Chicken and Gnocci Soup

So, I found this whole wheat gnocchi the other day at Trader Joe's, and I was pretty excited. I love gnocchi. I have made it before, but it is pretty time consuming so I was thrilled to find some good quality stuff in a package. Plus, I adore the Olive Garden's chicken and gnocchi soup, so I was excited for an excuse to try to copy their recipe! I found the basic recipe here.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil and add...

1 onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced

Cook for five minutes and then add some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed. I only used one because we like to streeeeetttcch our meat around here, but some (aka my Dad) might like more meat.
Cook until meat is no longer pink.

Then stir in...

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk (I used almond milk)
Salt
Pepper
A few generous pinches of "herbs de provence" (or thyme, savory, basil, etc.)

Bring to a boil, and then add...

2 lbs whole wheat gnocchi
A big handful of spinach leaves, torn

Bring back to a boil, and then cut it back to simmer for at least 20 minutes. After that you can serve it or let it sit up till supper, heating it back up right before serving.

Enjoy!

Best Potato Soup

Shout-out to my sweet friend Ellen for introducing me to this creamy dish.

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat a drizzle of olive oil and then add...
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped

Saute until tender. Add to the pot...
4 cups red potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 1/2  cups chicken broth

Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Take a potato masher and gently mash the soup. The idea is to have some "mashed" potatoes but some still left in chunks. Then stir in...
1 1/2 cups almond milk
3 T butter
2 T Mrs Dash original blend (or just season to taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring back up to a boil, and then simmer for at least 10 minutes or until ready to eat.
It's soup-er good!
Enjoy!

Taco Chili

Here's one I don't want to forget, although I didn't take a picture. This one will be good in the fall, aka "chili season" at our house, but with the taco flavoring it has a nice summer feel to it as well.

Original recipe from here.

In a large pot, dutch oven, or crock-pot, combine the following:

2 cups cooked, shredded pork or chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 bag frozen corn
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
Homemade taco seasoning (as follows)

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

I cooked it in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. And it was a winner! Enjoy!