Sunday, November 16, 2014

Souper-Sunday

*This post brought to you courtesy cold/flu season.

First let me say: I love the winter - it is so beautiful outside and romantic taking walks in the snow. I love the chunky sweaters I wear daily - they're the emotional equal of a fire crackling in the hearth. I love wearing boots and scarves, sipping peppermint tea or hot chocolate, and making exciting holiday plans.
But here at the Munion household, we are also enjoying lots of Tylenol, Dayquil, humidifier steam and Viks Vapor this month. And when you have a cold, there is nothing better than a pot of homemade soup simmering on the stove at the end of chilly day.

Chicken stock: About a year ago I came across this really great post about making your own chicken stock from leftover chicken bones. The idea of using rotisserie chicken in cooking, and then making ultra-nutritious chicken stock with the bones and whatever vegetables we had in the crisper really appealed - I am always on the lookout for ways to make things from scratch, have healthier meals, and stretch a buck. You should check it out. Follow her links to the 100 recipes using rotisserie chicken too - I've tried several, and...it might change your life.

Now I pick up a chicken every time we go to Costco (they are bigger and cheaper there than other stores), I strip the bones and freeze the meat in meal-sized portions and stick the rest of it in a pot with onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery, cover with water, and simmer for a day. She skims the fat off every few hours, but who has time for that? At the end of the day, I simply strain the liquid into a big bowl, cover and refrigerate over night.
In the morning all the fat is on top and it is super easy to spoon that off and freeze the stock in meal-sized portions (about 2 cups per a bag). I usually get 4-5 bags out of one chicken.

When you're ready to use it, run some hot water over the bag and it is ready to go! Stock is thick enough that you can add water for soups, or you can leave it un-diluted for stew or to make rice or casseroles. It will save you some money, and anyways you always feel good when you serve something healthy and delicious to your family that you made yourself.

Here are a few recipes I love that are great with rotisserie chicken and chicken stock. (PS, you can buy chicken stock at Costo for an even easier meal. I suppose.) I always make enough to have leftovers the next day - soup usually is one of those things better the day after. Soup and chocolate cake.


Chicken Noodle Soup:
Serves 6
Toddler approval rating: two thumbs up

2 Tbs Butter
3 med carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
Seasonings: 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash original, dash of thyme and parsley, salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 serving size whole wheat spaghetti (uncooked, the bundle of spaghetti should be about the thickness of a penny at most - not much), broken into fourths

Melt butter in a med pot over med heat, saute veggies till tender, add in seasonings and cook 2 minutes more. Add chicken, stock, water, bouillon, spaghetti. Careful not to add too much pasta - it soaks up the water and can make your soup too thick. In fact, if you want to run another pot, cook the pasta before you put it in so you can be sure and get the right ratio.

*Variations: Zucchini is good in this too, if you like zucchini. And I like to add a squeeze of lemon too sometimes - especially when I'm sick. It's nice. Also, canned chicken works great for this one.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup 
(From my friend Anjela Allyon, adapted slightly with what I had on hand. Isn't soup great for that?)
Serves 6

2-3 Tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 cups matchstick carrots, or shredded carrots
2 stalks celery
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups chicken, chopped
2 cups cooked wild rice
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cubes chicken boulion
1 1/2 cups half and half

Melt butter in med pot, saute carrots, onions and celery till soft. Sprinkle in flour and stir till combined; add the rest of ingredients save the half and half. Bring to a boil and let thicken (can add a Tbs corn starch dissolved in water if not thickening). Add half and half the last ten minutes.
 *MN is known for it's wild rice - it's a big export here. Wild rice soup, wild rice sausage, wild rice stuffing...it also happens to be really good for you. It is full of antioxidants and has twice as much protein as brown rice, more fiber, but fewer calories than any other rice. Source: here.

Pork/Chicken and Veggie Stew

*One of my favorite stews of all time. Uses stock, and you could use rotisserie chicken in place of fresh meat, but I've never tried that way, to be honest. But I think you would just skip the first step of cooking the meat, and add in the cooked chicken after the veggies and stock.
Serves 6
Adapted from here

3 Tbs flour, divided
1 tsp salt, divided
1 lb pork steak or chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups chicken stock + water
1 and 1/4 cup water, divided
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups cubed red potatoes (or russet, but for those, add in the last 20 minutes so they don't get too mushy)
2 med carrots, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
1 rib celery, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp parsley

Place 2 Tbs flour and 1/2 tsp salt in large ziplock; add meat and shake so well-coated. Melt butter in med pot till sizzling, add meat and brown, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, chicken stock, and all remaining ingredients, adding water if needed so meat and veggies are covered. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low, simmer 30-40 minutes till veggies are tender. Remove bay leaf.
Combine remaining 1 Tbs flour and 1/4 cup water in small bowl. Stir into stew, cook 3-5 minutes till it thickens slightly.

These are all amazing with a loaf of homemade bread or a salad. Here is my mom's easy recipe for delicious crusty white bread. So, you know, you can have the full experience.

Crusty White Bread

1 Tbs yeast
1 cup warm water
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 Tbs salt
2 Tbs salad oil + oil for coating bowl
3 cups flour
1 Tbs butter

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, let sit till foamy, about five minutes. Stir in salt and oil, and pour mixture into large bowl with 3 cups flour. Stir till combined, knead till smooth and elastic about 8 minutes (or 4 in a stand mixer fitted with kneading attachment). Place in oiled bowl, brush top of dough with oil, cover, let rise in warm place till doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down, form into loaf and put in greased loaf pan and brush with oil; let rise till double, about one hour. Bake at 400 degrees about 30 minutes, till golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Brush with butter on removal, let cool on wire rack till ready to eat.

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