Fat Flush Soup

I saw this recipe in Woman's World Magazine for "Fat Flush Soup"! Supposedly if you eat it twice a day (lunch & dinner) for about a week, it's suppose to detox your system and help you lose weight. You also need to eat a high protein breakfast every morning. You can have some snacks through out the day like veggies with dips and fruits and yogurt, etc... and probably do some exercise too, ugh! Well anyway, I love soup so I'm willing to give it a try. I tweaked mine a little by adding Italian seasoned ground turkey, a little celery, carrots and cabbage and more broth. Here's my recipe for "Fat Flush Soup". We'll see how it works! :)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb ground turkey ( I used Italian seasoned Jeanne O')
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
4-5 large mushrooms, chopped
1 cup of carrots, diced
1 cup of celery, diced
1 cup of green cabbage, chopped into bite sized chunks
1 14oz can diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted with green chilies)
2 32oz cartons of organic vegetable broth (or organic chicken broth)
Juice of 1 fresh lemon (this takes the place of salt)
3-4 shots of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup of white wine (optional)
1 14oz can of beans of your choice, drained (I used butter beans)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (you may use less if desired)
1 tsp. cumin
Cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup cilantro and/or parsley, chopped

Add oil to a large pot and saute' meat over med-high heat until it's cooked through. Drain off juices and add onion, garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Cook about five minutes until soft. Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro and parsley. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and/or parsley and simmer for an addition 10 minutes. Soup stores in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Also freezes well.

Sunny Day (Farmers Market) Chicken Soup

This chicken and vegetable soup is so fresh and delicious! I used veggie fed sustainable farmed chicken (no antibiotics/hormones) and organic vegetables from my local farmer's market!

Recipe:

Broth

5 chicken legs (or thighs)
10 cups water
1 cup of white wine (optional)
4 whole cloves of garlic (slightly smashed with knife)
1 medium onion (skin left on, cut into 4 pieces)
2 chicken bouillon cubes (broken up)
4 black peppercorns (or 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper)
1 teaspoon of course ground salt (or regular salt)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
3-4 leaves of fresh sage
*Tie the herbs together with a string or thread to make a bouquet. You may substitute fresh herbs with a tbsp. of dried Italian seasoning

Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a slow simmer, skimming the foam off top.
Simmer (partially covered) for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain broth using a pasta strainer into a large bowl. Add the broth back into the pot.
Allow the chicken legs to cool while chopping the vegetables for the soup.

Soup Recipe

1 1/2 cups of sliced celery
1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
3-4 sliced green onions (or 1/2 chopped yellow onion)
1/2 green pepper chopped
3 ears of white corn (kernels cut off of cob)
1 14oz. can of diced tomatoes
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 tsp. Agave nectar (or tsp. sugar)
Chicken meat pieces (pulled from the leg bones)

Add all ingredients into broth and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley.

Comfort Casserole :)

Comfort Casserole

(8 Servings)

5 Medium Potatoes, Peeled and Sliced ¼ inch thick

½ Cup Rice, Uncooked

1 Lb Hamburger, Broken Up and Cooked (I use organic)

½ Lrg Yellow Onion, Sliced and broken into Rings

3 Medium Carrots, Peeled and Sliced (about 1 cup)

Butter or Pam Spray (to coat Casserole dish)

2 Cups Water

1 Cup of White Wine (or water)

1 Can Cream of Celery Soup (or any other cream soup)

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large casserole dish (or 9x13 cake pan) with butter or Pam spray. Layer potato slices, rice, hamburger, onion (broken into rings) and carrot slices, (in that order) evenly in the pan. Pour 2 cups of water evenly over casserole.

In a separate bowl mix cream of celery soup with 1 cup of white wine (or water), sugar, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over casserole.

Sprinkle Italian seasoning evenly over the top of casserole.

Bake covered (with lid or foil) for 1 hour.

Continue baking uncovered for an additional ½ hour.

* Serve with a toss green salad on the side for a complete healthy meal!

Spicy Baked Penne Pasta

It looks and tastes like lasagna only it's cheaper and easier to make!

Here is the recipe:

1 lb of penne pasta cooked according to directions
2 Tbls Butter (or margarine)
1 Tbls olive oil
1/2 med. onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
3-4 cloved minced garlic
1 jar of marinara sauce of your choice. (I used Trader Joe's cheapest sauce)
1 14 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 8oz can of El Pato spicy tomato sauce (sub. regular tomato sauce)
1/2 cup of white wine (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 15oz ricotta cheese (I used WalMart's True Value brand on all cheeses)
3 cups Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (sub. 1 Tbls of dried basil)
1 cup chopped fresh spinach (sub. 1 pkg. frozen spinach thawed, drained & chopped)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Drain & toss with butter
Place pasta in a 9x13 baking pan
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan
Saute' onion, pepper and garlic until tender
Add marinara sauce, fire roasted tomatoes, El Pato (or tomato) sauce and white wine
Bring sauce to a simmer
Mix together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, basil, spinach and 1 cup of marinara sauce and add to the pasta. Mix well.
Pour remaining sauce over pasta and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top
Cover loosely with aluminum foil
Bake in a 325 degree oven for 50 minutes
Take out of oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

This dish goes well with a salad and garlic bread! Yummy!!!

Roasted Beet Salad w/Sauteed Chicken and Feta Cheese!

What a great salad inspired by Maurizio's restaurant "Mangia la Pizza"! So healthy, so cheap and tasty too!

Recipe for one salad:

1 medium roasted beet (golden or purple) cooled, peeled and diced
Olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder
1-2 cups green salad mix (I used a spring mix)
1 Tbsp chopped onion
1/2 tomato chopped
1 boneless chicken breast, marinated, sauteed and sliced (you may omit this if you are vegetarian)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese (Maurizio uses goat cheese)

Cut the tops and bottoms off of the beet(s) and discard. Scrub beet(s) clean and pat dry. Rub outer skins with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a pie pan and roast in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Let beets cool, take off peeling by hand and dice into bite size pieces. Marinate chicken breasts for one hour in Italian dressing and saute' in a frying pan on medium heat for about 7-10 minutes on each side. Let chicken cool and slice lengthwise. Assemble salad ingredients and top with diced beets, chicken and feta cheese. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette on top! Bon Appetite!

P.S. Fresh roasted beets have an amazing flavor unlike the ones out of a can that I used to eat when I was a kid (I liked those too)! I had gotten a bunch (4) of the golden beets at the farmers market. I roasted them all together and used one per individual salad. They are light, sweet and delicious!

French Onion Veggie Soup

This is so easy, so good and so cheap!

Recipe:

3 large onions cut in half and sliced (I used a purple, yellow and a white)
3 Tbs of butter (or margarine)
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
2 large cloves garlic minced
1 tsp of pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup of wine (red or white, I used white)
2 large carrots sliced
1/2 head of green cabbage coarsely chopped
4 med-large russet potatoes peeled and cut into bite size chunks
2 32oz organic beef broth (I used Wolfgang Puck's)
4 cups of water
1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix (I used the store brand)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp of dried)
Your favorite grated cheese (optional)

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add onions and saute' over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring about every five minutes, until they are caramelized (browned). Add red bell pepper, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook about 1-2 more minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the cheese. Bring to a gentle simmer. Place a lid tilted on top of the pan and cook for about 20 minutes (stirring occasionally) until potatoes are tender. Serve in cups or bowls with your favorite grated cheese sprinkled on top. Eat with some crusty bread! Makes about 10 servings! Yummy!

Fresh Pico de Gallo and Chips

This was my dinner tonight. Seems a little weird but it was fresh and good! Here is the recipe...

1 big fat fresh tomato chopped (or two small)
1 Serrano or Jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
2 cloves of fresh garlic minced
1/2 small yellow onion minced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
Juice of one lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and marinate for one hour. Serve with chips! Yum!