Chicken Mole with Green Beans

8 chicken thighs (about 2 lbs), skinned
1 lb green beans, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side. Place chicken and beans in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high 12 minutes or until chicken is done, turning after 6 minutes.
2. While chicken mixture cooks, heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 7 ingredients; cook 3 minutes or until onion is soft, stirring frequently. Add broth, and cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Spoon sauce over chicken mixture.

Source: Cooking Light: Annual Recipes 2002

Try #1 - October 25, 2011
This was just ok. I've only had mole a few times, but the times I've had it, I definitely prefer a creamy sauce. Also, I'm pretty sure that mole takes hours, not minutes, to cook. But I thought it would be fun to try a fast recipe. It wasn't terrible, I just think I will search for a better recipe. I didn't nuke the chicken - I cooked it most of the way through in the skillet and then transferred it to the oven for the last bit. It came out very tender. I served it with corn tortillas.

Broccoli Soup

4 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Salt (I used 1/2 tsp)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup cream (I used milk)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in heavy medium pot over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, onion, carrot, salt and pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.
2. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, until the flour reaches a blonde color. Add stock and bring to boil.
3. Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender, about 15 minutes. Pour in cream. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then replace the lid back on the pot.

Source: Adapted from Food Network

Try #1 - October 11, 2011
This was yummy! We've made broccoli soup often in the past, but I never get it quite the way I like it, so instead of just making it up, I thought I'd search for a recipe. This one is perfect! Easy to make, fast, simple ingredients. I used milk instead of cream - the soup is rich enough as it is with the butter, so I think cream would have been too much. The original recipe doesn't call for cheese, but we like a little cheddar in our broccoli soup, so I added that. I didn't bother to blend it, which was fine because we like chunky soups anyway. This will be my new go-to broccoli soup recipe!

Try #?? - March 2014
I've made this 3 times in the past month... glad I rediscovered it!  I started adding in some frozen summer squash we've had in the freezer, and it was a great way to use it up!  I did puree the soup with this addition, since I don't love the consistency of the squash.  But it was yummy, and the kids liked it too!

Italian Vegetable (Ed Fretwell) Soup

1 lb white beans, such as cannellini or marrow beans
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed under the side of a knife
3 fresh sage leaves
10 cups water
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
8 medium carrots, sliced into thin rounds
2 medium zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and sliced into 1/4-inch-think half-moons
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 lb Swiss chard (about 1 small bunch), stalks discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
3/4 lb green cabbage (about 1/2 of a medium head), trimmed and coarsely chopped
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 Tbsp salt
Best-quality olive oil, for serving
Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving (optional)

1. Put the beans in a medium bowl, and cover them with cool water by at least 1 inch. Set aside at room temperature, uncovered, for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the beans, and put them in a Dutch oven or other (approximately 5-quart) pot. Add the garlic, sage leaves, and 10 cups cold water. The beans should be covered by at least 1 inch. Place the pot over high heat, and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour. Skim away any brownish foam that rises to the surface.
3. While the beans cook, start the rest of the soup. In a large (8-quart or more) soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the zucchini and broth, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Then add the Swiss chard, cabbage, and tomatoes, cover the pot, and simmer gently, adjusting the heat as necessary, for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, add the cooked beans and their cooking water, discarding the sage leaves. Add the salt and stir well. Simmer for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently, until the beans and vegetables are very tender and the broth has taken on a creamy pale orange hue. Taste, and add salt as needed.
5. Serve with a hearty glug of good olive oil over the top of each bowl and a dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano, if you like.

Note: Refrigerated, this soup will keep for up to a week, and it gets better with each passing day. It also freezes nicely.

Source: "A Homemade Life," Molly Wizenberg

Try #1 - October 3, 2011
Yum! This recipe makes a TON... it was to the brim of our 8-quart pot. Makes great leftovers. This was a bit time consuming, with all the vegetable chopping, and it takes a good 3 hours to cook. So this soup is probably best to make on a weekend. But a good choice for serving a large group of people!

Classic Marinara Sauce in Slow Cooker

1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 16oz can chopped tomatoes
1 16oz can tomato sauce
10 button mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
hot, cooked spaghetti

1. In a skillet, cook the ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic until the meat is brown and onion is tender; drain off the fat.
2. In a slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, bay leaf, oregano, basil, pepper and salt. Stir in the meat mixture. Cover; cook on Low for 10-12 hours or High for 5-6 hours. Remove bay leaf and serve over spaghetti.

Source: CrockPot Cook Book

Try #1 - September 12, 2011
This was great! I used ground turkey and no mushrooms (forgot to buy them). I've been looking for a go-to pasta sauce recipe, and I think this will be it. Next time I may double or triple the recipe and leave out the meat and then freeze some jars of sauce.

Baked Lentils with Cheese

1 3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
2 cups water
1 whole bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp marjoram
1/8 tsp sage
1/8 tsp thyme
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups canned tomatoes
2 large carrots, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Combine lentils, water, bay leaf, salt pepper, spices, onions, garlic, and tomatoes in a shallow 9x13 baking dish. Cover tightly and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover and stir in carrots and celery. Bake, covered, 40 minutes until vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in green pepper and parsley. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Source: More-With-Less

Try #1 - August 25, 2011
This sounded gross, but was actually very good. It was the cheese that did it for me. :) Nothing like a nice layer of melted cheddar... mmm...

Corn Chowder

1 16-ounce bag frozen corn
1 15.5 ounce can corn (and juice)
1 quart chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese
salt to taste

1. Empty both corns into your crockpot. Add chicken broth, onion, and pepper. Drop in cream cheese. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until onion is translucent and the soup is fully heated.
2. Stir well. Use either an immersion blender or ladle the soup into a blender and pulse.

Source: Let's Eat!

Try #1 - August 15, 2011
I added carrots, potatoes, green peppers, peas, and a small amount of chicken. This was good, although for some reason chowders with corn always taste really rich to me. Maybe it's our Trader Joe's super sweet corn... But all and all, a good and easy soup.

Tzatziki #2

2 English cucumbers
6 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
2 lbs (4 cups) Greek-style yogurt
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil

1. Grate the cucumbers and place in a colander, weighted down with a plate for 15 minutes, so that some of their liquid drains out. Gather up in a some muslin and squeeze any remaining liquid out.
2. Place the garlic cloves and a little salt in a mortar. Crush with the pestle until the garlic is pureed.
3. Put the cucumber, garlic, yogurt, vinegar, and pepper into a food processor. Blend until smooth, slowly adding the oil while the blades are running. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Source: Modern Greek

Try #1 - November 2011
Yummity yum yum yum! I love all things Greek.