Italian Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings (my favorite diet food)

Lately I have been trying to slim down. I have been cutting out butter, bacon, pastry, baking, cookies, sugar, coffee, dressing, breads, grains, sweets, rice, pasta, desserts, and potatoes. I have been eating lettuce and chicken.
Just kidding.

But sometimes it feels like that-right?
My husband told me that  friend of his has been eating light soups. I checked the price and at 2.99 each can, my budget can't handle that. I opted to make my own soup, that costs around $5 and lasts all week for me, my husband, and my sister.
In my quest for a comfort food lunch that still met my lo-cal requirements, I made up this soup. I hope you enjoy it, and you will find the dumplings are delicious and satisfying, but far lower in calories due to the cornmeal and restricted butter.

Italian Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

For the soup:
12 cups chicken stock
2 cups carrots, in a large dice
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onions
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cups shredded chicken
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning

6 cups spinach (for serving)
1 bunch parsley (for serving)

For the dumplings:
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup buttermilk

Makes 12 servings

Combine soup ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 25 mins.

Meanwhile, make the dumpling dough. Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Work in the butter with your fingers. Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon.
Drop pea-sized dumplings into the soup and cook for another 5 minutes or until the dumplings puff up and are cooked through.

Ladle soup into a bowl, top with 1/2 cup spinach and chopped parsley.

For your information, the dumplings are fine if you refrigerate the leftovers. They absorb more liquid as they sit so you might need to thin out the soup with more chicken stock.

Quiche

I love parties. I love eating at parties, I love making food for parties, and I love having people over for parties. There is something I don't quite understand, though. When people talk about party food, they always try to find quick and easy things that don't require much work. Like assembly-only dishes. I, on the other hand, look for something that I have been dying to make. Like some crazy cake that would be way too much for just my family, but perfect for a group of friends. Or maybe a new appetizer. Again, that is not something I am going to make for a weeknight dinner, but something I would love to try out. So, I end up inviting people over, and cooking. Half of it is for them, but the other half of it is for my personal enjoyment. Selfish, I know. But, in my defense, some people don't mind being my guinea pigs.
I just recently hatched another idea for a party,

Crispy, crunchy

I really love reading through cookbooks. If I haven't looked through one in a while, I will just put it on my nightstand, and pick it up when I am trying to get sleepy or waiting to watch a movie. I love cookbooks that have lots of pictures (sad...I know) and who's author shares personal experiences and thoughts. One of my favorite books is Feast by Nigella Lawson. It is really fantastic. She has food for every special occasion you can think of, and an entire chapter devoted to chocolate cakes! You should buy the book just for that!
I love her book because she thinks of food the way I do. Over the top. Large portions. It's fun to eat and make things that are delicious and decadent, but you don't always have time.
That's where this recipe comes in. I was reading through her book...again...and I came across a recipe for crispy pork chops. We like pork chops, but I always ALWAYS make this recipe. It's delicious, and we all love it. It's also great for company, which is another reason I love making it. But when I read this recipe in Nigella's book, I thought...I need to switch up the pork chops a little bit...and as I perused the ingredient list, thinking of how the flavors will go with each other, I began thinking to myself that this dish would be absolutely amazing.
So, I put it on the menu. About a week later, I made it for my family, and it was just as delicious as I thought it would be. I had changed around a few of the ingredients, but if you look at the original recipe it is quite similar.
Another bonus about this meal...its quick. Perfect for a night when you want a quick and easy dinner...especially when there are no kids around, since this is a quick dinner for two. There is a healthy dose of garlic, so eat up and smooch while you both have garlicky breath.

Crunchy Pork Chops

2 8-oz thin-sliced pork chops
1 egg
1 Tablespoon Dijon
½ teaspoon dried, ground oregano
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup oil for frying
3 medium tomatoes
½ clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice from ½ a lemon
4 cups baby spinach leaves, washed
Combine egg, mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper in a shallow dish. In another dish, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Press the chops into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Then dip the chops into the breadcrumbs, covering them evenly. Let them lie on a wire rack to dry slightly while you heat the oil in a large frying pan. You need to cook the chops until they’re a deep golden color, about 5-7 minutes a side.
Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and take out the seeds, then cut them into strips and dice them. Combine diced tomato, minced garlic, oil and lemon juice in a bowl, and add salt and pepper.
When the chops are ready, toss the spinach in the tomato mixture, and divide the salad between two large plates, and place pork chop alongside.

Thoughts of Pizza

The recipe that I want to tell you all about right now is one of those things that someone just told me how to make.

There is a woman I have known for about twelve years who is a fantastic cook. She has inspired me to make so many different dishes. As a teenager growing up I remember going to her house and there was always food. I decided then and there I wanted to be like her. I have tasted her food over the years and I find myself asking over and over again, "How did you make that?". Hers was the first cheesecake I tried and the recipe I am writing about today I had for the first time at her house.

We start with pizza dough. I will include a recipe for homemade pizza dough, which I like to make and divide in half and freeze one half for later. You then cook up some Italian sausage (I use spicy) add lots of garlic and some spinach. I put mozzarella in it, but my friend doesn't. Sometimes I serve it with marinara for dipping. She uses frozen spinach, but I prefer fresh. Now, when you read about this you will probably think, 'what's the big deal?' It is a big deal. It is absolutely amazing and delicious. There is never a scrap left over. My sister who is not a big veggie person gets excited when I tell her I am going to make it. My sons eat it and my husband gorges himself every time we have it (seriously).
You have to try it.

Spicy Italian Sausage Pizza Roll
1/2 recipe pizza dough (recipe follows)
1/2 lb spicy sausage (Jimmy Dean Hot is good)
10 cloves minced garlic
1 bunch of spinach, washed, trimmed and chopped
1 cup grated mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Saute sausage in a pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil if you need to. Once the sausage is browned and broken into small pieces add the garlic. Cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the spinach. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, or until the spinach is completely wilted.
Roll out the pizza dough into a square, and spread the sausage mixture evenly around. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella over the sausage. Roll up the dough on the long side, tucking the dough as you roll. Place on a baking stone and put stone on the middle rack of the oven. Cook for 20-30 minutes, or until you can knock on the dough and it is firm. The crust should be brown.

Pizza dough recipe