Sunday, March 13, 2011

1st Week of Lenten Recipes

Our soup adventure has begun. Here are the recipes for our first week of Lent.


Peruvian Quinoa Stew serves 6

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, cubed
1 cup vegetable broth
2 t ground cumin
2 t chili powder, or to taste
1 t ground coriander
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 t dried oregano
1 t coarse salt, to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped

[1] Rinse quinoa.

[2] Place quinoa in pot with the water, and cook on medium low heat about 15 minutes until soft, and water is absorbed.

[3] While quinoa cooks, in a covered pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

[4] Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

[5] Add the bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and broth.

[6] Stir in the cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne, and oregano and simmer, covered for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

[7] Stir the cooked quinoa into the stew and add salt to taste. Top with cilantro and serve immediately.


Tomato Tortellini Soup serves 4+

4 cups of vegetable broth
2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup marinara sauce or any jarred pasta sauce
1 yellow onion , chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 T Italian seasonings
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 9-ounce package fresh, cheese-filled tortellini
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


[1] In a slow cooker, combine broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, garlic and salt and pepper.

[2] Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours. 20 minutes before serving, add tortellini and cook on low. If soup seems too thick, add water to thin. Garnish with cheese.

Do not leave tortellini too long or it will fall apart. :)


Chicken Tortilla Soup, serves 4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 white onion , chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic clove(s), chopped
1 3/4 cups beef broth
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 jalapeño pepper , chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes with chilies, undrained
2 firm avocadoes , cored and chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, shredded

[1] Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop in the chicken breasts and boil for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Drain chicken in colander and let cool. Remove skin and shred or cube the meat.
[2] Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic in oil. Pour into the medium pot you used for chicken. Add beef and chicken broth, tomato sauce, cumin, chili
powder, jalapeno(to taste), salt, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes and chicken. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
[3]  Garnish with more tortilla strips, avocado slices
and cheese.
NOTE: garnish with green onion and sour cream if you have it on
hand.


Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Sauce serves 4

1-2 lbs pork tenderloin
2 Tablespoons olive oil
cooking spray
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup seedless blackberry jam
1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 orange
1 Tablespoon of flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

[1] Rinse pork and pat dry. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spray large OVEN PROOF skillet with cooking spray and place on the burner over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add pork and brown well on all sides, approximately 5 minutes.

[2] Set pan in the oven and bake until meat is no longer pink in center, about 15-20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees. Using an oven mitt, remove from the oven. Transfer meat to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

[3] Place skillet with drippings over medium high heat. Add beef broth, blackberry jam, vinegar, and 1 teaspoon zest from the orange and simmer for a few minutes. If sauce is too thin, add a littleflour to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

[4] Slice tenderloin into medallions and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with orange slices.


Beef Stew
, serves 4+

1½ pounds sirloin, cut into 2 inch cubes
½ pound new potatoes
12 pearl onions, peeled
½ pounds baby carrots
1 15 ounce can beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

[1] Place potatoes, onions and carrots in the bottom of the slow cooker and place the beef on top of vegetables. In a medium bowl, combine beef broth, oregano, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Pour over beef and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours.

[2] 15 minutes before serving, combine cornstarch and cold water. Gently stir cornstarch mixture into stew. Add parsley just before serving.



2 comments:

  1. Yum! Perfect timing- I'm set for the next week or two! Heading to grocery tomorrow! Thanks, they all sound wonderful- this is perfect soup weather!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm making the pork tenderloin tonight and the peruvian soup on Thursday! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete