Kitchen Sink Chicken Noodle Soup

JT had a cold and I was just getting over one. We had no chicken noodle soup and no desire to go to the store. We were also mid-No Shop Challenge. Here is what I came up with:

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 T olive oil
2 leftover cooked chicken breasts
1 bag penne pasta (use rice for a gluten-free version and add 10 minutes to total time)
1 large potato
1/4 cup minced onion (more if you are more fond of onion than JT)
2 strips pre-cooked bacon
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 t garlic salt
small dash cumin (optional)
large dash Italian seasonings
pepper to taste (optional)
several springs of fresh parsley

Here are other things you can add if you have them:

carrots
celery
sweet potato
corn
pine nuts
rice (instead of or with noodles)

1) Bring chicken broth, water, olive oil, and penne to boil. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
2) Chop and add chicken, bacon, potato and onion first.
3) Reduce heat to medium when soup is bubbling exuberantly. Add remaining ingredients.
4) Cover and boil until timer goes off.
5) Serve with love.

Creamy "Baked" Potato Soup

This soup is so wonderful - flavorful, filling, but not overwhelming. Perfect for a light meal or a side.

You will need:

4 red potatoes
half an onion or a whole shallot
a drizzle of olive oil
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk (I used almond milk and it came out beautifully!)
2 or 3 pieces of cooked bacon
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
2 T flour or corn starch
grated cheese if desired

1) Pierce your potatoes with a fork and microwave for 13 minutes. Or, boil them.

2) Drizzle the olive oil into your soup pot. Sauté onions for three minutes.

 3) Add chicken broth to onions.

4) Pour in 1.5 cups of milk. Use the remaining half cup of milk to mix the flour or corn starch. Add to pot. Allow to boil for one minute before removing from heat.

5) Cook bacon and slice. Add to pot.

6) Add sour cream. Sprinkle salt and pepper into pot.
7) Slice cooked potatoes and add to pot. The original recipe tells you to remove the skins, but I think they add a nice texture, especially when processed with an immersion blender. Stir and mash. If you have an immersion blender, use that instead.

8) Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, green onions, etc, as desired.

Leftovers make a good workday lunch if you have access to a microwave!

Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.

Black Bean Chili

Adapted from an Epicurious recipe.

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• one large chopped onion
• one large chopped bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional... add more if you want it spicier, but a little goes a long way)
• 3  15 ounce cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
• 3/4 cup red wine or beer. If you have none, use 1/2 cup of juice from your bean cans.
• a 16-ounce can tomato sauce, preferably chunky. You can also add diced tomatoes.
• 1/2 cup corn (optional)
• Get creative! Add other veggies as you feel inspired.

Optional toppings:

• Cilantro
• Sour cream (yogurt works too)
• Grated cheese
• Green onions

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. 

Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. 

Mix in beans, wine or beer, corn and tomato sauce. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Ladle chili into bowls. Top as desired. Delicious served with tortilla chips.

Extra can be stored in the fridge up to one week. Makes a good workday lunch if you have access to a microwave.