Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

I adapted this recipe from Ellie Krieger's cookbook, Healthy Appetite.  It's so full of flavor and a ton of green vegetables!  You can also add chicken if you want it to go a little further, but it's plenty hearty without it.

Ingredients

3/4 pound spinach linguine
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 scallion, cut into pieces
3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shelled unsalted peanuts
 
Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of water according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water. While the pasta is cooking put the broccoli in a steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water and steam it for 3 minutes. Add the snow peas and sugar snap peas and steam for 2 minutes more.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over a medium heat until they become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Set them aside to cool. Make the sauce by pureeing the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallion, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Right before serving, toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of the peanut sauce. Divide into 6 serving bowls and top each serving with the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the vegetables. Coarsely chop the peanuts, sprinkle them on top and serve

ENJOY!

15 Minute Family Fajitas

These fajitas are super fast and super easy...You must have The Pampered Chef's Deep Covered Baker to make them, so if you don't have one yet let me know and I can get one in your hands right away!!

Ingredients:
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 Bell Peppers (red and green)
1 large Onion
1 small lime or ½ lime
2 Tblsp Taco seasoning
6-inch Flour Tortillas
Toppings:
Guacamole
Salsa
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese

Directions:
Fill the Mini Baker with the 6-inch tortillas, cover with foil, and put in a 250 degree oven to warm. Or put the Mini Baker in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for @ 30-45 seconds to warm.

Slice the bell peppers with the Ultimate Mandoline or the Forged Cutlery Knives. Slice the onion with Apple Wedger. Put onions and bell peppers in the bottom of the Deep Covered Baker, sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning. Add the raw chicken on top of the peppers and onions (leave a little space between the chicken breasts), squeeze lime over the chicken using the Citrus Press and then sprinkle with another Tablespoon. Cover with the lid and microwave for 15 minutes.

When the chicken is done (cut into a piece or check with the Pocket Thermometer to make sure it is done), cut it up in the baker using the Salad Choppers. Put on tortillas and enjoy!

Creamy Chicen & Rice Soup

I don't have a "real recipe" for this soup - it just sounded good to me so I used what I had on hand and it turned out amazing, at least I thought so :) I just used a store bought rotisserie chicken, deboned. I added that in a stock pot with 2 cups of whole milk, 1 can chicken broth, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 2 cups of rice that I made separately, a package of Knorr dried veg soup mix, a can of cream corn, salt, pepper, garlic, and just let it all simmer together for an hour or so ...it thickened up real nice and turned out great!

Beer Cheddar Soup

INGREDIENTS:


10 ounce sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk, divided
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 450°.

Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan; coat bread cubes with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in beer; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes or until onion is very tender.

Place beer mixture and 1 cup broth in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in remaining 3 cups broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1 cup milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and remaining 1 cup milk to pan; cook 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat. Gradually add cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in pepper. Serve with bread cubes and chives.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

While preparing this recipe, I realized the last time I stuffed bell peppers was when I was living back at home with my parents. It reminded me of when I actually started to love being in the kitchen, helping my mom make dinner, and sometimes being in charge of making dinner for the whole family. Stuffed bell peppers was one of the recipes I liked the most. It’s funny how making something as easy as stuffed bell peppers can bring back so many wonderful childhood memories.

I'm pretty sure this is not the same recipe I made when I was a teenager, but they were just as yummy as I remember with a few extra tasty ingredients in the filling.

Ingredients:
•5 large green bell peppers
•Mexican or Yellow rice (I just use the store bought kind in the packages)
•1 cup ground turkey
•1-6 ounce can of tomato paste
•1/2 medium white onion (about 1/2 cup), finely chopped
•3 garlic cloves, minced
•1 medium tomato, chopped
•1 cup of chicken broth
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Optional fillings: black beans and corn also make a nice addition to the stuffing!!! You can also top with some shredded cheese the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Directions
Cook the rice according to the package directions. While rice is cooking, prepare the stuffing by chopping onion, one green bell pepper, tomato, and then mince garlic cloves. In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, drizzle pan with olive oil and toss in onions and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes and then toss in ground turkey and cook until meat is done. Next, add chopped bell peppers, tomato, and tomato paste to cooked ground turkey and stir. Add salt and pepper, cover, and cook on low for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once rice is done, mix turkey mixture and cooked rice together in a large mixing bowl. The remaining 4 bell peppers can now be prepared for stuffing by slicing off the top of the bell pepper, then removing the stem and the seeds inside. Place bell peppers into a baking pan standing upright and generously fill bell peppers with stuffing. Once stuffed, pour 1/4 cup of chicken broth over bell peppers and place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
And now...Enjoy!

Lentil and Barley Soup

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup pearl barley
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon oregano
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
roasted red peppers, small jar diced
smoked turkey kielbasa

Directions:
Saute onion, garlic, and kielbasa in a small skillet with a dash of olive oil until browned.  Bring chicken stock, lentils, barley, tomatoes, onion mixture, red peppers to a boil.  Reduce and simmer for 45 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  It's just that easy!  Serve with fresh tomatoes and crusty bread.

Shrimp and Grits

No more black eyed peas on New Years Day for us...

It's Shrimp and Grits instead - and I'm SO glad.

Ingredients:

GRITS
4 cups of chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream (you can use milk too)
1 cup quick cooking grits
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

SHRIMP
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/2 pound smoked kielbasa sausage, sliced
2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
chopped chives for garnish

Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the chicken stock and whipping cream up to a low simmer.  While simmering whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt.  Stir constantly and return to a low simmer.  Cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-heat.  Melt butter and saute onion, garlic, and green bell pepper.  Saute until tender, then add the sausage.  When the sausage has cooked, add the shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add white wine and diced tomatoes.  Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over the Parmesan grits and garnish with chopped chives.