Tag Archives: Fall

Hominy and Jalepeno Chicken Soup

Hominy & Jalepeno Chicken Soup, from the January/February 2013 issue of EveryDay with Rachel Ray Magazine.

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I pulled this recipe from Rachel Ray’s Magazine as noted above. When I was flipping through this issues, this recipe popped at me. It sort of reminded of a combination of menudo and pozole, both popular mexican soups that I love. I was pleasantly surprised by this soup.

I’m completely biased when it comes to trying mexican recipes I find online or in magazines. Sometimes I can’t help but feel like no one can make the dishes as well as my mom, nana or aunt.  But this soup was good, and don’t be scared of the jalepenos! It wasn’t spicy.   If  I was to make this soup again, I would just change one thing – I would take the skin off the chicken before cooking it.

Ingredients
2 TBS of olive oil
3 lbs of chicken thighs, bone in
1 onion, chopped
2 jalepeno chiles, stemmed seeded and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic,  smashed and peeled
1 tbsp of chile powder
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of canned hominy, drained
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems discarded
1 lime

Directions
1. In a large pot, or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the chicken pieces salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken pieces to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides about 8 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

2. Lower the heat to medium and discard all but 1 tbsp. of fat from the pot. Add the onion, half of the jalepenos and the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chili poweder, then stir in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the hominy and enough water  to just cover (about 2 cups). Bring to a simmer over medium low heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and let cool slightly. Shred the meat and return it to the pot. (discard the skin and bones)

4.  Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the remaining jalepenos and the cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges, sour cream and an extra sprinlling of coarse salt and pepper.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Carrot and Ginger Soup with Garlic and Bok Choy
Carrot Soup

Ingredients
1 lb of carrots
1 TBS of canola oil
2 large potatoes
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves
4 TBS of minced ginger
3 stalks of bok choy
1 Yellow hot pepper
2 bay leaves
green onions
2 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable)

Peel and carrots and potatoes. Cut the potatoes in to 2-3 inch pieces and cut the potatoes in half. Mince the ginger and three garlic cloves.

In a medium sauce pan, add four cups of water and add the carrots and potatoes. Cook until tender. Remove the carrots and potatoes from saucepan and add to a blender, along with 1/2 cup of the water.  Blend until you have a nice puree.

In the same sauce pan, add the canola oil. Once heated, add the onion, minced garlic and ginger, and sautee for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and add to the puree  along with the last garlic cloves. Pulse in the blender for about 30 seconds. In same saucepan, cook the bok choy for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the pan. Pour half of the puree back into the sauce pan, add the broth. Keep on a medium heat.

With the remaining half of the puree in the blender, add the bok choy and pulse until blended. Then add it to the sauce pan. Add the hot yellow pepper into the sauce pan. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  Remove the hot pepper before serving.

Serve with green onions on top.
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This recipes serves 4.

White Bean and Turkey Chili

White Bean and Turkey Soup
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Ingredients
1 lb of ground turkey
1/2 TBS + 1/2 TBS of canola oil
3 cans of Great Northern Beans
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
32 ounces of low-fat chicken broth
1 tsp of red chili powder
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large lime
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, add 1/2 TBS of canola oil and set over medium-high heat.  Add the turkey and cook for 4-5 minutes until browned all over. Remove from the pot.

2. In the same pot, add the other 1/2 TBS of canola oil, and the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes until it it golden. Add the chili powder,  garlic, cumin and dried oregano. Mix around evenly.   Add two cans of the beans (drained). Stir around and add the chicken both.  Let it get to a boil and drop to a simmer. Add the turkey and diced tomatoes and let it sit simmer for 25 mins.

3. In a food processor, puree the last can of the beans. Add the puree’d beans to the pot and stir around. Squeeze the lime juice in and add 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper each, along with the chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes before serving.

Ready to serve.  This would be great with a roll, or cheesy bread. I only had Saltine crackers and it was sufficient, but I think bread would be better.
Hope  you like it.

Changes you can make:
Use turkey breast rather than ground turkey,
Use a whole fresh tomato
Cook your own beans
Make your own broth

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Pumpkin Granola

Pumpkin Granola

Ingredients
4 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of puffed red wheat cereal
1/2 cup pepitas
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups of walnuts, chopped
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 TBS Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 TBS of brown sugar
3 stevia packets
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried apricots, chopped

Pre heat oven to 325.

1.  In a mixing bowl, stir together oats, red wheat cereal, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas.

2. In a separate bowl, add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ground cloves, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and stevia. Mix it up really good. Then pour into the bowl with the oats and nuts. Mix it around until it looks as if the puree has been spread evenly.

3. Pour your mixture onto a parchment or foil lined cookie sheet. Using as spatula even it out, but do not press onto the sheet.

4.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and flip over the granola. Put back into the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and repeat the process two more times, baking for a total of  60 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let it cool down, then add the dried cranberries and apricots and stir around before storing.

This granola recipe isn’t crunchy. It’s more of a soft crunch.  Hope you like it! Eat over yogurt, with milk or snack on it.


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Other granola recipes:
Cranberry Almond Granola
Apple Cinnamon Granola

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Topping

Ingredients
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp of ground cloves
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 can of pumpkin puree

Cinnamon Cream Cheese topping
1/2  package of low fat cream cheese
1/2  stick of unsalted butter
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Pre heat oven to 350

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon ginger, nutmeg and ground cloves. Set aside

2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, butter and eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

3.  Line cupcake tins with the cupcake cups. Divide evenly into the the mini cupcake tins. Bake for 14 minutes. Do the toothpick test. Allow to cool.

This batch makes 6 dozen mini cupcakes.

To make the frosting
Using an electric mixer,  mix the cream cheese butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners sugars. Mix until completely blended and smooth.

Frost the cupcakes to your liking.  I like just a tad bit of frosting.
I don’t own a pastry bag,  so I put the frosting into a small plastic baggie, let it all fall down to one corner. Using scissors, cut a small corner of the bag off.


Eat up!
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I much prefer mini cupcakes as to the regular sized ones.  They are just so cute..

Apple-Cinnamon Granola

Apple Cinnamon Granola

Ingredients
2 cups of rolled oats
2 cups of puffed red wheat cereal
1 cups of chopped walnuts
2 cups of dried apple rings, chopped
2 TBS of brown sugar
1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
3 TBS of cinnamon
1 TBS of apple spice
1 TBS of canola oil
1 TBS of honey
1/4 cup of almonds, chopped or slivered

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.

In a large mixing bowl, add the rolled oats, puffed rice, walnut and almonds.  Mix and set aside.

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, at the canola oil, apple sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon and apple spice. Stir and let it get to a boil.  Remove from the heat, then pour over the oats/nuts mixture. Stir it, making sure it’s evenly mixed. Sprinkle in a little more cinnamon.   Pour the mixture onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly.

Bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Using a spatula, stir the mixture, turning it over. Then bake for an additional 12 minutes and remove from the oven.

In a small bowl, add the chopped apple rings,  the honey, sprinkle some cinnamon and stir around.  Add the apples to the granola on the cookie sheet.
Stir the mixture and turn it around, then  put it back in the oven for 15 minutes.  After the 15 minutes, turn the mixture over again, then bake for just another 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. The granola will get its crunchiness at this stage.

Store in an airtight container.

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Eat with yogurt, milk,  or ice cream. It’s soo good.
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Other Granola Recipes:
Cranberry Almond Granola

Cranberry, Macadamia Nut and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry, Macadamia Nut and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is actually an adapted version of the Nestle Toll House Classic Chocolate Chip Recipe, where we swap out the chocolate chips for white ones, and add dried cranberries and macadamia nuts.  I’ve had this type of cookie before and they were so good.  Never really had a recipe for it, but saw a friend make adjustments to the Nestle Toll House  recipe and just did the same thing.

This cookie is the perfect blend of sweet and tangy, a little bit of crunch  yet keeps the classic chewy cookie taste.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (1 package) of White Chocolate Chips, Nestle or Hershey are both good
1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts
12 oz of dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, cranberries and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Steel Cut Oats with Pumpkin Puree,  Pepitas and Fall spices

Oats can get boring from time to time, so it’s great to mix it up by adding different seeds, nuts, spices, honey, fresh fruit, dried fruit etc. This morning I wanted something pumpkin-ish, so I created this fall inspired steel oat recipe with hints of pumpkin spices to give me that taste I was craving.

We all have our own method for cooking oats, some like it creamy or lumpy, some folks will only use milk, etc. I usually cook mine in water and add a little almond milk or regular milk at the end to increase the creamy ratio. I say, make them how you usually do, but add the extras listed below. You can use rolled oats or steel cut oats to create this flavorful breakfast.

Ingredients
This recipe is for 1 serving
1/2 cup of steel cut oats
1 1/2  cups of water
Pinch of salt
Extras
2 invidual packets of Stevia
3 TBS of pepitas
1 TBS of Chia Seeds
2 TBS of pumpkin puree
Cinnamon
Ground Cloves
Ground nutmug

In a small saucepan, let the water come to a boil. Add the oats and salt, stir and let it get back to a boil. Drop the heat to a low- simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time so it doesn’t stick to the bottom on the pan.

Add the stevia, pepitas, puree, chia seeds and sprinkle some cinnamon, ground cloves and ground nutmeg. I recommend tasting the oats and add more of the spices as needed.

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Green Chili Cheesy Potato Soup

I made this soup for dinner last night.  Yummy yummy in my tummy.

Green Chili Cheesy Potato Soup

Ingredients:
5-6 Potatoes
Can of Green Chilis
Cheese
Garlic Clove
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Salt
Bay Leaf
water
1 tablespoon of Chicken bouillon

Directions
Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces. Add the potatoes to a medium-sized sauce pan and fill with enough water to cover the top of the potatoes.  Add the rest of the ingredients. Let it get to boil, then take to a medium heat. Let cook for 20 minutes, stirring it every now and then to make sure it’s not sticking and to help break up the potatoes. Add 2 more cups of water to create a creamier base. Stir, add salt, pepper and garlic salt. Let cook for 5-10 more minutes and taste it.  Add more water if you would like it more soupy. Add shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir it up.

Serve and eat.
Tis the season for soups. :)

Butternut Squash Apple Soup and Garlic Herb Fries

This meal was born of out my desire to cook the darn butternut squash that had been sitting on my counter and to not make any trips to the store. So I just used what was in my refrigerator and pantry. It felt pretty good to make do with what I had.  Here goes the recipe.

Butternut Squash Apple Soup 
Ingredients
1 butternut squash
1 green apple
1 large potato
1/2 white onion, chopped
2-3 carrots
4 cups of water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Garlic Herb Fries
Ingredients
2 large potatoes
1 garlic clove, diced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bay leaf
2-3 twists of herb mix

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

For the Soup: Peel the squash, remove the seeds and chop up into small cubes. Peel the green apple and take out the core. Peel all the potatoes. Chop up everything into small pieces. My squash was small, maybe about 1-2 lbs. Here are all the veggies for the soup minus the onions.
For the Fries: Heat a small pan with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced up garlic and, bay leaf and some Italian herb seasoning.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut up the 2 potatoes into thin strips. Add to a quart size Ziploc bag. Remove from heat and let cool about 2 mins. Add the garlic and oil mixture to the Ziploc bag full of potatoes. Zip and shake it up. Move the fries to a baking dish.

For the Soup: Heat up a sauce pan or soup pot. Add the olive oil and let heat up. Add the onions and stir around, cooking them until they look translucent.

For the Fries: Put in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

Back to the Soup: Once the onions are translucent add the rest of the veggies.  Stir around let cook for 5-6 minutes. Add enough water so it gets to the top of the veggies. For me, it was 4 cups. Add the bouillon cube and stir. Let it get to a boil then bring down to a med-low heat. Let cook until you can easily put a fork through the butternut squash. About 25-30 mins.

Spoon half of your veggie mix into your blender, and blend up until it’s a nice and creamy puree. Blend and puree the second half. Add the soup mixture back to the pot and keep on a warm heat, until the fries are ready to come out of the oven.

Serve, eat and enjoy!
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Note: I added an apple to butternut squash soup because I read that the squash can be sweet and the tartness from the green apple help to balance out the flavors. I enjoyed it very much, and of course who doesn’t want more yummy goodness fiber in their food. ,

October in Phoenix

It’s a happy day here in Phoenix. After last nights’ rain our temp is finally dropping. Low of 63 and a high of 83. Thank goodness. This summer was pretty gruesome and we’re all loving the cooler weather.

Turning off the AC in the house, driving with the windows down, the crispy feeling outside in the mornings, wanting the “good” blankets  night….ooohwee. Can’t wait!

This time of year for me is absolutely the best time. Temps drops, new foods pop up in the grocery aisles, kitchen inspiration hits, wardrobe changes, holiday decor begins to show its face at the stores.  It’s just great. We may not get the change of the seasons, but I’m definitely grateful that we can enjoy outside activities throughout the winter.

Yay for October.

Spaghetti Squash

I’m going to show to you how to cook a spaghetti squash and a simple mushroom marinara sauce. When my friend introduced me to this squash and how to cook it I was inspired and surprised at how easy it was to cook. Usually I would I pass right by the squash bin at the grocery store because I didn’t know how to cook them.

Here’s a spaghetti squash.

When cooked the flesh of the squash easily shreds into thin threads or strings, hence the name spaghetti.  It’s a great alternative for spaghetti if you want to switch up your basic meals, or even if your looking to make an all veggie dish.

Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled or microwaved. I’m going to bake the squash.

Things you will need are:
Cutting board
Knife
Spoon
Fork
Baking dish (11×17 cake pan works)
Water
a Squash

Set the oven to 350 degrees.
Here goes!

Cut the squash in half lengthwise.

Looks kind of like the inside of a pumpkin. Now to spoon out the guts and seeds.

Add some water to your baking pan. About 2 inches of water. Then lay the squash in the pan face down.
Bake for 20 minutes or until you can stick a fork into  the squash smoothly.
When it’s done, let it cool for a few minutes, then grab your fork to gently pull out your strands. Looks like this.
Eventually you will have this
 So that’s your spaghetti squash! Easy peasy baby. It’s ready to eat.

You can have it many ways; topped with a marinara,  an olive oil and pesto sauce, a garlic butter sauce, add veggies, etc. You have tons of options.

I used what I had around my kitchen for a topping. It’s mushroom marinara that I just kind of made up along the way as the squash was baking.

I threw about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a sauce a pan. While that was warming up, I minced some garlic and chopped up some mushrooms. Threw those into the sauce pan to cook for a few minutes. Stir it up a bit.
 I added a jar of marinara spaghetti sauce.  Added some some oregano, Italian Seasoning….and some crushed peppers.
 Let it bubble just a tad bit, then lower to a simmer until the squash is done.

This meal is very versatile. You can have it as simple or as fancy as you want.  For me it was just right. The spice in the crushed peppers gave it a nice soft kick.
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Enjoy cooking spaghetti squash!  Please share your spaghetti squash ideas with me.