Chicken Noodle Soup

Well hello there! It's been far too long since my last post.

So first, a little update about the blog. As you may have noticed under the recipes section of my site there appears to be no recipes! I just about flipped when I saw this, with thoughts running through my head thinking, "how long has my website been like this?", and "why is this happening, why is there a blank page where all my recipes should reside in one big collection?". Well it turns out the culprit was the implementation of SSL to make my site more secure. Without getting too technical, it basically decided that the bit of code I use to load and log all my recipes from a website called ReciPage was insecure and it is now blocking it from loading. 

This has been a huge headache for me, I even received a nasty email from someone telling me that my site was horrible. Ugh. I am very sorry for any inconvenience this has been, but please be kind. This is my own little corner of the internet and sometimes things go wrong when it comes to technology. 

I'm working diligently on collecting, categorizing, and rebuilding all my recipes on a new dedicated Recipes section for the blog. It wont be fast, but it will be reliable. And in the meantime you can go to the current recipes section and get the recipes to show by clicking on the green lock in the upper left corner of your browser right beside the url bar. A small window will open that looks like this:

Once you have that showing you then click on the little arrow you can see to the far right of that small window. Next you want to click on the button that says, "Disable Protection For Now". This should allow you to view my recipes while I work on getting the page up and running. Of course you can also use the search bar in the right sidebar at the top of every page.

Thank you so much for all patience. If you ever have any questions or suggestions please contact me. Your support means a lot to me! You guys are what helps me keep this blog going. 

Now let's get down to the goods.

This soup. It was so good!!!

Fall and wintry foods have really been speaking to me lately. They're so comforting, easy to prepare, and simple.

This chicken noodle soup is no exception either.

Whether its a case of the sniffles or just another weekday night, there's something magical about chicken soup.

There are so many variations on chicken soup: white chicken chilli, spicy chicken gumbo, chicken minestrone. But a good classic chicken noodle is my favourite. It's perfect for these cold winter months and it comes together quickly. It would be great idea to make it ahead of time and freeze some for busy or lazy weeknights.

This hearty soup is practically a meal in itself.

Chicken Noodle Soup

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cups no-salt added chicken broth
• 2 cups diced russet or baking potato, about 1 large
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 8 ounces cooked chicken, sliced
• 2 ounces uncooked large egg noodles

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic clove; sauté 5 minutes.
2. Sprinkle oregano and thyme over vegetables, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, potato, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 25 minutes or until potato is tender.
3. Add cooked chicken and egg noodles, and cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.

Nutrition Facts

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups approx.): 208 calories, 1.2g of fat, 0.1g saturated fat, 25.5g of carbs, 4.5g fiber, 4.6g sugar, 463mg sodium, 22.5g of protein

Bonus Nutritional Benefits: Vitamin A 47.5%, Vitamin C 28%, Iron 9.4%

Percentage values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Happy New Year everyone!

Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables

Do you remember that Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry recipe I posted not too long ago? Well, I have a follow up recipe to share with you today that's so good, you must promise me you'll make it.

This one takes a little more prep work because of the extra vegetables but it's just as fast if not quicker to cook.

Perfect for when you're in a dinner rut. This will add some tasty zest to your palate.

I recieved such wonderful feedback from you all on my Szechuan Chicken recipe. I had people asking me for more similar recipes! Excellent! I love hearing from you guys so don't hesitate to ask me if there's something you'd like to see on the blog. Keep the great comments coming :)

Now back this dish.

This Kung Pao Chicken packs flavour in spades. I think it's safe to say it could rival any bought from your favourite restaurant. I've made this recipe a few times now and we all loved it. It's like going out for dinner and taking a vacation from typical healthy eating, but really, it's super healthy and clean.

When I set out to make this dish, I made sure to add loads of fresh veggies to the ingredient list. The fresh veggies really help bump-up the vitmain count.

I mean just check out those wild vibrant colours! It is enough to make your mouth water!

This Chinese dish will rival the best kung pao chicken you've ever had from a take-out restaurant. It could become a fast and easy weeknight favorite. Especially when it only takes 20 minutes to cook.

Kung Pao Chicken & Vegetables

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil, divided
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup kale, stems removed, and chopped roughly 
• 1 cup red Swiss chard (large stems removed), leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 yellow or green zucchini, sliced 
• 1/2 cup carrots, sliced on an angle
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
• 2 green onions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 cups cooked brown jasmine rice, or quinoa

Instructions

Heat oil in a large non stick skillet on medium-high. Add bell pepper, kale, red chard, broccoli, zucchini, carrots and snow peas, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften and everything is almost cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a plate and place in the oven on low to keep warm.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil on medium-high. Add red pepper flakes, chicken and peanuts and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup water, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, onions and rice vinegar. Stir the mixture into chicken and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Return cooked vegetables to the skillet and give everything a good stir. Serve over top of rice, dividing evenly among 4 bowls.