As Good as Grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Soup just like grandma used to make

Well, the weather is getting a little colder.   A lot of people are unfortunately getting a little under the weather.  Yours truly was one of them.  I don’t know why, but a bowl of chicken soup just tastes so good when you are sick.  When you are sick, a regular bowl of chicken soup won’t do.  You need to have the best!  You know, just like grandma used to make. The problem is you don’t want to make any when you feel like someone just pounded you from head to toe with a baseball bat.  Now, a former boss once told me, “Gregg, come to me with solutions not problems.”  Actually, that’s some pretty darn good advice.  So, here is my solution if you don’t want to eat that crappy soup that Andy Warhol painted.  Make it now and freeze it.  That way when you are sick all you have to do is warm it up.  What a genius idea!!!  Everyone should make a couple of batches of chicken soup to get you through the winter.  So, what are you waiting for???  Time to get started!!!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  3 hours

INGREDIENTS:

Stock:

• 1 Cooked (Preferably a leftover) Chicken Carcass
• 1 Large Onion
• 3 Carrots
• 3 Celery Hearts, Chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 2 Cloves Pressed Garlic
• 1 Tsp Whole Black Peppercorns

Soup:

• 4 Carrots
• 4 Celery Hearts
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 Tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• Kosher Salt
• 1 Package Your Favorite Noodles (I used orecchiette, little ears).
• 1 Cup Corn Starch
• 1 Cup Water

DIRECTIONS FOR THE STOCK:

• Roughly chop all vegetables for the stock: onions, green pepper, carrots, celery, garlic.  No need to spend a lot of time chopping as these items will be thrown away.
• Add all veggies, peppercorns, and cooked chicken carcass to a large stockpot .
• Add enough water to submerge the chicken and vegetables by a few inches.
• Heat stock pot over high heat to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
• Take special care to remove any of the “foam” that boils off the chicken and goes to top of the pot.
• At 2 hours, remove from heat.  Remove the chicken and set aside to cool.
• Drain the stock through a fine strainer.  Be sure to extract every bit of juice out the veggies by smashing them against the strainer.
• Rinse the stockpot and add the strained stock back to stockpot.
• Congratulations!  Your stock is complete.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE SOUP:

• Mince the onion and add to the stock.
• Chop the celery and carrots into bite sized pieces.
• Add italian seasoning, pepper, and salt to taste.
• Return to boil, cover,  and cook approx. 1 hour until the veggies are soft stirring occasionally.
• When the chicken has cooled, remove the remaining meat from the carcass.  Place on cutting board and chop roughly.
• Prepare noodles according to instructions with one exception.  I don’t like to add the noodles to the soup as they will soak up all the broth.  I would recommend to rinse noodles with cold water so the don’t stick together.  Add an extra two minutes to cooking time if you like your noodles a little soggy.  This is the only time I will ever allow you to prepare noodles other than al dente.
• At the 1 hour mark, it’s time to thicken the soup. Combine the corn starch with 1 cup of water in a shaker.  Shake well.  Add the mixture to the soup slowly and keep stirring.  You don’t want any lumps.  You may have to add a little more or less depending on how much broth you have.  If you over thicken, just add some water.
• Add the chicken meat to the soup and heat through.
• Put a couple scoops of cooked noodles in a soup bowl then add a couple of ladles of chicken soup.
• Enjoy a bowl of deliciousness and get well soon if you are sick!

Serves a whole bunch of people.

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HEALTHY PASTA

Who says pasta can’t be both healthy and tasty?

Healthy pasta, isn’t that an oxymoron?  Guess what, it can be done.  Guess what also, you don’t have to give up pasta in order to eat healthy. The secret to having “Healthy Pasta” is to add some other ingredients so you are not eating 3 cups of pasta for your meal.  Also substitute, whole wheat pasta for regular pasta and you take it one step further.  This recipe is loaded with flavor as well, and it won’t disappoint the taste buds.

There you go, finally a healthy pasta that tastes good too.  One last thing to note, this recipe is pretty easy as well.  It can be prepared and ready to eat in around 45 minutes.  Perfect for quick, easy dinner on a work night.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  35 minutes

Total Time:  45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Medium Onion, Diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Pressed and Minced (use your OXO Steel Garlic Press)
• 1 Med to Large Zucchini, sliced and halved.
• 1 Box of Frozen, Chopped Spinach
• 1 Can Cannelloni Beans, rinsed.
• 16 oz of Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Bunch Fresh Basil, chopped
• 2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Dry, Red Italian Wine
• 1 Large  Chicken Breast
• 1 Box Whole Wheat Pasta
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

• Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft in large skillet.
• Add fresh ground pepper, basil, diced tomatoes, zucchini, and red wine.
• Return to boil, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
• Pound chicken breast thin, and grill.  Slice into thin pieces.  Do you have a OXO Good Grips Meat Pounder?  If not, get one.  It’s the secret to tender chicken.
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to instructions on box, al dente.
• Defrost spinach, add to sauce mixture along with chicken and rinsed beans.  Warm through.
• Once pasta is done, combine pasta, sauce, and parmesan cheese into the pot you cooked the pasta in.  Stir well and cook over low heat for 2 minutes in order to blend all ingredients and properly bond the sauce to the pasta.
• Serve in Italian Pasta Bowls.

8 Servings

NOTE:  When cooking whole wheat pasta, I’ve noticed most boxes cooking times appear to be inaccurate.  It seems as though the pasta is very mushy if you cook it to the manufacturer’s instructions.  I recommend going 2 minutes less and see what it tastes like.  Remember when you cook the pasta with the sauce at the end, the pasta will continue to cook.  The last thing you want is over cooked pasta.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup, a hearty and healthy soup.

Well, the weather is getting a little cooler.  Autumn is on its way.  There is nothing better than some healthy, hearty soup in the fall.  This is one my favorites.  It’s very easy to make, healthy, and fills you up.  Please take note, there is very little sodium in this recipe.  This is one of the best things about making your own soups.  You can season with spices, rather than salt.  Take a look at all those soups you buy at the supermarket (Campbell’s, Progresso, Etc).  Let me guess, you thought you were being healthy by eating soup.  Too bad, there’s 1000 mg of sodium per cup.  Trust me, make your own soup.  Your arteries will thank you.

One last thing, serve this soup with a slice of hearty bread.  You may want to try the Jalapeno Corn Bread recipe from our previous post.  These go together like peanut butter and jelly.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  75 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Medium Onions, Diced
• 2 Green Peppers, Sliced and Chopped
• 1/2 lb Carrots, Chopped
• 8 Celery Hearts, Chopped
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers (or Habanero Peppers if you like it really hot), Chopped
• 3 1/2 lbs of pureed tomatoes (I recommend whole peeled tomatoes and then puree yourself)
• 4 Cloves Garlic, Pressed and Minced (use your OXO Steel Garlic Press)
• 2 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 24 oz Vegetable Stock
• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 8 Small (6″) Corn Tortillas
• 1 Large Chicken Breast
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 Bunch Chopped Cilantro
• Extra Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Handful of Baked Lays Tortilla Chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Roughly chop all vegetables: onions, peppers, carrots, celery, hot peppers, garlic.  No need to spend a lot of time chopping as we will be blending the soup later.
• Add all veggies to a large stockpot or large pot.  Add olive oil.
• Sautee over low-med heat for 10-15 minutes until veggies are soft.  Stir frequently.
• Add tomatoes, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and vegetable stock.
• Return to boil and then tear apart tortillas.  Add tortillas to soup.
• Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.
• Grill or cook chicken breast.  Then finely chop.
• Transfer soup to blender and puree.
• Take pureed soup and return to stockpot.  Add chopped chicken breast.
• Return to boil and simmer (covered) for another 15 minutes
• Place in soup bowls.
• Garnish with shredded cheddar, a handful of crushed baked lays tortillas, and some chopped cilantro

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast

Parmesan Crusted Chicken, oh yeah, ready in 12 minutes.

Okay, so we just got back from vacation late last night.  We had MAJOR jet lag today.  Let me tell you, we did not feel like cooking dinner tonight (especially after a long day of work).   I’ll be honest, we ate our faces off on “vaca”!!!!  We needed something quick, easy, and healthy tonight.

I personally am afraid to get on the scale after the gluttony of the last week.  We hardly had any food in the fridge, so we just whipped up a tasty meal with what we had.  Quick, easy, and very enjoyable.  Let’s just say it hit the spot.

Prep Time:  2 min

Cook time:  10 min

Total Time:  12 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (approx 2 breasts)
• 1/2 Cup of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Low-fat Milk
• 2 Cups Green Beans
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat your Cast Iron Skillet with 1/4 cup olive oil over med-high heat.
• Pound chicken breast using your OXO Meat Pounder.  Cut in half.
• Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and 1 tsp fresh ground pepper (use your Pepper Mill).
• Dip chicken breasts in milk and then coat in bread crumb mixture.
• Sautee chicken breasts for about 5 minutes each side until crispy.
• Spray green beans with olive oil using your Misto Stainless Steel Olive Oil Sprayer.
• Cook until they get soft and dark green.  Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

4 Servings

QUICK QUESADILLA

Leftovers have never tasted so good.

I’ll be the first to admit it, I HATE leftovers.  As a matter of fact, I’ve been known to throw out perfectly good food because I knew I wouldn’t eat it.  My grandfather would’ve slapped me upside of the head for doing this.  Seriously, I’m not joking here.  He would have literally done that to me.  So here’s my compromise, take the leftovers and create a brand new meal.  This is a time-saving recipe because the meat is already cooked.  You can use any kind of leftover meat you’d like, but I think pork, steak, or chicken works great.  The pictures for this recipe were prepared with leftover grilled pork tenderloin from the night before.  These quesadillas are very low-calorie too (if you watch the cheese).

Prep Time:  10 min

Cook time:  10 min

Total Time:  20 min

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Lb of Leftover Cooked Meat (Chicken, Steak, or Pork)
• 2 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1 Tsp Ground Chipotle Seasoning
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tsp Fresh Ground Pepper (use a pepper mill)
• Salt
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 Green Pepper
• Grated Cheddar Cheese
• Small Corn Tortillas
• 1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro Chopped
• 1 Tsp Lime Juice

DIRECTIONS:

• Chop Onion and Pepper and Saute in Olive Oil, add a little salt and pepper until soft.
• Chop meat into small pieces.  Add 1/4 cup of water to saucepan.   Add chicken along with chili powder, cumin, chipotle, lime juice, pepper, and salt to taste.  Simmer on low heat for 10 min.
• Arrange chicken, veggies,  cheese, and chopped cilantro on tortilla shell and cover with another shell.
• Heat your Cast Iron Skillet over high heat.
• Spray with olive oil using your Misto Stainless Steel Olive Oil Sprayer.
• Put quesadilla on skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes until brown and crispy, flip and repeat.
• Garnish with salsa, sour cream, and a sprig or two of cilantro.