Chicken, Bacon, and Rice Soup

Hello all! My best friend Lauren from thelittlethingswedo blog just gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Since as a new mom I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is cook, I cooked up a bunch of freezer ready meals that she can heat and enjoy. I made them a barbecue chicken cornbread casserole, some individual pot pies, and this soup. I grabbed the recipe off of Lauren's pinterest so I knew it was something she would enjoy. Believe it or not, this was my first time making a roux, and it seemed pretty lumpy to me, but once mixed in with the soup base, the lumps disappeared. Feel free to add more veggies, I know I will next time I make it. The recipe is highly customizable, you could sub in brown rice (that's what I did) or noodles or some other starch. The soup is so hearty and nourishing that all you really need to accompany it is a fresh green salad. Hope you enjoy, and if you get a chance, hop on over to Lauren's blog and congratulate her!

Chicken Bacon Rice Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum, from Cambridge Medical Center cookbook

3 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice (or brown), rinsed

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions - I only had scallions, they seem similar to me!

1/2 cup margarine or butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cup cubed or shredded cooked chicken or turkey

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth and water.

Add rice and onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes (or until rice is tender). Once the rice is cooked, there will be some additional broth - do not drain. In a medium saucepan, melt margarine, stir in flour, salt, seasoning, and pepper.

Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly (mine never got all the way smooth, guess it takes practice). Gradually stir in half and half with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth. Add remaining ingredients (chicken, bacon, and pimiento).

Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. I cooked mine about an hour and a half. Do not boil. The longer you cook it, the more it will thicken.

This soup is best served after gently heating for an extended period of time (even a few hours) or the next day.

Have a happy week!

Curry Chicken Salad

Chicken salad takes me right back to my childhood, finding a chicken salad sandwiches packed in my lunch was a special treat. This recipe is a variation on the chicken salad I remember from my childhood as it adds in curry powder and hard boiled eggs. I left out the celery and onions (didn't have any), but next time I'll add them in, it was missing crunch. I recommend that you let it sit overnight to allow the curry flavor to intensify and serve it the next day over salad greens or in a sandwich if you like. On a side note, I think craisins and or cashews would be a delicious addition, but beware that it will up the carb count!

Curry Chicken Salad

3 hard boiled eggs

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons dill pickle relish

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt to taste

Peel and chop hard boiled eggs.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, eggs, green onions, dill relish, curry and mayonnaise.

Stir together until mixed well. Refrigerate until chilled, preferably overnight.

Nutrition Data Entire Recipe

743 calories

65.12 grams protein; 49.65 grams fat; 9.09 g carbs; 3.99 g net carbs


Nutrition Data per 1 Serving

149 calories

3 g protein; 9.9 g fat; 1.8 g carbs; .8 g net carbs

Enjoy!

Stromboli Sandwiches

Usually I'm not a big fan of Rachel Ray, many of her recipes have long lists of ingredients which I usually don't have. I also find her use of the phrases "Yum-O" and "EVOO" and cutesy recipe names (ahem... sammies...) a bit annoying. My sister, however, is a big fan. And, I must admit, this recipe was awesome. I had everything I needed on hand, it came together in 25 minutes (including the 15 minutes baking time), and it impressed my guests. So in this case, way to go Rachel Ray!

Stromboli Sandwiches

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread

Spinach or other mixed greens (I used a 50/50 mix)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound chicken sausage or tofu crumbles

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (3 generous handfuls)

8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a medium skillet, heat oil t over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Sprinkle bread shell with provolone cheese, add a layer of greens, then sausage mixture.

Finally, top with the parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid.

Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes.

Cut into thick slices to serve.

One more thing, I would love to know what kind of recipes you all want to see. If you could take a sec and vote in the poll in my side bar, I would be supremely grateful!

Thanks, can't wait to hear what you all think!

Happy Eating!

I'll be linking up to Mouthwatering Monday and Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Keeper, and Rook #17

Coconut Chicken CURRY!

So my good friend Lauren (you may be familiar with her adorable blog) came over for a girls night last weekend. We had a GREAT time, watched Devil Wears Prada (I got inspired to get my bangs cut like Ann Hathaway... we'll see how that goes), and we made an absolutely divine coconut chicken curry. It is really pretty easy, just takes a bit of time cause it has to simmer. That was perfect for us though, while it was simmering away, filling my apartment with delicious smells, we had time to gab and have some good girl time. Once it was finished cooking though, the talking stopped for a good ten minutes as we stuffed our faces with this delicious concoction. I served it over rice and we also had a lovely crispy baguette Lauren had brought from Grand Central Bakery. I know rice is the traditional accompaniment to curry and it was nice, but I think that the bread was a better complement to the rich sauce. So, I recommend you serve the curry over a nice crusty whole wheat baguette. That being said, either way you choose to serve it, this curry is a definite keeper!

Coconut Chicken Curry

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder (cayenne)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 red potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don’t let it burn).

Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic. Cook ten minutes more, or until onions are very clear (mine took about 15 minutes).

Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.

Add potatoes, then add coconut milk, tomatoes (lightly crush the stewed tomatoes with your fingers before adding), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan. Stir to combine.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve with rice or a hearty wheat baguette. Makes great leftovers the next day too!

Have a lovely, stress-free weekend!

Family Food Fridays

Crockpot Salsa Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

This week I was having a few friends over for dinner on an evening that I knew I was going to get off work late. I also realized the night before that I really hadn't planned anything for dinner and I had almost no ingredients on hand.... what's a girl to do? Turn to that fabulous invention known as the crock pot. I threw in a jar of salsa, a few chicken breasts and set it on low and slow! When I arrived home that evening, I was greeted by the glorious smell of the chicken cooking. All I had to do was boil some whole wheat penne pasta and serve it up with some Monterrey jack cheese and a green salad on the side. Such a delicious, savory meal! My friends thought I had been slaving away over a hot stove all evening.... little did they know I had spent about fifteen minutes total pulling the meal together... but that will just be our little secret ☺

Crock pot Salsa Chicken with Whole Wheat Penne Pasta

Ingredients

3 good sized chicken breasts, frozen

1 jar of your favorite low-sodium salsa, I like Green Mountain Gringo Fire Roasted Chili Salsa (try and select the lowest sodium salsa you can find or else your chicken will turn out too salty!)

1 lb whole wheat penne pasta

Ingredients to top:

Monterrey jack cheese (shredded)

Sour cream

Coat inside of crock pot with non-stick cooking spray. Place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Pour one jar of salsa over chicken breasts. Place lid on cooker and set on low. Cover and allow chicken to cook for 8-10 hours. I did ten and mine turned out perfect. After chicken is completely cooked, boil pasta until tender. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred with two forks. Toss pasta with chicken and left over cooking liquid from the crock pot. Sprinkle with cheese and spoon on a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Creamy Chicken Soup

"Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort."

Norman Kolpas

What is it about good homemade food that is so comforting? When words fail, bringing someone something that you made and put thought into can mean more than anything you could ever say... My grandma recently got diagnosed with terminal cancer. Needless to say this has been a very trying time for my family, especially my dad (she is his mom). It has been an amazing blessing to us to see how many lovely caring friends and neighbors we have. People have been so generous, bringing by baked goods, fresh picked fruits, even full dinners for us. More than the food, it is the thought that goes behind the food that serves to restore and comfort in the midst of chaos. One of the most comforting foods for me is a warm soup with a good loaf of bread. Something about it just warms my soul! I found this recipe on food.com, it is wonderfully creamy and delicious! It would make a great dish to bring to someone you know that is having a tough time as it can be refrigerated or frozen or reheated. I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a beautiful day!

P.S. Sorry about the pictures, I kind of threw it together in a hurry and didn't take time to take lots of pics

Mama Leone's Chicken Soup

Adapted from food.com recipe

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white meat chicken (like from a rotisserie chicken or leftovers), diced

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 tsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery

3 summer squash, diced

2 tblsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp dried tarragon

2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3-4 sprigs fresh oregano

1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tblsp

8 cups fat free chicken broth

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice

3/4 cup fat free or regular evaporated milk

2 cups sliced fresh spinach

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the butter and melt. Saute the onions, squash, and celery until the onions are translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, oregano, and paprika and 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir until well-combined. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and milk. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken and basil and simmer 10 minutes more. Just before serving, stir in the spinach.

Dad's Day Beer Can Chicken with Grilled Lemoney Asparagus and Veggies with Champagne Vinagrette

Happy Father's Day! In honor of Father's Day I am going to post some original recipes my dad came up with. He is a great chef and I have learned much of what I know about cooking through watching him. He can whip up a delicious gourmet meal with seemingly no effort. Whoever said that men can't cook never ate dinner with my dad! I was lucky enough to get to spend most of the day with him yesterday doing one of our favorite things, creating delicious food! My cousin, her husband and their son were also there which made it extra, extra special! Dad doesn't really believe in measuring out ingredients and just "eyeballs" it. So when reading these recipes, keep in mind that the measurements are approximate. You can use more or less of the ingredients as you like. The other thing about the way dad cooks is that when he adds spices to things, he just starts grabbing spices and putting them together. He has an innate sense of which spices, when blended together, take a food from good to GREAT. A skill I am hoping to learn from him! He is a big fan of Penzy's Spices and used them in these recipes, if you don't have the Penzy's spice mentioned in the recipe I included spices you could sub for them. The meal we made last night would be a great one to whip up with your dad or for your dad. It is not difficult and the majority of the cooking is done on the grill. Our menu included Beer Can Chicken, Grilled Lemoney Asparagus, and Veggies with Champagne Vinaigrette. When paired with warm basmati brown rice and a nice cool glass of iced tea, this meal is the perfect way to wrap up a warm summer day. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to call your dad today!

Beer Can Chicken

Grilling chicken over a can of beer creates an amazing, moist meat with just a hint of that great beer flavor! Try it, you'll like it :)

Ingredients

1 can beer (any brand, dad says, "Whatever is cheapest") drunk down about an inch

1 whole chicken

~2 tbsp Penzy's Northwoods Fire (depending on size of chicken)

**coarse flake salt, paprika, chipotle pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, rosemary and garlic.

~2 tbsp poultry seasoning

1 onion cut into about three chunks

Lemon Butter Marinade (recipe follows)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Insert can of beer in chicken's body cavity (see picture).

Dad has a special stand that he uses but says you can prop the chicken up with metal skewers or whatever you have on hand.

Brush chicken with lemon butter and pat with spices, sprinkle spices inside as well. Stuff onion into chicken body cavity.

Heat grill over medium high flame for about ten minutes or until hot. Set chicken on grill.

Check in ten minutes and brush with remaining lemon butter mixture. Continue checking every ten minutes until thermometer inserted in deepest part of breast reads about 175.

Remove from grill, let rest for ten minutes (to give juices time to settle).

Carve and eat!

Makes about 5 servings

Lemon Butter Marinade

In a small sauce pan over medium high heat melt 1 tblsp butter. When melted but not hot remove from heat and mix with juice from 1/2 lemon.

*This makes enough for Beer Can Chicken recipe. Repeat these directions to make marinade for Lemony Asparagus.

Grilled Lemony Asparagus

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus spears(washed with hard ends broken off)

Lemon Butter Marinade (see previous recipe). If you prefer less butter, just use lemon juice.

Brush preheated grill with 1/4 of the Lemon Butter Marinade, (if making with Beer Can Chicken, you can cook the asparagus next to the chicken, but make sure you don't put it on the grill until the chicken is almost done).

Spread asparagus spears onto grill, making sure not to overlap. Turn asparagus every five minutes until tender and cooked evenly.

When tender, remove from grill, toss with remaining lemon marinade and serve. Garnish with lemon rind if desired.

Veggies with Champagne Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8 cup habanero vinegar (adds a nice kick but don't worry if you don't have this on hand just increase champagne vinegar to 1/4 cup)

1/8 cup champagne vinegar

Sea salt

Mrs Dash Spice Blend

Penzy's Northwood's Fire

Ground mustard

Ground garlic

Fresh ground black pepper

*(I did not include exactly how much as you can adjust them according to your own preference) This vinagerette needs to be tasted as you are putting it together. We like a more vinegary taste, so add more vinegar.

Whisk all ingredients together in small bowl until the oil and vinegar are well melded. Don't under mix.

Vegetables

Ingredients

2 sliced bok choy

3 medium zucchini squash sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

3 large white mushrooms, sliced

1 bunch arugula torn into small pieces

3 cups fresh spinach or other leafy vegetable (chard or kale)

Champagne Vinaigrette

Chili powder

Add 1/2 vinaigrette mixture to large wok. Heat over medium high heat until very hot.

When hot add bok choy and zucchini stir fry about three minutes.

Add in chili powder, mushrooms, arugula and spinach.Stir fry until tender but not mushy. Zucchini should still be slightly crisp. The leafy vegetable cooks quickly so don't overcook. You are looking for just wilted leaves. Toss with remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Makes about 7 servings

Enjoy!