Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

This is by far, the best Chicken Noodle Soup I’ve ever had in my life.  Jim thinks so too.  I don’t know what I’ve done in the past that’s made mine a bit on the bland side, however, I think the addition of lemon pepper seasoning to the stock is genius.  Also, I prefer organic carrots.  They are much more tender and sweet and aren’t much more expensive than the “regular” carrots at the Farmer’s Market.  Whole wheat egg noodles make it a little healthier, and if I have a lemon around, I’ll squeeze the juice of one into the finished soup at the end.  The citrus has special healing powers and if I’m making this for someone  under the weather, I feel it helps to get them on the mend that much quicker. 

Tip:  I like to make a bit extra so I have fresh broth for later in the week.  This Thursday, for instance, I’ll use the stock in my Thanksgiving Stuffing. 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Stock:

• 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
• 3 1/2 quarts water
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 4 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

• 2 cups sliced organic
• 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked wheat egg noodles
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup cooking sherry
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
• 3/4 cup half and half, optional
• Seasoning salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. If using fresh lemon, now’s the time to squeeze in the juice.  

Related articles

• Chicken(less) noodle soup – the veggie version! (dishinaboutnutrition.wordpress.com)

Macho Tacos

For anyone that may have missed it, we’re in the midst of Movember.   Movember is the month formerly known as November, during which men are encouraged to grow a mustache in order promote men’s health awareness.  Somehow, my fiance has not yet discovered this reason to grow facial hair, and that’s just fine by me.  Shhhh…let’s keep this one a secret.

To celebrate this testosterone-laden month, try serving these manly tacos filled with brisket and cabbage.  The hearty little Mexican entrée is guaranteed to satisfy the “y” chromosome carrying residents in your household.  Just be sure to serve with extra napkins…these guys tend to get messy and you don’t want anyone disheveling their ‘stache.

Tacos to make any Mo-Bro smile

Brisket and Red Cabbage Slaw Tacos

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic, unpeeled and halved crosswise, plus 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 4 to 4 1/2 pounds brisket
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 16 to 20 small flour tortillas
• Red cabbage slaw, for topping (below)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the halved garlic heads in a single layer on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt. Fold the foil into a packet; roast until tender, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the brisket: Pulse the 6 garlic cloves in a food processor to make a paste. Season both sides of the brisket with salt, pepper, the paprika and chili powder. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the meat to the pot in a single layer and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove the meat from the pot and spread with the garlic paste.

Drain the oil and wipe out the Dutch oven. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the pot and warm over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and stir in the brown sugar; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and cook 2 minutes. Return the brisket to the pot, add the wine and simmer, 25 minutes. Add the stock and bay leaves and return to a simmer. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the meat is tender, 2 hours to 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Remove the brisket from the pot and let rest 15 minutes. Meanwhile, discard the bay leaves and put the pot with the braising liquid over medium heat; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and whisk into the liquid. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary. Thinly slice the brisket against the grain and toss with some of the roasted garlic sauce. Warm the tortillas; fill with the brisket and top with slaw.

Red Cabbage Slaw:

Combine 1 small head shaved red cabbage, 4 sliced scallions, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, a splash of olive oil and a swirl of Sriracha in a bowl; season with salt. Set aside to allow the vinegar to work its magic.

Related articles

• Remember, remember the 1st of Movember (pinnaclelife.co.nz)

Cinco de Junio

Like my friend over at You are what you eat…or reheat, I love Mexican food.  So, why not celebrate Cinco de Mayo in June?  Jim mentioned seeing these mouth-watering enchiladas on Food Network, so I thought I’d surprise him and prepare them for dinner — along with refried beans and yellow rice.  These are quite possibly the tastiest enchiladas I’ve had in my life…if I do say so myself.

Adding chicken to enchilada filling

Spoon filling onto corn tortilla

"cigar-rolled" enchiladas lined up in baking dish

Cover with enchilada sauce

Add cheese

pop in the oven

Dinner is served!

Chicken Enchiladas with Refried Beans & Yellow Rice

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock (I like to use two cups of water and two ck bullion)
• Two cans red enchilada sauce
• Chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 cooked chicken breasts (I boil and shred)
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 large corn tortillas
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups sour cream
• Chopped tomatoes and cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Refried beans, (I use canned and heat through)
• Yellow Rice, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 Heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized - this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn’t burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of one can of enchilada sauce, some fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

 Begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dish and a small one (I made this stretch into one a half casserole dishes) and smear the bottom with some of the reserved enchilada sauce. Now take the corn tortillas and briefly flash them over the stove-top flame (or put them briefly under the broiler if using an electric stove). Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it. Place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish, cilantro and tomato.

 Serve hot with Refried Beans and Yellow Rice and sour cream.

Yellow Rice Ingredients:

• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 4 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.  (I throw everything into my rice cooker, turn on and it’s ready in 20 minutes.)