Italian Penicillin Soup

Ingredients - Serves 8

4 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil 

4 medium Carrots peeled and chopped

2 medium yellow onions quartered

6 cloves garlic peeled

4 stalks celery halved

Salt & Black Pepper to taste

Parmesan or pecorino rind (optional)

12 cups chicken or vegetable Broth

2 cup pastina or small pasta

2 medium lemons (juice only)

1 cup freshly grated parmesan for garnishing

0.5 cup chopped parsley (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, yellow onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until slightly browned and aromatic.

Introduce the parmesan rind and broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes until vegetables are very soft.

Remove the parmesan rind. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until velvety smooth, or transfer to a heat-safe blender.

Stir in the pastina and cook for 8-10 minutes until al-dente. Add more broth if you want a thinner soup.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls, top with grated parmesan, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.

Adapted from https://www.recipesbybella.com/italian-penicillin-soup/ (because Pinterest won't let me pin the link to her site any longer.)  

Loaded Cauliflower & Chicken Casserole

•  3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 1 lb rotisserie chicken meat)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets (or 16oz of frozen cauliflower florets)
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup bacon pieces (about 2.8 ounces)
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup mayonaisse
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken in a 9×13, foil-lined baking dish. Drizzle chicken with olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 45 minutes. Slice chicken.  (If you use pre-shredded rotisserie chicken meat, you can omit this step.)

Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add cauliflower and cook for 6 minutes. Strain cauliflower.

In a 9×13 baking dish, stir together cauliflower, chicken, 1 cup monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon pieces, green onions, mayonaisse, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Top with remaining 1 cup of monterey jack cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes.