Quick Minestrone

Check out the past Cooking for One posts if you missed any of them. Marie Claire continues with more great ideas for cooking for one with a recipe for Minestrone Soup. This is one of my favorite soups and I'm really excited about this recipe.

Quick Minestrone
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups jarred tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups frozen spinach
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup pasta (such as macaroni elbows, mini penne, orzo, or broken spaghetti)
1 can cannellini beans (or chickpeas), with their juices
Parmesan cheese

In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onion, basil, and oregano and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper and bring to a low simmer. Add frozen spinach, vegetables, and pasta, simmer for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in beans and lower heat. Cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

The Only 20 Things You'll Ever Need to Know How to Cook part 8

We continue with Glamour's twenty recipes with a recipe for grilled steak and Delicious fried rice. If you missed the first five parts, check them all out here

"Amp up anything" brown butter sauce

Melt a stick of butter in a pan. When it browns, add juice of 1 lemon and 8 sage leaves. Toss with pasta or drizzle over fish. Garnish with lemon zest.

Crunchy, golden crostini

Brush olive oil on half-inch round pieces of baguette, then toast. Rub with raw garlic, top with...whatever!

Best.Advice.Ever. Part 7

If you missed the other parts of this, check them out here. This obviously is to do with my absolute obsession with "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen" If you haven't seen the video, it is posted on part 1, or you can easily youtube it.


Dont waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind
the race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself.

This is something that I have a lot of issues with-not so much jealousy as often as just feeling inadequate or comparing myself to other people. Most of us have this issue and it's not a healthy one; it definitely is a waste of time and energy

Foods that Help Burn Fat

Found this at Cosmopolitan. Here are some ways to add some oomph to your food and amp up your metabolism

Foods That Melt Flab Away

Regular dieting is old school...and boring. Eat the stuff that puts your metabolism on high speed to burn mucho calories.

By Zoe Ruderman

Cinnamon

Without going into the whole scientific explanation of why it works, adding 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of this spice to something you eat every day — hot cereal, marinades, yogurt — helps blood sugar get into cells to be used for energy, so less is stored as fat.

Green Tea

One ingredient, caffeine, is a stimulant that raises your heart rate and compels your system to burn calories faster. Plus, green tea has catechins, substances that some experts believe help burn belly fat. Aim for three 8-ounce cups a day.

Yogurt

Yeah, dairy has a bad rep for high calories, but yogurt, both the low-fat and regular kinds, contains probiotics: "friendly" bacteria that preliminary research suggests may actually help reduce the amount of fat your body absorbs.

Coffee

Again, the caffeine kicks your metabolism into high gear. Caffeine also jump-starts lipolysis, the breakdown of fat. One to two cups a day is ideal.

Chili Peppers

Often found in high quantities in hot salsa as well as in many Thai, Indian, and Chinese curry dishes, these wonder foods are packed with a metabolism-boosting compound called capsaicin, which provides chili peppers' fiery flavor. In addition, capsaicin increases your body temperature somewhat, giving your metabolism an extra calorie-burning push.

Chicken and Fish

It actually takes energy to digest food, and your body burns more calories digesting and metabolizing protein than it does while breaking down carbs and fats. Translation: Consuming a few servings of lean protein, such as chicken, fish, and tofu, each day may help keep your metabolism revving away long after you finish eating your meal.

Friday Follower

Though it was done on Sunday, this week's randomly chosen Friday Follower was @katiesociety

Ashley @becomingtheyou @katiesociety is a great friend,very dedicated, and extremely creative..i miss her!

Another great recipe from RedBook's 6 meals under 500 calories. This recipe is usually seen for chicken, but Redbook gives it to us for Turkey.

Turkey Piccata

From Redbook

This recipe has been tested by Redbook

This breaded turkey cutlet served with a white wine sauce is low-fat, only 220 calories per serving, and fast to make.

By Frank P. Melodia

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 12 min

Cook Time: 9 min

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup(s) plain breadcrumbs
• 4 (1/2-inch thick, 1 pound total) turkey breast cutlets
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 pint(s) grape or cherry tomatoes
• 4 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 1/2 cup(s) dry white wine
• 2 tablespoon(s) minced shallot
• 2 tablespoon(s) drained capers
• 1 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter

---

Directions

1. Cut off peel and pith from lemons. Cut into slices, then cut slices in half; reserve. Spread breadcrumbs on waxed paper. Press cutlets into crumbs to coat.
2. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Lightly spray cutlets with cooking spray. Cook 2 1/2-minutes per side or until golden and no longer pink in thickest parts. Remove to a platter and keep warm.
3. Add tomatoes and thyme to skillet, raise heat to high, and cook, shaking pan, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tomato skins start to char and split in spots; transfer to platter.
4. Add wine, shallot, and capers to skillet; boil 1 minute or until wine is reduced by half. Reduce heat and swirl in butter and reserved lemon slices until butter is emulsified. Spoon over turkey and serve with tomatoes.

Nutritional Information
(per serving)

Calories	220
Total Fat	4g
Saturated Fat	--
Cholesterol	--
Sodium	--
Total Carbohydrate	15g
Dietary Fiber	--
Sugars	--
Protein	29g
Calcium	--

Quick Beef and Pinto Chili

This recipe is from Weight Watchers Weekly from the week of February 21, 2010.

Quick Beef and Pinto Chili

6 points per serving
Prep: 14 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Servings: 4 (1 and 1/4 cup servings)

Chili doesn't get any easier than this-we used well-spiced convenience foods and pantry staples to boost the recipe's flavor while minimizing preparation and cooking times.

Ingredients

• 1 spray cooking spray
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 package frozen, chopped onion and bell pepper mix
• 1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat) (can sub lean ground turkey)
  
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle chilis (if you can't find this, use just a can of diced tomatoes and add chipotle chili powder. For a spicier option, use a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes and green chilis)
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, fire roasted
• 2 tsp chili powder, medium heat suggested
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Directions

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic and frozen onions-pepper mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables thaw and any liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add beef; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up clumps of beef with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes.
Add diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and beans; cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until some liquid evaporates, meat is cooked through, and chili thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.