Month: February 2017

Zingy Chicken Coconut Stew

Cold winter, sniffles, chilly fingers: all great reasons to make soup, especially chicken soup.  But I found myself wanting something more, a big bowl of soup with a ton of flavor and some zip in it. So I threw together a quick soup using some broth I made the other day in my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker; to make the broth I put in the roasted chicken carcass and a bit of celery and carrot plus lots of water on for 30 minutes on high pressure and after straining I had a nice container full of rich chicken broth.  I added lots and lots of veggies as well as some great aromatics: slivered fresh ginger and a big clove of garlic. To pull the flavors together I poured in half a can of light coconut milk and added a handful of broken up raw rice noodles (any brand of wide rice noodles will work). Added some cubed roasted chicken and in no time at all I was slurping down this excellently flavored chicken coconut stew. It was like I was eating at a beach soup shack in the islands feeling the warm sea breeze through my hair…  Light zingy flavor and tender chicken with lots of fresh vegetables.  Man, was it yummy and healthy!  Totally guilt free and naturally gluten free if you are careful in choosing your broth.

chicken-coconut-soup

Not the greatest picture but you can see it is chock full of rice noodles and veggies.

Angie’s Chicken Coconut Stew

2 medium sized carrots cut on diagonal into thin coins

2 celery stalks, cut on thin diagonal slices

1 onion cut down the top to bottoms, peeled and cut into long strips

1 tbsp. mild olive oil

1 large garlic clove minced

½ cup chopped green cabbage

2 baby bok choy cut into one inch lengths, bases cut in quarters or eighths

1 quart chicken broth; preferably homemade

4 rounds of thinly sliced fresh ginger cut into narrow strips

½ a can of light coconut milk

1 cup pea pods

½ cup crushed rice noodles

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1-2 cups cubed cooked chicken (I used leftover roasted chicken breast)

Directions: Sauté carrots, celery and onion in large soup pot in the hot oil on medium heat: about 4-5 minutes, do not brown, add garlic; cook 1 minute, add bok choy and then the broth.  Heat to nearly boiling and add the ginger and cabbage, cook 1-2 minutes. Add the coconut milk, rice noodles, red pepper flakes and pea pods.  Turn heat down to very low and cook 7 to 9 minutes until noodles are cooked through.

Notes: The amounts of veggies are as fluid as you want to be; leave out something you dislike or don’t have or use more/less of any veggie. I used frozen snow peas as I couldn’t find fresh in the store.  My coconut milk was organic, thin and wasn’t too strongly coconuty. Perfect for this stew. lt-coconut-milkI used baby bok choy but a couple stalks of regular will work just as well; might need to cook slightly longer than the baby choy. If you use store broth: Kitchen Basics has really good gf chicken broth; one 32 ounce box container should do it.  I used home roasted chicken breast but you could use a rotisserie bird, although I suggest you check for gluten free before choosing that route as some stores make their birds with ingredients that make it not gluten free so not safe for those with celiac disease.

Enjoy!

Topped Omelet Easy Peasy!

Personally, I love an omelet for a quick lunch or supper.  They are so versatile. Breakfast too on weekends. You can pair them with any sort of cheese you have on hand.  Add some veggies to that for more nutrition and flavor.  Don’t overcook it and you have a delicate masterpiece of a meal.   The only trouble I have is trying to fill it and get it whole onto the plate. A few disasters have occurred.  The omelet still tastes fine but looks a mess. That step when I fill it and slide the whole bundle full of veggies and cheese onto a plate is a tricky step for sure.  The other day I did it differently.  When the omelet was nearly cooked I folded it and put the thinly sliced cheese (from Aldi’s) on top of the soft eggs.  Then I topped it with the sautéed veggies I had cooked to go in side.  Carefully I slid it on the plate and there it was; perfect!

Eggs are cheap and good for you, full of protein, no sugar or preservatives.  A great start for the day or for lunch or supper.  Quick to make, delicious and no tricky efforts needed!

veggie-omelet

Angie’s Topped Omelet

3 eggs

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup sliced and chopped cabbage

1 small red onion

½ a carrot shredded on the large holes

2 tsp. butter

1 or two thin slices Gouda cheese (I used 1.5)

Directions: Heat a medium sized frying pan; add the olive oil, then the cabbage.  Cook for 4-5 minutes stirring to keep it from burning.  Add the shredded carrot and  the onion which you sliced top to bottom into long strips. Cook 4-6 minutes until all is softened but not browned.  Keep warm.

In a Teflon pan (I keep one just for making eggs so it never gets all messed up) heat the butter until it is hot but not browned. The butter adds flavor and keeps sticking to a minimum.  As that butter heats crack the eggs into a small bowl, add about 1-2 tbsp. water and beat with a whisk briefly. This whipping makes for a fluffier omelet. Add to the hot pan and as the eggs cook, lift the edges pushing them toward the center and allowing eggs to run out and fill the empty space you have created.  Keep doing this until there is no more runny egg.  Turn off the heat and fold to make an omelet.  then add the slice of Gouda cheese.  Cover the omelet with the hot veggies you just cooked.  Gently slide off the pan onto a plate and enjoy! omelet-on-plate

Make whatever omelet filling you like. I do broccoli and provolone, sautéed onions and peppers with provolone, or mushrooms and cheddar are a few of my favorites.