Egg Drop Soup

It is snowing in Minnesota.  Actually let me rephrase that, it is BLIZZARDING in Minnesota! (in mid-April) Anyways, to follow up on Megan’s Asian inspired post from yesterday, I wanted to share one of my favorite comfort food meals, egg drop soup.  This recipe is so easy, and in my opinion tastes just like the restaurant kind! (with less MSG)  

Servings:  2
Size:  Just over 4 cup
Points Plus: 3 pts
Level of Difficulty:  Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time:  10 minutes
Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Recipe above modified from this one.

Ingredient List:
4 cups chicken broth (canned, boxed of bouillon cubes work)
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 eggs
A drizzle of soy sauce if desired

Directions:
Reserve 3/4 cup of chicken broth, and pour the rest into a large saucepan. Stir the ginger and chives into the saucepan, and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, wisk together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.

Tip:
Adding the cornstarch mixture at the end keeps the soup from boiling over.  After the mixture is added watch the soup very closely.  The longer it cooks the thicker it will get but I have had many overflow accidents with this one!

XOXO - Katie

Spring Stir Fry with Chicken, Sugar Snap Peas & Carrots

Stir-fry is such an easy weeknight dinner.  If you’re pressed for time, this is a great meal that can really come together quickly.  I saw this recipe on Skinnytaste and was anxious to try it out.  I LOVE Skinnytaste – she has some really great recipes.  This one did not disappoint!

Servings:  4

Size:  Just under 1 cup

Points Plus: 5 pts

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

Sauce –

1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 Tbps. Water

1 tsp. cornstarch

Stir Fry –

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces

Salt to taste

1 Tbsp. canola oil

2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

1 c. sugar snap peas

1 c. carrots, sliced diagonally

Scallions for garnish

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, water and cornstarch in a small bowl, set aside.  Cut the chicken into small pieces and season with salt.  Heat half the oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat.  Add the chicken, stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and browned (about 5 minutes).  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil, along with the garlic and ginger.  Add in the sugar snap peas and carrots, stirring until the veggies are tender, but still crisp (about 5 minutes).  Return the chicken to the pan, pour the soy-sauce/lime mixture over the chicken and mix well.  Cook for another minute.   Serve immediately – either alone or over a starch (my favorite is brown rice for stir-fry).  Top each serving with fresh scallions.

Tip:

It’s not worth struggling to get rice to turn out on the stove-top… just go buy yourself a rice cooker!  They aren’t that expensive.  The past few times I’ve made rice, it hasn’t turned out.  It’s pretty frustrating to start your brown rice cooking and 45+ minutes later open a pot filled with chicken broth and ½ cooked rice.  My rice didn’t turn out when I made this recipe earlier this week, so we ate our stir fry without a starch.  One way to make it healthier I suppose!  For our leftovers, I had a great solution!  I called in an order of brown rice to our local Asian take out place and we picked it up on our way home from work – so easy.

XOXO - Megan

Beef - It's What's For Dinner

When cooking, one of the food groups that intimidates me the most is MEAT!  I don't LOVE meat and I rarely cook it, but I am trying my darnedest to experiment, practice and be open minded.  We recently purchased a box of sirloins from Omaha Steaks and decided that since it is not warm enough to grill outside yet, we would broil them in the oven.  By following Omaha's instructions of setting the rack 1" fromt eh broiler, I think these turned out pretty good!  I can't imagine eating a steak without mashed potatoes, so I whipped some up and also served with a side of peas (please excuse the abnormally large portion of potatoes in the below picture.  What can I say, it was Friday night and time to PARTY!)

Oven Steak (for when it's too cold outside to grill)
Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 5 oz filet
Points Plus:  5 pts
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 1 minute (not including thaw time)
Cook Time: For medium rare, 13 minutes
Rating: 3 stars - Good

 Ingredient List:

2 5 ounce filet of good local quality

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

*Feel free to add your favorite grill seasoning

Directions:

Thaw steaks completely.  Set oven to broil and move rack to 1" under flame.  Season steaks with salt and pepper and place on broiling pan.  When oven is heated, broil for 7 minutes, flip and broil for 6 more minutes.  Adjust cook time if you like your steak mroe or less done. Voila! Whip up some mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Tip:

Having a broiling pan WOULD have been great for these, but I had to use a cookie sheet.  I was imagining a world where I had a broiling pan above, because I am assuming the steaks would have been even better with that tool.  In a pinch, use a cookie sheet lined with foil.

XOXO - Katie

Homemade Vinaigrette

Making your own homemade salad dressing is a great way to spruce up any salad! The possibilities are endless, but this mustard vinaigrette is one of my favorites. It has definitely become my go-to dressing if I don't have any store bought dressing on hand. This recipe comes from The Talking Kitchen's blog, which I love!

Homemade Mustard Viniagrette

Servings: 2

Size:  2 Tbsp

Points Plus: 4 pts

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars - Very good

 

Ingredient List:
1 tps. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

I typically make my dressing in a Pyrex measuring cup since it's easy to mix in. Combine the mustard and honey first, stirring with a small whisk. Add in the vinegar, salt and pepper next. Finally add in the olive oil, whisking while you add it to make sure it is fully mixed. Drizzle your dressing over the salad; gently toss to evenly coat. 

Note: The original recipe calls for two types of mustard - ½ tsp. each of whole grain and Dijon mustard. I prefer it with just Dijon as it makes a bit smoother dressing. However, the whole grain mustard adds another kick of flavor if you are interested. 

Tip:

This is a great make ahead recipe. Mix it up, put it in your fridge and throw on the salad right before dinner to prevent droopy saturated salad.

XOXO - Megan

Baked Polenta Fries

I. Love. Polenta.

I also love recreating dishes that I have had at restaurants, and loved.  One of my favorite hot spots in Minneapolis is Muddy Waters, and they serve the most amazing polenta fries.  They pair them with a green ketchup aioli that has a hint of spice.  After some internet research, I came up with the below recipe which was wonderful.  By cooking the polenta fries at a high oven temp, they turn out crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  I created a twist on the dipping sauce by mixing marinara with sriracha, the perfect amount of spice. Enjoy these as a side dish in place of french fries.  Oh and swing by Muddy Waters the next time you are in MPLS!

Servings: 2
Size: 1/2 of polenta log
Points Plus: 7pp (including sauce)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes (or less depending on oven)
Rating: 5 stares - Excellent

Ingredient List:

1 log of polenta

Cooking spray

Lowry's seasoning salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup marinara

Sriracha

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Unwrap and cut polenta in half crosswise.  Then cut each half lenghthwise into small sticks. Spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper.  Bake, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 45 minutes.  If you cut your fries into smaller pieces cook time will be less.  While polenta is baking, heat 1/2 cup marinara.  I LOVE Trader Joe's brand marinara.  Almost every kind is only 2pp per half cup.  Add Sriracha to taste.  Enjoy!

Tip:

Polenta is a very versatile food. If you have not had it before, it is sort of a salty cornmeal. You can purchase it dry and add water to create sort of a porridge texture. OR you can purchase it in a log near the cornmeal at the grocery store.  The second option is a lot easier for a dish like this one! Be sure to cut the tube open over the sink, it has a bit of water in it that you will have to drain.

Happy Weekend! 

XOXO Katie

Italian Sausage Soup

Soup is one of Katie and my favorite meals!  It’s a great for chilly winter nights, but can easily be expanded into fall and spring based on the recipe.   Here is one of my favorite soups to make – and the best part is that it comes together very quickly.  Perfect for a weeknight dinner, or it’s good enough that you could serve it to company to impress them with the delicious Italian flavors.

 

Servings:  4

Size:  1 1/3 cups of soup,  1 ½ tsp cheese

Points Plus: 5 pp

Level of Difficulty:  1

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Rating: 5 starts - Excellent!

 

 Ingredient List:

8 ounces of hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage

2 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

½ c. uncooked small shell pasta

2 c. bagged baby spinach leaves

2 tsp. grated fresh parmesan or Romano cheese

2 tsp. chopped fresh basil

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat.  Remove casings from sausage.  Add sausage to pan, cook about 5 minutes or until browned.  Drain if needed; return to pan.  Add broth, tomatoes and pasta to a large stock pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Once the mixture comes to a boil add the sausage.  Cover the pot and reduce the heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente.  Remove from heat; stir in spinach until wilted.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil.

Note: This recipe makes quite a bit – a serving is 1 1/3 cups, but I typically only have 1 c. servings which leaves you with more leftovers.  If you won’t be eating all of the soup at one time I would recommend putting the spinach leaves in each serving bowl and pouring the soup serving over the top to wilt the spinach.  The wilted spinach in leftover soup lessens the time your leftovers will be good for!

Tip:

Experiment with different pasta shapes for this recipe!  Although it calls for shell shaped pasta, I have enjoyed this soup with orchecchiette (ear shaped),  gemelli (twists or spirals) or one of my personal favorites farfalle (bow-ties).

XOXO - Megan

The Easiest Brussels Sprouts EVER

There was a time back in the day when I thought brussels sprouts were disgusting  ewwwww.  Mainly I think, because I never bothered to try them.  Then I found a recipe, the one below, that is super easy and makes them taste like French fries! (ok that might be a stretch but they are crispy and salty and I could eat the whole batch in one sitting) They are best made with the huge, fresh, amazing sprouts you get at the farmers market, but in the colder months the bagged variety at the grocery store will do just fine.  My husband loves them too - enjoy!

Servings: 4
Size: 1/4 of the pan
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Rating: 5 stares - Excellent

Ingredient List:

1 bag of grocery store bought sprouts OR 1 1/2 pounds fresh variety

1 Tbsp. EVOO

Hearty sprinkle of kosher salt

Good sprinkle of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.  Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a hseet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.  Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt and serve immediately.  Also, don't you think it is wierd that there is an 's' at the end of Brussels, who knew!

Tip:

Make sure to keey an eye on your sprouts. Depending on their size, cook time may be shorter.  Don't let them burn! Also, last night I mized them with cottage cheese.  Might sound weird, but it went well together.  I LOVE mixing weird things together to up the power foods value, more on that later!

XOXO Katie