Senatorial Bean Soup

 

 

SENATORIAL BEAN SOUP
 

2 cups dried navy beans

2tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups chopped leek

2 cups sliced or chopped carrot

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 cup diced, cooked ham

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups water

2 teaspoons chicken base

1 teaspoon beef base

1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

2 bay leaves
 

Sort and wash beans and place in a large pot. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans, and bring to a boil. Cook the beans 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let beans stand one hour. Drain beans.
 

Melt margarine in a pan over medium-high heat. Add leek and next 4 ingredients (leek through garlic); sauté 10 minutes. Add beans, 8 cups water, chicken and beef bases, sage and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are very tender. Discard bay leaves.
 

Place half of soup in a blender; process until smooth. (You may want to blend smaller amounts in batches depending on your blender size or use an immersion blender if you have one.) Pour pureed mixture back into remaining soup, and cook over medium heat 30 minutes.
 

 Yield: 4 large servings

Pineapple Orange Cranberry Sauce

 

PINEAPPLE ORANGE CRANBERRY SAUCE
 

1 (12 ounce) bag fresh cranberries

1 (14 ounce) can pineapple tidbits in juice

orange juice

1 cup sugar

 Drain pineapple tidbits, keeping juice separate. Add enough orange juice to the pineapple juice to bring to one cup. Pour into saucepan with all other ingredients. Cook on stovetop at medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until desired consistency. Allow to cool and then refrigerate overnight.

Cashew Chicken Salad

 

(picture from myrecipes.com)

 

I have made this chicken salad a few times and I love it. I just never remember to take my own picture.

 

The recipe calls for cooked, chopped chicken, but I have used canned chicken each time I made it. That will  work just great unless you are one of the people that has an aversion to the canned chicken (no judgement here!).

 

I like it for sandwiches and to eat with crackers. I have topped a green salad with it, too.

 

Here's the link to the recipe:

 

Cashew Chicken Salad

 

 

Sauteed Kale & White Beans

 

 

Sorry I don't have more measurements for you. I just threw this together based on an idea from Cooking Light magazine (I think!). My only advice is to use more kale than you initially think you should use, it cooks down a lot!

 

 

SAUTEED KALE & WHITE BEANS

 

diced ham or Canadian bacon ( I used ham)

diced onion

chopped kale

1 can Great Northen beans, drained and rinsed

chicken broth

 

Start by browning the ham and onion in a little oil. Add the kale, beans and chicken broth. Use just enough chicken broth that you think will cook away in about 10 minutes, maybe about 1/2 cup. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Salt and pepper as desired.  

 

 

Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

 

Even without kids, it's good to find ways to sneak in a healthy food like pumpkin!

 

 

TURKEY WHITE BEAN PUMPKIN CHILI (crock pot)

 

cooking spray

2  pound lean ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup diced onion

3  garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

2  (15 ounce) cans of great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1 (150 ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles

2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder  

1 teaspoon oregano

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

fat free sour cream for topping (optional)

chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)

Heat a large heavy sauté pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes. Add to crock pot.

Add olive oil to the sauté pan, then onions and garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute. Add to crock pot.

Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chiles, broth, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

 

Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.

Add optional toppings to each serving.

SuperFood Salad

 

 

This is my version of a salad that they sell in the Deli department at Kroger.

 

The main ingredients are mixed in a proportion that you like, it was pretty random on my part.

 

chopped raw kale

quartered cherry tomatoes

dried cranberries

cashews, halves and pieces

shelled edamame, thawed from frozen

 

I made up a dressing of light mayo, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper (very little mayo) and stirred that in.  

 

The Kroger version also has fresh blueberries and sunflower seeds.

 

It makes me feel good to eat something that seems so healthy and it tastes good too!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

 

 

 

Wow, it's been a while since I had time or felt like trying something new. My new job is wearing me out! Cooking has been feeling like a chore lately rather than the fun hobby that it can be. But anyway, I finally made the time this weekend.

 

This soup was sooooooo good. I felt like I was in a gourmet Thai restaurant eating it.

 

 

THAI CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

adapted from Fitness Magazine via Pinterest

 

1 tablespoon sesame oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

2 large skinlees, boneless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup crushed tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon fish sauce

6 ounces rice noodles

2 cups shredded cabbage (I used the pr-shredded coleslaw mix)

1 cup canned bean sprouts, drained

1/4 cup chopped green onions

 

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink.

 

Dissolve/stir the peanut butter in the crushed tomatoes; add the mixture to the soup pot along with the broth and fish sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the noodles; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the bean sprouts and green onions; turn off the heat.

 

Garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired.

 

Yield: 5 or 6 servings

 

 

I garnished with cashews since that's what I had on hand and served with some spring rolls (from the freezer department of the grocery store).