Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tbsp chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups fresh or frozen corn
• 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 16 baked tortilla chips scoops, crumbled
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1. In a Dutch oven, saute chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion and jalapeno pepper until tender. Add garlic and saute; cook 1 minute longer.
2. Stir in the broth, corn, beans, lime juice, salt, hot pepper sauce, pepper, and reserved chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
3. Stir in cilantro. Top each serving with crumbled tortilla chips and cheese. Yield: 8 serving (2 quarts).

Courtesy: Taste of Home

Danielle's Granola

This is the recipe that I have been working on perfecting... its getting close. It is certainly a base granola recipe; one could add coconut, dried fruit, or whatever. It yields a ton of granola for cheap, which I think is awesome.

Ingredients:

1 bag honey roasted sliced almonds (found in the salad dressing isle of Target... I think that they are called Almond Pazazz)

6 c. old fashioned oats (bought in bulk for cheap!!)

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. and a bit more of honey

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, honey, vegetable oil, and cinnamon. Microwave on high for 2 minutes (or until boiling). Stir in vanilla. Add oats and almonds; tossing to coat.

3. Spread oat mixture on a large baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir with a spatula. Reduce oven temperature to 325-340 degrees (sorry for the temperature range, it varies depending upon how golden the mixture appears) and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool; stirring occasionally to break it up.

Potato, Mushroom, and Leek Croquettes, with greens and shallot vinaigrette

Serves 4, 2 patties each

Ingredients:

• 8 oz coursely chopped Yukon gold potato
• 4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
• 4 oz sliced button mushrooms
• 1/2 c. chopped leek
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• cooking spray
• 1/2 c. (2 oz) shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 c. (1 oz) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 large egg white
• 2 tsp water
• 1/2 c. panko
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

1. Place potato in a pan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 8 minutes or until tender. Drain. Press potato through a ricer or food mill (we used a blender and it worked just fine).

2. Place mushrooms, leek, and thyme in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add mushroom mixture; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mixture to potato (stirring well if used a blender for the potato). Add Gruyere, 2 tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, pepper, egg yolk; stir until blended. Shape mixture into 8 (2-inch) round patties.

3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine egg white and 2 tsp. water in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Combine remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and panko in a shallow dish. Dredge patties in flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko mixture. Heat a large non-stick skillet overt medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add patties; cook 4 min. on each side or until golden.

Greens and Shallot Vinaigrette

Combine 2 tbsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and 1/8 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Add 6 c. of salad green and 1 sliced shallot to bowl; toss gently.

My vegetarian ways pulled me to this recipe and it did not disappoint. Even Pat, without vegetarian ways, loved these little patties! Enjoy!