Chicken Broccoli and Cheese Soup!

Delicious broccoli and cheese soup with additional protein and veggies. Quick and easy preparation for the crock pot. The only thing I don't like about this recipe is that it calls for the chicken to be cooked before adding it. This recipe will leave some leftovers if it's only for 2.

Ingredients:
1. 1 lb chicken breast
2. 6 baby red potatoes
3. 20 oz frozen broccoli
4. 3 large carrots (not in original recipe, but I like to add them to mine)
5. 3.5 chips chicken broth
6. 1/2 tsp Poultry seasoning
7. 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8. 1 cup milk
9. 3 tbs flour

Recipe:
1. Brown chicken in butter (add onion if desired).
2. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Top with chopped potatoes and carrots, then frozen broccoli.
3. Add chicken broth poultry seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Set crock pot to low for 6 hours.
4. Add milk, flour, and cheese and stir. Set crock pot on high and cook for 1 more hour. Done! Goes very nicely with fresh bread out of my bread machine.

Pork Chops

Ok, so I loooooooove pork chops. But I've never mastered making them. They always turn out too dry, or if using the baking method they are either drowned an a sauce that takes away from the pork or my crust ends up a soggy mess. After browsing recipe after recipe online, I decided screw all of that. Let's keep it simple! This is what I came up with and they were delicious!

1. Season/dry rub as desired (plenty of ideas online). I did a poultry seasoning and garlic powder on each side.

2. Fry in a tablespoon or two of butter over medium heat. (Hey, I didn't say "Healthy Pork Chops"!) Five minutes on each side.

3. Add chicken or beef broth and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes depending on how thick your chops are. Be careful here, my broth caught fire as I added it. Maybe remove from heat for a few minutes to prevent fire hazard!

Done! Simplest and yummiest chops I've made to date.

OK so the angle wasn't so good, I got mostly potatoes. But hey, I was too hungry to take another!

Homemade Bagels...For Real!

I’ve made these 3 times now and have perfected it to deliciousness!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/real-homemade-bagels/detail.aspx

I use my (awesome) Cuisinart food processer, and don’t knead for a full 8 minutes. Usually just let it run for a couple minutes until the dough is stretchy. This recipe makes 8 good size bagels for me. I skip the honey in the water, and haven’t felt I needed it (that would be very expensive too??). My bagels float immediately, so it is important to cook them for 1 minute, and NO LONGER. I did 2 minutes the first time and they started to fall apart. I also bake at a lower temp (400) to decrease getting a hard outside crust. I probably left him in a total of 20 minutes, but just keep an eye on them, you don’t want them getting too brown because they will be hard once they cool. I top with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sea salt, and onion powder, and sprinkle these on as soon as the come out of the boiling water. They are so good! I would like to experiment with using some whole wheat flour to make them a little healthier, and let you know how that goes :)

And obviously making lox bagels with them is the best way to serve them up!

Stuffed Baked Apples

These are super easy and absolutely delicious, better than apple pie in my opinion!  I used a food network recipe that I only changed a little bit.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/super-stuffed-baked-apples-a-la-mode-recipe.html

I usually use Granny Smith and sometimes McIntosh.  I also peeled the apples this time.  I don't usually add the lemon juice, I only use half the cinnamon, and I've never used raisins, walnuts, or whipped cream.  So my filling is only brown sugar, oatmeal, and butter.

Shendy and I made a bourbon sauce that was drool-worthy, which we drizzled over the top once the apples we slightly cooled.

Bourbon sauce:  Heat 1/4 cup bourbon, 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, and 1 tablespoon butter and let simmer for a few minutes.  Then it is ready to drizzle, or eat with a spoon. :)

Greeeeeens...Collards

Shendy, here is the collards recipe I told you about.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kickin-collard-greens/

I don't always use the onion or garlic, you could just do some onion and garlic powder to make things easier, and I don't put olive oil in the pan before frying the bacon.  I hope you like them!

The BEST Fish Tacos

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fish-tacos-ultimo/detail.aspx

My personal notes regarding the recipe:

Swai fillets - drizzled in lime juice and sprinkled with blackening seasoning. Sprayed pan with cooking spray and grilled 3-4 minutes per side.
Corn tortillas - spray with cooking spray and grill in pan 30-60 seconds per side until soft.
Adobo sauce - 2 peppers and some juice lots of cilantro and lime
Topped with sauce, homemade salsa, and cabbage. DELICIOUS!

The chipotle peppers are key. This is the closest I can get to Joel's and I love them!

Enjoy!

Chicken Fajitas

Simple recipe for 2! I just do a Mexican rice, chicken and veggies, add toppings. This Mexican rice recipe isn't perfect, but it's the best I've found that uses Brown rice since that's what I always have in hand. Use half for 2 people. Could alternatively/additionally use refried beans.

While the rice is cooking, Brown sliced chicken strips in olive oil. Add generous squirt of lime juice, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for additional 3-5 minutes.
Warm tortillas. Add rice, chicken, and additional toppings as desired (Cheese sour cream and salsa recommended).
I know it's simple, but so good!

Tofu Mac & Cheese

Tofu Macaroni & Cheese

Yes I eat this as a meal in and of itself! I always add steamed broccoli. I like firm tofu best but recipe calls for silken. Sometimes I don't do the Greek yogurt but it does help the texture (sour cream could be a good substitute). ALWAYS use a sharp cheddar cheese! It's helps with the flavor and you won't need to use extra.

I swear just try it and you won't be sorry! It's a great and healthier way to satisfy your Mac & Cheese craving!

Always remember to add salt pepper and hot sauce (Betsys habanero pepper sauce is the best!)

Blue Moose Home Fries

So...we all know Blue Moose has the best home fries, but unfortunately none of us has a Blue Moose near to frequent. Taylor and I have developed the next best thing Imitation Blue Moose Home Fries. And no more standing around starving for hours waiting for the damn things to cook either! Start them when you start bacon (of course you are cooking bacon) and they will be ready to roll (around in bacon grease) when the bacon is done. The key is boiling the potatoes first!

Cubed potatoes
Enough water to cover
Bacon grease (if available, sub veggie oil if necessary)
Chili powder
Oregano
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Cayenne or crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Boil potatoes for about 15-20 minutes until soft.
2. Drain potatoes and put back in boiling pan. Heat bacon grease in a skillet.
3. Spice potatoes liberally with chili powder and oregano. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Through in some cayenne or crushed red if you are feeling froggy!
4. Stir potatoes to cover with spices, then add to heated skillet. Stir as needed until heated through and looking tasty!

Yummy! Oregano and chili powder are the other keys besides the boiling. Remember ever spending what feels like hours waiting for your damn potatoes to cook in the skillet? No more! Enjoy!

I like to put my home fried IN my burrito....Yummy!

Thai Red Veggie Curry

4 Tbsp red curry paste
2 cans coconut milk (I used one regular and one lite)
1-2 Tbsp oil (I used coconut oil)
1 package firm tofu cut into bite sized cubes
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 onion sliced
1 cup snow peas
1 carrot sliced
1 can straw mushrooms
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1/4 cup basil chopped
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Thai chili (add another if you love heat but be careful)
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar (I used natural sugar)
1/2 - 1 Tbsp ginger minced
2-3 stalks lemongrass, cut off very end and use a 2" piece cut from the bottom, then cut in half lengthwise
Juice of 2 limes

Heat oil to medium high in large pan.  Add curry paste, ginger, and lemon grass, stir and heat until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.  Add onion, bell and chili pepper, and carrot.  Mix and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.  Add coconut milk, fish sauce, tofu, basil, brown sugar, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and snow peas, mix everything together, bring to a boil, and simmer for 12-15 minutes, adding lime juice and cilantro when almost finished.  Serve over Jasmine or other rice.  I may make the same thing and try it with rice noodles next time.

You don't have to use the specific vegetables I used, but I highly recommend the red pepper and onion.  I just used the carrot because I had it.  If you want it to be a little more soupy with the rice, add some chicken broth.  I used about 3/4 cup but would've been happier without using it or using less.

Creamy Roasted Smashed Cauliflower

Here it goes with my (way too) detailed description of making this dish.  It turned out absolutely delicious but I wouldn't want it this rich again.  Roasting requires more time and effort than steaming or boiling but I think I liked the flavor a little better.

1 large head of cauliflower
1 Tbsp or more EVOO
Salt and Pepper
1 head of garlic
3 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup H & H (I used 1 cup and it was too much)

Cut cauliflower into florets and cut top off the head of garlic, save and chop the top pieces of the cloves.  Put cauliflower in oven pan, drizzle with EVOO, salt, and pepper to coat.  Drizzle a smudge of EVOO on the top of the head of garlic and add to pan.  Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes, stir around and add foil covering and bake for approximately 15 more minutes or until it is fork tender.

Heat up butter in butter in sauce pan and add extra pieces of chopped garlic.

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mash, or use food processor or blender.

My notes for next time:  I didn't know it would take so long to roast or that it would start drying out.  Next time I will turn heat above 350 and have foil ready.  And like I mentioned earlier, it was extremely rich, so you could easily play with variations. Unlike the first time I made this using some cheese, it really tasted like mashed potatoes only lighter.

Greeeeen Machinnnne (Split Pea Soup)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parkers-split-pea-soup-recipe.html

I did not weigh my split peas...just put in what I would estimate as a couple cups. Then I start with 4 cups of broth (or water and bouillon) and add more as needed. It makes quite a bit! I pretty much follow the recipe exactly, just use extra pepper cause I like mine peppery! I also let the peas cook a little longer as I like mine a bit mushy. Yumm-eee :)

PIZZAAAAA! and Calzones!

I use the same recipe for crust for pizza and calzones: 

Dough - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html

That recipe makes really alot....Taylor and I usually half it or do like 2/3 if we want a lot of leftovers. I usually do about 1/3 whole wheat flour 1/3 all purpose and 1/3 bread flour. I used to do 50/50 whole wheat and all purpose, but the recipe is right the bread flour makes the crust a little more crispy.

For Calzones - Just make it, roll it out, put filling in (cheese and veggies/meat, no sauce, or very little sauce) fold over, seal, poke holes in top and bake until done (maybe 20-25 minutes at 350/375??)

I've also used this one:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-flat-bread-recipe2.html

Which is pretty much the same. I do the same with trying to add more whole wheat but never more than 50% or it gets not as yummy.

Sauce - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/classic-margarita-pizza-new-york-style-recipe2.html

I use this recipe for the sauce....it is really good if you have the time!! For calzones - leave the sauce on the side for dipping. If you do Buffalo Chicken Calzones, cook the chicken, mix with sauces to coat the chicken, then add as filling with cheese and whatever veggies you may want. :)