Wine Steamed Halibut With Vegetables

Approx. 415 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I wanted something that was fresh and light tasting tonight, but was still filling. The vegetables were essentially boiled in white wine and the fish was steamed in it, providing a nice flavor in both. The amount of vegetables in this dish is probably really enough for two servings, so you could easily just double the amount of fish without making any other changes.

Ingredients

• 4 oz halibut fillet
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 cup Swiss chard
• 1 1/2 cup leeks
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Julienne washed leeks, chard, and carrots.
2. Cut 2 slices of lemon off the lemon half.
3. Add wine and water to a skillet and bring to a boil.
4. Add all the vegetables.
5. Place the fish fillet on top of the vegetables.
6. Squeeze juice from the lemon half on top of fish and then place two lemon slices on top.
7. Cover pan and turn heat down to simmer.
8. Simmer for 5 minutes or until fish flakes and vegetables are tender.
9. Drain off cooking liquid and serve.

Spicy butternut squash and leek saute

Approx. 220 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings

One of the dishes that I actually used my oven to cook (before it scared me) was roasted butternut squash slices, sprayed with a bit of olive oil and coated with garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. I usually would toss a couple of onions in too and get the nice roasted onion slices. It was delicious hot and also quite tasty cold, especially on a spinach salad. I was craving that, but not quite enough to test the scary oven. Instead, I adapted it to the stove (and used leeks instead of onions). It doesn't quite have the depth of flavor that the roasted squash had (or the yummy crispy edges), but it was still pretty tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash (approx. 4 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium leeks (approx. 1 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  

Directions

1. Peel squash and cut into thin slices; microwave for approx. 3 minutes or until nearly tender.
2. Wash and slice leeks.
3. Grate garlic and add to oil in a skillet.
4. Heat and then add leeks and remaining spices.
5. Saute leeks until tender.
6. Add microwaved squash and toss with leeks to fully coat with oil and spices.
7. Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

Chicken and winter vegetable soup

Approx 160 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

It was cold and rainy again today, so I made a nice hearty soup for dinner. I was going to take the leftovers to work tomorrow, but changed my mind and ate the entire pot of soup tonight since the brussel sprouts can get a bit "stinky" when reheated.

Ingredients

• 4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups Brussel sprouts
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 8 cups water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions

1. Slice Brussel sprouts in half, slice carrots and mushrooms, chop onion.
2. Add water, carrots, onion, chicken, and spices to a pot and bring to a simmer.
3. Cook until the chicken is done and the carrots are tender (about 15 minutes).
4. Add Brussel sprouts and cook 2-3 minutes, or until they are just tender.
5. Serve and garnish with sliced green onions.

Kohlrabi, lima beans, and tomatoes

Approx. 220 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Having grown up in the midwest, I associate kohlrabi with being something that is picked out of the garden in the middle of the summer. However, here in Phoenix, it is a winter crop. I've been so cold lately that I needed something that reminded me of summer, so I bought some kohlrabi, lima beans, and tomatoes. As a kid, I loved eating kohlrabi (and lima beans, and tomatoes....) but I only remember eating it raw - with a little sprinkle of salt. I decided to see what would happen if I cooked it.

This was unbelievably good! (If you dislike cabbage and/or turnips, you might not agree with me). Even BLU, my dog that HATES vegetables, was begging for kohlrabi pieces .... and eating them.... and begging for more! She spit out the lima bean that I gave her.

Just a warning if you make this dish. While it was delicous, it left a rather distinctive sour cabbage smell in the house that even Oust air freshener didn't make a dent in. My house smells like an old German grandma's house right now. I had planned to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, but I might have to rethink that - since it might "stink" up the place when I reheat them.

Ingredients

• 1 large kohlrabi (about 3 cups)
• 1 cup lima beans (I used frozen)
• 4 Roma or plum tomatoes (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 oz white wine
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove leaves and then peel the kohlrabi.
   (If the leaves are tender, you can add those too. If the skin is tender, you don't need to peel it. The skin was woody and the leaves were really tough on mine, so I removed them both.)
2. Julienne or matchstick cut the kohlrabi.
3. Dice the tomatoes.
4. Add the oil to a skillet and heat.
5. Add the kohlrabi and stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
6. Add the lima beans (I didn't bother to thaw them first), water, and a splash of white wine.
7. Let cook until the kohlrabi is tender and most of the fluid evaporates off.
8. Add the tomatoes and spices.
9. Cook until the tomatoes are hot all the way through and just start to soften.

Bok choy, shiitake mushroom, and cod soup

Approx. 240 Calories per serving.

I had a serving of bok choy and shiitake mushroom soup left over from last night that I decided to eat for lunch today. Instead of just popping it into the microwave, I added a little more water and then heated it on the stove. As it was heating, I tossed in a 2 oz. cod fillet and let it boil for about 3 minutes. It jazzed up the leftovers so it seemed more like a new dish.

The ingredients and directions are the same as yesterday's soup, except you just add a piece of cod or other white fish while reheating.

Bok choy and shiitake mushroom soup

Approx. 180 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

Even though it stopped raining today, it was still cold out and I had a chill that I couldn't get rid of. I made a big pot of piping hot spicy soup in an effort to get warm inside and out. I used fresh shiitake mushrooms, but you could easily make this with dried shiitake or with other varieties of mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bok choy
• 1 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbs grated ginger
• 2 Tbs soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 8 cups water
  

Directions

1. Wash and chop bok choy, separating stems from leaves.
2. Slice carrots and mushrooms, dice onion. and grate garlic and ginger.
3. In a soup pot, add oil, grated garlic and ginger, and red pepper flakes.
4. Heat until spices release their scent.
5. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook until softened.
6. Add water, bok choy stems, carrots, and soy sauce.
7. Cook until carrots are tender.
8. Add bok choy leaves and cook until wilted and tender.

Potato and Broccoli Soup

Approx. 350 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

It's Friday night and time to toss some unused veggies together into a soup. Earlier this week I ate the florets off the broccoli, but saved the stems. I chopped them up, added a few chopped potatoes and boiled them together to make this simple soup. I wish I would have had a more broccoli, since I tasted mostly potato with just a hint of broccoli. I would have liked the broccoli flavor to be stronger.

I also had a little chunk of Fiscalini's San Joaquin Gold cheese left over from a party earlier in the month. I shaved off several slices and added them to the soup. Since the cheese is already rather salty, I didn't add any salt to the soup. As I stirred in the cheese, not all of it completely melted, so I got nice little bits of gooey, globby, cheesy goodness in some bites. Yum!


Ingredients

• 3 cups potatoes
• 2 cups broccoli (I used stems only)
• 2 oz hard cheese
• water
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Wash and dice potatoes - approx. 1/2" cubes (I left the skin on)
2. Cut broccoli stems into 1/2" slices
3. Add broccoli and potatoes to a pot.
4. Add enough water to cover by about 1".
5. Add red pepper flakes, to taste (I used approx. 1/4 tsp)
6. Boil until potatoes and broccoli are soft.
7. Remove from heat and blend (I used an immersion blender).
8. Season with black pepper.
9. Serve, garnished with cheese (stir it in so it partially melts).

Black bean and chicken chili

Approx. 400 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

It's been cold and rainy this week, so I made a nice hot, spicy chili to warm me up. I used ground chicken breast, but you could easily use ground turkey, beef, or pork. I also was impatient while I was cooking it and didn't let the vegetables cook down very much, so mine were a little bit crispy (I only spent about 6 minutes of actual cooking time). Increase your cooking time if you want the vegetables to have a softer texture or the broth/sauce to be thicker.

Ingredients

• 4 oz ground chicken breast
• 1 can black beans
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 cloves garlic
• 7 Roma or plum tomatoes (approx. 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Drain and rinse beans.
2. Chop yellow onion, tomatoes, bell and jalapeno peppers, and slice green onions (green part only).
3. Grate garlic into a sauce pan and add oil.
4. Heat until oil sizzles and then add ground chicken.
5. Cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.
6. Add onion, jalapeno, cumin, and chili powder.
7. Cook until onion softens.
8. Add tomatoes, bell peppers, and water.
9. Cook until tomatoes cook down and soften.
10. Add black beans.
11. Simmer until vegetables are to desired level of tenderness and broth/sauce is to desired level of thickness.
12. Serve garnished with green onion.
    

Halibut with fennel and tomato sauce

Approx. 475 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I love the taste of fresh fennel and tomatoes together, and thought they would make a nice sauce to accompany the remaining halibut that I had. I didn't want to spend a lot of time getting the fennel soft; I grated it so that it would cook in about the same amount of time as the tomatoes.

I decided to toss in wine, basil, and a few olives to round out the flavor. I debated whether to make this more of a fish stew, but since I had luck pan frying the halibut last time, I decided to leave it in a single large piece. The only thing this meal was missing was a nice piece of crusty bread to mop up the remaining juices.

Ingredients

• 6 oz halibut
• 1/2 fennel bulb (approx. 1/2 cup)
• 4 small roma or plum tomatoes (approx. 3/4 cup)
• 4 large green olives
• 6 large basil leaves
• 4 oz white wine
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Remove outer layer of fennel bulb. Cut in half and remove core. Grate the fennel.
2. Dice the tomatoes, slice the green olives, and chiffonade cut the basil.
3. Rince the halibut. Pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Add olive oil to a skillet and heat. Once oil is hot, add fish.
5. Cook approx. 4 minutes on medium heat to brown the fish.
6. Flip the fish and add wine to the skillet. Cook approx. 4 more minutes, or until fish is done and flakes.
7. Remove fish and set aside.
8. Add fennel, tomatoes, and olives to the pan.
9. Cook until tomatoes are soft.
10. Add basil and mix together.
11. Serve with the cooked fish.

Halibut poached in lemon dill wine sauce

Approx. 450 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I bought fresh dill on Saturday, and it has been filling my kitchen with its wonderful aroma. I decided to make a nice simple sauce that would showcase the dill flavor. If you like your sauce a little richer, you can add some butter towards the end, right before you mix in the dill. I liked it light and bright from the lemon and the dill.

Ingredients

• 6 oz halibut
• 1 shallot
• 4 oz white wine
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbs fresh dill
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup haricot verts (or green beans) - I used frozen

Directions

1. Dice shallots and chop dill.
2. Rinse fish, pat dry, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Add oil to a skillet and heat.
4. Add fish to the hot oil. Cook until one side is browned.
5. Flip the fish and then add wine, juice from the lemon, and shallots.
6. Reduce heat to simmer.
7. Simmer until fish is done, shallots are tender, and the sauce has reduced.
8. Once fish is done, remove to plate, and then add dill to the sauce.
9. Pour sauce over the fish and serve with steamed haricot verts.

Spicy chicken lettuce wrap

Approx. 130 Calories per wrap. Recipe makes 6 wraps.

I bought fish at the Farmer's Market to cook for dinner tonight, but it was still frozen by the time I was ready to cook and I didn't want to deal with it. I made a quick trip to the grocery store and decided to buy a package of ground chicken breast. When I got home and surveyed the kitchen for available ingredients, I decided that a quick Asian-style lettuce wrap would be tasty and would use up some items that either needed to be eaten or tossed.

I normally wouldn't put tomatoes or rice in this dish, but I had a handful of cherry tomatoes left over from last week that were shriveling up and starting to look less than appealing. I also had some leftover rice from Chinese takeout and decided to toss that in too. Lucky for that, since I went a little crazy with the chili peppers (it was HOT!!) and the rice helped cut the spiciness.

Ingredients

• 8 oz ground chicken breast (or ground turkey)
• 3/4 cup onion
• 3/4 cooked rice
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Serrano chili peppers (adjust to your taste)
• 1/4 cup basil
• 1/4 cup green onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tbs soy sauce (low sodium)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 6 large lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Chop all herbs and vegetables.
2. Wash lettuce leaves and pat dry - make sure they are dry before serving!
3. Grate ginger and garlic into a skillet.
4. Add oil and heat until it sizzles.
5. Add ground chicken and cook until mostly white.
6. Add onion and chili peppers.
7. Cook until chicken is completely cooked and onion and chili peppers soften.
8. Add rice and water chestnuts, and cook until warm.
9. Add soy sauce and mix well.
10. Add basil and green onions, and cook until just wilted.
11. Scoop onto lettuce leaves to serve.
    

Halibut, sweet potato, and rapini curry

Approx. 420 Calories per serving (excluding rice). Recipe makes 2 servings.

I had another piece of halibut and some rice that was leftover from Chinese takeout, so I decided to make a savory curry to use them up. This turned out really tasty, and I ended up picking out (and eating) all the fish pieces that were in the second serving that I was saving for lunch tomorrow. I "justified" that decision because 1) I don't like leftover fish so I might as well eat it all while it is fresh and tasty and 2) my coworkers don't like leftover fish stinking up the microwave and break room. I'm still bringing the leftover veggies though - it hopefully will just be a little less aromatic at work.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. halibut
• 2 cups sweet potatoes
• 3 cups rapini leaves
• 2 green onions (approx. 1/8 cup)
• 1/2 cup bell peppers (mix of red, green, yellow)
• 2 Tbs curry powder
• 1 Tbs garlic powder (if you have fresh, add 2 cloves)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups water

Directions

1. Dice bell peppers and slice green onions.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into thin strips, fish into 1 inch cubes, and rapini leaves into bite sized pieces.
3. Add oil, curry powder, and garlic to a skillet; heat until it sizzles.
4. Add bell peppers and stir fry approx. 1 minute.
5. Add water, coconut milk, and sweet potatoes. Cook approx. 4 minutes or until sweet potatoes are almost tender.
6. Add fish and cook approx. 3 minutes or until done, turning occasionally.
7. Add rapini and cook until wilted.
8. Add green onion. Mix in and heat until warm.
9. Serve with rice.
   

Halibut and vegetables in spicy ginger teriyaki sauce

Approx. 385 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I bought a nice big piece of halibut and decided to cook half of it today. I wasn't sure what to make, but decided that I needed to use the rapini as it was getting a little wilted. I also had carrots and pea pods left over from the party, so tossed them in too. I thought a spicy Asian flavor would be good, and had a new bottle of spicy ginger teriyaki sauce. Unfortunately, I was a bit slow in getting it opened. I panicked that the fish was going to burn to the bottom of the pan once the water evaporated, and just dumped it on without shaking it well. Most of the red pepper flakes (that float at the top of the bottle) got dumped into the pan. It ended up spicier than I intended, but still tasty. If you use the same sauce, make sure to shake it well before adding.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. halibut
• 1/2 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup snap peas
• 1/2 cup rapini
• 2 Tbs spicy ginger teriyaki sauce (I used East-West brand)
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Add water to a large skillet and bring to a boil.
2. Add fish.
3. Once fish is cooked about half way, add carrots.
4. Once fish is white nearly the entire way up the side, flip, and then add remaining vegetables.
5. Cook until fish is done and all water evaporates off.
6. Add teriyaki sauce, coating fish and vegetables.
   

Mixed nuts and veggies with Thai red curry

Approx. 280 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

I'm still eating party leftovers tonight. I decided to mix leftover veggies with some of the nut mix that I had. The nut mixture contained cashews, almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts. All the nuts worked ok with this dish except for the pecans. They made it taste weird. I ended up picking them out and just eating them separately. I think it would have been better though if I had just used cashews.

Ingredients

• 1 cup celery
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup bell pepper (mixture of red, yellow, green)
• 1/4 cup mixed nuts (it would taste better if you just use cashews!!)
• 2 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1. Heat water and curry paste.
2. Add chopped celery and bell pepper.
3. Cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Add broccoli.
5. Cook until tender and water evaporates off.
6. Add nuts and mix well before serving.
   

Avocado stuffed with shrimp salad

Approx. 210 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I had some cocktail shrimp and lots of vegetables left over from a party that I had, so I needed to come up with a way to use some of the leftovers. I had kohlrabi slices left from the party, so I added those. If you don't have kohlrabi, you can use radishes, salad turnips, jicama, or just leave it out. Similarly, if you don't want the spice of a red chili pepper, you can add red bell pepper instead.

This doesn't use up much of the vegetables, but it makes a light and tasty lunch. I really enjoyed the combination of the crunchy vegetables, the sweetness of the shrimp, the "bite" of the chili, and the creaminess of the avocado.


Ingredients

• 1 medium avocado
• 3 oz. cooked shrimp
• 2 key limes
• 1/4 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup celery
• 1/4 cup kohlrabi
• 1/4 cup red chili pepper
• 2 tsp mayonnaise (I used low fat)

Directions

1. Finely dice vegetables and mix together.
2. Add mayo and juice from one key lime to the vegetables; mix together.
3. Remove tail shell from shrimp and slice shrimp in half lengthwise.
4. Add shrimp to the vegetables and gently mix together.
5. Cut avocado in half, remove pit, and then carefully peel off the skin.
6. Place an avocado half on each plate, filling it with half of the shrimp salad mixture.
7. Garnish with slices of the remaining key lime.

Herbed Squash and Brussel Sprouts

Approx. 125 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

I was in the mood for something warm and savory today. Brussel sprouts and butternut squash remind me of winter and since I felt wintery cold, I decided that they would be perfect together. I don't know what the technical cooking term is (or even if there is one) for a shallow skillet boil/saute/steam/braise, but that's how I cooked it.

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (approx 2 1/2 cups)
• 12 small Brussel sprouts (approx. 1 1/3 cup)
• 1/8 cup vegetable stock
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp butter

Directions

1. Peel butternut squash and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Clean, trim, and cut Brussel sprouts in half.
3. Add water and vegetable stock to a skillet. Bring to a boil.
4. Add spices and mix well.
5. Add vegetables and mix well.
6. Cook until everything is tender but not mushy (approx. 4 minutes).
7. Add butter to skillet and let it melt, coating vegetables.
8. Serve as side dish (or meal).

Shrimp with garlic lemon Swiss chard

Approx. 180 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 serving.

The meat counter at the grocery store had shrimp already marinated for scampi. I decided to pass on those and just get the large (pre-cooked) shrimp, but then kept thinking of the delicious taste of lemon and garlic together. When I got home, I decided to make a lemon garlic shrimp and serve it mixed with Swiss chard instead of pasta. It was quite tasty. When I add shrimp to a dish, I like to remove the tail shell, so it is less messy to eat. If you like the shell for presentation, feel free to leave it on.

Ingredients

• 6 large shrimp (approx. 2.5 oz)
• 4 cups Swiss chard leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 Tbs olive oil

Directions

1. Wash chard and remove stems (save stems for another recipe).
2. Cut chard into bite sized pieces.
3. Grate garlic and zest lemon peel.
4. Add oil, garlic, and lemon zest to a skillet and heat.
5. Once oil is hot, toss in chard, and heat until wilted.
6. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon.
7. Add shrimp and cook until done (or until warm if using pre-cooked shrimp).
   

Sauteed Arugula with Grapefruit and Leeks

Approx. 145 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 2 servings.

One of the farmers at the market this weekend was selling arugula flowers. A bunch cost $1.50 (including the leaves) and I decided to give them a try.

The farmer suggested tossing the flowers into a salad, but I was cold and wanted to eat something warm. I decided that I would saute the arugula with a leek and a grapefruit, and then garnish with the flowers.

I made a bit of a mess while attempting to segment the grapefruit. Here's a video of how to segment a grapefruit if you don't know how to do it. She's much more proficient at it than I am!

While I was cooking the arugula, I tossed a piece of steak on the George Foreman grill.

This is what my full meal looked like.

Ingredients

• 4 cups arugula (plus flowers if you have them)
• 1 leek (approx. 1 cup)
• 1 medium grapefruit (approx. 2/3 cup of segments)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock

Directions

1. Remove arugula flowers (if you have them) and set aside.
2. Clean and chop leek and arugula leaves.
3. Segment the grapefruit, squeezing juice from peel or remaining fruit, and set aside.
4. Add oil to a skillet and heat.
5. Saute the leek until tender.
6. Add vegetable stock and arugula.
7. Saute until tender.
8. Add grapefruit segments (and any juice you collected).
9. Heat until grapefruit is warm.
10. Serve garnished with arugula flowers.
    
    

Swiss Chard and Chicken

Approx. 280 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 1 (very large) serving.

I love Swiss chard when it is in season and bought a huge bunch at the market. This is a quick and simple way to cook the leaves. This made a very large portion - or two small portions.

Ingredients

• 4 oz. chicken breast
• 4 cups Swiss chard leaves
• 1/2 cup onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• water
• red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1. Wash chard and remove stems (save stems for another recipe).
2. Cut chard leaves into bite sized pieces.
3. Slice onions and chop tomatoes.
4. Add enough water to cover bottom of a skillet.
5. Bring to boil and add chicken, pepper flakes, and crushed garlic.
6. When chicken is almost cooked through, cut into cubes (you can also do this before cooking).
7. Add sliced onions.
8. When onions are soft, add chard.
9. Once chard is wilted and tender, add tomatoes.
10. Cook until tomatoes are warm and start to lose water.
11. Add vinegar and mix well.

Market Haul

Last year my New Year's Resolution was to shop at the local farmer's market more frequently. I anticipated going once a month (compared to twice a year). I found that even though there aren't many vendors compared to markets in other cities, the quality of the produce is high, and there is quite a bit of seasonal variety. Now, the Downtown Public Market is where I get most of my fresh produce and some meats.


Today I went a bit overboard, and left with my shopping bag overflowing. For fruit, I loaded up on citrus (grapefruits, oranges, and a lemon) and apples (pink lady, Granny Smith, and gala). I bought two types of artisan cheeses. I bought potatoes (white, red, and sweet), onions (red and yellow), a leek, three types of chili peppers, tomatoes, sugar peas, butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi, spinach, Swiss chard, and arugula (with flowers). Look for recipes featuring these tasty delights over the next two weeks, since I doubt I will eat all of this during this week.

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Approx. 290 Calories per serving. Recipe makes 3 servings

Even though it is the first of the year, it is still the end of the week. Which means that I am mixing the misfit vegetables that are still in the fridge and making soup. I had some very old tortellini that I had tossed in the freezer, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally use it up.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup cheese tortellini (I used Buitoni brand)
• 7 oz. chicken breast
• 1 cup zucchini
• 1 small leek ( approx. 1 cup)
• 1 medium tomato (approx. 1 cup)
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 8 large basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• water

Directions

1. Wash and chop vegetables.
2. Add oil, leeks, garlic, and red pepper flakes to a pot.
3. Cook until leeks start to carmelize.
4. Add mushrooms and oregano.
5. Cook until mushrooms soften.
6. Add water, zucchini, and chicken breast.
7. Cook until chicken is cooked all the way through.
8. Add tortellini (add earlier if using dried tortellin - I used the kind found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store).
9. Once tortellini is cooked (approx. 2-3 minutes) add chopped spinach, basil, and tomatoe.
10. Cook until heated through and softened.