Very Veggie Chicken Noodle Soup

Ok, it's REALLY cold outside! Even though we are in Phoenix, we went from summer weather in the low 90's to fall weather in the upper 60's. But it's getting to the mid 30's at night!! Cold weather means it's time to pull out the soup recipes! I'm dedicating this recipe for all my friends and family in the state of Tennessee. They have had a really early winter and it's really cold there!

I make this recipe gluten Free by using Gluten Free noodles and Gluten Free chicken broth. I do not advise using rice noodles for this one because they turn to mush sitting in the broth. Ronzoni Gluten Free Pasta is the best pasta I have found for making soups.

This recipe is packed full of vegetables and has a fantastic taste. I love the fact that this recipe calls for rotisserie chicken. It saves you a lot of time in the kitchen and it tastes really good! I hope this recipe helps you stay good and warm this fall and winter season! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 boxes (32 oz. each reduced-sodium chicken broth)
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
•  1 onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 yellow squash
•  ½ bunch asparagus
• 1 zucchini
• ¼ lb penne pasta (If you are going gluten free, Ronzoni Gluten Free Pasta is fantastic!)
• 1 Rotisserie Chicken (already cooked)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pot, combine the chicken broth and 4 springs of fresh thyme. Turn to medium heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile, mince the onion, slice the carrots, dice the squash, cut the zucchini into long thin slices and and chop the ends of the asparagus off.

In a separate pot, bring water to a boil and cook the penne pasta. While the pasta is cooking, shred your Rotisserie Chicken.

Add the salt, pepper, onion and carrots to the chicken broth. Once the onion and carrots are tender, add the squash, asparagus, zucchini, shredded chicken and the penne pasta. Reduce the heat to low.

Let cook for 10 minutes. Remove the fresh thyme sprigs. Add freshly chopped chives and parsley. Season with additional salt, pepper and lemon juice, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Grilled Asparagus

It's been a week since I have posted!!!  But I'm going to blame it on my husband because he had to travel the earlier part of the week!  And then I had a work function the later part of the week so this is the first opportunity I have had to post!  So - I'll be making up for it this weekend!  Last night for dinner, we had BBQ chicken but after eating not so great this week, I needed something healthy as a side.  So I made my grilled asparagus.  I was also exhausted from my week so I needed it to be simple! This is my recipe I just made up one day.  It's Gluten Free and so good for you!  Below are my super easy instructions for a side that takes a total of 15 min to prep and cook.

Ingredients:

1 Bunch of Fresh Asparagus
Spray Butter (I Cant Believe It's Not Butter is my favorite)
2 pinches of Garlic Salt
1 pinch of fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp of Parmesan Cheese (I like fresh grated)

Directions:

Take your entire bunch of Asparagus and cut off the tough ends.  Wash well and lay on a piece of aluminum foil or a veggie griller made for your grill.  I like to use aluminum foil personally.  Then, spray your desired amount of butter on your asparagus along with the other ingredients above. I like to fold the edges up on the sides like a little tray...see below.

Then, place the aluminum tray on the grill on the bottom tray and grill for about 7-10 min.  I like my asparagus to be a bit on the crunchier side so I only grill mine for like 7 min.  Once it's done, feel free to add more fresh grated Parmesan cheese!  So easy and so yummy!  Everyone will love it!  Enjoy!!

Saucy Chicken and Asparagus

It’s been about a week since I posted so I thought I would go ahead and post even though it’s late night here!  We went over to our friend’s house tonight and they made an excellent tasting dish so I asked my friend for the recipe and she gave it to me.  This one CAN be gluten free but it is not dairy free.  This one was excellent over rice and goes great with a side salad.  I think when I try this dish, I’m going to use a rotisserie chicken and see how that tastes.  This one was great with the chicken mentioned below.  Enjoy!

 Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs asparagus spears
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless cut into cubes
2Tablespoons olive oil
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup, 10 ¾ oz, undiluted (get Gluten Free if you are going the gluten free route)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp curry powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
4 cups rice, cooked

Directions:

Place asparagus in a greased 9x13 baking dish. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in oil on both sides.  Season with salt and pepper.  Arrange chicken over asparagus.  In a bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder; pour over chicken.  Cover and bake at 375F for 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Place back into the over until the cheese has melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Serve over rice.

A Breakfast Recipe! Asparagus Frittata

I figured it was about time to post a breakfast recipe since breakfast is the most important meal of the day!  I tend to eat the same things over and over for breakfast…eggs, oatmeal, Ezekiel Bread English Muffin and turkey bacon.  I try to squeeze a fruit in my breakfast too.  But I tried something different this morning and wanted to share it. I found this one from Simply Recipes.  If you like asparagus –you’ll enjoy this one.  This one is fiber filled and full of protein (especially if you serve it with a side of turkey bacon).  This one is gluten free and can be dairy free if you leave the sprinkled cheese off.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of olive oil
½ small onion
¼ tsp salt
6-7 stalks of asparagus (tough ends snapped off)
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup of you favorite cheese – Optional (Gruyere, Swiss or mozzarella)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a 10-inch oven proof frying pan over medium high heat.  Add onions and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 3 minutes.  Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, covered, until the asparagus are barely tender (about 6 to8 minutes).  Pour in eggs and cook until almost set, but still runny on top, about 2 minutes.  While cooking, pre-heat oven broiler.

Sprinkle cheese (optional) over eggs and put in oven to broil until the cheese is melted and browned, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from oven with oven mitts and slide frittata onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges.  Serve with a side of turkey bacon or fresh fruit of your choice.  Serves 4.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper

So here’s my first recipe blog post.  I made this tonight for me and Greg and it was GREAT!  This recipe is gluten free, low carb and very high in fiber.  It left us satisfied without being “too full”.  I served this over brown rice.  Excellent recipe I found from William and Sonoma. It took about 30 minutes total to whip up.

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ lb asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1 ½ inch lengths (about 1 ½ cups)

1lb flank steak, sliced in half lengthwise (along the grain) and then cut into thin strips, 2 inches long and ¼ inch wide (put the steak in the freezer 15 min before slicing to make it easier to slice)

1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into thin strips 2 inches long and ¼ inch wide

2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved into 3 tablespoons of water.

All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

3 Tbsp of Gluten Free Soy Sauce (if you are not gluten free, use regular soy sauce)

1 tsp finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger (MUST be fresh)

1 small clove garlic, minced

1 green onion, including green tops, chopped

½ tsp chili oil (optional)

Method:

While you are chopping the ingredients in preparation, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil.  Parboil the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes, drain, rinse in cold water, drain and set aside.  If you are planning to serve this dish with rice, in a separate pan, prepare 2 cups of white or brown rice, following the instruction on the rice package.

Prepare the All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce by combining the ingredients in a small dish and set aside.

Stir-fry the asparagus in a wok (or thick-bottomed pan with at least 2’’ sides that can take high heat) in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 2 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove asparagus from pan and set aside.

Add another 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and stir fry the beef strips, in 2 batches, for 2-3 minutes until browned but still pink inside.  Return the first batch of beef to the pan and add the bell pepper.  Stir and toss. Over high heat until just beginning to wilt, 1-2 min.

Quickly stir the cornstarch liquid and add it to the pan along with the stir fry sauce.  Cook until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes.  Return the asparagus to the pan, toss to evenly coat and serve with steamed white or brown rice (unless you are going low-carb, in which case, leave out the rice.  Serves 4.