Easy Taco Soup with Quinoa

Happy 2013! I'm excited for a new year. Hope all of you are enjoying your January. One of my favorite things about Winter is making soup. This is one of my favorite soups. It's fast, easy, filling, flavorful and perfect for a Winter supper. It also comes together really quickly and freezes well. I like making a double-batch of this soup and freezing leftovers in freezer storage bags. You can just pop one of those into boiling water for 5-10 mintues and you have a hot, homemade soup for a quick meal when you are in a rush.

I'm like most people trying to fulfill my New Year's Resolution of eating more healthful and this soup is great for this.You can omit the ground beef or ground turkey if you want a vegetarian soup. I love the addition of quinoa to this soup. It makes it hearty and even more healthful. If you have never cooked with quinoa, try it! It's awesome! Quinoa is a grain that is packed with protein. You cook it just like rice and I use it place of rice in many dishes. You can buy quinoa at health food stores or at Costco. I just can't tell you how much I love quinoa--it's awesome in this soup. I also love the fresh lime juice. It really brightens this dish. Also, feel free to use any fresh veggies you like to this soup. I usually have canned goods on-hand in the winter, so I use those when I need to throw this together quickly.

Here's what you need:
-1 TBS oil (coconut, canola, or olive oil)
-1 large onion, diced
-6 cloves of fresh garlic, sliced or minced
-1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
-2.5 TBS taco seasoning
-3 C beef broth
-(2) 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes (no salt added kind)
-(1) 15 oz. can of corn (or 1 C frozen corn)
-(1) 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
-(1) 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1/4 C cilantro leaves

Quinoa
-1 C quinoa
-2 C water or vegetable broth

Garnish
-1/2 C cooked quinoa
-1 TBS cilantro leaves
-dollop of sour cream
-juice of 1/4 fresh lime segment
-5 rice chips

1. In a medium pot combine quinoa and water. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside. You can do this step while assembling the soup.

2. In a separate large soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute just until fragrant. Add lean ground beef or turkey and cook until brown. Add taco seasoning and stir to combine.

3. Add beef broth, tomatoes, corn (including liquid), beans and cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork. Dish up a serving of soup, top with 1/2 C cooked quinoa, sour cream, cilantro leaves and rice chips. My FAV rice chips are Rice Works Sweet Chili. They go great with this soup. A few slices of fresh avocado would be delicious on top of this, too.

Enjoy this yummy, easy and healthful soup!

Taco Soup with Quinoa
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Here's the printable recipe.

Clove-Studded Holiday Ham with a Spiced Orange Glaze

Holiday Ham
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I have never attempted to bake a ham because I've never really been a fan of ham and it always felt a little bit intimidating. Why? I have no idea because all you basically have to do is heat it up and glaze it. That's it.

I have helped others cook a ham and I've always glazed it with the packet that comes with the ham. The ham would taste fine, but never lick-my-fingers good. Well, I'm here to tell you that if you aren't a ham fan, this recipe might convert you. The glaze is amazing and the ham turned out so moist and juicy. It even looks festive for the holidays.

Baking a ham is so easy, but it takes a little bit of time. The ham is already cooked and you are basically reheating it, but if you are working with a large ham or a frozen one, it'll take more time. I'd recommend thawing your ham the day or night before you want to cook it. You want to plan about 15 minutes per pound to heat it. Optimal serving temperature for ham is about 140 degrees, so you can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. My ham cooked a little bit faster than the 15 min/lb and using the thermometer ensures that you won't overcook it and dry it out.

Now let's talk about the glaze. Some people glaze the last 5-10 minutes after the ham is 140 degrees, but I liked basting it with the glaze throughout the cooking process. I basted it about every 20-30 minutes and the flavor went throughout the ham. It was awesome! I did a big ham and we had plenty of leftovers for soup and sandwiches.

This ham is rockin'! It's moist, juicy and full of holiday flavor. I love the spices with the hint of orange. It's perfect for the holidays. The whole cloves used to stud the ham don't provide a lot of flavor, but they look festive. I added ground cloves to the glaze to enhance the flavor. You want to cover the ham to prevent it from drying out and the glaze created a delicious crust. I'm sure you will love this.

Here's what you need:
-10-12 lb spiral-cut ham (you can use a smaller ham and you can half the glaze recipe)
-2-3 TBS of whole cloves
-3/4 C honey
-3/4 C brown sugar
-1/2 TBS dark molasses
-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. ground cloves
-juice of one orange (about 1/4- 1/2 C)
-zest of one orange

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place your ham in a large roasting pan. You may want to line it with foil because the glaze makes a bit of a mess. Take whole cloves and poke them into the large portion of the ham that is not sliced. This is called "studding." I placed them in between the diamond pattern. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil and place in oven.

Clove Studs
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 2. In a medium sauce pan, combine honey, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ground cloves, orange juice and orange zest. Stir mixture and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low just to keep mixture warm.

3. Open oven and uncover ham and baste with mixture every 20-30 minutes.

4. Once your ham has reached 140 degrees, remove ham from oven and uncover. Turn heat up to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, spoon glaze over ham and baste with a basting brush. Pull back the sliced pieces and ensure glaze goes in between ham pieces.

5. Once oven is at 425 degrees, return ham to oven uncovered and bake for another 5 minutes. Turn off oven and broil top of ham for 3-5 minutes to create a candied crust on ham.

Glazed Ham
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6. Remove from oven and allow ham to rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

This would make a wonderful holiday meal with plenty of leftovers.

Enjoy and Happy Baking.

Here's the printable recipe.

Chicken Divan

Chicken Divan
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When I was younger my Mom and another mom in the neighborhood held classes in the summer to teach us different domestic skills. My Mom would teach us about cooking and baking and we'd do a small version of a Home-Ec class each week. The other mom taught us about sewing and we worked on different sewing crafts. It was really fun to get together with some of my friends and attend the hands-on classes.

Throughout the summer we learned how to make a main dish, appetizer, salad, drink and dessert. Then at the end of summer we put it all together to make a complete meal. It was the Grand Finale! The end-of-summer meal was awesome. We spent the afternoon cooking and then served dinner to our parents. I remember it was a big event--we got to use my Mom's nice china, we served our drinks in goblet-style glasses, played classical Italian music in the background and my friend and I dressed up as waiters to serve the meal. Oh! Those were cherished times.

At that dinner we made one of my favorite dishes from my childhood, my Mom's broccoli chicken casserole. For some reason we made that dish frequently when having company over and it just evolved into being a favorite.

Chicken Divan is like broccoli chicken casserole, but with a grown-up, modern twist. This dish is rich and creamy, the chicken is super moist and the broccoli is perfectly tender. It's the best comfort food. The first time I made the sauce, I literally wanted to lick out my bowl. The sauce is the best part--so yummy that when I adapted this recipe, I doubled the sauce. I mean, honestly, how can a sauce go wrong when it has cream and butter? Julia Child would be proud.

This recipe is one of my favorites and I love serving it to company. It is not for the faint-of-heart because of how indulgent it is, so that's why I reserve it for special occasions or when I want to surprise my husband (or when broccoli goes on sale and I buy a bunch and need to use it before it spoils). This dish does take a little bit of time, but if you do all the prep work before you get cooking then it comes together relatively quickly. It's tastes like you've spent all day slaving away in the kitchen and people will be wondering how you are so domestically talented. Don't worry, this will be our little secret. :) And please pardon the lack of pictures-- I was majorly multi-tasking when making this dish to show you.

Here is what you need:
- 3 TBS of oil (I prefer olive or coconut), separated
-4 bunches of broccoli (about 1.5-2lbs), cut into bite-sized florets
-4 C low-sodium chicken broth, separated

-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs), cut in half horizontally (like cutting a roll to make a sandwich)
- 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
-salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 TBS each), separated into little bowls

-1 medium onion, finely chopped
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced (or you can just use a garlic press)
-2 C heavy cream
-4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 C dry sherry (optional)
-6 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 cups), (Good Parm cheese can be expensive, so I have used Asiago or Romano cheese and they all taste wonderful)
-6 large egg yolks
-3 TBS fresh lemon juice (I've also used Real Lemon concentrate when I'm in a pinch and it works fine)
-6 TBS unsalted butter at room temperature (you can used salted, but I prefer the taste of unsalted)
-1.5 C crushed corn flakes or good-quality bread crumbs

In a large skillet (I have also used a big soup pot when I'm making large quantities), heat 1 TBS of oil over med-high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add broccoli to skillet and cook it until it is spotty brown. This takes me about 2-3 minutes. Once broccoli is spotty brown, add 1/2 C of chicken broth and cover skillet with a lid. Steam the broccoli until just tender, about 3-4 minutes or so. Remove the lid from the skillet and finish cooking broccoli until most all of the liquid has evaporated. Line a bowl with a couple paper towels and transfer broccoli to the bowl. Cover broccoli with foil and set aside. Rinse and wipe out your skillet.

Next, season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour into a pan or shallow dish. Coat each chicken breast with flour. Take your skillet and heat the remaining 2 TBS of oil over med-high heat just until it begins to smoke. Cook each chicken breast until a golden-brown crust appears, which takes about 2 minutes per side. (Chicken will NOT be fully cooked. We'll finish cooking it later.) Transfer chicken breasts to a plate and set aside.

Take skillet off the heat and add onions. Cook until they barely get some color, about a minute or so. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the remaining 3 1/2 C of broth and cream and deglaze your pan (using your spoon to scrape off all of those tasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan). Return chicken breasts to the skillet and simmer over med-high heat until fully cooked, which takes about 10 minutes. Do not overcook the chicken--you want it moist and juicy. Transfer chicken to a clean place and continue simmering sauce until it has reduced to about 2 cups, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure that the bottom doesn't scorch. Add Worcestershire sauce and dry sherry if wanted. Boil for 2-3 minutes and then turn heat down to medium. **Note: you do not have to add the sherry. It tastes great with or without it.

Turn on your broiler to high and adjust an oven rack to the middle. Stir in 2 c. of grated cheese to the skillet. Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Temper the egg yolks by adding 1/2 C of the hot sauce to the small bowl while whisking. Take skillet off the heat and whisk egg yolk mixture into the sauce in the skillet. Then whisk in butter.

Cut your chicken breasts into 1/2-inch slices and arrange in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Scatter broccoli over top of chicken and pour sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle the broccoli with the remaining 1 cup of cheese, sprinkle cheese with corn flakes or bread crumbs and broil until golden brown, about 4 minutes. **When I've needed to keep this dish warm, instead of broiling it I have baked it uncovered at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Or I have broiled it and then kept in the oven at 170 degrees.

**Time saving tip: You can make extra or freeze a portion of this if a 9x13 pan is too big. Make the recipe to the point of adding corn flakes and broiling. Place food in a freezer-safe container, let the recipe cool to room temperature (if you freeze while warm it could develop a sour taste) and then freeze. When ready to use, reheat at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Then add corn flakes and broil the top for a few minutes until golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Makes my mouth water.
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Here is the printable recipe.

I hope you love it. It's one of my family's favorite dishes.