Savory Pumpkin Soup

HOWDY!  I’m in the mood for fall, so I’m thinking of some of my favorite fall recipes.  Not sure why I’ve never gotten this one posted.  It’s so easy to put together and takes very little time to cook.  It’s also very healthy, so it’s a WIN/WIN!

I got the original recipe in a handout I received at a presentation given by the American Diabetes Association (through their Stop Diabetes @ Work program).  I adapted it a little by adding extra garlic (because I LOVE garlic), some whipping cream, and bacon (which probably took a little away from the healthy factor - but sooooooo worth it!), as well as substituting shredded Parmesan for grated (personal preference).

I have made this more times than I can count, and it’s never let me down.  I can come home from work exhausted, and have a yummy dinner on the table in 20 minutes, with very little effort.  Just add some crusty bread and you’re done.

The original recipe says that this makes 5 one-cup servings.  However, this stuff is so good, our servings are never just 1 cup each.  At our house, this recipe makes 2 good-sized servings - just right for hubby and me.

If you’re serving it as an appetizer or side dish with something else, I’m sure 1 cup servings would be fine.  For a meal in itself…nope.  If you want to serve more people, just double or triple the recipe.

 

Savory Pumpkin Soup

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 cups pureed pumpkin (or 1-16 oz. can solid, packed pumpkin -NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (if I don’t have homemade on hand, I like to use Kitchen Accomplice Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth Concentrate)

1 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish:

2 Tbsp. chopped, toasted almonds (the original recipe called for toasted pistachios, both are good)

chopped green onions

crumbled bacon

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion & garlic.  Sauté briefly until onions are translucent.  (Be careful not to burn the garlic.)

Add pumpkin and chicken broth.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add evaporated milk and simmer over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.  Whisk in salt, pepper, whipping cream and Parmesan cheese, and heat for about 1 minute - just until heated through.

Serve with toasted almonds, green onions and crumbled bacon on top of each serving.

I hope you’ll give this a try.  If you do, please let me know what you think.  I LOVE hearing from you!

Blessings,

--Faithy

Jalapeño-Lime Chicken

HOWDY folks!

I’m back with another simple recipe I found in an My H-E-B Texas Life flier at the local grocery store.  (It’s also available online - click here to find the original recipe.)  It sounded wonderful, so I tried it soon after I came across it.

It’s truly super easy!!!  The first time I made it, I just dumped everything into a gallon-sized zipper bag and stuck it in the fridge on a Sunday night.  When I got home from work on Monday, I just dumped it all into a pan and popped it into the oven while I changed clothes, etc.  It was ready in no time!

It’s very versatile too…I sliced the cooked chicken breasts (although they would also shred very easily) and made soft tacos the first night, adding a little diced tomato and avocado along with a bit of Mexican crumbling cheese.

The next day, I had a yummy salad with the leftovers.  I just added the chicken (along with some of the cooked onions & jalapeños) to some lettuce & grape tomatoes from my garden, along with black beans, diced avocado, seedless cucumber & shredded carrots...oh so good!

The next time I made it was on a busy weekend.  Again, I dumped the zipper bag full of stuff into the fridge one night, and then poured it all into the slow cooker the next morning.  It simmered all day while we stayed busy with multiple projects.  By the time evening came around, we were exhausted, and ready for something to eat.  All we had to do was lift the lid on the slow cooker and eat!

I think it would also be good served over rice.  Just use your imagination.  The possibilities are endless!

Jalapeño Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

8 cloves garlic, chopped (the original recipe calls for 4 cloves, but I’m a garlic fiend…feel free to use as much or as little as you like)

4 jalapeños, halved & seeds removed

2 limes, zested & juiced

1 sweet red onion, quartered (you can use regular red onions if you can’t find the sweet ones)

1 can (14 oz.) low-sodium chicken broth 

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized zip-top bag or a large bowl.  (If using the bowl, be sure to cover it with a lid or plastic wrap.)  Marinate over-night (or for at least 6 hours) in the refrigerator.

Oven Version:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan and top with marinade.  Bake for 35 minutes or until juices run clear when poked with a fork.

Slow-Cooker Version:

Place chicken in a lightly greased slow-cooker, and top with marinade.  Cook on high setting for 6 to 8 hours (until chicken is cooked through & juices run clear when pulled apart with a fork).

I hope you’ll try this one.  It’s really good and easy.  I’ve even made the slow-cooker version for guests…so easy to pull together after a busy day of sight-seeing!  I received rave reviews from all!

HEB has lots of great (and healthy) recipes available on their website, so take a minute to check it out.  Just promise you’ll let me know if you find anything interesting that I haven’t come across yet!

Blessings,

--Faithy

Faithy's Spicy Roasted Veggies

Another HOWDY from Zig Zag on this beautiful fall day.  The temps are just starting to cool off a bit, and I'm loving it!  I got to spend the day in worship and fellowship with friends and family.  What could be better.

I thought I'd stop by again to share a recipe I came up with last night, while experimenting with the roasted tomato idea I mentioned in my last post.  I basically just cleaned out my fridge, and threw this together, so you'll have to forgive the lack of measurements.  I think you'll get the idea though.  Feel free to use whatever veggies sound good to you.

Faithy's Spicy Roasted Veggies

sweet red onion, thinly sliced

garlic cloves (whole or halved) (I love garlic, so I used quite a bit!)

zucchini & yellow squash, cut into 1" rounds, then quartered into large chunks

whole grape (or cherry) tomatoes (I used both, because I had them)

Basically, I just tumbled all the veggies into a large bowl and sprayed them with extra virgin olive oil (using my Misto sprayer).  Then I added a little salt & pepper, red pepper flakes (you can leave these out if you don't like it so spicy, but I thought they added a wonderful "zing") and some McCormick Italian Herb Seasoning & Garlic Pepper Seasoning (both come in those neat grinders...I use them all the time!).  I tossed it all together and dumped it into a baking dish. (You could use a 9"x13" cake pan as well.) 

Ready to go into the oven!

Next, I put the whole thing into a preheated 400°F oven, and baked it for an hour, stirring occasionally.  (You can mist it with a little more olive oil if it starts to look too dry.)

Just out of the oven...

I served it with a few chow mein noodles (for crunch), and a bit of grated Parmesan cheese.  This time, I made it as a veggies-only meal, but you could easily add chicken or pasta to stretch it even further.  Just take the basic idea and use your imagination like I did.

Mmmmmmmmm...the roasting really brings out a rich flavor in the veggies.  Delicious!

Have a GREAT week my friends...

Blessings,

--Faithy