vegan minestrone

I've made this soup previously with chicken stock and Parmesan cheese. However, on my recent vegan cleanse, I adapted the recipe further and practically could not tell any difference. This recipe makes A LOT of soup, plenty to freeze. Next time I may add some pasta shells.

adapted from ‘The Mediterranean Diabetic Cookbook’ by Amy Riolo

serves 10 (1-cup servings)

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1 Yukon gold potato, chopped into bite-size pieces

8 cups low-sodium organic veggie stock

2 zucchini, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 large tomatoes, chopped

½ lb. string beans, chopped into bite-size pieces

1 (15 oz.) can no-salt added cannellini beans

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

to make your soup:

*heat olive oil over medium heat

*sauté onion, carrots, celery for 5 minutes

*add parsley and garlic, cook for another minute

*stir in cabbage, potatoes, and veggie stock, bring to boil

*stir in zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, cannellini beans, and vinegar

*cover and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour

*add salt and pepper to taste

*blend half of soup with an immersion blender

herbed chicken cutlet

This chicken was moist and delicious, which I attribute mostly to the salt scrub. The herb salad really kicked up the flavor. I love herbs! I doubled the herb salad and added the extra to the wild/brown rice I was cooking to serve with the chicken. Unfortunately, I over-cooked the rice and it was barely edible. But the cutlets were stellar and roasted broccoli was a nice complement (thanks to my personal trainer guru friend, Meg).

adapted from Gwyneth Paltrow's Chicken Milanese with Many Herb Salad & Dried Cranberries:

serves 4 (or however many cutlets are prepared)

4 skinless, free-range, organic boneless chicken cutlets, washed and dried^

1 free-range, organic egg, whisked

2 cups plain bread crumbs mixed with 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper and 1 tsp. sea salt

coconut oil

to make your cutlets:

*dip the chicken into the egg & bread both sides

*heat coconut oil on medium high heat

*cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side

*plate and top with prepared herb salad (below)

herb salad with cranberries:

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint

2 Tbsp. dried cranberries

juice of 1/2 lemon

pinch of coarse salt

*combine all ingredients in small bowl

^salt scrub for poultry:

*wet poultry and scrub with a handful of kosher/rock salt.

*rinse and pat completely dry with paper towels

lemon chicken soup with pasta

This week I found myself at home, sick, once again. Naturally I set out to make some Chicken noodle soup. (If you are unawares of the many benefits of chicken noodle soup as a cold remedy, read about it from The Mayo Clinic or The New York Times.) Giada's recipe is quicker and easier than most Chicken noodle recipes and I prefer the fresh flavor of lemon and easy to eat shells versus traditional noodles. Cook, eat, and be well!

adapted from Giada at Home

serves 4-6

6 cups (1.5 qt.)low-sodium chicken broth

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

1 bay leaf

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, sliced ¼” thick

1 celery stalk , thinly slices,

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 cup conchiglie pasta (medium-sized shells, or broken spaghetti)

2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken (breast meat) shredded or chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh flat least parsley leaves

to make your soup:

*bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, and bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat

*add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and bring to a boil

*reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes, until veggies are tender

*add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes

*add chicken and heat through, 2-3 minutes

*discard bay leaf, remove pot from heat, and stir in parsley

*season to taste

chicken and white wine stew

you may never have thought to put chicken in a stew before, neither had i. but, true to form, the combination of chicken and white wine does not disappoint. this stew ended up being one of my favorite Jamie Oliver recipes to date, albeit one that i tweaked considerably.

a note from the meat department: the butcher at my neighborhood Kroger would not skin and dice my chicken thighs as the original recipe calls for. so, being short on time and weary of raw poultry i decided to cook the chicken first and sort out all the messy details later.

my stew was probably more delicious for having left the skin on; though this probably decreased the healthfulness quotient slightly. the original recipe calls for adding raw, skinless, diced poultry to the cooking veggies. also, there is no bacon in the original recipe; another boon to flavor (and hindrance to health, perhaps).

this is a simple recipe from the ingredients standpoint, as most everything i already had in the pantry/fridge. this was my first time cooking with chicken thighs and wow, the dark meat is tasty! i was also pleasantly surprised to find that chicken thighs are relatively inexpensive compared to other meats and other chicken parts.

however, this is not a ‘quick and easy’ recipe. it always takes some time to chop veggies, but the additional step of removing chicken bones at the end was a pain. although probably less painful than removing them on the front end. all in all, this was an excellent dish to enjoy on a snowy wintry night!

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

serves 4-6
2 stalks celery
2 medium onion
2 carrots
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 x 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ handful fresh parsley
1 pound chicken thighs
2 cups white wine
1 slice bacon
pad of butter

to make your stew:
*preheat oven to 350
*with dutch oven over medium heat, fry one slice bacon in butter for a few minutes
*place chicken thighs, skin down in the bacon/butter and season with salt and pepper
*brown the chicken on both sides and remove chicken and bacon to a plate
*trim off ends of celery and roughly chop
*peel and roughly chop onions
*peel carrots, slice lengthwise, and roughly chop
*finely chop parsley
*add the veggies, herbs, and 1 lug of oil to the dutch oven fry for 10 minutes
*add the flour, booze, and canned tomatoes
*stir and season with salt and pepper
*add the chicken and bacon
*bring to boil, put the lid on and stick it in the oven for 1 ½ hours
*with 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, take the chicken out, remove all bones, and shred the meat
*add water if the stew looks dry
*return shredded chicken to the dutch oven and continue cooking the last 30 minutes uncovered
*add more salt/pepper if needed before serving

serving suggestion:
serve with Hawaiian rolls