Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup--Gadgets Are Included #2

This month's featured gadget is the immersion or stick blender. Immersion blenders gained popularity in home kitchens in the United Sates during the 1980s, and have remained popular ever since. These types of blenders are designed to puree or blend in any container, rather than in a special container designed for use with a blender base. While I do not use this device every day, I find it is a lot easier at times than pulling out the full sized blender.

One of my favorite uses for this gadget is pureeing hot soups. When hot liquids are added to a standard blender and pureed, they expand quickly and can create a huge mess, not to mention throw boiling hot liquid all over the person standing next to the blender. Spending the dinner hour at the emergency room is not my idea of a good time. Immersion blenders can quickly turn a pot of ingredients into a smooth soup with the hassle of transferring everything to a blender in small batches. Just be careful to keep the head of the blender submerged to prevent throwing scalding hot soup bits all over the kitchen (it only took once for me to learn that lesson).

My Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup is a great starter for any spring meal. The flavor of the asparagus really comes through, and the spinach helps give the soup a vibrant green color. Even better, this soup only takes about thirty minutes to come together. Quick, healthy, and vegan (if you leave out the cream). Oh, and tasty.


Creamy Spinach Asparagus Soup

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs fresh asparagus, woody stems removed
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook 4 minutes, or until vegetables are softened. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.





Add asparagus and vegetable broth to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.






Remove lid and add spinach. Replace lid and let simmer five minutes more, or until spinach is wilted.







Turn off heat. Using immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. Stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with croutons, if desired.

Now it's your turn. Link up any recipe you want that requires a immersion blender to make. Don't forget to stop back the first Monday of next month when the featured gadget will be the ramekin.

The Official Chef's Day Off Link Party Rules

1. Post a link to any recipe post on your blog (not your main page)

2. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter or GFC (optional, but courteous)
3. Link back to my blog by using the button on my side bar (optional, but courteous)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Hummus is an easy to prepare dish originating from the Middle East. It is served as a common part of everyday meals as both a dip for vegetables or as a spread with pita bread. The ingredients used in this dish are very common, and the preparation of this dish is something that be be done in just a couple of minutes. The ease and speed of this dish makes it ideal for when unexpected guests drop by.

Mediterranean Frittata

Sometimes I open the fridge and know exactly what I want to make. Other times, I stand there looking at what I have and hope for inspiration. This recipe comes from the second scenario. How do I make dinner with leftovers from the night before when there's not enough for everyone? After about a minute, I looked up a shelf and saw the other ingredient that would become the base of our dinner, a carton of eggs. At that point I knew what we were doing for dinner. We were having a frittata.

Breaded Onion Rings

Burgers and fries. Nothing is more American than a greasy burger and a mound of fries to go along with it. There's a reason why burger joints are so popular. People love their burgers. And fries. Sometimes, though, we want the burger without the fries. Maybe it's the fact that we want something crunchy, maybe we are sick of potatoes, maybe we're just plain bored and want something different. Whatever the reason, the typical answer is to turn to the onion ring.

Chicken w/Tarragon and Mustard

Quick dinners are essential in our house. Weeknights are especially hectic. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, dinner needs to be on the table as fast as possible so as not to interfere with anyone's schedule. This dish is perfect for those nights when food has to taste good and be ready in a short amount of time.

Leftover Turkey Chili

Three days after Thanksgiving and I still had a bag of turkey left. Most of the white meat had been used up for sandwiches, but there was still plenty of turkey to make something. What better way than to make up a batch of chili to use up the last of the leftovers.

Sweet and Spicy Chili

Although this weekend was a  three day weekend for me, I still had a ridiculous number of tasks to accomplish. As a result, I needed a very quick recipe to turn to. This recipe goes together very quickly and only needs a few minutes of simmering time to be ready to eat.

Skillet Chicken And Rice

One dish dinners are a staple in our household. This dish is one of those one-pot meals that was originally created out of necessity. In this case, necessity was created by not a lot of food in the house and not enough time to run to the store, get dinner made, and still get to Cub Scouts on time.

Red Chicken

Today I have been asked to not only share my recipe for Red Chicken with you, my loyal readers, but also with the followers of The Sexy Single Mommy. She has just re-launched her blog with a whole new format, so show her some love and visit her new and improved site.

In our house, weeknight dinners need to be fast. Between homework, extracurricular activities, and squeezing in time to relax, there just isn't a lot of time for cooking. This recipe is perfect for nights when dinner has to be on the table in a hurry. From start to finish, this chicken dinner can be prepared in under 30 minutes using fresh ingredients, rather than reaching for a box of Hamburger Helper or heading to the drive-thru.

I call this dish red chicken because everything that goes into the pan (with the exception of the chicken) is red. Red bell pepper, red onion, and red wine vinegar make a flavorful topping for the chicken, while the red pepper flakes add a little bit of heat in the background. Even my picky daughter likes this, and that says a lot. I like to serve this with buttered noodles or Oven-Roasted Potatoes and a green vegetable.


Red Chicken

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken tenders
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup red onion, sliced thinly
3/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced thinly
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
Pinch of red pepper flakes

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on each side, about 3 minutes each.

Add onion, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Continue cooking over medium high until onions and peppers are softened, about 3 minutes.

Add red wine vinegar to pan and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and vinegar is reduced and thickens to form a sauce. Serve immediately.

Baked Ratatouille

Saturday mornings at the Omaha Farmer's Market mean fresh vegetables on my table on Saturday nights.  This week, I was able to find some excellent looking zucchini and yellow summer squash at one of the stalls.  Due to an overabundance of squash and the fact that the market was preparing to close, I was able to walk away with two zucchini and two yellow squash for a whopping $1.  With my good fortune, I decided to continue wandering around and see what other vegetables I could find in the waning moments before the market.

Two stalls down, I found the third vegetable which would feature in my side dish for that evening, a single eggplant.   I handed the farmer three quarters and I was on my way.  I only had a few minutes left before the market closed, so I hurried over to my favorite stalls for some fresh tomatoes and corn (I do live in Nebraska, after all), then grabbed a loaf of fresh bread and headed home.

At this point I was still a little unsure what I was going to do with my bounty, but already the thought forming in my mind was ratatouille.  I love the blending of the fresh vegetables in this classic dish, but I wanted to try a new take on it, so rather than stewing the vegetables, I decided to try baking them.  I wanted a simple preparation that could be put together quickly and then popped in the oven to finish while I prepared some Chicken with Mushrooms and Oven-Roasted Potatoes.  I put a little tomato sauce in the bottom of the pan, sliced up the zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant and layered them on top of the sauce, and popped it in the oven.  Fifteen minutes later, I threw a little cheese on top of it and popped it back in the oven for a couple minutes to melt the cheese.  It was so simple, but so delicious.


Baked Ratatouille

1/3 cup tomato and basil sauce
1 large zucchini
1 large summer squash
1 medium eggplant
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Slice zucchini, summer squash, and eggplant into 1/8-inch slices (I like to use a mandolin slicer for this).  Spread tomato sauce into bottom of 2-quart baking pan.  Arrange eggplant, zucchini, and squash over top of sauce, overlapping them so only a sliver of each slice is visible.  Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.  Serve immediately.

Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms

My wife and I are huge fans of mushrooms, and over the last few years, our daughter has started to like them as well.  We like them on pizza, in salads, on steaks, and stuffed.  Our son still will not touch them, so he has no clue what he is missing.  Until then, that's more for us.

These mushrooms are a very simple appetizer that take just a couple of minutes to put together and can bake while you prepare the rest of the meal.  I like to use leftover lobster for this, but you can also use imitation lobster or even lump crab meat.  The key is chopping everything small enough to be able to mix and stuff into the mushroom caps.  I usually go with a chop for the lobster and mushroom stems that almost resembles coarsely ground meat.  This way I can ensure that I get a little bit of everything in each bite.


Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms

14 oz whole mushrooms, cleaned
1/2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
2 oz cooked lobster meat, chopped
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove stems from mushroom caps, reserving about half the stems.  Set mushroom caps aside.  Finely chop reserved stems.

In small skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and lightly browned.  Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In small mixing bowl, stir together bread crumbs, lobster meat, chopped parsley, and cooked mushrooms.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add oil and mix until all stuffing ingredients are moistened.  Spoon stuffing into mushroom caps and place in baking dish.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened and stuffing is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Iced Lattes

Coffee has been referred to by many as the nectar of the gods.  Since the 15th century, coffee has steadily increased in popularity until the present day, where it is one of the most popular beverages in the world.  During the colonial period in the United States, tea and alcohol were the drinks of choice, but during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, tea imports were cut off by the British Empire, leading to the growing popularity of coffee in the United States.  Today, people will stand in line to pay upwards of $5 to enjoy a 20 oz cup of the hot black liquid.

Although you could stop at your local coffee house for an iced latte, you can achieve the same results at home for a fraction of the cost.  Iced lattes are some of the simplest coffee drinks to make.  All you need are a few simple ingredients, an espresso maker, and a cup in which to mix the ingredients.  Unlike the hot version of the drink, there is no need to steam the milk or produce a milk foam.  Just brew the espresso, stir it with milk and your favorite flavoring (if desired), and pour over ice.  I like mine with a mixture of hazelnut and vanilla, but my wife likes hers with caramel or chocolate.  Add whatever flavors you like.  Just remember, making you own is so much quicker and cheaper than ordering that large decaf soy vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso over ice.

Iced Latte

2 oz espresso

12 oz milk

1 1/2 oz flavoring syrup

1 1/2 cups ice

Brew espresso according to manufacturer's directions. In large cup, stir together espresso, milk, and syrup. Add ice and serve immediately.

Chicken w/Smoked Ham and Parmesan

I originally found this recipe about 5 years ago in a cookbook about Italian cooking.  Since then, I have made this too many times to count.  It is one of the regulars in our dinner rotation due to its ease and quickness of preparation.  Additionally, we usually have the ingredients for this in our refrigerator at all times, so no special trips to the store are needed.  You can use whatever smoked deli ham ham you prefer for this (I like Boar's Head brand), and any leftover ham can be used for sandwiches for lunch the next day.  I have even tried prosciutto, but the flavor of the ham overpowered everything else, so I would not advise using it in this case.

We typically will have this with a side of pasta (one of our favorites can be found here) and some form of vegetable(s).  I particularly like to pair this with sauteed broccoli or roasted asparagus.  

Chicken w/Smoked Ham and Parmesan

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 thin slices smoked deli ham

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper

Lightly pound chicken breasts to achieve a uniform thickness.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high.  Place chicken in pan and cook 7-8 minutes on first side.  Flip chicken.

Cook on second side for 3-4 minutes.  Lightly drape each piece of chicken with a slice of ham.  Divide Parmesan cheese evenly and sprinkle over each slice of ham.  Drizzle each piece of chicken with 1/2 Tbsp butter.  Continue cooking another 2-3 minutes, or until chicken is done and ham is warmed.  Serve immediately.

Spaghetti w/Olive Oil and Garlic

Simple pasta dishes are a favorite in our household.  They are excellent for a light lunch, or as a side dish with dinner.  One of our staple dinners is grilled or roasted chicken with a side of Spaghetti w/Olive Oil and Garlic, along with a steamed vegetable or two.  This is one of those dinners that I can have on the table in less than 30 minutes, and is very nutritious as well.

This dish even makes doing the dishes easy, as the "sauce" is made in the same pan the pasta is cooked in.  If desired, you can also top this with a little Parmesan cheese for added flavor.


Spaghetti w/Olive Oil and Garlic

1 lb dry spaghetti
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain using colander.  Return empty pan to burner and add olive oil.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.

Return pasta to pan and add parsley.  Toss to coat.  Serve immediately. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Quick Peanut Butter Fudge

Although my wife loves nearly everything chocolate, she finds chocolate fudge to be too rich.  I agree with her, plus the process of making fudge just seems like too much work to me.  Additionally, there are so many things that can go wrong that the whole idea just doesn't seem worth it.  So for a long time, fudge was just something we had at other people's house or purchased near the holiday season.

Then I found this recipe.  I can't take credit for it, but man do I wish I could.  We both love peanut butter, so peanut butter fudge is right up our alley.  And considering it only uses four ingredients and can be put together in about 5 minutes total.  All this, and it is made in the microwave.  No double boiler, no candy thermometers, and no dropping hot syrup into water looking for the perfect consistency.  Just microwave, stir, pour into pan, and refrigerate.  It is literally foolproof.  I like to use creamy peanut butter, but crunchy works as well.

A quick tip about measuring peanut butter.  If you spray the measuring cup with non-stick cooking spray, you can remove the peanut butter from the measuring cup much easier.


Quick Peanut Butter Fudge

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb (by weight) powdered sugar

Place butter and peanut butter in large microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Stir mixture.

Return butter mixture to microwave.  Microwave on high another 2 minutes (CAUTION:  it will be like hot lava at this point.  Use pot holders).  Remove from microwave and quickly stir in vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and stir until well mixed.

Spread mixture into parchment lined 8x8 inch or 7x11 inch baking pan.  Refrigerate at least two hours.  Cut into 1-inch pieces.  Keep tightly covered at room temperature.

Crumb Topped Tomatoes

This past week, I was looking for a quick side dish to make with an Italian dinner I was making.  I had picked up a bunch of Roma tomatoes at the grocery store (I know, homegrown is better, but you try finding good tomatoes in February in Nebraska).  One option was to make spaghetti sauce (the usual standby), but I decided to go with Crumb Topped Tomatoes.

Crumb Topped Tomatoes are nothing more than oven-roasted Roma tomatoes topped with a mixture of Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and baked until golden brown.  They do take about an hour and 15 minutes to make, but nearly all of that time is baking time, leaving you free to do other things (like look through some of my other recipes).  As they bake, the tomatoes give off their juice, which is then soaked up by and flavors the bread crumbs.  If you like fried green tomatoes, you'll love this.

Crumb Topped Tomatoes

8 Roma tomatoes

Salt to taste

4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cup bread crumbs (plain or Italian seasoned)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and place in 9x13 inch baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Bake in 350 degree F oven for 1 hour.

In small bowl, mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Stir in remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Spread bread crumbs over top cooked tomatoes.  

Return tomatoes to oven.  Cook an additional 15 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Breakfast Bowls

During the week, with everyone being on slightly different schedules, breakfast is usually a quick muffin or bowl of cereal.  However, on the weekends, I usually try to make breakfast for everyone to enjoy, and this is one of our favorites.  This bowl combines several different breakfast favorites into one bowl that is both hearty and tasty.

This recipe is more about technique than specific ingredients.  Although I call for certain ingredients, you could easily substitute your favorites in their place.  For example, I have used country breakfast sausage and sliced smoked sausage in place of the chorizo.  I have also done fried eggs instead of scrambled.  Any way you go, as long as you use things you know you like, you can't go wrong.

Breakfast Bowls

2 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil

3 cups frozen potatoes O'brien

10 oz chorizo sausage

8 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Taco Bell Bold and Creamy chipolte sauce

Heat large skillet over medium high heat; add oil.  Add potatoes and cook over medium high heat until browned, stirring occasionally.  

Meanwhile in separate skillet, brown chorizo over medium heat, breaking up as you go.  Remove chorizo to paper towel-lined plate to drain.  Wipe out most of grease from skillet.  

In medium bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.  Add eggs to skillet chorizo was cooked in and stir continuously until eggs are set, about 5 minutes.  To serve, divide potatoes evenly between four bowls.  Layer chorizo evenly over the top of potatoes.  Divide eggs evenly between bowl, then drizzle chipotle sauce evenly over the top of eggs.  Top each bowl with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is by far my favorite pasta sauce. I like it served simply over some fettuccine, sometimes even with some grilled chicken and steamed broccoli on top. It makes a great dipping sauce for bread sticks. It tastes great as the sauce on a pizza with garlic and spinach. It even goes well in a pan of lasagna with mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini.

The keys to a good Alfredo sauce are quality ingredients and patience. By quality ingredients, I mean whole butter and an excellent quality Parmesan cheese. Stay away from the pasta aisle in your supermarket when looking for the cheese. Instead, head over to the deli and get the good stuff. This is definitely the time and place to splurge. In addition to tasting better, the real stuff will melt better and leave you with a smooth sauce, whereas the cheap stuff from aisle 6 will leave your sauce gritty.

This sauce needs to cook slowly. I never let the sauce boil. I cook it over very low heat and stir it continuously to prevent scorching the cream. I also add a little cream cheese to help smooth out the flavor and thicken the sauce slightly. If this sauce gets too hot, it can curdle or separate, neither of which is appealing to look at or taste.


Alfredo Sauce

2 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic (optional for some, a must for me)
12 oz heavy cream
2 oz cream cheese
8 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In medium saucepan over very low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes, or until garlic is softened. Add cream.

As soon as cream mixture begins to steam, add cream cheese and stir continuously to melt. Add Parmesan cheese and continue stirring until completely melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg and pepper (no need to add salt, the Parmesan has plenty of that). Use immediately.

Chile Cilantro Rice

We love rice.  We eat it a lot.  Usually I just cook up a batch of plain white or brown rice and use it as a bed for some sort of stew or stir-fry.  But recently I thought to myself, why does the rice have to be plain?  Why can't it have some flavor as well?  How can I have flavorful rice without using a packet loaded with salt and a bunch of other things I can't pronounce?

This recipe is a very simple way to serve rice that has a lot of flavor.  As the rice cooks, it absorbs the flavor of the chiles, then I stir in the cilantro right before I serve it.  If you add the cilantro too early, it takes over the dish and loses a lot of its vibrant color in the finished product.  You could make this with brown rice if desired, just increase the water to 5-1/4 cups and let it simmer for 40 minutes instead of 20.

I like to serve this rice with Mexican food, but you could also replace the green chiles with 1 Tbsp chopped fresh hot red chiles to serve this rice with Thai food.


Chile Cilantro Rice

4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups long grain white rice (not quick or instant)
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

In large saucepan, bring water, salt and green chiles to a boil over medium high heat.  Add rice and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.  Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.

Sauteed Summer Squash and Mushrooms

Zucchini and yellow summer squash are two of my favorite vegetables due to their versatility.  They can be steamed, breaded and fried, added to soups or stews, or in this case, sauteed in a little olive oil and seasoned.  The mushrooms bring an earthy flavor to this side dish, and absorb the flavors of the Montreal steak seasoning well.  In about 5 minutes, this vegetable dish is ready to serve along side any chicken or fish entree.


Sauteed Summer Squash and Mushrooms

2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb total)
2-3 yellow summer squash (about 1 lb total)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil

Trim ends from zucchini and discard.  Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces.  Repeat with summer squash.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini and yellow squash and cook 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and Montreal steak seasoning.

Continue to saute, stirring often, until mushrooms and squash are tender, yet still firm enough to hold their shape (about 8 minutes).  Serve immediately.