Tag Archives: carrot

Chicken and Pesto Soup

February 19, 2012 admin Leave a comment

By adding pesto to the broth, you end up with a soup that is so tasty and delicious ! It really makes an ordinary chicken broth something very special.

5 servings
235 calories per serving

2 teaspoons oil
1/2 cup carrot , julienned or shredded
8 oz. leftover cooked chicken
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 t oregano flakes
4 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped
15 oz. can chick peas, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T prepared pesto (available in the refrigerator section of your market)

Heat oil in soup pan and add carrot and chicken and heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add broth, oregano, salt and pepper and heat 2 minutes. Add spinach and chick peas and cook 3 minutes. Add the pesto sauce and cook 5 minutes so all flavors blend.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Soups

Tuscan Chicken Soup

December 9, 2011 admin 1 Comment

Warm soup on a cold day; nothing could be better. This soup is a little bit pasta fagioli, a little bit chicken soup, a little bit minestrone and a little bit straccitella – it’s everything soup 🙂

6 servings
390 calories per serving

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c coarsely chopped carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
13.25 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 c diced potatoes
2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained – take ½ c and mash them; leave the rest whole
4 cups fat free chicken broth
2 cups vegetable broth
1 c water
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t oregano flakes
1 t parsley flakes
3 c cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
10 oz. spinach
3 T chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and oil in a soup pot – sauté onion 4 minutes. Add garlic, carrot, mushroom and potato and sauté another 7 minutes. Add broth, beans, mashed beans and seasoning and simmer 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes. Add basil and spinach and cook another 3 minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese.

Chicken, Lunch

Luncheon Chicken Salad

December 5, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Chicken salad served on a lettuce leaf and with pita wedges instead of on sandwich bread just makes it a whole different beast. And all the fresh flavors in this particular recipe renewed my love of chicken salad.

4 servings
382 calories per serving

2 c diced cooked chicken breast
1 1/4 c chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 c matchstick carrots
1/2 c sliced radishes
1/3 c chopped green onions
1/4 c light mayo
2 T chopped cilantro
1 t minced garlic
1/4 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 romaine lettuce leaves
4 6 inch whole wheat pitas, cut into 4 pieces each

Mix chicken, cucs, carrots, radishes and green onions. Whisk together mayo, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Then mix that into the chicken and veggies. Place a lettuce leaf on each plate and top with 1 c chicken mixture. Serve with pita wedges.

Chicken, Crock pot, Dinner

Chicken Marrakesh (Crock Pot)

November 25, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I love being able to throw together a meal in the morning and not think about it again until it’s time to put it on the table. Chicken Marrakesh is a great dish with the subtle flavors of cuisine from Morocco.

8 servings
290 calories per serving

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
15 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 t ground cumin
1 t ground turmeric
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t black pepper
2 t parsley flakes
Salt to taste
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, chick peas, and chicken into a slow cooker. Stir herbs into tomatoes then pour tomatoes over and stir well. Cover and cook on high 5 hours or low 8-9 hours.

Dinner, Lunch, Sides, Vegetables

Curried Slaw

September 6, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a great dinner or lunch side. The curry and apples give it nice surprise flavor.

16 servings
120 calories per serving

1 c Miracle Whip
1 T curry powder
¼ of a medium head of green cabbage, shredded
¼ of a medium head of napa cabbage, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced

Mix dressing and curry then add all the other ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate several hours so flavors mingle well.

Asian, Dinner, Fruit, Pork

Pork and Plums

August 28, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Use tart plums if you don’t want this dish to be too sweet. Fruity yet savory and plums just go so well in fruited dishes !

4 servings
287 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into thin, short strips
1 T plus 1 ½ t cornstarch
1 carrot thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. plums cut into ½ inch slices
1 c chicken broth
2 T plum jam
1 T cider vinegar
1 T soy sauce
½ t ground ginger

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Mix pork with 1 T cornstarch and rub it in. A good way to do this is place both in a Ziploc bag, seal and then mush it around repeatedly. Cook the meat 5 minutes and then transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook the carrot, scallions and garlic for 1 minute and then add the plums and cook for another 5 minutes or until they start to get soft.

Whisk broth, jam, vinegar, soy, ginger and the rest of the cornstarch and pour into the pan and bring to a boil and cook 1 minute then lower the heat and place the pork back in the pan and cool 3 minutes or until all is heated.

Chicken, Crock pot, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Soups

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup (Crock Pot)

May 1, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I just found a new favorite chicken soup ! For years I have made ‘my chicken soup’ more often than any other recipe. But this one just takes the cake and this is my new ‘go to’ recipe. It combines home cooked goodness with just a little something extra…the evaporated milk makes the broth become such a mellow base and the roasted chicken has such a great texture – very different from your traditional soup where you cook the chicken in the broth. Give it a try !!

6 servings
373 calories per serving

1 c onions, chopped
1 c carrots, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t oil
¼ t flour
½ t oregano flakes
¼ t onion powder
¼ t garlic powder
6 c fat free chicken broth
2 c water
4 c diced potatoes (I used canned)
1 t salt
2 c skinless roasted chicken, diced (Perdue Shortcuts work great here!)
2 c wide egg noodles
1 c fat free evaporated milk

Heat a skillet and add oil and brown onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir in flour, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder and then pour into crock and mix in broth, water, potatoes and salt. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. Add chicken, noodles and milk and cook until noodles are tender, about ½ hour. If you don’t have a crock pot, you can easily do this stove top. Just let it simmer for an hour or 2 at very low temperature for the first step, then add the chicken, noodles and milk and let cook another 15 minutes or so.

Lunch, Pork, Soups

Emeril’s Ham and Split Pea Soup

April 16, 2011 admin Leave a comment

I made just a few variations to Emeril’s original recipe. This is just OUTSTANDING ! The flavor is so big and I like the texture of this so much better than the pureed versions of split pea soup.

6 servings
268 calories per serving

1 pound dried split peas
1 ham bone (leftover from a baked ham meal)
3 T butter
1 c finely chopped onions
¾ c finely chopped celery
½ c finely chopped carrots
2 t minced garlic
1 lb. lean ham cut into small cubes (leftover from baked ham meal)
1 t salt
1 t pepper
¼ t red pepper flakes
8 c water
1 bay leaf
1 t thyme flakes

Even if the package says that no soaking is necessary, soak the peas over night in a large bowl with water at least 2 inches over the peas. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter and cook onion 2-3 minutes. Add celery and carrots and cook another 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in peas, water, ham, and spices. Add in ham bone. Cover and cook 1 hour or until peas are tender. Remove ham bone and bay leaf, leave uncovered and cook another ½ hour to thicken. If it gets too thick, add extra water.

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides, Vegetables

Corn Salad

April 10, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Even my young teenage nephew liked this one ! So it’s kid approved 🙂 Lotsa flavor, lotsa veggies, and a great side to just about anything.

7 servings
140 calories per serving

Dressing:
¼ c oil
1 T chopped parsley
3 T rice vinegar
1 T soy sauce
½ t crushed red pepper

Salad:
1 lb. frozen corn
¼ c shredded carrots
¼ c sliced radishes
¼ c sliced green onions (green part only)

Combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate. Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook corn 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool then pat dry and add to all the rest of the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours so flavors mix.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Buttery Carrots

April 2, 2011 admin 1 Comment

The honey, orange and vanilla make a great glaze – just sweet enough without being too sweet. Serve these next to any dish for a colorful and fun carrot recipe.

4 servings
81 calories per serving

2 c diagonally cut carrots
½ c water
2 T honey
1 T light butter
1 t grated orange zest
¼ t vanilla
1/8 t salt

Place carrots and water in a pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes. Drain and return to pan and add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook 1-2 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a glaze.