Garlicky sauteed broccoli

I really did NOT want to cook tonight, however really wanted some broccoli for dinner. The solution? Prepared black bean soup from Trader Joe's and quick sauteed broccoli.

Here's my recipe for a delicious and very fast side way to prepare broccoli.

1 Tbs. olive oil
4 C. broccoli florets
8 oz. chicken stock
2 cubes frozen garlic
1 tsp. soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds

Heat a large nonstick pan on high heat and add olive oil. When oil shimmers, add rinsed broccoli florets and chicken stock. Stir to combine and add frozen garlic. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and broccoli is bright green.

Remove from heat and add a drizzle of soy sauce and sesame seeds (optional).

The kids don't like the seeds, so I add them to my bowl.

Chicken pot pie.

I had some leftover puff pastry and decided it would be yummy to make a chicken pot pie. I used to love these growing up, and my mother loved making them too- remove from freezer, open box and bake 40 minutes...

These are from scratch! Don't be intimidated by the ingredients. You can buy mir au poix (diced onion, celery and carrot) from Trader Joe's and leave out whatever veggies you don't have on hand.

3 C. shredded chicken - I poached 2 chicken breasts in water with a few bay leaves for an hour, them removed the meat and shredded. Leftover cooked chicken is fine too.
1 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. unsalted butter, divided
1/2 finely diced onion (think Vidalia chopped- small dice)
1/2 C. diced mushrooms
1 C. diced carrot
2 diced celery stalks
1/2 C. frozen corn kernels
1/2 C. frozen peas
1/2 tsp.celery salt
1/2 tsp. Greek or Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
3 tbs. flour
1 c. Chicken stock or water
1 package puff pastry/ pie crust or even biscuit dough- these are all readily available.
1 egg- beaten with a fork

Preheat oven to 375.

Saute onion and mushrooms in olive oil and 1 Tbs. butter in a large nonstick pan on medium high heat. After 1 minute, add celery and carrots. Continue cooking for another minute or two and add frozen corn and peas. Season with salt, Greek seasoning and pepper and remove from heat. Add chicken and vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, melt remaining 2 Tbs. butter, once melted, sprinkle flour and whisk until combined and thick. Add 1 C. chicken stock or water and continue whisking until completely combined. Add to bowl and stir to combine.

Add vegetables and chicken to a deep oven-proof dish and cover with puff pastry, pie crust or biscuit dough. Brush pastry with egg wash before baking, this gives the pastry a nice shiny crust.

Bake in oven to 30-35 minutes. Lower heat to 350 if the pastry is getting too brown. Serve with a green salad.

Curried chicken salad with dried cherries

I was having a friend for lunch today and wanted to make a delicious (and healthy) meal for us to share. I made this recipe a while ago for a Holiday hors'dourves and desserts class and thought it would be the perfect meal for us to share.

Here's my recipe for curried chicken salad with dried cherries:

1 lb. chicken tenderloins (you could also use leftover cooked chicken and season it)
2 Tsp. olive oil
pinch of each: curry powder, tumeric, cumin, dried coriander, salt and pepper
1/4 C. green onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely diced (the Vidalia Chop Wizard works well)
1/2 C. fat-free plain Greek yogurt
zest from 1 lime
1/4 C. dried cherries or cranberries
optional (1/4 C. toasted slivered almonds)

Preheat oven to broil. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lay chicken on foil, drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of each of the spices to each piece of chicken. Cook for 5 minutes per side.

While the chicken cooks, combine yogurt, lime zest, green onions, cherries and celery. Stir well.

Add chicken to a food processor and pulse a few times until chicken is shredded. Remove chicken and combine with yogurt mixture (and almonds if using). Taste and add salt as needed.

Trader Joe's 17 Bean and Barley soup mix

A friend gave me a bag of interesting looking mixed dried beans and barley from Trader Joe's last week and it's so darn cold and gray here I thought it was the perfect day to make this soup. The hardest part (which is really quite easy) is quick soaking the beans. Here's my recipe for delicious and very healthy 17 bean and barley soup with smoked turkey.

This soup can also be made vegetarian by omitting the turkey and using vegetable stock.

1 bag Trader Joe’s 17 bean soup mix, quick soaked and drained until ready to use.
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cubes frozen garlic
1 diced onion (think Vidalia chopper!)
1 C. each, diced carrot and celery
2 smoked turkey wings ( I found these at Shop Rite in Norwalk)
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
64 oz. chicken stock (or 3 Tbs. of Better than Bouillon and 64 oz. water)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1½ tsp. smoked fleur de sel or kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 bay leaves


Saute garlic, onion, carrots and celery on olive oil in a deep soup pot on medium high heat. Add the turkey, tomatoes and chicken stock and stir to combine. Add in remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for at least an hour, preferably longer.

Before serving, remove the bay leaves and turkey meat from the bones. Add turkey meat back into soup and serve.