Black Bean Soup with Cumin and Jalapeno

Here's the crazy thing about black bean soup: it is really just healthy chili! I know! The trick is that when you don't call it chili you're not thinking about the things you're missing like you do when you eat veggie chili or even turkey chili. Instead, you're thinking that you can't believe how you can get a smooth, thick, yes, even creamy! texture with no dairy products or dairy substitutes. One genius quick-fix I read in the comments to the recipe was to use a can of Ro-Tel or similar instead of the canned tomatoes/fresh chopped jalapeno (I used a can of mixed tomatoes/Hatch green chiles). If you're already comfortable with the preservatives in canned tomatoes, all the Ro-Tel does is shave off time and make this a pantry meal. Also, if you have an immersion blender and you didn't, for example, stick it in the dishwasher to hide it because company was coming over and then forget to take it out before your housekeeper came and ran said dishwasher, you should use the immersion blender instead of the regular blender and just stop while the soup is still slightly chunky.

The only thing I wish about this recipe is that it photographed better...

Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellatta

I am not the world's biggest pork fan. No "other white meat" for me. But my husband's tolerance for chicken breast is as low as the price of fresh fish is high, and so I've been trying to find ways to serve up this lean alternative. (except... now that red meat is okay, and bacon and sausage are bad... my world is rocked and I may need to rethink). The best thing about Giada's Pork Chops with Sweet Onion Marmellata (besides the fact that she signed my Giada's Kitchen cookbook with the recipe in it!) is that you could put the marmellata on literally anything and it will taste fantastic. It's the kind of thing you see in specialty shops in a very small, very expensive jar, and after you have a sample on crostini you pay the $10 and have to have it. The third best thing about the marmellata is that it is still delicious if you don't exactly follow the directions and cook the onions for 1 hour instead of 2. Same with the pork rub. The fourth best thing, since we're counting, is that instead of 4 pork chops, you can substitute 3 pork chops and 1 bone-in chicken breast :) Marital harmony, people.

Chicken Cacciatore

I think I've mentioned previously my love for Giada's recipes and how well they turn out. Everyday Italian is the cookbook that started it all for me. Every dish in it tastes exactly like you expect it would-- classic, Italian-American cuisine. Chicken Cacciatore, though, was never a meal I ordered at a restaurant and wow, was I missing out! The sauce, which is really more like a stew broth, picks up tang from the veggies and depth from the chicken. I've made this dish as called for, with both thighs and breasts, and with only one or the other. If you go the latter route, don't change the portion size; just cut down on the protein overall and pick up some crusty bread to soak up the broth. And of course, this dish is great with fresh grated parmesan on top.

Chicken Chow Mein

Oh, Jamie Oliver... you make me want to eat healthy AND save the world :)

We definitely watched Jamie's Food Revolution and Chicken Chow Mein was one of his early recipes. The recipe is intimidating because there are so many ingredients but -- surprise! -- the veggies were fairly inexpensive and the dish comes together quickly (although the recipe underestimates the time for 1) cooking the chicken and 2) getting the sauce to really deepen to a golden brown color). We used a jalapeno pepper, adding just enough spice and extra mushrooms, because we love them. The first time, we made it for the two of us and the second time, I made it just for me and had leftovers, as this dish keeps well.