Italian Sausage Potato Soup

With the weather becoming cooler I have been in the mood for soups and chilis. This is a great recipe. I love finding new recipes our family enjoys!

adapted from ourbestbites.com

1 lb mild ground Italian sausage

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 large onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 cups (64 oz) chicken broth
2 pounds red potatoes, diced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups low-fat milk
3 ounces light cream cheese
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

Place sausage in large pot. Add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until the sausage is fully cooked and drain if necessary. Add the chicken broth and Italian seasoning, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook potatoes until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, then add the milk mixture and cook over medium heat until thick (like a very thick cream soup or a stirrable pudding). When the potatoes are cooked, add the thickened milk mixture and chopped spinach. If desired, season with additional crushed red pepper flakes and kosher salt to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 8-10.

Husband rating: 3.5 (I give it a 4)

Slow Cooker Beef and Sweet Potato Soup

from Cooking Light magazine

1 lb 90% lean ground beef

4 c (3/4 in.) cubed unpeeled sweet potato

2 1/2 c unsalted beef stock

2 c chopped yellow onion

1 c chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper

1/4 c unsalted tomato paste (about an 8oz size can)

2 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 (14.5 oz) cans unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained

1 c chopped fresh cilantro, divided

optional: 1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add beef to pan; cook, stirring often, just until crumbled and mostly browned, about 3 minutes. (Beef will not be fully cooked.) Remove from heat. 

Combine sweet potatoes and next 11 ingredients (through black beans) in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in beef. Cover and cook on low 7 hours. Stir in 1/2 c cilantro. Ladle chili into bowls; top with cheese and remaining cilantro, if wanted.

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys said: thumbs up

Thai Coconut Soup

lightly adapted from ourbestbites.com

1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tbsp fresh minced ginger, or 1 ½ teaspoons ground dry ginger
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk or light coconut  milk (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 packages ramen noodes (discard seasoning packets)
optional: ¾ cup sliced mushrooms
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 cup diced or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 tbsp chopped green onions

Heat a medium-sized pot to medium-high heat on stove top. Add olive oil, jalapeño, and ginger (if using fresh ginger). Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until jalapeño and ginger are softened and fragrant. If using ground ginger, add now and stir. 

Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and salt and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to simmer and add noodles, chicken and mushrooms. Simmer 3-5 minutes, until noodles are softened. 

Remove pot from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with green onions. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Note:  This type of noodle absorbs liquid exceptionally fast, so you should serve the soup immediately. If you know you need to keep the soup warm for a while before serving, wait to add the noodles until a few minutes before you’re ready to serve.

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys said: thumbs up (anything with Ramen noodles will get their vote!)

Sleeping Queens

Christmas will be here soon so here is a great gift idea. Our family loves this simple, fast, inexpensive card game. In Sleeping Queens you try to capture enough queens to win the game but with dragons, knights and sleeping potions involved it can get tricky!

The age recommendation is 8 and up but our six-year-old had no problem catching on to how to play this game.

Chicken Chipotle Chowder

from ourbestbites.com

1 large onion, minced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
2 colored bell peppers, chopped
1 chipotle chili, chopped (seeded if you’re worried about heat)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 heaping cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
5 cups low-fat milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 small red potatoes, chopped
1 small can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
Adobo sauce from chipotle chilies to taste (we used 2-3 teaspoons)
Chipotle Tabasco sauce
Shredded sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and chipotle chili until the veggies are tender. Add the flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook until the flour is smooth and the broth starts to thicken. 

Add the milk and bring to a low simmer. Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk isn’t burning. 

Add the chicken, corn, black beans and a small amount of adobo sauce at a time, and any additional salt to taste. Serve with chipotle Tabasco sauce and shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Serves 8-10.

I've made this recipe twice. The second time I left out the chipotle chilis and the black beans and like it just as well as the first time. That's what recipes really are: suggestions! We get to take what sounds best to us and try and try again until we get it just the way we like it!

Husband rating: 4.5 stars
Boys gave it a thumbs up

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Asian Dry Rub

lightly adapted from the Costco Connection magazine

2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed

2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 pork tenderloins (around 1 pound each, trimmed if needed)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a medium baking pan with foil.

Stir together brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cloves in small bowl. Rub pork with mixture.

Place pork in prepared pan and roast until the pork's internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, probably between 25-35 minutes depending on the size of the tenderloin. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 3 minutes. Cut into slices. Serve with mashed potatoes, seasoned rice, green beans or roasted broccoli.

My youngest son said described this pork as "epic!" Our whole family loved it. This is easy, healthy and inexpensive. 

Breakfast Parfait

For a super easy and healthy breakfast use greek vanilla yogurt, granola and your favorite fruit. Here I used bananas and blueberries. My husband likes to use raspberries. It's fun to layer the cup with a couple of scoops of yogurt, a layer of granola, then the fruit and repeat.