Veggie & Tortellini Soup

My husband & I have been trying to eat healthier as well as grocery shop on a budget. Those two things can go together, believe it or not! With a little creativity and a semi-homemade attitude, I came up with this soup. Calorie count is low, its chock full of vegetables, and it only costs about $7 for the whole pot.
Meat eaters can use chicken or sausage tortellini, but to make it vegetarian, I used cheese tortellini (yum!).

1/2 onion, chopped
Handful of mushrooms, chopped
6 cups water
1 package powdered veggie soup & recipe mix (like Knorr's, for making spinach dip!)
1 package fresh tortellini, any flavor (in the refrigerated section)
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
Grated Parmesan cheese & red pepper flakes for serving

In a large pot, saute onion & mushrooms (in either olive oil or nonstick cooking spray) on medium heat for a few minutes or until tender and fragrant.
Add water and soup mix and bring to a boil on high heat; reduce heat to medium and add tortellini and spinach.
Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes or until tortellini is cooked & tender.
Dish it up and top with parmesan & pepper flakes if desired.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

YUM. That's all I have to say about this.

4 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not p.pie.mix)
1 cup mini-chocolate chips, plus 2 Tbs more for "sprinkling"
2 Tbs chopped pecans, for "sprinkling"
2 Tbs sugar, for "sprinkling"

Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour bottom only of 2 loaf pans.

In medium bowl, stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg until well combined. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat sugar & butter with an electric mixer on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Turn mixer on low & add pumpkin & water. Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low for about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Spread evenly pans & sprinkle tops with remaining chocolate chips, pecans and sugar.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10-15 minutes; gently remove bread from the pans and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving, about 1-2 hours.

I like to serve this with cream cheese or peanut butter, but its just as good plain.

Breakfast Casserole

Seriously tasty, can feed a small army on the cheap (under $10 for around 10 servings), AND can pass as dinner. You really can't go wrong with this casserole...


1/2 lb. bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
12 eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for "sprinkling"
1 pkg. frozen diced hash browns (not shredded), thawed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried dill


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a pan over med-high heat & drain on paper towels. Crumble when cool. Reserve a few tablespoons of the drippings.

In the same pan, with the reserved bacon fat, sautee the onion & pepper until onion is translucent (about 3 minutes).

In large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Pour into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle the top with additional cheese & broil until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned.

Let sit for about 5 minutes & dig in!

Candy Sushi

I am all about the whimsical. Green eggs & ham for breakfast, a "hairy cake" for a friend going to Electrology school... you get the idea. My latest whimsical idea... candy sushi! How hard can it be, right? Wrong! Super fun, but what a pain in the tush! Maybe one of these days I will try it again and get the technique ironed out. Here is the cast of characters...

Seaweed................. Green fruit rollups (surprisingly difficult to find!)
Sushi Rice.............. Rice Krispie Treats
Crab & Cucumber.... Sour Punch Straws (Fruit Punch & Apple)
Ginger & Salmon..... Dots

I started off by making a batch of Rice Krispie treats. Instead of spreading them out in a regular 9x13 pan, I used a cookie sheet so the "sushi rice" would be thinner.

While the Rice Krispie treats set, I made some "ginger" by rolling out pink Dots and shaping them into slices.

For the salmon sashimi, I layered small slices of orange and pink Dots and rolled them together. I was trying to get the striation that salmon has running through it. I think it turned out pretty awesome, to toot my own horn. Since I couldn't get it to roll thick enough for sashimi, I decided to make nigiri (a small clump of rice with a piece of fish on top) with this one.

I cut the Rice Krispie treats and smooshed them down on a green fruit rollup... set some sour straw "crab and cucumber" on top... rolled into a log, and sliced. This part was tricky, and had a lot of trial and error. The fruit rollups kept ripping, and the butter in the Rice Krispy treats were making it hard to get the rolls to "stick." The end result was pretty cute and sugar-tastic.

Dilled Potato Salad

Ivan really likes potato salad. I, however, am not a big fan. It always seems so heavy and, well, "mayonnaise-y." That being said, I was on a mission to create some kind of potato salad that was less about mayo and more about fresh flavor. Instead of super starchy Russet potatoes, I used small baby red potatoes. Instead of mayo I used sour cream (okay, fine I used a little mayo too... but just a little!). And the kicker? Loads of fresh dill. I felt like it needed a little more "something" so I added a little bit of crumbled bacon on each serving. Finally! A potato salad I actually enjoy!

Start by boiling small red potatoes for about 10-15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain & let cool slightly. When they are cool, cut them into bite sized pieces. I love red potatoes because the skin is so tender you can leave it on. No peeling necessary!

While the potatoes are cooling, mix together sour cream (I used lowfat) and a few spoonfuls of mayo (I used light). Add some salt & pepper and a few spashes of lemon juice or vinegar. Chop some fresh dill and add that too.

Gently fold the sour cream mixture into the potatoes. Chill in the fridge for a few hours and serve! I added bacon to this after I took the pictures and after I chilled it in the fridge... and trust me... you will want to add some too! It gave a whole new dimension to the potato salad. What can I say... bacon makes everything better!

Asparagus Mushroom & Goat Cheese Triangles

This "recipe" was another experiment. I love goat cheese. I love asparagus & mushrooms. I love appetizers. I have been meaning to try cooking with Puff Pastry for a while now. So I decided to try & put it all together and come up with an awesome appetizer. I really like "fake out" recipes, that look like you put in a lot more effort than you did. This is one of them!

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Dried thyme
Goat Cheese
Frozen Puff Pastry (thawed)
Olive Oil
S & P

Defrost a sheet of Puff Pastry for about an hour or until pliable. You will need to be able to unfold it without breaking it. Also preheat your oven to 425, or whatever the box of pastry recommends.

While Puff Pastry is defrosting, trim some asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Slice mushrooms into quarters. Thinly slice a few cloves of garlic. Heat about a tablespoon or so of Olive Oil in a pan. Sautee mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic until tender and garlic becomes "nutty" and is no longer raw (You don't want to overcook the veggies because they will cook more when you bake them in the oven on the pastry). Salt & pepper to taste, and add a palmful of dried thyme (or whatever herb blend you have on hand). Cook another minute or two. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.




Unfold the puff pastry sheet on a baking sheet and score lightly with a knife, making a 1/2 inch or so border around the edges, without cutting completely through. This will allow the pastry to rise into a "crust" on the outer edge. Crumble some goat cheese on the sheet, add your veggie mixture, and top with more goat cheese. Be sure to leave the 1/2 inch border free & clear of toppings.

Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and have risen. Let cool slightly and cut into triangles.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Mustard-Sherry-Cream reduction

This was a last minute decision for dinner tonight. I got home at 6:15, walked the dog for a half hour, then realized "oh man... what's for dinner?" So, ransacking the fridge at 6:45 at night, knowing full well that American Idol comes on in just over an hour... I came up with this quick fix. Sorry for the lack of pictures... use your imagination!

All you need is some thin-cut pork chops (or one thicker chop cut in half lengthwise), brown mustard, cooking sherry (or chicken broth & a splash of lemon juice), half & half or milk, and salt & pepper. Seriously!

Heat a pan with a little olive oil & butter over med-med.high heat. The olive oil will allow a higher cooking temperature & the butter gives extra flavor. While the oil & butter are heating, season each side of the pork chop with salt & pepper. Place in the pan and allow to sear for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown, before flipping to the other side. When both sides have cooked, place the pork on serving platter or plate to rest.

The pan you cooked the pork chops in has all kinds of "crispy goodness" at the bottom from the seasonings & meat. This will make the super tasty sauce that gets poured over the pork. To the pan, add a few tablespoons of spicy brown or dijon mustard and about 1/4 cup (a few splashes) of cooking sherry. If you prefer, you can use broth and a splash of lemon juice. Whisk these together and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for a minute or two, or until slightly thickened. Add a few splashes of cream, half & half, or milk... whatever you have on hand. Simmer for another minute, stirring or whisking constantly so the cream doesn't burn.

Pour the tasty goodness over the pork chops & enjoy! Tonight I cut corners and we had this with bagged salad & Stove Top stuffing... but hey... a working girl's gotta do what a working girl's gotta do!

Curried Lentil & Veggie Stew

I live in Portland, Oregon and the weather here is often dreary, cold, and rainy.... much like it is today. On days like this, I crave a bowl of some kind of warm comfort food, which often translates into soups and stews. Today, I decided to make Curried Lentil Stew. I came across a recipe for a lentil soup, and thought that it would be great with an Indian flair, and served as a heartier, main-dish stew. So, I improvised. Added a bit of this, a bit of that, and voila! A delicious vegetarian dish that even satisfies meat eaters.

Start off by heating about a tablespoon of olive oil (a few turns worth) in a large pot over medium-med. high heat. Dice an onion and a few carrots. Sautee them in the oil for about 6-8 minutes or until the carrots are tender, but still with a bit of "bite."

Add some cumin & a good amount of curry powder (we are talking 2-3 tablespoons) to the carrots & onions and allow to cook for another minute or two. This will allow the curry flavor to develop and penetrate into the veggies.

Add about 2 cups of water, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can veggie broth, 1 cup red lentils, 1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (thawed & drained), and salt & pepper to taste. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let the goodness simmer for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Lentils have a nutty texture to begin with, so if you haven't ever worked with lentils, don't expect them to get really soft.

Stir in some sour cream or plain yogurt.... and voila!

Add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt on each bowlful for presentation. You can serve this with rice, couscous, flatbread, or my favorite way... straight up with hot sauce & a spoon!