Tortellini Soup with Pine Nuts and Bacon

I made this soup recipe up after being inspired by Chaundelle and her tortellini soup.

20 oz Mixed Cheese Tortellini
1 cup cooked/chopped bacon pieces (I use the bagged bacon in the salad dressing aisle)
1 large handful of pine nuts
sprinkles of dried parsley
chicken stock or broth
water
olive oil
garlic (1 clove)
any other spices you love

I boil in a large stock pan about 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken stock. While boiling I add some sprinkles of parsley, the garlic, and sometimes Italian seasonings. When the water is fully boiling I add the tortellinis and cook according to the package.
In another grilling pan I add a tablespoon of olive oil and saute the pine nuts and heat up the bacon.
When the tortellinis are done I add the bacon/pine nut mixture and the soup is ready. You could add shredded parmesan cheese to top it off.

It's a work in progress and I change it a lot. Sometimes I add polish sausage instead of the bacon.

BROCCOLI AND CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

This soup is fantastic! Easy too. Don't let all the ingredients intimidate you, it's an easy recipe. I boiled the chicken last night so it would be ready to chop and use today. ENJOY!!!!!



BROCCOLI AND CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (COOKING LIGHT)

Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup presliced mushrooms
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 ounces uncooked vermicelli, broken into 2-inch pieces
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light processed cheese (such as Velveeta Light)
4 cups (1-inch) cubed cooked chicken breast
3 cups small broccoli florets (8 ounces)
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt


1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; add butter to mushroom mixture, stirring until butter melts. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 10 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Add pasta to pan; cook 10 minutes. Add cheese to pan, and stir until cheese melts. Add chicken and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender and soup is thoroughly heated.



Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 317 ; FAT 12.3g (sat 6.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.9g); CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 179mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.8g; SODIUM 723mg; PROTEIN 27.5g; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.6mg

Cooking Light, MARCH 2009

Chicken and Dumplings.....perfect food for a cold night

Tonight I tried a new Chicken and Dumplings recipe from CL. Well, it was soooooo good and comforting on a cold night. It took a little longer than I thought it would but it was worth it. I would double it if Mike were home, this recipe is only 2 servings. But, I loved it!



Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

Cooking spray
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery
1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
3 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2.25 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup 1% low-fat milk


1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Add broth to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by heaping teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done. Discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.



Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

CALORIES 285 (16% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 133mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.2g; SODIUM 596mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 3.1g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2008