Chicken Noodle Soup

Well, I've officially brought fall into my house. Now in Florida we don't really have a true fall season, so I have to do some manipulating in order to get my brain to think that there is a bit of chill in the air. The other night there was a slight breeze and it actually felt "nice" outside so I knew what I had to do. I lit my pumpkin spice candle, turned on some Frank Sinatra and made chicken noodle soup. And it just so happened that I was battling a really sore throat so soup was definitely a good decision. The husband really liked this version of chicken noodle soup, although he did say that he isn't use to all the vegetables. Interpretation: he likes Campbells canned chicken noodle soup. You know the kind I mean. With the incredibly salty chicken broth, the straight noodles and the itty bitty pieces of a tastes like chicken substance. Yuck. This was super easy, start to finish in about 30 minutes, and gave us leftovers for the week. I don't think the husband will ever eat Campbells again!

What you need

- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 small red potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- fresh herbs (I used rosemary and basil)
- 1 cup cubed chicken
- 1/2 T poultry seasoning
- 2 cups gf short pasta






Directions

- Heat a bit of coconut oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic and potatoes and stir.

- Add the celery and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes

- Add in the chicken broth, herbs and poultry seasoning. Simmer for 15 minutes

- Add in the chicken and pasta. Cover the pot and allow the noodles to cook.

- I used these cute little corkscrew quinoa noodles and they were great!

- Taste the soup and add more seasoning if needed. Top with some parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread!

Tuscan Bean Soup with Shrimp

My husband absolutely loves shrimp. I mean really loves them. So I'm always looking for good recipes that use shrimp. This particular one is another from the Pioneer Woman. I didn't have everything on hand that her recipe calls for so I had to substitute a few things and also added some of my own. It turned out really well and the husband and I had lots of leftovers for the rest of the week! I know shrimp sounds a little odd, so if you don't like shrimp you can always substitue chicken or just leave a meat protein out all together. It's plenty filling without it! Enjoy!


What you need

- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and tails removed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 C carrots, chopped
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 can diced tomatoes (15oz)
- 1/2 C dry white wine
- 4 C broth (I used a mix of chicken and veg)
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans (rinsed)
- 2 C baby spinach
- 1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon juice



Directions

- Over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven, heat a bit of oil (I used coconut)

- Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent and fragrant

- Add in the chopped celery and carrots

- Add in the tomato paste and stir well

- Add the red pepper flakes and oregano

- Add the white wine and scrape up the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan

- Add the can of diced tomatoes and the juice

- Add the rinsed white beans and stir well

- Add the broth and a bit of salt and pepper

- Let the soup simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally

- When the soup has about 5 minutes left, go ahead and prepare the shrimp

- In a medium skillet, melt 2 T of butter (or oil but I like the butter flavor on shrimp)

- Add in the shrimp, parsley and lemon juice

- Cook until the shrimp turn pink and set aside

- Add in the baby spinach just before serving the soup

- Serve up the soup and add some shrimp on top. I also added some grated parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I LOVE SOUP! I don't care if it's blazing hot outside I always enjoy a bowl of soup and it's one of the most versatile and inexpensive meals there is. Soup is also a great meatless option and there are always puh-lenty of leftovers for the husband to take for work lunches. What's not to love? This particular soup is creamy, filling and oh so delicious and the torrential downpour outside made this an extra cozy dinner at the Brown house! 

What you need (adapted from Annie's Eats)

- 5-6 small potatoes (I used yukons)
- 4 T unsalted butter
- 1/2 C GF all purpose flour, divided
- 6 cups milk (I used 2 cups half n half and the rest almond milk)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
bacon
green onions
sour cream

*NOTE: Please ignore the onion in this picture. I was going to use it but ended up using onion powder instead to keep the texture as creamy as possible.*

Directions

- Cook the potatoes until almost fork tender, drain and set aside. You could use regular baking potatoes if you have those on hand as well. I like to under-bake the potatoes a little because they will cook some more once you add them to the soup.

- In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat

- Add in 1/4 C of the flour and whisk to form a paste. Cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes

- Add in the milk, whisking constantly so it doesn't scald

- Add in the remaining 1/4 C of flour and cook until thick, about 8-10 minutes

- Add in the onion powder and garlic powder

- Chop your cooked potatoes into bite size pieces, and add to milk mixture

- Add in the shredded cheese and a bit of salt and pepper. Stir until melted

- Add in the cayenne pepper (You can omit this if you don't like spice...I think a little heat is nice in such a rich soup)

- Prepare your toppings

- Taste the soup to check your seasonings and add more if needed

- Serve with a nice salad and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! It is such an awesome snack and/or meal and can be eaten with practically anything. The other day at the store, garbanzo beans were on sale so I bought a bunch. I put them in salads a lot but had never tried to make my own hummus. I also had a couple of red peppers to use up so it seemed like a no brainer to experiment with them! What better way than to make my own hummus? This came out really delicious despite not having all the ingredients for a "proper" hummus and it is WAY cheaper than store bought. Do any of you have a favorite hummus recipe?

What you need

- 1 1/2 C garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 C roasted red peppers *see below*
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 T extra virgin olive oil
- 1 T sesame oil (not pictured, sorry!)
- 2 T water
- Salt and pepper to taste








Roasted Red Pepper Instructions
Yes, they sell jars of already roasted red peppers but it's super easy to make your own!

- Rub each pepper with coconut or vegetable oil. Don't use olive oil because it will burn.

- Place peppers on a baking sheet and put under the broiler until they start to blister and blacken

- Carefully flip the peppers over and return to broiler until the other side blisters and starts to blacken

- Let the peppers cool completely before touching them! They will be very hot!

- Gently remove the stem, seeds and ribs and peel off the skin. It should remove very easily. Cut in half and make sure all the seeds and ribs are removed.

- And there you have it! Roasted red peppers!


Hummus Directions

- In a food processor, add the beans, peppers, garlic, cumin, cayenne, water, salt and pepper

- Put the top on and pulse the processor a few times just to get the ingredients combined. Stream in the olive oil and sesame oil until it reaches desired consistency. Taste to check seasonings and adjust if necessary.

- I served mine with GF crackers and topped the hummus with some paprika, parsley and feta cheese. This was my lunch today along with some fruit. Yum!

Chicken Chili

I apologize for ignoring this blog for a while! Once we got back from our beach vacation reality hit me square in the face and I haven't had much time to sit and write! Hopefully I'll be back to a regular schedule soon! Ok...on to the recipe for today!

I love making soup. I'm one of those people that enjoys hot soup even when it's hot outside (which is a good thing because it is HOT in Florida right now). Whenever I'm unsure about what to make for dinner, I can easily throw together a broth or cream based soup and add whatever vegetables and spices I have on hand. This recipe is one of the husband's favorites. It's easy, cheap and filling which makes it one of MY favorites too. You can easily change it to whatever you like or have in your fridge or pantry, but I kept it fairly simple this time around. Enjoy!

What you need (I forgot the ingredient picture because I'm smart like that)
- 1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 - 3 cans of white beans (I used 2 cans white kidney beans and 1 can northern beans)
- 4 cups GF chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- handful of fresh baby spinach, chopped
- Toppings: cheese, green onion, sour cream (optional)

Directions

- If you are using uncooked chicken, go ahead and throw them in the oven. I cooked mine with salt, pepper and cumin and a drizzle of olive oil for 20 minutes.

- Chop up your onion, celery and garlic

- Heat up 1 T of oil (I used coconut) in a large stockpot and add in the onion, celery and garlic.

- Let it sweat out a bit and add in some salt and pepper

- And some red pepper flakes

Obviously I used precise measurements for these things!

- Add in your rinsed white beans and stir

- Add in 4 cups of chicken broth

A side note about chicken broth...READ THE LABELS!! I was surprised to find that a lot of brands contain wheat in them (swanson and college inn are NOT safe). I usually use the organice low sodium kind from Whole Foods or Progresso is also safe. Ok, I'm done now.

- Add in the cumin, garlic powder and chili powder

- Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

- By now your chicken should be cooked and cooled. Go ahead and shred it up!

- Add your chicken to the broth mixture and stir. Cook another 2-5 minutes.

- Right before serving add in the chopped spinach, you don't want it to get too wilted

- Top with whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Have a GREAT weekend everybody!