Turkey Noodle Soup

This was the first year I used my leftover turkey for something other than sandwiches, and it was perfect for a chilly day.  You can substitute a rotisserie chicken if you are all out of leftovers.  It is a light recipe at only 280 calories per serving and 7.2 grams of fat.  Much needed a couple days after Thanksgiving!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 cup (1/4" thick) slices carrot

3/4 cup chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup (1/4" thick) slices celery

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 cups uncooked egg noodles (I added more)

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 bay leaf

2 cups shredded turkey

Coarsely ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

Heat a large saucepan (I used my Dutch oven) over medium-high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add carrot, onion, and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.  Add celery, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; saute 3 minutes.  Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.  Add shredded turkey; cook 3 minutes.  Discard bay leaf.  Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.  

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

My new fall/winter plan is to make my oatmeal for the week every Sunday night to have for the rest of the week.  I had never cooked it this way before, but it is definitely the way to go.  I used old fashioned oats and it cooked really thick, which is the way I like mine.  If you want it creamier, you can also add some additional milk to it in the morning.  I also sprinkled mine with brown sugar.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Oatmeal

Ingredients

1 2/3 cup oats (steel cut or old-fashioned rolled, not instant)

2 cups water

2 cups skim milk

pinch of salt

*I also added a little bit of cinnamon

Directions

Combine oats, water, milk, salt, and cinnamon in slow cooker, and stir.  Cover and cook for 8 hours on low heat.

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

This pork roast turned out very flavorful, and perfect for a day when you don't feel like spending a lot of time getting dinner ready.  I actually forgot to take a picture of the roast when it was finished because we were all so hungry, but you need to try this recipe!  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced
2.5 lb boneless pork roast (I used a 3 lb)
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used balsamic)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste

Directions
Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onions.  In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce.  Pour over roast.  I also added baby carrots and diced red potatoes.  Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Now that the cold weather has set in, there is nothing better than a good tomato soup recipe.  This is one of my favorites, and I am pretty sure I ate most of it.  It was great for leftovers with grilled cheese sandwiches!  I made this in my Dutch oven on the stove, but you could also use a slow cooker.  Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients

2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons brown sugar

6 ounces tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer)

5 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup fresh basil, shredded (about 10 large leaves)

5 ounces evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Drain and reserve juices from tomatoes (there should be about 3 cups of juice).  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Place tomatoes in a single layer on foil.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and chopped onion.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until slightly brown and tomatoes appear dry.  Dice tomatoes, careful of the hot juice!  In a crock pot or large pot, combine roasted tomato mixture, reserved juice, tomato paste, chicken broth, garlic, and allspice.  If using a pot, simmer for 4-6 hours over low heat.  In a crock pot, cook for 8 hours on low.  Add basil, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper.  Turn heat on crock pot up to high, or continue to simmer in pot for additional 30 minutes.  

Homemade Turkey Meatball Sandwich Casserole

My friend Andrew, whom I have known since kindergarten, works for ConAgra and has been working on a Hunt's tomato sauce which comes in a resealable carton, as opposed to a can.  He gave me a carton of it to try, and Skirell and I were trying to come up with something different to try it with, since it's a new product.  We decided meatball sandwiches would be amazing, and after a little Pinterest searching, this is what I ended up with.  The Hunt's tomato sauce was perfect to use for this, and I had some leftover which I was able to save since it is resealable now!  Next time you are at Target or Wal-Mart, look for the sauce to try on your own! (How was that, Andrew?)

First, the recipe for the homemade turkey meatballs...I forgot to take a picture of just the meatballs, but you get the idea.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground turkey
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat Italian seasoned)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 tablespoon EVOO
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
In a large bowl, place the ground turkey, onion, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.  Quickly whip the 2 eggs together in a separate bowl, then pour in the large bowl with everything else, and mix all ingredients.

Use a tablespoon to loosely measure out the mixture.  Place the mixture in your hand and roll it into a ball and then set aside for cooking.  Repeat this process until you have used all of the mixture.  Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Drizzle the pan with the EVOO, and place the meatballs in the skillet.  Turn the meatballs every couple of minutes to brown on all sides.  When the turkey meatballs are all done, let them rest 3-5 minutes.  If they are extra large, finish cooking them in the oven.  

Now, use those meatballs to make the casserole.  If you want to skip the first step, you can use frozen turkey meatballs as well.

Ingredients

1 baguette French bread, cut into 18-24 slices about 1/4" thick

Olive Oil

Meatballs (I used about 30)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I used Hunt's)

shredded mozzarella cheese to taste 

2 small cans mushroom slices

8 oz frozen diced green peppers

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush each slice of bread with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven oil side up for 10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.  In a separate bowl, mix together the meatballs, mushrooms, green peppers, and tomato sauce to coat.  Remove the bread from the oven, and line a baking dish on the sides and the bottom with the slices of bread.  Spoon meatball mixture into the baking dish on top of the bread.  Cover the top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.  Return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.    

Best Stir-Fried Chicken from Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter

I finally bought a copy of Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook My Father's Daughter.  I became slightly obsessed after reading her introduction, and almost started crying when she was talking about her relationship with her father.  I never knew too much about her, or that she enjoyed cooking.  Each recipe is accompanied with a little story, which I love.  Basically, if you don't have the cookbook, go get it!  This is her recipe for the best stir-fried chicken, and we loved it.  It is nice to have a meal where you don't feel terrible after, especially when you are craving Chinese food.  The recipe didn't call for any vegetables, but I added carrots, broccoli, and diced green peppers.  I also toned down the garlic and ginger.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into small (about 3/4") cubes

2 tablespoons corn starch

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup peeled and minced garlic

1/4 cup peeled and minced ginger (I used ground ginger, & cut amount in half)

1/2 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

pinch red chile flakes (optional)

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (unrefined if possible)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low sodium)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for serving 

Directions

Toss the chicken with the cornstarch, a large pinch of salt, and quite a bit of pepper.  Heat the oil in a large nonstick wok over medium-high heat (this is a gentle stir fry).  Add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and chile flakes if using them and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the vinegar, sugar, and 5 or 6 grinds of black pepper.  Boil on high for 3 minutes, or until the sugar has really caramelized  the vinegar has mellowed a bit, and the whole mixture is dark brown and sticky and lovely.  (This is when I added the green peppers, broccoli, and carrots).  Add the soy sauce, cook for another 30 seconds, and serve immediately, sprinkled with the cilantro. 

Brown Sugar and Dijon Glazed Pork Loin

I have been terrible lately at planning meals, which is why we have been eating out so much.  Last week we finally wanted to settle down and cook something new.  I was looking for something easy, but good, since I didn't prepare anything the day before.  I stumbled on this recipe and loved the way it turned out!  The mustard and brown sugar combo tasted great on the pork roast, and would be really good with a baked ham.  You may notice my nice makeshift roaster in this picture.  I don't own one yet, so I rolled pieces of foil to create one for the roast to sit on.  It actually worked out perfectly! One of these days I will get one :) Enjoy!

Ingredients

Pork loin roast (I used one about 2.5lbs to have enough for leftovers)

Large grain Dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)

Brown sugar

Directions

Trim the fat from the roast, leaving only a quarter inch of fat on top at the most.  Season the pork loin with salt and pepper and open roast the pork on a rack at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cover the entire surface with the large grain mustard, then press the brown sugar into the mustard, all over the roast.  Return the roast to the oven, reduce the heat to 375 degrees.  Continue to roast until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Baste the roast with drippings several times during cooking.  Let it set for 10 minutes before carving and serving.