Creamy tortellini soup

I love crock pot recipes, so I jumped for this one from our Healthy Cooking magazine. In the end it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, although it wasn't a train wreck, and there are some things I will do next time that I think will fix it. I don't normally post recipes until I've played with them and feel happy with the results, but there were a lot of requests for this one, so I make note of those things I would change in the recipe following. Let me know what you think!

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes            
Cooking Time: 6 to 7 hours (on low)

Ingredients:
  ● 1  1.8- ounce envelope white sauce mix (I made my own with 2T butter, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups milk.  See note)
  ● 4  cups water (I used only 2)
  ● 14 ounces vegetable broth
  ● 1-1/2  cups sliced mushrooms
  ● 1/2  cup chopped onion
  ● 3  cloves garlic, minced
  ● 1  tsp. dried basil
  ● 1/4  tsp. salt
  ● 1/8  tsp. cayenne pepper
  ● 30 ounces rehydrated cannellini beans (can substitute canned, but add them later)
  ● 1  7- to 8-ounce package dried cheese tortellini (I used 22oz. frozen, organic)
  ● 1  12- ounce can evaporated milk (see note)
  ● 6  cups fresh baby spinach leaves or torn spinach
  ● Ground black pepper (optional)
  ● Finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Original directions: Place dry white sauce mix in slow cooker. Gradually add the water to the white sauce mix, stirring until smooth. Stir in broth, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and cayenne pepper. To make my own white sauce I melted 2T butter, stirred in 1/4 cup flour, then blended in two cups of milk and 2 cups of warm water.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 3-4 hours. Add rehydrated cannellini beans and cook for 2 more hours (if using canned beans, add them with the tortellini).

3. Stir in tortellini and cook for 1 more hour.

4. Stir in evaporated milk and fresh spinach and cook until heated through (careful not to overcook the spinach! I left mine in while I cut a few mangoes, and it was more wilted than I would have liked). Sprinkle individual servings with black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Two Notes for next time:
First, I've never bought a packet of white sauce mix, and don't plan on ever doing so, but when I made my own this time I did all the the work right in the crock pot and the sauce turned out a bit lumpy. In the future I think I will actually make a quick microwave white sauce and then pour it into the crock pot, already heated on low, before adding the additional ingredients.

Second, In our opinion the soup was way too sweet. Next time I plan to either cut the evaporated milk in half, or skip it all together, adding more vegetable broth to make up the liquid content.



Southwestern vegetarian pasta

Getting back into the swing of things has been fun, since I got a number of new kitchen tools, gadgets, and cookware for Christmas. I actually planned tonight's meal around this new cast iron baking dish. Beautiful, isn't it? The dinner was pretty darn good, too, though next time I've decided that I would use more chipotle, more tomatoes, and more cheese. I've already adjusted the numbers in the recipe to reflect that.

Southwestern vegetarian pasta

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 30 min.
Cooking Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
  ● 16oz. uncooked farfalle pasta
  ● 8 whole green onions, chopped
  ● 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
  ● 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  ● 2 garlic cloves, minced
  ● 2 tsp. minced chipotle peppers
  ● 1 tsp. salt
  ● 1 tsp. ground cumin
  ● 2-1/4 cups milk
  ● 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 
  ● 3 tomatoes, cut into large chunks
  ● 1/2 red onion, chopped
  ● 15 oz. black beans
  ● 15 oz. pinto beans

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions in oil until tender. Stir in the flour, chipotle pepper, salt and cumin until well blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Stir in beans and 1 cup cheese until melted.

3. Drain pasta and transfer to a large, heavy baking dish; toss with sauce, stir in tomatoes, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. I served this wil a dollop of sour cream and a side of wilted swiss chard.

Livening up leftovers: pulled pork with mustard BBQ sauce

We eat a lot of leftovers around here, and that can get pretty boring, depending on the dish. Leftover three cheese mostaccioli, for instance, is a meal unto itself; no need to spruce anything up there. But this past week we served pork tenderloin, done in the oven because the weather just wouldn't cooperate, and for some reason the meat just wasn't all that exciting. Nothing was wrong with it, and the herbs we used on top were delightful, but overall it just wasn't exciting, and the idea of reheating it for leftovers was not appealing. Instead, I did a little internet research and decided to try for a sort of pulled pork. It was no Zingerman's Roadhouse, mind you, but the meal was quite enjoyable, and sure as heck beat reheated tenderloin alone!

Pulled pork from leftover tenderloin

Ingredients:
  ● Leftover cooked pork tenderloin
  ● Water to cover
  ● 2-4 tbsp. cider vinegar
  ● barbecue sauce
Accompaniments:
  ● Hamburger buns

Directions:
In a large pan, combine pork with just enough water to cover and add cider vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat covered until it pulls apart, about 50 minutes. Shred pork in pan, then add BBQ sauce of your choice, stirring to combine. Simmer with sauce until it reaches the desired thickness and meat is well coated. Serve on a hamburger bun.

Mustard BBQ sauce

Ingredients:
  ● 1 cup yellow mustard
  ● 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  ● 1/3 cup brown sugar
  ● 2 tbsp. butter
  ● 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  ● 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes.

I served this with a side of sweet potato fries and wilted garlicky kale.

Vegetarian tostadas with lentils

Lots of veggies and a lighter cheese make this a healthy meal with a good enough protein to pack a punch (one tostada is about 270 calories, 9g of fat, and 18g protein).

Vegetarian toastadas with lentils

Yield: 4

Ingredients:
  ● 1-3/4  cups water
  ● 3/4  cup dry red lentils, rinsed and drained
  ● 1/4  cup chopped onion
  ● 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
  ● 1  clove garlic, minced
  ● 1/2  tsp. salt
  ● 1/2  tsp. ground cumin
  ● 4  tostada shells
  ● 2  cups chopped fresh vegetables (I used broccoli, tomato, zucchini, and summer squash)
  ● 3/4  cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (3 ounces)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan stir together water, lentils, onion, cilantro, garlic, salt, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Mash mixture to make a spread (I used a potato masher).

2. Spread the lentil mixture on tostada shells (I made homemade tortillas, then brushed them with olive oil and baked them for a few minutes until they were browning and crunchy); top with the vegetables and cheese. Place on a large baking sheet. Broil tostadas 3 to 4 inches from the heat about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 servings.

Mediterranean Salmon

This week I received a link via email to an article suggesting that the Mediterranean diet can help with seasonal depression. I like Mediterranean foods, so I can get on board with that. We tried this one last night and it got a thumbs up all around. Strictly speaking it's not all Mediterranean, but it's a step in a pretty yummy direction.

Mediterranean Salmon and Noodles

Ingredients:
• 1/2 package of fettuccini (about 4 servings)
• 2  Tbsp. olive oil
• 1  lb. skinless, boneless 1-inch thick salmon, cut in 8 pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6  cups fresh baby spinach
• 2  red and/or yellow sweet peppers, roasted
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and cut into halves
• 1 cup mushroooms, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
• 1/2  cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
• Feta cheese for garnish

Directions:
1. Roast peppers. I do this in my gas oven by setting temperature to 400 and placing them on the lowest rack (no need to wait for the oven to preheat) directly over the flame vent. Turn every five minutes until skin is blackened and blistering. Remove from oven and immediately place in a covered dish. After at least fifteen minutes, remove from dish, peel away blackened skin, remove stem and seeds, and rinse. You can skip this step by buying a jar of roasted peppers, although I've never bought them so I can't recommend one way or another.

2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat; add salmon. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until salmon flakes, turning once.
Remove salmon; cover and keep warm.

4. Add spinach, sweet peppers, mushrooms, and remaining oil (if necessary) to skillet. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Drain pasta; add to skillet along with tomatoes and olives. Add dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach-pasta mixture among four bowls. Top with salmon. Serves 4.