Salsa Verde Chicken Soup

There are so many fantastic recipes I come across on the internet but I find that the ones I actually make and repeat are the ones that are user friendly and quick and easy to make. I usually try to do as much prepping for my recipes over the weekend and so having something that doesn't take too long to make after I come home from a long day of work is a definite plus! These dishes may not have the beautiful nuanced layers of flavors that longer and more complicated dishes may have, but they pack a tasty punch for the amount of time and effort I put into them. This is one of those dishes! A great weeknight soup that you can eat with some extra tortilla chips. There's something wonderful about a dinner where you just throw everything into one pot. Especially if you're as bad at cleaning up all your dishes afterwards as I am.

Servings: 4 (so that means 2 for me)

Ingredients:
12-oz jar salsa verde
15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
4-5 cups chicken broth
1 cup corn
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon jalapeno, chopped (optional)
Shredded cheese (optional for topping)
Lime wedges (optional for topping)
Sour cream (optional for topping)
Green onions, chopped (optional for topping)
Tortilla chips, crumbled (optional for topping)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Heat 12 oz salsa verde in a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
• Add 3 cups shredded chicken, 1 can of cannellini beans, 1 can of black beans, 4-5 cups of chicken broth, 1 tsp cumin, 1 cup corn, 1 tbsp chopped jalapeno (optional). Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• For serving, top each bowl with salt and pepper to taste, shredded cheese, squirt of lime juice, dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of green onions, and/or crumbled tortilla chips. I added all of the above and it was delicious!

And now pictures!

Oops excuse the stray flip flops in the corner. Didn't see those before! I don't even know why they're out since it's crazy freezing here lately. Clearly, I'm as good at cleaning my stuff as I am at washing dishes right after eating. 

It was a race to take enough photos before the sour cream dollop melted!

Ack the lighting in today's photos wasn't the best.

Lip smacking good! Don't feel too bad for Sunny and Rosy. They didn't get any soup but they may have gotten a little bit of extra shredded cheese!

Adapted from My Recipes.

Dijon Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Kale

Snow day, snow day! Yippee!

I'm always torn between wanting a lot of pretty snow with a day off from work and having to battle dog walks with two stubborn pugs. Well for now I'm happy to have spent an extra day with my lazy girls lazing on the couch, catching up on household chores, and making this yummy Dijon chicken stew! A cold, snowy day always calls for a hot and hearty dish for dinner to eat as you watch the snow blowing by your window.

Servings: 6 servings (for me this is 2-3 meals)

Ingredients:
2 cups sweet onions (or leeks), sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
12-16 oz chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 ounces chopped kale, swiss chard or collard greens (stems removed)
10 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon flour, divided
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 medium/large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
Olive oil or cooking spray
Extra salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Pour 1 tsp of olive oil in a Dutch oven or use a cooking spray/oil diffuser and heat over medium-high heat. 
• Add 2 cups chopped sweet onions and 10 oz sliced mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl and set aside.
• Place 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper into a shallow bowl. Dunk the 12-16 oz chopped chicken pieces (I used chicken breasts, but you can use dark meat if that's your preference) in the flour and shake off any excess.
• Heat another tsp of olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 6 minutes, browning it on all sides. To help the browning, it's best to cook this in two batches. Set aside the cooked chicken with the onions and mushrooms.
• Add 1 cup white wine to the Dutch oven and scrape up the browned bits. Continue until the wine has reduced by about half.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup chicken broth with 1 tablespoon flour until smooth. Add this to the Dutch oven, along with 3 cups of chicken broth, and 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil.
• Add back in the chicken, mushrooms, and onions, and add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp thyme. Stir everything together and then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add 2 chopped potatoes and 5 oz kale. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
• Season to taste your bowl with additional salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper (I like mine spicy!).

Ok enough with all the words. Now the pictures!

My messy stew. I kinda ruined my Dutch oven with this recipe as I wasn't paying close attention to the onions at first and then I compounded that with the browning of the chicken. That's ok, I'm letting it soak now in some hot water and baking soda.

The girls were relaxing on the couch but as soon as I started spooning the stew into my bowl they jumped down and ran to the kitchen. They know they get a little treat if they pose nicely for photos!

As you can tell I like to add lots of black pepper and crushed red pepper to my bowls! My brother-in-law thinks me and my sisters have completely warped our taste buds because we're all heavy pepper users.

Sniff test!

Rosy knows by know that she never gets what's in the bowl so she doesn't even try to eat what's inside (unless it's something she really loves, like cheese) and just waits for me to give her the doggy-safe treat.

Spot the pug below?

Adapted from My Recipes.

Minestrone Soup with Bacon

I don't know why it's taken me so long to try a minestrone soup, because I made one today and it was awesome! Since this month has been so cold, I've been loving my soups. And while I have the tried and true, I am always searching for new recipes because I get bored easily. My taste buds demand new and yummy flavors and my tummy demands a hearty and satisfying meal. Well this soup meets all those requirements!

Lots of minestrone soups are made with pasta, but I omitted that to keep it lighter...and then I added in bacon! I am a bacon addict. This can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon, and can be personalized with various vegetables. I've seen other recipes with celery, carrots, green beans, etc., but keep in mind that since this is a relatively quick cooking soup things don't break down as much as in longer cooking recipes (which is why I didn't add any celery or carrots).

This is definitely going into my permanent soup rotation! Sigh, why can't I just stay at home with my pugs during these cold winter days, making yummy soup and bread, instead of going to work? At least this is quick and easy enough that I can make it on any weekday once I get home.

Servings: 5-6 (though for me this is a 2-3 mealer)

Ingredients:
Cooking spray or olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 slices bacon, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
12-16 ounces kale, swiss chard, or collard greens, stalks removed and leaves chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (15 ounce) cans of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups water
Grated Parmesan and chopped parsley for topping (optional)

Instructions:

• Heat Dutch oven over medium heat and either spray with cooking spray or heat 1 tsp of olive oil.
• Add 1 chopped onion, 2-4 chopped slices of bacon, 2 tsp garlic, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook for 6-7 minutes until onion softens and bacon browns.
• Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and stir into onion mixture until everything is well coated. 
• Add 12-16 oz of hearty greens, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 1 tsp of red pepper flakes.
• Stir everything together for 4-5 minutes as the greens should start to wilt.
• Add 2 cans of white kidney beans. If you like a thicker soup, either mash some of the beans before adding, or once in the Dutch oven use a spoon to mash some of the beans.
• Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, with juice, 4 cups of vegetable broth, and 1-2 cups of water (depending on how many greens you added and how hearty or brothy you like your soup).
• Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the greens are tender.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• For serving, sprinkle a little bit of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan on each bowl. This goes great with some nice crusty bread!

Now for the pics!  

Look at Rosy. She looks like she's thinking, "Mmmm that smells so good! I can smell the bacon!"

Rosy tries different begging tactics but Sunny always does the pathetic sit by the fridge.

Love the sprinkling of Parmesan and parsley! I hate chopping herbs but I find that chopped parsley is a fantastic topping on most soups and pastas.

Begging eyes and tails down!

I like negating any healthy benefits of my soups by adding bacon and cheese. Bacon and cheese on everything!!!

Now mix it all together. One of my favorite things about cheese in soup is how it gets stuck on the spoon and so when you scrape it with your teeth you get a nice saucy, hot concentrated jolt of cheese!

And there goes Rosy's tongue.

Ack and there goes Sunny's tongue! She was too quick for me this time! Luckily she didn't get any soup, just bowl. She was super disappointed afterwards that the smell of the soup didn't match with the taste of bowl.

Ok time for me to eat!

Hey leave it alone! This is for me!

I had dropped a little bit of the Parmesan on the floor and Rosy quickly licked it all up. Then as I ate, she would periodically return to the kitchen and lick the same spot over and over again, trying to get every last crumb and hoping that some more cheese would magically appear. She's a cheese monster!

Can't blame her. Cheese is gooooood.

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Seafood and Brown Rice Porridge (modified jeonbokjuk)

I've been on a big Korean food kick lately. Well I always crave Korean food, but I mean I've been trying to cook more of it myself. I used to shy away from it because a lot of the dishes require ingredients you can only get at a Korean/Asian market, but this modified jeonbokjuk dish I made is great because it requires no special ingredients and yet it tastes yummy and comforting! This dish reminds me of the plain rice porridge my mom used to make all the time and it also reminds me of one of the best airport meals I ever had at the Incheon airport in Seoul.

Jeonbokjuk is traditionally made with short grain white rice and abalone. I love abalone! One of the best food experiences in my life was when I went to Jeju Island with my mom and we climbed over the slippery rocks, sat on wet upside-down buckets, and ate fresh abalone (with a side of kimchi of course) that was sold by the female divers (haenyo) there. So, so good. Unfortunately, it's not as easy to come by here and so I used a seafood mix from Trader Joe's that had squid, shrimp, and scallops. You can pick any kind of seafood that you like best. I also used brown rice because that's what I had handy (I'm slowly making my way through a giant bag of rice I bought forever ago) and I generally try to eat brown rice instead of white nowadays. The brown rice doesn't break down as easily as the white rice though so adjust soaking and cooking times as necessary.

Unfortunately the weather warmed up yesterday when I made this and I always run really hot the day after a long run so it wasn't an ideal type of day to eat this but I still loved spooning this wonderful Korean comfort food and foresee many cold winter days when I'll be making this again!

[12/9/13 update: Generally you're supposed to eat this day of and pretty soon after cooking it, but I've refrigerated it and eaten it the next day or two without problems. It congeals so you have to stir in some extra water when reheating and save the green onions and seaweed for any refrigerated amount and add it fresh to the reheated portions.]

Servings: 2-4 (4 if you're serving something else with it, but for me this is a 2 mealer)

Ingredients:
1 cup shrimp/squid/scallops, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (use whatever seafood you prefer)
1 cup short grain brown rice
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
7 cups water
1/2 cup roasted seaweed, crumbled
Salt (and pepper (optional)) to taste

Instructions:

• Wash 1 cup of brown rice and then soak it in cold water for at least two hours (I soaked it about 4). Drain well and set aside.
• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and add 2 tbsps of sesame oil.
• Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 cup chopped seafood, 1/4 cup chopped carrot, and 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms to the pot and stir for 30 seconds.
• Add the 1 cup of brown rice to the pot and stir continuously for 3-6 minutes until the rice starts to look translucent.
• Add 7 cups of water to the pot and stir everything together. Let the water come to a simmer and then cover the pot and decrease the heat to low.  
• Cook rice for 30-45 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to make sure the rice doesn't stick and burn to the bottom. (I put my heat too low in the beginning and ended up cooking mine for 45 minutes).
• Once the rice has broken down into a porridge-like texture, add 1 tbsp of soy sauce and approximately 1 tsp of salt. Taste and add another tbsps of soy sauce or more salt if desired (I used 2 tbsps of soy sauce). 
• Serve hot and topped with crushed roasted seaweed and chopped green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.

When I opened it up the steam fogged up my camera lens! Look how pathetically sad my chub chub pugs look.

I like to put a lot of green onions and seaweed on mine! But I took a photo first with it looking nice and dainty because otherwise all you'd see in this photo would be a big ol pile of green onions and seaweed!

Can we all just take a second to stop and look at Sunny's sad pug slump in front of my fridge and Rosy's desperately pleading face?

Sunny wouldn't budge from that spot so when I had to open the fridge I had to nudge the door against her and slide her across. Only then did she jump up and then wedge herself partially inside the fridge, looking at her precious carrots.  Sigh.

I usually try to minimize my use of oil in my foods and often substitute with cooking sprays (Trader Joe's makes so many good ones!) but trust me and use the full 2 tbsps of sesame oil. Sesame oil is such a fragrant and flavorful oil and you can really taste it in this dish! See even the pugs can smell it!

This is the kind of dish that is good to make on a cold and dreary day when you need something to warm you from the inside and also something good to help someone who is recovering from an illness.

And I got all my ingredients from Trader Joe's, even the roasted seaweed (they have a sweet/salty snack version that I just used because I was too lazy to make a trip to the Korean market)! Oh, well the rice was originally from a Korean market, but you can get rice anywhere. Enjoy!  


Adapted from Maangchi.

Fish and Shrimp Stew with Tomatoes

Now that fall's started I'm in the mood for soup! While I love so many of the recipes I've posted on here already, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try out. I stumbled across this one and it was the first fish-based stew that I thought looked yummy and yet easy and quick to make. And yes it is all three!

Unfortunately today was a little warm and it was so humid that my hair cowlick did what my friend calls "happy puppy ear." I hate humidity so so much, and yet I live in a terrible city for it. By the time I got home it was late and I felt gross and hot.  I so wasn't in the mood for cooking up a soup but I had my fish and shrimp thawing in the fridge. This was really fast to put together since I did my chopping over the weekend and it was so yummy! A nice change from my usual bacon or sausage driven soups! Of course one can never have too much bacon or snausages, but this is a nice change and a great seafood option.

Servings: 3-6

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup carrot, chopped
10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup green onions, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
2 cups vegetable broth
1-1 1/2 pound firm white fish (e.g., tilapia or cod), cut into approximately 1-inch pieces
1/2-1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (I like to cut my shrimp into 1-inch pieces too)
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Cooking spray or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• If using frozen shrimp and fish, make sure they're properly thawed.
• Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and either use a cooking spray or heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil.
• Add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped carrots, and 3 minced garlic cloves to the pot/Dutch oven. Stir occasionally for about 4 minutes and then add 10 oz chopped mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. (I may omit the carrots next time as I don't really like carrots unless they're used in a long cooking soup. This recipe is so fast that the carrots were still too carrot-y for my taste).
• Add 1/2 tsp dried oregano and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Add 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 1/2 cup dry white wine. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add 28 oz diced tomatoes and 2 cups vegetable broth. Stir everything together until well mixed and bring the soup to a simmer. (At this point I tasted the soup and was a bit disappointed with the tomatoe-y taste. I was almost tempted to season it then but thought it best to wait to the end and I am so glad I did! The fish, shrimp, and capers really change the flavor of the soup so wait to season!)

• Add 1-1 1/2 lb white fish to the soup. Stir occasionally for about 3 minutes until the fish is almost cooked through.
• Add 1/2-1 lb shrimp to the soup (I like having things in my soup bite-sized so I cut up my shrimp into approximately 1-inch pieces). Stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until shrimp is just cooked. 

• Remove pot/Dutch oven from heat and stir in 2 tbsps capers. Then add salt and pepper to taste (with the capers, you'll need less salt than usual with soups so season after adding the capers in).

• Optional: Top each bowl with a sprinkling of chopped green onions. I had some extra chopped green onions from another recipe and I love green onions so I thought I'd add some to my soup. It adds such a nice crunch and extra flavor to the soup! I then finished with an extra bit of fresh cracked pepper. 

Sniff that bowl Sunny. Aw man, look at how gray Rosy's getting in her muzzle already! She's only 3!

Anytime I cook Rosy can't stop licking her lips! Look at her crazy tongue go!

Adapted from Cookin' Canuck.

Chicken Soba Soup with Poached Egg

I love soba and usually eat it cold during the hot summer months (such a perfect summer dish) but whenever I crave it during the cold winter months, I like to cook it up with a nice hot savory broth.  This dish is essentially various things I love thrown together - soba, broth, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, ginger!  And what the hell, I'll throw in a poached egg!  I added the poached egg because I love them, but let me tell you this totally made the dish! I wish I had cooked up more because when I went back for seconds (and maybe thirds), I was really wishing I had a poached egg for each bowl.  

If you're making this for multiple meals, then I'd advise dividing the ingredients per day and cook fresh as soba is best cooked fresh and it doesn't take that much time.  The pictures below are for me making half of the recipe and I also kinda wing it when it comes to the ingredients at times, depending on what I have available or am craving (this includes the amount of mushrooms, chicken, and spices).  This is definitely a recipe you can tweak according to your preferences.

Servings: 4 (but really for me, it's more like 2)

Ingredients:

12 ounces mushrooms (I used baby bella and shiitake), sliced

4 scallions, chopped and with white/light green and dark green parts separated

5 oz shredded chicken

4 eggs, poached (one per serving - so it depends on how much you're eating per serving)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

3 cups baby leaf spinach

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 bundles of soba

Salt, pepper, red pepper (gochugaru), and shichimi (Japanese spice blend) to taste

Instructions:

• Cook two bundles of soba according to packet instructions.  Rinse cooked soba in cold water, drain, and set aside.
• In a large pot, spray with a cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  
• Add 12 oz sliced mushrooms, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, white/light green chopped parts of 4 green onions.  Cook until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes.

• Add 4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 5 oz shredded chicken.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 7-10 minutes.  

• While broth is simmering, poach 4 eggs (or more!).  To poach each egg, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil and then reduce heat.  Crack an egg in a small bowl/ramekin and splash some vinegar into the water (the vinegar helps the egg white hold together).  Once bubbles have stopped rising to the top, use a large spoon to gently circle the water a few times and then slip in the egg.  Cover and then after 3 minutes spoon out the egg and lay on a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb the water. 
• Stir in 3 cups fresh spinach until leaves are soft, about 1 minute.  
• Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar.
• You can either add the soba to the pot, or you can do what I like to do and prepare the bowls for serving with a handful of soba, a poached egg on top, and a handful of dark green chopped parts of 4 green onions.

• I also like to add a sprinkling of gochugaru and shichimi.  You can get these at an Asian market, or you can do what I do, which is mooch some off of my mom.

• Pour the broth mixture over the noodles and egg, and enjoy!

Ignore any pleading looks you get from begging pugs.

I LOVE the poached egg in this soup.  The runny yolk makes the broth so savory and delicious!