Spicy-Yummy Tomato-ey Chicken Soup

I'm running out of names for recipes. This started out to be Chicken Fajita Soup, but evolved in a couple other directions before it was finished. The only 'mistake' I made this time was using Chili Tomatoes that were fire roasted. I didn't see that on the label until it was too late. The burnt flavor is what dominates, at least in this brand. 

Chop or slice the vegetables and saute in a generous amount of single source EVOO:

3/4 each - 1 lg. orange and green bell pepper
5 lg. garlic cloves
1-1/2 yellow onion
several celery heart stalks

~ I also added some mixed cabbage I had previously shredded: Napa cabbage, purple, green and a little shredded carrot.

Saute the vegetables only a short time, so they're still crisp, just enough to release their scents into your kitchen. Next add:

4oz. chopped sun-dried tomatoes + the oil they're packed in
chopped celery tops
28oz. seasoned crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (enormous) or 3 med. bay leaves
2 cans of corn - 1 drained, 1 w/liquid
1 lg. can 19oz. drained-rinsed black beans
12oz. roasted chicken
1 quart well-jelled chicken bone broth
2-3T powdered chicken bone broth base
1 pkg. Cilantro-Lime rice

Gently stir this all together then simmer 20 minutes. You can stir in 1c of sour cream now, or leave it out and just garnish each bowl with a big dab and some fresh cilantro leaves.

I still really don't know what to call this soup. . .Maybe Chicken Taco Soup. . .but whatever I call it, I like how it turned out! .😊. .Lin

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Salad

I made pull apart biscuits I thought they would pair nicely with some chicken salad for dinner tonight. So this happened. . .

Combine in a medium glass bowl:

1/3c± jalapeño jelly
~ warmed in the microwave

1/3c± EVOO mayonnaise
~ This sweet-spicy sauce was wonderful! ~

To this chop and add:
2 green onions
3 stalks celery heart
4oz. roasted dark meat chicken
cilantro, celery tops or parsley
a good shake of garlic salt

Using a silicone spatula, mix everything together. Pull apart some biscuits, slice some cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles or avocados on the side. . .Lin

Roasting Chicken - For Meat And Bone Broth

Ahhhh, it's A Chicken Roasting Day!!!
One of my favorite days in the kitchen!

Today I washed and dried several pounds of chicken thighs (adding chicken feet later in the roasting process.) I then put the thigs in my 60 year old black speckled roasting pan. Drizzled with Moroccan EVOO and seasoned. Today my Rosemary Seasoning sounded good. This bone broth will be shared with my cat Henry and dog Oliver, so NO onion or garlic in any phase of prep.

When roasting chicken, I always do it the opposite of everyone else I know. I start with the chicken uncovered, for about an hour at 400° to brown it up, then turn the heat down to 350-375° and cover for the rest of the oven time. Today, the total time was just under 2 hours with the feet added after I reduced the temperature. Check the brownness of the thighs, occasionally poking them with a fork and basting everything.

Then the covered pot cooled, on my back deck where it was 52° and shady. Once cool enough to handle, I removed all the meat to package for future use.

It was back-to-the-pot for all the skin, fat, bones and feet, which Walmart's meat department labels . . . . .  😁 CHICKEN 🐔 PAWS 😅 !!

To all that I added enough water to half way fill the pan, bay leaves, peppercorns, turmeric, a big splash (1/3 - 1/2c) of apple cider vinegar and simmered it all on low, covered, for about 3 hours. Then cooled a bit again before beginning the straining.

Strain everything from one pot to another, of equal size, going back and forth a couple times using finer mesh strainers each time. I've now got it down to only a couple 'strains' since I use a dampened piece of cheesecloth type of material inside a big strainer, the final time to catch all the little particles. This works well for a nice semi-clear broth.

Before doing the final strain, be sure to thoroughly clean the pot you plan to chill this in. Chill at least overnight, or long enough for the fat to solidify at the top and the actual bone broth to gel underneath.

The vinegar and those simmered chicken feet produce a very well gelled broth, which indicates it's full of healthy collagen.

Heat and have a cup, use it in soups or gravies, and give your cat and dog some in their food. Supplementing our pet's diets with healthy human foods can definitely extend their lives.

My American Staffordshire, Penny lived to be 19+ and my Puggle, Oliver will be 15 in July. .🐶. .Lin

Asian Chicken Soup

Since my last similar post, I've decided I love this type of soup! This recipe is similar, just different amounts and a few added vegetables. Be careful not to go too heavy on the pepper, Chinese 5 Spice and star anise. Those seem to develop and intensify when reheated.

Start by slicing or chopping, then gently sauteing, the hard vegetables in some toasted sesame oil for 10 minutes to soften them a bit. 

3 med. carrots

4-5 dark green celery ribs

~ put the tops aside for later

12 or so Brussels sprouts

half a big purple shallot

Next add the other half of the chopped shallot and 1/3 of a red bell pepper, stir-saute this for about 5 minutes then add the chopped celery tops and seasonings. Start with small amounts then check the flavors and add more after simmering if needed. If you want a little sweetness, you can also add a tablespoon of honey.

garlic salt

Chinese 5 Spice

powdered star anise

black and cayenne pepper

Everything Bagel Seasoning

a big spoonful or two of chicken Better Than Bouillon

Stir and saute all this for several minutes, then add 2-3 quarts of water. Simmer 30-40 minutes until the vegetables are almost done the way you like them.

Add 10oz. of chopped roasted chicken, 2c frozen peas, and 4-1/2oz. of rice noodles. Stir gently and simmer another 5-10 minutes being careful not to overcook the noodles.

Mmmm. . .Soup's Ready. .😊. .Lin

A Light, Healthy Asian Chicken-Vegetable-Noodle Soup

I've been wanting to perfect something like this for a long time. In the past I've had a hard time getting the noodles and the spices right. This might be the one!

I knew I wanted to cook the noodles separately and rinse and chill them well before adding them to pot, rather than just cooking them right in the soup. This way the broth would stay clear and less starchy.

I did that with the noodles shown, then decided they just weren't right. Instead I used 3-4oz. of dry, thinner rice noodles that look more like 'glass noodles' than the first ones. It was a good switch!

Once the noodles are lightly cooked, drained and chilling in ice water, slice the vegetables into the pot and get them sizzling in 2T single source EVOO:

2 med. purple carrots

1 med. white carrot

1/4 sm. head of green cabbage

3 inner ribs of celery (and tops)

5 green onions

After those sizzle a bit, add a little water and a big spoonful - 1/3c or so - of chicken Better Than Bouillon. Let that simmer about 10 minutes then add the celery tops and 1/2 a bunch of curly parsley, chopped. Stir in the following seasonings and add more water.

1t black+cayenne pepper

2t Chinese 5 Spice

1-2t powdered Star Anise

Once the vegetables are crisp-tender, drain and add the noodles and 6-8oz. roasted chicken. Chill the soup now if you're cooked ahead, or just bring it up to a light simmer once more and serve. This isn't a soup you put on low and cook all day. Keep it lightly cooked and fresh. It's a really nice spring soup!

Earlier I had a bowl with a crispy grilled sandwich. I used 7 grain bread with lacy Swiss and American cheese, spread inside with Aldi's tomato pesto, then fried in EVOO. It was a surprisingly great combination! . .Lin

Egg Bake with Chicken & Lots of Vegetables

This turned out SO well, in spite of forgetting to set my timer and going past my estimated baking time by about 20 minutes! 😯 No doubt about the vegetables being well cooked, that's for sure!

Preheat your oven to 350°

CHOP or SLICE:
1-2 lg. carrots
3-4 ribs of celery
a big handful of broccoli florets
6oz. roasted chicken
a generous amount of fresh greens
~ I used baby arugula and spinach
SHRED: 6-8oz. strong flavored cheese

Next, put the following in your blender jar:

8 lg. pasture raised eggs

1/3-1/2c liquid - I used coconut milk. Chicken broth would also be good.
3T Buckwheat flour - in spite of its name, this IS gluten-free!
1/2T baking powder
a big shake of smoked sea salt
- or- smokey paprika
1t± oregano leaf
1t black+cayenne pepper
1/2T good quality curry powder

Layer the vegetables in a buttered 9-13" pan. Add the chicken and greens. Pulse everything in the blender, just until smooth. Pour over the vegetables. Gently move everything around with a spatula to coat everything with the egg mixture without disturbing the layers. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over everything. Bake ? probably 35 minutes or until sides are browned and the center is firm.

I omitted onion from this recipe since I'll be sharing it with my Old-Man-Puppy Oliver 🐶 . . . Lin

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Wide Egg Noodles

I've found that the secret to avoid mushy noodles is not putting them right into the soup pot while all the other ingredients are simmering.

I cook them separately until half way done and still quite chewy. Drain, rinse and soak them in icy cold water. When they're very cold to the touch, drain again and put aside for now.

Another wonderful benefit to doing this is the noodles become what's know as Resistant Starch.

The method I outlined above is the quick version. Click on this ↑ link for directions and the science supporting this chilling and reheating technique.

Chop-slice all the vegetables then separate them by cooking time. Start with those that require the most time in the pot. Here, it's carrots, celery sauteing in a generous amount of single origin EVOO, with a little of the purple onion.

Next, when everything in the pot has sizzled, over low-medium heat, for 10 minutes or so, add the chopped cabbage, the rest of the onion and sliced kale-making sure to strip the leaves off the tough center stem first.

Add seasonings. Today I added 3 bay leaves, about a 1/2T of Orange Pepper, some garlic salt and a couple big spoonsful of Better Than Bouillon soup base, along with about 48oz. of my most recent chicken bone broth - also about 1/3c of cooking Sherry that I forgot to include in this photo.

Simmer over heat just high enough to create a slow bubble, for about 40 minutes. Check the carrots and stop now or continue to simmer until they're cooked the way you like them.
Stir them into the pot, heat again to a low bubble and. . .Soup's Ready. . 😃. .Lin

A Protein-Fiber Breakfast Bowl

I love putting leftovers together for breakfast. . .

Today it was 3 pieces of Spicy California Rolls cut in half, part of an avocado and a couple ounces of roasted dark meat chicken.

Topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning and a drizzle of Sweet Chili Sauce and Mushroom Soy Sauce. . .it was just perfect!

Be adventurous and think outside the 'traditional breakfast food' box. You might be surprised. . .Lin

Chicken-Mushroom-Vegetable Alfredo

6-8oz. pasta - Cook the pasta about half way, then drain and rinse in ice water until well chilled to turn this into resistant starch. While this is chilling, combine the following ingredients for the sauce.

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce

1/2-1c chicken bone broth

1/2c Marsala cooking wine

Simmer the sauce over low heat, season with black and cayenne pepper, granulated garlic and garlic salt until it bubbles and thickens a bit. Sauté 8oz. mushrooms over low heat in 2-3T black truffle oil. Add a little more Marsala. When the mushrooms are nicely browned add the chopped vegetables:

4 big ribs of celery
4 seedless mini peppers

1/2 large onion

Simmer over low heat, covered until the celery is crisp-tender. Add 1 can drained-rinsed diced water chestnuts, the chilled-drained pasta and 11oz. roasted chicken. Mix together gently, pour into a glass baking dish and sprinkle the top with 4oz. crushed salad croutons. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Serve with a big mixed green salad, which is what I'll have next time. This time it was some of those red white and green lemon-butter vegetables. . .Lin

Red and Green Chicken-Bacon Alfredo

This started as a vague idea - chicken and bacon, pasta with a thin Alfredo sauce. Then the vegetables came into focus, with the peppers barely making the cut, not even showing up in the photo, but they brightened and lightened this dish just perfectly!

• 4oz dry spaghetti
• 2c broccoli florets

Cook the pasta until about halfway done.

Add the broccoli, bring back to a simmer then cover and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, drain in a colander and rinse with icy cold water. Return to the pan and fill it with more icy cold water until the pasta and broccoli are chilled, then drain again.

The bacon came into the picture as it usually does for me. I cut up 1# and fried it for future recipes. This time, after transfering the crispy bacon pieces to brown paper bag to absorb the grease, I kept 2-3T of the fat in the pan.Heat it up and stir in 2T flour.

When this is well combined and bubbly, add some pieces of red bell pepper - about 1-1/2c. When that's once again bubbling, stir in a mix of 6oz. Alfredo sauce and 3oz. of water. Add 1/4c of cooking Sherry if you'd like. Continue stirring until this thickens.

Now add the drained broccoli and pasta and 6-8oz. roasted chicken. Combine gently until well mixed, season with garlic salt and a mix of black and red pepper. Serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Mmmm, I have to say, this one really surprised me! It went together quickly and is one of the best tasting things I've made in a long time. It's probably the bacon. . .Bacon makes everything better!

Be Bold. . .Be Adventurous. . .Happy Cooking! . . .Lin

Healing Chicken Vegetable Soup

I bought some BBQ seasoned chicken leg quarters a while ago. Roasted them, then made bone broth, which is the darker jar shown in this photo. I had also made another batch of bone broth using plain chicken legs. Both of these jelled perfectly, indicating a lot of natural, healthy collagen. For this recipe, I used all the darker bone broth and about half of the lighter jar, so about 40oz. total.

For both of these bone broths, I just simmered the skin and bones with a splash of apple cider vinegar in a couple quarts of cold, filtered water. No additional spices, seasonings or other vegetables added. I might just keep it simple like this in the future. This way, with no onion or garlic, the bone broth is good for humans or my dog and cat. Roasted legs and thighs have made the best bone broths.

I chopped-sliced-cubed the vegetables and added them to the pot according to cooking time needed. The 3 carrots need the longest, so they went in with a couple tablespoons of Ghee and a tiny big of onion. I sauteed these a few minutes, then covered for a bit longer over low heat.

Then I added some bone broth, 8oz. of frozen green beans and the Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed. This was covered and simmered about 15 minutes. Then more bone broth and all the chopped garlic, onion, 2/3c cooking Sherry and 10oz. of roasted chicken. Cover this and simmer another 15 minutes.

This turned out really well, with no additional seasonings! Just plain, healing chicken and vegetable soup! . .Lin

Crunchy Chicken Salad

3/4c ± Real Mayonnaise

2T seedy brown mustard

2T white Balsamic vinegar

Salt, Pepper, Garlic seasoning

Whisk these ingredients together in a big glass bowl to create the dressing. Next, add craisins and the remaining chopped ingredients:

1c craisins

12oz. roasted chicken

2 big celery stalks + greens

1 sm.-med. purple onion

8-10 chopped radishes

When combined, serve with cold pasta, over a bed of Romaine lettuce, or as is with a side of colorful, healthy, raw vegetables. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Chicken-Mushroom-Zucchini Stew

Saute 10oz. sliced mushrooms in ghee until lightly browned.

Add cubed Yukon Gold potatoes and zucchini and a little chicken broth. Stir in 1-1/2c chopped peppers and onion, 1T mild Japanese curry powder, 1c marinara, 1c coconut-almond plant milk (recipe posted below) and 8oz. roasted chicken.

Stir everything together and gently simmer until the vegetables are done the way you like. . .Lin

Whole 30 - Chicken Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Lemon and Dill

Today is March 12th. While only 37° it's a beautiful, crisp, sunny Spring day! I have some crisp, fresh ingredients, so it was the perfect inspiration for this soup. Since I'm following the Whole 30 detox-elimination program, this contains no sugar, dairy or grains and is compatible with that plan.

I made a pot of chicken bone broth yesterday from a big, perfectly roasted chicken. Strained it repeatedly, then put it outside on my deck to chill. This morning I skimmed off the fat then simmered it with a few bay leaves. Meanwhile, I chopped the longest cooking vegetables to saute before putting them in the soup pot. 4 celery stalks and 3 medium carrots. While simmering those for 10 minutes or so, separate the fennel bulb from the fluffy fennel fronds and slice the bulb. Put the fronds aside for now.

Chop 1/4 large green pepper, slice-chop the fennel bulb and add both to the pot to simmer while chopping the potatoes, 5 large garlic cloves crushed and minced and snap peas. Stir in 2T± of chicken low-sodium Better Than Bouillon, half-1t black+cayenne pepper blend, 1t Himalayan pink salt, stir then cover and simmer on low. Chop the fennel fronds. Add those and 8oz. roasted chicken chunks. Stir, check the flavors add or balance the seasonings, adding 1-2t dry dill, 1/2 squeezed lemon putting them in the pot. Add water if needed. edit: I froze a quart of this and refrigerated the rest.

edit: When I scooped out some to reheat, the bone broth had gelled perfectly! For some reason this is always unpredictable. I don't vary my technique, nor the basic ingredients, so it must depend on the chicken. The more it gells, the more collagen it contains. Collagen is a very important protein to keep our skin and connective tissues healthy. Our bodies produce less of this as we age, so it's good to find a natural way to supplement. Well-gelled bone broth is an excellent source.

Heat to just bubbling, check doneness of the vegetables.
Ladle into soup bowls and serve. . .Mmmm. . .Happy Spring! .😊. .Lin

Pepper-Garlic Pita Chips -with- Olive-Pesto Chicken Salad

The chicken salad was going to be the headliner in this 2-for-1 recipe, until I tasted these crispy pita chips. Ohhh, where have these been all my life! 

For a brief history, they began as only a glimmer of a recipe idea since discovering them, freshly baked at Falastin, our sweet little Palestinian restaurant-bakery-deli and market, a mile from my house, in the recently redone building that was previously The New London Cafe.

I've been buying their packs of pita pocket bread for about a month now and it's been a great discovery for toasting, then making my favorite PB&J - organic fresh ground peanut butter and jalapeno pepper jam. I also use them for grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and onion. Everything has been so good made with this interesting bread! 

PITA CHIPS

2  8" pita pockets

single source EVOO

black + cayenne pepper

Lawry's Garlic Salt

Cut each pitas in half, then cut the layers apart as shown. Cut each half-circle into 2 pieces - this will make 16 chips. Brush inner surfaces with EVOO, arange on a baking sheet then sprinkle with seasonings. This photo shows them brushed, seasoned and ready for the oven.

Bake at 375° for about 15 minutes or until the surfaces start to turn golden brown. Serve with chicken or tuna salad, hummus, red pepper dip. . .you decide! Be creative! (These are savory, if you want, you could make them sweet by brushing with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.)

CHICKEN SALAD

See the first photo for ingredient amounts, 6 oz. roasted chicken dark meat, only half of a medium purple onion, some large garlic-jalapeno stuffed olives, a little green pepper and a celery heart. Chop everything into a medium glass bowl then add mayonnaise, sour cream or your favorite dressing. I used about 1T Dijon mustard and just enough of the Garlic-Pesto Ranch Dressing I made recently to hold everything together.

Served with the amazing crispy pita chips and some salt and peppered tomato and cucumber was a great late lunch. . .Lin

Sweet-Savory-Crunchy Chicken Salad

Lately, I haven't been cooking as much as usual, nor posting the results. This one turned out really great but I didn't weigh or measure every ingredient, so this is more of an idea than an exact recipe, but hey, it's chicken salad! I've rarely met one I didn't like! Give this combination a try.

8oz. roasted chicken meat
1 can (drained) diced water chestnuts 
4-6 green onions
2 ribs of celery
3 small dill pickles
5-6 lg. garlic olives
a BIG handful of craisins
a BIG handful of walnuts
mayonnaise - to hold it together

Chop or slice the ingredients and mix everything together in a medium glass bowl. For a Chicken Waldorf variation, omit the olives, pickles and craisins, and substitute a couple of your favorite apples, peeled and diced. . .Lin

Chicken, Lettuce and Tomato Skillet

Start by sautéing the following:

8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

1/3 green bell pepper - chopped

1/2 lg. onion - chopped

2T butter

garlic salt and pepper

I stood in front of the open 'fridge a while before this recipe came together for me. I'm starting to feel a bit better, I can tell, because my cooking impulse never went away. I guess I'd have to be way sicker for that to happen.

As this starts to cook, over med-low heat, cover with a screen or lid for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile peel and chop the tomato and dice up 1 petite Romaine (or fresh spinach), then add that to the pan, stir, adding a little water if needed. Cover again for another 5-10 minutes. 

Cut up the chicken and measure out 2c frozen peas. Uncover, stir in the chicken and peas. Increase the temperature until any liquid sizzles, then shut off the heat, Cover and let stand another 10 minutes before serving. . .Lin

Chicken-Rice Vegetable Soup

I'm on an extend stay currently in Arizona. But with foodies, this doesn't mean our desire to create in the kitchen disappears. Grocery shopping and cooking in a new place can be so fun, especially if you're privileged enough to find an ethnic, or really good Farm Market. . .Cook Where You've Landed, a bit like Bloom Where You're Planted. Have fun with it. Today, I'm making this soup for someone who has a really bad virus, and that would be me!

2-3T single source EVOO

3-4 stalks of celery

3 big carrots

1/2 lg. onion

1 lg. clove garlic

1/3 lg. red pepper

2-3 quarts of fresh cold water

1/3 lg. head of green cabbage

2-3T Better Than Bouillon, chicken

1/2c white rice

6-10oz roasted chicken meat

Drizzle the EVOO into a 4-5 quart heavy pan, heat the oil, then add the sliced or chopped carrots and celery, stir them around a bit, add seasonings now if you'd like. Cover and listen close for a couple minutes. This should bring out a bit of water out so they won't scorch. Next add the aromatics. chopped onion, red pepper and finely chopped garlic. Stir around the pan until the cooking water evaporates. Then add a little of the measured water as needed and again, cover and cook, once it simmers, over low heat for a few minutes.

Add about 2/3 of the remaining water, cubed cabbage and the BTB chicken stock base. Stir, simmer another 5 minutes, then add the rice, cook 15 minutes, stir in the chopped chicken meat, stir, remove from the heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Happy Creating! It's Always Soup Season . . . Lin

Chicken Salad

6-8oz. roasted chicken

2c chopped celery

1/2 lg. onion chopped

sweet-spicy pickle relish

mayonnaise 

Chop up the chicken, add celery and onion and a couple tablespoons of pickle relish and enough mayonnaise to hold everything together. This would be great wrapped in a Romaine leaf, on a tortilla or with cloud bread, right out of the oven 🙂 . . .Lin

Fruity Broccoli Salad

Whisk together this dressing in a medium bowl or casserole dish:

2/3c olive oil mayonnaise

1/4c white Balsamic vinegar

a big sprinkle of black pepper

a small sprinkle of garlic salt

1T honey

Add the the broccoli and apple, cut into bite size pieces, then sliced-chopped onion. Stir in the pecans and craisins and fold together with a silicone spatula.

8-10oz. broccoli florets

1/2 lg. purple onion

1 Envy apple

1/2c craisins

3/4c chopped pecans

Refrigerate this before serving. Leftovers, if there are any, will keep several days, covered, in the refrigerator. This salad is great with anything, or just by itself. You could also add a cup or so of roasted, cut up chicken if you'd like. . .Lin