Homey Chicken Noodle Soup

So, fall has come early to the Chicagoland area...it was 52 degrees yesterday.  Oh, yeah and rainy too.. fun times.  I honestly thing the ONLY good thing about cooler weather is soup!!!  This is going to be on my table very soon!  I found in the October/November 2014 issue of Simple and Delicious.  Stay tuned for photos.

1/4 C. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3/4 C. coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 C. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
2 32oz. cartons reduced sodium chicken broth
1 12oz. pkg. frozen homestyle egg noodles
4 C. chopped kale
2 C. shedded cooked chicken

In a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium heat.  Add onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms; cook and stir 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in flour, basil, and salt until blended; gradually stir in broth.  Bring to a boil.; add egg noodles.  Reduce heat, simmer, covered, 5 minutes.  Stir in kale and chicken; cook, covered, 6-8 minutes longer or until kale and noodles are tender.

Roasted Autumn Vegetable Soup

I found this in the Sept/Oct 2014 issue of Taste of Home.  As much as I hate to admit it, summer is drawing to a close.  As much as I am not fond of winter, I do love fall and I do LOVE soup.  This will be part of my fall repertoire!

2lbs sweet potatoes
2lbs carrots
1 1/2 lbs parsnips
2 large onions, quartered
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 C. canola oil
3 32oz. cartons chicken broth
1 C. fat free evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Minced fresh parsley and sage

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and cut sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips into 1 1/2 inch pieces; place in a bowl.  Add onions, canola oil and garlic cloves and toss to coat.  Divide between to greased 15x10x1 inch baking pans.  Roast 40-50 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Transfer vegetables to a Dutch oven.  Add broth, milk, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, simmer uncovered, 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Puree soup using an immersion blender.  Return to pan and heat through.  Sprinkle with minced herbs.

I added a turnip, used regular evaporated milk and added 2 pinches of cayenne pepper for a little zing!

Per serving: 240 calories, 6g. fat, 6mg. cholesterol, 1251mg. sodium, 43g. carbs, 7g. fiber, 6g. protein

Harvest Chipotle Chili

I found this in Midwest Living Magazine and this is going to be on a menu in my house soon.  All good things must come to an end as we say goodbye to another summer season...this chili looks fantastic..for tailgating or for dinner after a soccer game played by my nephew on Sundays this fall!

3 medium orange sweet peppers, halved and seeded
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 large onion, chopped
1lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 15oz. can reduced sodium pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 14oz. can hominy or 1 15oz. can butter beans, rinsed and drained
1 14oz. can chunky chili style tomatoes or stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 12oz. beer
1 14oz. can reduced sodium chicken broth
2 medium Granny Smith apples
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 C. coarsely chopped dry roasted cashews

In a food processor, finely chop sweet peppers, chipotle peppers, and garlic by pulsing them.  Set aside.  In a 8 quart Dutch oven, cook ground pork and onion over medium high heat until meat is brown and onion is tender, breaking up meat as it cooks.  Drain off fat.  Add pepper-garlic mixture, cook and stir for 5 minutes.  Stir in the sweet potato, pinto beans, drained hominy, undrained tomatoes, beer, chicken broth, apples and salt.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.  Top each serving with cashews.

Zucchini Chips

I tried these today.  I had two zucchinis and wanted to try something different.  I sliced them thin with a mandoline, tossed them with olive oil, sprinkled them with sea salt, lemon pepper, Parmesan cheese and paprika.  I baked them on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until browned.  Cool them on a baking rack lined with parchment.

I need to work on this to crisp up the chips before they are burnt beyond recognition!  They're tasty though.

Grilled Pork Roast

Happy Sunday dinner all.  I am winging today's recipe.  I had a recipe here on the blog that I was going to try for the very first time and I somehow, through my incredible tech savvy, lost it.

1/4 C chopped fresh rosemary
2 3lb. pork roasts
several springs chopped fresh thyme
Zest and juice of two lemons
8 (yes, 8) garlic cloves
olive oil
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

This is going to be a situation where if this tastes half as good as it smells, it's going to be a good meal!!

The roasts are going on the grill...I am hoping to have the heat at about 350-400 degrees and will cook the roasts on indirect heat to about 150 degrees and then cover them and let them rest and cook the rest of the way.

Tuscan Tomato White Bean Soup

I found this in the September issue of Food Network Magazine.  I know it's not exactly soup season but this will utilize some herbs from the yard and it's getting into tomato season around here.

3 tbsp. olive oil plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2lbs. tomatoes, chopped
2 15oz. cans no salt added white beans, drained and rinsed
1 quart low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 sprig rosemary plus 1 tsp. chopped leaves
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes plus more for sprinkling
4 C. cubed ciabatta bread, about 4oz.
1/2 C. shredded mozzarella

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Add the onion, 3 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.  Add all but 1/2 C. of the chopped tomatoes, the beans, broth, 1 C. water, the rosemary sprig, 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes.

Discard the rosemary sprig.  Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.  Season with salt.  Return to the pot and cover to keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Heat the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil and 2 garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, 5 minutes.  Toss with the bread, chopped rosemary, mozzarella, and a pinch each of salt and red pepper flakes on a baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until the croutons are golden, about 10 minutes.  Top each bowl of soup with the croutons, some reserved tomatoes and reserved olive oil.

Per serving: Calories 472, Fat 18g, Cholesterol 15mg, Sodium 721mg, Carbs 58g, Fiber 11g, Protein 21g.

Sweet Potato Salad with Candied Nuts

I saw this in the Kraft Food and Family Magazine I get for Fall 2014.  The photo is beautiful and I bet the salad is delicious.  I am not really ready for Fall but if there is one thing I have learned, the seasons rarely wait until I am ready!

1lb. sweet potatoes, about 2, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 C. Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 C. pecan halves, divided
1/4 C. sugar
1 pkg. spring lettuce mix
1/2 C. thinly sliced red onions
1/4 C dried cranberries

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Toss potatoes with cheese and 2 tbsp. dressing; spread onto a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender, stirring after 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a separate baking sheet with cooking spray.  Cook nuts in small skillet on medium heat 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently.  Add sugar; cook on high heat 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and evenly coats nuts, stirring constantly.  Spread immediately onto prepared baking sheet separate into small pieces with a fork.  Cool completely.

Blend 1/4 C. nuts with remaining dressing in blender until smooth.  Combine remaining nuts with remaining ingredients in large bowl.  Add dressing mixture, mix lightly.