Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Tart

Cuisine: Greek

Inspiration: I don’t buy phyllo dough often. There are a lot of sheets in just one box, and they don’t last very long in the fridge, so I only buy it when I have a lot of meals lined up that use phyllo. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time for just an occasion.

What we Loved: Before I made this tart, I was wondering if it was going to turn out a lot like spanakopita, because it uses many of the same ingredients. I was very surprised and happy to find out that this recipe had its own unique texture and taste that was very different from spanakopita. In particular, I really thought that the pine nuts and the Parmesan cheese gave the tart a really great flavor. The pine nuts were buttery and had a nice toasted taste, and the Parmesan cheese cooked really well into the top of the spinach and into the layers of crust, giving the tart a rich and nutty flavor. My favorite part about this recipe was that the tart came out of the oven really thin and really crispy, so that you could pick up the pieces like a piece of crispy thin-crust pizza. I still used a fork and a knife, because phyllo dough tends to make a mess, but I really loved that unexpected crispy texture. I served this with some roasted tomato soup for a nice, light supper.

Helpful Hints: The original recipe calls for you to use butter between the phyllo dough layers, but unless I’m making baklava, I almost always use extra virgin olive oil when working with phyllo. I think that it works great, but if you want that richer flavor, use butter.

Similar Recipes: puff pastry spanakopita, spanakopita

Spinach, Feta, and Pine Nut Tart

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from Epicurious

I made a few changes to the ingredients to adjust to what I had on hand and to my preferences. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

½ cup pine nuts
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
1 16 oz package frozen chopped spinach
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
7 sheets phyllo dough (12”x17”)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Toast the pine nuts in a small saucepan over medium heat until lightly browned.

2. Cook the frozen spinach according to package instructions. Drain all excess water from the spinach.

3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the onions until they are softened. Add the garlic, and saute for an additional minute.

4. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the spinach, onions, pine nuts, salt, and feta, and stir to combine.

5. Place the phyllo sheets on a clean surface, covered with a damp towl. Pour some extra virgin olive oil on a small plate, and grease a baking sheet.

6. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the baking sheet, and brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle with just a bit of Parmesan cheese. Repeat with the rest of the phyllo sheets.

7. Spoon the spinach filling on top of the phyllo, spreading evenly and leaving the outer 1 1/2 inches of phyllo dough free of filling.

8. Fold the edges of the phyllo dough pastry over the filling, leaving the center uncovered. Lightly brush the top of the phyllo dough with oil, and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the spinach filling.

9. Bake at 375 for approximately 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned.

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Portabella Bourguignon

Cuisine: French

Inspiration: I have a wonderful husband. Last week, B told me that he wanted to make a special supper for me on Friday night. He picked out the entire meal and cooked everything himself while I relaxed after work. I came downstairs to this wonderful surpise. He is the sweetest person.

What we Loved: I felt like I was out at our favorite fancy restaurant while I was eating this. It was so good. B made a version of a bourguignon sauce from Smitten Kitchen that used portabellas as the base, then he topped it with rosemary-crusted grilled lamb. The sauce was incredibly rich, and it had so many different flavors from the mushrooms, the onions, the wine, and the spices. I really loved the flavor that the red wine gave the sauce, and it was perfect to enjoy a glass of that same wine alongside the meal. The lamb tasted wonderful with a nice char on the outside and a perfectly moist texture on the inside. B served this with a loaf of crusty bread to dip into the extra sauce, some skewers of grilled zucchini, squash, and bell peppers, and a bottle of wine. I’ve got to say that I think it was the best dinner that I’ve ever had.

Helpful Hints: Resist the urge to flip the lamb more than once after you put it on the grill. This will allow the lamb to get nice and charred, which really lends a great flavor to the meat. Though you traditionally use a burgundy wine in a bourguignon recipe, B used a cotes du rhone to pair better with the flavor of the lamb. We both thought that it was perfect.

Other Recipes: red wine beef stew with portabellas

Grilled Rack of Lamb with Portabella Bourguignon
Source for the bourguignon: Smitten Kitchen
Source for the rest of the meal: original recipe

B omitted the carrots and the pearl onions from the bourguignon sauce, but otherwise made it as written. The recipe for the entire meal follows.

For the Portabella Bourguignon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a  heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken but haven’t yet lost any liquid, approximately three to four minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan.

2. Lower the heat to medium, and add the second tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onions, thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper into the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

3. Add the wine to the pan, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to high, and reduce the mixture by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the beef broth. Add the mushrooms and any juices that have collected back into the pan. Once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are very tender.

4. Combine the remaining butter and the flour with a fork, and stir it into the sauce. Lower the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Lamb
1 recipe portabella bourguignon sauce
1 rack of lamb (ours was 6 bone)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus more for garnish

1. Let the rack of lamb come to room temperature. If the lamb isn’t already trimmed of fat, trim most of the fat from the outside, leaving only a small layer (approximately 1/8 inch).

2. Drizzle the lamb with olive oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Coat with the chopped rosemary.

3. Wrap the bones of the lamb in foil before placing on the grill, to avoid blackening.

4. Grill the lamb over medium heat for 17-20 minutes, flipping only once halfway through cooking.

5. Slice the lamb between the bones, and serve it over the bourguignon sauce, garnished with additional rosemary.

Baked Shredded Chicken Taquitos

Cuisine: Mexican/Tex-Mex

Inspiration: We have a great place in town that makes fresh tortillas and tortilla chips, and I really like buying their products because they’re local and they taste far better than other tortillas that I’ve bought from the store.  Their white corn tortillas come in pretty big packages, though, so I’ve had some stored away in the freezer for a few weeks now that I wanted to use. I usually make enchiladas as a default use for corn tortillas, but those didn’t fit into my health plans this week. With some extra salsa in the fridge and a chicken breast that needed to be used, these taquitos were perfect.

What we Loved: I’m really pleased with how these came out. The shells got very crispy and crunchy in the oven,  they held together perfectly, and there’s nothing like the taste of a corn tortilla when you’re eating a Mexican meal. The chicken filling was really flavorful, and the salsa that we used as a dipping sauce was our favorite part. We used a roasted garlic chipotle salsa that we bought at Trader Joe’s (highly recommended!), and it was really just the perfect garlicy flavor to compliment the rest of the flavors in the taquitos.  These were crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, spicy and garlicy from the salsa, and just the perfect combination of flavors and textures.

Helpful Hints: Make sure that you heat up the tortillas in the microwave between moist paper towels before attempting to make the taquitos. I heated three tortillas at a time for one minute, so the tortillas were very hot and pliable. If you don’t do this, your tortillas will crumble, they won’t roll, and they won’t hold together. I also thought that these would be great with some guacamole as a second dipping sauce.

Other Mexican Recipes: pork stew with smoky tomato sauce, potatoes, and avocados; mahi-mahi tacos

Baked Shredded Chicken Taquitos
Source: Original Recipe, with inspiration from For the Love of Cooking

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 vidalia onion, very finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 4 oz can mild green chiles
3-4 tablespoons Greek yogurt, more if necessary
12 white corn tortillas
Extra virgin olive oil
Salsa for dipping

1. Sprinkle each side of the chicken breast with salt and pepper, then generously coat it with chili powder and cumin. Use your figures to rub the spices into the chicken to create a crust.

2. Grill the chicken until cooked through. We used a George Foreman grill and cooked the chicken for 8 minutes. When the chicken is done and has cooled, very finely shred it and place it in a bowl.

3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, and saute the onions until they are starting to brown. Add the garlic, and saute for an additional 30 seconds.

4. Add the onion mixture to the chicken. Add the green chiles and the Greek yogurt, and stir very well to combine and to further break down the chicken. Depending on the size of your chicken breast, you may need to use more yogurt to get a moist consistency.

5. Heat 3 tortillas at a time in the microwave between moist papertowels for 1 minute. Fill each tortilla with about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture, and roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. Place on a greased baking sheet, seam side down. Continue until all of the taquitos are made.

6. Brush the top of each taquito with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.

7. Serve with salsa and/or guacamole for dipping.

Breaded Zucchini and Squash

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: B’s mom cooks zucchini like this sometimes, and it’s something that we always enjoy when she makes it. She makes it a little differently than I did this time – cutting the zucchini and squash into thinner slices and using cornmeal as a breading – but the idea is the same. B just loves these, and now that I really love zucchini, I do too. We’ve been really into eating a lot of vegetables lately, and this was another great summer side dish.

What we Loved: These are crispy on the outside and super soft and hot on the inside, and I really love that contrast in textures. We’ve always eaten these just on their own in the past, but I served them this time with some marinara sauce sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for dipping, which I really loved. These make for a wonderful side dish (I served them this time with a phyllo dough caprese tart), but I can also see them working as a great appetizer. Another great thing about this dish is that it’s so simple and easy to prepare, only using a few ingredients and taking a few minutes to cook.

Helpful Hints: I sliced the zucchini and squash about 1/4 inch thick, which made the insides really soft and incredibly hot when you bite into them. I really love that, but if you’d like something crispier and almost more like a chip, you can slice these much thinner. When B’s mom makes these, she uses cornmeal instead of bread crumbs, which is another great option for a slightly different flavor.

Other Zucchini Recipes: sauteed zucchini with toasted garlic and lime, zucchini saute with almonds and Parmesan

Breaded Zucchini and Squash
Source: Adapted from B’s mom

1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 small yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
Extra virgin olive oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, more if necessary
1/2 cup marinara sauce
Shredded Parmesan, for garnish

1. Place the beaten egg into a shallow bowl, and place the bread crumbs into a second shallow bowl. Dip the zucchini and squash slices into the egg, then dip them into the breadcrumbs, coating both sides. Place the slices onto a plate as they are breaded.

2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, enough to just coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and squash slices. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until browned.

3. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Black Bean Burgers with Cumin Cheese and Avocado

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: B and I have had a fabulous summer. We’ve been riding bikes, grilling out, and generally enjoying the great weather. We were lucky enough to travel to Europe, and we’ve got some great mini-vacations and time with family and friends lined up for the rest of the summer. When we’re home for a weekend, we love to explore the downtown restaurants, and with our new love of beer, we’ve been trying everything that the breweries in town have to offer.  That being said, sometimes we need a solid week or two of vegetables, fish, and vegetarian meals to even things out :)

What we Loved: I really fell in love with this sandwich. The black bean burgers had a ton of spice and flavor with the inclusion of cumin, chili powder, garlic, anaheim peppers, and onions. I also loved the nice brown crust that formed on the burgers while cooking, which was a good contrast to the soft inside of the burgers. All of the different flavors paired so well with a cumin seed cheese that I bought at a local wine shop and with a generous helping of mashed avocado. I’ve been really into avocados lately, and I don’t think that you can ever go wrong when adding avocado to a sandwich. And the cumin seed cheese, if you can find something similar, is amazing! It has such a strong, fantastic cumin taste. All together, this sandwich was a great burst of flavor, and I’m glad to have a couple of extra burgers tucked away in the freezer for later.

Helpful Hints: A cheese like the cumin seed cheese that I used might be difficult to find, but I would think that a couple of great alternatives would be pepperjack or a sharp cheddar. Really, the toppings for this burger are endless. With the leftovers, I’m thinking of using goat cheese and green chiles.

Other Sandwich Recipes: grilled portabella caprese sandwich, turkey tango joes with chimichurri sauce

Black Bean Burgers with Cumin Cheese and Avocado
Source:  A Veggie Venture

I made a couple of changes to the recipe to adjust to what I had on hand. Here’s the recipe as I made it, to serve two and with two extra burgers to freeze.

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup anaheim peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 slices cheese
1 avocado
1 lime
Sprinkle of kosher salt
2 whole wheat hamburger buns

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onions and peppers, and cook until they are just beginning to brown. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

2. Transfer the onion mixture to a food processor. Add the cilantro, and process for just a few pulses until the mixture is roughly chopped. Add the beans, and pulse just a few more times until the beans are broken down but still in small chunks. You do not want a puree.

3. Transfer the bean mixture to a bowl, and add the bread crumbs, egg, chili powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt. Mix well, and form the mixture into four burgers.

4. Heat another drizzle of olive oil in the saute pan. Add the burgers, and cook for approximately 3 minutes to brown. Flip the burgers when they are brown. Add the slices of cheese, cover the pan, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

5. While the burgers are cooking, mash the avocado in a bowl. Add a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lime juice.

6. Serve the burgers on hamburger buns, topped with the mashed avocado.

Vegetable Tian

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: B’s parents have a huge garden with all kinds of wonderful produce, and they stocked us up with some great vegetables while we were visiting over the weekend. With my crisper drawer full of fresh zucchini, squash, cucumbers, peppers, and lettuce, I’ve been on the hunt for some great new recipes to try. This one was perfect!

What we Loved: Roasted vegetables of any kind are always delicious, and B and I loved the combination here of onions, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes. The flavors were all so fresh and healthy, and I particularly liked the added flavor that came with a sprinkle of thyme. B really loves the sweetness of roasted tomatoes, and we both enjoyed the extra touch of flavor that came from just a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Parmesan has such a strong, nutty flavor that you really only need a bit, which keeps this side dish nice and healthy. I served this with some prosciutto-wrapped mahi-mahi for a guilt-free meal.

Helpful Hints: If you want this dish to be more of a gratin, you can add a nice coating of gruyere cheese to the top, as the original recipe states. We wanted this to be really healthy, so I just added a sprinkle of Parmesan, and we really loved it that way.  

Other Vegetable Recipes: roasted tomatoes, zucchini saute with almonds and Parmesan

Vegetable Tian
Source: Adapted from For the Love of Cooking, originally from Ina Garten

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 small yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2 small tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
Kosher salt and black pepper
Thyme
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onions, and cook until they begin to brown, approximately 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

2. Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil. Spread the onions evenly across the bottom of the dish.

3. Arrange the zucchini, squash, and tomato slices in a single layer atop the onions. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme.

4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Add the Parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes, or longer for more browning.

Grilled Portabella Caprese Sandwich

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: We always want to squeeze every drop of summer out of the year that we can, and that means a lot of grilling!

What we Loved: This meal is so easy to prepare and so healthy to eat, and it still has a ton of flavor.  Caprese salad (mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil) is great on its own, but it’s even better when you add a nicely charred mushroom cap. I love to eat vegetarian meals a couple of times a week, and this is a great grilled vegetarian meal that tastes just like summer. And it can be on your plate in about 15 minutes, which is really nice for a busy night.

Helpful Hints: I think that this sandwich is deserving of a grilled sandwich bun. We ate ours without grilling the buns, and they were great, but I really think that grilling the bun would give the sandwich a nice, crispy texture that it was missing. I also think that adding a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of black pepper on top would taste wonderful.

Other Portabella Recipes: grilled portabella mushrooms stuffed with zucchini and roasted yellow peppers, portabella mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives

Grilled Portabella Caprese Sandwich
Source: Original Recipe, to serve 2

2 large portabella mushroom caps
Extra virgin olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
4 slices tomato
A handful of fresh basil
2 whole wheat hamburger buns
Balsamic vinegar or black pepper, if desired

1. Drizzle both sides of the mushroom caps with extra virgin olive oil, and grill until the mushrooms are browned, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Place the mushrooms on the buns, and assemble the sandwich using mozzarella, basil, and tomato slices. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or sprinkle with black pepper if desired.

Cumin-Crusted Scallops over Pepperjack Polenta with Roasted Vegetables

Cuisine: Southwestern

Inspiration: Whenever I’m out eating somewhere, I always take note of things that I love. At a restaurant here in town a few months back, I ordered scallops that were coated in cumin and blackened, and I really enjoyed them. While in Austria, one of my dishes came with a side of tiny cubes of roasted zucchini and peppers, and B and I both thought that the vegetables tasted amazing. One of my favorite new ways to cook is to store up little odds and ends that I enjoy from other places, and then throw them into my own meals at home.

What we Loved: I thought that the flavors and textures of this dish all combined really well. I loved the mixture of the creamy, pepperjack polenta with the crispy roasted flavor of the vegetables and the soft cumin scallops. The vegetables added a surprising amount of flavor to the meal, which I was really happy about. All together, this meal was really great for a healthy summer evening.

Helpful Hints: I always think that the most important thing about cooking scallops is to make sure that you don’t overcook them. If they’re overcooked, they end up getting really stiff and rubbery, and to me, it ruins the meal. When searing the scallops for this dish, they only need about 2 minutes per side. My biggest piece of advice is to take the scallops off of the heat just when you’re starting to question if they’re done yet. They will be!

Other Scallop Recipes: prosciutto-wrapped scallops

Cumin-Crusted Scallops over Pepperjack Polenta with Roasted Vegetables
Source: Original Recipe

For the scallops
8 sea scallops
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

For the polenta
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
2-3 oz cubed pepperjack cheese

For the Vegetables
1 small zucchini, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the zucchini and red pepper on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, spreading the vegetables in an even layer. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until browned, flipping the vegetables a few times for even cooking.

2. Meanwhile, add the water to a medium saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta, stirring to prevent clumping. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring and scraping the sides of the pan often. When the polenta is done, add the pepperjack cheese, stir to combine, and reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep warm until serving.

3. Mix together the flour, cumin, chili powder, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Dip each side of the scallops into the mixture. Heat a stainless steel saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Wait until the oil starts to smoke, then add the scallops. To allow the crust to form, do not move the scallops once you’ve placed them in the pan. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, flip the scallops after approximately 2 minutes. The scallops should release from the pan when they are ready to be flipped. Cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side.

4. Serve the vegetables and the scallops atop the polenta.

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Zucchini and Roasted Yellow Peppers

Cuisine: American

Inspiration: One of the best things about summer is that it’s grilling season. And after being back from a long vacation for less than a week, B and I were still really exhausted and needed to spend some time at home. We were both happy and relieved for the long holiday weekend, and we took advantage of it by getting a lot of sleep and by grilling a lot of great meals. I always love a really healthy grilled meal, and this fit the bill perfectly.

What we Loved: While we both love portabella mushrooms, this was actually the first time that we’ve grilled them. I would definitely recommend grilling portabellas if you haven’t before, because the added charred flavor that comes from the grill is amazing! B is the one who takes care of grilling in our house, and he does such a great job. He grilled these up until they were perfectly browned and delicious, and I really don’t think that I’ve tasted a better mushroom. For the filling, I mixed up a combination of roasted yellow peppers, diced zucchini, sauteed onions, and some seasonings, and all of the flavors combined really well for a fresh, healthy taste.

Helpful Hints: I made a bit too much stuffing for the mushrooms, so B just threw the rest on the grill atop some foil until it was cooked through. This worked great, because it added some of that grilled flavor to the extra filling, and we just ate it alongside the rest of our supper.

Other Stuffed Portabella Recipes: portabella mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomatoes and kalamata olives, portabella mushrooms stuffed with spinach and artichoke dip 

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms stuffed with Zucchini and Roasted Yellow Peppers
Source: Original Recipe

2 large portabella mushroom caps
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 vidalia onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 very small zucchini, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, roasted and finely diced (directions follow)
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Place the yellow pepper onto a baking sheet, and place it under the broiler for approximately 15 minutes to thoroughly blacken the skin, flipping halfway through cooking. Remove the pepper from the oven, place it in a bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10-15 minutes. Peel the blackened skin from the pepper, and then remove the stem and seeds. Finely dice.

2. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan. Add the onion, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute. Pour the onion mixture into a bowl, and set aside.

3. Rinse the mushroom caps to remove any dirt. Cut out the stems, and then finely chop. Add the chopped stem pieces to the onion mixture. Add the diced zucchini, diced yellow pepper, and bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and mix to combine.

4. Drizzle both sides of the mushroom caps with olive oil, and grill them until the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, approximately 10 minutes. When the mushrooms are nearly done, top them with the stuffing, and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Inspiration: Home from Europe with a completely bare pantry, I sat down to make a grocery list and B immediately requested this soup. I absolutely love when he requests anything specific for dinner, so I added it to the menu for our first meal back in the States :)

What we Loved: I’ve made chicken tortilla soup many times over the years. I got my original recipe from allrecipes.com, and it’s been one of those recipes that I’ve made a little bit differently every time because I’ve never been completely satisfied with it. This time, I think that I finally found the recipe that I’m going to keep. This soup is very easy to make, and it has a nice, slightly spicy tomato flavor. It’s very hearty, especially with the addition of avocado cubes, pepperjack cheese cubes, and tortilla chips. My favorite thing about this soup is the creamy contrast of the avocado cubes with the spicy flavor of the soup and the chicken. I photographed this soup before adding the tortilla chips because I didn’t want them to get soggy as I took pictures, but the tortilla chips are of course an essential part of the soup. B particularly loves eating a bunch of chips with his soup, and I really love the added crunch, too.

Helpful Hints: You can certainly cook your chicken any way that you want to for this soup, but I think it adds a great flavor to season the chicken, grill it, and then slice it up before adding it to the pot. In the past, I’ve poached the chicken and shredded it, which is a bit easier, but I’ve really moved away from that method of cooking because I feel like it completely takes away all of the flavor and moisture of the chicken. This time, I seasoned my chicken with just salt and liberal amounts of cracked black pepper before grilling, but next time I’m also going to rub it with cumin and chili powder for a nice crust.

Other Soup Recipes: rosemary tomato soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to preference, grilled, and cut into small pieces
1 vidalia onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Extra virgin olive oil
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 14.5 oz can tomato sauce
3 cups chicken broth
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Avocado, pepperjack cheese, cilantro, and tortilla chips, for garnish

1. In a dutch oven or pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, and heat over medium heat. Add the diced onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook for an additional minute.

2. Add the chicken, diced tomatoes, green chiles, tomato sauce, and chicken broth to the pot. Season with the cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 30+ minutes.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with cubed avocado, cubed pepperjack cheese, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of black pepper. Serve with tortilla chips.