Goodbye Summer

The summer is wrapping up for us here in Southern California and we have had so many weird weather days.  One day it will be sunny and warm, the next foggy and cold.  This week when it looked like there was no sun in sight, I instantly felt like a hot bowl of soup.  

I love finding great broth based soup recipes that give you that warm, cozy feeling without the rich heavy feeling of all that cream.  This Asparagus soup is light, but flavorful and is complimented nicely with a few dollops of goat cheese.  So, if you are needing a little comfort food, try this one out without feeling the least bit guilty!

 

Asparagus Soup with Goat Cheese and Herbs

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

 Ingredients

1/2 cup Goat Cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large leek, white and light green parts thinly sliced

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

kosher salt and pepper 

Directions

 In a large sauce pan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring constantly until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the broth, asparagus and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep soup warm over low heat.  

To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the goat cheese and extra herbs.

Hearty and Healthy

What do you do when you feel like hearty comfort food, but are determined not to break your calorie bank?  Make healthy Chicken Chili!  I love Ina Garten; her recipe was wonderful and hit the spot.

Chicken Chili

Courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
• 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
• 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

I served it with some low fat cheddar sprinkled on top and fat free sour cream.  It was warm and comforting and made for great leftovers.  I used some in my egg white scramble the next morning and Brian made tacos out of it for lunch.  Multi-purpose chili!  Happy Monday!

Cooking for One

This week Brian has been on a business trip in Texas and I took the opportunity to indulge myself in things I enjoy SO much: Homemade Tomato Soup and my DVR!!

To me there is nothing better than a comforting, warm bowl of tomato soup. Nothing I have ever tasted comes close to the Tomato Basil Bisque at Nordstroms. I have been trying out recipes for years that claim to come close, but none of them ever succeed. Today you are in luck, I have found a recipe that is very close. It is delicious and EASY. We can all thank Theresa for this Double-Tomato Soup that satisfies what I like to call "The Nordstom Cafe" craving.

Another thing I am constantly missing, but can never do anything about is the Buttermilk dressing from Malibu Chicken. Malibu Chicken was the best place ever. Best salads, best chicken, best salad dressing, best everything. They closed while I was in college and it was very upsetting to everyone who had ever eaten there. Such a sad day. Their buttermilk dressing died with the restaurant and I have been craving it ever since.

Today was the day I attempted to recreate it...

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

1 packet Ranch Dressing Mix

1 cup Low Fat Buttermilk

4 tablespoons Non Fat Plain Greek Yogurt

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Oregano

1 tablespoon Dill

Mix well and serve over cold salad.

Finished meal! Everything was great. You have to try out these new recipes!

Warming my Soul

All week I have been feeling like comfort food or no food at all. The idea of eating something cold seems unappealing which is so weird because it has been so beautiful outside. Don't know, but I thought Italian Beef Stew would be the perfect cure. Of course, with Stew you need hearty noodles of some kind and some bread to dip into the juices...Sounds good huh?

Half-way through making the dough for my Challa

Just in case you need a visual of the dough ball

Look how Beeeautiful my Cheese and Chive Challa is!

All Done! This is the perfect thing to make on a day when you have enough time to prepare the stew and let it simmer. It was great served over bow-tie pasta and of course with the bread. The big pieces of carrots were my favorite part, they made a perfect compliment to the juicy meat pieces. Brian went back for seconds...and thirds!