Is It Soup Yet?

Remember that commercial? It was years ago, it was Campbell's and it was ever so comforting. My mom used to make a mushroom and barley soup that I absolutely adored- chock full of vegetables, aromatic, and when she made it, it always reminded me of that commercial. But ours was home made. Unfortunately she never gave me the recipe. So this weekend I decided to do my best to recreate this soup. And I did it!

Barley, Mushroom and Vegetable Soup
Inspired by Elaine Dalton

3/4 cup barley
2 T olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 small carrots diced, 1/2 inch
2 stalks celery diced 1/2 inch
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
8 cups of liquid- I used three 14.5 oz cans of fat free chicken broth and water
3/4 cup split peas
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
8 oz button mushrooms sliced

In medium size pot cook barley according to package directions (usually about 45 minutes). While barley is cooking, begin the soup prep.

In large pot on low heat, add olive oil, chopped carrots, onions, celery, garlic and Old Bay Seasoning. Cover and sweat the veggies until soft (8 minutes or so) stirring occasionally. When veggies are soft, add chicken broth and water, bring to a boil and add split peas. Bring back to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, and mushrooms and simmer 15 minutes more. Add cooked barley, stir and serve. This recipe makes 4-6 servings. Enjoy.

It's soup now and dinner is ready. I had some fabulous rosemary-infused artisan Italian bread on hand, so I grilled it, placed it on top of my steaming bowl of soup, and enjoyed this tasty bowl of goodness just like I used to in mom's kitchen.

Warrior Salad

About 10 years ago I heard about a grain, which is not really a grain, but a seed from the spinach family called quinoa. Pronounced keen-wah. Of course I was pronouncing it kin-oa for the longest time. Thank you to whomever told me I was saying it wrong. Anyway, I've just recently embraced quinoa into my diet and am excited about it's versatility. And even more thrilled to share how high it is in protein, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidents. It has a fabulous nutty flavor and is a wonderful accompaniment to main dishes and can stand alone in a salad as I experienced today. Originally I planned on preparing 2 dishes with quinoa- a high protein chicken and bean salad and a quinoa chicken soup. I never got to the soup, so if that recipe is as good as I think it will be, I'll post it later in the week. The reason I'm calling this dish Warrior Salad is because legend says that the Incas, before they went to battle, used to eat quinoa to give them strength and victory. So let's forge on and get to this tasty recipe. First thing I did was season and roast 2 bone-in chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes and set them aside to cool.

***

To cook the quinoa you'll need:
2 tsp canola oil
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1 14.5 can chicken broth (low sodium, fat free)
3/4 cup water

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium/high heat. Add onions and quinoa and toast about 4 minutes, until the seeds of the quinoa are golden brown. Add salt, chicken broth and water. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 18-20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and prepare salad.



To make the salad you'll need:
1 can (15.5 oz) canellini beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 scallions chopped
10 Kalamata olives sliced
1 roasted red pepper diced (I used a jarred pepper)
1 roasted chicken breast, skinned and shredded or diced
1/4 cup golden raisns (optional)
3 oz goat cheese

Dressing:
Juice of one lemon
2 T olive oil
1 T rice vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 T store bought hummus
salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together to form an emulsion.

Combine 2 cups of quinoa with salad ingredients, dressing and toss. Garnish with cilanto leaves if you like. And of course, pack some for lunch the next day.


Save the left over quinoa for the delicious soup we'll be making in a day or two. I can't wait for that!

Hot Stuff

Do you like garlic, ginger, chiles and exotic spices? I'm a fanatic for this type of food and today I made a dish that satisfied every single one of my tastebuds. I took a tip from Aarti Sequeira from the Food Network and re-mixed one of her curry recipes. I made a curried couscous. Simple, flavorful and 25 minutes from pot to plate.

Curried Couscous

1 T canola oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 T fresh ginger grated
2 tsp garlic grated
2 Serrano chiles thinly sliced
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp paprika
1 14.5 oz can vegatable broth
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup golden raisins
2 cups uncooked couscous

In large pan over medium low heat, add oil and warm. Add onions, green pepper and salt and cook (sweat) for about 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic, ginger and chiles. Stir and cook a minute or two. Add Garam Masala and paprika and combine. Add broth, tomato sauce and raisins. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Cook 15-20 minutes covered. Add the couscous, stir to incorporate the liquid, turn off the burner, cover the pot and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve.



This recipe makes enough to feed an army (8 people-that's an army for me). But if you're like me, you'll eat more than your share. It's a great side and I'm thinking it could be a hearty main dish served at room temp with some rotisserie chicken from the market. And maybe jazz it up with baby peas. I might do that tomorrow.

Kedjenou

This has been a very healthy winter for me. Until yesterday when I woke up with a headache and fever. I'm one of those people who feeds a cold and feeds a fever. I never starve anything. I wasn't sick enough to lay around in bed, well- I did do my fair share of that. Anyway, while huddled under the electric blanket I perused one of my cooking files for something that sounded tasty, but didn't take much effort to make. My victims- 2 chicken breast halves. I didn't want soup and decided on a recipe from an old issue of Cooking Light called Ivory Coast Chicken.



I pride myself on knowing geography (for years I carried a miniature world map in my purse so I could keep abreast of current events) but for the life of me I couldn't remember where the Ivory Coast was. So I did some research. If you're interested, Cote d'Ivoire is on the south coast of the western bulge of Africa nestled between Ghana and Liberia. And it's the world's leading producer of cocoa (yum). It's inhabited by the Baoule people who cook Kedjenou, the authentic name for Ivory Coast Chicken. A few more facts...Kedjenou means "to shake", because during the cooking process you're supposed to shake your clay pot every ten minutes or so, to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom. Well, there's no shaking of the pot in my version, but after reading numerous recipes for this dish, I discovered there are quite a few variations that incorporate eggplant, okra and peanuts. I had none of those ingredients anyway and proceeded along the standard route ala Cooking Light, although I added my own twist and I changed the proportions since I was using 2 pieces of chicken, not eight.

Kedjenou
adapted from Cooking Light

2 chicken breast halves, skinned
1 cup onion diced
1 cup green pepper diced (my addition)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can water
2 inches of fresh ginger grated
1 hot pepper chopped (I used 2 Serrano chiles and didn't take the seeds out. It was ideal for me, but most people I know would probably be happy with just one pepper)
3 1/2 tsp garlic chopped (about 3 large cloves)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper

Combine all ingredient in a large pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook one hour until chicken is done. Discard the bay leaf and serve. This dish is traditionally served with white rice, but when mine was done I shredded the chicken and added 3 cups of cooked whole wheat orzo directly to the pot.




The orzo soaked up the flavorful broth and it was comfort food at its best. I will most definately make Kedjenou again. When I was reheating it today for lunch I added a handful of raisins and they were a welcome addition. Next time I'll add them at the start, along with a small amount of white wine.

Gone Crackers

I'm gearing up for an attempt to lose a few pounds after the new year and have been revisiting old recipes, exercise routines and motivational articles I used to diligently read while working at the gym. When I want to lose weight I usually count carbs and loosely follow the South Beach approach which is probably the route I'll take this time. I admit I will miss the fruits, the breads and of course the sweets. Well, I won't be eliminating the bread completely, but the desserts I've been inhaling daily will not be making an appearance in my new eating plan any time soon.

So let's talk about my plans for bread. I enjoy a sandwich once in a while because it makes me feel FULL, which is important when you're counting calories, carbs or whatever it is you're counting. So when I'm counting, I count on Lavash bread. It's a flat bread that I layer with assorted roasted vegetables, turkey, lowfat cheeses, lettuce and sprouts for crunch, and anything else I have on hand. I then roll it up like a burrito and have me a healthy Dagwood of a meal.

Not all lavash is created equal. I buy Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Wheat Lavash which claims to be reduced carb, low fat, high protein with no cholesterol. Each serving contains 4 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, no sugar and 5 grams of protein. Be sure to check the lavash in your market to see how it compares with Joseph's.

So, now that you know how healthy lavash is, how about another treat for when you're counting calories, carbs and whatever else you may be counting. Yes, I've gone CRACKERS!

Lavash Crackers (makes 16 crackers, 2 servings)

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees and cut one sheet of lavash into 16 squares.

Make spice mixture:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place lavash squares on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle spice mixture on squares. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on paper towels.

Now you're ready for a smorgasbord of tuna salad, hard boiled eggs, low fat cheeses and dips, guacamole, smoked salmon and cold cuts-all healthy choices to top your healthy crackers.

Cracker Re-Mix: Try it Tex-Mex: to the original spice mix add 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder and a pinch of ground cayenne. Make it Italian: to the original spice mix add 1 T grated parmesan cheese

note: I have intentionally omitted the word "diet" from this post because I didn't want these tasty food ideas to be tainted by the negativity the D word connotes. So whether you're watching your weight or simply enjoying smart meals, think about incorporating these good eats into your lifestyle. How about that?