Recipe of the Week – Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

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Put everything in the crock pot, get on with your day, and come home to a delicious meal of Chicken Taco Soup.

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced
tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/70343/slow-cooker-chicken-taco-soup/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8

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Recipe of the Week – Minestrone Soup

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Warm up with this delicious bowl of soup.

Ingredients

  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 sticks of celery
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 small leek
  • 1 large potato
  • 1 x 400 g tin of cannellini beans
  • 2 rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
  • olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes
  • 1 litre organic vegetable stock
  • 1 large seasonal greens, such as savoy cabbage, curly kale, chard
  • 100 g wholemeal pasta
  • ½ a bunch of fresh basil , optional
  • Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Trim and roughly chop the carrots, celery and courgette, then add the vegetables to a large bowl.
  2. Cut the ends off the leek, quarter it lengthways, wash it under running water, then cut into 1cm slices. Add to the bowl.
  3. Scrub and dice the potato. Drain the cannellini beans, then set aside.
  4. Finely slice the bacon.
  5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry gently for 2 minutes, or until golden.
  6. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, courgette, leek, oregano and bay and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally.
  7. Add the potato, cannellini beans and plum tomatoes, then pour in the vegetable stock. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
  8. Cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through. Meanwhile…
  9. Remove and discard any tough stalks bits from the greens, then roughly chop.
  10. Using a rolling pin, bash the pasta into pieces while it’s still in the packet or wrap in a clean tea towel.
  11. To check the potato is cooked, pierce a chunk of it with a sharp knife – if it pierces easily, it’s done.
  12. Add the greens and pasta to the pan, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. This translates as ‘to the tooth’ and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it.
  13. Try some just before the time is up to make sure you cook it perfectly.
  14. Add a splash more stock or water to loosen, if needed.
  15. Pick over the basil leaves (if using) and stir through.
  16. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then serve with a grating of Parmesan and a slice of wholemeal bread, if you like

Recipe Source: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/minestrone-soup/

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Recipe of the Week – Rustic Cabbage Soup

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Try a bowl of this hot cabbage soup this winter. The beans and potatoes make work as a hearty meal, or you can enjoy the soup as a side.

Ingredients:
1 
tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 
pinch salt
pepper, to taste
1⁄2
lb potato, skin on, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I like the red skinned ones.)
4 
garlic cloves, chopped
1⁄2
large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 
cups stock, can use broth (your choice)
1 1⁄2
cups white beans (precooked or canned)
1⁄2
medium sized cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch 1/4 inch ribbons
pass a good quality olive oil, for drizzling and parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes.

2. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a little bit for about 5 minutes. It’s ok to uncover to stir a couple of times.

3. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes until the cabbage softens up a little bit.

4. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to simmer.

5. Stir in the cabbage and cook for another couple of minutes, or until the cabbage softens up a bit.

6. Now, adjust the seasonings; getting the seasonings right is important or your soup will taste flat.

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/rustic-cabbage-soup-356103

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Recipe of the Week – Creamy Cauliflower Bacon Soup

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Enjoy this warm, delicious soup by the fire on a cold night.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as needed
2 bay leaves
1 cup half & half or heavy cream
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until bacon is completely crisp. Remove from Dutch oven with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the dutch oven.

2. Add onions, half of scallions, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, half & half (or cream), and cauliflower. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until cauliflower is completely tender, about 30 minutes,

4. Working in batches, blend soup until completely smooth (if you don’t have a very powerful blender, remove the bay leaf before blending. If an extra-smooth soup is desired, pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer after blending); if soup is too thick, whisk in additional hot chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with crisp bacon pieces and remaining scallions.

Recipe Source: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/10/creamy-cauliflower-bacon-soup-recipe.html

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Recipe of the Week – Wedding Soup

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italian-wedding-soup-recipe-with-romano

Warm up on a cold day with this delicious wedding soup recipe.

Ingredients

Meatballs:
1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
12 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese, beef and pork. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Add the meatballs and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes. Whisk the eggs and cheese in a medium bowl to blend. Stir the soup in a circular motion. Gradually drizzle the egg mixture into the moving broth, stirring gently with a fork to form thin stands of egg, about 1 minute. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve. Finish soup with parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-wedding-soup-recipe.html

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Recipe of the Week – Southern-Style Collard Greens

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Recipe of the Week - Southern Style Collard Greens

Add this delicious recipe for Southern-Style Collard Greens as a side at your holiday dinner party.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 pound collard greens, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and butter. Saute the onions until slightly softened, about 2 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes and garlic, cook another minute. Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook until greens are tender, about 40 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Per Serving
Calories 122
Total Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 2g
Protein 4g
Carbohydrates 14g
Sugar 5g

Source: Food Network recipe by Sunny Anderson
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe.html

Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Office Party

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Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 - Surviving the Holiday Party

Holiday Survival Guide Part 3 – Surviving the Holiday Party

How to survive the office holiday party.

Over the next few weeks you will more than likely have your share of Christmas parties to attend. Some you may be looking forward to and catching up with old friends, while others may be more out of obligation.

So how do you keep your nutrition in check and your belt buckle at the same notch?

Simple really. You just need a plan.

#1. Which parties do you want to really indulge at, let your hair down, and just kick back and have a good time? At those let yourself have a few drinks with your friends. If there are appetizers “to die for”. Treat your self and enjoy them. As for the other obligatory parties sip a scotch or nurse a beer or two through out the night. And then make an early exit.

#2. Never show up hungry. Sure it’s easier to just eat when you get there. But will that be the best and healthiest option? Probably not, and you will end up eating stuff you normally wouldn’t. Eating a healthy meal before will ensure that you don’t gorge yourself on fried and sugary foods along with preventing your from mindlessly munching throughout the night.

#3. Use the smallest plates available. Research has shown that eating a full plate results in a feeling of satisfied hunger, regardless of the size of the plate. So filling a smaller plate will result in eating less, but still experiencing the same satisfaction.

#4. Don’t make it a late night. To prevent weight gain you need to get your sleep, more on this in Part 4, but for now set a time that you plan to leave and stick to it. This way you won’t wake up the next morning regretting the “just one more beer” that you had three times and only four hours of sleep.

This is a fun, festive time of the year. Stick to the rules above and you will make it through to January still wearing the same size pants.

Recipe of the Week – Autumn Pork Tenderloin

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autumn-pork-tenderloin

Autumn Pork Tenderloin Recipe

Sized right for two, this rustic and comforting entree is treated to a combination of apples, raisins and nuts.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 5 min. + marinating Bake: 40 min. YIELD:2 servings

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pork tenderloin (3/4 pound)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 cup apple pie filling
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1. Rub salt and pepper over pork. Place in a large resealable plastic bag; add apple juice. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Drain and discard apple juice. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the pie filling, raisins, pecans and cinnamon; spoon over pork.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160° Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Yield: 2 servings.

Source: Taste of Home
href=”http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/autumn-pork-tenderloin”>

Old Fashioned Bread Pudding

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bread-pudding

Treat your Thanksgiving guests to a delicious dessert that’s not the same old Pumpkin or Apple Pie. No, it’s not healthy. But, it is ok to let yourself indulge this Thanksgiving. And your guests will love it much more than that gluten-free, organic, dairy-free, paleo, nonGMO cardboard that you had last year for dessert.

Recipe taken from: HeraldNews.com, submitted by Amy Golden
http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20151117/NEWS/151117427

Ingredients:

Bread Pudding:
1 loaf Cinnamon Raisin Bread, at least a day old, cut into 1-inch squares (about 6-7 cups)
1 quart half and half
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup raisins, coated in 1 Tbsp Bourbon
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Caramel Bourbon sauce:
2 Tbsp whole milk
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup light brown
1 Tsp bourbon
1 Tbsp flour
dash of salt

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place half and half in a large mixing bowl and add the bread that has been cut into squares. Press the bread into the milk with your hands until all of the milk is absorbed.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Stir in the raisins, then pour over the bread and milk mixture, and gently stir to combine.

3. Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour the bread milk and egg mixture into the baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until the liquid has set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan.

When the Bread Pudding comes out of the oven, mix all of the sauce ingredients together and bring to a boil for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding.

It’s delicious warmed with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

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Recipe of the Week – Mexican Chili

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This week we have a quick and easy recipe for a spicy Mexican Chili. Prep it in 10 minutes and then let it simmer for about an hour and dinner is served. Save the leftovers for a healthy lunch!

Ingredients:
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
2 15oz cans of kidney beans
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
4 tbsp of chili powder
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 square of organic 86% dark chocolate, chopped
Salt to taste
3 pinches of cilantro
1 pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Brown the grass-fed ground beef in a large pot. Diced onion and garlic. Chop the chocolate. Once the meat is browned add all of the ingredients. Let simmer for about 1 hour. Serve with shredded cheese and jalapeños on top. Enjoy!

Delicious Mexican Chili

Delicious Mexican Chili