Minestrone Soup

We are still knee deep in snow. The frozen tundra... just one of our many nicknames. Soup is good anytime of the year, but it's especially comforting on a cold winter's night. And who's going to complain when you can serve a whole meal in just one bowl, not me.

This minestrone soup is very satisfying and call me crazy, but it's beautiful. The aroma that fills the house is ahhh..mazing! It makes you wish the day away and pray dinnertime will come soon. I prepared this in my crockpot so it cooked all day long, fusing those wonderful flavors together in slow motion. You could also make this soup in a stockpot and it wouldn't take much time at all. Just cook until the veggies are tender.

Minestrone Soup (adapted from Windsor)

1 1/2 frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen green beans
3 large carrots, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium yellow squash, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans (15.5oz) light red kidney beans
1 can (15.5oz) cannellini (white kidney) beans
1 can (14.5oz) tomatoes w/basil, garlic & oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp oregano
1 tsp parsely
2 tbsp brown sugar
46.5 oz vegetable broth (1 box plus 1 can)

Rinse veggies and chop. Add them to the crockpot.

Rinse beans. Add beans, tomatoes, garlic and onions.

Add vegetable broth, olive oil, minced garlic, brown sugar and seasoning to crockpot and stir everything together.

Cook all day (6-8 hours) on low heat.The slower and longer you cook this, the more flavorful it is. Top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and eat away. Don't worry too much about overdoing it... this soup quite healthy. Bonus!

Slow-cooked Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

Like Mexican food? Great! You'll love this recipe then! It's basically your typical enchilada only amped up A LOT. It's creamy, cheesy and tasty.

Salsa Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb chicken, cut into large chunks

8oz cream cheese

½ cup cheddar cheese, cubed

1 jar of salsa, after poured into crockpot fill jar about ¾ of the way with water and add to crockpot

¼ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp minced onion

Black pepper to taste

Handful green onions, chopped

Handful cilantro, chopped

8 Flour tortilla shells

2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour cream

In a crockpot, combine chicken, cream cheese, cubed cheese, salsa, water and spices. Cook on low heat for at least four hours or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Remove chicken chunks from sauce and shred. Return shredded chicken to sauce and continue to cook on low for another hour or so.

When you are ready to make the enchiladas, cut up the green onions and cilantro. Add to chicken mixture.

Preheat oven to 375. Set aside a 9x13 baking pan.

With a slotted spoon, add a spoonful or more of the chicken mixture to one side of the flour shell. TIP: let the sauce run through the slotted spoon before adding it to the shell.

Roll the shell and place into the pan. Make 8 rolled shells. Pour the remaining sauce and chicken over the rolled shells.

Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 My slow-cooked refried beans are the perfect side this Mexican dish. Top beans and enchiladas with sour cream and you are good to go. You’ve got yourself a good gut-stuffin' plate of deliciousness.

Shrimp Tacos, Refried Beans & Pico De Gallo

**Shamefully walks into blog world**

Wowza! Has it really been over 2 months since our last post? Sorry about that! Life got a little overwhelming and unfortunately the blog was put on my back burner. I've returned now that life is slowly getting back to normal.

Quite a few years ago, Husband and I went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and by mistake, shrimp fajitas were placed in front of me. I love shrimp... but on tacos? I wasn't sure. I placed my "what-ifs" aside and dove in. To this day, it is a meal I remember very well. It definitely made my top 5 best meals.

Today I am bringing this really great meal to you! I'm also providing a simple refried beans recipe and an even simpler pico de gallo recipe.

Shrimp Fajita Tacos (adapted from Eating Richly)


1 package shrimp (medium, large or jumbo)
2-3 limes, squeezed
1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp kosher salt

2 green peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
Soft shell flour tortillas
Sour cream for taco and/or beans

Clean and remove tails from shrimp. Place shrimp in a ziploc bag and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together lime juice, cilantro, garlic and seasonings. Pour over shrimp, seal bag removing as much air as possible and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the shrimp marinades, steam the sliced peppers and onions with a bit of water in a frying pan for 8-10 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

After shrimp has marinaded, distribute shrimp evenly in a 9x13 pan, pour remaining marinade over shrimp. Add steamed peppers and onions to the pan and broil for 10ish minutes or until shrimp is pink.

Refried Beans (a healthier version) (adapted from Allrecipe)

2 ¼ cups dry (rinsed) pinto beans

1 onion, peeled and halved

2 tbsp chopped green chiles

1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic

2 tsp salt

1 ¼ tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cumin

6 cups water

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn cooker to high and cook for 8 hours. Check periodically, add water if necessary. I ended up adding about 1 cup half way through.

When ready, drain beans but save the juice/liquid and set it aside. Place beans in a bowl and mash them. I used Kenny, my stand mixer, and he did a superior job. Once mashed, add some of the juice/liquid you set aside earlier. Add until you are happy with the consistency. Place refried beans back into the slow cooker (on low) until you are ready to serve.

Pico De Gallo

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 jalapeno, finely chopped & seeds removed (if you enjoy an extra kick, leave the seeds)

1 onion, chopped

1/4-1/2 cup (loosely packed) cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 tbsp white sugar (consider this an "add to taste" ingredient)

Combine all ingredients and gently stir. Really... that's it. (Note: Instead of jalapenos, I used the remaining green chiles from the refried beans). Use Pico for a side dish or a topping for taco.

There you have it... a very satisfying, delicious meal.

Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy for lunch or dinner the following day. Pico can be used as a salsa too!

Southwest Fiesta Casserole

I haven't gained much experience with spices and seasonings yet. I am working on changing that. I enjoy cooking and baking, but I still have a lot to learn. I'm finding that cooking ethnic dishes is a great way to learn how to season and spice up a meal.  

Mexican is one of our favorite ethnic foods. On date nights, you can generally find Husband and I hanging out at one of the local Mexican restaurants. Man, can they cook! It's messy, it's cheesy, it's nothing but absolutely delicious.

A few weeks ago I started planning a Mexican casserole type dish. I knew I wanted crescent rolls to top it off. Of course there would be spices, beans, cheese, meat and veggies, but I wasn't sure how I would make it stick together. I was fairly positive I wanted the sauce to have a sour cream base. It was Allrecipes to the rescue. There I found exactly what I was looking for. I love that website.

 

Voila! Now we have a new favorite dish in our house and I'm here to share it with all of you. You lucky dogs!

Meat/Bean Mixture

1 lbs ground meat

1 can petite diced tomato

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can kidney beans

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green pepper

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Sour Cream Sauce (Adapted from Allrecipes)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup water

½ tbsp chicken bouillon or one cube

¼ - ½ cup green salsa or green chilies

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Approx 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

For the meat/bean mixture:

In a bowl, combine diced tomatoes, corn, kidney beans. Set aside.

Brown the meat, drain. Add to bean mixture. Set aside.

Chop onions and peppers. Soften them in a skillet for 7ish minutes. Add to meat mixture.

Add seasonings to meat mixture and mix.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour. Heat for 1 minute. Whisk in the water and bouillon until the water has thickened and the bouillon has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Whisk in the green salsa and the sour cream. Shake in some salt and pepper. 

Preheat oven to 375°

I prepared this dish in layers. I'm sure it would be just fine if you mixed it all together though. 

Here’s how I did it (bottom to top)*:

Meat

Cheese

Sour Cream Sauce

Meat

Sour Cream Sauce

Meat 

Cheese

Rolls

Bake for 10/15 minutes then add crescent rolls (unrolled) to the casserole. 

Bake for another 25 minutes or until crescent rolls are completely done. 

*Next time I will use a shallower baking dish to make the ratio of bean/meat mixture and crescent rolls more equal.

Enjoy!