Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup

So lately I've been making a lot of baby food and spending less time being innovative in the kitchen for the adult meals.  Last week, I was making some plums, carrots, and sweet potatoes for Maxwell to eat and had more than enough potatoes and carrots left over.  Thus, I decided to make a Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup for an adult dinner!  You can follow either set of instructions (pureeing carrots and potatoes first, or later on).
Very healthy meal, loaded with beta-carotene, vitamins A, B6, K, C and dietary fiber.

Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh Carrots (peeled, cut into roughly 1" pieces) (Organic, preferably)
2 Sweet Potatoes/Yams (Organic, preferably)
2 Tbsp. Butter (again, Organic, you get it, I know...)
1/4 Cup Minced Onion (or Chopped Fresh Onion)
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
4 Cups Water
1 Bouillon Cube (Vegetable or Chicken) (or 2 tsp. Granulated Bouillon)
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1" cubes (roughly, precision not needed).
2.  Cook butter, onion, garlic, carrots, and potatoes in a large stockpot over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.  Pour in the wine and cook 2-3 minutes, or until it is reduced about 50%.
3.  Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil (turn heat to medium-high).
4.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are tender.
5.  Remove from heat and puree. You can do this with a regular blender, immersion blender, Baby Bullet in my case (it was a great gift!), or whatever (even a masher).  I actually use my immersion blender A LOT too. You will have to blend in batches, most likely.
Now skip to the bottom....

Alternative Directions (Puree first):
(if for some reason you want pureed carrots or sweet potatoes alone for another dish/baby food)
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Take peeled, cut up carrots and put in saucepan with 2 cups water.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender and break easily with a fork.
3.  Meanwhile, poke sweet potatoes with a fork multiple times.  Then wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes (depends on size of potatoes), or until potatoes are tender.
4.  Puree the carrots however you want.  You can do this with a regular blender, immersion blender, Baby Bullet in my case (it was a great gift!), or whatever (even a masher).  I actually use my immersion blender A LOT too.
5.  Using a fork, scrape off the skins of the semi-cooled sweet potatoes.  Puree them with your preferred device and remaining 2 cups water.
6.  Cook butter, onion, and garlic in a large stockpot over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Pour in the wine and cook 2-3 minutes, or until it is reduced about 50%.
7.  Add in carrot and potato purees and bouillon.  Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring well.
8.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Feel free to vary it by stirring in different herbs (thyme or basil or ginger) and/or adding some light cream to it.  Top with croutons.  Season with the sea salt and black pepper, to taste.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Mediterranean Mahi Mahi

Fresh white fish paired with a light tomato, olive, and artichoke sauce.  The Italian herbs oregano and basil pair well with the orange and lemon to really bring a lot of fresh flavor to the fish.  I was inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit, and modified it to my own liking.  I added Artichokes, used Black Olives instead of Green, and added in lemon juice to give it more flavor and moisture.  Not only is this Mediterranean dish heart-healthy, using olive oil, tomatoes, olives, and artichokes over white fish, but it is absolutely delicious also.  When we ate it, we both agreed it tasted so decadent (yet it was so so healthy).

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Minced Onion
1 Cup Dry White (or Rose) Wine
1 (14 ounce) Can of Stewed or Diced Tomatoes
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Dried Oregano (or 2 Tbsp. Fresh)
1 tsp. Dried Parsley (or 1 Tbsp. Fresh)
2 tsp. Dried Basil (or 2 Tbsp. Fresh)
4 4-5 oz. Mahi Mahi Fillets
1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives
1 Can Quartered Artichoke Hearts
2 tsp. Dried Oregano (or 2 Tbsp. Fresh)
2 tsp. Fresh Orange Zest
2 tsp. Lemon Juice

Directions.
1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add in minced onion and cook about 3-4 minutes.  

2. Pour in wine and boil about 3 minutes, or until it's reduced to 3/4 Cup. 
3.  Stir in the tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.  
4.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the fish.  Place fillets on top of tomato mixture.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until fish is opaque and cooked through.
5.  Transfer fish to plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
6.  Add black olives, artichokes, orange peel, lemon juice, oregano, and basil to tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook about 7-8 minutes, or until thick and reduced.  
7.  Place a Mahi Mahi fillet on a plate and cover with 1/4 of the sauce.  Serve with Italian bread and a side of (or on a bed of, as I did) steamed spinach.  Or, for more substance, serve over cooked brown rice or wheat pasta.


Enjoy!

Potato, Leek & Ham Soup

More soup!  I also decided to make a delicious potato, leek, and ham soup, filled with flavor from some ham and turkey bacon.  There is something comforting (and obviously, warm) about a nice, big bowl of soup.  This is a great recipe to make (and freeze if you'd like) when you have a lot of extra potatoes (which I do, since buying 5-10 lb bags is often much cheaper than buying potatoes individually) you need to use up.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• 3-4 oz (6-7 strips) Turkey Bacon 
• 3 Leeks (green portions removed, chop the white and light green parts)
• 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
• 8 oz Cooked, Boneless Ham, diced (I love Hormel's Natural Choice, because it's nitrate-free)
• 5 Cups Chicken Broth (sodium-free)
• 2 lbs Russet Potatoes, diced (about 6-8 medium-sized potatoes)
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 1 tsp. Marjoram
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Milk (or cream or half-and-half for the more indulgent)
• For Topping the Soup:  Chives/Green Onions and Monterrey-Jack shredded cheese

Directions:
1.  In Dutch Oven, or large stockpot, melt the butter and add the turkey bacon.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
2.  Stir in chopped leeks and cook another 5-6 minutes, or until leeks are soft.
3.  Pour in the wine and bring to a gentle boil.
4.  Add in the ham, chicken broth, potatoes, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil for a few minutes.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are quite soft.
5.  Remove soup from heat and working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (I used a blender).  If you have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup right in the pot (I don't).
6.  Stir in the milk.  Serve immediately.  Top with chives and a little Monterrey-Jack cheese.

For freezing, divide soup into two large freezer bags.  Once at room temperature, cool completely in the refrigerator.  Once cold, put soup into a second freezer bag (better safe than sorry with freezer burn) and be sure to label and date the soup (I include the date I made it and the "eat by" date).  Freeze up to 3 months.
To reheat, dip the bag into hot water for 5 minutes.  Then, put soup into stockpot.  Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Parmesan Tilapia with Summer Squash & Zucchini Risotto

Tilapia is one of my favorite fish to eat.  It is low in fat, sodium, calories, and carbohydrates and high in lean protein.  It doesn't have a strong "fishy" taste, is a short-lived sustainable fish (good for environment and our fish population) and because it's short-lived you know it also has low levels of mercury (good for your health).   

Risotto is a delicious Italian rice dish that gets its creamy consistency from the way it's prepared.  The starch from the rice releases during cooking allowing the rice to bind with the other rice and absorb the broth simultaneously.  The result:  creamy yumminess.  Meats and vegetables can be mixed in and it can be a meal by itself, or served as a side dish (as it is here).  There are 3 main rice varieties you can use: Arborio, Vialone Nano, or Carnaroli.  I personally use Arborio (in any grocery store in the rice/grains section).  

Parmesan Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 2 tsp. Paprika
• 1 Tbs. Parsley
• 4 Tilapia fillets
• 1 Lemon, quartered (or in eighths)
• Dash Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400º.

2.  Combine the Parmesan Cheese, paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.

3.  Place the Tilapia on a foil-lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

4.  Brush Oil on the Tilapia (recommend silicone basting brush over bristle brush).

5.  Spoon Cheese mixture on fish. 

6.  Start the Risotto (below) before doing Step 7.

7.  Bake 10-12 minutes or until the fish is opaque or flakes easily with a fork.   Once you place in Oven, immediately go to Step 5 of the Risotto.

8.  Garnish with lemon wedges.

Summer Squash and Zucchini Risotto

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Zucchini, cut up into small cubes/pieces
• 1 Medium Yellow Summer Squash, cut up into small cubes/pieces
• 1 cup Arborio, Vialone Nano, or Carnaroli rice (again, I use Arborio, but any of the 3 are fine) 3 cups heated sodium free vegetable or chicken broth (I'm a fan of Herb-Ox in Chicken flavor--sodium free is important for heart health)
• 1/4 Lemon (or 1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add summer squash and zucchini, stirring for 5 minutes.  Place in bowl and set aside.

2.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add rice; Cook and stir for about 3 minutes.

3.  Pour 1 cup broth in skillet.  Turn heat to medium-low.  Cook and stir until rice has absorbed the broth.  

4.  Go back to Step 7 on Tilapia.

5.   Repeat Step 3, pouring 1 cup of broth at at time, cooking and stirring until the rice absorbs all the liquid   before adding the next cup of broth. 

6.  Remove from heat.  Stir in Summer Squash, Zucchini, Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. 

Serve immediately and Enjoy!  
Pair with a light to medium-bodied white wine.  For a healthy dessert, try a plate of fresh pineapple and strawberries.

For choosing other environmentally-safe seafood, download your region-specific seafood pocket guide here.

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Three things make Asparagus Stuffed Chicken really awesome: 1) It looks and tastes like an elegant, impressive gourmet meal; 2) It's really quick and easy to make; and 3) It's healthy!

Ingredients:
(4 servings)

• 4 Chicken Breasts (recommend organic)
• 20 Asparagus Spears (with hard ends snapped or cut off)
• 1/4 cup Butter, melted
• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped (or 1 Tbsp. minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup Dry White Wine
• 
  
• 1/4 cup Bread Crumbs (crushed crackers also works)
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. Parsley (dried)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness.
3) Coat a baking sheet with butter-flavored cooking spray.
4) Combine the butter, Dijon mustard, garlic, and wine in a bowl. Dip the chicken breasts into the mixture and place on baking sheet.
5) Place 5 asparagus spears on each chicken breast. Fold the chicken breast over the asparagus and secure with a toothpick. Turn the chicken seam-side down.
6) Mix the bread crumbs (or crackers), Parmesan cheese, and Parsley.
7) Sprinkle 1/4 of the breadcrumb mixture onto each chicken breast (see photo).


8) Bake for 30 minutes.
9) Remove toothpick and serve with a whole-grain pasta, brown rice, or a green salad.

Pair with a light Sauvignon Blanc or my personal go-to for most chicken or fish entrees--a dry Chardonnay.