Tag-Archive for ◊ veggies ◊

02 Jun 2010 Chicken Tortellini Soup
 |  Category: Main Dish, Pasta, Poultry, Soups  | Tags: , , ,  | Leave a Comment

This soup is delicious, hearty, and very, very easy to pull together. It’s a staple around here. Everyone likes it. You could leave out the chicken, I often do now (I seem to want to eat less meat as I get older), but don’t skip the leek or the fennel seeds because, working together they crank this soup up from good to GREAT.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

1 T. olive oil
1 leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)
1 small onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. dried basil
2 tsp. fennel seeds
6 c. chicken stock (homemade is best)
2 medium zucchini, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 (9-oz.) pkg. cheese tortellini
1/2 bunch spinach, coarsely chopped (no stems)
1 1/2 c. diced cooked chicken or turkey
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy skillet. Add in leek, onion, garlic, basil, and fennel seeds and cook until onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Pour chicken stock into pot, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and carrot, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Stir tortellini into boiling soup cook until tender, uncovered, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and cooked turkey, heat through. Season to taste with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 main dish servings.

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26 Apr 2010 Roasted Cauliflower
 |  Category: Veggies  | Tags: , , , , , ,  | Leave a Comment

In the US, a “good” dinner is a main dish, maybe a veggie, a starch and a green salad.  In England, the norm for a “good” dinner is a main dish, mash and three veggies. I’m English. Three veggies, please!  I love my veggies.  Love them, love them, love them.  I never met a veggie I didn’t like.  Roasting veggies is surprisingly easy and brings out the sweetness in the veggies. Ever roast a cauliflower?  No?  You’re missing out! Here’s the recipe (from Epicurious.com).

Roasted Cauliflower

8 cups cauliflower florets (you’ll need one huge head of cauliflower or two smaller heads)
3 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the small florets into a large (gallon) sized Ziploc bag or large bowl.  Mix the olive oil and salt together then pour over the cauliflower.  Shake the bag, or stir the bowl, to cover the cauliflower evenly with the oil and salt.  Spread cauliflower onto a large baking sheet (the metal kind with 1/2 inch or 1 inch sides).  Place sheet into hot oven. Shake pan after 15 minutes to rotate florets.  Continue to roast for another 10 or 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and sports nice golden brown spots.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today!  Will you be roasting some cauliflower soon? What other veggies do you like to roast?