Hearty Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 fresh or frozen chicken breast

1 bulb garlic chopped

4 red or white potatoes chopped

1 sweet onion chopped

4 carrots chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

2 boxes chicken broth

1/2 tsp red pepper

2 tsp. Salt

1 tbsp olive oil (preferably flavored such as basil, neopolitan, italian herb)

1 cup milk at end

Add all ingredients to crcok pot (except milk).  Cook on high for about 8 hours.  Take chicken out and shred, then Add back to crockpot.  Add 1 cup milk and more salt to taste.  Serve hot preferably with crusty bread.

My Marry Me Chicken (full throttle edition)

Ingredients

3 large chicken breasts, cut in half (to make thinner)

Flour, salt and pepper the chicken to coat on each side.

1 box of pasta cooked to instructions

2 tbsp olive oil (or use the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes!)

2 tbsp butter

1 head garlic minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk, plus 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp. Cornstarch to thicken the sauce (I use 1% milk)

3/4 cup shredded parm

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/2 tsp. Oregano

2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil with oil drained (save the oil for another day)

Fresh basil to top

Saute the floured chicken in large skillet the butter and oil until cooked through, set aside.

Saute garlic in the same skillet until fragrant.  Add broth and simmer a few minutes, deglase the pan.

Adjust heat to medium, add seasonings, milk and parm.  Simmer to thicken (a few minutes).  Add milk with cornstarch last, slowly and only as much as is needed to get to desired consistency.  Add your sundried tomatoes, mix, then  add chicken.  Simmer 1-2 minutes.  Serve sauce ans chicken over warm pasta.  Serve immediately.  Great with a side of wilted spinach with garlic and butter.

Lower Guilt Crockpot Marry Me Chicken

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts

1 box Chicken Broth

1 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1 diced bell pepper

2 diced sweet onions

1 hwad garlic chopped

1/2 bottle sun dried tomatoes in oil (but do not use the oil!)

1 brickmoower fat cream cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan 

Add all ingredients except cream cheese and parm to crockpot.  Cook 8 hours or low.  Shred chicken and then add 1 brick low fat cream cheese and parm and mix until melted.  Make pasta of your choice.  Serve hot over pasta.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken witRoasted Chickpeas and Cauliflower on Toasted Naan with Guacamole

Chicken:

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cut into tenders

Prepared Guacamole or Hummus

naan bread

Marinade Ingredients:

1 tbsp minced onion

3 tbsp. Brown sugar

1 cup water

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. Seasame oil (olive oil will work)

1 tbsp. Seasame seeds (optional)

Place all marinade ingredients into medium sealable bowl or smaller sealable cassserole dish and mix until incorporated.  Add chicken (chicken should be mostly covered by marinade.  Marinate 6-24 hours.

Toasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas:

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower chopped

1 can chickpeas drained and dried

1 sweet onion diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. Tumeric

1 tap. Curry

1 tbsp. Minced garlic

2 tsp. Salt, plus more to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  Mix all ingredients in bowl until coated.  Cover a baking sheet (jelly roll pan with sides) with parchment.  Pour chickpea and cauliflower mix into baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 30 minutes until lightly toasted.

When there is about 10 minutes remaining, its time to saute or grill the chicken.  Either grill your chicken on your grill until done, or saute in 2 tbsp. Butter in large skillet (even layer) until done.

With about 5 minutes left, heat your naan until warm and plate, for each serving cover one piece of naan  with a generous layer of prepared Guacamole (or hummus works).  Place some grilled or sauteed chicken slices on top, then top with a generous helping of cauliflower.  Serve hot.

Also see my recipes for Guacamole and Hummus.

Serve hot.

Curry Cabbage with Chicken Sausage Skillet

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage cut into 1/4 inch cabbage steaks, then sliced into pieces

Olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

2 chicken sausages (preferably an apple flavored) sliced into circles

1 generous tbsp. Curry

1/2 tsp salt salt, more to tasrlte

3/4 tsp fried ginger

1 tbsp. Dry mined onion

3 cloves chopped garlic

Heat oil in large skillet.  Add all ingredients and cook on medium until sausage is cooked and cabbage has softened (10-12 min).  Enjoy hot!  Great with a side of hummus and naan.

Curry Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage cut into 1/4 inch cabbage steaks

Olive oil (about 1/3 cup)

Curry, salt, ginger and minced onion to tatse.

Preheat oven to 375.  Spead cabbage steaks on a large jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides), do not overlap.  Pour olive oil over the steaks so each has a good coating on both sides.  Sprinkle curry powder, ginger powder, salt and mined dried onion over each steak.  Be liberal with the curry, but only lightly sprinkle the ginger.  Bake for 35-40 minutes flipping about half way through until cabbage has some crisping at edges.  Enjoy hot!  Great with a side of hummus and naan.

Apple Dutch Baby

Ingredients:

2 peeled and sliced apples

2 tbsp. Butter or bacon grease

Batter Ingredients:

1/2 cup flour

2 Tbsp. Melted butter

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk (almond milk can be substituted)

1/4 tsp. Salt

3 tbsp. Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Lemon or Orange zest (optional)

Preheat iloven to 400.  Cook the apples with the butter or grease in a large cast iton skillet until apples soften.  In the meantime, make the batter by mixing all batter Ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.  Pour batter over hot apples, bake in skillet at 400 for 20 minutes.  Switch to broil for 2 minutes to get a good brown on the top.  Serve immediately with some powder sugar sprinkled on top (or maple syrup).  Great with a side of bacon.

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dried split peas

1 bag frozen peas (16 oz.)

2 boxes chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. Tumeric 

1 tsp. Thyme

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. Paprika 

1 Tbsp. Chicken Bouillon 

1 sweet onion chopped

3 smaller potatoes chopped

2 carrots chopped

3 cloves chopped garlic

Stovetop method:

Place all ingredients in soup pot. Cook on high to simmer, cover with lid ans cook on medium-low at a simmering boul for 2 hours.  Serve hot with homemade bread.  Take bay leaves out before serving.

Crockpot Method:

Place all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 8 hours.  Serve hot with homemade bread.  Take bay leaves out before serving.