Go-To Chicken Soup

Last weekend was our first weekend of rain, which meant it was time to make my fist pot of soup for the season! Over the years I have developed my "go-to" soup recipe for whenever it is cold out, someone is sick, or when we just need a bowl of comfort. It is healthy yet filling and satisfying. And, there is one secret ingredient that gives it a ton of flavor and creamy texture without adding in any cream, butter or dairy :) 

I love setting the table for dinner, even if it is just my husband and I on what would otherwise be an "ordinary" weeknight meal of soup. I pulled out my favorite mix of napkins and my favorite serving trays.

The best part about this recipe is that you can add any veggies to it that you'd like, or any protein. I also like to cute corners a bit and use a store bought rotisserie chicken when I can. I have served the soup on its own, in a bread bowl (my husbands favorite), with corn bread or with a crusty loaf of bread on the side. I have also served it with grilled cheese. Yum!

I hope the next time you're in need of a bowl of comfort, you give this recipe a try! I would love to know what you think of it it so be sure to comment below or on my Instagram. 

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Go-To Chicken Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 5 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 large carrots, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 64 oz. chicken broth
• 5 medium yukon gold potatoes or 7-10 small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cups cooked rice or quinoa (optional)
• 4 medium chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard (this is what makes it creamy!)
• salt and black pepper
• season salt to taste, Lawry's (optional)
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in chicken broth and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.  Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. 
3. Reduce heat to low and stir in rice or quinoa, chicken, and dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt, pepper and season salt.  Stir in fresh parsley and simmer. Serve and enjoy!

Caprese Spaghettie Squash

It may officially be fall, but the weather sure is still making its full transition. Even on the warmest of fall days, I have found myself craving comfort food. I have also found myself craving easy weeknight meals.. This recipe for caprese spaghetti squash is the perfect transitional meal from summer to fall. 

One of the best parts about this recipe is that it only requires 2 baking sheets, making for very easy cleanup! The other amazing thing is that you can roast the tomatoes in the oven at the same time as the sphaghetti squash. I love a good time saving recipe :)

Once everything is roasted, it is time to assemble the sphaghetti squash. I scrapped all of the spaghetti squash "noodles" out of the shell, sprinkled it with salt, and mixed it with marinara sauce. I placed the spaghetti squash "noodles" back into the shell and layered it with the oven roasted tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, mozzerella and parmesan cheese. 

When I pulled them out of the oven, I sprinkled them with fresh basil and topped them with pine nuts. You could also add some additional cheese or any other toppings you'd like to them.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

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Caprese Sphaghetti Squash Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash, cut and half and cleaned out
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes 
• 1 cup marinara sauce (more or less, depending on your preference)
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus more for garnish)
• 6 thick slices fresh mozzerella cheese 
• 2 Tbs. parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with olive oil or cooking spray. 
3. With a sharp knife, carefully cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. With a spoon, gently remove seeds and discard. Place spaghetti squash cut side down on baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork can pierce the shell easily.
4. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt. During the last half of the squash cooking time, place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for approximately 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are shrivelled. Set aside.
5.  Remove both the squash and the tomatoes from the oven. When the squash is just cool enough to touch, flip the squash over.  Turn the oven to broil.
6. With a fork, loosen and separate spaghetti squash strands from shell. Reserve shells.
7. Place strands in a bowl. Mix strands with  salt (don't skip this step), and pasta sauce. Adjust the amount of sauce you use based on your own preference. Spoon mixture back into the empty shell. 
8. Sprinkle half of the fresh basil leaves and half of the cherry tomatoes on each squash half. Grate the parmesan cheese over top and top each side with 3 slices of the mozzarella cheese.
9. Broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Top with additional basil (optional) and pine nuts. Serve and enjoy!

Easy Weeknight Dinner: Loaded Salmon Salad

Whenever I ask my readers what kind of recipes they want to see more of, there is always an overwhelming request for easy weeknight dinner recipes. I get it. Dinner can be a struggle to get on the table at the end of the day, and not to mention the dishes that follow. As much as I love spending time in the kitchen, I am always challenging myself to come up with healthy meal ideas that can be made ahead of time, and that require very few dishes. Now, before you roll your eyes at a salad recipe, hear me out on this one. This salad is so versatile, pretty much any type of veggies and protein work. And the best part is that you can make the dressing, assemble the salad and even cook the protein ahead of time. This recipe definitely checks all the boxes which makes for the perfect weeknight (or any night) dinner solution!

I used fresh salmon in this recipe, but chicken, steak or any other kind of protein would be great. You could even pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store to make things even easier!

To make this salad ahead of time, I made the dressing (recipe below) and put it in a jar in the fridge. I then washed and cut up the lettuce and veggies, and assembled them on a platter. You could either cook the protein ahead of time or wait until right before you are going to serve it. I put plastic wrap on it and stuck it in the fridge and when I got home from a long day, dinner was done and ready to eat! 

I hope you give this recipe a try on a weeknight when you're in need of an easy dinner! Also let me know what your go-to weeknight dinner recipes are :)

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Salmon Salad Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 2, 6 ounce center cut salmon filets 
• 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and cut 
• 1 ear white corn, kernels removed
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup green olives (natural green olives, not "martini" olives)
• 1/2 cup hearts of palm, cut on the diagonal
• 2 medium carrots, cut on the diagonal
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• Optional: 1/2 cup feta cheese and pecans

Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on salmon filets. On a prepared baking sheet, place the salmon into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until flakey. 
2. Arrange the greens on a large serving platter. Arrange the other veggies around the platter. 
3. Mix all of the dressing ingredients until well combined.
4. Place the salmon on top of the salad. Drizzle the salad with vinaigrette dressing, and enjoy!

*The vinaigrette recipe was adapted from this source.

Avocado Pesto "Pasta" with Blistered Tomatoes

There is nothing quite like a warm Spring day! We have been having a few of them lately here in California (don't worry- we have rain in the forecast all week), so we have been soaking it up. The warmer weather makes me want to swap out soups and stews for some lighter meals. That's what lead me to create this amazing avocado pesto "pasta" with blistered tomatoes. It is so light yet creamy and it's perfect on its own or next to some grilled chicken or salmon. It also comes together in minutes making it the perfect weeknight meal. I hope you make this one of your go-to dishes this Spring and throughout the Summer months ahead. 

Have you ever spiralized zucchini to create zucchini "noodles"? That's probably a silly question since it's been a food craze for a while. But, I have to admit this was my first time trying it. And now, I get all the hype! They were the perfect "noodle" for this dish since the avocado pesto perfectly coats them. You could certainly use regular pasta noodles in this dish (I won't judge)! 

I used my Vitamix blender to make the pesto sauce and it worked great! You could also use a food processor as well. If you find that your sauce is too thick for your taste, you can always add an extra drizzle of olive oil and/or lemon juice to thin it out a bit. Or, if you are using regular pasta noodles, you could add some of the cooking water to the sauce. 

The blistered tomatoes not only give this dish a nice color, but they also add a slight sweetness! 

To plate this dish, I simply tossed the zucchini noodles with the sauce and piled it on the plate with the blistered tomatoes. To finish it off, I grated some fresh parmesan cheese on top and it is perfection! You could also add some fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste.

I hope you give this recipe a try and love it as much as we do! As always, feel free to leave any questions or comments below or on my Instagram :)

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Avocado Pesto "Pasta" with Blistered Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-4 zucchini, spiralized (2 large or 4 small)
• 3 cups red and yellow mini tomatoes
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping

Avocado Pesto:

• 1 large bunch basil, washed
• 2 ripe avocados
• 3 green onions (green parts)
• ½ cup unsalted walnuts
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Put all of the pesto ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

2. Heat the cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Gently shake the pan to get them moving. Continue cooking until the tomatoes are roasty and the skins are split or loosened. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Bring a separate pan to medium high heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the spiralized zucchini. Toss for 1-2 minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and combine the zucchini with the pesto sauce. Toss until combined. Season with salt and pepper, top with tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Note: I am on the conservative side with garlic, so if you like your garlic flavor strong, add an extra clove or two.

Lemon Chicken

As I sit here sipping warm lemon tea on a rainy afternoon, I am reminded of why this recipe came so easily to me. This season, in particular, I have been obsessed with citrus as well as getting healthy meals on the table. Through those series of events, I combined the two ideas and this incredibly easy, delicious and healthy lemon chicken recipe was born! It is packed with all of my favorite flavors and pairs well with just about any sides you serve it with. 

I know you might be thinking to yourself, "another chicken recipe, how good can it be?" I think when you choose a few high quality ingredients, "another chicken recipe" can be transformed. I absolutely love Meyer lemons, so I used them in this recipe and it gives this dish amazing flavor! 

I seasoned and seared both sides of the chicken breasts before I added the lemon and herb sauce to it. I then finished it in the oven. This allows the chicken to get a good sear while not drying it out.

To lock in all of the amazing flavors this dish has to offer, I spooned the mixture over the dish throughout the cooking time. This also helped keep the chicken juicy and tender.

My husband and I have been making more of an effort to eat dinner at the dinner table instead of piecing a meal together in front of the TV. For some this may sound easy, while others it might be a struggle. With a very simple table setting, this was the perfect meal for my husband and I to enjoy together. Recipes like this allow you to get dinner on the table quickly so you can focus on what's really important. 

I made this recipe to serve for two since it was just my husband and I, but you could easily double or triple the recipe depending on how many mouths you need to feed! It also makes for amazing leftovers if you make a batch at the beginning of the week to enjoy throughout the week. I would love to hear how you enjoy this recipe, so be sure to let me know! :)

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Lemon Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbs. butter 
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tbs. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 1 tsp. dried herbs 
• 1/2 tsp. salt, additional for seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. pepper, additional for seasoning
• Dash of seasoning salt 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a medium cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook chicken 2-3 minutes per side, until browned but not cooked all the way through.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper and seasoning salt.  Pour the sauce directly over the chicken in the pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Spoon the sauce from the pan over the chicken every 5-10 minutes. 
4. Garnish with fresh rosemary and lemon slices and enjoy! 

Introducing Taylor's Corner & Cedar Plank Salmon

I am so excited to introduce a new section on the blog called Taylor’s Corner! Taylor is my husband’s best friend who also shares an extreme passion for cooking, more specifically anything he can grill or smoke. Tyler and Taylor (it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) went to high school together, lived together for 5 years post college, allowed me to be a “third roommate” while my husband and I were dating, and most recently were in each other’s weddings. 

Our dinner parties have gotten an upgrade over the years and have become a big part of our friendship. My favorite kind of dinner parties are the ones where your guests come over wanting to try out new recipes and end up in the kitchen or by the grill with you. And, that is exactly what happens when Taylor and his wife Ashley come over for dinner. 

Recently they came over to kick off the 2015 BBQ season and Taylor pulled out all the stops with this amazing cedar plank salmon recipe.  It was seasoned perfectly and had a hint of smokiness on the finish from the cedar. We had never made cedar plank salmon and were surprised at how easy and tasty it was. We paired it with alfresco sides like caprese, a spring salad, a loaf of rustic bread and a very yummy dessert that I will be sharing next week.   

Whenever Taylor and Ashley come over for dinner, one thing is for sure…there is always plenty of good food, laughter and wine! I hope you enjoy this recipe and many more to come in...Taylor’s corner!

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Cedar Plank Salmon

• Salmon (we used two large fillets- skin on)
• Grainy Mustard
• Sprinkle of brown sugar
• 1-2 large lemons, sliced
• 1 bundle of green onions, diced
• Cedar planks (we used 2 from here), soaked for 2+ hours prior to cooking 

Preheat the grill to medium- high heat. Place the salmon skin side down on the cedar planks. Salt and pepper the salmon. Spoon the grainy mustard all over the top of the salmon and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Slice the lemons and place the slices on top of the salmon.  Grill for 20-25 minutes, until flakey. Top with green onions and serve on the cedar planks. Enjoy! 

Greek Kale Salad

The end of Winter has me craving a warm, breezy day where I can kick off my flip flops and enjoy the sunshine. To cure that craving, I made a light yet filling greek kale salad. It is full of nutrients and protein and the dressing takes this kale salad to the next level. 

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Greek Kale Salad 

Salad:

• 1-2 bunches of Kale
• Cheery tomatoes
•  1 ripe avocado
•  Feta Cheese (full fat)

Dressing:

• 1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar (white wine, red wine or champagne vinegar would work)
• ¼ C. Olive oil
• Juice of Half a Lemon
• 1 shallot (small to medium in size)
• 1 T Dijon Mustard
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

Remove ribs from kale and chop in 1-2” squares and put into a non-reactive bowl. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake. Pour dressing onto kale and massage with hands for 1-2 minutes. Cover the bowel and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or overnight. Add the tomatoes, avocado and feta cheese (and any other toppings of your choice). Toss and enjoy!