Spicy Chicken Taco Soup

I think almost everyone who cooks regularly knows a version of this recipe, but I'll go ahead and err on the side of replication because this soup is so wonderful, so easy, and, really, quite healthy. There are a lot of ways to fatten up this recipe or to make it go a lot further, but I'll share the bare necessities with you.


Spicy Chicken Taco Soup


Ingredients (measurements are approximate)


3-4 fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 stalk of celery, half of which is finely chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 10 oz. can of Rotel tomatoes (diced tomato with green chile -- I go with "Original," but milder or spicier versions are also available)
1-2 14 oz. cans of reduced sodium chicken broth, or reserved broth
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of ranch dressing seasoning
1 15.5 oz. can of pinto beans, drained
1 15.5 oz. can of kidney beans, drained
2 C of frozen sweet corn
1/2 C of chopped fresh cilantro


coarse salt
freshly cracked black pepper
2 T of extra virgin olive oil


Directions:

1. Start a large pot of boiling water, and boil chicken breasts for about 20 minutes with whole celery stalks, a tsp. of coarse salt, and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
2. While the chicken is boiling, dice and mince your celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Mix ingredients in a bowl with a tsp. of coarse salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Heat another large pot over a medium-high heat and add extra virgin olive oil. Once oil is heated, add chopped vegetables, stirring frequently for about 6 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
4. Add diced tomatoes and Rotel. Stir.
5. Add 2 cans of chicken broth or, alternatively, use the broth created by boiling the chicken. Stir. Lower the heat to medium, and allow the soup to come to a gentle boil.
6. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Discard the boiled celery stalks.
7. Transfer the chopped chicken to the soup bowl and add the ranch and taco seasonings. Mix well, and allow to come to a boil.
8. Add drained kidney and pinto beans to the soup pot. Stir well.
9. Add frozen sweet corn to the soup and stir well.
10. Finally, add the chopped fresh cilantro (this is the ingredient that makes this soup for me!). Allow soup to cook for at least another 10 minutes, then serve. (Optional: serve over brown or white rice or Frito chips, or top with sour cream and/or tortilla chip strips.)

A little work goes a long way with this recipe.

There are a few reasons why having a taco soup recipe in your repertoire is a good thing.

• First of all, it's a crowd-pleaser.
• Secondly, it feeds a lot of people or, if you're not serving a crowd, it will at least feed your family for a couple of days. So it's a good recipe for those busy weeks.
• Thirdly, you can even make it ahead of time and freeze it for those nights that your best laid plans to cook go out the window, or in the case that you've got an out-of-town trip planned (and your spouse doesn't cook) and you don't want your kids eating candy for dinner.
• Also, if you serve the soup without the other tempting but calorie-adding trimmings, you're looking at just around 330 calories for a nice bowl of hot soup for dinner. And the beans and chicken and vegetables pack in a good dose of nutrients, to boot.

So, if you don't have one of these taco soup recipes under your belt already, try this one. I think you'll be glad you did.

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Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

So, this was my first time making (or even eating, for that matter) eggplant Parmesan. In the past, I've always opted for its meatier relative. But I'm ever so slowly and on my own terms coming around to vegetarianism. I haven't committed yet. We're just getting to know each other right now. We're going to go on a few dates and then see where to take if from there (more on that some other time).


Plus, I wanted a healthy dish to make that would also double as a Friday-friendly dinner this first Friday of Lent. So I took my Chicken Parmesan recipe and gave it a healthy face-lift.

And the results were phenomenal. In fact, my husband, who usually comments on the lack of meat in dishes, said it was better than the chicken Parmesan I usually make. Go figure.


So what makes this a healthy dish (other than substituting eggplant for the chicken)? I baked the eggplant, whereas I used to fry the chicken. I used egg whites, whereas I used to use the whole egg to coat the chicken. And I used breadcrumbs, whereas I used to use flour AND breadcrumbs. So that means we're talking 330 calories, including pasta, for a dish that could easily be a lot more.


Also, what IS eggplant Parmesan without a bit of pasta? Find the healthiest pasta you can find to serve alongside your healthy eggplant Parmesan. Lately, the best I've found at our local grocer was Ronzini Smart Taste, though I really would like to find a better whole-grain pasta. In these parts, that might mean having to go into town to Central Market, a place I loathe (more on that some other time).


Healthy Eggplant Parmesan


Ingredients


2 eggplants
3 egg whites
3 T of water
1 C of breadcrumbs
salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste


2 T of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
2 whole bay leaves
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained and crushed a bit with a spoon
1/2 C or 2/3 oz. fresh basil leaves, coarsely sliced
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of salt or slightly more, to taste


1 C part-skim shredded mozzarella
1.5 C shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving


16 oz. spaghetti pasta
extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt


Directions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them with cooking spray.
Grease a casserole or rectangular baking dish.

1. Cut eggplant crosswise into 1/4" slices. Discard stems. Beat egg whites and water together in a bowl until frothy. Spread breadcrumbs in a wide, shallow dish and season with some salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Dip the slices of eggplant into the egg white mixture, coat them in the breadcrumb mixture, and then lay the slices in a single layer on the two baking sheets. Sprinkle them with a bit more pepper, if desired, before popping them into your preheated oven.
3. Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes before flipping them over to cook for another 15.
4. While your eggplant is baking, heat a skillet over a medium heat until hot. Add 2 T of olive oil then add the garlic, onion, and bay leaves. Stir frequently until the mixture becomes slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
5. Add some about half of the basil and stir. Then, add your drained, slightly crushed tomatoes. Continue to stir and crush tomatoes with a spoon for the next 15 minutes or so, until a lot of the tomato juices are cooking off.
6. Add a generous pinch of sugar and a generous pinch of salt to the tomato mixture. Stir, turn the heat to low, and cover.
7. Start a large pot of boiling water for your pasta. Add a bit of olive oil and coarse salt to the boiling water before adding your pasta. After the pasta is cooked al dente, drain, put in a bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and toss to coat.
8. By about now, your eggplant should be nicely browned on both sides. In the greased baking dish, pour your tomato mixture into a single layer. Then, remove the eggplant slices from the baking sheets, arranging them on top of the sauce, allowing them to overlap some.
9. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the eggplant, then the Parmesan. Top the cheese with the remainder of the sliced fresh basil. Pop into the still-400-degree oven for about 15 minutes, then remove.
10. Spoon a bit of cooked pasta onto your plate, and top it off with a few slices of eggplant and some sauce. Add more Parmesan to your serving, if desired, and enjoy!

If this dish isn't enough to make you think about becoming a vegetarian (or to make you glad you are one), then I don't know what will!



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Easy Breezy (Yummy) Salmon

The other day, as I was driving my six year-old daughter home from school, she asked, "Mommy, can you make salmon one night and have Mrs. Moore over for dinner at our house?"


I told her that I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to ask her teacher to dinner, and then I asked her, "Why salmon?"


"Because it's the best thing you make, and Mrs. Moore would think it's impressive." ("Impressive" is one of her favorite words at the moment.)


We love salmon in our family, even my daughter (in fact, she might like it more than we do!). We treat ourselves to it once every two weeks or so. One pound of salmon is more than enough for the three of us (we haven't gotten the 9 month old hooked on it yet). At $8.00/lb. (that's what the fresh Atlantic salmon costs around here, at least--it can get quite a bit more pricey the more landlocked you are), you can serve up a delicious and healthy meal for your entire family.


Speaking of healthy, if you haven't read about the health benefits of salmon, check this out. The boons of salmon go on and on.


There are three salmon dishes I rotate through (note to self: I really need to add more to my repertoire), all wonderful in their own way. I thought I'd share them:


Salmon a l'Unilateral: This one's my daughter's favorite. Cooked on one side, this easy, simple, and delish fish dish requires only three ingredients: lemon, coarse salt, and salmon, of course.


Salmon with Pesto Mayo: This one's my husband's favorite. Another easy, delectable dish with only three ingredients: mayonnaise, basil pesto, and salmon. You can add breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan to jazz it up even more, if you wish.


Salmon Escarole Packets with Lemon-Tarragon Butter: And this one's my favorite. Admittedly, by comparison, this recipe requires more time and preparation than the former recipes, but it's oh-so-worth-it, and at only 215 calories per serving, it's one of the healthiest meals I make for dinner.

Salmon Escarole Packets with Lemon-Tarragon Butter
(though I used romaine instead of escarole).

So, don't be intimidated by salmon. It's really quite easy to cook and very versatile. Make a meal out of it, or serve it along side some roasted vegetables. And if you think your kids might not take a shine to it, give it a chance anyway. I didn't think my daughter would like it, but now she prefers it even to chicken nuggets, which is saying something!

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Healthy Eating Tip #1: Roast your Vegetables (Roasted Cauliflower Recipe)

You may have heard that boiling your vegetables often deprives them of their natural nutrients. And if that's not reason enough to stop boiling your vegetables, then how about this?: vegetables TASTE BETTER roasted.  To top it all off, roasting vegetables is easy to do . . . What's not to love?

Mmmm . . . tasty!!!

A good rule of thumb is: If it can be boiled, it can be roasted. To date, I've roasted cauliflower, asparagus, sweet potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, and summer squash, and I'm sure there are many, many more possibilities.


Roasted vegetables are also quite versatile when it comes to serving alongside your serving of meat or fish or tofu, if that's how you roll. You can season them with essentially anything in your spice rack, garlic, fresh herbs, or, of course, cheese.

For a straightforward guide and testimonial for roasting vegetables read this article by Francis Lam. It's everything you need to know about roasting vegetables.

A few more tips than Francis Lam offered, from an experienced roaster:

1. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. It's A LOT less messy at clean-up time.
2. Don't overdo the extra virgin olive oil. For a while there, I was making this mistake, drenching my new potatoes in several tablespoons of olive oil. It not only takes away from the health benefits roasting vegetables provides but also makes your veggies a bit soggy, and one of the best parts about roasted vegetables is their crispiness.
3. Actually, that's it. Roasting is so easy, it's pretty hard to mess up.

Here's a basic example of roasting vegetables, and, again, it can be used for just about all vegetables you'd normally boil:




Roasted Cauliflower


Ingredients:


1 head of cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch florets
2 T of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. of table salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander or another spice (optional)
a roasting pan or baking sheet, parchment paper


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss the chopped cauliflower with the 2 T of olive oil, the salt and pepper, and the coriander, if using (or use another dried spice from your spice rack . . . get adventurous!).
2. Place cauliflower on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an even layer.
3. Place on the middle rack of your preheated oven.
4. Cook for 40 minutes, tossing and turning the cauliflower once or twice in the middle of the roasting process.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and serve cauliflower immediately, adding fresh herbs, if desired.

1 C of roasted cauliflower is a measly 70 calories, but it's so good, you'd swear it was 700.


Again, and I cannot stress this enough, roasting veggies is one of the easiest, healthiest, most delicious things you can do for your family. If you're like me, you'll never go back to boiling your veggies.

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