Amigo Chicken Tortilla Soup

Serves 6
3 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 pound boneless chicken (whatever is on sale), chopped intobite-sized pieces*
3/4 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 (16-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup apple juice
12 ounces tomato sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups salsa (your favorite)
Garnishes (optional):Sour Cream
Baked tortilla chips
Shredded Monterey Jack
Sliced black olives
Sliced green onions
Chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat;add onion and sauté until translucent. Add chopped chicken and cookfor about 4 minutes, or until browned on all sides (you do not need tocook it all the way through). Stir in the cumin and chili powder.Add remaining ingredients (black beans through salsa), cover and heatthrough. Serve in bowls and garnish as desired.*LEANNE'S NOTE: Partially freeze chicken for ease in cutting.Per Serving: 257 Calories; 5g Fat; 26g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 8gDietary Fiber; 44mg Cholesterol; 1212mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat. Points: 5DO-AHEAD TIP: Sort, rinse and soak beans overnight.

Oatmeal Fruit Candy (High in fiber, natural sugar only)

Ingredients:
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dates (i use the kind that have nothing added so it is stickier)
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup apple butter

1/2 bar of nice, dark chocolate. a good dark chocolate will have little sugar added.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the oat, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Add dates, pecans and apricots, stir in apple butter. Mix until ingredients are well blended and oats are moistened with apple butter.

Spread mixture in 8 x 13-inch non-stick pan. Pat it down to make an even bottom layer. Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are darkening and fruit should be somewhat crystalized.

While baking, melt chocolate by double boiling or chopping into small bits and microwaving. Add a little butter or milk to make it easier to work with. Drizzle melted chocolate over top of baked candy. Immediately cut into 2-inch squares, do not remove from pan. Allow to cool, go over cuts with knife again, and serve.

Note: These are even better on the second day. Servings: 24

Tofu Donburry

This is a delicious and filling Japanese dish.

First, create sauce by mixing soy sauce (or, i like to use Braggs liquid aminos, it tastes like soy souce but is good for you), some sweet liquid (i think the japanese sauce includes some rice wine but last night i used sparkling pear cider and it was good, you could also use white grape juice, apple juice, maybe some honey, whatever), and sliced ginger (this can be fresh, but traditionally would be pickled)

Steam rice (make as much as you'd need to serve each guest about half a bowl full of rice)

slice but keep separated:

Red Peppers
Onion
Carrots
Mushrooms
Tofu

Then layer in a large pan, in the following order: onion (bottom), carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, then tofu
(again use portions suitable for the amount of people you are serving. for me, one large pan layered thinly served three adults, but you could easily increase thickness to serve more)

Turn burner on medium, add a little water and cover pan with lid.

Crack and roughly mix enough eggs to cover top of your spread (probably about 1 1/2 eggs per person) in a separate bowl, then pour eggs over top of spread.

Let eggs cook a bit, add water if mix seems dry.
Pour sauce over top of spread before eggs cook fully.

Cover, let eggs cook (does not have to be very firm, about a medium is good)

Cut into bowl-sized portions and serve over bed of rice. If you want to make it look nice, top with a pinch of sliced pickled ginger.

Mashed "potatoes" (cauliflower)

steam cauliflower, a small amount of chopped onion, and a clove of garlic
process in food processor

add a pinch or so of curry
a tiny pinch of clove
pinch of thyme

this is so delicious! you can add spice to taste, but be slow to add any spice, i think the tricky thing is is that cauliflower is a little acidic compared to potatoes, thus carries spices to higher planes. benefits are worth it---cauliflower is so much better for you than potatoes (and if you steam it, it retains important enzymes) but when processed has the same texture as mashed potatoes. mmmmmmm.

Grandma Miller's Carrot Pudding

1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins (if desired)

1 cup grated carrots
1 c grated potatoes
2/3 c sugar
1/2 c. shortening
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp lemon extract
Mix together: sugar, shortening, eggs and milk. Add vegetables and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add raisins and nuts. Put in quart jars and steam for 2 hours. (That is putting the lidded jars into a pan of water with a lid.) I am doing it in a bundt pan to take to dinner this year.

Server topped with carmel sauce.
Carmel Sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup half & half or light cream
2 tbl light corn syrup
1 Tbl butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a heavy saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Stir in half & half or cream and corn syrup. Cook and stir till bubbly (mixture may appear curdled) Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or cool. (Cover and chill any leftovers) Makes 1 cup

Ribollita con Verdure

Since I have not been able to figure out how to post on Carrie's site this is the soup Courtney requested. It is good and so healthy.
I got it from Rachael Ray program

3 T. Extra Virgin olive oil
4 slices pancetta or bacon chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium skinny zucchini, sliced
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine (can substitute balsamic vinegar) that is what I used
1 15 oz can petite diced or chunky style crushed tomatoes
6 cups beef stock (I used vegetable 1 box and 1 small can beef)
4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread (I didn't put in soup but served on side and if people want can put in soup)\
2 15 oz cans small white beans or can use cannellini beans.
4 cups chopped kale or chard
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese to pass at table.

Brown bacon in oil and render 4 minutes. (I drained most of the grease) Add rosemary, garlic, 3/4 of the onions, carrots and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Saute the veggies 7 to 8 minutes, then add wine and glaze the pot. Stir in the tomatoes and stock and bring up the heat. When the soup boils, reduce to a simmer and stir in beans. Pile the greens into the pot and wilt them into the soup. Simmer soup 5 to 10 minutes stirring soup as it simmers. Serve with bread, cheese and remainder of onions to be added as desired.

Carrie please add this to your post. Looks more involved than it is.

Quick and Easy Salsa

I made this salsa while mom was in town and she suggested I post it here.

1 large can whole tomatoes, drained (supposedly Hunts is the best)
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 small can diced green chiles
cilantro to taste
garlic salt to taste (I usually do 4 big shakes to start and recheck after it has chilled)

Put everything in a blender with the tomatoes on top. Briefly blend until everything is chopped and mixed. Chill well before serving.

Tip: If you don't plan to use all of the salsa at one time, pour whatever salsa you will be using in a separate bowl. If you dip the chips directly in the salsa, the salsa will begin to separate.