winter minestrone ~ slow cooker

(*this recipe was inspired from another i found via pinterest.  personally, when i make it again, i will use sweet italian turkey (or chicken) sausage in place of the pancetta.  pancetta is not very flavorful in my opinion and i believe the sausage would add a nice flavor).

winter minestrone
printable recipe
recipe adapted via crave by random house

6 oz pancetta*, diced
1 large yellow onion
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 large stalks of celery, diced
2 large red sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
26 oz can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
4 cups lower sodium chicken broth (swanson's)
4 cups no-salt added chicken stock (kitchen basics)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp store-bought pesto
parmesan cheese, for top

using a heavy bottomed stock pot or preferably, a slow cooker with a stove-top option for browning, brown pancetta (6-8 minutes).  - my slow cooker is a non-stick stove top cooker so i did not use any oil to brown the pancetta or cook the veggies (there was plenty of fat from the pancetta to cook the veggies).  if you're using a pot that is not non-stick, you might want to add some oil while pre-heating.

turn the heat up to medium-high and add the onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.  cook until beginning to soften, about another 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

add the tomatoes, chicken stock, beans and bay leaf.  at this point, you can either leave the soup on the stovetop and simmer over medium heat for at least an hour (for vegetables to fully cook) or, transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook over low heat for 4 hours (up to 6) or high heat for 2 (up to 4). don't want those potatoes to get too mushy.

about 20 minutes before serving, stir in the pesto and wine (i did hear my daughter say to her brother as a warning, "i saw mom put green throw up in that."  nice).

drink the rest of the wine.

top with bruschetta (or a nice garlic loaf) and parmesan cheese.

yields 6-8 servings
calories: 326
fat: 9.3g
saturated fat: 3.4g
cholesterol: 15.5mg
sodium: 790mg
carbs: 37.5g
fiber: 8.5g
sugar: 10.8g
protein: 13.1g

chicken "cordon bleu" ~ lightened up version

chicken cordon bleu
printable recipe
recipe adapted via skinny taste

parchment or wax paper
olive oil cooking spray
4 chicken breasts, halved and then butterfly sliced
kosher salt and cracked pepper
8 slices deli ham
8 slices swiss cheese
1 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs (winco)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs (no need to shy away from whole eggs, folks)

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray

line cutting board with parchment/wax paper. slice each chicken in half and then butterfly slice each breast (take care not to cut all of the way through when butterfly slicing, keeping the breast in one piece).

cover the chicken with more parchment/wax paper.  using a rolling pin or mallet, flatten the meat by pounding each piece through the parchment paper.  remove paper, season each piece with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

whisk eggs in a shallow dish/bowl.  combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in another shallow dish/bowl.

place one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese on each breast (use thin sliced deli cheese if you're worried about fat grams).  roll tightly and then dip rolled chicken in egg mixture (use 1 egg and 1 egg white if you're worried about cholesterol).  roll chicken in bread crumbs and then place, seam down, in prepared baking dish.  repeat with each piece of chicken.

bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees.

yields 8 servings
calories: 406
fat: 12g
sat fat: 5g
cholesterol: 201.8mg
sodium: 597mg
carbs: 8.1g
protein: 63.9g

honey lime chicken enchiladas

(not even remotely "healthy" but soooo delicious)

honey lime chicken enchiladas

printable recipe

recipe via my lovely friend melissa

marinade:

6 tbsp honey

5 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

enchiladas:

4 chicken breasts (1 1/2 lbs), cooked and shredded (i poached the chicken seasoned w/kosher salt and cracked pepper).

8-10 flour tortillas

1 lb monterey jack cheese, grated

16 oz green enchilada sauce (i only had red so it's what i used and it was still delicious)

1 cup heavy cream

directions:

whisk the first 4 ingredients and toss with shredded chicken in a zip-loc bag.  let marinate in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour up to 24 hours (i let mine marinate overnight).

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  fill tortillas with chicken (saving whatever marinade is leftover) and shredded cheese (save 1 cup of cheese for top).  put rolled enchiladas seam side down in dish as you go.  mix the remaining enchilada sauce w/remaining marinade and heavy cream.  pour sauce on top of the enchiladas.  top with remaining cheese.  bake, uncovered for 30 minutes (until edges browned and crispy).

this dish is perfect for freezing before cooking and pairs well with cilantro lime rice.