Fabulous new meals

Hello! I'm back for a quick post. The last few months have brought a lot of food changes to our home. With PTA meetings, cub scouts, girl scouts, friends, etc, it's getting harder to be home for meal prep. Plus, I'm not experimenting as much, so we're making old favorites over and over again.

A few years ago, I did a workshop for the ladies in my church on meal planning.  I even blogged about it. Fast forward to this month, where I'm doing this same workshop in my new area.  As I'm looking over my materials and sprucing them up, I was reminded of my old neighbor who used to plan meals 6 weeks in advance. I was also reminded that I had sat down and done that as well.  When it came to execution though, I don't think it lasted long. 

However... I think my family is at the point now that we need this. It would be more stable and easier to plan.

 

(This one is more like our house!)

This looong story (sorry!) lead me to look at the new recipes we've made and loved the last few months. I have them all on a Pinterest board, but would like to share them here as well so they are all in the same spot.

Here they are- all pictures belong to the original blog.  Have fun!

 Quick and Easy Chinese Orange Beef

by Our Best Bites

 My 10yr old son has been asking for orange chicken. I found this recipe and had beef so we made it.  Let me just say, I really, really dislike Chinese food. But this dish? LOVED it!

 

Crockpot Boiled Peanuts

My husband served his mission in South Carolina. This is a popular street food there. He was in heaven! 

 

 Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

by Skinnytaste.com

I LOVE this dish.  It's so simple, but full of flavor. It makes a TON, so make sure you have lots of people to eat it! I serve it on rice, or even just plain. I like to add some crushed tortilla chips for some texture.

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps 

by Our Best Bites

Another WOW from Our Best Bites. I really enjoy this dish. 4 out of 5 family members loved it as well. The 1 who didn't is my 7yr old daughter who doesn't like anything. Quick, easy, HEALTHY, and yum! 

 

This recipe is called The Best Pot Roast... Ever!  and it really is!

by youretoocrafty.blogspot.com

Make sure you make potatoes or rice with it so you have something to sop up the amazing gravy!

 

 This is a simple, yet delicious meatloaf recipe. 

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 egg

1 box stuffing mix

1 cup water

Mix everything together and press into a loaf pan.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Yum! 

And finally...

 Pork Carnitas

by mykitchenescapades.com

So. Very. Good. 

It is mandatory to broil the meat after cooking it. I cooked it in the crockpot, and it was really good. However, after broiling it- Amazing!

I think that's good for today.  There are some more great meals on my Pinterest board, and I'm always adding more.

Creamy Coconut Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

So, by now you know that we are avid coconut lovers. Any recipe with the word coconut in it immediately gets my attention. Just for fun, I searched my blog for coconut and came up with 27 recipes that include this wonderful ingredient! Wow!

I found this recipe on Pinterest; originally from Publix. I know my chicken looks a little colorless, but the flavor was incredible. I changed the cooking instructions to grill the chicken next time; either on an outside grill or inside.

Even though I have a wonderful recipe for Black Bean Salsa, I decided to go with the recipe included on Publix with the chicken. My original recipe calls for balsamic vinegar, and has to sit for a while.  This one does not. (Although it's best after sitting for at least 15 minutes) 

I also served this with rice, so the wonderful sauce would have a place to live. I changed up the spices a little as well. The chipotle peppers really work well with the cool coconut.  Enjoy!

Creamy Coconut Chicken with Black Bean Salsa
Heavily adapted from Publix

Make the Black Bean Salad first. It will blend in the refrigerator while you are making the chicken.

12-16 sprigs fresh cilantro
 2 (15.25-ounce) cans black beans (drained)
1 (11-ounce) can Mexican-style corn (drained)  (I just used plain, frozen, corn)
1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green onions
3/4 cup red wine vinaigrette
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper


1. Chop cilantro coarsely; place in medium bowl. Rinse black beans and drain thoroughly; add to bowl.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended; cover and chill 15 minutes or more. Serve. (Makes 6 servings.)


Now, you can start your chicken!

1 lb boneless chicken cutlets
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (The original recipe calls for adobo seasoning)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup pre-sliced green onions
1 lime
 3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Rice to serve


1. Preheat large sauté pan, or grill, on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Season both sides of chicken with chipotle pepper and pepper.
2. Place butter in pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned and internal temperature reaches 165°F.  Remove chicken from pan.
3. Place garlic, cumin, and green onions in same pan; cook 1 minute. Squeeze juice of one-half lime into pan; stir in coconut milk and salt. Cook 1-2 minutes or until sauce begins to boil.
4. Make rice
5.. Return chicken to pan; turning to coat. Serve sauce over chicken and rice.

Enjoy!

New Recipe Pictures!

When we went to Arizona to visit family, I cooked and we re-took some pictures! Here's new and improved pictures of Tuscan Garlic Chicken and Tropical Shortcake. These pictures are so much better, thanks Mark!

White Chicken and Veggie Lasagna

Well, I've given up and joined Pinterest. And found yet another source of great recipes! Now I'm really never going to get through my "new recipe" file! 

I love lasagna. Mainly the traditional red beef lasagna, like my family favorite.  When I saw this White Chicken and Veggie Lasagna on Pinterest though, I knew I wanted to try it. 

I added a few veggies to the original recipe, and feel free to add more.  I cut down the amount of cream cheese, since it was just too rich and creamy for me. The original recipe called for 2 bricks of cream cheese and 1 cup of milk. If you like extra creamy, go for it!

Creamy White Chicken and Artichoke Lasagna

Adapted from Taste of Home.com


2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 cups spinach, finely chopped
½ Red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cans chopped tomatoes, drained. Chop into smaller pieces

1 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup milk
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teas Pepper
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped, divided

12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Heat oven to 350°F.
Start cooking your lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

Combine chicken, artichokes, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, red bell pepper, and tomatoes. 

In another bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, pepper, and garlic with mixer until well blended (it will still be a little lumpy, especially if your cream cheese is cold). Stir in 2 Tb basil. Mix half the cream cheese mixture with the chicken.

Spread half the remaining cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining noodles, cream cheese mixture and mozzarella; cover with foil.

Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

Enjoy!

Honey Chipotle Chicken

Happy Tuesday everyone! In case you missed it on Facebook, this recipe was featured on Perry's Plate yesterday. Thanks again Natalie!

Since we just had Thanksgiving, I thought some Mexican food might be in order, just to have something different! This recipe is quick and easy; very versatile; and the flavor is truly amazing!

Recently, I spotted a dish from a restaurant that sounded really, really good. Honey Chipotle Chicken! I haven't tried the ones at the restaurant yet, but I thought I'd give it a try at home. It was perfect. The lime and honey added smoothness and tartness; with the chipotle adding it's smokey kick. 

If you've never used Chipotle in Adobo Sauce before, no fret. It is found in the mexican aisle by the salsas. You only usually use one pepper, and maybe some sauce. It's really spicy! The rest of the chipotles and sauce can be chopped up, placed by Tablespoons into ice cube trays, and frozen for later use!

Now, on to the recipe!

Honey Chipotle Chicken 
The Double Dipped Life

 In a bowl, mix the following ingredients:

6 Tb honey
5 Tb lime juice (1 large lime)
1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce, finely chopped
1/2 - 1 teas Chipotle sauce
1/2 teas garlic pepper

Add 3 cooked chicken breasts, or the meat off of one rotisserie,  and toss.  Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, up to overnight.

Isn't that easy? You can now use the chicken for so many yummy things!  Use in Quesadilla's, burritos, enchiladas, taco salads... any Mexican dish you want!

Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

 

EDITED on 10/20/11

Great news! I entered this soup into LDSLiving.com soup contest and won 3rd place! It has been featured in their newsletter, and will be appearing in the print edition in January!

ALSO... tune in to Channel 2 news on Monday, November 7th at NOON to see me make this soup live!

Thanks to all of my readers for their great support! 

********

I don't know what it is, but the mixture of chicken, ham, and melting cheese just does a happy dance for my taste buds. Chicken Cordon Bleu is an old masterpiece. Lately, I've been seeing it in cookbooks and online in soup form. None of the recipes caught my imagination though, even though I started craving this wonderful combo.  Some recipes called for pre-made soups, some for way too many ingredients or time. Now, I don't have a problem using pre-made soups or products, but I'm not a fan of cream soup from a can. So, I decided to start with a soup base that I love, and go from there. I was more than pleased on how it turned out. This is a wonderful, thick, creamy soup, perfect for cold nights. 

One note on this recipe: some of the quantities of ingredients can be changed. The ham, chicken, and cheese can be customized. Also, you can add more or less liquid to get your perfect consistency. I microwaved my potatoes for a faster meal. You are welcome to bake them as well.  Also, do yourself a favor and do NOT use pre-shredded cheese in this.  Not only does it not melt as well, take a look at the ingredients and see how much "other" ingredients they add to keep the cheese from clumping.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

The Double Dipped Life

Serves approx. 4. Makes approx. 3 quarts of soup. This recipe can be doubled easily.

2 Tb butter

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 chopped onion

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk (I used skim and it was fine!)

14 oz chicken broth 

Salt and pepper to taste 

4 medium baking potatoes, baked

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

1 cup shredded chicken, cooked (I think a rotisserie would be fabulous)

1 cup diced cooked ham

Wash and dry your potatoes.  Pierce the skin with a fork, and microwave for 5 minutes. Rotate them, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until done. 

In the meantime: In a large stock pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onion, and let cook until browned, stirring frequently. Do not let the garlic burn, or it will get bitter! 

Add the flour to the pan and whisk together. Let the mixture cook for 1 minute.  Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly. The only lumps you want are the onions. Add the chicken broth, and whisk well.  Bring soup to a simmer, and heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

While your soup is thickening, cut the potatoes in half length-wise and either scoop the flesh out, or peel the skin off. Cut or mash into small pieces.  Get your chicken and ham ready, and shred your cheese. 

Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the potatoes. Sprinkle the soup with salt and pepper. Remember that potatoes absorb salt, so you might want to add a little more than you think you need. Taste as you go! 

Add the Swiss cheese, chicken, and ham.  Warm through and serve hot! 

To eat leftovers, you might have to add some more milk or chicken broth to reheat.

Enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Pesto Chicken Wrap

It's that wonderful time of year when gardens are producing, and farmer's markets are full of fresh veggies. This is a great lunch recipe using basil, squash, or even zucchini. You could even go all vegetarian by removing the chicken. Enjoy!


Summer Vegetable Chicken Wrap
The Double Dipped Life

Flour tortillas
Basil pesto
Chicken flavored with mexican seasonings, cooked
(Try making your own, or buying the pre-made frozen chicken)
Yellow squash, chopped into matchsticks, or zucchini is good as well
Tomato, chopped
Romaine leaves or spinach

Dip:
Ranch dressing
Basil pesto

Warm the tortillas in the microwave. Layer the tortilla with basil pesto, and then stack the rest of the ingredients on top.  Fold ends of tortilla over the filling, and roll. For the dip, mix 2 parts ranch dressing with 1 part basil pesto.
Enjoy!

Tuscan Chicken

Have you ever had a dish at home that was restaurant quality? That people might accuse you of buying instead of making? This is one of those dishes. It's a fancy dish that is actually pretty simple to make. 

Tuscan Garlic Chicken
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tb salt
1 teas pepper
1/2 teas dried basil
1/2 teas dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenders)
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tb finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips or chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teas cornstarch
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.

In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tb of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 Tb olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in one Tb flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad on Pie crust

 

I really like chicken salads. Every kind from traditional chicken salad to teriyaki chicken salad, to Good Life Eats Santa Fe Chicken Salad that I featured last week, I love them all!

This salad is a wonderful Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad. The salad itself is just divine with moist chicken, flavorful sauce, and the bite of fresh fruit. The fun part? Serve it on baked pie crusts for a cool appetizer or fun lunch! 

It's also fantastic in a lettuce wrap, or on bread. Use your imagination! 

Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad on Pie crust

 The salad is adapted from bettycrocker.com

Pie Crust

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened. 

Remove crusts from pouches and spread out. Cut crusts into 2-inch squares; place on ungreased cookie sheet. (I actually just cooked the crust whole, and then cut it. It might be better to pre-cut so your pieces don't crack afterwards.)

Bake 5-7 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Cool completely before topping. 

Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Lemon-Ginger Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/4 cup Lemon burst yogurt (1 small container)

1/2 teas sugar

1/4-1/2 teas ground ginger

dash salt

Salad

3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken

3/4 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup sliced or quartered strawberries

1. In a small bowl, mix all of the dressing ingredients.  Let the mixture sit while you make the salad. 

2. In a large bowl, mix chicken, celery, and walnuts. Add dressing; toss. Fold in strawberries.  Serve on pie crusts, or as a salad or sandwich. 

Enjoy! 

Chik Fil A Copycat Nuggets

Picture from Frieda Loves Bread

This is a recipe from a fellow blogger and friend, Frieda. I've been eying these puppies for awhile, since we don't have a Chik Fil A close to us. I made them the other night and WOW!  The set up and cooking is pretty fast. However, mine became quite the family event. I had my 5yr old McKenzie dipping the chicken, my husband frying them, and me helping dip and then moving on to dessert. Our kitchen really isn't big enough for all of us but it was fun!  We made almost the whole batch- I did 3 chicken breasts cut into strips- before sampling them.  When we did, we had to just close our eyes and go "mmmm".  We dipped them in a variety of sauces, nothing special, just honey, ketchup, and ranch dressing.  So, yes, they are fried. But, they are so, so very good!

Chicken Nuggets- Chick Fil A copycat
Friedalovesbread.com

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:
1 c. buttermilk: (You can use 1 T. lemon juice and 1 c. milk; let sit for 10-15 minutes)
1 T. Knorr's Caldo de Tomate (tomato bouillon powder- found by beef broth)
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. paprika

Breading:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. bread crumbs : I used 4-5 slices of low-sugar bread, broke into pieces and put into a 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until dry)
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. paprika

1 egg
1/4 c. of milk marinade reserve

Oil for frying

Mix buttermilk, tomato bouillon, sugar, garlic powder and paprika in a large container with lid. Cut up chicken and place in buttermilk mixture. Allow to marinate in fridge or overnight for at least 4 hours. (Mine only sat for 20 minutes or so, and it was fine. I can't imagine how good they would be after marinating longer!)

Combine flour bread crumbs, salt, baking soda, onion and garlic powders and paprika. Stir well.
In a separate bowl, beat one egg. Take 1/4 c. of milk marinade from the chicken and mix it with the egg.
Dip small batches of chicken pieces into egg mixture and coat well with breading. If desired, dip chicken pieces in milk mixture again and back into the breading for a crispier nugget.

Fry in small batches in 357 degree oil for 1-1 1/2 minutes.

Serve with choice of dipping sauce

Enjoy! 

Tamale Pie

We love tamales in our house, but who has the time to make them?  When I saw the idea to make a Tamale Pie, I jumped on it. It was surprisingly good!  Next time I'll add more filling, including cheeses and veggies.  I used the leftover pork from my Sweet Pork Tacos, but you can use any meat, veggie, cheese combo you wish!  I decided to use a different dough for the corn then what was in the Mexican Kitchen cookbook.  The one from Tasty Kitchen just sounded better. It was was little sweet, so next time I'll add some more spice.



Pork Tamale Pie

(Dough from Tasty Kitchen, technique from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine)

FOR THE DOUGH:
2 cups Masa
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
¾ teaspoons Salt (divided Use)
2 teaspoons Cumin, Divided Use
2 teaspoons Chili Powder, Divided Use
2-¼ cups Veggie Broth, Divided Use
1 stick Butter

FOR THE FILLING:

Fillings of your choice: You can use any meat, cheese, veggie, beans, etc. Go crazy!

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a greased pie pan, place ½ of the dough, and spread evenly across the bottom and sides. Fill the center with your filling foods. Cover with the remaining Masa dough.

Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Cover loosely with foil, and lower cooking temp to 350. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Pie is done with the crust springs back with touched, and is a golden brown.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, enchilada sauce, guacamole, etc. Enjoy!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Okay, I know you are reading the title, thinking that those words just do not go together. Let me tell you that they do! And amazingly well at that. The spiciness of the enchilada sauce and chili powder is softened by the sweetness of the honey. Yum. This meal is going in our "must make again" folder!

The recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I love her blog! I'll get a picture up soon, but for now, head on over and see this delicious recipe. Make it tonight! No kidding!

One addition I would make (and Mel suggested) would be to add some sauteed onions and garlic to the chicken mixture.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This has fast become one of my favorite soups. It comes together quickly, but should simmer for 1 1/2- 2 hours. I did double the rice, and because of that, more chicken broth or water should be added. My leftovers are really thick. I just add water before warming for the perfect soup consistency.


Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

½ cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
½ - 1 cup frozen corn 

½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ cup carrots, sliced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken broth  
4 cups cooked wild rice  (I used 2 boxes of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice mix w/out the seasoning pack- I also didn't cook before hand. Just add the raw rice to the soup- it will cook!)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
½ teas salt
½ teas curry powder
½ teas mustard powder
½ teas dried parsley
½ teas black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups half-and-half

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute 3-4 more minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won't thicken properly - let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot with bread!

Margarita Chicken

My husband's favorite dish at Chili's restaurant is the Margarita Chicken.  Now, we don't do alcohol. I don't even buy alcohol to cook with. So, how was I going to replicate this recipe?  I don't know what Chili's uses, but when I was buying frozen juice a few weeks ago, I saw a can of Bacardi Margarita Mix. Completely Non-alcoholic.  It was one of those Aha! moments! I could do this!

This chicken is much better cooked on a grill. But it's cold here. And we don't have a grill. The first time I made it, I grilled it. This time I just panned seared it.  Since everyone was hungry, I had to cut up the chicken breasts into strips to make it cook faster.  So, the picture is not that great, but believe me, the chicken is!

What's that stuff on top, you ask? That is the most divine "salsa". It is perfect on this chicken. Where's the recipe? How about I make you wait for it? No whining now... the wait is worth it!


Margarita Chicken 

1 can frozen non-alcoholic margarita mix- like Bacardi
2 Tb lime juice (fresh is best!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3-5 chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine the margarita mix, lime juice, and garlic.  If you are grilling the meat, reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade. Refridgerate until use.  Pour the rest of the marinade into a ziplock bag with the chicken, and marinate at least 4 hours.

Drain and discard marinade from chicken.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Either grill or pan cook over a little oil until the chicken is done.  Baste with the reserved marinade.

Serve with Rice, Black Beans, or the fabulous Salsa that will be outlined in a few days! ;)

Enjoy!

Need more Soup?

Try this copycat recipe from Real Mom Kitchen! 

Rumbi's Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup

Photo taken by Laura of Real Mom Kitchen and used by permission

Full of flavor, this soup has Coconut Milk, Ginger, Grilled Chicken and other amazing spices! It's a good brothy soup.

 Next time I'll cut down on the chicken broth by 2 cups, and add an entire can of coconut milk (I did that this time). I also added a garnish of cilantro! Yum! The tomatoes in the bowl are essential!!

Enjoy!

UPDATE: I finally went to Rimbi's and tried this soup. Let me just say... Laura's recipe is better! I did like the fact that Rumbi's was less "brothy", but Laura's had SOOOO much more flavor!

Mulligatawny (Indian Curry Soup)

I love soup season! Warm, flavorful flavors that cook for hours, making your house smell so nice... mmm...

Today's soup does not take hours, but is super fragrant, and was really good!  Indian Curry soup, or Mulligatawny, is a traditional Eastern Indian Soup.

This is also a great soup for beginner Thai cooks or eaters!  It isn't very strong in flavors. You get just an introduction to curry.  Now, I know it's called "soup", but mine turned out pretty thick. I ended up making some brown rice, and eating the soup on top of that.  Also, this is a Weight Watcher's recipe, and it's full of fruit and veggies! It includes chicken, but that can easily be taken out, and you would still have a hearty meal.

I would also recommend eating this with Naan Bread! Yum! 


Mulligatawny (Indian Curry Soup)
Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook


2 teas canola oil
1 onion, chopped finely
2 carrots, diced
2 celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tart apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 teas curry powder
1/8 teas nutmeg
1 whole clove (Next time I would use powder)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 tomato, peeled, and chopped
1 teas lemon juice 
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/4 teas. salt

Place oil in a medium saucepan, and heat.  Add diced onion, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, and the apples.  Cook for 5 minutes, until the veggies are soft.  Stir in the flour, curry, nutmeg, and clove; stirring, 1 minute. Gradually stir in the stock.

Add the tomato and lemon juice; bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. 

In the meantime, cook your chicken. Add the chicken and the salt to the soup, and stir well.

Serve over brown rice, or alongside Naan Bread! Enjoy!

Weight Watchers points: 1/4 of soup= 4 points (Does not include rice or bread)