Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup

This is seriously an awesome knockoff of the real thing.  I originally got the recipe from Food.com.  The first time I made it, I happened to go to Panera that very weekend and have their soup.  The only difference was that mine had a little more spicy kick to it due to a few more crushed red pepper flakes.  Other then that, this one is like the real thing.

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup


Ingredients:

• 4 cups of low fat/low sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups of peeled and cubed red potatoes
• 1/4 cup of minced red onion
• 1/2 tsp of seasoning salt
• 1/4 tsp white or black pepper
• 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (8oz) package of Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese

Directions:

1. Combine broth, potatoes, onion and spices.  Boil on medium-high heat until potatoes are tender. 
2. Smash a few potatoes to release their starch for thickening.
3. Reduce to low heat and slow add cubed cheese.  Stir until melted. 
4. Serve it up while it's hot with any toppings you wish!

Enjoy!

~Chef Val

Creamy Burrito Casserole: A Smash Hit!

After a couple GP ladies tried this off of my own blog and raved about it, I knew I had to put it on here.  It's really easy, and so yummy.  Definitely the perfect comfort food.   It doesn't really look pretty, so I apologize for that, but you have to try it to know it's wonderfulness.

I originally got this recipe off of Food.com.   You can find it here.  As always, I've adapted it a bit to suit our own taste and to try and cut a few calories from this otherwise caloric monster.  Sometimes those calories are worth it though.   Here are the ingredients I use....otherwise the directions are the same from Food.com.

Ingredients
1lb of lean ground beef
1 small red onion (more flavor!)
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of Mission Fat Free Heart Healthy Whole Wheat Tortillas (that was a mouthful)
1 can fat free refried beans (or make your own!)
2-3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 can Fit and Active Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup of light sour cream

Enjoy!

-Chef Val

P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps....SERIOUSLY!

These came out seriously good, and seriously close to the real thing.  All I've done is copy and paste this recipe from Food.com...P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  There was nothing to adapt!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup water chestnut
• 2/3 cup mushroom
• 3 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 -5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon hot mustard
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve. 
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16. Top with "Special Sauce".

The bib lettuce I had gotten to use for this went bad, so I ended up just using romaine.  Still turned out really good!

If you are in any way a fan of P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps...you have to try making these!  

~Chef Val

Salsa-Fied Turkey and Rice

This dinner originally from Food.com: Salsa-Fied Turkey and Rice  
 
This dish is great for evenings where you don't have a lot of time and it makes enough to have left overs or create future microwave dinners!  Now, it uses ground turkey.  I know...but, wipe that look of disgust off your face!  It's a great, healthy alternative to ground beef, and you can't even tell it's ground turkey with everything that is in it.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 cup of red kidney beans
• 1 (7 ounce) can of corn kernels 
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 
• 1 1/4 cup of chunky salsa 
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat up olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and start boiling water for rice in a small saucepan.  
2. Add ground turkey to skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes.  During this time, you should be able to add rice to sauce pan and cook until ready.  Set rice aside if ready early.
3. Once turkey is nicely browned, drain excess oil, then add the rice, beans, corn and chicken brother.  Stir to combine.  Cover and Simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
4. Add salsa to turkey mixture and stir to combine.  Top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese!

Super yummy and versatile! Serve as is in a bowl, in a tortilla, or scoop it up with tortilla chips!   How ever you and your fellow gobblers like it.

Enjoy!
~Chef Val 

Easy Mole Sauce!

What is mole sauce? Well, according to the website I originally got this recipe from (MomsWhoThink), it's a, " Mexican mole sauce; a type of gravy with chiles, chocolate and seasonings."  Oh, but it is so much more then that.  It is an amazing concoction of flavors that ends up pairing perfectly with just about anything; steak, chicken, and of course my family's favorite, enchiladas.  For Christmas, DH's family did a mexican food theme for dinner, and that is exactly what I made; enchiladas con mole.  Mmmmm.   It's super easy to make.  I've adapted and doubled the original mole recipe as follows:

Ingredients

• 4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 cups water
• 6 tbs chipotle sauce
• 2 onions, diced
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2oz (2 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate

Directions

1. Combine salt, pepper, water, chipotle sauce and onions in a saucepan.  Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. 
2. Add garlic, tomato sauce, sugar, cinnamon and chocolate.  Stir until heated through and chocolate is melted.  
3. Serve over your choice of main entree...although I highly recommend a nice flank steak or enchiladas.   

It took me three attempts at making this to get it just right (at last for my family).  If you are unsure of how spicy you might want this, start out with only 3 tbs of the chipotle sauce.  Once you've completed step 2, add more of the chipotle sauce to your liking.  


Enjoy!

-Chef Val

Apple Dumplings!

This is a crosspost from my Meal Planning Mayhem blog, but had to share directly with everyone here, too!

Continue at your own risk!  You are about to be temped by something so sweet and yummy that once you try it, there is no turning back!  Compliments for a colleague of mine, enjoy some Apple Dumplings!

2 whole Granny Smith Apples

2 cans of crescent rolls

2 sticks of butter

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

Cinnamon, to taste

1 can of Mountain Dew

Peel and core apples.  Cut each apple into 8 slices.  Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.  Place in a 9x13 buttered pan.  Set aside. 

Melt butter in a small pot, add sugar and barely stir.  Stir in vanilla, then pour over apples.  Pout Mountain Dew around edges of pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Serve with ice cream and spoon some of that sweet sauce over the top!

Some pictures! 

  

ENJOY!

-Chef Val

Hubby's Favorite Meal

Broccoli-Sausage Pasta


Original recipe from Peace, Love and French Fries


DH begs for this meal every other week!  It's super yummy and fairly easy.  


Ingredients:
     1/4 C of Olive Oil
     3 cloves garlic, minced
     1 small red onion, sliced thin 
     1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
     1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes  (more or less depends on how spicy you want it!)
     1lb package of smoke sausage (beef or turkey), sliced and quartered
     8 oz of short cut pasta, such as penne or rigatoni
     Shredded or grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet with high sides on medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.  Meanwhile, fill pot with water and start heating it up for the pasta.  Slice and quarter the sausage.  Add sausage to skillet and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut broccoli into florets.  Put pasta in water to cook.  Add the broccoli and red pepper flakes to the skillet and toss.  Continue cooking 8-10 minutes until pasta is ready.  Drain pasta, but reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.  Add cooked pasta and reserved water to skillet.  Heat 2-3 more minutes.  Serve topped with parmesan cheese. 


Hope some of you enjoy this!


~Chef Val