Healthy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Hello friends!

I know, I know, it's been so long. I haven't been experimenting in the kitchen as much as I'd like. I've been making more meals from Skinnytaste or simple sandwiches and salads - nothing fun!

However, I recently attended an Autumn Soups cooking class at the Boston Center of Adult Education (BCAE) and am falling back in love with soups. They're just so easy, delicious, and filling - especially wonderful on cooler Fall days!

I was inspired this weekend to create a tortellini soup, with a mission of finding something flavorful but also chockful of garden vegetables. Be sure to prep your veggies, as this soup comes together pretty quickly and easily. I could also easily see myself adding other favorite vegetables, such as mushrooms and spinach to this dish, so have fun with it!

Healthy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Serves: 3-4
Prep: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 15 minutes

Healthy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, chopped
3 carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1-2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced  4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
9 oz. tortellini, any variety (fresh or frozen...pictured above is fresh spinach)
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, carrots, zucchini, and celery to the pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 5-6 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Mix in the oregano and diced tomatoes.  Add the broth to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to the package directions.  Remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired. Enjoy!

Healthy Grilled Chicken Pesto with Fettuccine

I know we've all been there - long day at work, and the last thing you want to do is cook something. You use some shortcuts and boil some packaged pasta and throw some canned sauce into the mix and call it a day.

Below is a new recipe I created that challenges you to take one or two extra steps but I promise you - it's totally worth it! On a most basic level, it's just grilled chicken, pasta and a pesto sauce. By using fresh ingredients and making my own pesto sauce, the dish was elevated to a whole new level. I also got to use my basil plant I recently planted in my backyard - much cheaper in the long run. Hands down one of my easiest, healthiest, and yummiest recipes to date!

Grilled Chicken Pesto with Fettuccine 

Serves: 4-6

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
    1 cup basil
    1 clove garlic
    1/4 cup grated parmesan
    salt & pepper to taste
    2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

    2 lbs grilled chicken breast

    1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning

    1 lb FRESH fettuccine (see if your local grocer has this - it makes such a difference!)

1. Start with making the pesto. I removed pine nuts or walnuts from this version (stolen from Skinnytaste) to lower the fat content, and I promise you don't even notice.

Ingredients:
    1 cup basil
    1 clove garlic
    1/4 cup grated parmesan
    salt & pepper to taste
    2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
In a food processor pulse basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil while pulsing. Store in a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use or you can freeze this in ziplocks bags to use at a later date.

2. After this, start a pot of hot water for your pasta and allow it to get to a rolling boil. Generally, I like to add salt and olive oil to the water, but I would omit the salt this time. The pesto already has this flavor and this can easily get too salty.

3. Next, you can get started on your grilled chicken breast. I used a skillet, and left the chicken there to cook on medium high until no longer pink. Make sure to not move the chicken around too much, so it gets those nice grill marks. 

3. Once your water is ready, add the fresh fettuccine. Mine took less than three minutes to cook, so don't leave this unattended! If you are using boxed, just follow the directions they provide. 

4. Cut chicken into bite size chunks, mix with fettuccine and the pesto. Add more olive oil as necessary and top with more grated parmesan. Enjoy!

Panko-Crusted Salmon with Roasted Asparagus

First off, my apologies for not updating this more often. I've been so busy with life that I haven't had much time to try new recipes. Thankfully, I will be getting a brand spankin' new camera in two days, and I'm hoping to take some more time out to test-drive a few concoctions I have up my sleeve. Stay tuned!

I've also been trying to eat healthier, so I decided to try my hand at cooking fish (not always my first choice) and asparagus (something I love to order out, but have never tried to cook at home). I'm much more likely to turn to panko than regular old flour to get that textured, crunchy taste I love. So, I thought this recipe was perfect! The salmon was cooked perfectly and tasted absolutely heavenly. The asparagus went a little mushy - my fault for not realizing they would cook just fine in less than 10 minutes, even if it initially appear to be the case.

Best of all, this meal was low carb, heart healthy (yay for omega 3's!), and took less than 30 minutes to prepare, with minimal prep time. Works for me!

Panko Crusted Salmon:

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil

4 pieces thickly cut, boneless salmon (each 6 oz) (try to purchase fresh instead of frozen!)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp honey mustard

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)

2/3 cup panko bread crumbs

2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley

1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set the salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. In a small bowl, combine the honey mustard and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. In another small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 1 teaspoon of thyme, 4 teaspoons of olive oil, parsley, and paprika. Add salt and pepper (a light sprinkle).

3. Using a small spoon, spread the mustard mixture on the salmon; top with the bread crumb mixture.

4. Roast the salmon for 12-14 minutes (test at 10) or until it is almost completely firm to the touch and flakes when poked with a fork. Serve at once.

Yield: Serves 4.

Roasted Asparagus:

Cook time: 10 minutes

Note: I added a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for an extra touch.

Ingredients

1 lb asparagus spears (thick spears are best for roasting)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher Salt

Freshly grated black pepper

Lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse clean the asparagus. Break the tough ends off of the asparagus and discard.

2. Lay the asparagus spears out in a single layer in a baking dish or a foil-covered roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the spears, roll the asparagus back and forth until they are all covered with a thin layer of olive oil. (Alternatively you can put the asparagus and oil in a plastic bag, and rub the bag so that the oil gets evenly distributed.) Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub over the asparagus so that they are evenly distributed.

3. Place pan in oven and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus spears are, until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice before serving.

Yield: Serves 4.

Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta - Creamy and Rich!

I remember when I first started cooking I was sooo particular about following the directions to a "T". However, after experimenting and discovering some great and exciting combinations of food, it's fun to open my pantry and refrigerator and dream up a new concoction. Especially when it actually tastes GOOD!

Tonight I had a hankerin' for pesto chicken, but didn't want to go too crazy on the calories and fat intake. I used yoghurt to give it a cre

amy texture and used minimal amounts of oil without sacrificing taste at all.

Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta

Serves: 2 (can be easily doubled)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz chicken breast - cut into strips or chunks, seasoned with salt, pepper, and Adobe seasoning (if available)
• 1/2 serving of whole wheat pasta (penne or linguine works well, I used egg noodles that I had handy)
• 2-3 tablespoons pesto (jar is fine)
• half an onion
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• red pepper flakes
• grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as directed. Be sure to check the pasta before draining - whole wheat tends to take an extra minute to fully cook.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pesto and lemon juice with yoghurt and mix well. Set aside.

3. In a nonstick pan set to medium high, add 1 tsp. of olive oil, the mushrooms and onions. Saute until onions are caramelized and mushrooms soften - about 5 minutes. When this is close to being cooked, add the garlic and allow to simmer for 1 minute. Remove from pan and combine with the bowl of pesto.

4. Using the same pan, add in chicken to cook until no longer pink. More olive oil can also be added if needed.

5. Once cooked, take chicken off heat and add pasta and pesto mix. Combine well, top with salt & pepper to taste. Top with red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese and voila! Dinner is served :)