Potato Paprika Soup

The recipe was adapted from Prevention Magazine's Hungarian Paprika- Potato Soup. This is a very easy slow cooker recipe and I liked the way it came out. Great in the winter with a crusty loaf of bread.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
2 lbs Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2" chunks
4 cups Low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp & 1 tsp Paprika
pinch of Red pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tsp Celery seeds
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 White onion, medium sized finely chopped (around 3/4 to 1 cup)
1/2 Red onion, finely chopped (around 1/2 cup)
1 tsp Dill, dried
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 cup Fat-free milk

Directions:
1. Place potatoes, broth, paprika, celery seeds, kosher salt, and both types of onions in slow cooker. Stir to combine.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir soup to break up potatoes into broth for a slightly chunky consistency.
3. Add dill and black pepper and mix. Stir in milk and return the cover. Cook for 20 to 30 more minutes.

Enjoy with crusty bread!

Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Glaze

In the Ann Arbor, Michigan area, we have a great grocery store called Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Glaze. This really is not a difficult dish, but it has a nice elegance that seems like a dish you might get at a nice restaurant. We served it with sauteed broccoli and potatoes and it was great all around.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Pounded or cut no more than 1/2" thick)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Thyme (dried)
1/2 tsp Parsley (dried)
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or two cloves)
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tsp Butter

Directions:
1. Mix kosher salt, pepper, dried thyme and dried parsley. Sprinkle half evenly over the chicken.
2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts to pan (spice sound down) and cook for about 7 minutes. While it is cooking, sprinkle the remaining spice on the chicken. After 7 minutes, turn the chicken over and cook for 7 more. Finally, turn the chicken one last time and cook for 2 more minutes. (Note: the internal temperature should be 160°F). Remove chicken from pan, place on a clean plate and cover with foil.
3. Reduce heat to medium and remove off the heat to add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and minced garlic to pan. Stir mixture in pan and place back over heat. Simmer mixture for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the butter.
4. Drizzle glaze over chicken breasts and serve.

Enjoy with vegetables and potatoes or rice!

Green and Red Beef Teriyaki

So this is the first recipe I have tried or adapted from the magazine First For Women. They used to have these recipes that would be 300 or so ways to prepare pasta - and they just calculate out the combinations that could be generated from choosing one spice from column A and one spice from column B...etc. But I saw this recipe (Teriyaki Beef and Asparagus from May 20, 2013) and it looked really good. I tweaked it a bit. I liked the way it came out - but I want to play with this and will try it again with chicken (I think). Having the noodles is nice - and I used rice noodles. In all honesty, I had the leftovers at lunch the following day with a bit of rooster sauce - and I liked it better. So the base is good to keep playing.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
8 oz Rice noodles
1 tbsp Olive oil
3/4 cup Teriyaki marinade
1/4 cup Beef broth (low-sodium if you have it)
1 tsp Chili-garlic sauce (or Hosin sauce)
1 tsp Corn starch
1 tbsp Peanut oil
1 bunch Asparagus, cut into 2" pieces (top 4-5" only)
1 Green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 lbs Sirloin steak, sliced 1/4" thick (thinner the better)

Directions:
1. Prepare rice noodles. Bring a pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and add noodles until all are submerged. After around 5-6 minutes, drain in a colander and add 1 tbsp olive oil and mix (this prevents the noddles from sticking together).
2. Combine teriyaki marinade, broth, chili-garlic sauce and corn starch in a bowl - then set aside.
3. Over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp peanut oil and cook vegetables 4 minutes until crisp-tender.
4. Push vegetables to the outside of the pan and add the steak. Cook for 4-5 minutes until done.
5. Add marinade mixture and stir thoroughly for around 30 seconds.
6. Add noodles and cook for around 1-2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Rosemary

I have long wanted to cook with Fingerling Potatoes. They taste wonderful and look so elegant - it is a very nice twist to a roasted vegetable. I modified this Cooking Light recipe for Roasted Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes and it came out fantastic. This is easy enough for any night - though elegant enough for holidays and big family meals.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):
1 tsp Rosemary, dried
1 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 Shallot (large), thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs Fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
Cooking spray or Olive oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to coat.
3. Lightly coat a jelly-roll pan with cooking spray or olive oil spray. Arrange potato mixture on the pan.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, tossing half way through.

Enjoy as a great side dish!

Chicken and Broccoli with Dijon Sauce

Here is a new recipe I wanted to try to mix up our chicken and broccoli dishes. This recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Dijon was from Kraft Foods and was really good. It keeps with our goal of eating well this year. We served this over noodles, but you can also serve it over rice. This was really great and a nice change from Asian themed stir-fries.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
3/4 cup Chicken broth
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Olive oil, divided
4 cups Broccoli florets
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
1 1/2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips (around 3)
1/4 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Mix chicken broth and soy sauce in a container, set aside.
2. Sprinkle the 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper over the chicken.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook for around 4 minutes (stirring often). Remove broccoli to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
4. Add the other tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add chicken. Cook for around 5-6 minutes.
5. Add broth mixture to the pan and mix thoroughly as it comes to a boil. Then lower heat to medium-low and add mustard. Mix well and return the broccoli mixture to the pan. Cook for around one minute and serve over rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Lemon Caper Sauce

Here is a new recipe I wanted to try today - based on the Chicken with Lemon-Caper Sauce recipe from Cooking Light. This came out fantastic and will definitely be on a repeat list at our house. We served this with asparagus and couscous - for a perfect dinner.

Ingredients (Serves 4):
1/4 tsp (plus a dash) Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp (plus a dash) Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Oregano (dried)
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned Chicken breasts, cut into two haves lengthwise (no more than 1/2" thick)
1 tbsp & 1 tsp Olive oil
1/2 cup Chicken broth
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Capers, rinsed
1 tbsp Parsley (fresh), chopped

Directions:
1. Sprinkle the 1/4 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and dried oregano over the chicken.
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. 3. Add chicken and cook 6-7 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from skillet and keep warm (under foil)
4. Return the pan to the burner and add chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, and a pinch of kosher salt & black pepper to skillet, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Cook for around 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in parsley and then spoon sauce over chicken.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Chicken Wrap

I have been carrying around this recipe for Vietnamese Chicken Sandwiches a long time - and I am very happy that I gave this a whirl. The first time I had a Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich was not in a nice Asian restaurant, but Good Time Charley's in Ann Arbor. I wanted to make it as a wrap and less spicy (for everyone's taste). I loved the way this turned out and will make it again. The work is more prep than anything else, and if you have mandolin slicer - it will be really great.

Ingredients (Makes 4 wraps):
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup Matchstick-cut carrots (smaller the better)
2 tsp Peanut or canola oil
1 lbs Chicken breasts (2 or 3), cut into 1/4" diagonal slices
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Garlic, chopped (or one clove)
1 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber (1/8" thick)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced Lettuce
1/4 cup Cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan; cook until sugar dissolves. Add carrot and remove from heat. Let cool.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Sauté 3-4 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Combine remaining garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and hoisin sauce in a bowl; add the cooked chicken and toss.
4. Prepare wraps. Place lettuce and cucumber on the base of the wrap. Add chicken and drizzle with leftover sauce and a small amount of the vinegar-sugar mix. Add carrots (use a slotted spoon), cilantro and hot sauce (such as Sriracha) if desired. Wrap up the contents and cut in half.

Enjoy!