Slow Cooker Minestrone ( My Own)

Ah the slow cooker. What a glorious piece of culinary technology. It's great for the modern family on the go. Just throw some yummy goodness in and let magic happen. When you come home and remove that lid... oh what sorcery.

Traditionally minestrone is a vegetarian soup but I used chicken broth for the base. It is served with toasted bread. Tonight I served it with garlic bread.

3 cans of low sodium Chicken broth
1 can of red kidney beans (rinsed)
1 can of green beans (rinsed)
1 can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 calabash or grey squash
1 zucchini
1 large onion (sliced into half moons)
3 stalks of celery (diced)
3 carrots (diced)
4 cloves garlic (smashed and minced)
2 tbsps of 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joe's
1 cup of dry pasta (use a solid pasta, speghetti will fall apart)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan for garnish

Prep time: 20-25 minutes (depending on how quick you are with the veggies)
Cook time: All DAAAY!!!

Place all veggies into the slow cooker and add the garlic. Add tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes into the pot. I mixed it up before I added the chicken broth. Add chicken broth. Add seasonings, salt and pepper and mix the soup together. About 15 minutes before serving add dry pasta to the soup. I didn't want mushy noodles that is why I added it at a later time. Portion out soup and sprinkle Parmesan on top.

Optional: Serve with bread. Dip it the soup...

Enjoy!

~Caroline

Caprese Salad

Simple yet scrumptious tomato and mozzarella salad. I did not have any fresh basil so I used olive oil infused with basil. Still had the fresh bite from the basil. If you have fresh basil use a high quality fruity olive oil.

2 medium size tomatoes
1 mozzarella log
Salt
Black Pepper
Basil olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

From

Slice the tomatoes from top to bottom using a serrated blade. Slice mozzarella in a similar fashion. Tomatoes and mozzarella slices should be equal in number. Place a slice of tomato on plate and the place a slice of mozzarella, continue until complete. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper for taste. Lightly drizzle the tomatoes and mozzarella with the basil olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

It's a light and easy summer salad. Enjoy.

Chicken Piccata

One of my husband's favorite dishes I cook. Chicken cutlets dredged in flour, eggs and Italian bread crumbs topped with tangy lemon caper sauce. Adding pasta is totally optional. 

Chicken:
Two chicken breasts (cut in half and pounded thin)
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup of Italian bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to season flour
2 tables spoon of Olive Oil

Tangy Lemon Caper Sauce:
1/2 of a yellow or brown onion
3 to 4 garlic cloves smashed and minced
1/4 stick of unsalted butter 
Juice from one lemon
2 table spoons of capers (small or medium)
1 teaspoon of caper juice
1 cup of low sodium chicken broth
2 tables spoons of parsley to garnish

Prep Time: 30 minutes 
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Warm a Pyrex dish in a 200 degree oven to keep the chicken warm. 

Take your beautifully pounded chicken cutlets and dredge them into the seasoned flour and tap the excess off. Place them into the beaten eggs and finally coat with bread crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a skillet; pan-fry the chicken pieces until a crispy golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Work in batches and do not crowd skillet (we want crispy not steamed), adding oil as needed . Place the chicken pieces onto the warmed platter in the oven. When finished with all the chicken, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving a thin coating on the surface of the pan.

Cook and stir the slice onion and minced garlic in the skillet until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth. Scrape and dissolve any yum-o brown bits from the bottom of the skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 2/3 cup, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the lemon juice, capers and caper juice; simmer until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more. Drop the butter into the skillet and swirl it into the sauce by tilting the skillet until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add the parsley; remove from heat and set aside.
Arrange the chicken cutlets on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion to serve.

About Squirrel Eats World

I've always loved food that told a story. From simmering hotpots to a refreshing bowl of cold Russian beet borscht. Food has always been a passion. My grandmother Jeanette recently told me that I should post my recipes on a blog for everyone to see. So I'm heeding her advice and sharing what I cook and what I eat with my family and the world.

The foods I enjoy range from traditional Japanese Kaiseki ( a multi-course Japanese dinner) to Eastern European foods that I have grown up with. I take recipes from my family and some I just make up on the fly.

Each of these foods have a sense memory for me. When I'm chowing down on some righteous Dim Sum, I'm taken back to the first time I eat chicken feet and fell madly in love with them. Some recipes do bring tears to my eyes because my Bubbie  Cesia (grandmother) taught me them and sadly she is no longer with us. Some have even made me cry out in frustration because of the intense steps, rare ingredients and tedious mise en place.

Come with me on this adventure through food. I'll share with you my passion for the culinary arts.