Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat

I looooove the Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  I don't like the price for the itty bitty cup - or having to get it within a certain time (seriously been there right as they were throwing it out...no soup for me).  So I made it a mission to find a copycat.  I did, but I had to tweak it a bit.  I read the actual ingredients on the Panera site - which were not included.  Of course I had to add them. I also tweaked the ingredient prep.  It called for julienned carrots, I shredded them just on a large cheese grater.  Pulsed in my food processor.  For the broccoli, just chop finely.  I didn't remove and blend in a blender (which I need).  You could use an immersion blender easily, if you have one.  If your ingredients are chopped finely enough, you can get away with skipping that part.
 It turned out great and Mike loved it.


Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat
Serves 4 | Difficulty 3 | 60 min total time (prep - finished)


Ingrediets
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium chopped
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrots, shredded (then pulsed with food processor)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz (or more if desired) sharp cheddar, grated
Dash of hot sauce (Tabasco or Lousiana) to taste
Dijon mustard to taste




Directions
Suate onion in 1 tbsp melted butter.  Set aside.  Cook 1/4 c melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.  Stir constantly and slowly add the half and half (this is called making a roux).  Add the chicken stock, whisking all the time.  Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions.  Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  The soup should be thickened by now.  *Pour in to blender in batches and puree.  Return to pot over low heat.  Add the grated cheese, Dijon mustard,  hot sauce, nutmeg and paprika.  Stir until well blended.  Serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

I've always liked this dish, but thought that it would a pain to make.  Quite the opposite.  It was fast (except for pounding the chicken breasts) and easy.

The recipe calls for less cheese than I normally prefer.  I would recommend throwing an extra slice of Swiss cheese on there.

 This is a great dish; easy, fast, and delicious.  

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 thin slices of ham

4 oz of Swiss or Bleu Cheese (or more if you prefer)

1 tablespoon of melted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Mix the melted butter and egg together in a medium bowl - set aside.

Pound the chicken to about 1/3" thick.  Place the ham on the breast followed by the cheese.  Roll up the chicken breast, secure with a toothpick.  Dip the chicken breast in the mix of egg and melted butter mix.   Make sure that breast is thoroughly coated.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on a separate plate, the roll the chicken breasts in the cheese.  Roll around so that the breasts have a nice layer of cheese.  Place in to a buttered (I use olive oil) baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until browned and tender. 

Serve with your favorite vegetable side dish.

 

Low Carb Texas Chili

Yes, I've joined the masses doing low carb. But I'm eating healthy and I love it. And in my search for low carb food, I wanted chili. And on a Chili Database site (which I HIGHLY recommend checking out!) I found a low carb version. And it is gooood. Like really good. My one complaint - it's not as thick as I normally like (need to order Thick and Thin/Not Starch).  Oh, and I added a little bit of chopped stewed tomatoes. So add starch or a thickener of your choice. But this stuff is great, little bit of sour cream and cheddar, and you're set.

Low Carb Texas Chili

Serving Size : 6

http://www.massrecipes.com/recipes/03/08/texaschililowcarb259118.html

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

3 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or use an

additional teaspoon regular chile powder)

3 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 (8 ounce) can no-sugar added tomato sauce

4 tomato sauce cans water

Brown the meat, onion and garlic in a large pot; drain grease well.

Add all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low;

cover and simmer 1- 1 1/2 hours.

283 Calories; 18g Fat; 25g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber;

4g Net Carbs

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken

I can make no claim to this recipe, but someone at McCormick did a damn good job and I <3 them for it.  And sadly I went in really hoping I would not be left with junky bbq on the 4th of July.  It was stupid easy.  Really.  You could have a 10 year old make this.  :)  And it was beyond amazing.  I have grown up on thicker bbq sauces so I thew several tablespoons of cornstarch in.  Voila!  I did mine on kaiser rolls with sliced cheddar cheese.  And some grilled corn on the cob (roll the uncooked [washed] corn in olive oil and fresh ground sea salt.  Mmmmm.).  Makes a great easy meal.  

Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Chicken

Makes 8 servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours on LOW or 2 1/2 hours on HIGH

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
 2. Mix Seasoning, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and water until blended. Pour over chicken. Cover.
 3. Cook 5 hours on LOW or 2 1/2 hours on HIGH. Remove chicken from slow cooker.
 4. Shred chicken using 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker; mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.
Test Kitchen Tip: Substitute 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs for chicken breasts. Cook 4 hours on HIGH.

NUTRITION INFORMATION - per serving

Calories: 236 - Fat: 4 g - Carbohydrates: 21 g - Cholesterol: 78 mg - Sodium: 780 mg - Fiber: 1 g - Protein: 29 g

Summer Time is Spy Pie Time

I actually just pulled this recipe back out now that even Hell is trying to stay cool from the searing heat.  It's a family classic, my Pepa loves it, and damnit, it's just great in summer.  Since I grew up with it, it's one of those things I can't imagine summer without it!

Spy Pie

Ingredients

1 package of partially thawed berries (any flavor or mix), about 16oz

****KEEP THEM PARTIALLY THAWED****

1 cup sugar

2 egg whites

2 tbsp lemon juice 

1/2 - 3/4 of large tub of Cool Whip (do not get the Extra Creamy kind!)

2 graham cracker pie crusts (if you can find the extra serving ones, those work great!)

Directions

Mix the first four ingredients together in a LARGE bowl on high speed with a hand mixer (I haven't tried my Kitchen Aid with this yet, but I can attest that it gets messy and you need a large bowl) for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.

Then mix in Cool Whip until light and fluffy.  Pour in to pie crusts.  Mound it up!  Left overs are great for custard cups

Freeze for at least 3 hours, until very firm.  Top with more Cool Whip, shaved chocolate, berries, etc.   

Old Bay Crab Cakes

I've always liked seafood.  But after living on the East Coast I now LOVE seafood.  

After moving back to Texas, that first summer Mike and I wanted crab, the usual summer food.  We went to Albertson's and were at the meat counter, trying to find something acceptable.  We got handed... imitation crab meat.  Not ok.  I have since found good crab meat, and the ingredients?  Jumbo lump crab meat. Whoo!  A winner for sure!


It's been warming, so my craving for a good crab cake has been increasing.  So I pulled the original recipe from the Old Bay web site while shopping, picked up my crab, and went to town.  :D 

I didn't have any dried bread, but I did that myself - preheat oven to 175-200, bake for 20-30 minutes or until crispy and dry.  Cool.

Since the patties were breaking apart as I was forming them, I went ahead an allowed for the 30 minutes to chill in the fridge as suggested.  


Here it is - the original Old Bay recipe (I can't claim to be this awesome.  Go check out their recipe section!)
Serves 4 (I got 5 very large cakes out of it!)

Ingredients

2 slices dried bread, crusts removed

milk

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon McCormick® Parsley Flakes

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon OLD BAY® Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 pound lump crabmeat

Directions

In a large bowl, break bread into small pieces. Moisten with milk.

Add mayo, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, baking powder, OLD BAY, salt, egg and crabmeat. Mix lightly and shape into patties. If time permits, refrigerate patties 30 minutes to help keep them together when cooking.

Broil or fry until golden-brown on both sides. 

*The baking powder makes the crab cakes light and fluffy.   

*I broiled mine.  I recommend the Reynolds Nonstick aluminum foil to line the cookie sheet, 10 minutes on each side.  

*Also, as good as they were, I think I would prefer more Old Bay - maybe 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp more than what is called for in this recipe.  But I love Old Bay.  

 Crab cakes before chilling...

Finished product!  Mmmmm!

Mediterrranean Chicken Wraps

I know it has been a long time.  I haven't had the time, and frankly, the gumption to make anything new.

But this year at Scarborough Faire there is the most amazing garlic booth.   If you like garlic, you have to check them out.

We tasted and tested at their booth and finally ended up with (today's) purchase.  Starving on the way home, we popped in to Albertson's to coe up with a tasty concoction with our new purchase.  :D

I had some hummus from Whole Foods I've been snacking on, and decided between that and the Spicy Herb Pickled Garlic, I could come up with something tasty.   And I did.

1 package of Sundried Tomato Basil Mission Tortilla Wraps

Crumbled Feta Cheese

Light Olive Oil

Chicken breasts, sliced in strips

Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced

Calamata Olives, diced

Spicy Herb Pickled Garlic, diced in medium sized pieces

Hummus

Cook your chicken slices in light olive oil, the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and  olives.  Warm the tortilla wraps.  Spread the hummus on to the tortillas, place in the chicken mixture, top with feta and roll.  Enjoy!!