Minestrone Soup with Pasta, Beans and Vegetables

OK, so I haven't actually made this yet but I thought it sounded good. Recipe instructions call for a slow cooker, but you can easily make this in a regular pot (which would obviously be faster).

Ingredients
3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini) beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves
salt and ground pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tbs grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Instructions
In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, 1/2 tsp salt & pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours OR on high 3-4 hrs. Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 add'l minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Laddle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmessan cheese over top.

Mini Cheeseburger Salad w/ Mustard Vinagrette

If you like cheeseburgers, you'll love this recipe. Saw it on RR, tried it and Steve was impressed. It's a really pretty presentation and quick to make.

Ingredients:
1 lb of lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp steak seasoning or salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
sliced FF cheddar cheese
3 large hearts of romaine
1 cup of sliced pickles (I like kosher dill)
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

Yellow Mustard Vinagrette Dressing:
3 tbsp yellow mustard (French's brand)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped chives (I don't use this, I just finish is off with lots of pepper)
2 tbsp drained salad pimentos or chopped red bell pepper (I don't use this either)

Preheat your grill or even an indoor grillpan. Combine meat with onion, worcestershire and seasoning. Form 2 inch meatballs, then flatten them into patties. Drizzle them with olive oil so they don't stick to pan. Cook the patties 3 min. on each side or till desired and put a mini-slice of cheese on each one till it melts.
Chop romaine and combine with sliced pickles and halved cherry tomatoes.
For dressing, whish together the mustard and cider vinegar. Steam in the olive oil. Add the chopped chives and pimentos (if desired). Stir to combine.
Arrange mini cheeseburgers on salad and drizzle yellow mustard over the completed dish.
Enjoy!

Slim Chili

Quick & Easy Slim Chili

This quantity makes a lot for two people. We usually get about 6 servings from one batch.
Like any good chili, it tastes even better the next day! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 package of extra lean ground turkey
1 can of mixed beans
1 can of black beans
1 jar of chunky salsa
1 green pepper
2 tablespoons of chili powder
Black pepper to taste
Grated low-fat cheddar cheese to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Add heart-healthy olive oil to a deep pan while it heats up, then add the meat, brown it and drain any excess fat.
2. Then add an entire jar of salsa (we prefer President’s Choice Mild Chunky Salsa for this recipe) to the meat and simmer for about 2 minutes.
3. Next, add the mixed beans and black beans—be sure to drain and rinse the beans before adding.
4. Mix beans in thoroughly, and then stir in the chili powder (for an extra kick, add chili flakes).
5. Simmer chili on medium heat (should be a bit bubbly) for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and then lower heat, cover pan and leave it alone for about fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add black pepper to taste. Sometimes we grate on a bit of low-fat cheddar cheese.

It only takes a spark...

Annie thought it would be fun to start a recipe club. We're all fairly new at making dinners for our husband/bf and it would be fun to look like domestic goddesses. Time is a factor in our busy lives so we want something quick, simple and healthy but most of all, delicious... like we've slaved in the kitchen for hours. Is that too much to ask for? Please invite anyone you want to join that you think will contribute and when you make something that turns out to be a success, let us know!