Marathon Maniac #957
Okay, now that soccer season is coming to a close, I'm back on my plan to try a new recipe once a week if I can. This week's recipe was the soup below. The only change I made was to put the kale in a food processor and shred it, since I didn't think my kids would eat the big leaves. They still griped about the presence of kale, even in the shredded form, but the soup was very tasty. With winter coming on, this will be one I make again, possibly with the addition of turkey sausage, which I think would go well in it.
Two-Bean Soup with KaleUse any type of canned beans you happen to have on hand, and add rotisserie chicken or Italian sausage for a heftier dish, if you prefer.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes minutesYield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups)3 tablespoons olive oil1 cup chopped onion1/2 cup chopped carrot1/2 cup chopped celery1/2 teaspoon salt, divided2 garlic cloves, minced4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, divided7 cups stemmed, chopped kale (about 1 bunch)2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, and divided1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 tablespoon red wine vinegar1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in 3 cups vegetable broth and kale. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until kale is crisp-tender.
2. Place half of cannellini beans and remaining 1 cup vegetable broth in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Add pureed bean mixture, remaining cannellini beans, black beans, and pepper to soup. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar, and rosemary.
CALORIES 250 ; FAT 10.4g (sat 1.4g,mono 5.5g,poly 2.2g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 189mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.5g; PROTEIN 11.8g; FIBER 9.2g; IRON 3.8mg
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."
Looks great Holly. Are we supposed to add recipes to this thread?
Here is one I really like from a microwave cook book, so it is very easy:
FRENCH ONION SOUP
3 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, sliced
3 cups beef broth
1 cup water*
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
croutons
grated parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese
combine butter and onions in round 3 quart casserole with lid
cook at HIGH 8 to 9 minutes, (perhaps mixing melted butter with onions after first two minutes), stir in broth, water, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, cover
cook at HIGH 10 to 11 minutes and then at medium high (7 out of 10) 12 minutes. Let stand 4 minutes before serving with croutons and cheese.
*variation - WHICH I HIGHLY RECOMMEND - use1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white wine or sherry.
Dead easy to make.
"During a marathon, I run about two-thirds of the time. That's plenty." - Margaret Davis, 85 Ed Whitlock regarding his 2:54:48 marathon at age 73, "That was a good day. It was never a struggle."
Yes! And easy is best! What kind of croutons do you use?
I don't use croutons, I add a piece of toast to the bowl and put mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of it. Forgot to mention the mozzarella part, so good.
Prince of Fatness
Can we post beer recipes on here?
Not at it at all.
If we can, I just started a batch of honey porter.
It was a kit though. I'm not that into brewing to afford too much in equipment.
Great idea! I look forward to seeing all the recipes.
Here's one I stole from a restaurant in Jax, FL.
Chicken Cesar Salad with bowtie pasta
But one of those cesar salad kit bags
Toss it with spiced grilled chicken (your own favorite spices)
and
Mushrooms, cooked bowtie pasta, whole black olives and a little more parm than what comes in the bag.
Its easy. I am big time into easy.
Laurie
Shamrock marathon March 2016. Burlington full or relay if I can find a partner May 2016. Wine and Dine half Nov. And a tri or two thrown in just for the hell of it.
I've posted this before, but it's worth doing so again for those who might not have seen it the first time around. The recipe is from a fun cookbook called "LooneySpoons." Great recipes, as well as interesting health information.
BOY SCOUT BROWNIES
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup baby food prunes
3 Tbs. butter, melted
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 425.
Combined cocoa, flour, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer on low speed, blend together brown sugar, prunes, butter, egg whites and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture and blend after each addition. Stir in walnuts.
Spray an 8x8 baking pan wit non-stick spray. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until edges feel dry to the touch but center appears fudgy. Do not overbake.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan before slicing. For maximum moisture, store squares in an airtight container. Makes 12 Boy Scouts.
Per Serving: 145 calories, 4.7 g fat, 25.1 g carbs, 2.5 g protein, 62 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol. Calories from Fat: 27.8%
These are on the thin side, but they're good, and unless you tell people they're low fat, no one can tell. I like to serve them with low fat Cool Whip.
"What the heck are baby food prunes? Prunes are an excellent source of fat substitute when used in baked goods. By using pureed prunes to replace most of the butter or oil normally found in fudge brownies, you'll save at least 25 grams of fat, without jeopardizing flavor or moistness."
Leslie Living and Running Behind the Redwood Curtain -------------
Trail Runner Nation
Sally McCrae-Choose Strong
Bare Performance
Leslie - I use unsweetened applesauce to replace oil in cake mixes, and no one has ever been able to tell. I use a little extra applesauce (if the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of oil, I use 1/2 cup applesauce), and it makes the cake extra moist. I expect it does the same thing as the baby food prunes, but is cheaper - a 6-pack of applesauce is only about $1.49. Baby food prices are ridiculous....
MM #6177
Yes, the applesauce works great in cookie recipes too. Though I'd never used the unsweetened kind, good idea. I haven't baked in ages, less temptation in the house that way, of course.
I'm not much of a cook, but this is one of my favorite dishes, and is easy enough for me to tolerate making.
Spinach Lasagna
Sauce Ingredients
1 can (29 oz) crushed tomatoes
½ cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. onion salt
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup fresh or 2 tbs. dried parsley
Other Ingredients
½ lb. lasagna noodles (I use whole wheat pasta these days)
1 lb. ricotta cheese (low fat is fine)
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed & drained
½ lb. (8 oz.) sliced mozzarella cheese
To make sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine all sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 15 minutes.
Mix together ricotta and Parmesan cheeses with spinach.
Cover bottom of 11 ¾" x 7 ½" x 1 ¾" baking dish with sauce.
Arrange uncooked lasagna noodles to fit.
Cover lasagna with more sauce.
Spoon half of spinach/cheese mixture over noodles.
Layer second layer of lasagna, sauce and spinach/cheese mixture.
Cover with remaining sauce.
Cover top with mozzarella and bake, covered, at 375°F for 45 minutes.
Uncover and continue baking 20 minutes.
Let stand before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serves 8.
who says life doesn't have a soundtrack?
That looks good, OM. I'll have to try that. My spinach-loathing child is out of the house and the one that's left will tolerate it. I might be pushing it with the WW noodles, but it's worth a try!
Here's a recipe for a Beef Stew with Butternut Squash I found on Self Magazine's website. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks yummy. There are links to other really good things too. I've made several things off the Self site and been happy with pretty much all of them. Prevention.com has some really good recipes, too.
Erika - that looks good, but I know my DH won't eat it with the squash. Good reminder about the couscous, though - I haven't made that in a while.