Meal: Chicken, Pasta and Chickpea Stew

Chicken, Pasta and Chickpea Stew: To make the soup ahead, omit the pasta and refrigerate or freeze the soup. As the soup reheats over medium heat, cook pasta separately according to package directions, then stir it in shortly before serving.

Vegetarian Variation: Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced celery
¾ cup diced carrot
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 cups Basic Marinara (or favorite Italian tomato sauce)
1 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
¾ cup uncooked ditalini (very short tube-shaped macaroni)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch pieces (or 2 large chicken breasts)
6 tablespoons shaved fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add celery, carrot, and onion to pan; cook 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with cheese.


Cookinglight October 2007

Meal: Venison and Cabbage Stew

Venison and Cabbage Stew: My mother actually came up with this recipe as a creative way to use an abundance of venison. My family is usually well stocked with venison meat. It's a fabulous organic and healthy meat if you can get it. If not, regular beef stew meat will work. I have used ground venison, ground buffalo and ground beef before but I shorten the first cooking time down to only 30 minutes.

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 lb venison stew meat (or beef)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried parsley
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
½ head of cabbage, chopped
12 oz tomato paste
2 cups diced or crushed tomatoes

Shredded cheddar cheese
Crusty bread

Pour water into a large stock pot and bring to a low boil. Add stew meat and cook for about 1 hour. Skim the foam off of the top of the water. Add in onion, celery, carrots, basil, parley, garlic, sea salt, pepper and cabbage. Boil for 30 minutes. Then add in tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Cook for 15 more minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and serve with sliced bread.

Meal: Shrimp Risotto with Baby Spinach and Basil

Shrimp Risotto with Baby Spinach and Basil: This is great satisfying one dish meal.

Ingredients
6 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
11/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice (about 9 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 6-ounce package baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 6 cups broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Add shrimp. Turn off heat, cover, and let stand until shrimp are just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to small bowl; cover with foil to keep warm. Cover broth to keep warm.

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir 1 minute. Add rice and stir until edge of rice is translucent but center is still opaque, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup chicken broth. Simmer until almost all broth is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Continue to add broth, 3/4 cup at a time, until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, stirring often and allowing almost all broth to be absorbed after each addition, about 25 minutes total. During last 5 minutes, add spinach in 4 batches, stirring and allowing spinach to wilt after each addition. Mix in shrimp, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and basil. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon risotto into shallow bowls and serve, passing additional cheese separately.

Bon Appétit March 2003

Meal: Taco Soup

Taco Soup: This is a great warm meal that can be made in a stock pot or in the crock pot. I like to use organic ground beef when ever possible.

Vegetarian Variation: Make the soup according to the recipe except omit the ground turkey/beef.

Ingredients

2 cans of mixed beans or black beans

2 cans of corn

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 can diced chilies or jalapenos (depending on level of spice desired)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 packet ranch dressing mix

1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger

shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips

In a large stock pot brown ground meat and drain any fat. Add in taco and dressing seasoning packets and combine*. Drain, rinse and add beans to the pot. The add in the corn, tomatoes and chilies (including juices). Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips.

*If using a crock pot, add browned meat to the crock pot stoneware insert. The proceed with the additional ingredients. Cook on low for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve as directed.

www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

Meal: Gouda Risotto with Shrimp, Arugula, and Mushrooms

Gouda Risotto with Shrimp, Arugula, and Mushrooms:
I made some adaptations to a Cooking Light magazine recipe in order to make this a one dish meal and include flavors that I enjoy eating.

Vegetarian modification: Prepare the dish as directed but omitting the shrimp.

Ingredients
Risotto:
2 cups water
2 (16-oz) cans fat-free chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
⅓ cup chopped shallots
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups (6 oz) shredded Gouda cheese
5 cups chopped Arugula

Mushrooms:
1 tbs olive oil
2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cups sliced oyster mushrooms
⅓ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup dry white wine
1½ tsp chopped fresh thyme
1½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ cup (1 oz) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Shrimp:
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Risotto:
Combine water and broth; set aside. Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add ⅓ cup shallots; cover and cook 2 minutes. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Stir in ½ cup wine; cook 30 seconds or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add ½ teaspoon salt and broth mixture, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in Gouda; cook just until melted. Stir in arugula; cook just until arugula is wilted.

For the Mushrooms
While risotto is cooking, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add ⅓ cup shallots, ¼ cup wine, chopped thyme, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic, and sauté 1 minute or until wine is absorbed. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper.

For the Shrimp
Just before adding the Gouda to the risotto, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in a small skillet. Add shrimp and saute until shrimp turns pink and is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide risotto evenly among 6 bowls; top with mushroom mixture and shrimp. Sprinkle with Parmesan.