Steamed Turkey - Two Ways - Soup & Salad

Turkey-Wild Rice - Split Pea Soup

2½# skinned boiled-steamed turkey breast

2T sunflower-coconut oil

2+c chopped celery + tops

5 lg. cloves minced garlic

1 med. onion - chopped

2 carrots scrubbed - chopped

1c wild rice

¾c split peas

32oz. homemade vegetable broth

¼c basil pesto

2T coriander (cilantro) chutney

Skin the breast and cut away any fat.  Steam in a covered frying pan with about an inch of water, slowly, until a fork that's been poked into the thickest part, to the bone, comes out easily.  An hour or longer.  Remove and put on layers of paper towel to cool and drain.  

Meanwhile, in a 5qt. pot, combine the rest of that group of ingredients on medium heat.  Stir-saute' until the onions become a little translucent and the rice starts to sizzle snap.  Add the peas and the vegetable broth, simmer on low at least an hour until the peas and rice are tender.  Add the pesto, chutney and about 1½# of sliced-cubed turkey.  Heat to a simmer again and serve.  After a day or so, the liquid all absorbs and this becomes Turkey-Wild Rice - Split Pea Casserole 😀 . . . Lin

Turkey Salad

1# of small diced turkey

1c finely diced celery

⅓c drained capers

⅓c chopped sweet pickles

2T dried onion

a little sour cream

enough sriracha mayonnaise to hold it together

Mix well and chill an hour to infuse the turkey with the flavors.  Serve on a bed of butter lettuce leaves. . .Lin

Crunchy Black Bean and Wild Rice Salad

1 can cooked wild rice

1 can hearts of palm

1 can black beans

Drain and rinse these, slice the hearts of palm and combine all three in a medium glass bowl.  Add the following chopped ingredients.

⅓ lg. red pepper

¼ lg. purple onion

2 ribs of celery plus tops

1-2 lg. cloves garlic - minced

Combine everything with a good splash of your favorite dressing.  Italian is great and enhances the fresh quality of the ingredients, but even ranch or bleu cheese dressing are good. . .Lin

Lamb and Vegetable Healthy Grain Soup

lamb leg bone and 1# meat

1t Rosemary Seasoning *

4c water

3 med. carrots - chopped

2 stalks celery - chopped

½ green pepper - chopped

6 lg. cloves of garlic

3T butter or olive oil

½ lg. onion

⅓c wild rice

⅔c long cooking barley

3 bay leaves

1T dry parsley

½-1t dry thyme

½t Rosemary Seasoning *

2-3T powdered beef soup base

This soup is a throwback to the days before I was an adventurous cook. 😉  Back then, when I wanted soup, I'd buy cans of Campbell's Soup.  I'd make 'Quick Vegetable Soup' when my children were little, by combining a large can of Campbell's Vegetable Soup, and one can each of corn, green beans and diced tomatoes.  I'd just open the cans and put them all in a big pot, liquid and all.  Stir, heat and we'd have a big pot of soup in no time!  That brings back memories and actually still sounds good to me!  My favorite though was Campbell's Scotch Broth.  This recipe is my adaptation of that.  

Cut the fat off the meat, put it in a 3qt. pot with seasoning and water.  Simmer 45-60 minutes, remove meat, strain the broth several times with a successively smaller strainer each time.  When all the particles have been strained out, cover the pot and chill for a couple hours.  At the end of the chilling time, scrape any fat off the top of the broth.

Meanwhile, rinse the barley and rice in a strainer, to remove starch and grain powder.  Put strainer on a wad of paper towels.  In a 5qt. pot, combine vegetables, rice, and butter-oil.  Stir and saute' a few minutes until everything's snapping.  Add a cup or two of water, stir, add seasonings, cover and turn off the heat.

Cut meat off the bone and add to the vegetable pot.  When the broth is skimmed, pour into the large pot, simmer everything together about an hour, until the rice is cooked.  Check flavors and water amount, making any necessary adjustments.  I love this soup, it's one of my favorites.  It's a delicious, healing soup that makes me feel wonderful each time I have it. . 😊 . .Lin

Update — Chicken-Wild Rice-Vegetable Soup (w/ Beans)

This original soup (posted two recipes down) turned out really well, but, as I mentioned I might do - After a couple bowls, I add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, and one of chili beans.  Mmmmm!

It turned out quite nicely both ways.  I think it's one of those things that depends on the mood of the day, as to which you prefer.  Mild and traditional or bean-y with a little hint of chili spice . . . 😊  . . . Lin

For A Chilly Fall Day - Chicken-Wild Rice-Vegetable Soup

1½# skinless chicken breast

2T sunflower-coconut oil

1T butter

¾c Minnesota wild rice

1lg. yellow onion - chopped

5-6 lg. cloves garlic - minced

1½c chopped celery

1½c chopped carrots

⅔c dry white wine

6c fresh, cold water

1t-1T fresh ground pepper

2-3T powdered chicken soup base

Combine the first group of ingredients in a 5 quart pot, with about half of the wine.  Cover and bring to a simmer on low.  Uncover, increase the heat and saute' until the liquid evaporates, stirring to keep anything from sticking.  Once the onions are a little translucent, or just browning, add remainder of the wine, stirring to coat everything.  Add the water, pepper and soup base.  Stir, cover again, and cook on low heat.  Simmer an hour or longer until the rice is cooked.  Check the flavors to see what, if any, changes are needed.

I decided to stick with a traditional type chicken and rice soup, but I think this would also be good with one can each, of chili beans, and petite diced tomatoes, with or without the rice, for a nice chicken-chili sort of soup.  Mmmm, that sounds good too!  Maybe when this is down to half a pot, I'll add those! . . . Lin 

Fruity Almond Chicken With Rice

¾c Lundberg Wild Rice Blend

¾-1c craisins, raisins and dried fruit

1-2T local, organic honey

½c± Chardonnay or Rhine Wine

4-6oz Golden Berries - halved or quartered

8-12 oz. chunks of fresh chicken meat

1-2T organic, solid coconut oil

1½c sliced celery

1med. white onion - sliced

1-2lg. cloves minced garlic - optional

½c hickory smoked almonds

½-1t fresh ground black pepper*

Cook rice according to the package directions.  Put the next 3 ingredients into a glass container and microwave for 45-60 seconds.  Stir occasionally, then just let this sit, to absorb flavor until it's ready to join the party-in-the-pot 😊 While the rice cooks, and the fruit marinates and hydrates, sauté the next group of ingredients together, over medium-high heat, stirring often.

Turn down to medium, keep an eye on it, moving everything around so it doesn't scorch.  If the pan gets dry, you can add a bit of water or wine.  After about 10 minutes of cooking time, add fruit that's been soaking.  Stir and simmer on low another 10 minutes.  After 5 minutes, stir in the Golden Berries.  Thicken the juices with a cornstarch-cold water mix, starting with just a little at first so it doesn't get 'gloppy.'  Serve over the rice.  Makes 3-4 servings.  *After trying this, a little twist I wish I had thought of would be, cut back, just a bit on the black pepper and add a couple chunks of finely chopped candied ginger!  Ginger would blend so well with these flavors. . .Lin  

Curried Wild Rice, Lentils and Vegetables

1/2c wild rice

1/2c organic lentils

2t hot curry powder

2 lg. carrots

1+c celery

1/3 lg. green pepper

1"x1-1/2" piece of peeled ginger

4 lg. cloves garlic

Himalayan pink salt

In a 3-4 qt. pot, combine rice and about a-cup-and-a-half of water.  Simmer about 50 minutes then add lentils, and all the finely chopped vegetables.  Simmer, covered, another 20-30 minutes, adding a little more water, as needed.  Add finely chopped ginger, garlic and salt.  Simmer another 10 minutes.  Serve as a side dish, or even as an interesting, healthy grain-change for breakfast. . .Lin

Curried Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1# boneless chicken meat

1-2T finely chopped garlic ~and/or~

1 finely chopped med. onion

2-3c chopped celery and carrot

½c ± wild rice

2T coconut 'oil'

1 can AROY-D yellow curry

1 can coconut milk

Cut raw chicken in small pieces. Saute' in coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) with garlic/onion, celery, carrot and wild rice. Stir and saute' for 10-15 minutes. Add curry sauce and a couple cans of water. Stir, cover and simmer an hour or longer.

Add the coconut milk, stir this all together. If too watery, thicken with a combination of cornstarch and water stirred together. Check seasonings and adjust if needed. Heat to a small boil and serve. . .Lin

Coconut-Lime-Wild-Rice-Chicken Soup

2 lg skinless boneless chicken breasts

2-3T coconut oil (melted in the pot)

3 carrots

2c celery with tops

1 med. onion

1 lg. elephant garlic clove

½c organic wild rice

1 lg. lime - juice and zest

6c water

2-3T powdered chicken soup base

Chop-slice then combine the first 7 ingredients in a big soup pot with 1 cup of the water. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer another 10 minutes. Check, stir and continue to simmer another 45 minutes or longer. This soup is a gentle, clear broth soup, unlike that where a browning and deglazing technique is employed. This is an especially nice, simple recipe for when you're really feeling sick with the flu or a cold. . .Lin