Tortilla Soup
Ok, so you might think you would see this delicious recipe closer to Fall or Winter, but, let’s face it, it hasn’t exactly felt like Summer around here (Malibu, that is). After reading through my Rick Bayless Cookbook last night, I became obsessed with all of his soups. This one has been in my recipe box for years and though, my newest version is RAW and made in my VitaMix, I thought this was equally as delicious and a bit more “all-purpose”. I serve this with fresh cornbread & always top it with avocado, shredded cheese & corn chips. Kids LOVE this soup and it’s a great way to get some fiber and protein in them.
- Nonstick coconut oil spray (yes, it exists!)
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cups canned vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Add-In’s
- 4 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained
- 2/3 cup chopped zucchini
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chili (optional)
Spray large saucepan with coconut oil spray.
Add onion and garlic; cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and chili powder. Add broth and 2 tablespoons cilantro; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until flavors blend, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Add tortillas, tomatoes, beans, zucchini and jalapeñp to soup. Cover; simmer until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro & top with shredded cheese & avocado if you like!!
Pineapple & Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Green Onion Rice
Prepare your white or (hopefully) brown rice according to the package. When it’s done, put in a bowl and add 1-2 chopped green onions (optional), salt, pepper & any left over herbs you may have – cilantro, thyme or tarragon would work well…cover & set aside. You may also want to add one drop of sesame oil, seseame seeds and/or chopped nori (seaweed paper). You will need 10-14 wooden skewers. If you don’t have any, NO problem, just serve this chicken over rice, baking on a cookie sheet as described (without the skewers at all).
Marinade
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce – please choose an all natural one, with no high fructose corn syrup!
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove – chopped
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 tbls agave nectar
- 1 pound chicken tenders
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 small can crushed pineapple or 1/2 fresh pineapple chopped
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour to keep from burning later.
Mix first five marinade ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken. Submerge chicken in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Thread 1 chicken tender on each skewer towards end of the stick (fun part for the kids), and line up on a sheet pan. Top the chicken with the crushed drained pineapple. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked through. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving with the Green Onion Rice.
Penne with Wilted Spinach & Pine Nuts
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- 1 lb penne or similar shaped pasta
- 3 tablespoons ghee (or butter or clarified butter)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (1 1/4 oz)
- 1 garlic clove – chopped
- 2 (8- to 10-oz) bags baby spinach
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus additional for serving
Cook penne in boiling salted water in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot until al dente or according to package directions, then drain in a colander.
Combine ghee, oil, and pine nuts in cleaned and dried pot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until nuts are pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Stir in greens and cook, stirring, until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Add penne, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Stir in cheese and serve immediately with additional cheese on the side.
From start to plate, these little tasty morsels take about 35 minutes to prep, cook and serve and if you have a little one around who loves rolling meatballs, then this can turn into a great half hour of time with your little chef.
I served this batch with simple cut leafy greens, peanut butter noodles & brown rice with tamari. More on how I did that all in 35 minutes, below!
Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs
- 1# ground turkey (or chicken)
- 1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tbls chopped ginger
- 2 tbls chopped cilantro – optional
- 1/2 cup prepared teriyaki sauce (i like soyaki in the blue & white bottle)
- 3 tbls coconut oil
In a medium bowl, quickly combine all of the above ingredients (except coconut oil-that goes in a large skillet). I like to use a small ice cream scoop to make my meatballs (and if i’m alone), but you can easily roll these by hand. Heat up your pan (on medium heat) with coconut oil and as you make these, drop them carefully into the oil. When they are brown on one side (about three minutes or so), gently turn them over. When they are all turned over, lower heat and cover with a lid for about 7 minutes. Done.
If you want to add the Peanut Butter Noodles, then while the meatballs are cooking, combine the following ingredients in a medium bowl. It helps if you have already boiled a batch of whole wheat thin spaghetti, but you can easily pop that on the oven at this time too. If you don’t think your child will eat anything remotely exotic like these noodles, then keep their noodles plain with butter and add all of the fun stuff to yours!
Peanut Butter Noodles
- 3 tbls tamari
- 2 tbls rice vinegar
- 3 tbls smooth creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbls chopped ginger
- 3 tbls chopped cilantro
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 1/2 # whole wheat thin spaghetti (pre-cooked)
Whisk it all together and set aside. When your noodles are done, drain them and add them to this sauce, tossing gently. I used Trader Joe’s Instant Brown Rice (ready in 2 minutes) and drizzled some tamari on top! An instant hit in my house!
