Super Sopa

When I used to work in the office instead of from home, my favorite soup at the cafe in our building was Baja Chicken Enchilada.  I eventually recreated this soup at home, and have been making it ever since.  It is easy, it makes enough to feed about seven to eight people, and it goes great with my Yankee Cornbread.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

I have made this with both mild and spicy enchilada sauce, but I like it best with a mix of both.  You can adjust the heat level by using mild, medium, or hot enchilada sauce, any of them will work fine in the soup. 

• About 3 pounds chicken, or about 5-6 medium chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 10 ounce cans enchilada sauce (I used one mild, one medium)
• 1 15.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.25 ounce canned corn, drained
• 1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth (I use low sodium.  If you use regular, reduce the salt you add)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 can diced tomatoes (optional – I’ve made this with and without tomatoes, and it works either way)
• 2 ounces low fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1-2 green onions, chopped for garnish

Add the chicken to a large pot, cover it with cool water, and heat over high heat until the chicken is cooked through.  Meanwhile, cook the onions and olive oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium heat until the onions begin to look translucent.  Add the garlic, red and green peppers, and cook until the vegetables are soft. 

Remove the chicken from the pot when done.  Drain and rinse the pot, and place it back on the stovetop.  Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it to the pot with the cooked onion, garlic, and bell peppers.  Add the enchilada sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes if you are using them, black beans, corn, green chiles, and cilantro, keeping the heat at low.  Melt the cream cheese and cheddar cheese into the soup and serve topped with the chopped green onion.

Poaching the chicken gives you the most tender meat, which is easy to dice and the best way to serve it in soup.  This has the right amount of spice, a variety of color, and is healthy to boot.  Crumble the cornbread over top to add a sweet, saturated bite to this Tex-Mex style meal.  Enjoy…

Real Men Eat Quiche

One of my most cherished family recipes is the one for my Nana’s quiche.  My sister, Brooke, is always the one to make this dish at family events now, but I also make it for myself and for company every now and then.  It has graced the table at just about every kind of meal, from Christmas dinners to birthday brunches, and it always seems right.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

My sister makes this in a deep dish-style quiche baking dish, but since I don’t make it as often as she does I have yet to purchase such a specialty item.  If you do have a dish like this, double the recipe below and even use two pie crusts seamed together.  Instead, I used my regular springform pan and made a thinner quiche, but one with a more rustic look with the exposed crust.

• 1 frozen, rolled pie crust (or your favorite crust recipe, for one crust)
• 1 box frozen spinach, well drained
• 2 green onions, chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
• 2 cups diced mushrooms, with a few slices reserved for decorating the top (I bought sliced baby portabellos, and it was about half of an 8 ounce container’s worth)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup half & half, or milk
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, grated or finey chopped
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Dash cayenne, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the top
• Red bell pepper rings to decorate the top
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Defrost your pie shell a lay it in a springform pan, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Press the pie shell into the pan so that it’s even over the bottom and sides.  Prick the pie shell with a fork every two inches or so and bake for 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Turn your oven down to 325 degrees.  In a small skillet, cook the green onion and mushroom with the butter over medium heat until the mushrooms are soft and reduced in size. 

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the drained spinach, cooked mushrooms and green onions, half and half, Swiss cheese, eggs, worcestershire, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne.  Stir until well combined and pour into the pie shell.  Decorate the top with slices of mushrooms and red pepper rings and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.  Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the eggs are set.

This quiche is dense and hearty and savory.  Even the men in my family love this recipe, and it always disappears quickly, no matter if we’re feeding a crowd or a small group.  It is a staple at all special occasions at home and is crowd-pleaser at any get-together.  Thanks to my Nana for passing this one along, it is a definite keeper.  Enjoy…

Grits Gone Wild

Usually grits are grits are grits, served plain with maybe a pad of butter and a sprinkle of salt.  For a ‘mid-Atlantic’ girl, I actually really enjoy grits, but I do like to dress them up before I put them on my plate.  The recipe I have for them is simple to do, but adds so much texture and flavor to an otherwise basic meal.

Smoked Gouda Grits with Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

You could switch the cheese if you really don’t like smoked gouda, but if you like a smokey cheese I urge you to try it in this dish.  I bought unpeeled shrimp, but you can butterfly them on your own if you prefer, just so long as your shrimp are fresh and raw.

• 14-16 large shrimp (I bought about 3/4 of a pound)
• 7-8 strips bacon, cut in half (I used low sodium)
• 3 cups water
• 3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
• 1 1/2 cups grated smoked gouda cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter (I used a Smart Balance-butter blend stick)
• 1 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 eggs
• Chopped green onion for garnish
• Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bring the water to a boil in a medium, covered saucepan.  Add the grits, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 6 minutes, stirring peroidically until the grits are soft and fluffy.  Add the cheese, butter, worcestershire, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and garlic powder, and stir to combine and melt the cheese. 

In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and add a bit of the grits mixture to the eggs, stirring quickly as they combine.  This step allows you to temper the eggs; if you add the eggs straight to the sauce pan, they will scramble from the immediate heat.  Once you have mixed the eggs with a tablespoon or so of the grits mixture, slowly pour the eggs into the sauce pan, stirring as you go.  Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour the grits into the pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, clean and de-shell your shrimp if you need to do so, removing the tails as well.  Lay your half-pieces of bacon on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven (with the grits) for about 10 minutes.  Remove the bacon from the oven and pour off as much of the grease as you can from the baking sheet. 

Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon.  You can either secure each bacon strip with a toothpick, or you can simply wrap them so that the ends are on the same side of the shrimp and then lay them end-side down on your baking sheet.  As they cook, the bacon will tighten up and stay on its own.  Bake the bacon-wrapped shrimp for another 10 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the shrimp are pink and opaque.  Serve over a mound of grits and garnish with chopped green onion.

Adding eggs to the grits and then baking them brings them from gloppy and sticky to light and airy.  And by cooking the bacon before wrapping the shrimp, it comes to a nice crisp in the oven without overcooking the seafood.  The combination of flavors and texutures in this meal are rich and full and indulgent and comforting, but are also sophisticated and anything but ordinary.  Enjoy…

Cowboy Up

This weekend was the annual Ranch Hand Breakfast at the historic King Ranch here in Kingsville, Texas.  There is no recipe attached to this post, but I thought I’d share my local south Texas culinary experience.

King Ranch is the nation’s largest ranch and is home to a slew of authentic cowboys who raise and train cutting horses and thoroughbreds.  Each year they host a breakfast for the public with local fare, lifestyle demonstrations, and live music.

It was unseasonably cool and cloudy, a perfect morning to be eating hot food outside.  We picked up some icey orange juice and received plates piled high with refried beans, biscuits and gravy, sausage links, eggs and salsa, and a flour tortilla.  Everything was fresh and flavorful, but refried beans were absolutely the highlight of the meal for me.

  

I stood in line for the Cowboy Coffee and it was well worth the wait.  It was heated over burning coals and was subtly sweet, even though I drink my coffee black.  I warmed my hands around my steaming cup of coffee while we watched cowboy teams demonstrate their roping skills – and they were impressive! 

A country music band filled the air with two-stepping tunes and hay bales were set up for leisurely lounging.  There were cowboy hats, ‘stiff Wrangler’ jeans as far as the eye could see, and plenty of event organizers riding horseback.  It was a morning to remember, a true taste of south Texas hospitality, and a great way to spend a chilly Saturday morning.

  

All Mixed Up

Last year my sister made homemade treats to give all of my nieces’ teachers for the holidays.  It was simple yet addictive, and I’ve made it myself many times since, both for giving and for snacking on at home.

White Chocolate Chex Mix

The recipe below makes a large batch.  I filled mason jars with this Chex mix and finished them off with a pretty ribbon and a small gift tag.  You can also add a square of festive fabric between the rim and the lid of the mason jar to dress it up even more.  Look for seasonal colors of M&Ms to make this treat perfect for any occasion.

• 3 cups rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups corn Chex cereal
• 3 cups Cheerios cereal
• 3 cups pretzel sticks
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts
• 1 14 ounce bag M&Ms
• 1 12 ounce bag white chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Mix the cereals, pretzels, and peanuts together in an extra large bowl.  Melt the white chocolate in the microwave with the oil, heating only for about 8 seconds at a time.  White chocolate burns quickly so it’s important to heat just a bit at a time, otherwise it will seize up and become clumpy instead of smooth.  Stir the white chocolate in between each set in the microwave, heating just enough to melt the chips (the last few lumps should melt as you stir the warm chocoalte around).

Pour the melted chocolate into the cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly.  Add the M&Ms and stir to incorporate them.  Pour the entire mixture on a sheet of parchment paper (or wax paper) and let dry.  Once dried, break the large clumps apart and serve or package for gifting. 

There is absolutely nothing tricky or fancy about this, and I’m not even a huge white chocolate person, but people just love it.  It is sweet and salty and crunchy and everyone has their own favorite morsels that they pick out first.  It makes an easy and inexpensive holiday gift, a perfect snack to set out for company, and it works any time of the year.  Enjoy…

Bell Pepper Pleaser

Last night I decided to put together an ‘oldy but a goody’, stuffed bell peppers.  I haven’t made these guys since college but I was in the mood for something warm and comforting and thought I’d give it a try.  This came out to be an easy dish that needs only a side salad to turn it into a full meal. 

Ground Beef and Rice Stuffed Peppers

 

I chose green peppers only becuase they are less expensive, but you can certainly stuff any color (or a mix!) of bell pepper that you prefer.  This is a very basic recipe but you can switch out different meats, cheese, or grains to accomodate your own taste.

• 6 green bell peppers
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or 1 teaspoons jarred, mined garlic
• 1/2 cup rice (I used brown long grain rice)
• 1 cup water for the rice (or however much your rice directions call for)
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• A few dashes worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh, flat leaf Italian parsley
• 2 cups Italian blend cheese, divided

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cook your rice according to the directions on the package.  While the rice cooks, place the beef, onion, and garlic into a large saute pan or skillet and cook over medium heat, crumbling as it browns.  Meanwhile, use a paring knife to cut around the top of each pepper, removing and discarding the top, membrane, and all seeds.  Rinse the inside under water to remove any pesky seeds in the pepper. 

When the rice and beef are done, pour the rice into the beef mixture and turn the heat to low.  Add 1 3/4 cups of the crushed tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley and stir to combine.   Pour the rest of the crushed tomatoes (about 1 1/2 cups) into the bottom of a baking dish (I used an 8×11 inch dish).  Fill each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, place the filled peppers in the baking dish, and sprinkle the second cup of cheese over each pepper.  Cover with foil and bake about 45, or until the peppers are softened.  For the final 5 minutes, turn the oven to broil, remove the foil from the dish, and bake until the cheese is browned. 

This is an easy dish that would be a great use for leftovers.  The peppers should have a slight crunch, and the cheese should be melty and bubbly.  Each stuffed pepper contains your meat, starch, and vegetable in one edible container and is easy to make ahead and bake right before dinner time.  Enjoy…

Gobble It Up

I love biting into a tall, juicy burger but I also try to keep my meals healthy and low in fat.  My compromise for this is a turkey burger, thick with meat but leaner than ground beef.  Last night I cooked up some turkey burgers at home, and they were just as flavorful and satisfying as any regular beef burger.

Ground Turkey Burgers

The main concern with using turkey in a burger is to keep it moist, since it will need to be cooked all the way through.  I add a bunch of ingredients to keep these from getting dry, but another thing you could add is a pile of cheese stuffed and sealed in the center of the burger.  Also, for my bread crumbs I just threw an old hot dog bun in the food processor and ran it until it became fine crumbs; you’ll want to use fresh bread crumbs as opposed to dry, since again, these need all the moisture they can get.

• 1 package ground turkey (mine was 1.2 pounds)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons mustard (I used spicy brown with horseradish)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh, flat leaf Italian parsley
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Dash cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients except for the olive oil into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  With your hands, combine everything together until thoroughly combined.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Form about 5 patties from the ground turkey mixture and add them to the pan, turning the heat to medium-low.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your burgers.  Carefully flip each burger and cook on the second side for about 4 minutes, or until firm and cooked through.  Serve on buns with lettuce (I used arugula), a slice of tomato, your favorite cheese (I was indulgent and slathered some Boursin garlic and herb spread on mine) and a dollop of barbeque sauce.

Even my husband and his friends like these turkey burgers.  They are extremely moist and full of flavor and are much more heart healthy than the standard beef variety.  This recipe will also make about 10 ground turkey sliders (mini burgers), which work great on the soft, Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls.  I urge you to try ground turkey next time you’re thinking of making burgers, they are an easy switch to a healthier diet.  Enjoy…

One Dish Wonder

Last night was one of those dinners where I threw a bunch of things from my fridge and freezer into a pot and created a one dish pasta meal.  I wanted something comforting and I had a bag of cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped) pasta in my cupboard that I was excited to use.  The result was a stove top cheesy noodle dish that was chock full of vegetables and studded with bits of meat.

Cavatappi With Spinach, Bacon, and Roasted Red Peppers in a Fontina Cheese Sauce

If you can’t find cavatappi, just use whatever shape of pasta you have or like.  You could use fresh spinach but you would need about 1 pound (12 cups) of fresh spinach leaves.  If you choose to use fresh leaves, chop them by hand or in a food processor and then wilt them in a separate pan with a touch of olive oil over medium low heat. 

• 1 pound cavatappi (corkscrew-shaped) pasta
• 4-5 strips bacon (I used low sodium bacon)
• 1/2 cup dice onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon jarred, mined garlic
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk (or skim evaporated milk)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1 10 ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, well-drained, and chopped
• 1 cup roughly chopped jarred and drained roasted red peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a covered, large pot of salted wated to a rolling boil.  Add your pasta and cook uncovered until it is tender.  Drain pasta.  Meanwhile, cook your bacon strips in a large saute pan or skillet over medium high heat until crispy.  Set bacon aside.  You should have about 4 tabelspoons of bacon drippings left in your pan; if you don’t, melt enough butter to create a total of about 4 tablespoons of grease in your pan. 

Add the onions and cook over medium heat until they begin to look transparent.  Add the garlic and cook until the onions are completely softened, stirring to make sure the garlic doesn’t burn.  Sprinkle the flour over the pan and whisk the flour and drippings together.  Let the flour paste cook for a few minutes, whisking periodically.  Add the milk and chicken stock, whisking after each addition until the mixture is smooth.  This will thicken as it cooks, but if you think your sauce needs to be thinner, go ahead and add a touch more liquid.  Stir in the cheese until it melts.  Stir in the spinach and roasted red peppers.  Crumble or chop your cooked bacon and add it to the pot.  Season with the salt and pepper.  Combine the pasta and cheese sauce, stir to evenly coat the noodles, and serve.

This dinner really hit the spot for me.  In one bowl I got creamy melted cheese, salty bacon, sweet and smoky roasted peppers, and earthy spinach.  It was a great way to use up some of the things in my fridge, and it came out to be a well-rounded, hearty dish that was full of flavor and color.  Enjoy…

Going Nuts

I spent the weekend in San Antonio running a marathon, and Monday I recovered from the run, so I haven’t been doing much cooking the past few days.  But one easy thing I love to make around the holiday season is a batch of candied pecans.  Last year I used these as gifts for hostesses and friends, as a sweet snack at home, and as a crunchy salad topper.  Each time I set these out for guests, every last pecan is eaten within minutes.     

Candied Pecans

This is an inexpensive gift idea, since the 1 pound bags of pecans are usually somewhere between seven and eight dollars, and each batch of candied pecans will make about 3-4 small gift bags.  Although I’ve never tried it, this recipe would probably work well with walnuts, too.

• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup white, granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pound pecan halves

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Grease a baking sheet (the jelly roll pan-style) with butter.  In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, and cinnamon until combined; set aside.   In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, vanilla, and vinegar until frothy.  Pour the bag of pecans into the egg white mixture and stir to coat them evenly.  Then pour the pecans into the sugar mixture, tossing to coat them evenly.  Spread the nuts in an even layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. 

The egg whites are really what make these so crunchy and light, and while the balsamic vinegar may sound odd, it gives the nuts a deeper, richer sweetness.  I like to fill clear vellum bags with these nuts and tie them off with a pretty ribbon for simple, homemade gifts to have on hand.  Once you taste these candied pecans, you won’t want to go through another holiday season without them.  Enjoy…

Crab Soup For My Soul

There are two kinds of crab soup that hail from Maryland, and my favorite is simply dubbed Maryland Crab Soup.  It is a spicy tomato broth filled with a medly of vegetables and lumps of blue crab meat.  It is hard for me to not order this soup when I’m home, and when I am feeling homesick it is a great way to bring me back to Maryland in my mind. 

Maryland Crab Soup 

 

This is one of those crab recipes that really requires lump crab meat.  I can only find it pastuerized where I live, but if you’re able to get it fresh it will make a big difference.  Also, I can’t get crab shells here, but if you can I would suggest cooking them in the broth to create a crab stock of a sort, and then removing them prior to serving.  The recipe below makes 11-12 cups of soup.

• 8 ounces packed lump crab meat
• 1 1/2 cups chunked baby red potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used low sodium)
• 1 2/3 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 extra large or 2 regular garlic cloves , grated (about 2 teaspoons)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes, tomatoes cut up
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 15.25 ounce can lima beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.25 ounce can corn kernels, drained (or equal amount frozen kernels)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2- 3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning, or to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parlsey, reserving some for garnish

Add the chicken and beef broth and the diced potatoes to a large pot.  Cover and cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to soften.  Add the carrots, celery, green beans, onion, garlic, and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are all tender.  Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, lima beans, corn, and crab meat.  Season with the Old Bay and black pepper to taste.  Stir in the parsley and remove the bay leaves just before serving.  Garnish each bowl with more parsley and saltines or oyster crackers on the side.

This is a hearty soup but a healthy one.  The Old Bay seasoning adds all the salt and spice you’ll need for this dish, even with the low sodium chicken broth.  My favorite way to eat this is to crumble the crackers into the steaming soup and let them soak up the broth so that each spoonful is a heaping mound of tender vegetables and lump crab meat.  Enjoy…