Chicken Parmesan Soup

A couple of nights ago, I went to a friend's Pampered Chef parties. I was flipping through the recipe books and saw one entitled "Chicken Parmesan Soup." I didn't have time to look at the recipe closely and I ended up not buying the cookbook, but the title of that dish stuck with me and so I made my own creation of Chicken Parmesan Soup! One of my daughters asked for seconds so that is always a good sign!
-Amanda

Chicken Parmesan Soup

1 chicken breast
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 can tomato paste
3 tbs butter
lots of garlic, dried basil and oregano
2-3 cups of chicken stock
1 baguette of bread
Olive oil
Mozzarella
Parmesan cheese (have about a cup of loosely packed, fresh grated)
fresh basil (optional, for garnish)

In a skillet (or I just used my soup pot and then rinsed it out) put at least 1/4 cup of olive oil and heat it up. Quickly cube up the baguette (reserve enough to make 1/2 cup of bread crumbs) and add it to the hot oil. Stir it around letting it toast. Add some of the parmesan cheese and some salt and pepper. Remove to a bowl once it is toasted.

Slice chicken into thin pieces, like in a chinese stir fry. In a cleaned out soup pot add more olive oil and start browning chicken. Before it is cooked through, add the tomato paste, seasonings (salt, pepper, dried basil, oregano and garlic) Then add the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring to a very gentle simmer DO NOT BOIL or your chicken will be rubber. Add 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs. (This thickens the soup a bit.) Add the butter cubed up to the soup. The butter is a trick I learned from Food Network, it mellows out the tangy tomato flavor and adds an awesome depth of flavor to any tomato soup or marinara sauce. Last, add more parmesan to the soup and stir to melt it in.

Serve in a bowl with cubed up mozzerella (this starts to melt and gives you strings of cheese as you eat. YUM!) And a few pieces of the toasted baquette. Enjoy!

Zuppa Tuscano

Who doesn't love the salad at Olive Garden? It's one of the best first course restaurant salads out there. But you have to choose between salad OR soup when you go. And if you've ever had their Zuppa Tuscano soup, it's pretty darn great. Which makes you think, should I get it or the salad? So now I can have it whenever I want. This isn't an official copycat recipe. It's been months since I've been to Olive Garden. I did not look up a recipe for this, I just made it from memory and it tastes pretty spot on from my memory. Except better, because I know there is no MSG, or bullion cubes or other ingredients that chain restaurants may or may not use.
-Amanda

Zuppa Tuscano Soup

2 slices of bacon
2 stalks of celery
12-16 oz of mild italian sausage (no msg or nitrates!)
1 large or 2 small potatoes
1 tsp dill
2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
4-5 stalks of kale
1 cup cream
5-6 cups homemade chicken stock

Cut up bacon and add it to a soup pot. Cook until bacon is almost crispy. Next put the sausage in the pot. If your sausage is in casings, cut the casings open and squeeze the sausage out. With the edge of your spoon, break up the meat into crumbles as it browns. Add the celery and continue sauteing. Add seasonings (dill, basil, salt and pepper.) Very thinly slice your potatoes. You can leave the peels on as I did, or peel them. Add stock and cream. Pull the kale leaves off of the hard stalk and chop into bite size pieces. Stir everything together and last add the kale.

Chicken Ballotine

 

(Steamed Broccoli, Plain Whole Milk Yogurt with drizzle of honey and a strawberry, Chicken Ham Ballotine.)

So, tonight I wanted to make a quick and easy dinner without much mess. I used leftover soup from lunch to make the "sauce" for dinner tonight. Overall it impressed the hubby and kids.
-Amanda

Chicken Ballotine

2 large chicken breasts
2 slices of deli ham (Nitrate free if possible)
4 sun dried tomatoes
1 oz feta
salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Pound out chicken with a mallet into 1/4 thick scaloppine. Placing a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken can make it easier. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Slice sun dried tomatoes into slivers. and lay across chicken. Place one piece of ham over each chicken breast. Crumble feta down the center of each chicken as well. (Black olives would also be good in this recipe!) Roll up chicken lengthwise to make the skinniest roll you can. Skewer with a couple of toothpicks to secure.

Preheat oven to 350. Preheat an oven safe skillet and add olive oil. Place chicken in the skillet. It should sizzle really loudly. Do not bump or move it for a couple of minutes. When it releases from the pan with a gentle nudge, rotate it. Brown all the sides. When you put it on the last side, put the skillet in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your chicken roll is. Let rest before slicing into circles. Serve with a tomato sauce. I used some leftover tomato parmesan soup.

Pizza Soup

The flavor of pizza without the carbs. This soup was surprisingly really good! And after I took my first bite, I did exclaim, "This DOES taste like pizza!" That was followed by... "hum... although since I can't remember the last time I ate a pizza I could be off, but who cares, it tastes great!" It's basically a parmesan cream tomato soup with pizza toppings stirred in. It was a hit with the husband and both toddlers.
-Amanda

Pizza Soup

• 2 tbsp butter or left over bacon drippings
• 1 onion, diced small
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 tsp dried italian seasonings
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• sea salt to taste
• 1/2 - 1 lb hamburger meat
• 2, 28 oz cans of tomatoes
• 2 (more) cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp (more) of dried italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 green bell peper
• whole milk mozzarella cheese
• kalmata olives, sliced
• pepperchini sliced

In a large pot, melt butter or bacon drippings. Sauted a diced onion and 3 cloves of garlid chopped fine. Add one sliced bell pepper. When onions are soft, add ground hamburger meat. As meat is cooking add salt, 2 tsp italian seasonings, 1 tsp oregano and fennel seeds. When meat is cooked through, remove it to a bowl and set aside.

Put two cans of tomatoes in the pot. Add roughly chopped garlic, more of the italian seasonings and butter. Bring to a boil. With an immersion blender, puree the tomatoes until they are very smooth. Add heavy cream and blend it in. Pour meat mixture back into the pot and stir in with the tomatoes. Dice the green bell pepper and add it to the soup. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes. Serve with grated mozzarella cheese, kalmata olives and pepperchini on top.

Simple Chicken Parmesan & Easy Tomato Sauce

My dear hubby, John, has been out of town for a couple of nights for work, and so upon his return tonight I wanted to make him his favorite dish of all time. Chicken Parmesan. Since he is watching calories too, I made a simple skillet version that isn't as caloric as the traditional method.
-Amanda

Simple Chicken Parmesan

1-2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp dried basil
3 tsp dried oregano
salt, pepper
olive oil
Mozzarella sliced thin, enough to cover chicken breasts
pasta
tomato sauce (I make my own, see below.)

With a very sharp knife, cut chicken breasts into 'scallopini.' Meaning, cut lengthwise across the chicken to make very thin pieces. I had a very huge chicken breast and was able to get 4 pieces! In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken very lightly through the flour. You don't need an egg wash or anything, the moisture from the chicken will be enough, this is a very light coating.

Lightly grease a large skillet with olive oil and get it hot. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, do not crowd them. Do it in two batches if necessary. Do not try to move them once you set them down. If you are using a non-stick skillet it will feel like they have stuck. Do not panic. Wait a few minutes and gently nudge with your spatula. If you feel it start to give, flip them over. If they still feel stuck, give them a few more seconds. When the meat "releases" it should be browned and you can flip them. When you flip the chicken, cover the browned side with the thin mozzerella slices, lower the heat and cover. Cook for another 5-6 minutes. The chicken won't take too long since you cut it so thin to start with.

Serve with pasta and tomato sauce.

My Easy Tomato Sauce:

1 large can of whole tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
1 small onion
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, oregano and chili flakes. Let simmer covered for 15 minutes. Uncover and let simmer for 15-30 minutes longer. The longer you simmer the thicker the sauce will be. If using whole tomatoes, mash with a potato masher or use an immersion blender to blend the tomatoes smoother. Season with salt to taste.

Meatballs

I was going for a meatball with pene pasta and melted mozzerlla cheese bake. But I didn't have any pene and I didn't have any mozzerlla. But I did end up with some very delicious meatballs despite the fact that they were turkey. I used rigatoni, Parmesan and some jarred marinara, but the meatballs, they were the star of the show!
-Amanda

Italian Meatballs

1.5 lbs of ground turkey
1/3 of an onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 slices of bread
1 egg
2 tbsp italian seasoning
salt & pepper

If your ground turkey is frozen, defrost over night in the refridgerator. Or go very very slowly in the microwave. You do not want the edges to start to cook in the microwave or your meatballs will not turn out right. Place ground turkey in a large bowl. Grate 1/4 of an onion over the meat. Grate the garlic also. I use a microplane. Using a food processor pulse the bread into breadcrumbs. You can substitute Panko Breadcrumbs if you wish to buy premade ones. Add breadcrumbs to the bowl. Add egg and seasonings. Mix gently with your hands just until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop out balls onto a greased cookie sheet. Spray meat balls with cooking spray. Set broiler to HIGH. Place cookie sheet under broiler about 4 inches away. Cook meatballs for about 7 minutes or until brown. Flip them all over and broil the other side. If you just want the meatballs and not in the pasta dish, but them in the middle of the oven farther away from the broiler and cook for longer until cooked through.

Put the meatballs in a baking dish with cooked pasta, cheese and marinara. Return to the oven and cook through for 25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked all the way and cheese is melted. I made enough meatballs and pasta to make two casseroles. I froze the second casserole, so it just needs to be reheated through.

"Gourmet" Italian Crepes

Okay, so I'm not so good with the titles of my dishes sometimes. Tonight I got this inspiration in my head and totally went with it. I was slaving away in the kitchen for over an hour making wonderful smells (this isn't in the easy category!) When my husband calls out, "What are you making?" I thought about it and said, "GOURMET! You are having Gourmet for dinner tonight!" He wanted to know "gourmet, what?" So I said, "Gourmet Italian!" Whatever that means... basically I had the idea to make lasagna flavors in a crepe instead of a layered noodle casserole.. well I'll have to try that another day since I had like only 2 ingredients to make a traditional lasagna. So, I went vegetarian with this yummy veggie-cheese filling. And during all this inspiration I realized I had NO tomato sauce, not even store bought. So, I whipped up a simple bechamel to pour on top.... enjoy!

Gourmet Italian Crepes:

1 cup loosely packed basil
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
1/8 cup flax seed meal (can be omitted)
about 1 cup of milk

Stuffing:
1/4 onion finely diced
1/2 pint of mushrooms, sliced
6 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen spinach, or a couple handfuls of fresh
1/2 can (or more) of chopped artichoke hearts
1 cup cottage cheese (or ricotta)

Bechamel Cheese Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup grated italian cheeses
1 1/2 cups of milk
salt and pepper

To make the crepe batter, place basil and oil in a blender and pulse. Add eggs, flour, flax seed meal, and salt, pulse again. Slowly add milk until you have a thin batter, you may need less or more of the milk. Your batter will be pretty runny, a lot thinner than pancake batter.

To make crepes: In a pre-heated crepe pan or a small non-stick skillet ladel out about 1/4 cup of batter. Pick up the pan and swirl the batter around with the pan with a flick of your wrist. You want to coat the entire surface of the pan. Let cook on medium heat for about 45 sec. With a non-stick spatula, gently lift up the crepe and flip.Cook for an additional 45 seconds or so.

For stuffing: Saute onions and mushrooms in a skillet. Cube tomatoes and for extra flavor roast them in your oven. To do this, place them on a cookie sheet and coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 450º for 20 minutes or until they start to brown and dry out. (Substituting sundried tomatoes would work too!) I used my toaster oven to do this so I didn't have to turn on my big oven. Add the tomatoes to the onions and mushrooms. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts. Remove from heat and let cool a bit. Then add the cottage cheese (or ricotta.)

Bechamel Cheese Sauce:
Place the butter in a small pot and melt. Add flour and whisk, cooking the flour a bit. Add milk while stirring. You may need to add all of it or less, you want a good consistency that you are happy with. Add the cheese, salt and pepper and stir. I always make too much of this, but it is perfect on noodles the next day as homemade mac n cheese (just thin it with a bit more milk, it'll tighten over night.)

Assemble your crepes:
Put some stuffing down the center and roll like a burrito OR place some stuffing in one "corner" of the crepe, fold in half and then fold in half again to make a triangle shape. Drizzle a bit of the cheese sauce over the top. Enjoy! Serves 4.
-Amanda

Pesto

I love pesto. I try and make it every summer from the basil growing in my garden. This year, I've had an abundance of basil. I even started giving some away to friends to make pestos of their own this year! I know the basic concept, I've been making it for years, but I always forget the ratios of ingredients. So I got this recipe from Simply Recipes. I made mine a bit thicker (less oil) so that way I can use it as a spread on ciabata bread or thin it out with a bit more oil and use it on pasta. I've heard putting it in ice cube trays and freezing it works great, so that's what I'm doing with my leftovers. I have plans of pesto pizza, pesto chicken, pesto pasta... I think I'll be sick of it soon!

Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

-Amanda