Recipe(tried): MMMMM Minestrone - with Crusty Rolls and Low-fat Chocolate Cake

SUPERBOWL DINNER MENU:
Minestrone Soup
Crusty Rolls
Low Fat Chocolate Cake with Quick Chocolate Frosting

---

OK - don't blame ME if Superbowl dinner tonight was low-fat, high protein and full of iron and vitamins.....It was also really delicious. We served it with warmed Italian rolls, and ended with chocolate cake.

MMMMMMM MINESTRONE

1 lb pork tenderloin, all visible fat removed
1 c chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium carrots
2 ribs celery with tops
1 16 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed/drained
1 16 oz can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes, with juices
5 cups chicken broth
4 "twigs" of fresh thyme [or 2 tsp dried]
2 bay leaves [fresh if you have them]
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper [or more, to taste]
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed [I buy this from the local grocery store's salad bar]
Pasta [see Note below]
Canola oil

Cut tenderloin into 1 in. rounds, then slice rounds into 1 in. pieces. Split celery down length, then slice cross-wise into 1/2 in. pieces. Quarter carrots lengthwise, then slice crosswise into 1/2 in. pieces.

Place all in large slow cooker along with onions and garlic. Top with beans, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, and red pepper. Pour broth over all. Add 2 tsp salt, and four or five grinds of pepper. Stir well. Cover and let cook 3 1/2 hours on high without lifting lid.

Slice spinach into bite-size pieces. Stir into soup and re-cover pan immediately. Continue to cook on high another 30 minutes.

Then cook pasta in boiling water, as package directs. Drain well, and mix with up to 1 tbsp canola oil, as needed, to prevent sticking. Cover and keep warm until soup is ready. To serve, place 1/2 to 1 cup pasta in large, wide soup bowl and top with several ladles of soup. Offer Grana-Padano, or other grated hard cheese, to top soup.

Add leftover pasta to soup, cover, and and refrigerate. The taste mellows and improves up to 3 days after cooking this soup. Enjoy!

Note: I used mini penne [1/2 of a 1 lb. box] and cooked it to "chewy" al dente, to give the soup plenty of body. Smaller shapes are best in this soup. Also, consider a whole grain pasta for even more protein.

---

CRUSTY ROLLS
Crisp purchased or homemade rolls in 375 degree F oven and serve with olive oil for dipping, or butter.

---

LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE CAKE

This is what Marion Cunningham calls a "neighborhood cake" - just right for an informal meal. Top it with powdered sugar when cool, or serve it plain and slightly warm, with fresh sliced strawberries on the side. The recipe is from her book, "The Fannie Farmer Baking Book" [1984].

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp white or cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup oil [I use canola]
1 cup[warm from the tap]water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for at least 15 minutes. Use a 9x9 inch pan. A metal pan gives a better crust than glass. Don't bother to butter/flour, or spray pan - just serve it directly from the pan.

Mix flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa, and salt in pan, using a fork, until well combined. Make three wells in mixture. Add vinegar, vanilla, and oil - each into one well. Pour water over all. Mix quickly with fork until combined, making sure to get fork into all corners and edges. Some small lumps are okay and will disappear with baking.

Place pan immediately into oven. Bake 25 minutes. Check by pressing center of cake - if it springs back slightly, it's done. Bake up to 5 more minutes as needed. Don't over-bake - you want a moist texture.

I sometimes add a frosting. Here it is:

QUICK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
Powdered sugar
Low-fat or skim milk

Melt butter in a 4-5 cup glass measuring cup or bowl. Let cool several minutes. Add cocoa and beat with spoon into smooth paste. Add vanilla, beat in. Begin adding powdered sugar in 1/2 to 3/4 cup measures. Beat in until smooth, then add 1-2 tsp milk. I usually do this three to four times, beating well with each addition. I decrease the amount of milk added each time, to help the frosting stay thick.

Leave the frosting fairly stiff. Top cake with frosting about 5-10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Smooth the frosting over the cake as it warms from the heat of the cake. As it cools, the frosting will take on a glazed appearance.

Here's hoping the Saints will march right in.....