Baby It's Cold Outside

I've been a bad blogger lately...I have been cooking, but many dishes I have already blogged about. And in the case of a couple of dishes, the pictures got somehow lost/erased , and I don't like making posts without pictures. So, I'm back with a very appropriate dish - it definitely feels and looks like winter here in Tennessee - in the 30's and a little snow on the ground. This weather doesn't really faze a Canuck like me, but I thought I'd make some winter weather comforting soup anyways.

I've had this recipe starred in my google reader for a while now, and I wish I had not waited a long to make it - it was delicious. Potatoes, broccoli & cheese are ingredients that go so well together, and I made a few additions to the recipe which I have noted. The soup is thick and creamy, but yet it doesn't have any unnecessary butter or heavy cream. The only thing that would have made this dinner even better would be some great bread for dipping.

Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup

Seen on Amber's Delectable Delights; originally from My Recipes.com and Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8-ounce) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

7 teaspoons shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
7 teaspoons fully cooked bacon pieces I used turkey bacon
7 teaspoons chopped green onions

I added 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4-1/2 each of kosher salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients (this is where I added the above ingredients in italics) in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts.

Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

Yield - Makes 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup) (serving size: 1 cup)

Wine & Cheesey Garlicky Ziti

I have seen this recipe many times, and it's been on my must-try list for a while. I love garlic, chicken and broccoli, throw in pasta and great cheese, and it's a winner in my book. I reheated leftovers for a couple of lunches, and I just added a little extra virgin olive oil and chicken broth so it wouldn't dry up. I made some changes, and the original recipe is linked below.



Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce
adapted from Good Things Catered

Ingredients:
3/4 lb ziti
3 Tbsp butter
about 1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (made by roasting garlic in oven and squeezing garlic out of skin) see below
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
2 c. low-sodium chicken stock
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 c.)
1.25-1.5 lbs chicken tenders or breasts, grilled and cut in smaller pieces
3 oz. aged Vermont white reserve cheddar, grated (about 1 1/2 c.)
freshly shredded Parmesan cheese to taste
salt and ground pepper

Directions:
-Bring 4 qt. of water to a boil in large pot and cook ziti according to box directions to only al dente and set aside.

-At the same time, lightly steam broccoli florets on top of pan in steamer and set aside.

-Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

-When just coming to foaming, add garlic paste and cook until fragrant (about 1 min)

-Add flour and cook until beginning to turn golden (about 2 min.)

-Add broth and cook until evaporated (about 1 min).

-Stir broth into pan and simmer sauce until slightly thickened (about 2 min).

-Add cheddar and stir constantly while returning to a boil.

-Fold in ziti cook for one minute additional and remove from heat.

-Add broccoli and chicken and fold until sauce covers uniformly.

-Plate and top with some shredded Parmesan and serve.

Roasted Garlic Paste

4 large garlic bulbs, left whole and unpeeled
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground back pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Slice of 1/4 inch off the top of each bulb. Place bulbs in a small baking dish, or in muffin trays. Drizzle with a little EVOO, salt and pepper and cover with foil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until garlic is golden brown and soft.

Remove from oven and let cool. Squeeze each clove out of its paper and add to a bowl, and mash together to form a paste. Set aside until ready to use in the above dish.

I also love to make roasted garlic paste and add to butter, mashed potatoes, sour cream, a spread for bread, pizza, chicken, pasta etc, etc. As you can tell, I LOVE garlic, and after it's roasted, it becomes much more mellow. You can keep roasted garlic in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.

Sub-Lime Chicken & Pasta

This is the second time I made this recipe, and I think I liked it even better this time around! I got it after browsing Amber's Delectable Delights; her recipe is a spin on the Spicy Lime Garlic Chicken from Allrecipes. I made some changes as noted in italics, because Jamie likes a little more sauce, and I like more of a limey (is that a word???) taste. Plus it's a good way to get Jamie to eat his broccoli!

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta

(Source: Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth I used 1.5 cups to make more sauce

1.5 tbsp lime juice (adjusting amount to your liking) I used approx. 2.5 tbsp

1 tbsp corn starch I used 1.5 tbsp, and I mixed it with a little bit of chicken broth and added to the sauce in the pan when at a high temp

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper I used 1/4-1/2 tsp, I like it spicy!

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder1/4 tsp onion powder1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried parsley I used 1/2 tsp

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)

1 tbsp butter

Few drizzles of olive oil

8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)

1-2 cups broccoli florets i used 2 cups

Optional - Parmesan cheese for topping I used some Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

1) Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.

2) Mix together all the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) and set aside.

3) Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add bite size chicken pieces into heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.

4) Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and serve.