Lasagna Soup

I've been in the mood for soup a lot lately. I'd blame the weather but I live in Las Vegas now so that doesn't make sense lol. I've been eyeing this soup for a while now on Pinterest so I decided to finally make it. That and I had just bought a large Le Creuset stockpot specifically for soups so I could actually make a larger batch of soup and not worry about it not being able to fit in one of my pots. I was house sitting for my aunt the weekend I decided to make the soup, so I lugged everything over to her place to make it there and then ate it throughout the weekend. The recipe calls for ricotta, which I left out because my body cannot digest ricotta with good results. This was a simple recipe to make-there are a lot of ingredients, but don't let that fool you! I'd definitely make this again and try freezing half of it. I think I like this better than actual lasagna! I really like how you add the cheese as a topping so you can however much or less of it that you want. I didn't add the fennel seeds because I forgot to bring them and I couldn't find them at my aunt's. I sent a picture of this to my mom and she said it didn't look like soup since there wasn't much broth...I may have simmered it a little too long lol but it still had really good flavor. I wasn't paying attention when I bought the lasagna noodles. I bought precooked noodles so I had to guess how long to cook them in the boiling water-they seemed to turn out okay but I think that's why I simmered the soup a little longer than I was supposed to, to make sure the noodles were cooked enough.

Lasagna Soup (Pinterest) (5 servings):

2 tbsp EVOO, divided
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
3-5 garlic cloves, to taste, minced (I of course added the 5, if not 6 cloves)
4 c chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite-size pieces
1 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c finely shredded parmesan cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese

Heat 1 tbsp oil in large pot over med-high heat. Once hot, crumble beef into pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Drain off fat from beef and set aside. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in pot, add chopped onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, fennel seeds, thyme, sugar, parsley, the cooked ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to boil, then reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to pkg directions, reserving 1 c pasta water before draining pasta. Add cooked pasta to soup along with 1/2 to 1 cup pasta water as desired. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.

Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Enjoy!




Broken up lasagna noodles...






Noodles are softened and ready to eat...






Topped with cheese...Enjoy!...

Baked Turkey Tenderloin

My mom convinced me to try turkey tenderloins-she said she and my dad eat them quite a lot. I had a lot of trouble finding them actually. My mom and aunt were in town one time and she took me grocery shopping and we happened to come across a package of two of them so we got them. They've been in my freezer just sitting there waiting for me to figure out how to cook them. I figured I could cook them similar to a pork tenderloin. I was looking around on Pinterest and found a simple recipe with a homemade spice rub so I decided to try that. I think I cooked my tenderloin a little too long since it was a little dry but the flavor was really good-the spice rub gave it so much flavor. I'd definitely try this again and cook the tenderloin a little less. The recipe called for 2 tenderloins but I wanted to cook one at a time to see how I liked them. I did half the recipe for the spice rub. I'll post the actual recipe.

Baked Turkey Tenderloin (Pinterest):

2 turkey tenderloins
Olive oil
4 tsp onion powder
4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together all the seasonings. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on both sides of the turkey tenderloins and then sprinkle some of the spice rub on both sides of the turkey (I also used a fork and forked both sides so the oil and spices would get into the meat more). Place tenderloins in a prepared baking dish. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until internal temp reads 165. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!




Homemade rub...






Turkey Tenderloin with spice rub....






Sliced and ready to eat...Enjoy!...

Quinoa Tabouli

My brother and sister-in-law were in town and my aunt was going to have them over for dinner. I wanted to bring a side or salad of some kind so I started looking through my pins on Pinterest. I found this recipe and thought it would be perfect since it can be served room temp or chilled. We ate outside and it was so much fun. My aunt made some really good food and my salad complimented everything. It was perfect. And it was easy to make. I added the zest of 1 of my lemons to give it more of a lemony taste and yum!

Quinoa Tabouli (6 servings):

1 c dry quinoa, rinsed, drained and cooked according to pkg directions
2 c chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 c chopped cucumbers
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c fresh mint, finely chopped
2 c fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

*Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 scant c freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Zest of 1 lemon, optional
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Combine quinoa and water in med saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl to cool while you prep the other ingredients.

Add chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and fresh herbs to cooked, cooled quinoa. In small bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour over quinoa salad and toss to combine. Refrigerate for a couple hours to chill slightly. Serve room temp or chilled. Enjoy!




Dressing...






Enjoy!...

Cheeseburger Cauliflower

Another recipe I found on Pinterest. This was a complete meal so I knew I needed to try this. This had a lot of really good flavor and I'd definitely make this again. I had a small head of cauliflower so I only used 1/2 lb of ground beef. The recipe says to cook the cauliflower anyway you want so I roasted mine with chopped garlic, olive oil and a little veggie pepper, in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Cheeseburger Cauliflower:

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 lb cauliflower
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used regular garlic instead of the seasoning)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook cauliflower as you wish. While cauliflower is cooking, brown hamburger. Drain off grease. Add cauliflower, seasonings and cheese. Mix until cheese is melted.




Everything mixed together...






Enjoy!...

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest yet again. I had been craving soup and every time I go to a Greek place around here, they have a lemon soup that I've been wanting to try and just haven't. So I decided to try my own and looked around until I found one that looked decent to try. This soup was really really good! I froze part of it and ended up finishing it up a couple weeks ago. So good! The rosemary sprig really gave it an extra oomph of flavor! I found some heirloom carrots-carrots of different colors so I used those in this soup. I also added some lemon zest to enhance the flavors a little more.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup:

2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 c chicken stock
2 bay leaves
3/4 c uncooked orzo pasta
1 sprig rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon (zest too if you'd like)
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat 1 tbsp oil in Dutch oven over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken to pot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add remaining oil to pot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Whisk in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 c water; bring to boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.




Ready to eat!...






Enjoy!...

Lemon Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

Another recipe I found on Pinterest. There's a place called Carson Kitchen here in Vegas that I absolutely love. We went there about a month ago for my second time to introduce it to my mom and aunt who where in town. It's kind of like a tapas place-smaller dishes to share. One of the dishes I ordered was the rainbow cauliflower and oh my god I was in heaven!!! It was a lemon roasted garlic cauliflower and I would have licked the bowl if I wasn't in public! We found out that the chef cooked the cauliflower over high heat on the stove, which I'm not entirely comfortable doing in my small apartment with not the best ventilation. So I tried to roast it in the oven. It was good but not as flavorful as Carson Kitchen's...guess I'll just have to go back there soon to eat it there!

Lemon Garlic Roasted Cauliflower (4 servings):

1 med head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1/2 large lemon, cut into 8 pieces
3-4 large garlic clove, cut into quarters
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Couple grinds of pepper

Heat oven to 400. Pile cauliflower, lemon and garlic into middle of heavy baking shee (I used tinfoil for easier cleanup). Drizzle olive oil over and stir to get everything coated. Spread veggies and lemon in an even layer on pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place pan in oven for 10 minutes, stir veggies and spread back out on pan. Return pan to the oven and roast another 10 minutes. Scrape everything into a serving bowl and stir to blend the flavors and get the lemon flavor on every piece of cauliflower. Enjoy!




Ready to bake...






Enjoy!

Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it is soooo good! I didn't use cubed cheese-just some shredded cheddar cheese and it worked out really well. The recipe says to shape the loaves into mounds and place on a cookie sheet to bake but I bought some mini loaf pans only because they hold the shape a lot better. I froze 2 of the loaves and ate the other 2 over the next several days. I'll definitely make these again!

Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves (4 servings):

1 large sweet onion, cut in half, then each half cut into thin slices
1 tbsp butter
Salt
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 egg, whisked
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c + 2 tbsp bbq sauce, divided
1/4 c panko
Pepper
2 oz low-fat cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 cubes

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat, then add onion and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring every couple minutes, until onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Turn heat down if onions start to burn. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 425. In large bowl combine ground beef, egg, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp bbq sauce, panko bread crumbs, dash of pepper, cheese cubes and caramelized onions. Mix until combined. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions on a foil-lined baking sheet (or place in 4 mini loaf pans on a baking sheet). Spread 1 tbsp bbq sauce over each loaf. Bake 20 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.




Packed into the mini loaf pans...






BBQ Sauce spread on top...






Fresh from the oven...