Hearty Kale and White Bean Soup

I never fully understood what kale was until last year. My girlfriend made us a holiday dinner and served kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil. It was delicious. Then she explained that this leafy green vegetable is full of all kinds of nutrition, including calcium.

Here's a recipe I found at chowtimes.com! I made a few changes and my notes are below. You won't be disappointed. This soup is hearty, healthy and delicious!

http://chowtimes.com/2008/03/04/kale-and-white-bean-soup/print/




My notes:
-Replace the bacon with turkey bacon to reduce fat.
-Add one chopped celery heart with leaves to cook with the carrots and onions.
-Add one cup vegetable stock when simmering soup at end.
-Substitute dry beans with one can 14.5 oz of canned beans.
-Add 2-3 additional teaspoons of salt.
-Add extra fresh ground pepper to taste.

Kale is super healthy, so you can't lose with all the nutrition you get from this soup! Here's a few links about the health benefits:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Kale&id=136177
http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofkale.html

Rustic Pasta Sauce

This sauce is simple, easy to make and it's good for you too.

Ingredients3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
I teaspoon red pepper flakes
I red pepper
1 medium size yellow onion
¾ cup kalmata olives
2 cans stewed tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 ½ cup arugula
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon)

Chop ½ of a medium yellow onion into one inch pieces. Slice one red pepper into thin julienne style slices about 1-2 inches in length.

In a large sauce pan heat three tablespoons. Add red pepper flakes and cook for one minute or until you can smell the pepper. Add the onion, tomatoes and red pepper and cook until the onion becomes slightly translucent. Add one can of stewed tomatoes with liquid. Drain the liquid from the second can before adding. Bring to a low boil. Add olives, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook sauce for about five minutes on a low boil to evaporate some liquid. Add grated cheese and stir. Let cook for a few minutes. Cheese will absorb some of the liquid and you want it to melt into the sauce. Add arugula and stir to incorporate—this will wilt.

Remove sauce from heat. You should still have some liquid in this sauce.

Prepare one pound of pasta. I recommend penne for this dish. Just before pasta is done and is still slightly hard, scoop the noodles from the pot with a slotted spoon and add directly to the sauce. Heat up sauce and cook the pasta until al dente. Serve with grated cheese on top.

Serves 4-6

Notes:I used the stewed tomatoes (full of lycopene) with onion, celery and green pepper. Be sure not to over cook the onions and red peppers. They should still have a slight crunch to them when the sauce is completed.

King Crab Bisque

Christmas Eve, we returned home from visiting family to find a package at our door from FishEx.com. We opened it to discover a dozen gigantic king crab legs. I've never seen crab legs this big in my life! They were well over a foot long each and several inches wide.

After stuffing ourselves with this succulent crab meat for days, we needed a change. I was craving a rich bisque with a nice sherry flavor to it. Here's a recipe I worked from.

King Crab Bisque: Recipezaar
http://www.recipezaar.com/King-Crab-Bisque-195554

Recipe #195554 25 min prep time

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I added additional 1/2 teaspoon)
3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper (I added additional 1/2 teaspoon)
2 garlic cloves, minced (used forzen garlic cubes)
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups 2% low-fat milk (I used whole milk)
1 lb king crab meat (I added and extra 1/4 pound of meat)
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 tablespoons sherry wine (I added an extra 1 1/2 tablespoon)

Directions
In a large sauce pan add olive oil, onions, celery and garlic. Heat on medium until onions are translucent. Add butter and melt, then add flour, salt and pepper and make a roux.
Once the rue is golden brown add the milk and cream; blend well. Crumble crabmeat and add to the sauce pan. Slowly bring mixture to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the sherry and serve garnished with parsley and a dash of paprika.


Notes: I added an extra ½ teaspoon of salt and ground black pepper plus 1 ½ tablespoons sherry. I used two frozen garlic cubes which I melted into the butter before adding the flour. I also sprinkled a teaspoon of paprika on top of the soup while still in the pot.

Pining for Panettone

OK, Martha inspired me. She also made it look easy and I got caught up in the fantasy that I could actually replicate her sickly perfect desserts.

On a recent show she and a guest created homemade Panettone. The recipe had many steps, but looked doable- so I went for it.

The recipe is Panettone Casalinga and here’s the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=ba535f872814e110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=ts_Homepage_Homepage
I had many issues with this recipe and my first attempt was a disappointment. The recipe calls for letting the dough rise for two hours between the last two steps. I did this but I had a few issues. The dough was incredibly sticky and almost impossible to work with get into the molds. I did use instant yeast rather than the regular yeast. I also put my dough into the paper molds you can buy at Chef Central and other specialty stores.

I was shocked when after only 20 minutes I could smell my panettone burning. I rushed to the oven and found the tops dark brown and smoldering a bit. I checked the inside of the of bread with a toothpick and it was still raw. I covered the tops with foil and reduced the heat from 375 to 350. I baked them for the full 45- 50 minutes.

After letting the panettone cool for an hour, I wrapped them in plastic wrap. The recipe said to store them in the refrigerator. The next morning my panettone had shrank to the size of a fruit cake. The bread was still delicious but it was also a bit dry on the inside. I was told my in-laws that it needed more fruit- real Italian panettone has more fruit.

On my second attempt I did a few things differently. This time I did use regular yeast. I let my sponge dough rise for about two hours rather than the 45 minutes called for in the recipe. I also let the dough rise about 3 hours in each of the following two steps resulting in a much fuller dough. I increased the candied orange slices from ¾ cup to 1 full cup and I also add ¼ of candied citron I had left over.

I started the oven on 350 instead of 375 to account for the paper molds. Regardless of the changes- my panettones again browned very quickly, but this time I was watching. After the first 20 minutes the top was perfectly brown but the inside still not cooked. I covered the panettone with foil on top and reduced the heat to 325. I kept them in the oven roughly 40-45 minutes. The toothpick test came out a little sticky but not wet. I figured these babies would cook a little more as they cooled.

This time I let my panettones sit and cool over the course of 4-5 hours. After that I wrapped them in plastic wrap and then cello wrap for giving. They held up- looking beautiful! Tonight we are giving them as gifts to family members.

PENNE, TOMATO, RED PEPPER AND OLIVE CASSEROLE

The snow is falling very heavy outside. We are expected to get about 10 inches by the end of the day. My hubby decided to work from home to avoid the hazardous commute. Since it's a special occasion having him here, I decided to make us something comforting for lunch. In the refrig I found grape tomatos, red peppers and olive tapenade. In my house we have an endless supply of pasta and the penne boxes are stacked so high you can barely get in the pantry!

This dish is a casserole, but it can work just as well if you want to skip the whole "baking the in oven" part. You can also substitute pastas or skip the greens if you don't have them on hand.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound penne
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup olive tapenade spread (Trader Joes brand)
1 red pepper
¾ arugula
½ cup fresh chopped basil
½ cup fresh chopped parsley
1 glove garlic (or 1 frozen garlic cube)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup fresh mozzarella cubed (small pieces)

Heat water for pasta with salt.

Slice tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out seeds into a bowl to discard. Slice red pepper length wise. Slice into very thin strips about 2-3 inches long. Finely slice garlic or use the cubed frozen garlic which incorporates nicely into dishes.

Cut fresh mozzarella into small cubes.

Preheat oven to 425.

Cook penne just until it begins to soften. Noodles should still be slightly hard. Drain pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.

In large saucepan add olive oil and heat. Add garlic and stir for about one minute until garlic is incorporated into oil. Add tomatoes and red pepper. Saute over high heat until slightly soft.
Turn off heat. Stir in tapenade.

When pasta is done remove directly from the water with a slotted spoon into the pan. Stir as you add pasta. If you need more liquid add a bit of pasta water or a bit move olive oil. Add arugula and stir. It should begin to wilt from the heat of the pasta.

Grease a 9 or 10 inch baking dish or casserole dish with butter or non-stick spray. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of the pasta mixture. Sprinkled half of the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Add another layer of pasta and repeat. Add remaining pasta as a top layer and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 or until cheese browns on top and mozzarella is melted inside casserole. Remove from oven. Allow to cool slightly, then serve.


Servings: 4

Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers
FROM BULLWRINKLE.COM

Here's a great recipe I found online for homemade dog treats. My hubby and I made them on Tuesday night and my dog Pepe seemed to like them. There's only a few ingredients so you can make the dough pretty quickly.

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375'F. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Bake for 20 minutes on a greased baking sheet until lightly brown. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight container.

*There were some notes on this recipe that the cookies easily burn. I didn't have that problem with it.

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Peanut%20Butter%20Puppy%20Poppers.htm

Butterscotch Crunchies

If you're short on time and you need a holiday cookie these are easy to make, take little time and the best part... no baking required!

I like to add extra cereal because these tend to be a little too sweet for me. If you use the larger package of morsels please do add more cereal amd nuts so the flakes are very thinly coated. These harden up quickly once they chill in the refrig.

Ingredients

1 pkg Nestle’s Butterscotch Morsels (11 or 16 oz)
2 ½ cups Total cereal (small box will make 2 batches)
¾ cup peanuts (dry roasted recommended)

Melt morsels over hot (not boiling) water in a double boiler. Add cereal and peanuts and stir until coated. Drop on waxed paper and chill.

I found this recipe on a card buried in a recipe book from when I was a kid. I have no idea where it came from, but it's one I turn to year after year.

Sugared Nut Drops

These tasty little cookies look like tiny snowballs when finished. The combination of nuts and powered sugar makes them delicious!

Ingredients

1 cup butter softened
½ cup confectionary sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
2 ¼ cups sifted flour
½ cup finely chopped walnuts
confectionary sugar

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place butter in large bowl and beat at moderate speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat thoroughly. Gradually add flour. When well blended add walnuts. Shape a teaspoon of mixture into balls. Place 1 ½ apart on cookie sheet. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Roll in confectionary sugar. Cool.

Source: This recipe came to me from my cousin Ally.

Get Stuffed on Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini

Made with red peppers, kalmata olives, tomatoes, bread crumbs and cheese

My husband Rich and I had the most delicious stuffed zucchini at La Cabusa in Fairlawn, New Jersey. It was filled with sausage and bread crumbs and topped with tomato sauce. I've been wanted to try this at home, but a healthier version.

I had two inspirations... the dish at the restaurant and this recipe I found online: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=32080)

The stuffed zucchini I made is filled with red peppers. kalmata olives, tomatos, home made bread crumbs and cheese. It's so yummy you won't be disappointed and you won't miss the meat!

INGREDIENTS

2 large zucchini
1 cup red pepper, diced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup grape tomatoes
¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers
½ cup bread crumbs (you can add more if you need to absorb more liquid)
salt and pepper
1 medium onion minced
2 cloves garlic
½ cup roasted red pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped kalmata olives
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh mozzarella cheese- about 6 slices

Wash zucchini, and put in a pot of cold water (do not remove ends).

Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on the size of your zucchini.

Heat olive oil in a fairly large skillet. Add red pepper flakes and cook briefly until smell comes out.

Sautee onions and red pepper.

Slice tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out juice. Add to skillet.

Remove pits from Kalmata olives and rough chop. Add to skillet. Heat through. Remove from heat. Add bread crumbs and parsley and stir. Add cheese and stir. Set aside.

When the zucchini are cooked through remove them from water and allow to cool. Slice zucchini lengthwise and scoop out center creating a boat shape. Fill the zucchini boats with the stuffing and top each with small slices of mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 375º oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through, and cheese begins to bubble and brown. Serve hot.

Servings: 4-6

Recipe that inspired this one can be found at: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=32080

Low-Cal Pita Pizza So Good!

I found a pita pizza recipe years ago on the Weight Watchers site. Since then I’ve made these crisp, mini pizzas every way you could image. Here’s what I created tonight.

Sauce:
Ingredients
1 can tomato paste 6 oz.
1 clove garlic finely minced
¼ cup chopped basil or two frozen cubes basil (you could mix in pesto instead if you have it)
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons water
In a small bowl mix together tomato paste, garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Add water and stir.

Pizza:
Ingredients
½ cup of grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ cup kalmata or your favorite olives rough chopped
Fresh parsley
1/2 large ball of fresh mozzarella
1-- 4 pack of pitas (bread is your choice, regular, whole wheat, whole grain)

Pre-heat oven to 475.

Slice tomatoes in half and squeeze slightly to remove liquid and loose seeds. Remove pits from olives and roughly chop. Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan on medium high heat. Add tomatoes and sauté. Cook until heated through and skins begin to wrinkle. Add olives and reduce heat. Warm olives and then set mixture aside.

Open each pita along the sides so it becomes two flat, round pitas. Lay pitas out on cookie sheets with the outside on the bottom. Spray each pita with a mist of olive oil. If you don't have a mister you can brush or spoon a little olive oil on each pita. Spread a very thin layer of tomato sauce over each pita.

Slice mozzarella and put a good amount over each pita, covering about 70% of it. Add topping of tomatoes and olives to each pizza. Snip parsley on top.

Bake for 5 minutes or until pitas are golden brown and cheese is melted.

My Notes:
-These pizzas are designed to be low-cal, so I tend to skimp on the cheese and toppings, but you can add as much as you like.

-I like a thick sauce-- almost like a coating that bakes over the bottom of the pita bread. You can add more water to get more of a sauce consistency.

-My sauce is tart. I don't add any sugar to the tomato paste, but you could sweeten it up by adding a little in there.

-The fresh mozzarella gives this pizza a very sweet flavor against the tartness of the olives. Great combo!


Here's the link to the Weight Watchers recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/Weight-Watchers-Pita-Pizza-230254