I just cook it on low all day.  I usually assemble the night before and then plug it in the next day.