A Red Pot Recipe

 Ok here is another recipe that is low in fat and high in vegetables. Of course it is being cooked in my Red Le Creuset Soup Pot. For us this is enough food for 2 to 3 meals for the two of us when you have kids at home this should hopefully make it through 1 meal.

Chicken Vegetable Soup 

1 3/4 pounds of cubed Chicken, I used white meat chicken   Which is lower in fat.

2 Tablespoons of California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Oil

1/4 teaspoon of white pepper and salt

1 Very large Sweet Onion or 2 smaller onions 

1 pound each of chopped celery, sliced carrots and mixed mushrooms 

1 pound of frozen mixed vegetables 

In your soup pot add the olive oil and heat on medium heat.  Add the chicken, salt and pepper.  Cover and keep covered as much as possible. Cook until no pink shows. Change your stirring  spoon and spoon rest. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stirring occasionally and keeping the lid on In between. Add the celery, carrots and mushrooms. Leave on top until there is room to stir them in. Lower the temperature to medium low or number 2. Simmer for at least 3 hours.  I have not added water, but be sure to keep on eye on the broth.  If the level gets to low add water or additional broth.  

30 minutes before dinner add the 1 pound of frozen mixed vegetables. Stir in.  Bring the temperature up to 4 or just below medium heat. Serve when the mixed vegetables are totally cooked. 

The picture is after I stirred in the fresh vegetables. This will have over 4 pounds of vegetables.  You may add more if there is room in the pot   

Of course no one is paying me to share the brand names.  These are products that I use at home and bought out of our household budget. 

Thank You Brandy

 Brandy was one of our favorite aides for Eric. Yesterday she reached out and asked for a favorite family recipe.   Then John goes it’s cold now, we should have that for dinner tomorrow night.  So I got up early to head to the store as early as possible.  Yes, I wore my Kn95 mask and the store was not crowded.  So here is the minestrone soup recipe.  It’s quick and easy.  

I used to make it more with stew beef when the kids were younger   Now that I am on a very low fat diet I use skinless, boneless, chicken breast meat. I have my butcher cut it up in cubes for me about 1/2 square. Both are tasty options   

Minestrone Soup

1 4.5 quart LeCreuset soup pot 

1 package Manischewitz Minestrone Soup Mix

1.5 pounds of diced chicken breast or stew beef

1 large sweet onion diced

1 bunch of celery cleaned and sliced 

1 pound of carrots peeled and sliced 

5 cups of water

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon of salt and white pepper 

1 pound frozen mixed vegetables 

Sauté meat, salt and pepper in the olive oil until the meat is no longer red or pink.  15 to 20 minutes stirring every few minutes.  Add the onion and continue to sauté until tender and translucent.  Add celery and carrots mix in and cook until softened about 5 minutes.  

Add 5 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add the soup mix. Bring to a boil again.  Lower the temperature to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes stirring often.  

About 15 minutes before the basic soup is done remove the frozen vegetables from the freezer.  Add the mixed vegetables to the soup once the 45 minute timer goes off.  Stir in well. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more until the frozen vegetables are cooked.  You may add other vegetables too.  Just don’t over fill your pot. 

Serve with warm dinner rolls.  It is better the second night. This makes about 4 quarts of soup.  Yes you may freeze the leftover soup in individual containers and freeze.  

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie Updated

 

An updated version of an old favorite..

This has been updated to include more chicken, the way John likes it.  Of course if you like lesss meat stay with the original published on May 9, 2011.  It was a very rare lazy day for me. I followed my bodies lead and took it very slow today.  So this is what John got for dinner tonight.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

6 ounces pre diced onions
2 cups frozen hash brown potato cubes
2 heaping tablespoons margarine
1 box of Pillsbury ready made pie crusts - you will need both
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables
16 ounces pre cooked chicken diced
1 large deep dish pie pan
1 foil lined cookie sheet

In a large fry pan or wok melt the margarine on a medium low heat. Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to a lower heat and add the frozen potatoes and cook until soft. Add the chicken and the vegetables and keep on a low heat until 45 minutes before dinner. Unroll the first crust into an un greased pie pan. Pat the pie crust in place. Add all the mixture from the pan and pack it very firmly into the pie crust. dampen the edges of the pie crust and unroll the second pie crust on top. Wet the entire top of the pie crust with a small amount of water. Roll the bottom and top edges together and crimp anyway you would like. There are no bonus points for perfect thumb prints or crimps. Make 4 slits around the top of the pie crust and another vent hole in the center. Place in a cold oven and bake at 325 for 45 minutes,  a little longer if you like a darker crust.

You will notice two things about this recipe. First I did not add additional seasonings. I find that when making semi homemade items everything is usually very well seasoned to begin with. Secondly that I place the pot pie in a cold oven. I use a glass pie dish and I do not want it to crack so I put it on a cookie sheet lined with foil into a cold oven. It is better for the pie dish to heat up very slowly. When I remove the pot pie I leave it on the cookie sheet. It is very important that you do not put hot glass baking dishes on a damp or cold surface when taking it out of the oven.  So the cookie sheet is perfect in two ways. First it will catch any over flow and second just leave the pot pie on the cookie sheet until both are cool.

This serves 4 to 5 people. For a vegan pot pie just leave out the chicken.

An Updated Chicken Soup Recipe

I have updated an old family recipe to include parsnips, which by the way tend to have the taste and texture of potatoes in this soup. A good friend Lisa loves this soup and wanted the recipe so she does not have to wait for me to make it.

This is my families favorite chicken soup. This is a basic recipe that you can change up with the addition of matzo balls, dumplings or noodles or a combination of noodles and dumplings or matzo balls.

1 whole chicken ,washed in cold water.
1 teaspoon salt
water to cover chicken
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced
1 large celery sliced, this will be about 7-8 cups
1 onion diced
1 Large Parsnip peeled and sliced*

In a large pot add cleaned chicken and salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Skim the pot of any junk that comes to the top, this should take about 30 minutes. While you are waiting for the chicken to boil now is an excellent time to scrub down your sink with your favorite bleach cleanser. It is important to clean the sink and the surrounding area before you chop the vegetables.

Once the chicken is not making any more junk and the broth has been skimmed clear, Add all the vegetables at once and add the pepper. Turn the stove to medium low and and simmer at least 2 hours.

After about 2 hours I carefully pull the chicken from the pot and de-bone the chicken, this is the process where the skin is pulled off and the bones are taken out of the chicken. Smaller pieces of chicken are tossed right back in the pot, I tend to dice the larger pieces before they are put back in the pot.

If you are going to add dumplings this is the point where you add them. For a quick dumpling just use a regular biscuit recipe and spoon into the boiling broth and turn down the temperature and simmer for about 20 minutes. For and even faster dumpling just get your favorite ready to use biscuits and layer them on the top of the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes.

I usually make the noodles separately and keep them separate from the soup. Since everyone has their own noodle preference I let everyone scoop their own noodles and then add the soup. The only exception to this would be alphabet noodles which just taste better when they have more time in the broth.

The soup is ready to serve. I usually serve this with bread and margarine.

Enjoy this soup recipe and add your families favorite vegetables to the soup to make it your own.

Unfortunately I have no vegan or vegetarian options for this soup.

* The parsnips are not in the original version published in 2009.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken is a recipie that is fast, easy and gluten free. I will have some more gluten free dishes on the blog as I create them for my wonderful sister in law Marla.  They will all be fast and easy to put together. Many will be semi homemade with pre-made ingredients. Perfect for the cook with active children or newer cooks.  This is an easy recipie to bring the younger cooks into the kitchen to help with. 

For those of you who do not live in the United States the following conversions will be helpful. These are exact conversions,  C= F-32.00/1.8) Since I do not cook in celius just get them as close as possible to your own oven.  

350f is equal to 176.67c

325f is equal to 162.78c

185f is equal to 85c

 16 ounces or 1 pound is equal to 0.45 kilograms

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken ( more or less depending on your needs. )

Salt and white pepper

1 cup of salsa, pre made is fine. 

Spray your favorite casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. The clean up crew likes this.   Add the chicken.  Lightly salt and pepper. I use white pepper because it has a milder taste.  Evenly cover the chicken with the salsa. Bake at 350f for 50 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal tempature of 185f. If you are using a glass casserole dish set the oven to 325f and bake for 1 hour or until the chicken reaches 185f.   

I will be serving this with gluten free corn  tortillas, refrained beans and vegetables. You can also add olives for good luck, this is a south of the boarder tradition.

Cranberry Chicken

Lets face it, it has been quite a while since I posted a new recipe. This one is a new family favorite. It has only 5 ingredients. Takes less than 5 minutes to put together. As a bonus it has 4 servings. It also tastes good cold.

Cranberry Chicken

2 Large chicken breasts, skinless and boneless about 1 pound

1 cup of cranberry sauce, I use the chunky kind

1/2 cup of water

a pinch of salt and pepper

4 quart LeCreuset Cast iron pot with lid or something of a similar weight.

Spray the inside of of your LeCruset 4 quart soup pot with Pam. Who ever is washing the pot can thank me later. Wash the chicken and place in the pot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cover the chicken breasts with all the cranberry sauce, you will have a nice thick layer. Add the water to the bottom of the pan. Cover and place the pot in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour. The chicken will not come out dry. The chicken will also be very pink on the outside when cooked. 

Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes in the covered pot before slicing. Slice into medallions no thicker then 1/2 inch and arrange on 4 plates. It is also good to have a little extra cranberry sauce on the table in case anyone wants a little more cranberry sauce on the chicken.

I hope that you enjoy this quick and easy recipe as much as we do. 

Chicken Stew

My body has been playing catch up with sleep and rest most of the week. I am almost back to 80% of feeling my best. This cold has left Eric and I with a cough that will last another week or two. I am feeling well enough to be tired of frozen meals and take in. So with John being my prep chef, yes he got to peel and cut up all the vegetables for tonight's dinner. He did a wonderful job too.

Chicken Stew

2 large Chicken Breasts diced
1 medium onion peeled and diced
3 cups of celery  cleaned and cut into 1/2inch chunks
3 cups of carrots peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 medium Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1/2 cubes
8 ounces butternut squash cubed. it is OK to buy the pre-cut package
8 ounces mushrooms cleaned and sliced
A large splash of White Zinfield or any open white wine you have
1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 1/4 quart Le Creuset soup pot with a cover

In the pot heat the olive oil up on a medium low temperature. Add the diced chicken breast with a little salt and pepper. Cook covered for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Add the Rosemary. Toss well and cook for another 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. The chicken should no longer be pink on the outside. This is the time to switch out the stirring spoon and put the dirty one straight in to the wash.  Add the diced onions and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook down. Added the Butternut Squash and Yukon Gold potatoes. Cover with the carrots and celery. Add the White Wine. Cover and bring to a low boil. Turn down the heat and cook for at least 1 hour. 2 to 3 hours would be ideal for the perfect flavor blending.

If you do not use wine in your house you may substitute water. The flavor will be slightly different.
Serves 6 as a main course.

So as you probably guessed this is dinner tonight.

Chicken Chili

It has been a while since I posted a recipe. We are trying to cut down on red meat so I have been working on chicken dishes. Here is a new on that has been husband approved.

Chicken Chili

2 large chicken breasts - skinned , boned and rinsed
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound frozen sweet white corn
2-15 ounces cans of diced tomatoes - do not drain this will be the liquid for the chili
1 - 15 ounce can or Red kidney Beans drained and rinsed
1 large sweet onion diced
salt
pepper
1tablespoon of your favorite chili powder. I use The Spice Hunter Salt Free Chili powder Blend

Optional

1 - 15 ounces can of black olives

In a 4 quart cover pot. I use my red soup pot. Add the olive oil and chicken. Salt and pepper as desired, I like to keep it on the light side. Cook the chicken on medium low for 15 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent. while the onions are cooking cut the chicken in to bite size pieces. Put the chicken and the remaining ingredients into the pan. Cook covered on medium low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

While that is cooking make your corn bread.

This recipe serves 5 as a main course.

Sheri's Chicken Salad

Ok it is time for another recipe this has been a summer time favorite for years. I know it seems like an odd combo of ingredients but please trust me on this one. This is also a good recipe to get the kids in the kitchen with.


Sheri’s Chicken Salad

3 cups of chicken diced.

3 stalks of celery diced

1 large tart apple diced (think granny smith or pippin)

½ cup raw pecans chopped coarsely

½ cup of dried cherries sliced in half

Mayonnaise to just hold salad together or slightly more if you want to make sandwiches

Salt and white pepper to taste

Place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Add ¼ cup of mayonnaise and toss, you can always add more mayonnaise if you would like but once it is in the bowl you can’t undo it so add the mayonnaise slowly. When you have the constancy of the salad right it is time to take a taste and see if you need the salt and pepper. I usually start off with the pepper and end up skipping the salt. Remember to use a clean spoon for each taste test.

Cover and place in the fridge to chill well. We like to server this on a bed of romaine hearts for a salad. This is one of those nice hot weather meals that can be made the day before for a party or in the morning so dinner is ready when you come home.

For a faster clean up I use 2 dinner plates to do the chopping. One plate for the meat and one plate for everything else. I also use a separate knife for the meat and non meat items. When done just throw or gently place all the chopping items in the dishwasher.

For a milder flavor I use white pepper and it tastes much better when it is freshly ground.

I have not made this as a vegetarian dish but you may be able to replace the chicken with baked tofu.

Pina Colada Chicken

I have had a request for my Pina Colada Chicken. This is a fast and easy recipe and I always serve it on a bed of brown rice.

1 pound of Chicken breasts
1 large can of crushed Dole Pineapple in its own juice
1 can of Coconut milk ( you can use the light version if you like)
1 cup of Bakers Coconut
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
non stick cooking spray

In my heart shaped Le Creuset casserole dish, I spray the casserole dish and top with non stick cooking spray.

Rinse the chicken and place in the casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drain the Dole Pineapple into a glass. Pour the coconut milk over the chicken, then add the drained pineapple and sprinkle the coconut on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Clean the sink out with your favorite bleach cleaner.

Start the rice about 1 cup of cooked rice per person. Add ice to the drained juice and enjoy your treat.

Serve with salad

This recipe serves 4. There are no Vegan or Vegetarian options for this recipe.

I have not received compensation for either Bakers Coconut or the Dole corporation. As usual these are the brands I use.

Mohave Mango Salsa Chicken

This is what I am cooking for dinner tonight.

Mohave Mango Salsa Chicken Tacos

2 chicken breasts skinned and boned
1/2 cup of Goldwater's Mohave Mango Salsa
1/2 Cup of water
a pinch of salt and pepper
Corn tortillas
shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes diced
1 Avocado diced

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. 1 hour before dinner spray the inside and cover of a 2 quart Le Creuset casserole with non-stick cooking spray. Rinse the chicken breasts and place in the casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the water and put the salsa on top of the chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once the chicken is in the oven clean the sink and any counter space used with your bleach solution of preference.

Wash and shred the lettuce and place in the fridge. Wash and dice the tomatoes and place in the fridge. Dice the avocado right before serving so it does not brown.

When the chicken has finished cooking very thinly slice or shred the chicken and place back in the casserole dish and cover. Dice the avocado and leave the pit in the bowl. Heat the corn tortillas 2 at a time in a fry pan on medium heat, turn once just till warm, be sure not to burn them.

On a plate assemble the salsa chicken taco's by placing the tortillas on the plate. Add the chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado, for a spicier taco you may add extra salsa.

Serve with rice and/or beans.

This recipe will make 8 to 10 taco's.

The Vegan option is even faster to make, just dice the vegetables, heat the tortillas and cover with vegetables and add a dollop of salsa on top.

For the vegetarian option just skip the meat, dice the vegetables, heat the tortillas , cover with vegetables, cheese and a dollop of salsa on top.

For those of you that are not lucky enough to have an A.J.'s Fine Foods near your home, the salsa can be bought on line. Please go to http://www.goldwaters.com/ .

I am not being paid to endorse the Goldwater's Salsa, this is just a family favorite. Likewise I am not being paid to endorse A.J.'sFine Foods, it happens to be close to my house and have a lot of products that are not available elsewhere in Tucson.

Yet Another Red Pot Recipe

This is my families favorite chicken soup. This is a basic recipe that you can change up with the addition of matzo balls, dumplings or noodles or a combination of noodles and dumplings or matzo balls.

1 whole chicken ,washed in cold water.
1 teaspoon salt
water to cover chicken
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced
1 large celery sliced, this will be about 7-8 cups
1 onion diced

In a large pot add cleaned chicken and salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Skim the pot of any junk that comes to the top, this should take about 30 minutes. While you are waiting for the chicken to boil now is an excellent time to scrub down your sink with your favorite bleach cleanser. It is important to clean the sink and the surrounding area before you chop the vegetables.

Once the chicken is not making any more junk and the broth has been skimmed clear, Add all the vegetables at once and add the pepper. Turn the stove to medium low and and simmer at least 2 hours.

After about 2 hours I carefully pull the chicken from the pot and de-bone the chicken, this is the process where the skin is pulled off and the bones are taken out of the chicken. Smaller pieces of chicken are tossed right back in the pot, I tend to dice the larger pieces before they are put back in the pot.

If you are going to add dumplings this is the point where you add them. For a quick dumpling just use a regular biscuit recipe and spoon into the boiling broth and turn down the temperature and simmer for about 20 minutes. For and even faster dumpling just get your favorite ready to use biscuits and layer them on the top of the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes.

I usually make the noodles separately and keep them separate from the soup. Since everyone has their own noodle preference I let everyone scoop their own noodles and then add the soup. The only exception to this would be alphabet noodles which just taste better when they have more time in the broth.

The soup is ready to serve. I usually serve this with bread and margarine.

Enjoy this soup recipe and add your families favorite vegetables to the soup to make it your own.

Unfortunately I have no vegan or vegetarian options for this soup.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.