Sweet Italian Sausage Soup

Well where have you been?  I missed you!  Life projects have been all consuming, your still in my thoughts.  Want to see what has been accomplished in my absence?   Summer included dirt and digging.  We started with a blank slate and were able to get a great start on something beautiful.

Don't let him fool you...he looks cute but was sitting right in my newly watered and planted Snowberry and Ninebark bushes.

One of eight very cool, Oat Grass that are now home along side my driveway.

3 retaining walls, 6 trees, 28 bushes 112 perennials and approximately 15 yards of rock and dirt! Now do you accept my apology?!?!

Summer was an all consuming whirlwind of fun!  It will be missed.
Now that Fall is here though, my recipe resulted from excess of veggies and lack of heat, it is cold here already!  This One Dish Meal comes together very quickly, sub in your favorite veggies or use up what is still coming in fresh from your garden or local markets. 

Sweet Italian Sausage Soup
Print recipe here
1 package all-natural (5-6) Sweet Italian Sausage links
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 C carrots, diced
1 C zucchini, diced
2 C  potatoes, diced
2 C kale, chopped small
2 C tomato, diced or 1-15 oz. can Muir Glen diced tomato
1 TB garlic, minced
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried basil
1-2 tsp celtic sea salt
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 C white wine
8 C low sodium chicken broth
parmesan or mozzarella for sprinkling

1.   Place sausage in a large pot, cover with water and place on stove.  Boil over medium high heat for 15 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from heat, set aside the sausage to cool and drain water from pot.  Rinse pot and place back onto stove.

 

2.  Over medium high heat, cook the garlic onions, peppers and carrots in olive oil for 5 minutes. While that is cooking, peel the casing off the sausage and chop into bite size pieces.  

3.  Add the rest of the spices, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and sausage.  Saute for another 5 minutes.  Add wine and simmer two minutes.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn down to simmer/ low, cover and let simmer 30-60 minutes.  

4.  When ready to serve, ladle into bowls, sprinkle with cheese and serve with fresh baked garlic focaccia.

Note: The soup seems a bit thin at first, potatoes will thicken up the soup base just enough after simmering. 


Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Saved by the Egg Timer: Original

Loose Meat on Toasted Sourdough

Happy belated 4th of July everyone!  Has it really been 2 weeks since I have posted another recipe?!?!  Summer has been very good to us, but in turn not good to the recipe blog.  I am still cooking and creating in my new kitchen!  This summer we have also been busy landscaping, digging perennial and tree holes.  By the time I am done and continuously picking the dirt out of my nails, I have been just too plum-tuckered-out to type when I have a moment.
What have you been up to this summer???  Planting or gardening?  Watching evening baseball games?  Biking to the farmer's market?  Swimming at the lake?  Grilling?  That is just a few of my favorite summer things in MN....and happily taking up our time.

This meal is fast, filling, savory and healthy.  This recipe is a mix of loose meat, Sloppy Joe's and S.O.S.    Not using any flavor packets, preservatives or cheaply filled jars of over priced food here!  Real food, real healthy and real good.  We served ours over toasted Sourdough bread with a slice of pepper jack cheese under the meat.  Making for awesome and easy leftovers for lunch the next day.  Nothing super fancy, just good, nutritious food. 

Loose Meat on Toasted Sourdough
Print recipe here
2 pounds grass fed ground beef
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp celtic sea salt or to taste
½ tsp fresh ground back pepper
1 (about 1 C) red onion, chopped
1 (about 1 C) bell pepper, chopped
4 stalks (about 1 C) celery, chopped
1 15 oz can Muir Glen Tomato Sauce
2 C low sodium beef broth
¼ C raw honey
¼ C apple cider vinegar (with mother aka unfiltered or raw)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground mustard powder

1. Brown ground beef, garlic, salt and pepper in large skillet over medium high heat for 10 minutes, until almost cooked through. Add onion, peppers and celery. Saute another 5-10 minutes until beef is fully cooked and onions are slightly translucent.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, honey, vinegar, chili and mustard powder. Let come to a boil then turn the heat down to low and let simmer 30 minutes.

3. Serve over toasted Sourdough bread or buns. We serve ours S.O.S. style with a little pepper jack cheese under the meat.
 

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa

Linked up at:  33 Shades of Green, Lady Behind the Curtain, The Healthy Home Economist

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Italian Edition

Another edition of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, wishing you all good health this week. 

But,
if it where,
ever so slightly,
to creep in,
that creepy crud. 

I wish you fast healing with this soup packed with vitamin C and antibacterial properties.  The super C loaded secret is the Kale.  Also very specially undetected by all short ones under the age of 12.  Chop is so small they will just think it is parsley.  That is the powerhouse of this healing soup!  The oregano and garlic make this a germs worst enemy and will help your body fight off bacteria.   If you don't have noodles but have a can of white variety or garbanzo beans, save a trip to the store and add a can of drained and rinsed beans instead. 

I did not intend to originally post this recipe, it just ended up being so good that I had too share.  There are not many preparation photos.  If you are a visual person, see my 1st Edition of Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Cheatin' Edition for more prep photos. 

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Italian Edition
(AKA- Packed with Vitamin C Edition)
Print recipe here
4 TB pasture butter, divided
1 TB garlic, minced
1 pound free range organic chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (or leftover Faux-tisserie)
1 tsp celtic sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 C kale, chopped (about half a bunch)
1 ½ cup carrots, diced
1 TB dried oregano
1 TB dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried red pepper flakes
pinch of sugar
10 C low sodium chicken broth
2 C Reames frozen Homestyle Egg Noodles (or drained and rinsed can of white variety beans)

1. In a large soup pot, melt 2 TB butter and 1 TB garlic over medium heat, saute one minute and garlic is golden and fragrant.

2. Add bite size chicken, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes.

3. Add another 2 TB butter, diced onions and carrots to pot and saute 5 minutes.

4. Pour in the chicken broth, mix in the chopped kale, oregano and parsley, thyme, red pepper flakes and sugar. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.

5. Turn heat to medium- low, add noodles and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, remove from burner or the noodles will become the size of your mattress! Add any more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Top with fresh parmesan and crumbled pepperoni.  Dip with Grissini or any kind of breadsticks, Buon Appetito!



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Saved by the Egg Timer: Original

Curried Chicken Stir Fry

Did everyone have wonderful Christmas celebrations? Are you done or still going strong until January 1st?  After all the eating and stuffing of your face with cookies and sweets, feel good and festive when making this health filled dinner with visual culinary splendor.  Use whatever combination of veggies and meats you have readily in your kitchen. 

Simple, flavorful, fresh and easy in a one dish meal.

Curried Chicken Stir Fry
Print recipe here

2 TB grapeseed oil
1 ½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp celtic sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
½ onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
2 C snow peas, ends removed
1 C coconut milk
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (optional)
1 lime, juiced
steamed rice

1. Heat skillet or wok over medium high heat with oil. Add chicken and sprinkle 1 tsp curry powder, salt and pepper. Toss and cook 5 minutes.

2. Add onion, peppers, snow peas and ½ tsp curry powder. Saute and cook 1 minute.

3. Stir in coconut milk and chili garlic sauce, once it comes to a boil reduce heat to medium low and simmer 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat once slightly thickened. Squeeze half of a lime over whole dish.

4. Serve over fresh steamed rice and top with more lime as desired.
 

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Cooking Light Magazine

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Cheatin' Edition

This is not a good reason for a post, but a good reason for a good recipe.  A perfect recipe blog paradox?  Well, maybe that definition is a little dramatic but if you know me...it fits.

My Girl, was so healthy-so far-so good since the start of the school year.  Until she got attacked by the garage floor and broke her humerus...not funny!  If it weren't for the 2 hour wait in the ER, I would not have sat down in there.  Almost knowing we would be sick within 72 hours of leaving.  Well, we are all fighting something hard, but My Girl is getting a little beat up with all her might going to heal up her injury.

Perfect time for making some old fashioned healing soup.  This is a Cheatin' version because technically I am not boiling a whole chicken with the bones all day long to extract the flavor for the broth.  I will do that someday, just not today.  Now would be the perfect time to use left over from your Faux-tisserie Chicken.  This version also has a lot of garlic and oregano, they both carry very high antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral properties- great for fighting off bugs and symptoms. 

Go ahead with that mound of garlic, your sick already, no one is going to want to come near you anyways!


Eat two of these and call me in the morning.

 Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup: The Cheatin' Edition
Print recipe here

4 TB pasture butter, divided
1 TB garlic, minced
1 pound free range, organic chicken breast, sliced long into tenders for quick cooking
2 tsp celtic sea salt, divided
1 tsp black pepper, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 cup carrots, diced
2 TB dried oregano (I know! Just trust me here...)
1 TB dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of sugar
3 -1 QT boxes (or 12 C) organic low sodium chicken broth
1 C water
16 oz package Reames Homestyle Egg Noodles, in freezer section

1. In a large soup pot, melt 2 TB butter and 1 TB garlic over medium heat, saute one minute or until garlic is golden and fragrant.

2. Add chicken, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook until no longer pink through center, about 8 minutes. Remove and set on a plate to cool.

3. Add 2 TB butter and diced onions to pot, saute 5 minutes. 

4.  Add diced celery, carrots, oregano, parsley, thyme and sugar, saute another 5 minutes.

5. Shred cooled chicken, add to pot. Cook 2 minutes or until heated through.

6. Pour in the chicken broth, water, rest of salt and pepper. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.

7. Turn heat to medium- low, add noodles and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, remove from burner or the noodles will become the size of your mattress! Add any more salt and pepper to taste.

Best served with grilled cheese, made with sourdough bread and aged provolone cheese. Yum! 

Thank you for visiting me @

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Saved by the Egg Timer: Original



Baked Tortellini

I love homemade.  Everything homemade is ideal.  Who lives in a perfect ideal?  Who would want to?  Perfect ideal would be boring.  But sometimes dinner suffers somewhere in there.  Using these high quality, prepackaged and fresh ingredients make this a great alternative to making homemade tortellini on the fly.
I don't know if I will ever have enough time to make homemade tortellini!  I'm willing to admit that is something I will never make from scratch.  I will accept defeat for that, but who knows!  So maybe there should not be a white flag waving just yet.
This is an easy, healthy, delicious weeknight meal.  This comes together fast all in one dish.   Perfect for those busy nights in the middle of the week like tonight!

Spread. Layer. Sprinkle. Repeat. Eat!

Baked Tortellini
Print recipe here

2 - 20 oz. bags fresh or frozen tortellini

2 jars your favorite organic Tomato Basil pasta sauce (like Muir Glen or Newman's)

1 - 5 oz. package fresh spinach*

10 - pieces frozen breaded chicken tenders

1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 C Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 3 Qt casserole or glass dish with olive oil.
2. Spread 1 1/2 C pasta sauce (half of a jar) on bottom of the dish, lay 1/2 of spinach* down and pour 1 bag of tortellini.  Note: You can always sub for stuffed shells and ravioli too.

3. Spread 1 1/2 C pasta sauce, rest of spinach*, last bag of tortellini and another 1 1/2 C pasta sauce.

4. Place chicken tenders over top, sprinkle with Parmesan, pour last of pasta sauce over chicken and Parmesan.

5. Layer Mozzarella cheese, sprinkle Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.

5. Bake for 45-60 minutes until cheese has turned golden and bubbly.

* Kitchen Technique #5- Spinach cooks down much more than you think it will. Even though it looks like a lot piled high now, it will not be when you take it out of the oven.

You know it is a winner when you hear "More please!"  Dish up, this dinner is loaded with protein, calcium, lutein, lycopene, Vitamin A & C, folic acid, omega 3's and much more.

Thanks for visiting me @

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Me! Natasha @ Saved by the Egg Timer.