Category: Main Dishes

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

First, a bit of social media news.  I finally got on Pinterest.  Some people are pinning like crazy and others have never heard of it.  Right now, I am using it to track recipes I’d like to make.  If you click here, you should be able to see the recipes which I’ve pinned.  Of course, I may never get around to some of these, but you may be inspired to try them yourself.

Now on to today’s recipe, Chicken Pot Pie Soup.  I adapted the recipe from Skinnytaste, increasing the vegetables and cutting back on the chicken.  For the record, I meant to grab a potato at the grocery store and totally forgot, so I used cauliflower instead.  I think no matter what you do here, you won’t go wrong.  This is nothing fancy; it’s simple, basic comfort food seasoned with good ‘ol salt and pepper. There’s also no ‘pie’ but you could serve the soup with a biscuit or roll if you like.  Enjoy!

 

 

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1/4 c. flour
2 c. water
4 c. skim milk
1 c. frozen pearl onions
1 (16 oz.) package frozen vegetables with green beans, carrots, and corn
8 oz. frozen cauliflower
1 Knorr vegetable bouillon cube
Black pepper
1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken
Salt

Whisk flour into 1/2 c. cold water and set aside.  Place remaining water, milk, onions, mixed vegetables, cauliflower, and bouillon cube in a large pot.  Season generously with black pepper.  Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Add the chicken and the flour/water mixture and stir well.  Cook on low heat uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the soup thickens.  Season with salt if needed.

-Adapted from Skinnytaste

Cheesy Brown Rice and Green Beans

This is one of those pantry dinners that ended up much better than I expected.  I started by making a simple cheese sauce.  It took less than 15 minutes, and all you really need is flour, milk, and cheese.  I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, but you can use anything you like.

Meanwhile, I steamed a 10 oz. bag of frozen green beans and boiled a bag of instant brown rice.  I tossed the green beans and rice in a bowl and mixed in some cheese sauce , then topped it with some freshly grated Parmesan.  I even had some cheese sauce leftover for another meal.  I can’t claim that this is an official ‘recipe’ but it was a decent dinner with leftovers for lunch, and that’s all that counts.

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli Mac & Cheese

Looking for some comfort food?  This Broccoli Mac & Cheese from Skinnytaste will definitely hit the spot.  I followed the recipe almost exactly, although I used whole wheat rotini pasta instead of elbows.  It was fun to make your own cheese sauce for this dish, and there was plenty of sauce to cover the pasta and broccoli.  I kept going back for just another spoonful, and this is a dish that I will look forward to eating for lunch!

 

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!  Our Christmas Eve buffet was splendid, featuring a beautiful antipasto salad, stuffed shrimp, meatballs, kielbasa and sauerkraut, and homemade manicotti.  And of course, a dessert buffet featuring fruit salad, apple cranberry crisp, candy, and lots of cookies.

Christmas dinner was a much smaller affair, and so we planned a simpler meal centered around these stuffed chicken breasts featured on the Today Show.  If you’ve ever struggled to cut a pocket in a chicken breast, you need to watch this video and see Mark Bittman’s easy method for making stuffed chicken.

The stuffing in the original recipe calls for pine nuts and raisins, but my Mom made a more savory stuffing.  We started with Connecticut-grown spinach purchased from the Billings Forge Farmer’s Market in Hartford.  After the spinach was sauteed, we added panko breadcrumbs, pancetta, vegetable broth, and Parmesan cheese.  Then my Dad pounded the chicken breasts and placed the stuffing between two pieces, securing it with string.  We sauteed the chicken breasts on each side until lightly brown.

This pan went right into the oven, and in about 15-20 minutes, the chicken breasts were cooked through.  The chicken was removed from the pan, and we made the sauce with balsamic vinegar and mustard as indicated in the original recipe.  Accompanied by potatoes, root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, and cranberry sauce, it was a great meal.

 

We all loved the chicken, and this method of stuffing the breasts was so much easier than traditional methods.  The vegetable recipes are coming up next!

 

Crockpot Potato Vegetable Casserole

I declared this past Saturday a “No-Homework” day.  My house was a mess, the laundry was piled high, my refrigerator was empty, and I needed a break.  To celebrate the occasion, I told my friend Tara to come over for dinner.  OK, it was a little ambitious to think I could completely clean and organize my house in one day and get dinner on the table for us.  I am lucky to have friends who aren’t very fussy, and will pretty much try anything.

I decided to use my crockpot to make this Layered Vegetable Casserole.  No, this is not a typical Saturday night dinner, but it is a pretty decent meal and reminded me a little of potato skins.  I used mostly frozen vegetables here, but I see this as a dish that could be changed from season to season based on what’s available.  And of course, if you have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer, that would make it even better.  Next time I would use a little more sauce which I think would help the vegetables cook more easily.  There are a few more versions of this recipe floating in my head, but in the meantime enjoy!

 

 

Crockpot Potato Vegetable Casserole

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 c. corn
1/2 c. peas
1 T Italian seasoning
1/4 t black pepper
3 large potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen broccoli
1 1/2 c. reduced fat shredded cheddar

In a bowl, mix tomato sauce, carrots, corn, peas, and spices.  Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray.  Layer 1/3 of the potato slices in the bottom.  Add 1/3 of the broccoli, followed by 1/3 of the vegetable sauce.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat layers (potatoes, broccoli, sauce, and cheese) 2 more times.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or until potatoes are soft.  Serve garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

-Adapted from Happy Healthy Mama

Taco Bowls

Do you need a really easy crockpot chicken recipe?  Then check out these Taco Chicken Bowls from Budget Bytes, one of my new favorite recipe blogs.  It looks like a great meal, whether you’re cooking for a family or just yourself and the freezer.

Do you need a really easy vegetarian crockpot recipe that uses only the ingredients which you have on hand?  Then check out my version below!  You don’t need to use your crockpot for this one, I am sure a pan on the stovetop would work.  But it is a lot easier to just turn the crockpot on High and forget about it until it’s dinnertime.  This dish may not be particularly unique, but it was a hot balanced meal that hit the spot.  And even better, it makes a great lunch for the next day!

 

 

Crockpot Taco Bowl

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8 oz) package frozen corn
1 T chili powder
2 t cumin
1 t minced garlic
1/2 c. water
Brown Rice
Shredded Cheddar
Sour Cream

Place beans, tomatoes, corn, spices, garlic, and water in the crockpot and stir.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  Serve mixture on a bed of brown rice, topped with shredded cheddar and sour cream.

-Inspired by Budget Bytes

 

Lentil Meatballs

Lentils are such a versatile low maintenance bean.  I’ve made lentil soup, and lentil curry, but then I saw this Lentil Meatball recipe from In Jennie’s Kitchen.  I am not trying to pretend that these meatballs are the same as those that use beef and/or pork, but this version has much less saturated fat and is a lot less expensive to make.  Plus, they get nicely crisp on the outside and have a fantastic taste!  Jennie reported that she simmered these in sauce, and they held together nicely.  Mine did not seem quite that sturdy, but I admit that they were crowded in the pan which didn’t help.  Oh well, the one that fell apart first became an appetizer.

The best way to fit this recipe into a busy lifestyle is to consider it as 3 distinct steps.  On a day when you’re home, go ahead and simmer a batch of lentils.  On the day before you are going to cook them, assemble the mixture and refrigerate it.  On the following day, you can fry the meatballs in oil while you’re heating up the sauce and boiling the pasta.  And then you can sit down to a fabulous vegetarian meal.

 

 

 

As much as I liked these meatballs, they did soak up quite a bit of oil.  I’d love to make them just a little bit lighter, so next time I’ll try to bake them and let you know how it goes.

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Brown Rice

I’m baaaack!  I had an incredible time in San Francisco and ate many wonderful meals, including an 11 course Chinese banquet and at least 3 different flavors of wedding cake.  But then I came home to an empty refrigerator, and things went downhill quickly.  Trust me, it was nothing to blog about.

This was my first truly home cooked meal in almost 2 weeks, and it was so good.  I picked up some fresh cranberries, but I wanted to make something different than cranberry sauce.  A short while later, I found this recipe  (scroll down the page) and decided to go for it.  I liked the different textures, and the balance of sweet squash, tart cranberries, and spicy pepper.  It’s hearty enough for a vegetarian main dish, but could be a side dish for chicken or pork as well.

While I did use fresh cranberries, you might be surprised to find that I used frozen butternut squash.  Yes, this is squash season in New England, but I still needed to take a shortcut to make this meal happen.  With about 7 weeks left in the semester, I’ll take whatever shortcuts I need to put a warm meal on the table.

 

 

Butternut Squash and Cranberry Brown Rice

1 T canola oil
2 Vidalia onions, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
20 oz. butternut squash cubes
1 c. fresh cranberries
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 1/2 c. diced celery
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Heat oil in a large frying pan.  Add onions and pepper, and saute for 10-15 minutes until lightly brown.  Add squash, cranberries, and broth.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove cover and stir in celery, rice, salt, and pepper.  Mix thoroughly and serve.

-Adapted from the Vegetarians of Washington

Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms

I took my crockpot out of it’s summer hiding place and put it on the counter, where it will stay for a while.  One of my favorite sources for slow cooker recipes is Stephanie O’Deas’s site.  She maintains a blog, writes cookbooks, and has prepared an incredible number of meals for her family using a crockpot, so she knows what she’s doing.

For my first crockpot meal of the season, I adapted her recipe for Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms.  I normally think of stuffed mushrooms as a fancy Saturday night appetizer, but these mushrooms are a perfect Sunday afternoon casserole, with leftovers for lunch of course.  I substituted large stuffing mushrooms that were on sale for the portobello mushrooms in the original recipe, and made a few other changes to reduce the amount of oil and salt.

I served the first dish of mushrooms over whole wheat couscous, and it was fantastic!  The tomatoes and balsamic vinegar make a great sauce, although I did have to add a bit of salt and pepper in my dish, along with a little more Parmesan.  Next time I might add a teaspoon or two of Italian seasoning right to the crockpot, but otherwise I wouldn’t change a thing.  I have a feeling I’ll be making this recipe again very soon.

 

 

Crockpot Stuffed Mushrooms

2 T olive oil, divided
24 oz. large mushrooms
1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes in juice
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 t black pepper
1 T dried basil
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pour 1 T oil in the bottom of the crockpot.  Clean mushrooms, and remove stems and set aside.  Place mushroom caps in the bottom of the crockpot, laying some flat and some sideways as needed to create a single layer.

Chop mushroom stems, and place in a large bowl.  Add remaining 1 T oil, tomatoes, vinegar, breadcrumbs, seasoning, and Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Pour mixture over mushrooms.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours.  Serve with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
-Adapted from Stephanie O’Dea

Cooking Bok Choy

I went to the Copley Square farmer’s market on Friday afternoon, and although it was great to see so many fall vegetables, I was missing my greens.  I almost bought some kale, but then I spotted a big bunch of bok choy.  I’ve cooked both regular and baby bok choy before, but never felt very confident that I was preparing it properly.  This weekend I found an excellent bok choy tutorial which takes you through the process step by step.  One of the best tricks I learned is to put the garlic and ginger in the pan before it heats up.

I had such a large bunch of bok choy that I had to stuff it into the pan to get the lid on, and it took longer to steam than the one minute suggested.  But I am sure things will go more smoothly if you’re not trying to cook so much at once!  I served the bok choy on a bed of brown rice, topped with an egg.  It was a delicious weekend lunch, and I’ll be sure to pick up another bunch soon.