Cream of Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
This hearty, creamy soup is just the ideal fall treat with fresh, crusty bread or fried pita on the side. It makes a wholesome, fresh, delicious and satisfying lunch or dinner meal. You will probably like it enough to serve it as an appetizer when you have guests over for dinner. It is fast, easy and healthy! You could also make it as a vegetarian recipe.
Enjoy! ~ 
Type: Soup
Serve With: Fresh, crusty bread or fried pita.
Prep Time: 10 min
Yield: Should serve 4 people as appetizer, or 2 people for dinner
Ingredients:
1 medium Butternut squash
2 small Sweet potatoes
1 large Onion
3 cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp Freshly ground cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
1 cup Heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Chicken stock
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1/8 tsp Nutmeg - Freshly grated is preferred.
1/8 tsp Ginger - You may use 1/2 tsp if it is freshly minced/grated.
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Cinnamon stick
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and onion, and scoop out of the squash seeds with a large spoon. Chop into 1′ chunks. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Combine these ingredients in a small roasting pan or oven proof dish, and roast at 375 F for 15 min, then reduce temperature to 335 F, and continue to roast until fork tender (~ 55 min).
4. 10 min before finishing roasting, sprinkle brown sugar over vegetables.
5. Combine roasted vegetables, chicken stock, and butter in a large soup pot, and use a hand blender to blend it to the consistency you desire. Add heavy cream and stir.
* Tip: If you like chunks in your soup, blend it less. If you like it completely smooth, blend it completely.
* Tip: Use a standing blender if you don’t have a hand blender.
6. Heat soup until it is the temperature you desire (~ 5-8 min) and drop a cinnamon stick in soup pot during this time.
7. Take out cinnamon stick, and season with sea salt & pepper to taste.
8. Garnish with dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche, a nasturtium flower and a cinnamon stick. Beautiful!!!
9. Serve with crusty bread or fried pitas, and Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this recipe…
Eat Deliciously!
Kimberly Edwards is the founder of Cooking With Kimberly - Decadent Cooking from Home - Find a Delicious Cooking Recipe, Great Products and Helpful Tips & Information that will help you Explore the Joy of Cooking!
Discover more Amazing Soup Recipes and Check out Kimberly’s Cooking Secrets at: http://www.CookingWithKimberly.com
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Easy Chicken Cacciatore Meal With Whole Wheat Spaghetti Menu and Recipes
This menu features a quick and easy recipe for chicken cacciatore, a warm spinach salad and a sugar-free white cake with various topping options, to finish off the meal. Quick, easy, and healthy, too. Try this meal. You’ll be glad you did.
EASY CHICKEN CACCIATORE
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or thighs
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup thinly cut strips of green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbsp Tomato Basil Garlic blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
1 - 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup red cooking wine
Cooked whole-wheat thin spaghetti for 4 to 6 servings.
Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium heat on both sides until lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and spices to skillet. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and red wine. Return chicken to skillet with vegetables and cook over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve over cooked spaghetti.
WARM SPINACH SALAD
1 bag (approx. 7 oz) baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup salad croutons (non-fat preferred)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tbsp SPLENDA Granular
5 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
Wash spinach leaves well, remove stems and drain in a colander. Place in a salad serving bowl and add croutons. In a small mixing bowl, blend together water, vinegar, mustard and SPLENDA. Set aside.
Over medium-high heat, fry bacon in saucepan until crispy. Drain well on paper toweling. In same pan, put onion and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add vinegar mixture, return bacon to pan and simmer another 1 - 2 minutes. Pour over spinach and croutons and mix well. Serve immediately while still warm.
QUICK WHITE CAKE
1 2/3 cups sifted cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup Equal Sugar-Lite
1/2 cup solid shortening
2 egg whites
3/4 cup 2% milk
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and Equal. Blend together well. Add shortening and egg whites. Using an electric mixer, at low speed, mix into flour mixture. Add milk and vanilla and beat at medium speed for 3 minutes or until smooth. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Topping suggestions:
Cut into squares and top each square with a dollop of sugar-free whipped topping, and fresh berries of your choice.
Mix a small package of your favorite flavored gelatin mix according to package conditions. As cake begins to cool, poke holes in cake with a large fork. Pour 1/2 of the gelatin mixture over cake. Refrigerate. Refrigerate the remaining gelatin until lightly set. Using mixer, mix gelatin into one small carton sugar-free whipped topping. Spread over cake. Keep in refrigerator until serving time.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information go to http://www.diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com She also has a Vintage Recipe Blog called http://www.grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
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Cooking Light Recipes - 2 Easy Quick and Healthy Recipes For Your Dinner
If you already had a full meal for lunch, you most likely don’t feel like something so filling again for supper. If you want to eat healthy and balanced, then it’s a great idea to choose something light for dinner, especially if your lunch had quite some calories today. And seeing that you already cooked, you definitely don’t want to stand behind the stove again, so it should be an easy non-cooking recipe.
Here are 2 easy quick dinner recipes which are light and healthy. Both of them make four servings.
- Mixed salad with whole grain rolls
- Noodle and mushroom soup
Light dinner recipe #1: Mixed salad with whole grain rolls
Ingredients
- 1 medium lettuce
- 2 red and 2 yellow peppers, sliced
- 250 g fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 200 g feta cheese, cut into small cubes
Dressing:
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 4 whole grain rolls
Wash the salad, tear it into pieces and drain it. Then mix it with the other ingredients. For the dressing, simply mix all ingredients well, pour over the salad and mix thoroughly. Serve with the rolls. This recipe won’t take you more than half an hour, and it doesn’t require any cooking.
Light dinner recipe #2: Hawaiian Toast
Ingredients
- 8 slices of brown toast
- low-fat margarine
- 8 slices lean ham
- 1 large can pineapple rings or peach halves (should contain 8 rings or halves)
- 8 slices low-fat cheese
- yellow curry powder
Preheat the oven on maximum temperature. Spread the margarine on the toast and place it on a baking tray covered with baking paper. First put a slice of ham on each toast, then a pineapple ring and a slice of cheese. Grill the toast for approximately 5 minutes until the cheese has melted and slightly browned. Sprinkle a bit of curry on and serve. Done within half an hour, too.
Now, enjoy your light dinner and come up with more ideas yourself. You can put anything into your salad, be it vegetables that can be eaten raw or fruit, or both. Just choose foods that go quick to prepare. You can also adapt the toast. Maybe you prefer the grilled chicken stripes that you got in your fridge from yesterday’s lunch with tomato to ham and fruit. Many light soups are also very quick and easy to make if you use canned veggies and leftover rice or soup noodles.
Bettina Berlin is a health professional specializing in healthy nutrition and quick cooking. Eating healthy and thus maintaining a healthy weight can significantly improve your health and help prevent many diseases. Is your life so hectic that preparing healthy food often seems impossible? Then visit http://www.elishas-quick-recipes.blogspot.com TODAY and get your FREE fast cooking tips and much delicious quick easy recipes!
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Ten Healthy Salad Recipes For Dinner This Week
Looking for some quick, easy and healthy salad recipes to accompany your meals this week? I searched high and low through the blogosphere and found the following ten healthy salad recipes most interesting. This recipes are packed with vital nutrients that we all need for healthy lifestyle. I hope you enjoy!
Recipe for Ellie Krieger’s Easy Crab Salad With Mangoes
Healthy & Easy Crab Salad Elie Kruger The Food You Crave. I stumbled upon this easy crab salad while flipping through Ellie Krieger’s cookbook The Food You …
This uniquely-flavored pasta shrimp recipe is a great-tasting recipe that will really make your mouth water. It is also very easy o make. Additionally, the delectable taste of the shrimps in this salad recipe will really make your day. …
Salads that are based with grains instead of leaves, however, are the perfect compromise; they’re hearty and healthy at the same time. This Citrus Bulgur Salad is one of which I’m particularly fond during this time of year when root …
Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe
This special salad recipe is made from the finest ingredients that pronounce the Mediterranean flair. The food choices that are included in this salad recipe are all exquisite and mouth-watering. This salad treat is one of the …
Rice Salad with Smoked Salmon Recipe
But sometimes you haven’t all the necessary ingredients for sushi or you have no time to get down to preparing it; still you want a tasty and healthy meal. This salad with boiled rice and smoked salmon will help you to get one done …
Three Pepper Pasta Salad Recipe
At times when we want to indulge in cold and healthful food choices but we are not that hungry, a salad is our best choice. This three-pepper pasta salad recipe is a rich and creamy recipe that has a delicious taste and a wonderful …
Chicken and cashew may not be a typical food combination but we’re assuring you that it indeed a great tandem. This recipe proves just how delicious a chicken and cashew salad ecipe could be. Try this dish for yourself and see what …
Caramelized Onion and Grapefruit Salad
Make this grapefruit salad recipe for a satisfying salad any time of the year. … Nuts About Almonds. These heart-healthy dishes are packed with protein and flavor. Recipe Slideshows. Special Features - Recipes. Primo Pasta Dishes …
Charlotte’s Tortellini Salad Recipe
Get a bowl and mix the dressing with the rest of the ingredients in this recipe. Put in the refrigerated pasta as well. Season to taste and chill the salad dish once again. Serve chilled and enjoy!
Baby Spinach Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts, Pear, and Parmesan …
I like this dressed with just a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon; feel free to use your favorite healthy vinaigrette recipe, if you prefer. spinachsalad3. Baby Spinach Salad Recipe Serves 2-4. Ingredients: …
How to Cook Shoyu Chicken - The Hawaiian Treat
Last year, my husband and I took a dream vacation to Hawaii. We got to tour most of the islands and saw all sides of Hawaii, from Honolulu and the glitzy beach resorts to little towns well off the main tourist track.
Everywhere we went, we could count on finding an ubiquitous dish called shoyu chicken. Sometimes it came served with exotic garnishes, usually in the fancier restaurants, and sometimes it came straight out of the cooker and served on paper plates from some roadside stand, but it was always delicious.
When we got home, I knew I had to try cooking some shoyu in my own kitchen.
There must be thousands of different recipes for this dish. The differences are mainly in the ingredients for the sauce, but even the chicken itself can be cooked any way you like, from boiling in a pot to baking in the oven to grilling on the barbecue.
No matter the recipe, one ingredient you’ll always find is soy sauce. That’s because that’s what shoyu means–soy sauce. If you want, you can just call this dish soy sauce chicken. But I prefer to use the word “shoyu” in tribute to its native home in Hawaii.
If you would like to cook shoyu chicken, why not go all the way and make it the food centerpiece of a Hawaiian-themed party? Break out the leis, put on some ukulele or Don Ho music, and have some tropical fun.
This shoyu chicken recipe serves 12 people. If you want to make it just for your family instead of for a party, cut back the recipe portions accordingly.
Ingredients
12 pounds of chicken thighs
3 cups brown sugar
4 cups soy sauce
4 cans chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups pineapple juice
1 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
chopped green onion tops
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 cans pineapple rings
Directions
1. Wash and drain the chicken thighs.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients (everything listed above except the pineapple rings).
3. Combine the chicken and the sauce in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cooking 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
4. Place chicken thighs on serving platter; decorate with pineapple rings and serve.
Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah’s article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html
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Stick to Your Ribs Skillet Corn Chowder
Many cook books have corn chowder recipes. The recipe in Fannie Farmer’s book, “The Boston Cooking School Cook Book,” originally published in 1896, calls for canned corn, onions, potatoes, and salt pork. This hearty soup is served with hard “common crackers” soaked in cold milk to soften them.
New England recipes for corn chowder contain the basics of onions, potaotes, corn and cream. Fannie Farmer’s recipe may have evolved from New England clam chowder with corn. Southern recipes for corn chowder call for the trinity — onions, celery, green and red peppers. Many professional chefs and home cooks have experimented with the corn chowder recipes.
Jasper White, on the Leite’s Culinaria website, describes corn chowder as “the king of farmhouse chowders.” His recipe is based on a Shaker recipe from Hancock Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. White adds chicken stock to his corn chowder, along with cumin and tumeric.
Ina Garten’s corn chowder recipe, posted on the Food Network website, also contains chicken stock. She adds white sharp cheddar cheese to her chowder for added richness.
On this cold Minnesota morning corn chowder sounded warm and comforting, but I didn’t want to go to the store for any fancy schmancy ingredients. When I checked the food on hand I found everything I needed for stick-to-your-ribs corn chowder. I made my chowder in a cast iron skillet, but you may wish to use a soup pot. From start to finish, this hearty chowder took only 20 minutes to make. This recipe feeds four and may be doubled.
Stick to Your Ribs Skillet Corn Chowder
4 slices thick bacon, cut into thin strips with kitchen shears
4 green onions. cut into thin slices with kitchen shears
2 small red potatoes, washed and diced
1/2 cup frozen vegetable combination of corn, carrots, and asparagus, defrosted (I found these leftover veggies in the refrigerator.)
12 3/4-ounce can creamed style corn (I used salt-free.)
3/4 cup fat-free half and half (Approximate measure. I filled the corn can 3/4 of the way with cream)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Cook bacon in skillet until crisp and brown. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Carefully wipe skillet with additional paper towels. Pour green onions into skillet and saute over low heat until wilted.
Put diced potatoes in a bowl with a little water. Cover and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain water and add potatoes to skillet. Cut defrosted carrots and asparagus into small pieces. Add these pieces, defrosted corn, canned corn, half and half, thyme and salt and pepper to soup. Cover and simmer over very low heat until heated through and flavors blend. Serve with tiny oyster crackers. Makes 4 generous servings.
Copyright 2008 by Harriet Hodgson
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30 years. Before she became a health writer she was a food writer for a local magazine. Centering Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska is publishing her 26th book, “Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life.” The company is also publishing two companion products, the “Writing to Recover Journal,” which contains 100 writing jump-starts, and the “Writing to Recover Affirmations Calendar.”
Another grief resource, “Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief,” written with Lois Krahn, MD is available from http://www.amazon.com Please visit Harriet’s website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.
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Vegetarian Chili Recipes - 5 Tips to Making Great Vegetarian Chili!
Well, we all know that vegetarian chili has not meat in it! That is a give in. The old saying of “fat is where the flavor is” well, that does hold true does it not? So what do we do when we want to add flavor to vegetarian chili recipes? We add chilies for a bit of heat and some flavor, remember that there are many chili pepper varieties out there and being familiar with as many as you can and the properties of each will only aid in your chili cooking endeavors.. There are of course other things that can be added and we will cover them. In this article we will look at 5 simple tips to making great 
vegetarian chili recipes.
Tip 1. Know thy chili peppers! Getting to know the chili peppers that you will use will help you in figuring out just how much heat you can take in your chili dish. So the trick is to know which types of chili peppers are the hottest. We all know that a bell pepper is not going to impart heat at all in our recipes, but we do know that a jalapeno or habanero are some of the hottest chili peppers around. They make pepper spray for the police out of habanero chili, so you can imagine how hot it is! So if using this type of chili in your dish use it sparingly and work your way up to the heat level that you are satisfied with. In most cases, most people use the good old standby of the Jalapeno chili pepper and that is fine. They have a mild/medium heat and most people can handle that. It is my opinion that you should learn and experiment with other types of chilies in your various recipes.
Tip 2. When you are cooking your vegetarian chili recipes, it is a good idea to start adding your chilies toward the end of the dish around the last two hours of cooking. This lets the other flavors blend and then you add the chilies and you add another layer of texture as well as flavor. Add slowly and taste often with your spoon until the desired hear level is reached. The best part about chilies is that they are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants that are good for your immune system. Chilies are also thermogenic and help in losing fat if you use them in your diet.
Tip 3. Chilies are rated by Scoville heat units. This means that some chili peppers can actually burn the skin, eyes or nasal passages. Do not handle chili peppers with your bare hands! If you have cooking gloves, use them! If you do not have cooking gloves, get some! If that it is not possible at the moment, then coat your hands in olive oil to add a layer of protection from the chili pepper juices. Of course if you do not want to chop your chili peppers then you can grind them in any number of ways and with any number of kitchen gadgets.
Tip 4. How much heat from chili do you think you can handle? If not much there are a couple of things that you can do. The first thing is to get the seeds out of the chilies you will use. Another tip is to cut out or remove the “ribs” inside the chili peppers. There is much debate as to what is the hotter part of the chili pepper, the ribs or the seeds? I personally do not care because in my humble opinion they are both real hot! Taking these steps will reduce the heat of many chilies to something a bit more mild in heat for your vegetarian chili recipes.
Tip 5. You know the old saying “Man, and Woman cannot live by bread alone.” Well, Man, and Woman cannot live by chili alone, either! Chili is a synergistic food. They taste fine by themselves, but only enhance the tastes of other elements in a recipes and the other elements of the recipe enhance the flavor of the chili. Chili peppers that are added to things like onions, garlic, various beans, hard tofu or tofu products, and fire roasted tomatoes can really make your vegetarian chili recipes fly! You do not add all these ingredients together at the same time. In fine dining it is called building layers of flavor. So you need to start by mixing and sautee’ of the items that are not hot and slowly adding in your chili peppers keep in mind always a little touch of salt and a little touch of either black or white pepper.
This article looked at 5 simple tips for making great vegetarian chili recipes. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you would like to learn more about recipes for chili please visit: http://bestchilirecipes.net/
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Fast Healthy Recipes - Asian Green Bean Stir Fry
If you work all day, the last thing you want to do when you get home is to slave in front of a hot stove to prepare dinner. However, you don’t want to fall to temptation and drive through the take out window for some sub-standard fast food. If you are trying to eat healthy and watching your weight, you want to eat foods that are nutrient rich, giving the most goody for the calories you consume.
The below recipe is great for a quick snack or as an accompaniment to a main entrée. It’s a great complement to chicken, fish, pork or beef.
Asian Green Bean Stir Fry
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 pound green beans, cut 1-inch portions
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables (thaw if frozen)
1 tablespoon black bean-garlic sauce (found in Asian food section of most large grocery stores)
Directions:
1. In large frying pan heat sesame oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add green beans and crushed red pepper.
3. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until seared, stir often.
4. Add water, cover, reduce heat to medium.
5. Cook 3-6 minutes, stir occasionally, cook longer for tender vegetables.
6. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, add stir-fry vegetables and black bean-garlic sauce.
7. Cook until heated through, stirring often.
8. Dish is ready when the majority of the liquid has evaporated.
Serves approximately 4,1 cup servings.
Health Benefits:
Beans are rich in fiber and protein but also a great source of iron and Vitamin B6. Low in fat and calories, providing antioxidants that protect the heart.
Karen Ficarelli is the founder and CEO of Fitness4Her.com, a diet, exercise program and women’s fitness blog, developed especially for women. A sports nutritionist and personal trainer, Karen has a treasure chest full of healthy recipes that will keep you eating healthy and lean.
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Crockpot Soup Secrets - Handy Tips and Tricks
By KC Kudra
Soup is normally something you imagine bubbling away on the stove, rather than simmering quietly in a crockpot, so why would you want to make a crockpot soup recipe?
Actually, there are several reasons, but the most important one is flavor. By definition, food cooks slowly in a slow cooker, and whether you are making a stew, a casserole, a soup or something else, all the flavors in your meal blend together in a crockpot more intensely than with any other cooking method.
Crockpot cooking is also handy if you going to be out all day because you can leave your French onion soup recipe, or whichever recipe you are making, to cook by itself. To make the best crockpot soup recipes, it is important to follow the recipe closely. With a lot of crockpot recipes, you simply throw everything in, stir it, and leave it, but if there are any other steps, it is important to do them.
Essential Tips for Crockpot Soups
Fill your crockpot about three quarters full but no more, else your crockpot soup will not cook properly. Remember that crockpots cook whatever is on the bottom faster than what is on the top. This is why hard vegetables like carrots and potatoes are normally added to the crockpot first, and meat or poultry goes on top.
Tender mushrooms like tomatoes and mushrooms only need about forty-five minutes, so you can add these near the end of the cooking time. Add dairy products like heavy cream or sour cream in the last thirty minutes, unless the recipe tells you otherwise.
You do not have to stir your soup while it cooks. If you remove the crockpot lid, you will lose heat from inside, which means you need to add twenty more minutes to the cooking time. Turn the lid back and forth quickly a few times, so the condensation drips off, and you will be able to see inside the crockpot.
Crockpot Creamy Potato and Celery Soup Recipe
This recipe for potato and celery soup is very easy to make. You simply chop the ingredients, add everything to your crockpot, and leave it to cook for about eight hours. If you will be out working all day and you want to get home to something hot and delicious, this crockpot soup recipe is ideal. This recipe serves eight people, so halve it if you want.
Potato and Celery Soup in the Slow Cooker
What you will need:
- 6 red potatoes, in 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 sliced leeks (just the white part)
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 chopped yellow onion
- 1 can cream of cheddar soup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 peeled, diced carrot or parsnip
- 1 can cream of celery soup
- 2 sliced stalks celery
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
How to make it:
Put the chopped potatoes and carrot or parsnip into the crockpot. Pour the cheddar soup and the celery soup over the top, then sprinkle over the salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Add the leeks, onion, garlic, and celery. Mix together the half-and-half and the chicken broth and pour this mixture over the top. Cover the crockpot and cook the potato and celery soup on low for 8 hours. Check the potato. If it is not quite tender, cook the soup for another hour. Serve this potato soup hot, with crusty bread and butter on the side.
With the cooler weather setting into the nights, air many a cooks attentions turn to warmer more filling meals. One of these meals so many like during the brisk nights dinners is soup. There are many different kinds of soup to many to name here but one soup above all conjures up images of elegance, sophistication and extraordinary presentations like that of French onion soup.
As the parent of 4 boys, onion soup is a meal starter that gets rave reviews for its hardy beef stock and wonderfully sweet taste from slowly caramelized onions and other wonderful vegetables if you choose to make one of the many onion soup recipes available at my wife’s website FrenchOnionSoups.com.
One of the things she is asked often about this culinary delight is what types of onion are used in making a delicious French onion soup. She has helped take the guesswork out of knowing what the different onions are in a comprehensive guide to onions. She even answers the questions of how to grow onions, the health benefits of onions and many more in-depth articles on this wonderful vegetable.
You can make all kinds of delicious soups in your crockpot, including tomato soup, chicken soup or even a crockpot French onion soup recipe with swirled cheese. If you enjoy French onion soup, you will be spoilt for choice at FrenchOnionSoups.com because we have loads of delicious onion soup recipes for you to make at home, including easy crockpot recipes. And if you like what you see don’t forget to bookmark us and tell your friends too so you can share the joy of wonderful onion soups with others.
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Chicken Cordon Bleu - The Easy, Healthy Way
By Kim Steele
Despite its nice French name, no one is entirely sure that chicken cordon bleu originated in France. It is however a very popular dish in France and one you can make yourself with little fuss, following the easy method given here. And since it has a French name, of course it has a French story to enjoy along with it.
A Little History
Before we start cooking, I thought you might like to know what the cordon bleu was all about. You’ve probably heard of the cooking school by that name, but the actual cordon bleu had been around for centuries before the cooking school was started in the late 1800’s.
During the religious wars that shook Europe for much of the 16th century, King Henry III initiated a special order of knights, known as L’Ordre du Saint-Esprit, to fight for Catholicism. To distinguish themselves the knights wore a Maltese cross hanging from a blue cord around their neck.
In later years, this same order of knights would gather for huge feasts, some of them cooked by accomplished chefs. Hence the blue cord become associated with excellence in cooking (as well as excellence in general) and this was reinforced when the Cordon Bleu cooking school opened it’s doors in Paris.
An Easy Recipe
So now that you know a little story to entertain your diners with, let’s get cooking.
Lots of Chicken Cordon Bleu recipes ask that you deep fat fry the rolled meat and cheese bundles, but that can be messy and add a lot of unnecessary calories. The dish is actually quite satisfying and delicious when baked. For those of you who miss the extra calories, you can make the shallot cream sauce to serve alongside it.
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
- 4 chicken breast filets, skinned
- salt and pepper
- 4 slices ham
- 4 slices of cheese, such as Swiss
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter
Using a wooden meat hammer, pound the chicken breasts to about 1/4 inch thick. Or place the breasts between pieces of wax paper or in a heavy plastic bag and use your rolling pin to flatten them.
Lay out the chicken breasts and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Top each with a slice of cheese and a slice of ham. Roll the chicken up tightly.
Dredge the rolls in the beaten egg and then in the bread crumbs, coating them well. Use toothpicks to hold them together if you wish. Place the rolls in a greased baking pan, seam side down. Place 1 tablespoon of butter on top of each roll.
Bake at 350°F for about 30 to 35 minutes.
Serves 4.
Chicken Cordon Bleu Sauce
- 2 shallots, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cream and warm through. That’s it, ready to serve.
Makes about 1/2 cup.
If you like these recipes, you’ll find many more French chicken recipes on Easy French Food. Chicken Fricassee is another popular method for cooking poultry and this Moroccan Chicken Recipe, although not exactly French, is served so often in France, you might think it was. Enjoy.
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