Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini Soup

Do you love spinach and artichoke dip? I do! Well here is one you can eat with a spoon. It is another "Souper Supper" tortellini soup. I love one pot, easy meals. You know the kind that you can make on a weeknight in less than 30 minutes. I also love the combination of spinach, artichokes and cheese. Whoever created spinach and artichoke dip was a genius. I usually make a copycat recipe for Houston's spinach and artichoke dip. It uses marinate artichokes, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese; this is where I pulled inspiration for this great soup. It is so easy. You start with a saute of onion, garlic and artichokes. Season with red pepper and Italian seasoning; adding some of those flavors you would find in marinated artichokes. Then you add chicken broth to boil the tortellini. Most of the cheesy goodness is in the spinach and cheese tortellini. When the pasta is almost cooked you add the fresh baby spinach. The finishing creamy touch is half and half. I did add some parm for a cheesy garnish. It is so so good! In fact I have made it twice. Dear sister loved it too. The second time she said, "This is even better than I remember." So you have to try it now. One more thing this soup is like all the other tortellini soups, they are great leftovers. The flavor seems to blend and really infuse the tortellini by the next day! All in all this is another delicious, speedy, dip-able, weeknight supper soup.

Spinach and Artichoke Tortellini Soup

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper (3 to 4 grinds)
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
6 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken stock

9 oz. package spinach and cheese tortellini

5 oz. bag of fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup half and half

Parmesan, shredded to garnish

Directions

Place 3-1/2 quart soup pot on medium high heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until onion is translucent and begins to brown. Add garlic, salt, peppers and Italian seasoning saute 1 minute. Add artichokes and saute 1 or 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini, simmer 4 minutes. Add spinach and continue to simmer 4 more minutes. Add half and half and taste for seasoning, adjust to taste. Do not let the soup simmer after adding the half and half. Keep warm on low heat. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This soup has been years in the making. I began developing this recipe after making someone else's version of Chicken Pot Pie Soup. It was good but not what I thought of when I hear chicken pot pie. I have been tweaking it a little each time I make it until I decided this is how I want to make it every time. This is the third recipe I made with those baked chickens I made a few weeks ago. You are probably thinking to yourself what took her so long to post this? Or maybe, she isn't using week old chicken? No the photos are that old. I had a slight mishap when taking my photos. You see, I will let you in on a little secret. Sometimes food stylist place a small dish in soup bowls so the ingredients sit on the bowl and show up at or above the liquid in the soup. This usually works well. See the bowl in the fore ground, you can see all the ingredients. The bowl in the background not so much. But this time, the little bowl I used floated up above the liquid. I did not notice it until I went to edit the photos. I never watch the ingredients in the bowl when I take the photos. You would think the food should stay put right? I am always look at the composition. Whoops! Well it has taken me this long to photoshop the photos and muster the courage to go ahead and post them anyway. I am a novice at photoshop and had a hard time making that little bowl disappear. The soup on the other hand disappeared fast. This soup has all the creamy, savory goodness of a chicken pot pie without the crust. I love all the veggies. You can use your favorites. I have tried many combinations and they are all great. But I have to say this combo of onion, celery, carrots, peas and potatoes is what makes it like my favorite pot pie. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients 

2 Tbsp. chicken fat, olive oil or butter
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic smashed
1 Idaho potato, peeled and diced
2 cans healthy request cream of celery or cream of chicken soup (I like 1 of ea.)
4 cups fat-free unsalted chicken stock 
2 cups water 
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. Herbs de provenance
2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped 
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste 
1/4 tsp. black pepper, or to taste 
Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup half and half

Directions 

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, celery and carrot in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent and starts to get golden, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add potatoes, cream soup, chicken stock, water, bay leaf, Herbs de provenance and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add chicken and peas to pot; bring back to a simmer. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Simmer for 5 minutes or until peas are thawed and chicken is warm through. Add half and half, stir to combine. Remove bay leaf, turn off heat and serve.

See that little white bowl peeking through the soup and veggies. 

Sneaky little bowl!

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Spaghetti Squash with Sofrito and Beans

I have heard sofrito is to Latin and Puerto Rican cuisines as the trinity is to Cajun cuisine. So many recipes I have collected from recipe boards and Pinterest start with sofrito. As I understand it each Puerto Rican family has their own sofrito recipe. Sofrito is usually a saute of onions, garlic, peppers, cilantro and tomatoes. It is added to everything from stew to beans. I have always wanted to try it for myself. This week I decided to finally give it a try. A long time ago during an online search, I saw a menu item called Spaghetti Squash with Sofrito and Beans. There was just a description no recipe or photo. For some reason it has been in the back of my mind as something I wanted to try one day. Well now I have gone and done it. And it is really good too. I love sofrito! It adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the beans. Dear sister remarked that it was similar to caponata. The onions, peppers, garlic and tomatoes really sweeten the sauce. The olives and capers add zippy acidity. This sofrito and beans is delicious on the spaghetti squash but I think it would be great in so many other ways. I think it would be great over rice, it would make a great side, a dip with corn chips or a filling for tacos or empanadas. I look forward to more experimenting with sofrito.

Spaghetti Squash with Sofrito and Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

8 oz. can no salt added tomato sauce

1-1/2 tsp. Sazon seasoning

3/4 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can low sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup pimiento stuffed olives, sliced

1 Tbsp. capers

2 small spaghetti squash

Directions

Heat a 3-1/2 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add olive oil, onion, green and red peppers; sauté until onion is translucent. Add garlic, continue to sauté until fragrant. Add tomatoes, cilantro, tomato sauce and seasonings, stir to combine and bring back to a simmer. Add beans, olives and capers, cover and simmer on low while preparing the squash. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

To prepare spaghetti squash: Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds and discard. Place cut side down in a microwave safe dish, add 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 8 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes (You may have to do each squash or half separately). When squash is cool enough to handle, pull the squash into spaghetti like threads. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: Top each spaghetti squash half with a serving of sofrito and beans. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
God's Growing Garden: Tuesday with a Twist
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Ramblings of a (Bad) Domestic Goddess: Healthy Living Link Party

Chicken Cacciatore Soup

I told you in the previous post I baked two chickens and made several new soups this week. After making many many soups with rotisserie and baked chicken I have decided it really makes the best chicken soup. There is something about using the pre-cooked chicken that keeps it moist and tender. In my experience when you start with raw it has to cook forever to get tender. Then the veggies are over cooked. In a quick 30 minute soup like this the veggies are perfect but the chicken is usually tough and dry. So using pre-cooked chicken you get the best of both. You can cook the veggies to just the right consistency then add the perfectly cooked chicken. The results are amazing! For my second soup this week I looked to Chicken Cacciatore. I was really craving spicy tomato flavors and mushrooms. This soup really hit the spot. It is loaded with veggies like peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. The broth is rich with Italian tomato flavor and has a nice spoonable texture. It was really deliciously savory. I look forward to making it again in the future. What's funny is the photos turned out a little "Halloweenie". Don't you think? I wanted to use dear sister's slate board and the napkins she gave me. And when I looked at the photos they looked a little different or unusual. The black and white background with the green bowl full of soup looks a little spooky, almost Photoshop-ed. I didn't like it at first, but now I think I do. They seem totally appropriate for fall and Halloween. Maybe you should give this soup a try before a cool night of spooky Halloween activities?

Chicken Cacciatore Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Chicken fat (butter or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped                                            

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. dry sherry or wine

15 oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

27 oz. traditional pasta sauce

4 cups fat free unsalted chicken stock

2-1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/2 tsp, rosemary, crushed

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes; to taste

Directions

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, and bell pepper in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt, black and red pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent, add mushrooms continue to sauté until mushrooms soften and begin to brown. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant. De-glaze pan with sherry.

Add tomatoes, pasta sauce, and chicken stock; bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken and rosemary to pot and bring back to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sundays

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Lately I have been all about chicken soup. I have made four old recipes over the past few weeks. I have also had all sorts of ideas for new recipes. So this week I baked two chickens, made stock from the bones and saved the chicken fat. Then I set out to try three new chicken soup ideas. The first recipe is sort of a copycat recipe. I was inspired by can of Progresso Light Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Soup. It is delicious! A creamy and cheesy can of comfort. What I was missing was tortillas. So I thought adding tortillas would be either noodle or dumpling like. I was right. My version is very close to the can in flavor. I started the pot with chicken fat. Why you ask? Well because I had it and two because it boosts the chicken flavor. The green and red peppers add color and Mexican flavor. The tomatoes with chipotle add a smoky chili flavor as if you used enchilada sauce. And the cheddar cheese soup is nice and cheesy without the risk of separating. Is it weird that I used another companies soup to re-create a different companies soup? Maybe? If you leave the tortillas out you have a light creamy and cheesy chicken soup like the Progresso soup. But if you add the tortillas they soften and plump up a bit in the soup. They are delicious and silky like soft noodles or dumplings. I suspect if you double the amount of tortillas you will have a really great southwest chicken and dumplings. Hey! That sounds like three recipes in one. I hope you enjoy it as much as dear sister and I did.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. chicken fat (butter or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups fat-free unsalted chicken stock

10 oz. can of tomatoes with chipotle peppers

2 cans healthy request cheddar cheese soup

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

4 small flour tortillas

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste                    

Directions

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, celery and bell pepper in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent and starts to get golden, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, cheddar cheese soup and cream cheese to broth, stir until soup and cream cheese is well incorporated. Add chicken to pot and bring back to a simmer. Cut tortillas into 1" strips about 3” long, slowly add to simmering soup. Pat down into soup, resist stirring. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday

Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie

#MadeWithChobani

the Official Yogurt of College Football

When I heard Chobani was looking for bloggers who would be interested in featuring their products in one of their posts I was thrilled. After all I already buy and use Chobani. I thought of all the many uses I have for their yogurt. I use it as a replacement for sour cream and as a topping. I use it in dips and dressings. I eat it for breakfast and as a sweet treat in the evenings. Then finally I use it to make all kinds of Yogurt Pies. My family has been making yogurt pie for years. It is often dessert at celebration dinners, get-togethers and holidays. So it just seemed natural that I would create a new one for Chobani's campaign.

Go check out their website for even more recipes using Chobani.

So let me tell you a bit about Chobani's ad campaign. With football season upon us, Chobani has been named the Official Yogurt of College Football! They want to remind us not to drop the ball when it comes to staying healthy at the tailgate. So they are asking bloggers, well everyone to share healthy recipes for tailgating with the #MadeWithChobani.

Most of my tailgating is done at home these days; getting together with family and friends to watch and cheer on our favorite teams. So I decided to use Chobani Flip Nutty for 'Nana Greek Yogurt to create a new Yogurt Pie. Nutty for 'Nana is a delicious Banana Low-Fat Yogurt with Honey Roasted Salted Almonds and Dark Chocolate on the side. You can flip the specially design cup to add the crunchy toppings to the creamy yogurt. Trust me it makes a delicious healthy dessert all by it's self. But I thought I would make it into a dessert for a group of college football fans. As a Louisiana Tech Alumni this house cheers for the Bulldogs. So this frozen treat will be decked out in red and blue. GO DAWGS! Now back to the pie... 

You can make all kinds of Yogurt Pies using #Chobani. Fresh fruit flavors or decadent ice cream flavors. With Chobani Flips you get the yogurt and a mix-in or garnish in one. Nutty for 'Nana is the perfect base for re-creating the ice flavor Chunky Monkey. You get the banana yogurt, nuts and chocolate in one carton. It made a delicious low-fat frozen dessert with all the flavor of a decadent ice cream. I decided to use the topping as a mix it; after all that is what makes the ice cream so good, all the chunky treats. I also decided to leave some of the bananas in slices too. This pie really lives up to the title of chunky.

For the garnish I had to go with something with team spirit. A bag of almond M & Ms re-enforces the almond and chocolate flavors and makes it so easy to decorate this pie for your favorite team. Beside that, the brown almond M & Ms look a lot like little footballs. So print out your team pennant or mascot and garnish this Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie for your favorite team.

Chunky Monkey Yogurt Pie
Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cartons of Chobani Flip Nutty for 'Nana Greek Yogurt

1 cup sliced banana, divided

12 oz. light whipped topping, thawed

1 prepared Oreo pie crust

Hot fudge topping

Almond M & Ms, chopped and whole for garnish

Directions

Select your team colors (I used red and blue) from the bag of M & Ms. Roughly chop and set aside. Also set aside 7 brown M & Ms for garnish.

Place 1/2 cup banana slices in a mixing bowl, mash with the tines of a fork. Add remaining banana slices and yogurt; fold together. Fill yogurt portion of cups with whipped topping (about 1-1/2 cups or half of the carton) gently fold whipped topping into yogurt and fruit mixture. Sprinkle in the nut and chocolate topping and gently fold together. Pour into pie crust and spread evenly. Place pie in the freezer and freeze solid. When frozen, spread the top with a thin layer of hot fudge, the remaining whipped topping, chopped M & Ms in team colors and whole brown M & Ms for garnish.

Note: Remove the pie from the freezer and decorate 20  to 30 minutes before you are ready to serve. That way it is thawed just a bit when it is time to serve dessert. If you forget no worries serve with forks instead of spoons.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any monetary or product compensation for this post. I purchased the products myself and all opinions are my own.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Cauliflower and Artichoke Salad

You know how everyone is using cauliflower as a substitute for everything? Well I don't know if I could ever give up rice, potatoes and grains for just cauliflower but sometimes it just works. This is definitely one of those times. I got the bright idea to take a family favorite Artichoke and Rice Salad and make it over with cauliflower. My family has been making this rice salad since dear sister and I were in 4-H. We didn't raise farm animals in 4-H. We cooked, made napkin rings and neat nighties(pajamas). We also competed in 4-H cooking contests. In fact, dear sister won a rice cookery contest with this inspiration recipe for Artichoke and Rice Salad. Now our memories are not what they use to be; so there is some debate as to where this recipe came from. I say it came from a cookbook called Pirate's Pantry that fell apart and was tossed. Dear sister said it came from one called Pots, Pans and Pioneers. I included that recipe below. One thing we agree on is we added some green olives to the recipe. The original recipe gets most of it's flavor from a box rice mix, curry powder, artichokes, green onions and olives. Since I substituted cauliflower for the rice mix; I added chicken bouillon, carrot, garlic and parsley to my salad. It works really well. I really enjoyed it. It has the same mild curry flavor but it is nice and crunchy. It has a similar texture to coleslaw. I loved the texture and flavor. This salad would be a great pot luck salad. Delicious with grilled foods or just a light lunch all by its self. Mom was really impressed and wanted the recipe. Dad tried it and said it was good. Dear sister said it was very good but her favorite is still the original rice salad. So there you go! I am giving you two salads in one post. You can choose your favorite.

Cauliflower and Artichoke Salad

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

5 cups cauliflower, florets

1 small carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1 tsp. low sodium chicken bouillon

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. turmeric

1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained liquid reserved

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup sliced green olives with pimentos

Kosher salt, to taste (optional)

Dash white pepper, to taste

Direction

Place cauliflower and carrot in a blender. Fill blender container with water and pulse until cauliflower resembles grains of rice. Drain in a colander, pat dry and set aside.

In a serving bowl add garlic, mayonnaise, reserved artichoke liquid, chicken bouillon, curry powder, turmeric and parsley; stir to combine. Add cauliflower mixture, bell pepper, artichokes, green onions and olives; stir until mixed well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday