Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla soup

1 small onion chopped (1/2 cup or more)
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and chopped
4 cups chicken broth (or more)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
1 small can of diced chili peppers                         1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
2 cups shredded chicken (or more)

Juice from one lime
chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese


Add the first 8 ingredients to the pot
Heat to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes until onion is tender
Add lime juice and cilantro

Serve soup with avocado slices or chunks on top

Garnish with tortilla strips.

Tuscan Ravioli with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce 

1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli*
1 T olive oil
1 clove of garlic crushed or minced
1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
1 (16-oz.) jar Classico Lite Alfredo sauce
3 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. While pasta water is getting hot, and pasta iss cooking put olive oil in a medium saucepan on low heat, add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add can of tomatoes and cook on low for 5 minutes.
3. Pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan.
4. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired. Season with pepper and maybe a few red pepper flakes (optional- if you want to add a kick)!
** recipe adapted from Southern Living 2007 (they called for Sun dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce fresh tomatoes, and no garlic or oil .
Garnish: fresh basil strips

Chicken Broccoli Quiche

2 T Helmans mayo

2 Jumbo eggs beaten or 4 large eggs

2 T flour

½ cup milk

8 oz Cheddar Cheese grated

1 1/2 cups diced or shredded chicken

3/4 cup steamed chopped broccoli

¼ cup green onion – include stalks

9” Deep-dish pie shell – unbaked (I use Pillsbury in the dairy )

Squeeze broccoli dry with paper towels.

Combine all ingredients and pour into the unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until set (stick a knife in, it it comes out wet it isn't done yet).  If you want to make a 12 inch quiche pan you need 1 ½ of the recipe.  It shouldn’t need to bake longer.

Vegetable Beef Soup 

4 ingredients+

1 lb ground beef browned and drained
46 ounces tomato juice ( I use v-8 spicy)*
1 bag frozen vegetables
1 can low sodium beef broth ***

Red pepper flakes - use sparingly to taste

optional- add any other fresh veggies on hand chopped small (I use 2 med red potatoes peeled , 1 small red pepper, chopped carrots and celery, 2 small zucchini as we like a hearty soup)

Brown the ground beef, drain fat and add all remaining ingredients. If you like some pasta in the soup, I recommend cooking pasta separately and adding cooked pasta to bowl before soup instead of cooking in the soup. That way the pasta doesn't keep cooking and get too mushy.

    * For lower sodium, use low sodium V8 juice and add some red pepper flakes to spice it up.

 ** If you want more broth, add another can or two depending on how many veggies you add!

Chicken Marsala Recipe

Ingredients
4  skin-less, boneless, chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all -purpose flour or corn starch for gluten-free
¼ to 1/2 cup  olive  oil
8 ounces container of mushroom, sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup broth (or a little more depending on how much sauce you want)
1/2 cup dry  Marsala wine
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine
Optional: 2 tablespoons  butter
Garnish with chopped parsley

Put wax paper over chicken on a board and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer/mallet until they are about a quarter inch thick.

Season a good amount of salt and pepper on both sides of each piece. 

Place some flour on a plate and and dredge each piece of chicken in it.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot fry each piece of chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown (this may require you to do this in 2 batches). Remove chicken and place on your serving platter covering them with foil. (sometime I put a paper towel down on the platter o soak some of  the oil off – and remove paper before dumping sauce on.

Reduce the heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms.  Saute mushrooms for 4-5 minutes making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. 

Add marsala wine, sherry, butter, and chicken stock allowing the liquid to reduce slightly – approx. 3 minutes.  Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve. Enjoy!

Chicken-marsala (printable version)

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo and Prosciutto   

Chicken Tortellini Alfredo and Prosciutto  

1 Tablespoon butter

2 garlic cloves minced

¼ pound prosciutto (found at deli counter)

1 jar Classico Light Alfredo Sauce

½ cup milk or half and half (or a combo of both)

1/3 cup frozen peas

1/4 to 1/3  cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese 

2  9 ounce packages Buitoni Chicken Prosciutto Tortellini

Heat water and start cooking pasta

Cut prosciutto into thin strips

Melt butter in pan

Add minced garlic, cook medium for a minute

Add prosciutto and cook for 2-3 minutes

Add jar of alfredo sauce and cook on medium/low – don’t burn

Add peas and Parm, remove from heat and toss into pasta. 

Serve 4-5

We made salad, green beans and warm French bread to go with this! 

Marinated Salmon with a Pepper Crust

2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed in a garlic press or minced and mashed to a paste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skinned and halved
4 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a sealable plastic bag combine well the soy sauce, the garlic, the lemon juice, and the sugar, add the salmon, coating it well, and let it marinate, sealed and chilled, for 30 minutes. Remove the salmon from the bag, discarding the marinade, pat it dry, and press 2 teaspoons of the pepper onto each piece of salmon, coating it thoroughly. In a heavy skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it sauté the salmon for 2 minutes on each side, or until it just flakes.
Transfer the salmon with a slotted spatula to paper towels and let it drain for 30 seconds.

I didn't use the full amount of pepper.  I pan fried a sample and everyone loved it.  Since I was cooking more than double of the recipe, I baked mine at 400 degrees and finished under the broiler to get the seared look.