Fall is Here It's Time for Soup!

This is a terrific and easy soup that I like to make when it's a little brisk outside. Living in Minnesota means that this soup is appropriate about 10 months out of a year. This is from Bon Appetit, it has been featured in the magazine as well as "The Bon Appetit Cookbook". Which is a great cookbook, by the way, full of awesome standards.

Cheese Tortellini Soup with Cannelini, Keilbasa and Kale

2 tbsp Olive Oil
12 oz. fully cooked smoked kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced (any variety works, you could also substitute another kind of sausage if you like)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups chopped kale (about 1/2 bunch)
1 15oz can of cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 9oz package cheese tortellini
Asiago or Parmesan cheese for serving

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add next five ingredients and saute until vegetables are soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Stir in kale and cannellini. Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes. (can be prepared up to this point one day ahead of time, refrigerated and then brought back up to a simmer for the next steps)

Add tortellini to soup. Simmer until pasta is tender but still firm to bite, about 5 minutes

Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing grated cheese separately.

Lettuce Wraps

I am obsessed with Lettuce Wraps! The crazy strange part is that I abhor lettuce. So I figure out ways to eat Lettuce Wraps sans lettuce. I use baked won ton wrappers, or spinach, which proves to be very difficult. This recipe works perfectly for those times that you need a quick appetizer to take somewhere for a weeknight party. If you want to serve this to your family as a main entree it works equally as well served over steamed or fried rice.

Lettuce Wraps

1 Pound of Ground Pork (ground chicken, beef, turkey or buffalo work great too)
1 Head of Butter Lettuce (or any leafy lettuce of your choice that will seperate well)
3 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
2 tbsp Chopped Nuts preferably unsalted (I prefer cashews, you can also use water chestnuts)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Rice Vinegar (regular vinegar will work if you don't have Rice Vinegar)
1 tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sambal Chili Paste (or to taste)
1 tsp sugar

Saute the ground pork until cooked through, then drain off excess fat. Add the rest of the ingredients listed except for the lettuce and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the flavors have combined. Separate individual lettuce leaves being careful to keep them as intact as possible.
Serve Pork Mixture in a bowl surrounded by lettuce leaves on a platter.

Note: If all you have are nuts that are salted rinse as much of the salt off of them under running water before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

Chicken Paillards with Dijon Pan Sauce

Hello! I am finally ready to enter my first post. This recipe is one of my "go to" dishes. It is easy, easy, easy and can be customized to fit pretty much any ones tastes. You can substitute any variety of herbs, leave them out, add lemon, grill the chicken, switch up the protein, the sky is the limit.

You will need the following:

Chicken Breasts, boneless and skinless (as many as you need)

All purpose flour (probably 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on your quantity of chicken)

Olive Oil (or any other vegetable oil you like to use)

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the pan sauce:

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 heaping tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Pinch of tarragon (dried or fresh or any other herb you like)

Small spoon full of capers (if you have them on hand and like them)

Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper to taste

Make the Chicken Paillard

• Take a chicken breast and place it between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it out until it is even. This makes the chicken tender and cook evenly. You can use a mallet, bottom of a pan, wine bottle or anything that can get the job done efficiently.
• Mix flour and a good pinch of salt and pepper together. Then dredge your chicken in it.
• Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a frying pan over medium high heat
• Add chicken breasts and quickly saute until golden brown and just cooked through. Your chicken will cook much faster than normal because of the paillard technique. Remove and reserve chicken.

Make the Pan Sauce

• Deglaze pan with white wine and chicken broth
• Add Dijon mustard and dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Reduce by half
• Add herbs, pepper and capers (or your chosen accents)
• Test for salt, add if needed
• Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan and heat through

Serve immediately