A New Year's Resolution

Hello and welcome to my blog. For my New Year's resolution, I decided to cook one recipe from one of my cookbooks each week. I'm hoping to break the food rut I'm in while tapping into the resources I have right at my fingertips.
Since I'm late in starting this, I'll play catch up by posting three recipes in one day.

My first recipe is from this:
I realize to some Rachael Ray isn't exactly high quality food. I received two of her cookbooks for Christmas when I turned 28, shortly after I learned to cook. I will confess that watching her show was one of the ways I became less afraid of cooking. So, we'll forgive her for not being high brow.

I chose a Green Minestrone recipe to make. With bad weather in the forecast, a healthy dose of warm veggies seemed in order.

The finished product:


Hearty, healthy and yummy.

Green Minestrone from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2
Makes 4 servings
2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 slices pancetta or prosciutto, chopped (I used prosciutto)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, dried or fresh
1 medium zucchini, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15 oz) white cannellini beans
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
8 c chicken broth or stock (2, 1 quart paper containers)
1 c ditalini or mini penne pasta (I used brown rice gluten free pasta, since wheat is my personal kryptonite)
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
10 oz spinach (the fresh kind)
1/2 c Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano cheese

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and prosciutto. Saute 2 minutes, then add onions, celery, garlic, bay leaf and zucchini to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans and chicken broth to the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans and cook 8 minutes (I had to cook for 16, since gluten free pasta takes longer to cook). Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Remove bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls (I desperately need a soup ladle!) and top with cheese.

What are you cooking this week?