Monthly Archives: December 2011

Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup

I was a vegetarian for several years and used to make soups like this Spinach, Pasta, and Pea Soup often.  Soup is one of those great meals that can easily be made vegetarian by swapping out meaty broths for vegetable or mushroom broth (I used vegetable broth).  But sometimes, vegetarian soups can be boring and too soft.  This one has chickpeas which hold up well in the cooking process giving you something to sink your teeth into.  The lemon added a light freshness without being overbearing and the parmesan cheese gave a needed salty flavor.  Consider substituting kale for the spinach or swapping out the chickpeas for cannellini beans.  This soup was great for workday lunches and always left me feeling satisfied.

The ingredients:

Sauté garlic and green onions in olive oil until soft and fragrant.

Add broth and water and bring to a boil.

Stir in lemon rind, orzo, and chickpeas.  Cover and cook until orzo is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Stir in oregano, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and spinach.  Cook for a few minutes until spinach is wilted.

Top soup with parmesan cheese.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions: 

  • Vegetable broth for chicken broth
  • Dried oregano for fresh oregano

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Jalapeño, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid

Maybe you don’t like breakfast food and if not, too bad for you.  I’m going to cut right to the chase here – this Jalapeño, Sausage, Jack, and Egg Breakfast Braid is divine.  This delicious little package has eggs, cheese, turkey sausage, jalapeños and is full of flavor.  The recipe calls for chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers but I used hot turkey sausage instead.  The sausage combined with the peppers doesn’t overpower this dish at all but instead gives it just enough of a kick to keep eating another bite, and then another.  If you want to keep things a little more mild, you could use sweet turkey sausage here (or pork if you prefer).  I made this in June when my sister and 2-year-old niece were visiting and since I wasn’t sure if my niece would like the spiciness, I left out the jalapeños and used sweet turkey sausage.  It was just as delicious then but I really loved the fresh jalapeño pepper this time around.  This is a perfect breakfast to make for Christmas morning, in my opinion.  Go ahead and cut yourself a piece of this and see if you can keep from cutting another one.  It’s pretty much impossible.

The ingredients:

Cook onion and sausage in a skillet with the olive oil until sausage is fully cooked.

Add in slightly beaten eggs and cook until set.

Unroll the pizza dough and shape into a rectangle on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle cheese down the middle of the dough, leaving 2 inches on the sides.  Top the cheese with the egg and sausage mixture, remaining cheese, and chopped jalapeño.

Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the sides of the dough, about an inch apart.  Fold dough strips over the mixture diagonally, overlapping strips to look like a braid. 

Brush dough with egg white. 

Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Hot turkey sausage for chicken sausage
  • Reduced-fat Colby-Jack cheese for Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze

I love banana bread and I love scones so when I saw this recipe for Banana Bread Scones with Brown Sugar Glaze, I definitely had to try it. These quick bread treats have a subtle banana and cinnamon flavor and would be tasty with a cup of coffee or tea. The scones aren’t overly sweet and would be delicious with a little bit of butter and without the glaze, if you prefer. But, in my opinion, the brown sugar glaze provides a tasty sweetness that my sweet tooth is grateful for. The recipe says to use 2% or whole milk but I used skim milk and everything turned out fine. The walnuts are optional so leave them out if you like but they do give an added crunch. If you like banana bread and are willing to try something slightly different, consider these scones instead.

The ingredients:

Combine mashed bananas, milk, and yogurt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife or fork.

Pour banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Fold in the walnuts.

Pour dough onto a piece of wax paper and shape into a disk. Top with another piece of wax paper and freeze for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove top layer of wax paper and replace with a piece of parchment paper. Invert a baking sheet and place on top of parchment. Flip the whole thing over so that dough is on the baking sheet lined with parchment. Remove other layer of wax paper and discard. Cut or score dough into eight pieces and bake in a 400°F oven for 25-30 minutes. While scones bake, combine butter and milk in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Add in brown sugar and vanilla, stirring until sugar has disolved.

Add powdered sugar and stir to desired thickness.

Drizzle glaze over scones just before serving.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Fat-free milk
  • Non-fat Greek yogurt

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: the kithn

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