Hey! It's Been a While!

It's been a while since anyone has posted ANYTHING on here, so I thought I'd throw something out there! This has been a cold weather favorite of mine for a couple years. Seems like I got it from a Better Homes and Gardens book, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm not taking credit for the recipe, but it's delicious!

Caribbean Clam Chowder

¼ c red pepper

¼ c celery

¼ c sweet onion

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

1-2 cloves minced garlic.

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies. (you can get mild, medium, or hot..I recommend medium if you still want to feel your lips after your done)

1 6.5 oz can of chopped or minced clams.

1/8 tsp dried thyme.

1. drain clams and set aside the juice. And enough water to the juice to make 2 cups.
2. put diced veggies and potatoes and garlic into a pot with clam juice and water. Put in thyme. Boil until veggies are soft.
3. Add tomatoes and clams. Heat through.

Butternut Squash Spinach Chicken Soup

This is a yummy autumn soup that's pretty darn healthy to boot!

Butternut Squash Spinach Chicken Soup

6-1/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 skinless boneless chicken breast tenderloins, about 4 ounces each, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1-1/2 cups diced butternut squash
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup cooked or low-sodium canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1. Heat 1/4 cup broth in a large pot. Add chicken, onions, nutmeg, and cumin, and sauté until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in jalapeño pepper.

2. Add remaining broth and squash. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

3. Stir in the spinach and chickpeas, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

It's definitely a new family favorite! Happy Cooking! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

This is one of our family favorites for Thanksgiving!

Yields: 2 large and 1 small loaf

3 1/2 c. flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 c. butter/ margarine

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 can pumpkin

1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix together, adding ingredients in order listed. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes with large loaf and 50 minutes for a small loaf, or until tooth pick comes out nearly clean. Enjoy!

Apple, Sauerkraut, & Cheddar Quesadillas

I'll admit: When I first came across this recipe, I was slightly disgusted, but intrigued at the same time. These quesadillas are yummy! I did add a little chopped ham (lunchmeat) which added yet another flavor to the mix. And I ended up making four thinner quesadillas rather than two bigger ones.

Enjoy!

Apple, Sauerkraut, & Cheddar Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 cup(s) sauerkraut, rinsed
1/2 cup(s) water
2 9-to-10-inch (burrito-size) flour tortillas
1 1/3 cup(s) grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 small Granny Smith, or other tart, juicy apple, peeled and very thinly sliced

Directions:
Put sauerkraut and water in a medium nonreactive skillet. Gently heat just until the liquid has evaporated but not so much that the sauerkraut begins to stick to the pan. Remove from the heat.

Gradually heat a large cast-iron over medium heat. Put one tortilla in the pan and immediately sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese over half of it. Quickly arrange about half the apple slices over the cheese, then top with half the sauerkraut, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle with another 1/3 cup cheese.

Fold the tortilla over the filled half and press gently on it with a spatula to seal. Heat the quesadilla until the bottom is golden, about 2 minutes, then carefully flip and lightly brown the other side. Slide the quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut it into halves or quarters. Prepare the second one in the same fashion. Variation: If you like, a little chopped ham tastes wonderful layered in with the other ingredients.

Black Bean Soup!

It's super easy and super yummy! It makes you feel warm inside, and if you make it spicy enough, it'll clear those clogged sinuses right out!

Black Bean Soup

Serves 5

3-4 stalks of Celery

½ Medium Onion

1-2 garlic cloves

1½ cans chicken broth (14.5 oz cans) or about 22oz prepared chicken bouillon

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz salsa

½ c cooked cubed chicken (1 boneless skinless chicken breast)

½ c cooked long grain rice

½ Tbsp lime juice

½ tsp ground cumin

Saute celery, onion, and garlic in oil until onions and clear.

Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through.

Serve with Tortilla chips

The rice absorbs most of the liquid if stored over night, leftovers are great for burritos!

If you want it to stay soup, simply add more chicken broth.

Couscous & Feta Stuffed Peppers

This is a recipe I tried last year from Smitten Kitchen, a little cooking blog that I love. (Not to discredit our blog, of course!) It may not be the quickest, but it's quite easy. And so worth the effort. I mean, feta and couscous and chickpeas?? Oh my!

Ingredients:

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup couscous
4 extra-large or 5 large bell peppers, mixed colors
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
6 oz yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons tomato paste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish and roast them for 15 minutes or so, until they soften, then remove them from the oven until the filling is ready. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes, chickpeas and tomato paste. Using a fork, scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Fill peppers with the couscous mixture. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

And sometimes, just to prove to my 82 year-old grandmother that I actually am cooking, I take photos. Bon appétit!

Chocolaty, Chocolate Banana Bread

I had never heard of Chocolate Banana Bread. Then I visited my friend Katrina's blog. I'm not sure where she got the recipe, but I just made it last night and...IT'S DEFINITELY WORTH SHARING! I used 2 of the smaller sized loaf pans and only baked them for about 45 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350. Spray bottom of 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. Beat sugar, eggs, and oil in large bowl at medium speed until combined. Beat in banana and vanilla at low speed. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; beat into banana mixture at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3 Spoon batter into pan. Bake 60-70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack