Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

adapted from Rachel Ray's Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Soup is not something that I normally love. Don't get me wrong. I do like soup. But it has to be good. Really good, in order for me to enjoy it. However, I love sweet potatoes, I love bacon (who doesn't!?) and I love spicy stuff. So I decided to give this recipe a whirl. And if you don't don't like bacon or want a vegetarian version, just don't add the bacon as a garnish. Easy Peasy.

My rating: ★★★★★

After a few minor adjustments, this soup has become my favorite soup ever. Seriously. I like my soup to be chunky and I love cheese, so I added feta and extra bacon. I have already made this soup three times since I first found the recipe three months ago. However, I don't recommend this as a family meal, unless of course your kids like hot stuff. It definitely has a kick to it! 

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• salt to taste
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
• 5 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3 Tablespoons milk (I used 1%, but you could use anything)
• 1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pepper
• sour cream, bacon bits and feta cheese, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, add salt and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Cook until the onions are softened, 6-7 minutes. 
3. Stir in the chicken broth, water, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon.Simmer about 5 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
4. Add the broth mixture to the sweet potatoes in the pot and puree with an immersion blender (you could also use a full size blender) Stir in milk.
5. Serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle bacon and feta cheese on top. 

Sausage, Kale & Gnocchi Soup

Wow. This came out incredibly. Got rave reviews from the man of the house. Original recipe found here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ground hot italian sausage (definitely go for the hot sausage)
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups of kale, roughly chopped and stems removed
• 1 pound of gnocchi
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper, to taste
• freshly shaved Parmesan. 

Instructions

1. Add hot sausage and diced onion to a large stockpot.  Cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned.  Drain out any excess grease.
2. Add in the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer (still over medium-high heat).  Once it reaches a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and add the kale and gnocchi and stir to combine.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in the heavy cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve warm with freshly shaved Parmesan

My Rating: ★★★★★

Another winner here. Simple. Easy. Delicious. It's hard to beat that. 

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie

This is a traditional irish shepherd's pie and it's quite good. I almost used beef, but come on, that's not a traditional dish. You gotta use ground lamb. It's the best for this meal.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 cups frozen veggies (I used peas and carrots, but you could do corn and green beans as well)
• 1 can of cream of mushroom
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups of mashed potatoes (seasoned with butter, milk and salt/pepper to taste)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown ground lamb in skillet, with onions and garlic
3. Make your mashed potatoes (You can do this ahead of time if you'd like)
4. When the meat is browned, add the flour, cream and 4 T. butter. Stir to combine.
5. Add in the frozen veggies and stir. Cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cream of mushroom soup. Stir well. Cook until heated through, season with salt and pepper, as needed.
7. Pour lamb and veggie mix into a greased casserole dish.
8. Cover the beef and veggies with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese, optional
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

 My rating: ★★★★

This recipe is definitely a winner. Tasty. Simple. No frills or thrills. Just a traditional and classic Irish Shepherd's Pie. You can't go wrong. 

Smoky Roasted Chicken

Here's a quick and easy dry rub to add some zing to your roasted chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken wings or drumsticks (bone in, skin on)
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon pepper
• 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Toss chicken in melted coconut oil
3. Mix spices in a ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag and shake until coated.
4. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, turning once after 20 minutes

My rating: ★★★★

This is an excellent rub. I usually like my roasted chicken with lemon and garlic, but this was a very good alternative.  I served this chicken with a Baked Sweet Potato with Feta and Honey.

Baked Sweet Potato with Feta and Honey

This dish makes an excellent side for any meal. I love sweet potatoes and I love feta. Throw in a few more things that bring out the flavors of both and voila! I will be remaking this in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients

• 3-4 sweet potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I use low fat and it tastes just the same to me)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (for a little extra kick)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized cubes. 
3. Toss the sweet potato cubes in oil and bake on  parchment covered baking sheet for 20-25 minutes.
4. Drizzle with honey, balsamic vinegar, feta and chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. 

My Rating: ★★★★★

I feel like I say this all the time. But soooo delicious and easy! Seriously, I am a little obsessed with feta. So if I can find something that I can pair with it, I will!

I served this with Smoky Roasted Chicken.

Hot Italian Sandwiches

Another easy meal! Very tasty and satisfying. Adapted from this recipe here.

Ingredients

• 4 Hoagie Rolls
• 8-12 slices of salami
• 8-12 slices of pepperoni
• 8-12 slices of deli smoked ham
• 4-8 slices of mozzarella
• butter
• Italian seasoning
• 1 tomato, sliced

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler
2. Mix the softened butter and Italian seasoning and spread evenly on inside of hoagie rolls.
3. Broil for 2-3 minutes, to toast bread.
4. Remove rolls from oven, layer your meat and cheeses to your liking. Top with sliced tomato (You can also add grilled onions, grilled peppers or banana peppers)
5. Return to broiler for 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted.

My rating: ★★★★★

Definitely a tasty and easy sandwich to throw together. The Zucchini Fries were more time consuming, but not by much. They went excellent together. 

Baked Parmesan Zucchini

Absolutely unbelievable. A tasty and healthy alternative to traditional fries. I slightly adapted the recipe that I found here.

Ingredients

• 3 zucchini, quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup egg beaters (I use this low cholesterol alternative, but an egg will do)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl combine Parmesan, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
3. Pour egg beaters into a separate bowl
4. One at a time, take your zucchini and dip into egg, then gently roll in parmesan mixture. 
5. Place zucchini on parchment covered baking sheet. 
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Then broil for 2 minutes. 
7. Serve immediately, with side of sweet onion mustard sauce.

My Rating: ★★★★★

Awesome appetizer or side dish. Really easy and super delicious. I served this with some Hot Italian Sandwiches.

Zucchini Crust Pizza

Zucchini Crust Pizza

I compiled this recipe from a couple other ideas of similar alternative pizza crusts, like cauliflower or eggplant. 

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 3 small-medium zucchini's 
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan 
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella 
• 1/3 teaspoon salt

Toppings Ingredients: generally for pizzas, just use whatever you'd like. Here are some suggestions...

• Tomato sauce OR pesto sauce (I used tomato sauce)
• Mozzarella cheese
• Feta cheese
• Spinach
• Assorted vegetable. Pre-saute any onion, garlic, peppers or mushrooms. 
• Fresh tomatoes
• Sausage, pre cooked. Or grilled chicken
• Olive Oil, black pepper

Instructions

1. Grate the zucchinis into a bowl.
2. Mix zucchini with egg, cheeses and salt. 
3. Spread mixture onto a parchment cover baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until crust is slightly browned.
4. While your crust is baking, pre-saute any ingredients that need to be cooked. 
5. Assemble your pizza on zucchini crust. Sauce, veggies, cheese, etc. 
6. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes

My review: ★★★★

This recipe is definitely a tasty one that I will be making again. It wasn't as filling as I would have hoped and will have to either make double next time or have a good portion of another side. I would also try to add some flour to the crust, just to give it a bit more texture. I may also try to add some more season to the crust, like some oregano and basil. However, even with all the things I would change, the pizza that I made was very tasty. 

Maple Glazed Salmon

Maple Glazed Salmon 

This is one recipe you will definitely need to try. Delish!

Ingredients

• 1 t. paprika
• 1 t. chili powder
• 1/4 t. ground cumin
• 1/4 t. brown sugar
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 4 (6 oz.) Alaskan salmon fillets
• 2 T. maple syrup

Instructions

1. Preheat broiler
2. Combine ingredients for dry ryb; rub spice mixture evenly onto fillets. 
3. Coat a pan with cooking spray and place fish in pan. 
4. Broil for 6 minutes. 
5. Brush fillets evenly with maple syrup; broil 1 minute

My rating: ★★★★★

Love love love this salmon. Great balance of sweet and spicy. Perfectly crispy on the outside, while moist and tender on the inside. I served it with black rice (<--awesome!), green beans and crab cakes (I didn't make these from scratch, they were frozen from Trader Joe's). 

All in all, this meal was healthy and super delicious. 

Crockpot Sausage Tortellini

Sausage Tortellini

 Delicious! Delicious! Delicious! How many times do I need to say delicious until you decide to try this recipe?? Thank you to recipemothers for this amazing find!

Photo credit: Recipe Mothers

• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 20 oz package of favorite tortellini
• 1 lb spicy Italian sausage, cooked
• 2 cans diced tomatoes 
• Basil, garlic & Oregano, to taste
• 8 oz. cream cheese (try neufchatel or 1/3 fat cream cheese), softened
• grated parmesan cheese for toppings

1. Brown sausage and put into crock pot with tortellini. 
2. Pour the tomatoes, including liquid, and broth into crock pot. 
3. Add softened cream cheese in chunks. And stir well. Make sure that the tortellini is covered with liquid
4. Cook on LOW for 4 1/2 hours. Stir at 2 hours, and again at 4 hours, remove the lid for last half hour of cooking to allow the sauce to thicken up.

My review: ★★★★★

There is nothing about this recipe that I didn't love. It was easy, it was delicious. Absolutely amazing. I loved it. The man of the house loved it. The kids even gobbled it up. A real winner here.

Mushroom Zucchini Pasta

Mushroom Zucchini Pasta

This recipe was found from the lovely lady at damndelicious. It appealed to me for three reasons. One, I love mushrooms and zucchini. Two, I love pasta. Three, it was a super easy recipe. 

Photo credit: Damn Delicious

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• 1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 zucchini, thinly sliced and quartered
• 2/3 cup peas
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, combine spaghetti, mushrooms, zucchini, peas, garlic, thyme and 4 1/2 cups water; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until pasta is cooked through and liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and heavy cream.
3. Serve immediately.

My review: ★★

Now I will stress that I did not follow this recipe exactly and this is absolutely the cause of my bad review. I may very well try this again because it had a lot a potential. My two problems are easily fixable. The first is seasoning. I didn't season it enough. Blame it on being distracted by two kids, blame it on the wine that kept me company, blame it on cleaning my house at the same time, but I didn't put nearly enough salt or other seasonings in it. We had to add a lot to our individual plates. The other critique is the I didn't follow the last bit of instructions... Serve IMMEDIATELY. Don't let it sit warming on your stove because your dinner guests are 20 minutes late. Seriously. Serve it immediately. The pasta was WAAY overcooked and just tasted awful. So yes, I might try this again. And this time, I'd follow the directions to the tee.

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice


This is a pretty good recipe. It's pretty general as far as chicken fried rice. I picked this one from SkinnyMom. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup water
• ¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked + chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups of brown rice (cooked)
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 20 scallion stalks, chopped + divided (about 1 cup)

Instructions

1. In a stockpot, add chicken stock, water and chicken. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Cover and lower heat to medium-low. Allow chicken breasts to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle (170 degrees F). Turn off heat.
2. Remove chicken breast from stock and set on plate to slightly cool. When chicken is cool enough to touch, dice into ½-inch cubes and set aside.
3. Cook rice.
4. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onion, peas and carrots, garlic, ½ cup of the scallions and "stir fry" until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Push mixture to outside of skillet to open up the center. Crack eggs into skillet and scramble. Mix with vegetables.
5. Add the stir fry mixture, chicken and soy sauce to the bowl of brown rice. Mix well. Top with remaining scallions.

My review:  ★★★
It was fairly easy, but lacked a certain pizzazz. We ended up adding hot sauce and soy sauce and then it tasted better. But I guess that's the risk with trying a "skinny" recipe. 

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

This recipe has definitely been around the block. There are many sites to find this recipe, and they are all very similar. Here's the site I used The Well Fed Newlyweds.

Photo credit: The Well Fed Newlyweds

Ingredients 
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 jar salsa
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can corn, drained
8 oz block of cream cheese
Taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Directions
Grease a slow cooker with non-stick spray and place the chicken inside.
Add the chicken broth, salsa, black beans, corn, cream cheese and taco seasoning. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
Remove chicken and shred with forks.
Add cheese to sauce and stir. Return chicken and stir.
Serve with hot rice or tortillas

My review: ★★★★
I give this recipe a 4 star rating. It's definitely an easy meal to prepare and is quite delicious for how little effort is put into it. We usually just use tortillas, because it's easier. You can add anything that'd like. Avocado, more cheese, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Greek Chicken Gyros

Greek Chicken Gyros

One of my favorite meals ever! I have done this recipe a few times now and it's absolutely amazing. I give all credit to Half Baked Harvest for their Greek Chicken Gyros.

Photo credit: Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 teaspoons of red wine (or red wine vinegar if you prefer)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt (I used nonfat and it was just fine)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into thick strips

For the tzatziki sauce

• 16 ounces plain greek yogurt (again, nonfat. But any kind will do)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine (or white wine vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon, dried dill
• 1 teaspoon, dried oregano
• half a fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Serve with:

• 6-8 Pita breads
• fresh cherry tomatoes
• your favorite hummus
• tapenade (you can buy this at the store or find awesome recipes to make it at home)
• feta cheese ( <---- my favorite part!)

Instructions

1. Prepare the chicken by combining all ingredients, except chicken in a medium bowl. Whisk together until mixed well. Add in the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. To prepare the tzatziki sauce, mix together the greek yogurt, diced cucumber, garlic, white wine, dill, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
3. To cook the chicken preheat your broiler. Place the chicken, including marinade on a baking pan and broil the chicken for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
4. Heat pitas. Top with chicken, tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, feta cheese, tapenade and anything else you'd like on your gyros. Serve immediately.

My review: ★★★★★  

I definitely give this meal a 5 star rating! It's so easy and unbelievably delicious. It WILL be going back on the menu for another night.