In the groove - chicken noodle soup (base recipe)

Am I crazy to make soup in this ridiculously hot weather? Yes. But I just wanted it so bad that I got through the cooking process so I could enjoy this wonderfully filling and heartwarming dish. 

It is rare that when I make a chicken or turkey that I don't make a stock. I mean why not?! You've basically already gotten your money's worth out of the meat, so a stock seems like bonus! And it is so easy! Take all the bones/skin/etc that you have left after picking off the meat (side note: I love picking off the meat...it is messy yet rewarding!) and throw those extras in a pot. Fill with water and bring to a boil. For a more intense flavour you could add carrots, onions and celery, but I usually don't have time to fiddle with that. Boil until the broth has a yellowy brown colour (the darker it is, the more concentrated the flavour will be). Strain the liquid into a container and discard the bones etc. Put the broth in your fridge or cold room. I usually leave it overnight for good measure. The next day you will be able to remove the fat layer from the top and you will be left with the gelatinous stock! 

To start any sort of broth soup I always start with the trinity of carrots, celery and onion. If you want peppers I would add them here as well. Sauté veggies in a little oil until tender and the onions are opaque. 

Next I add in my stock and bring to a boil. Today I wanted simple so I only seasoned with salt and pepper but I have often added rosemary, thyme and sage to taste. And really, you could add whatever you want! Lemongrass, red pepper flakes...ideas are endless. Be brave! 

Next I added in my precooked chicken (the leftovers you saved before making your broth) and (whole wheat) noodles or (brown) rice. If you want it to be thicker cook the noodles right in the soup, if you rather it be thinner cook them in a separate pot and add right at the end. I hate dishes, so you can guess which option I decided on! Also, remember that brown rice (unless it is minute rice) takes a long time to cook, plus it soaks up liquid so you might have to add some more broth or water to compensate. I even had to add a bit for my noodles!

Continue to taste the broth throughout the cooking process, as you may need to add more salt. You don't want it to taste salty, but no salt leaves it a bit bland in my opinion. At the end of cooking I added shredded zucchini (didn't want it to get too soft) and once that was cooked my soup was done! Now to try and cool my house off! Happy soup making! 

Summer's end - Lemon basil quinoa salad

As summer comes to an end it gives me a chance to start over with the school year. My husband and I are both teachers (I'm off on mat leave currently) so September has always been a time for us to recharge our lifestyles and leave the gluttony of the summer behind. With school comes structure, so I will use this time of year to get into my own routine at home. 

This week I decided to do simply filling on some days and count points plus on others. I love the flexibility of weight watchers! Today is a simply filling day so I looked through my Pinterest board and found this recipe: 

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/02/quinoa-vegetable-salad-with-lemon-basil.html

I petty much followed the recipe to a T so I won't copy and paste it. I didn't have a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans so i just used a bean medley I had in my cupboard and it worked fine. I used dried basil but I can see how fresh would be way better. In my next life I will have a herb garden haha. I divided the recipe into 3 generous portions so that it would include 2 tsp oil (1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, so the recipe contains 6 teaspoons). 

Freezer clean up - French toast

We are slowly gearing up to move to our new house that is being built right behind us. It is awesome to see it go up, but I truly believe it is torture to have to wait. I was looking for things I can do to make the move easier without packing everything RIGHT NOW (like I want to). So the freezer became the outlet to my frustration. 

When I was done organizing I realized we have waaay too much bread. I think part of it is that I stopped eating most bread products except for light bread so that meant my husband was left to eat all the regular bread,English muffins, wraps, etc. and there are only so many carbs one man can eat! As I was trying to think of ways to use it up other than sandwiches, I remembered the first meal I ever made my husband when we were dating: French Toast! This time though, I made sure to cook it all the way through :P 

Simply Filling French Toast 

Serves 2 

3 eggs 

Splash of fat free milk 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp cinnamon 

6-8 pieces of light bread 

(I used 3 regular slices for hubby, 3 light for me) 

Mix everything except bread in a bowl with a whisk. 

Coat both sides of each slice of bread with the mixture and cook on medium heat. 

Brown both sides. Serve with powdered sugar or syrup (add points for these) and fruit. 

Rainy day - dairy free ranch dip

The day started off hot and humid, so it was inevitable that this would be the rest of the day: 

I had tried out making dip the other day with a can of chickpeas I had in the cupboard and have been enjoying it at least once a day. It is almost done so I started thinking about what other dips and/or spreads I could make with beans. I had made some small white beans in my slow cooker (rinse, put in crock pot, fill with water. Cook on high for 5-8 hours depending on the type. The only one not recommended is kidney beans since you don't get them hot enough to get rid of toxins.) 

I grabbed a 2 cup bag of white beans out of my freezer and let them defrost in the freezer bag in some water in the sink. When they were ready I put 1/2 in my magic bullet (if you have a regular blender, do them all at the same time). I put water (about half way full) and 1/2 a package of ranch dip mix. Now, this technically has milk ingredients in it, so if you are being very strict you might use one of these recipes I found on Pinterest for the spice combinations (which I think I will do next time!) : 

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/16131/ranch-dressing-ii?crlt.pid=camp.YIS9q6d0

(Minus the sour cream and mayo) 

Or this one: 

Blend and enjoy! I ended up adding more water to it to make more of a dressing consistency but you don't want to add to much, as it will start tasting grainy from the beans. I did the rest of the beans and mix and stored it all in a large container in the fridge (makes about 4 cups, depending on consistency). If you dont have to avoid milk, some greek yogurt or fat free milk in place of water would taste wonderful! Enjoy! 

Lost post - cutting a watermelon

(I thought I had posted this, but it seems I didn't save anything!) 

If summer had to be associated with a fruit it would have to be watermelon. Juicy, crisp, refreshing and sweet, this just isn't quite as amazing as it is in the summer! 

I recently learned how to cut up a watermelon so I thought I'd share in pictures: 

Enjoy! 

Quick post - Quick hummus

I will try not blabber much in this post, but rather leave you with a loose recipe for a dip I've been fiddling with. I have a bunch of canned beans that I'm trying to use up, as I've started using dried instead (less sodium and cheaper) which I will post a how-to later. I picked out the chick peas, determined to make a hummus type dip. I peeled a couple of pieces of garlic and stuck them in the oven at 350 while I was making supper, turning once to brown both sides. When I took them out I was able to squish them into my magic bullet and the garlic came out like a paste. I added a bit of water and about 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic and peppers seasoning from club house and blended for a minute. I could probably write a whole post just on this stuff...it is good on everything! 

Next I rinsed the can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) and added them to the blender. I topped it off so the water and a few squirts of lemon juice  covered the chickpeas. To make a creamier dip add some plain fat free yogurt (or Greek for extra thick) and/or healthy oil. It goes without saying, the more liquid you add the thinner it will be, so it is better to underestimate than over. Mine turned out a bit thinner but it works for what I want to use it for! I also considered adding a bit more liquid to make a simply filling salad dressing, so I will update if that works out. It is also good to note that this dip tastes better the next day. 

Makes about 2 cups of dip. Free on simply filling! 

Dairy trials - potato crusted quiche

A while back I was watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (a food network show) and a restaurant served a potato crust quiche instead of a flakey pastry one. It hit me that it should be fairly easy to make into a simply filling dish! Mine isn't be as rich as theirs (they used heavy cream in the eggs!) but I was determined to make it tasty! 

You may have noticed that my previous recipes have been dairy free. This has been due to the fact that my daughter was reacting to it through the breast milk she was getting, so I had to cut it out temporarily. I have been testing different things out and it seems it doesn't bother her anymore, so I will be slowly making the switch back. That being said, the only fat free cheese that I can find is the Kraft singles, and frankly I don't really like the taste or texture (except maybe in grilled cheese) so many of my recipes will use other fat free milk ingredients...or none at all. 

I started off with these ingredients: 

- 3 medium potatoes, washed and shredded 

- Oil spray 

- Veggies of your choice (anything really goes! I did a few mushrooms and 1/2 each of a red and orange pepper. I was going to add green onion or onion flakes but forgot!) 

-Dry/fat free cottage cheese (this is the lowest fat one I could find, see pic) 

- salt, pepper and/or seasonings of your choice (I added dill) 

- fat free meat (optional, I didn't use any) 

- 5-6 eggs scrambled (I used 6) 

How it comes together: 

Preheat oven to 400F. Shred washed potatoes and pat dry with paper towel or cloth. Spray pie plate with oil spray, then form shredded potato into a crust. Spray the top and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown (might take longer). 

While it cooks, sauté veggies. 

Turn oven down to 350F. Add veggies, 1/4 to 1/2 of the container of cottage cheese (1/2 to 1 cup) then top with eggs. Season with seasonings. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until middle is cooked. Alive into 6 or 4 pieces depending on how hungry you are!