Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

One of my favorite soups, and was just as good using fresh corn off the cob from the farm, rather than using the normal can of creamed corn that the recipe called for!

Source: All Recipes

Image Source: Yunhee Kim

Ingredients:

1 12 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces) 12 cup onion (chopped) 1 clove minced garlic 3 tbsps butter 2 cubes chicken bouillon (or 1 cup chicken broth) 1 cup hot water 34 tsp ground cumin 2 cups half and half (cream) 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese 14 34 ozs cream style corn (or fresh corn off the cob, about enough to fill a can) 4 ozs green chile (diced) 1 dash hot pepper sauce 1 tomato (chopped) 1 sprig fresh cilantro (garnish optional) 1 In a Dutch oven, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. 2 Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into Dutch oven, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. 3 Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Hot Water
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
• _____
• FOR THE GARNISHES:
• Sour Cream
• Diced Avocado
• Diced Red Onion
• Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
• Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

Greek Pasta Salad

Could also marinate some chicken in a second bath of the vinaigrette (minus the olive oil) and grill it up for some protein.

Source: My Recipes

Ingredients

• 
  Preparation
• Dressing:
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salad:
• Salt
• 1 pound gemelli or other short pasta
• 3/4 medium English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 6 ounces feta, crumbled 
• 3 cups firmly packed baby spinach 

1. 1. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil until well combined.
2. 
   
3. 2. Make salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, or as label directs. Drain, rinse under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, toss with dressing and serve.

Tomatoes Stuffed with Grilled Corn Salad

We've had a lot of corn lately! :o)

Source: Everyday Food

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn, with husks
• 4 beefsteak tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for grates
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions
• 1/2 cup crumbled soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)

Directions

1. Pull back corn husks, leaving them attached at base of ear. Remove and discard silk; pull husks back over corn. Place ears in large bowl; cover with cold water. Let soak 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut off and discard top third of tomatoes. Using a paring knife, cut around wall of tomato to loosen flesh. Gently squeeze out seeds; discard. With a melon baller, scoop out tomato interiors, leaving the wall intact. Coarsely chop interiors; transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat grill to high; lightly oil grates. Drain corn; arrange ears on grill. Cover and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until husks are slightly charred and corn is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove ears from grill. Holding bottom of hot ears with a towel, peel back husks and cut kernels off cob; transfer to bowl with tomatoes.
4. Add scallions, all but 2 tablespoons goat cheese, vinegar, and oil. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Spoon filling into hollowed tomatoes; sprinkle with remaining goat cheese and, if desired, bacon.

Tomato Basil Soup

This recipe is adapted from La Madeleine's famous recipe and my friend Kyla's yummy recipe. So good! I like to serve it with Elana's Pantry's Scallion and Goat Cheese muffins.

Source: La Madeleine's Restaurant

Image Source: Johnny Autry

Ingredients

• 4 cups (8 to 10) tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped, or 4 cups canned whole tomatoes, crushed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced/grated
• 12 to 14 washed fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 pound sweet, unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 
  

Instructions

Put tomatoes and garlic in saucepan. Simmer 30 minutes. Puree, along with the basil leaves, in small batches, in blender, food processor (or better yet, one of those handy hand-held immersion blenders, right in the cooking pan).

Return to saucepan and add cream and butter, while stirring over low heat. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with your favorite bread.

Caprese Salad

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 5 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 20 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 whole Ripe Tomatoes, Sliced Thick
• 12 ounces, weight Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thick
• Fresh Basil Leaves
• Olive Oil, For Drizzling
• Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring balsamic vinegar to a boil over medium-low heat. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, or until balsamic has reduced to a thicker glaze. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or cruet. Allow to cool.

When you're ready to serve, arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter. Arrange basil leaves between the slices. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad, getting a little bit on each slice. Do the same with the balsamic reduction, making designs if you want. Store extra balsamic reduction in fridge for a later use.

End with a sprinkling of kosher salt and black pepper. Serve as a lunch, with crusty bread. Or serve alongside a beef main course for dinner.

Ratatouille

Source: Smitten Kitchen

I had a bunch of zucchini and some homemade goat cheese ready,  and have been wanting to try this for a while so I went for it. Delicious and light!  I can only imagine how much better it would be with all the different veggies in it.  I also added some ground beef for some protein into the sauce.

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi) - could use the whole can of tomato sauce if adding beef. I also add some honey to offset the acidity of tomatoes.
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme  (I didn't have fresh thyme on hand so just liberally sprinkled some Italian seasoning on it)
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.

Red Fried Rice

This is my favorite basic fried rice recipe. You can add meat for a little more protein or it is good as is. One thing I do differently from the recipe is try to use leftover rice that I have already cooked, because cold rice doesn't get as mushy as freshly made warm rice.

Source: Vegetarian, The Best Ever Recipe Collection

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 3/4 cup

Peanut oil - 2 tbsp (i use coconut oil)

Small red onion - 1, chopped

Red bell pepper - 1, seeded and chopped

Cherry tomatoes - 8 ounces, halved

Eggs - 2 beaten

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the rice several times under cold running water to remove starch. Drain well. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 10-12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the onion and pepper and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and continue stir-frying for 2 minutes more.
3. Pour in the beaten eggs all at once. Cook for 30 seconds without stirring, then stir to break up the egg as it sets.
4. Drain the cooked rice thoroughly. Add to the wok and toss it with the vegetable and egg mixture over the heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Goat Cheese Arugula Pizza

A tasty use of our CSA arugula tonight! I tossed the arugula with a little lemon juice, olive oil, and fresh cracked black pepper before topping the pizza. Yummy!

Source: All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked pizza crust
• 6 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
• 3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package seasoned goat cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh arugula
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven according to pizza package instructions.
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins, and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic. Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
3. Place pizza directly on preheated oven rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden.
4. After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a few handfuls of arugula. Cut, serve, and enjoy!