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Oodles of Noodles Chicken Noodle Soup
January 26th, 2012
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Here’s ANOTHER super-easy recipe that you can quickly make with items from your pantry. My hubby loves his soup overflowing with noodles. Try the recipe this way first, then decrease noodles to just 4 cups if you find that you’re “noodled out.” Bet you’ll love it!
Homemade Hurry-Up Chicken Corn Noodle Soup
1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
3 Carrots, minced (cut to pieces about 1/2 the size of a kernel of corn)
2 Medium Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic
4 Celery Ribs, chopped
3-32 oz. containers of Chicken Broth (I use Aldi’s Fit&Active Fat-Free Chicken Broth)
2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Granules
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Seasoning
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Basil
4 teaspoons Parsley
1 Bay Leaf
2 cans Corn, drained
2 cans Chicken Breast, drained and chopped
5 cups dry Wide Egg Noodles
1. Using your favorite Soup Pan, melt butter over medium heat.
2. Saute carrots, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
3. Add onions, garlic, and celery, and saute 6-7 minutes, until onion is almost transparent.
4. Add chicken broth, bouillon, Mrs. Dash seasonings, pepper, basil, parsley, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add drained corn and chopped chicken. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil.
6. Add the egg noodles, stir, and reduce heat to its lowest setting.
7. Simmer soup very gently for approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
8. Check noodles for tenderness. Allow the soup to sit for 3-10 minutes, or until noodles are cooked to the al dente stage (don’t overcook!). Serve and enjoy.
The next day, after you refrigerate the leftovers, you’ll find the noodles have absorbed even more of the broth and will be tender and delicious.
Surprising News: Yoga Can HURT You
January 6th, 2012
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It’s the time of the year everyone gets re-inspired to get back in shape. If you’re into Yoga, Pilates, or Fusion Workouts, you owe it to yourself to read this article in the New York Times (How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body).
The article details quite a few instances of serious injuries (strokes, cerebral hemorrhages, cartilage and muscle tears, spinal stenosis, etc.) that are much more common than I ever realized.
Yoga aficionados, you owe it to yourselves to learn what poses are particularly risky. Here’s the link again.
You’d never think that by working to insure your health, you could risk it completely. Stay healthy, stay informed!
Pantry Potato Soup
November 26th, 2011
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Here’s a quick and easy version of potato soup I just created, using some simple items from the pantry. This version’s a lot quicker and easier than others I’ve made, but just the ticket on a cold day when you’ve got to get something simple and yummy on the table, FAST:
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Large Onion, chopped
5 cans Whole Potatoes, drained, rinsed, and cut in bite-sized pieces (sixths or eighths)
2 cans Evaporated Milk (NOT condensed milk)
3 cups Water
2 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
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1/4 cup Flour for thickening (see instructions)
2 teaspoons dried Parsley
OPTIONAL: 1 package Canadian Bacon, chopped (my favorite) or 1-1/2 cups cubed Ham
[You can also substitute 6 cups of regular store-bought milk for the 2 cans evaporated milk PLUS 3 cups water. ]
1. In your favorite soup pot, saute chopped onion in butter over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, until onion is transparent.
2. Remove from heat, gently stir in potatoes.
3. Add evaporated milk, water, salt, and pepper. Return to heat.
4. Simmer soup over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Slightly tricky step: working QUICKLY, place 1/4 cup flour in a medium sized bowl. QUICKLY add about 3-4 cups of the hot soup mixture to the flour, stirring very fast with a heat-resistant spatula. Make sure all lumps are removed, then QUICKLY add back to the soup, stirring constantly to incorporate this thickener into the soup. [If you don't do this step very quickly, you'll end up with lumpy soup : ( ].
6. Add Canadian Bacon or Ham, if desired. Continue simmering on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10-15 minutes, until you’re pleased with the consistency and taste of the soup. Sprinkle with Parsley the last 5 minutes of cooking.
NOTE: I try to keep sodium to a relatively low level in my cooking; if desired, add more salt to your taste or allow guests to do so at table. Enjoy!
This is a great, basic potato soup recipe.
Try this recipe “as is” at least once, then work on variations on a theme. You can add canned clams instead of Canadian bacon; add a teaspoon or two of Worcestershire Sauce, & you’ve got clam chowder.
Other variations include adding chopped green onions, grated cheese, bacon bits, and/or sour cream. Use your imagination!
1 in 3 Americans “Near Poor”
November 19th, 2011
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This is shocking at first, then, not so much when you think about friends, neighbors, and others in your circle.
Times are, indeed, hard.
Here’s an article about the reality of living paycheck to paycheck and just what that means, demographically, for the United States of America. Census data tell the tale.
“Nuff said. I’ll let you read it for yourself here at the New York Times.
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Update 11/20/11: Just came across a related article at CBS news.
Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole
November 14th, 2011
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Here’s a modern take on a comfort food classic.
No, this is not the “Weight Watchers” version. This tastes GOOD because, as all cooks know, good fats make any food taste better. Take comfort in the fact that healthy fats are really, really good for your brain. Exercise more and eat well–your body and your spirit will thank you!
Here are a couple of quick tips:
1. Resist the urge to overcook the egg noodles. Cook no more than 6 minutes, drain thoroughly, & RINSE IMMEDIATELY with COLD water. This will stop the cooking process in its tracks. You want the noodles to absorb some of the liquids from the recipe and have a nice flavor and texture. If you cook egg noodles normally, you’ll be disappointed in the texture of your casserole and any leftovers will taste “mushy” when you reheat a portion the next day.
2. After I speed-cool egg noodles for a recipe like this, I like to sprinkle them with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and toss lightly. Set aside until needed. You’ll be surprised at how this simple step improves their flavor in the finished dish.
3. I always recommend using UNSALTED butter for all cooking, since the quality of the butter is usually better (salt can be used by butter manufacturers to mask off-flavors). Butter is better than margarine for both health reasons and for the finished taste of any dish.
4. This recipe is HEAVY on the vegetables and LIGHT on the meat. Try it; I think you’ll like it! If not, adjust to your own tastes (use 2 cans of chicken instead of 1, reduce celery, etc.)
Cooking is for FUN and JOY–it’s not a world filled with rules, regulations, do’s and don’ts, cans and can’ts–fix your food the way YOU like it–this is just a tried & true suggestion to help get you started creating your own family favorite version. Salud!:
Chicken Casserole
3 cups dry Egg Noodles, cooked in boiling, salted water for 6 minutes (see above)
3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 large Onion, chopped (about 2-1/2 cups)
6 ribs Celery Hearts, chopped (about 3 cups)—regular Celery will work just fine
1/2 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 14 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 soup can Almond Milk (you can use regular milk or soy milk)
1 12.5 oz can Chicken Breast
1/2 12 oz Jar Roasted Red Peppers, drained and chopped (can substitute Pimientos, if needed)
1 14 oz can Corn, drained
1 cup Sour Cream
2-1/2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb Salt-Free Seasoning
2-1/2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Salt-Free Seasoning
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3 slices Wheat Bread (you can use white), processed to crumbs in food processor
2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion, celery and garlic in unsalted butter over medium heat until onion is transparent (about 6-9 minutes). Remove to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add cream of chicken soup and almond milk. Stir until thoroughly combined.
3. Stir in chicken (break it up with your fingers), chopped roasted red peppers, and corn.
4. Stir in sour cream and Mrs. Dash Seasonings.
5. Add egg noodles and stir gently until well mixed.
6. Pour into a buttered large casserole dish.
7. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter in food processor, pulsing until nicely mixed.
8. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs evenly over casserole.
10. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until casserole’s edges are bubbly and bread crumbs are nicely browned.
MelaFind: FDA Approved Technology for Early Detection of Melanoma
November 2nd, 2011
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Exciting news for anyone concerned about contracting the most aggressive type of skin cancer, melanoma (particularly those of us with Scandinavian origins who live in the US Sun Belt): the FDA has approved MelaFind, a new technology for use by dermatologists that uses specialized light waves for earlier detection of suspect lesions.
Learn more here at the Huffington Post.
Recipe: Cranberry-Grape Energy Drink Base
October 28th, 2011
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Here’s another one of my “blog about it or you’ll lose it” recipes.
I use this one as a “base” for an energy drink my husband & I take every day; we use about 2 oz of this “juice” mix, plus some supplements (each of us takes a different combo) like CoQ10, Vitamin C, d-ribose, greens mix, protein, MSM, etc.
For several years, we simply used Ocean Spray’s Cranergy Juice, but they’ve changed their recipe and their name (it’s now Cran-Energy), it’s hard to find, & I don’t like it any more (too much water, too little real juice to justify its high cost).
What we do instead is buy each of these two 96oz juice combos at Costco & then create our own watered-down juice concoction:
1. Newman’s Own 100% Grape Juice and
2. Ocean Spray “100% Juice Cranberry” (Costco’s bottle is larger than this photo’s)
Now, just FYI, pure Grape Juice is full of natural sugars and will add a high Glycemic Load to your body if you drink it “straight” (just one 8 oz glass has 39 grams of sugar), so you need to DILUTE IT if you’re drinking it for its healthy antioxidant content.
This recipe is quick & easy & will yield 60 oz. of “juice” (30 2-oz servings).
My husband DOES NOT LIKE STEVIA, so we use a liquid saccharin called Fasweet instead. Liquid saccharine is inexpensive, easy to use & a very effective sweetener.
You can use whatever low calorie sweetener you prefer (stevia, sweet n low, splenda, Superose Liquid Sweetener from Amazon
Keep in mind that we use this as a base for some rather bitter supplements, so if you’re mixing this to drink like juice, you can cut the amount of saccharin in half (or use even less).
To make 60 ounces “energy juice”:
2 cups Newman’s Own 100% Grape Juice
2 cups Ocean Spray 100% Juice, Cranberry
About 2 16 oz. bottles Reverse Osmosis Filtered Water (don’t use tap water–it contains too much chlorine; regular bottled water is not quite as good as “purified” RO water–but this is your call)
2 tablespoons liquid Saccharin (like Fasweet)
Mix in a clean 60 ounce juice container with a lid; shake well and refrigerate. Each set of 96 oz juice starters will make about SIX 60 oz batches of “juice.”
Salud!
