Chicken Dumpling and Noodle Stoup

This is a Rachael Ray recipe that puts a twist on Chicken Noodle Soup. So good!

4 servings
Ingredients
Salt
1/2 lb short-cut pasta, such as ditalini or penne
2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
1 large yellow onion, 3/4 of it thinly sliced, 1/4 of it grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Black pepper
5 cups chicken stock
1 package ground chicken breast meat (we use ground turkey b/c there is no ground chicken in stillwater)
1 cup fresh basil, 20 leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg white
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (we used grated Parmesan cheese)
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 12-oz sack triple-washed baby spinach
1/4 cup store bought pesto

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pasta just shy of al dente - about 5 minutes (It will cook more later). Drain and reserve.
2. While the pasta works, preheat a large soup pot with the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are tender and golden.
3. Add the chicken stock and bring it up to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low and simmer while you make the chicken dumplings.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, basil, parsley, egg white, grated onion, lemon zest, grated cheese, and a little salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Using a serving spoon, scoop out a walnut-size spoonful of the chicken mixture of the chicken mixture. Then, use a second spoon to push the chicken mixture off the first spoon into the simmering stock.
6. Repeat this with the rest of the chicken mixture, working as quickly as you can to get all the dumplings into the stock. (I make all dumplings into their shapes separately. After they are all made, then I place them all in the stock one at a time. That way I don't rush making the dumplings.)
7. Shake the pan in order to settle the chicken dumplings into the stock. Cover and cook the dumplings for 5 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes, pasta, and spinach to the soup and cook for 2 minutes more.
9. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of the pesto (1 tablespoon per serving to use 1/4 cup total) and more grated cheese.

Tex-Mex Egg Rolls

When we made this recipe, we only made half of what it called for. Trust me, half is still a pound of meat plus other ingredients. Oh! A great thing to dip these egg rolls into is SALSA!!! Trust me. It's fabulous!

Ingredients:
2 lb lean ground chuck
2 medium chopped onions
2 minced garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 (4 oz) cans diced green chilies
4 cups shredded longhorn cheese (we used cheddar)
1 package egg roll wrappers
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
oil for deep frying (we just use our deep fryer =) )

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Drain off the fat and return to heat.
2. Add onions, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and black pepper to browned beef. Continue cooking over medium heat until onion is transparent. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in green chilies and shredded cheese, stirring until thoroughly combined and until cheese is completely melted. Set aside.
4. Mix together flour and water to make a paste for sealing the egg rolls. Set aside.
5. Wrap the egg rolls with 1/4 cup of filling mixture per egg roll. (see picture)
6. Use the flour paste to seal the egg roll's last flap.

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This recipe came from an episode of "Cook Yourself Thin." I have not tried the cookies with the raisins. However, they are some of the best oatmeal cookies I have made besides the recipe in the oatmeal canister. They are even healthier options!


Makes about 40 (2 1/2-inch) cookies
Calories per cookie: 116


Ingredients
2 tablespoons whiskey or rum
2/3 cup raisins
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups oats (not instant)


Directions
1. Set the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.


2. Sprinkle the whiskey or rum over the raisins in a bowl and let stand while you assemble the batter.


3. Using a handheld or standing mixer, beat the butter, applesauce, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Beat in the egg and egg white, milk and vanilla.


4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, add to the batter, and beat just until the flour is absorbed. Gently fold in the oats with a rubber scraper.


5. Use 2 spoons to scoop out the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are set but still soft in the centers and beginning to brown on the edges, 17 to 20 minutes.


6. Let cool on a wire rack.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Jambalaya is fabulous. This slow cooker recipe makes it more convenient. This is a Robin Miller recipe. She makes food that can be prepared ahead of time and made later in the week. This one lets you mix the spices in a baggie (they keep for a week). You can also pre-chop all the veggies and store them in a baggie in the fridge. However, they only will only keep for 3 days.

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen peeled and cooked shrimp, thawed
• 2 cups cooked rice

Directions

In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.

Mac and Cheese Lorraine

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. Don't be scared of the Gruyere cheese. It makes a great made-from-scratch sauce. To make this vegetarian, just leave out the bacon.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound gemelli pasta or other short cut pasta
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
• 2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups shredded Gruyere
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Heat water for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While pasta water comes to boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add bacon and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onions and cook 10 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelize. Add wine and cook out, 1 minute.

While onions cook, heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter, melt and whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute then whisk in stock and milk and bring to a bubble. Thicken a few minutes then season with salt and pepper. Melt in cheese stirring it in a figure-8 motion with a wooden spoon. Add nutmeg and mustard and adjust salt and pepper.

Drain pasta, toss with onions and stir in cheese sauce to coat. Top with crispy bacon and serve.

Cajun Catfish Wraps with Slaw

This is a Cooking Light Recipe. So fast, so easy, so good!!

Ingredients

• SLAW:
• 3 1/2  cups  thinly sliced red or green cabbage
• 1/4  cup  light mayonnaise
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  cider vinegar
• 1/2  teaspoon  sugar
• 
  WRAPS:
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  paprika
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried thyme
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 4  (6-ounce) farm-raised catfish fillets
• 1  tablespoon  butter or stick margarine
• 4  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

Preparation

To prepare the slaw, combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl; cover and chill.

To prepare the wraps, combine flour and next 7 ingredients (flour through red pepper) in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour mixture. Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets; sauté 5 minutes. Turn fillets over; cook 4 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Heat the tortillas according to package directions. Cut each catfish fillet lengthwise into 4 pieces. Arrange 4 fillet pieces on each tortilla; top each serving with about 3/4 cup slaw, and roll up.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

397 (27% from fat)

Fat:

11.7g (sat 3.7g,mono 3.9g,poly 2.7g)

Protein:

35.6g

Carbohydrate:

36.6g

Fiber:

3g

Cholesterol:

106mg

Iron:

4.7mg

Sodium:

918mg

Calcium:

126mg

Traditional Egg Rolls

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. It is by far the best traditional egg roll recipe that we have found. I will have to put up a Tex-Mex egg roll recipe later.

ingredients

• 2  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  tablespoon cooking oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2  cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage or cabbage
• 4  green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 8  ounces lean ground pork
• 1  4-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained and finely chopped
•   Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
• 12  egg roll wrappers 
•   Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center), Chili Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center) or Chinese Mustard Sauce ( see Recipe Center)
•   Chinese Mustard Sauce (see Recipe Center)

directions

1. For sauce, stir together the water, sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, red pepper, and black pepper. Set aside. Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add regular cabbage (if using) and green onions. Stir-fry for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables. Add the ground beef or pork; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain off fat. Push meat from the center of the skillet. Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cooked vegetables, mushrooms, and, if using, Chinese cabbage. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Remove from skillet; cool.

2. In a wok or 3-quart saucepan heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 degree F.

3. Meanwhile, place the egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling just below the center. Fold the bottom point over the filling. Then tuck it under the filling. Roll the wonton wrapper once to cover the filling, leaving about 1 inch unrolled at the top of the wrapper. Moisten the right hand corner of the wrapper with a little water. Grasp the right and left-hand corners of the wrapper. Bring these corners toward you, below the filling. Overlap the left-hand and right-hand corners. Press the corners together securely to seal. This step is pictured.

4. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, in hot oil for 1 to 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil. Drain on a wok rack or on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining food. Serve warm with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce, Chili Dipping Sauce, or Chinese Mustard Sauce. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 12 appetizer servings
 
• Calories 210, 
• Total Fat (g) 14, 
• Saturated Fat (g) 2, 
• Cholesterol (mg) 15, 
• Sodium (mg) 307, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 16, 
• Protein (g) 6,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Baked Potato Soup

So this is a Cooking Light recipe that we made tonight. Pretty much amazing. I love the fact that the potatoes were baked before making it into the soup and that they were not pureed. It was so good to have some pieces of potato in the soup. It was also good because the weather is turning colder...and we have TONS of this leftover for later on in the week. This can be made into a vegetarian soup by leaving out the bacon.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups soup, 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon)

Ingredients

• 4  baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 2/3  cup  all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces)
• 6  cups  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 3/4  cup  chopped green onions, divided
• 6  bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
• Cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

329 (30% from fat)

Fat:

10.8g (sat 5.9g,mono 3.5g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

13.6g

Carbohydrate:

44.5g

Fiber:

2.8g

Cholesterol:

38mg

Iron:

1.1mg

Sodium:

587mg

Calcium:

407mg

Chicken Mug Pie

This is a fabulous Rachael Ray recipe, especially with the cold weather coming. It really does taste like chicken pot pie but in soup form. Oh, and please follow the directions when it says to eat the soup out of a mug. Somehow, it makes the experience and the food that much better, I promise.

Ingredients

• 1 tube jumbo bake-off butter biscuits, from the dairy aisle of market (recommended: Grands by Pillsbury)
• Sweet paprika, for sprinkling
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast pieces, diced
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 ribs celery and greens from the heart, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded potatoes, ready to cook hash browns, available in sacks on dairy aisle
• 1 pint half-and-half or cream
• 1 quart chicken stock, available in boxes on soup aisle
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, a healthy grating
• 1 cup frozen green peas

Directions

Preheat oven according to package directions and arrange biscuits on cookie sheet. You will have 4 extra biscuits. Save them for ham and cheese or egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches the next morning. Sprinkle biscuits with a little paprika and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

In a medium pot over medium to medium high heat, cook chicken in butter 2 minutes then add veggies and season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning. Cook 5 minutes more, add flour cook another minute. Add potatoes, then whisk in half-and-half or cream and chicken stock. Add nutmeg. Bring soup to a boil by raising heat, then turn heat back to simmer and cook soup another 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add peas. Stir in to warm them through a minute.

Serve mugs of soup with biscuits on top to cap the mug: chicken mug pies!