So easy to make, so filling to serve as lunch or dinner!
1 bag of frozen chopped spinach
2 cans of diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini
Place all ingredients except tortellini in slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high. Add tortellini and cook for 30-45 minutes longer.
Dish up and enjoy!
Swap out your “French Fries” for oven roasted sweet potatoes, steam up some carrots, asparagus, zucchini and squash, grill a London Broil to perfect pinky medium rare, slice fresh tomatoes and cucumbers for a refreshingly crisp and flavourful side dish, and make homemade mini-bundt cakelettes with a powdered sugar glaze.
Simple, quick (from start to finish, less than 45 minutes, and most of that is baking the cakelettes), and the food stretches amazingly. 3 large sweet potatoes serve 4 people, as does a nice 1.5 lb London Broil. A homemade recipe for chocolate cake (used in the mini bundt pan) makes 24 cakelettes, which serves 12.
The Hot Water Chocolate Cake recipe:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk, scant
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Prepare your mini bundt pans by spraying with a non-stick spray that includes flour (alternatively, butter and dust with flour). Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, stir together your dry ingredients (the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Contrary to other recipes, the sugar IS a dry ingredient in this recipe.) Add the wet: eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the boiling water. Don’t worry, this batter will be thin, but that’s okay. Fill the mini bundt wells about 3/4 full of the mixture. You should have just enough batter to fill all 24 wells, if you scrape down the bowl.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Late work day? This “False Alarm Chili” is just the thing to set the night in motion…and take the stress off of you! (N.B. For an alternate chili that uses the traditional kidney beans, see the post for Chili Con Carne.) I call it “False Alarm Chili” because you get all the flavour, and none of the heat!
2 large cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 large can tomato puree
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 cans of black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 large onions, minced (separated)
1 tbsp oil
2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
5 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
In a large pot, mix all the canned tomato products, garlic, black beans, and 1 1/2 of the minced onions. Bring to a boil, then back the heat off and reduce to a simmer. Cover, and stir occasionally.
In a large skillet, heat oil until it shimmers. Add the reserved 1/2 minced onion and sauté until translucent but not browned. Add the ground beef and break up any large pieces. Sprinkle over chili powder and cumin, and cook until no longer pink. (Using beef this lean means you will not have to drain it, and therefore not waste your spices as they would normally drain off in the fat!)
Add the spiced meat and onion mixture to the larger pot. Stirring occasionally, allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
This recipe can also be made the night before, stashed in the fridge, and reheated the next day to allow the flavours to commune.
(The honesty in me comes out when I have to share that I actually took the last harvest of the season in fresh tomatoes and used it in place of the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes. Cored and peeled, I cooked them down and made my own red sauce which can be used for pizzas, pastas, or in this case, chili!)
I can’t give a serving, because whenever I serve this, people always want seconds (and thirds!) Serve with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped scallions, and black olives as toppers. Oh, and regular saltines (or even oyster crackers) are a welcome accompaniment as well.
(And there’s nothing wrong if you want to have your favourite frosty malt beverage along with, just please remember to enjoy such things responsibly.)
Insalata Caprese.
Very easy to make.
Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella 1/4″ thick, layer in alternate layers on a serving dish. Chiffonade basil (cut into thin strips) and scatter over. True caprese only has olive oil as a dressing. I recommend a nice balsamic to be drizzled over as well, and some cracked black pepper. Serve as an appetizer for lunch or dinner.
Shrimp with Sofrito, Peppers and Manchego
1/4 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
20-24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red onion, cut into wedges, about 1/4 inch wide
2 sweet red peppers, seeded and cut into strips 1/2 inch wide
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and chopped
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 cup Manchego cheese, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
Heat the oil and butter in frying pan until butter foams, then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and sauté them over a fairly high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, until colored. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add onion and peppers to the pan, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes until softened.
Stir in the tomatoes, cayenne, and paprika and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to break down. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir together, adding Manchego and sauté for 30 seconds. Season to taste, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
Yields 4 servings
Braised Onions, Potatoes & Spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
4 medium onions, sliced thinly
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp minced, peeled ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 14-ounce diced tomatoes in juice (fire roasted works nicely if you can find them)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 lbs potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 lb fresh spinach, washed, drained, and any tough stems removed
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
In large skillet, add oil over medium heat until light wisps of smoke appear (about 60 seconds). Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned (about 8 minutes). Add garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Cook for and additional minute, stirring to combine. Add tomatoes with juice and vegetable broth, stirring to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
Add potatoes and stir to combine. Place in a baking dish and bake in at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. At this point, turn oven off. The residual heat will complete the cooking process. In 1/4 lb batches, add spinach, stirring well after each addition, until spinach submerged in the liquid. In small bowl, dissolve cayenne in lime juice. Add to baking dish and stir well. Return to oven for another 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
Serves 8 as a side dish, 4 as a main course.
