Clean Eating's Italian Wedding Soup

I am so in love with the new issue of Clean Eating magazine! I have made several recipes already that will be keepers! My husband loves Italian Wedding Soup, but we rarely seem to find it out in restaurants and the canned versions just don't cut it. So, I was really happy to come across this recipe and it is so delicious, we will be making it often!

Clean Eating's Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients:
4 slices of whole-wheat bread, cubed
1/2 lb lean ground chicken breast
1 medium carrot, grated
3/4 medium onion, grated
1 cup whole-wheat homemade bread crumbs, just put bread in food processor (or use 1/4 to 1/3 cup store bought)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP fresh basil, minced finely (I was out so used 1 tsp dried basil)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
4 egg whites
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 oz. fresh or frozen spinach (If using fresh, chop finely, if using frozen, thaw and drain)
Sea salt and peopper to taste
2 TBSP low-fat parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast bread cubes on large cookie sheet in oven for 15 minutes or until browned and crisp. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, mix chicken, carrot, onion, bread crumbs, garlic, basil, oregano and 1 egg white. If mixture seems too wet, add 1 or 2 more TBSP bread crumbs. Use hands to form mixture into 55 to 60 meatballs, 1/2 to 3/4" in diameter. (I made mine double this size because I was too lazy to roll 60 meatballs!) Set aside.

3) In a medium stockpot, add broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop meatballs in, a few at a time. Simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked. (When they are cooked, they will turn opaque.) Add spinach and reduce heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper.

4) In a meduim bowl, whicsk remaining egg whites until frothy and mix in parmesan.

5) Pour egg white and cheese mixture directly into the stockpot of soup. Stir until egg whites are cooked, then remove from heat. (This will look a little like eggdrop soup.)

6) To serve, place 1/4 cup croutons in the bottom of a bowl and pour 1 cup soup overtop. Garnish with additional chopped basil, or cheese, if desired.

Rough nutritional info per serving: 210 calories, 9 grams fat, 29 gram carbs, 5 grams fiber, 3 grams sugars, 16 grams protein, 300 grams sodium

Pasta Primavera

I am hosting our family Mother's Day celebration this year. Everyone is trying to eat healthier so we put together this menu:



fresh brewed iced tea with lime and lemon slices

fresh fruit

tossed salad with natural dressings

grilled chicken breast

pasta primavera with lots of veggies





My mother requested ice cream sundaes which will be our splurge of the day!



Here is the recipe for Pasta Primavera from Giada De Laurentiis:



Pasta Primavera



Ingredients
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips (I used one small zucchini and added some asparagus for variety)
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan


Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat (I added some garlic powder). Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten (we did not feel that the pasta needed any additional moisture, so didn't use the cooking liquid). Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

The Peach Tree's Asparagus Soup

If you are ever in Fredricksburg, Texas, I highly suggest that you visit The Peach Tree Gift Gallery and Tea Room for lunch and some shopping. One of my friends gave me a copy of their cookbook way back in 1996 and it has been a reliable source for good recipes. This recipe makes 6 large servings. I blended the soup for a smooth, creamy consistency because that was what I was in the mood for the day I made it. Next time, I think I will add more garlic and perhaps some potato to thicken the soup. This is a light and tasty soup. It made a lot so I may have to see how it freezes!

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 TBS butter

1 pound of asparagus, cut into 1" lengths

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp pepper

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups milk or light cream (I used 2% milk)

1 TBS lemon juice

Salt to taste

Directions:

Saute the garlic and onions in the butter until very soft. Stir in asparagus and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the asparagus turns bright green.

Add flour and stir until asparagus is well coated. Add pepper and chicken broth. Bring to a boil quickly. Boil for 1 minute, then add milk or cream. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice. Test for salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Clean Eating's Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

This is a nice recipe for a more healthy chocolate cupcake. The batter is fluffy, almost like a mousse. These have a nice, deep cocoa flavor. Be sure not to over cook it, I baked them for the recommended 45 minutes and that was a little too long in my oven. So, check them earlier and often! If you see Clean Eating magazine, check it out, I love it!


Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup Sucanat, divided (I did not have Sucanat, so I used raw turbinado sugar)
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup organic low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tsp skim milk, divided
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus more for garnish, if desired

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, 1 cup Sucanat, flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, 1/3 cup milk, oil, vanilla and whole egg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine with a rubber spatula.

Add egg whites to a large clean, dry, mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip whites with hand beater or whisk attachment of stand mixer until they begin to get foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup Sucanat very gradually to whites. Continue whipping whites into medium-stiff peaks.

Fold whites, in thirds, into the cake batter, gently with a rubber spatula.

Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full with batter (I ended up with 15 cupcakes). Tap bottom of filled muffin pan on counter and transfer to oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool completely.

When they are cool, combine the chocolate and remaining 2 tsp milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir until melted chocolate is completely smooth. Spread a thin layer on top of each cupcake and sprinkle with chocolate shavings on top, if desired.

Approx: 230 calories each, 11 grams of fat

South Beach Chicken Capri

I am trying to get back on track this week after I splurged for several birthday celebrations over the last few weeks. This is one of my favorite South Beach recipes. It is easy and soooo yummy! I also had to share a photo of the mixed salad because it had such great colors.

This is featured in The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crushed tomatoes
4 slices of reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta, oregano, salt and pepper. Process to blend. If I am running short on time I just stir this together in a bowl for easier clean-up.

Rub the chicken with the garlic powder. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12 minutes per side or until cooked through (mine usually take about 5 minutes per side!!!). Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool (I usually skip the cooling part).

Spoon 1/4 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each chicken breast. Top each piece of chicken with 1 slice mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a chicken breast registers 170 degrees and the juices run clear.

340 calories each serving

Fresh Strawberry Milkshakes

My brother-in-law loves strawberry milkshakes. So, I decided to make him a real one for his Spring Break visit last week. This is a recipe from Emeril Lagasse. It makes 2 servings. I doubled the recipe and it served 5 adults. I think it would be fun to play with the extracts and perhaps make it an adult milkshake with some liquor!



Fresh Strawberry Milkshakes

serves 2



Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

2 heaping tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint vanilla ice cream

1/2 cup milk



Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine the sliced strawberries, sugar and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to macerate for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.



Place the strawberries and their juice, ice cream, and milk in a blender and blend until smooth.

Classic Banana Bread

It is dangerous for me to be home and bored. I bake. Not so good for the waistline. I came across this recipe from cookinglight.com for Classic Banana Bread and I happened to have a lot of bananas. It uses yogurt in place of some of the usual oil/fat. I usually like walnuts in my banana bread, but forgot to add them this time. Next time, I will try using egg substitute in place of the eggs for more calorie and fat reduction. This was moist and did not last long!

Classic Banana Bread

by cookinglight.com

2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white and 1cup whole wheat)

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/3 cup plain non-fat or low-fat yogurt (I used non-fat vanilla)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a wisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on the rack (We are never patient enough to let it cool before helping ourselves to a slice).

Approx: 14 servings; 187 calories each

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

Rigatoni with Meat Sauce

From The Most Decadent Diet Ever! by Devin Alexander

We all really liked this recipe. It is a keeper. However, I will not do again on a weeknight, unless I have the marinara already made. I simmered it for about 1 1/2 hours and I still thought it could thicken a little more. It had a wonderful flavor with the addition of the fennel seeds.

The first thing you need to do is make the homemade marinara sauce:

Mostly Mom's Marinara Sauce

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 TBS minced fresh garlic

Two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes

1 TBS dried oregano

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

(I added a little dried basil too.)

Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until they are tender, but not brown (7-10 minutes). Add the garlic and saute for a minute, then add the tomatoes, oregano, sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir and turn the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, brown 1 pound lean ground beef until mostly cooked through. Drain if needed and return to pan.

Add to the beef:

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Stir and cook until beef is fully cooked. Add to the marinara sauce.

When the marinara meat sauce is thickened to your liking, serve over cooked pasta. Rigatoni is what the recipe called for, but this sauce would be good on any pasta. This made enough for three people and enough leftovers for another 3 servings! I think this sauce will freeze beautifully to enjoy some other time.

Hello

Hi. How is everyone? I am excited to have a place to share some of my favorite recipes and all my new culinary experiments. I recently received a new cookbook for my birthday by Devin Alexander called The Most Decadent Diet Ever. The first recipe I plan to try is her rigatoni with a homemade marinara meat sauce. I'll let you know how it turns out!