Mock Minastrone

Is it minestrone? Well….sorta. I used chicken breast instead of beef, and leftover lasagana noodles. The last time I made lasagna I cooked WAY too many, and some broke. But, being thrifty, I didn’t want to throw them away, so I put them in a freezer bag for a rainy day. I was even able to defrost some homemade chicken stock and veggies….double whammy! And BOY, did it pay off! ALL of the girls loved it and asked for more! You could even do this for a lesser time stovetop in a large pot, but the simplicity of the crockpot gets me every time.

1 stalk celery, chopped
1/3 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups tomato sauce*
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 cup frozen, cut green beans (or slice fresh yourself if you prefer)
1 large chicken breast, diced small
1/2 yellow squash, diced
1 cup cannellini beans, drained
1 small bunch spinach, chopped
4-6 lasagna cooked lasagna noodles, chopped**

Saute the onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil until just tender, then transfer to a crockpot. Add the tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, pepper, oregano, basil, green beans, and chicken to the crockpot. Turn to low for about 6 hours. At this point, add the squash, cannnellini beans, spinach, and cooked noodles and turn to high heat for about 30 minutes.

*TIP – If you don’t have tomato sauce handy, mix a can of tomato paste into 2 cups of hot water.

** If you don’t have leftover cooked pasta of some sort, toss some uncooked pasta about an hour and a half before serving.

Butternut squash is already so sweet and delicious that it really doesn’t need much. So…keep it simple!

1 Butternut Squash, quartered, seeds/strings scraped out
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 400.

Once you’ve scraped out your squash, put it on a greased cookie sheet or pan. Brush it with the olive oil and roast it in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until it’s really tender. Scrape out the flesh of the squash into a bowl and add in the orange juice, honey, and cinnamon, and just lightly mash it with the back of a fork (or a potato masher). That’s it!

If you want to make a great presentation for serving guests, scoop the mashed squash back into the gourd’s skin and serve it on the side of the plate. It’s makes for a vibrant color POW to your table!

Maple-Chocolate Pancake-Cupcakes

So, I tried a similar recipe, and adapted it a bit to suit the tastes and allergens of my girls. BIG hit! It’s like a pancake and cupcake all rolled into one. A fun, quick treat for breakfast on the weekend! I haven’t tried this due to allergy restrictions, but I imagine peanut butter morsels, or even white chocolate morsels would be pretty tasty.

1 cup white rice flour (if you are able to have gluten, you can use regular flour)
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk (if you can’t tolerate dairy, do what I did: 2/3 cup non-dairy substitute & 2/3 teaspoon vinegar)
1 egg (For egg allergies, use a substitute, such as Ener-G)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter (or your favorite substitute)
Handful of milk chocolate chips (optional)

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large bowl and use a mixer until just combined. Don’t overmix, as pancake batter can get tough if you mix too long. Gently fold in the chocolate chips if you’re using them.

Grease a cupcake tin. In my house I use a mini tin to make bite-size muffins – perfect for kids! Scoop about a tablespoon into a mini muffin pan, or fill a regular muffin pan about 1/3 full each. The mini pan takes about 11 minutes to bake at 350 degrees. The larger muffins will take about 14 minutes. Once they’ve cooled slightly use a knife to pull these bad boys out, and it couldn’t hurt to serve maple syrup on the side for dipping 🙂

Brown Rice with Spinach and Tomatoes

Served with Citrus Flavored Glazed Chicken Tenderloins and a Sweet Onion & Pineapple Salad

What a fun, healthy side dish. And so easy to customize to your tastes! I used the fast-cooking brown rice to make it quickly for a family of five, and, really, it doesn’t get easier than THAT. You can add more spinach to bulk this up. Why not? It’s such a great source of folic acid, iron, and vitamin K. It really could stand alone as a meal instead of as a side dish. And hey…top it with grilled chicken breast and you have a protein-rich, easy meal. Well, whatever you decide, I’m giving you a base to work from, so….here we go!

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (9 oz) package fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
2 cups water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (omit this if you want to stay vegetarian!)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups quick-cook brown rice

Start by heating your oil in a medium pan, and then toss in your onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until just turning tender, then stir in your tomato paste AND tomatoes. It’s gonna start smelling fragrant and looking this good already.

Now, you probably bought your spinach in a pre-washed bag (because, well, frankly, that’s easier). It starts out looking huge. Once you chop it, that spinach ends up looking much smaller. But add it with the basil into your pan and mix it around for about 3-5 minutes.

Once you warm it, it loses all of it’s size and is reduced to this.

At this point, add the bouillon, salt/pepper, water, and bring to a slight boil. Toss in your rice, stir, and in five minutes, you get THIS.

Citrus Flavored Glazed Chicken Tenderloins

This is what we’re starting with.

Yes, we’re cooking with Jello-O. I’m fancy that way. And yes, it is awesome. Ten thumbs up from my family tonite, so I guess I did SOMETHING right! Make it lighter by using sugar free Jell-O.

Marinade:
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup orange juice (pulp-free

About 2 pounds of chicken breast tenderloins, give or take a bit
1 small package of lemon or orange Jello-O
Sesame seeds and poppy seeds

So, since I took the easy route and used chicken breast tenderloins, I just tossed them in a glass bowl and poured in the soy sauce and the OJ. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, but longer is okay. I let mine sit for about 4 hours and it was really well-infused with flavor. Transfer the chicken and about 1 cup of the marinade onto a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with just a bit of the Jell-O. Bake at 350 for only about 10 minutes, and then turn those bad boys over. Sprinkle with just a bit more Jell-O and pop back into the oven for another 10 minutes. Once you take them out, spoon a little bit of that sauce over the top and hit it with a sprinkling of the sesame seeds and poppy seeds.

And this is what we’re ending up with.

Classic Marinara Sauce

Well, it may sound like a lot of ingredients, but it’s so simple. And, if put on really low heat, you could let this simmer away for the afternoon and the flavors will really POP! It’s a great basic marinara sauce that can be served with pasta, polenta, meatballs, or even on a sauteed veggie dish. And it’s ten times better than anything you’ll find in a jar.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
3 clove3 garlic, finely chopped
2 cans diced tomatoes
3-4 medium sized tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
handful of freshly chopped basil (substitute dried if you absolutely have to)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as a chardonnay

In a large pot, heat olive oil, then add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent and soft. Add all tomatoes and the tomato paste and heat until bubbly and fragrant. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes more until all of your flavors have had a chance to hang out together for a while. Puree (if you have an immersion blender, this is the time to utilize it. If not, do it in batches with a blender)

Italian Sausage & Peppers

Ok, so, what Italian doesn’t have a sauage & pepper recipe that they love?! This is my version, and my family loves it served atop grilled polenta. But it’s great over a sturdy pasta, such as a penne, too. I like to make extra and serve it atop a toasted french roll. The best part is that it’s easy to double this to GET those leftovers (and they freeze well, too)

6 Italian sausage links (use sweet, spicy, or a combo, depending on your preference)
4 tablespoons butter
2 onions, sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 large red bell peppers, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2-3 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (see my recipe for that, too!)
1/4 cup white wine

Melt the butter in a dutch oven (or a large pot if you don’t have one), and add in the onion, garlic, and peppers.

The colors will be amazing!

Saute until just softened and then add your basil and oregano, and cook for another five minutes before pouring in your marinara sauce and wine (feel free to pour yourself a glass at this point), on a very low simmer. Slice your sausage links into 1/2 cuts (this is MUCH easier if it’s partially frozen – then it won’t fall apart). Saute in a pan, and when mostly cooked, stir into your pepper mixture. Cover and leave on LOW for 45-60 minutes, until your sausage is fully cooked and your pepper mix is tender.

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup

Once you’ve made these, you won’t even miss the gluten or dairy. And the strawberry-banana combo will send you to pancake heaven!

Pancakes:

2 cup white rice flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1  1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups non-dairy substitute of your choice (milk if you’d like!)
5-6 overripe bananas

Syrup:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups strawberries

For the pancakes:
Mash all of your bananas until smooth (a mixer will really come in handy right about now). Add all of your dry ingredients, and gently stir. Mix all of your wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until slightly lumpy, but not over-mixed. Place each on a lightly greased griddle and wait until they start to bubble, then flip.

For the syrup:
Combine the water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. While it’s heating, puree your strawberries. Don’t be afraid to go too far…you want them mashed down far. After all, syrup with chunks isn’t very appealing. Now, stir in your vanilla and strawberry mixture and return it to a slow boil. It’ll start to look like this frothy yumminess:

Let it simmer and reduce down to a glazy deliciousness for about 10-15 minutes. Drizzle over pancakes and WHOA! What a great combo!

This is what you’ll end up with: