Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup

 

Have you ever tried a new recipe, taken a taste, and then had a whole bowl full because it was so delicious? That was how it was with me and this soup. I couldn’t believe how good it was, considering how simple it is to make, and how few ingredients.  I made the soup while I was working on something else, and pretty much added ingredients as an afterthought. It is wonderful! I think it would be a bit heavy to serve as a cup before a meal, but it would make a wonderful lunch with some crusty bread, or a nice dinner with a roll and salad on the side.

Pfaltzgraff “Hadlee Grey” Pasta Bowls

Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup

Slightly adapted from sprinklesandsprouts

 3 15-oz. cans cannellini beans

2 T. olive oil

2 large Melissa’s shallots

5 cloves garlic

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

1 t. Italian seasoning

2 c. vegetable broth

½ t. kosher salt

¼ t. freshly ground black pepper

½ c. grated Parmesan

1 c. fresh baby spinach, tightly packed

 Empty the contents of one of the cans of beans (beans and liquid) into a blender and puree until smooth. Drain the remaining two cans and set them to one side.

Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic cloves. Pour the oil into a large saucepan. Add the chopped shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Add the 2 cans of drained beans to the pan and stir to coat in the olive oil. Tip in the pureed beans, then rinse the blender out with the vegetable broth and add this to the soup. Add the rosemary, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Bring the soup to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes over low heat. Remove the soup from the heat and add the grated Parmesan and fresh spinach leaves. Stir to melt the cheese and wilt the spinach. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper to taste.

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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Florentine

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 As much as I love Mexican food, prior to making them myself, I had never had chicken enchiladas. Recently I’d heard of no fewer than three of my friends making these for dinner, so I had to jump on that bandwagon. Generally, I leave the making of Mexican food to the Mexicans, because they do it so well. This was easy enough to do, so I will be making them again at some point, experimenting with the filling. This recipe makes plenty, so I enjoyed a delicious meal many nights in a row, and have a couple of frozen ones for the future. The addition of mushrooms and spinach (both of which you can leave out, if you must) made this a hearty and nutritious meal. I served it with a side of cilantro rice, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas Florentine 

1 T. vegetable oil

1 lb. chicken breast, diced

2 Melissa’s shallots, minced

1 c. sliced mushrooms

½ t. Montreal chicken seasoning

2 handfuls baby spinach

8 (8”) flour tortillas, softened

2 c. Mexican blend cheese, divided

¹⁄₄ c. butter

¹⁄₄ c. flour

1 15-oz. can chicken broth

1 c. sour cream

1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies

 Preheat oven to 400° F. Lightly spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick vegetable coating, like PAM.

 While oven is preheating, prepare chicken mixture.  In a 10-inch sauté pan heat oil until shimmering. Add chicken, shallots, and mushrooms, and sprinkle seasoning overall. Sauté over medium-high heat until chicken is just done. Add spinach, and stir until wilted.

 Divide cooked chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; top each with 1/4 c. cheese. Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in prepared baking dish.

 Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour and cook until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and green chilies.

 Pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.

 Top with remaining cheese and bake at 400° F for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

 

 

Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche

As I have mentioned more than once, I often share meals with my dad. I enjoy cooking, and he enjoys eating, and taking a break from the frozen dinners that comprise much of his diet. This quiche is so good that, heaven help me, it crossed my mind to not mention it to dad and eat his portion myself. I didn’t, but I thought about it.

I am a big fan of hearts of palm, and try to use them in as many dishes as possible. I have found, over the years, that they are a fine, if not better, substitute for artichoke hearts. They have the same mild flavor, but are tender rather than woody, as artichoke hearts can tend to be. So, this is a variation on my Crustless Artichoke and Spinach Quiche, using hearts of palm as a substitute. I liked it so well, that this is going to be my new “go to” quiche. I used the Applewood Smoked Gruyere that I picked up at Aldi, and this gave the quiche a wonderful creamy texture, and lightly smoky flavor. In a word, wonderful! 

Hearts of Palm and Spinach Quiche

1 piecrust, homemade or purchased

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups baby spinach

1 8-oz. pkg. Aldi Applewood Smoked Gruyere,* grated

5 hearts of palm from a 14.5 oz. jar of Melissa’s Hearts of Palm, sliced into ¼ coins (about 1 c.)

5 large eggs

2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup whole milk
Few gratings fresh nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Blind bake pastry shell, whether you’ve made the pastry yourself or bought one. You can do this by lining the pastry with aluminum foil, topping the foil with pastry weights, and baking it in the oven until the pastry is golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. If you don’t have pastry weights, well, by them (you can find them here), or use dried beans or rice.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and spread Dijon on the bottom.  While the pastry is cooling, heat oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, and stir until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Place spinach, hearts of palm, and grated cheese (reserve a bit for top, if desired) into the pastry shell, spreading to cover.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and the milk until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour egg mixture (Very slowly, I am talking almost glacial) over the spinach, hearts of palm, and cheese in the prepared pastry shell. Grate nutmeg over top, and sprinkle on remaining grated cheese.

Bake in the center of the oven until the filling is golden and puffed, and is completely baked through, about 45-55 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a sharp knife blade into the center of the filling and if it comes out clean, the quiche is baked through. Remove the quiche from the oven and serve immediately.

*This may be a seasonal item, so regular Gruyere would be fine as well.

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Here is another use for those tasty hearts of palm – Baked Hearts of Palm Dip.  Addicting!

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