Quick Weeknight Meal: Creamy Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

The cool weather and the abundance of leeks at our local farmers' market inspired me to make this easy and delicious soup for dinner last night. Serve this hearty soup as a main course with a simple green salad. Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

6 strips of bacon
2-3 leeks (use 3 if they are on the small and skinny side)
2 medium russett potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 - 4 cups of chicken stock (depending on how thick you want it)
Cheddar cheese, shredded (for garnish)
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Cook bacon in a high sided saute pan or soup pot until crisp.

Step 2: While bacon is cooking, cut the tops and bottoms off of the leeks, then slice the leeks in half lengthwise. Chop the leeks into 1/4 inch slices, then place the sliced leeks into a large bowl of water to rinse them (move them around in the water to separate the pieces and allow any dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl). Remove the rinsed leeks and allow them to dry on some paper towels.

Step 3: When the bacon is crisp, remove it from the pan to some paper towels and save it to garnish the soup. Keep husband away from the bacon to ensure that some remains for garnish (this step may only apply to me). Add leeks to the pan with the bacon grease and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add a small amount of salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Add potatoes and chicken stock to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Put a lid on the soup and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes (if you don't have a lid, just simmer for a few minutes longer) - until the potatoes fall apart easily when a fork is inserted. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a couple minutes.

Step 5: Puree the soup in 2 batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Once soup is smooth, add it back to the pan over low heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. If it is too thick, add some more chicken stock.

Garnish soup with bacon bits and shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Quick Weeknight Meals: Salmon with soba noodles in peanut sauce and sesame green beans

My husband and I often work late, so we have come up with a bunch of recipes that can be prepared in 25 minutes or less (take that, Rachael Ray!). Tonight we made a salmon dinner that could not be easier to prepare -- plus, it was healthy and delicious!


Ingredients:


Salmon filets (5-6 oz per person)

Soba Noodles

Green beans

Creamy peanut butter

Soy Sauce

Rice Vinegar

Minced Ginger (fresh or from a jar)

Lime Juice

Chili-Garlic Sauce (or Sriracha, an asian hot sauce)

Sesame Oil

Sesame Seeds



Step 1: For the noodles, bring a medium/large pot of water to a boil.


Step 2: While the water is coming to a boil, pre-heat the broiler of your oven or toaster oven. Place salmon filets skin side down on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper, then lightly coat with soy sauce. Broil the fish for 5-7 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.


Step 3: Clean green beans, then trim ends and cut in half on a bias. Place in basket steamer (or you may boil them). I prefer them crisp-tender, so I usually steam them for about 5-6 minutes.


Step 4: Place soba noodles in boiling water for 6-7 minutes, then prepare the peanut sauce while the noodles are cooking. To prepare sauce, whisk about 1/4 cup of peanut butter with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice, 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil, and 1 - 2 teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce - depending on how spicy you like it (use less if using sriracha sauce). Whisk until smooth.


Step 5: Remove Salmon from broiler and check on noodles. Once noodles are done, drain and then toss with the peanut sauce.


Step 6: Remove green beans from the steamer (or boiling water) and toss with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Then toss with a 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (white or black).



Enjoy! Let us know how it turns out.