Tortellini Soup

This soup was my own creation. My mom actually gave me the idea. I had a blood clot this past fall and she came into town to stay with me until I was able to get back on my feet again. She had mentioned that she had made tortellini soup before for herself in the past and she threw whatever she had on hand to make it a meal. So after she left, I decided to do the same. This soup has become a staple for me and I make it when I don't know what else to make. You can add whatever you want to it and it will always taste good. I haven't added meat yet but that's only because I haven't had any in my fridge when I've made the soup. I almost always add a lot of vegetables, almost like I'm making a vegetable soup. I add the tortellini towards the end, for however long it needs to cook. I'm not going to list a recipe since you can whatever you want but I'll list what I usually always add:

Carrots (usually the multicolored ones because it's always fun to add color to soups)
Celery
Zucchini or yellow squash if I have them in my fridge
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Parm Rind
4-6 c chicken broth
Pkg of whatever size, shape or flavor of tortellini
Spinach leaves
Parmesan, to serve
Parsley, to serve




Enjoy!...

Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried Rice

I found this recipe in a magazine called Low Sugar Living. I've seen other recipes similar to this and I've always wanted to try it. I mean who doesn't like fried rice?! And this would be even healthier since it's made with cauliflower 'rice'. I was a little hesitant to try it mainly because my mom said she tried making a large batch of cauliflower 'rice' and it tasted like mush the next day but I figured I might as well try it-live and learn right? I didn't take a whole lot of pictures for some reason and the one I did take...don't judge it too much lol. It tasted a lot better than it looked! I used my ninja blender to rice the cauliflower and man I love that blender! It only took 2-3 pulses for it to fully rice the cauliflower! So awesome!!! I didn't add the peas because I'm not a fan of peas at all. I added more soy sauce than it called for and in the end it did taste really good-I could taste the grated ginger and the soy sauce. And it was good 2 days and 3 days later. So I must not have cooked it for as long as my mom had cooked hers-I only cooked mine for a minute or two. I think I'd make it again, but in a smaller batch. I used the whole head of cauliflower. And I don't think I'd use the asparagus again-it didn't cook down as much as I'd like so it was still a little raw and hard to eat. And I would like to add a scrambled egg. I'll experiment a little more with the next batch I make!

Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried Rice (Low Sugar Living) (4 servings):

3 c grated raw cauliflower
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 c sweet onion, chopped
1/2 c carrots, chopped
10 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in 1-inch spears
1/2 c frozen peas
1 c zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
Ground pepper, to taste
Chopped scallions and toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Preheat large skillet over med-high heat. Add sesame oil and 1 tbsp butter. Once butter has melted, add the onion, carrots and asparagus, stirring frequently. Add peas and zucchini and season with pepper. Cook for 2 minutes longer.

Add garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger to pan. Pour in grated cauliflower and add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Cook 2-3 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked to desired doneness (don't cook more than 2 minutes!!!). Season with soy sauce and pepper, to taste.




Enjoy!...

Elbow Macaroni with Crispy Breadcrumbs & Broccoli

I found this recipe in the Food Network magazine and it stood out because the pasta wasn't in a heavy sauce. This was a really good dish and I'd definitely make this again. The breadcrumb mixture really made the pasta good and added an extra kick with the pepper flakes. I substituted the regular pasta with gluten-free pasta because I've been trying to cut back on my carbs and the gluten-free pasta is a lot healthier. I chose the quinoa pasta and this was my first time making it-I think I overcooked my pasta a tad but all in all it tasted just like regular pasta. I also added 2 more cloves of garlic than what was called for, because everyone knows you can never have too much garlic! I think you could actually use the breadcrumb mixture over any type of pasta-I could definitely play around with this recipe in other ways!

Elbow Macaroni with Crispy Breadcrumbs & Broccoli (4-6 servings) (Food Network):

Salt
6 tbsp EVOO, plus more for drizzling
1/2 c panko
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 c elbow macaroni
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (I used 3 cloves)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 c chicken stock
1 c freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in large skillet over med, add 2 tbsp oil. Add the breadcrumbs and toast, stirring constantly, until they are crisp and golden, 4-5 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Scrape into a small bowl and toss with the lemon zest and parsley and then season with salt.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to pkg directions until al dente while you make the sauce. Wipe out the skillet used to toast the breadcrumbs and return it to med-high heat. Add the remaining 4 tbsp oil and when oil is hot, add the broccoli and toss to coat. Saute until it turns bright green, 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic and pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute, then pour in the stock. Simmer until the broccoli is tender, 5-6 minutes.

When pasta is done, scoop it out of the water with a small strainer and add directly to the sauce, reserving the pasta water. Simmer the pasta with the sauce just to blend the flavors, 1-2 more minutes, then drizzle with a tbsp or so of oil and toss again If sauce seems too dry, add up to 1/2 c pasta water. Off heat, stir in the cheese. Serve in warmed bowls and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Enjoy!




Breadcrumb mixture...






Pasta stirred into sauce...






Enjoy!...

Egg Drop Soup

I've always loved Egg Drop Soup and I usually make it with a packet of seasonings that I find in the grocery store. However, some stores don't carry those packets so I've also made it on my own and I think when I make it on my own, it tastes a lot better! Super easy to make and you can pick and choose what you want to add to it, and how many eggs you want to put in it.

Egg Drop Soup (1-2 servings)

2-4 c chicken broth (or any flavor of broth)
1-3 eggs, beaten
2-3 green onions, sliced
Soy sauce, to serve

Heat the chicken broth and green onions to boiling. Slowly add the beaten eggs, while whisking the soup vigorously to stir up the eggs. The eggs will cook as you whisk them into the broth. Take off heat and stir in the soy sauce to your taste. Enjoy!




Beaten eggs...






Eggs whisked into the broth...






Enjoy!...

Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Simple Tomato Salsa

This recipe was HARD!! It took me a couple attempts to make this recipe. And even with the final attempt, it didn't turn out the best. Oh well, at least I attempted to make something a little more harder. The taste was pretty good, despite the mess I made with it. I ended up only making half of the cakes because I was tired of burning myself and tired of the cakes falling apart. Only about 4 of the cakes actually held their shape, otherwise I have a mess of crumbles, which I will still eat. It took me 2 attempts to make the lentils-I followed the directions for the recipe and the lentils turned into mush. When I made them tonight, I only cooked it for about half the time and they turned out much better. The salsa really makes the cakes taste amazing!

Red Lentil-Rice Cakes with Simple Tomato Salsa (Cooking Light) (6 servings):

*Salsa

3 c finely chopped plum tomatoes (about 6)
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp capers (I added 3 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt

*Cakes

4 c water, divided
1 c dried small red lentils
1/2 c uncooked basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 c finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 c finely chopped red onion
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c dry breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

To prepare salsa, combine all ingredients; set aside at room temp.

To prepare cakes, bring 3 c water and lentils to boil in med saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 min or until tender. (This is the time I used and I made sure to watch the lentils carefully during the last couple of minutes to make sure they weren't over-done.) Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place lentils in large bowl.

Combine remaining 1 c water and rice in pan; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 18 min or until liquid is absorbed. Cool 10 min. Add rice to lentils.

Heat 1 tsp oil in large skillet over med-high. add bell peppers, onion, fennel seeds and garlic to pan; saute 2 min or until tender. Cool 10 min. Add to lentil mixture. Add mozzarella and remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. Let stand 10 min.

Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Heat 2 tsp oil in skillet over med heat. Spoon half of rice mixture by 1/3 cupfuls into pan, spreading to form 6 (3-in) circles; cook 5 min or until lightly browned. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 5 min on other side. Remove cakes from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tbsp oil and remaining rice mixture. Serve with salsa.

Note: I probably should have added more egg to my mixture because my cakes would not hold together to cook. I also started forming them into flat patties with my hands toward the end and carefully placing them in the skillet. Make sure to cook the patties for the full 4-5 min or they will fall apart when you try to flip them over.




Salsa...






Tender lentils...






Everything all mixed together...






How most of the cakes turned out...






My three best cakes...






Cooking in skillet...






Enjoy!...