Tag Archives: cilantro

Spicy Tomato and White Bean Soup

This has the down home earthy flavor that all good soups should have. I had a leftover baked potato when I made this last, so I cubed it up and threw it in for some extra bulk. Sometimes I used canned chipotle pepper instead of poblanos. This one is easy to make your own – so many extras go so well with the ingredients.

Spicy Tomato and White Bean Soup
Spicy Tomato and White Bean Soup

4 servings
157 calories per serving

14 oz. can chicken broth, divided
1 c water
2 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
16 oz. can navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium poblano chile, halved and seeded
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 T lime juice
1 T oil
1/2 t salt
¼ t pepper

Mix broth, chili powder and cumin in a large soup pot on medium high heat. Mix the water with the pepper and onion in a food processor and pulse to chop veggies. Add onion mix to pot. Mash some beans a bit to help thicken the soup and then add all beans to the pots. Put tomatoes and cilantro in food processor and coarsely chop then add this to the pot. Bring all to a boil then cover, reduce heat and simmer 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice, oil, salt and pepper.

Garbanzo Burgers

When you’re in the mood for a spicy patty on a bun try a veggie patty instead of meat once in a while. Black bean burgers have always been a favorite of mine – now I have an alternate….garbanzo burgers. At only 56 calories, add a 100 calorie bun and have two 🙂

Garbanzo Burgers
Garbanzo Burgers

4 servings
56 calories per serving

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans (also called chick peas or cece beans), rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chile pepper, seeded and minced
2 T chopped cilantro
1 T tahini paste (a sesame seed paste much like peanut butter is a peanut paste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam

Place garbanzos, peppers, carrots, garlic, red chile pepper, cilantro, tahini, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until ingredients are mixed evenly. If the mix is too dry, add a few drops of water. Refrigerate the mix 1.2 hour or more.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Make 4 burgers out of the bean mix and place on sheet. Bake 20 minutes, flip and cook another 10 minutes. You can also fry these in a medium skillet sprayed with Pam.

Shrimp and Rice Soup

This is an excellent soup ! Be sure to remember the lime splash just before serving – it makes a big difference in the flavor.

Shrimp and Rice Soup
Shrimp and Rice Soup

4 servings
320 calories per serving

4 c chicken broth
2 c water
1 c Minute Rice
1 T oil
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 lime wedges
1 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
3 T sliced scallions
3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix broth and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil then stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté garlic, onions, shrimp and pepper flakes 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir shrimp into soup, add salt and pepper, and garnish with cilantro. Sprinkle with lime just before serving.

Garlic Seafood Soup

This recipe gives you a simple seafood soup that has such a deep flavor ! Using all the shells in the broth preparation makes such a difference. You will love this one !

Garlic Seafood Soup
Garlic Seafood Soup

6 servings
301 calories per serving

8 oz. medium shrimp, shells on
Pam
2 c onion, chopped
12 cloves garlic, minced
½ green bell pepper, halved
1/4 c chicken broth
6 c water
1 T butter
2 T flour
3/4 c heavy cream
1 t salt
1 lb. red snapper fillets, cut into bite size pieces
3 T chopped cilantro leaves

Peel and clean the shrimp. Reserve the shells. Heat a soup pan on medium high and spray with Pam. Add shells, onion, garlic, and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Add broth and cook 3 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes or until liquid equals about 3 cups. Strain liquid into a bowl and discard all the solid pieces. Clean the pot and heat to medium high again. Melt butter and stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly add shrimp broth whisking constantly. Stir in rest of the broth and salt and bring back to a boil. Cook 5 minutes and then drop in shrimp and fish and cream. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until fish is done. Promptly remove from heat. Top each bowlful with cilantro.

Sofrito Chicken Stew

A rich stew with lots of flavor – the dark meat chicken definitely gives this dish extra texture and the olives give it great authenticity. Sofrito is a tomato, pepper, onion and garlic base for many Latin dishes. The mixture of flavors is sooooooo good. Serve with Rice Pilaf for a perfect meal.

Sofrito Chicken Stew
Sofrito Chicken Stew

2 servings
238 calories per serving

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (3 oz. each)
1 T oil
¼ t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
¼ c diced onions
1 T garlic clove, minced
¼ c diced red bell pepper
¼ c diced yellow bell pepper
¼ c diced green olives
4 T tomato paste
1 c chicken broth
2 T cilantro, chopped

Cut chicken into thin strips. Heat 1 t oil and cook chicken over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking about 5 minutes, Place on a plate and keep warm. Add rest of oil to pan and sauté onion 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute. Stir in peppers and olives and cook 1 minute then add chicken back to the pan along with tomato paste and broth. Simmer about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Jeweled Rice

This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice from the Chinese food take out order. Just place it in a colander and place the colander over a pot of steaming water for 5-6 minutes. That brings it back to life nicely 🙂 The veggies look like little jewels in a sea of rice. It’s a very pretty side dish !

Jeweled Rice
Jeweled Rice

6 servings
183 calories

1 c basmati rice (stickier than regular long grain rice)
2 c water
1/4 c roasted peanuts
1 shallot, sliced
2 T water
1 t minced fresh ginger root
3/4 c grated carrots
½ c corn
Salt to taste
¼ t cayenne pepper (double this if you like it spicy !)
3 T chopped cilantro

Add rice to water and bring to a boil on high heat then lower to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes or until water is absorbed (or use steamed leftover rice as mentioned above). Mash peanuts finely or puree in a blender. Heat a skillet and sauté shallots in a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Saute 5 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep them moist. Then add ginger, carrots, corn and salt. Turn to low and cook 5 minutes then stir in rice, pepper, cilantro and peanuts.

Pork Medallions and Potatoes

Sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes the best meals. This recipe has just a few components, but they complement each other beautifully. This was an excellent meal !

Pork Medallions and Potatoes
Pork Medallions and Potatoes

4 servings
285 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 lb. red potatoes cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c water
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes or until brown. Add 1/2 c water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallions and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices and press down to flatten into even pieces and dry on a paper towel (wet meat will not brown up nicely), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat 1 T oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook pork in batches 2-4 minutes per side. Serve with potatoes and lemon slices and garnished with cilantro leaves.

Ginger Beef

Ginger and garlic just go together so well. And making a paste of them along with cilantro and sesame oil just adds so much flavor to the already flavorful beef. This is a great quick dish that you will make again and again.

Ginger Beef
Ginger Beef

4 servings
298 calories per serving

1/4 c cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove, minced
4 quarter size slices peeled fresh ginger
2 T water
2 T dark sesame oil
1 lb. boneless sirloin cut into long slices
16 cherry tomatoes
2 small zucchini each in 8 pieces
2 c cooked brown rice

Preheat broiler. Spray baking sheet with Pam. Mix cilantro, garlic, ginger, water and oil in a food processor until a paste forms. Place the steak in a bowl and add cilantro paste and mix well. Turn out the meat mix onto the baking sheet and add the tomatoes and zucchini. Broil 3 minutes. Stir well. Broil another 3-4 minutes. Serve with warm brown rice.

Spicy Hot Tomato Soup with Shrimp

For those that like it HOT, HOT, HOT – – this is the soup. The addition of the Spicy Hot V-8 makes for a perfect spicy base. Be sure to remember the lime splash just before serving – it makes a big difference in the flavor.

Spicy Hot Tomato Soup with Shrimp
Spicy Hot Tomato Soup with Shrimp

4 servings
348 calories per serving

3 c chicken broth
2 c Spicy Hot V-8 juice
1 c Minute Rice
1 T oil
1 t minced garlic
¼ c sliced shallots
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and cleaned
4 lime wedges
1 c chopped mushrooms
1 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned)
3 T chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix broth, juice and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil then stir in rice and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil and sauté garlic and shallots for 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp, mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Stir shrimp and cilantro into soup. Sprinkle with lime just before serving.

Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Take what is typically a dry dish when served plain (couscous), add some love, and you get a couscous dish to rave about ! The sun dried tomatoes and portobellos are just the perfect addition to couscous.

Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Couscous with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms


4 servings
178 calories per serving

1 c dehydrated sun dried tomatoes
½ c plus 2 T raw couscous
1 t oil
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 scallions, chopped
1/3 c chopped basil
¼ c chopped cilantro
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. portobello mushroom caps, chopped

Soak tomatoes with 1 c hot water for ½ hour then drain, but reserve the water. Chop tomatoes. Combine reserved water with enough more water to make 1 ½ c and bring to a boil then stir in the couscous and oil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes then fluff with a fork. Spray the skillet with Pam then stir in the tomatoes, garlic and onions and cook 5-6 minutes. If it starts to get too dry, add a tablespoon or more of hot water during the cooking process, then add the fresh herbs, juice, salt and pepper and the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Combine all in a bowl and mix well.

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