Lightened Loaded Potato Soup (My Recipes)

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) red potatoes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup prechopped onion
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 bacon slices, halved
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

• 1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
• 2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
• 3. Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.
• 4. Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese, green onions, and bacon.

Weight Watchers Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 12-ounce can nonfat evaporated milk
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, garlic and cumin; cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. Add corn and potatoes, return to a simmer and cook until all the vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Place cornstarch in a small bowl, slowly add evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Stir into the soup and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Makes 6 Servings (1 Cup Per Serving)

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos

Very simple and delicious! You will definitely get two meals out of this! I froze half of this to use for another meal. :)

Ingredients:

1 lb pork tenderloin
1 taco seasoning packet
½ teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
soft tacos


Directions:
Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add about 1/2 - 1 cup water to crockpot. Place porkloin in crockpot. Top with taco seasoning packet and garlic. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. On the last hour pull apart pork tenderloin with forks. Depending on how large your tenderloin is you may need to add more seasoning. I didn't have any more taco seasoning so I added cumin, chili powder and salt to taste. 


Add to soft tacos. Top with tomatoes, cheddar cheese, sour cream, lettuce and guacamole. 

Pasta Alla Vodka (The Pioneer Woman)

  

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
• 2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
• 3/4 cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
• 1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

The Ultimate Beef Stew (Tyler Florence)

 

 

We love this recipe. It is so good! Great fall/winter recipe. :)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for frying, plus more to drizzle
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 pounds beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (this cut is also called chuck shoulder pot roast and chuck roast boneless)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy)
• 8 fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 orange, zest removed in 3 (1-inch) strips
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups beef stock
• 9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, a large handful
• 1 pound white mushrooms, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 pound garden peas frozen or fresh
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows, for garnish
• Toasted Peasant Bread, recipe follows, for serving

Directions

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter.

While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan, being careful not to over crowd the pan, you might have to work in batches. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.
Add the wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those tasty bits. Once the wine has gotten hot add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, orange zest strip, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours.
After 2 hours add halved potatoes, sliced carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, along with a pinch of sugar to balance out the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Add the frozen peas during the last minute of cooking. Season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs.
To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, garnish with parsley, drizzle with olive oil and add a dollop of Horseradish Sour Cream. Right before serving add a slice of Toasted Peasant Bread, half way submerged in the stew.

Horseradish Sour Cream:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Chives, finely chopped, as garnish

Combine sour cream, prepared horseradish and a drizzle of olive oil in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add a dollop of the mixture on top of the stew and garnish with chopped chives.

Toasted Peasant Bread:

• 1 loaf peasant bread, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, halved
• Chopped parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Put a sheet pan in the oven so that it gets good and hot.

Place the bread slices on the hot sheet pan. Drizzle the bread with the extra-virgin olive oil bake for 5 minutes, until the bread is nicely toasted. Rub the bread slices with the garlic cloves, and discard garlic. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Big-Batch Chili (Southern Living)

Ingredients

• 4 pounds ground chuck
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (16-ounce) cans light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• Toppings: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, sliced ripe black olives

Preparation

• Cook ground chuck, in batches, in a large skillet over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Place meat in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir in onions, next 12 ingredients, and, if desired, beans. Cook, covered, at HIGH 5 to 6 hours or at LOW 6 to 8 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve with desired toppings.
• Cooktop preparation: Cook ground chuck, in batches, in a large Dutch oven. Drain beef and return to Dutch oven. Add onions, next 12 ingredients, and, if desired, beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 4 to 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• To freeze: Let chili stand 30 minutes. Evenly divide chili mixture into 3 (1-gallon) zip-top plastic freezer bags; seal and lay each bag flat. Stack bags of chili in freezer. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw frozen chili overnight in refrigerator or defrost in microwave. Pour thawed chili into a 9-inch square baking dish. Cover tightly with heavy-duty plastic wrap, and fold back a corner to allow steam to escape. Microwave at HIGH 6 to 7 minutes or until bubbly, stirring after 3 1/2 minutes.

Chili-Corn Stack-Up Salad (Southern Living)

This is great for company. 

Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 (3.5-ounce) package boil-in-bag rice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 (15-ounce) bag corn chips
• 5 to 6 cups Big-Batch Chili, thawedhttp://lovetocookagain.blogspot.com/2011/10/big-batch-chili-southern-living.html
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded, or 1 (10-ounce) package shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• Sour cream
• 1 (2.25-ounce) can sliced ripe black olives, drained (optional)
• 1 (12-ounce) jar pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)

Preparation

• Prepare rice according to package directions. Stir in cilantro, if desired.
• Layer rice mixture, chips, chili, next 5 ingredients, and if desired, black olives and jalapeño peppers in individual serving bowls.