Chicken Ginger Udon

Another birthday in our family - this beautiful girl turned 14 recently.  While Little is always down to try new food, I would probably classify Middle as the biggest foodie in our family.  She doesn't love big social gatherings with people she doesn't know, so sometimes she gives herself pep talk about the good food that will be there.  She usually has a running list of new foods to try or new restaurants to go to.  Recently, it's every kind of Asian / Asian fusion food and Hawaii is a great place for that.  There are all kinds of prepackaged ramens in the grocery store, many of which we don't even see in CA.  

She and Little ate a lot of spam musubi and sushi this summer and one night when the adults were going out to dinner, I offered to pick up a pizza for them.  She said "nah" and made the dinner above - teriyaki tofu, steamed bok chow and fancy drinks (Poppi soda in martini glasses).

When it was time to pick a birthday dinner, she wanted "some kind of soup - maybe soba - that's not fishy."  I read a few recipes online and ended up making this Chicken Udon.  It's light & healthy but tastes like comfort food.  We ate the whole pot and would have had seconds if there had been more.  I liked the pickled ginger on a soup so don't skip that part!  The cabbage seemed like a lot at first but honestly, I'd add more next time - it cooks down to almost nothing.  Also, taste your broth and make adjustments - it's hard to fix if you've made it too salty but I ended up adding  more soy & a little teriyaki right at the end.

Chicken Udon with Pickled Ginger (serves 4)

Canola oil
Sesame oil
1/2 head of Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage)
2 red thai chiles, thinly sliced (more for serving)
2 T ginger, peeled and diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced (more for serving)
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cans chicken broth
3 T rice wine vinegar
3 T soy sauce 
2 packages of refrigerated Udon noodles (7oz each)
1/2 package firm tofu, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cup roasted chicken diced
pickled ginger
chopped cilantro
Sriracha

In a large pot, heat a thin layer of canola oil.  Add the shredded cabbage and saute for 4-5 minutes.  Add a drizzle of sesame oil and the ginger, garlic, and chiles.  Saute until fragrant 1-2 minutes.  Add the green onions, bean sprouts, chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and udon noodles.  Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Add the tofu and chicken and stir until it's all combined and the protein is warmed through.  Taste the broth and season with more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar if desired.

Serve in bowls with pickled ginger, cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds on top.  I also like to serve with extra green onions, red chiles, hoisin and Sriracha for people to add at the table (last photo above).

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Recently, Thai red curry is a flavor we can all agree on and all enjoy.  I'll post soon the revised red curry stir fry that's in regular rotation, but this soup is something a little different.  I only have a mini chopper, not a full food processor and can just barely fit it all in there to make the paste that becomes the soup base.  Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients - I bought some of these pastes at a grocery store (Stater Bros) and made 3-4 batches of soup with them but you could chop your own ginger, cilantro and lemongrass and add it to your food processor.  

The amount of heat is determined by the chilis in the garnish more than the red chile paste or red curry paste and we liberally add Sriracha at the table.  If you're gluten free, just use a GF soy sauce alternative.

Word of warning:  You'll wish you had made a double batch!

Ingredients:

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 T fresh ginger (or ginger paste)

1 T lemongrass paste

2 T red curry paste

2 T fresh cilantro (or 1 T cilantro paste)

1 T red Chile paste (or 2 red chiles, chopped)

2 T coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 T soy sauce

4 cups chicken stock or broth

1 can coconut milk

2 cups shredded chicken

7 oz rice noodles

For garnish:

4-5 green onions, thinly sliced (both white and green parts)

1 green chili (sliced, seeds removed)

1 red chili (sliced, seeds removed)

Chopped cilantro

Combine garlic, onion, red pepper, ginger paste, lemongrass paste, red curry paste, cilantro (or paste), and coconut oil in a food processor and process until a paste forms.

While you are making your paste, start boiling water for the rice noodles.

Add paste to a medium pot and fry it for a couple of minutes, just until fragrant.

Add chicken stock and coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes.  While soup is simmering, cook noodles according to package directions and drain.

Add shredded chicken.  Add soy sauce, lime juice and zest, and rice noodles to the soup.  Top with garnishes and serve.

Quarantine Soup

This is a very flexible, adaptable recipe for using up what produce and protein you have.  You could add more beans or leave them out, add cooked chicken or beef or pork instead of the sausage, start with water instead of chicken broth . . . it ended up delicious and was hearty - just what we needed.

Quarantine Soup (about 4-6 servings)

Start by sautéing an onion and some other vegetables (like a mirepoix) - I used
1/2 - 1 cup chopped onion
1/2  - 1 cup chopped celery
1/2  - 1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

When it's pretty much sautéed, add a few cloves of garlic (diced) and saute a little more.  Then add your liquid and beans.  I used 4 cups chicken chicken broth and a can of white beans (drained but not rinsed).  Add some seasonings - I eyeballed some Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, paprika, and threw in a bay leaf.

Let it simmer for awhile - I let mine simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Then add your cooked protein.  I added 2 links fully cooked Italian sausage, sliced thin.   Right before I was ready to serve it, I stirred in a few handfuls of kale (spinach would also work well or you can leave out the green stuff) and a tablespoon or two of good quality balsamic vinegar.  Taste and add salt and pepper if it's needed.  Grate some parmesan cheese over the top

Enchilada Verde Soup

Some things my girls have done to amuse themselves while we had to stay at home . . . 

Taking glamour shots of each other on my iPhone

Lots of drawing (check out Art Hub for Kids)

Visiting local farms / produce stands

Jedi light saber battles

Painting random crap (she's getting really good!)

Studying (so glad we got the new desk set up before all this) 

Riding bikes

Swimming

Dyeing hair and holding the guinea pig

Back when it was raining while we were doing "stay at home" I was craving some comfort food.  From, chicken enchiladas are the ultimate comfort food but I had also been wanting to make white chicken chili - this is a combination of both. I had some of these ingredients, an old recipe and wanted to remake it for the Instant Pot.  I'll give the IP directions first using frozen chicken and then the way to make it in a slow cooker or on the stove.  I know that using the cooking liquid might seem a little gross at first but it just made a really flavorful chicken broth and since I was using boneless, skinless trimmed chicken breasts, it wasn't very fatty.

I served it with a sheet pan of nachos from the oven which was delish but tortilla chips to dip into it or crumble on top will also work great!

Enchilada Verde Soup (serves 6)

1 lb frozen chicken breasts
1 can of chicken broth (or about 2 cups)
1 can of diced green chilis
12 oz salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup diced onion
1 T cumin
1/2 T chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
8 oz block cream cheese

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot with the chicken broth and pressure cook at high pressure for 12 minutes.  Do a 5 minute natural release.  Leave the liquid in the pot and remove the chicken and shred it (if it's not shreddable, you can put the lid back on and pressure cook for 2-3 more minutes and do the natural release again.  Mine was good with this amount of time).

Put the shredded chicken back in the pot in the cooking liquid and add the green chilis, salsa verde, frozen corn, diced onion, cumin, and chili powder.  Pressure cook 3 more minutes and do a natural release.  Open the pot up and  add the cream cheese.  Put it on sauté and stir it until the cream cheese is melted and incorporated.  If it's too thick, you could add a little water or chicken broth.  Taste and add salt / pepper / something spicy (tabasco or cayenne pepper?) if desired.

*With chicken that's not frozen:  Adjust the initial cooking time (probably only 7 or 8 minutes)

*Without an Instant pot:  Cook the chicken in some broth on the stove top or in a slow cooker until it's super tender and will shred.  Then add the rest of the ingredients except the cream cheese and simmer for about 20-30 minutes on the stove top or slow cook for 2-3 hours on low.  On a low simmer, do the rest of the steps (stir in cream cheese / check seasonings).

Instant Pot Minestrone

My kids like chili and I make it pretty often and thought minestrone would be a good alternative to change it up.  Two out of three enjoy it so that's not bad!    I served it on New Year's Eve and had the spinach and pasta on the side for people to add to their bowl and then had toppings of parmesan cheese, parsley, and red chili flakes.

Recipe notes:  I like to make the pasta separately and just stir it in at the end - I think the results are better - but you could also add it to the pot when you add the zucchini.  If you want thinner soup, add more water and if there is a particular thing your people don't like (zucchini, spinach) you can leave it out.  I buy the prechopped mirepoix from Trader Joes so this comes together really quickly.

If you don't want to make this in the Instant Pot, you could do it all on the stove top.  Simmer the soup instead of the pressure cook part for 10-15 minutes and add the beans and zucchini and return to a simmer until the zucchini is cooked.

Minestrone Soup (makes about 8 cups)
Adapted from LifeMadeSweeter blog

1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp dried thyme
32 ounces diced tomatoes
3 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 medium zucchini, small dice
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped (optional)
1-2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
shredded or grated parmesan cheese (for serving)
fresh parsley, finely chopped (for serving)
1-2 cups cooked (al dente) small shell or macaroni pasta

In the instant pot or a stove top pot, sauce the onions, garlic, carrot and celery for about 3 minutes.  Add the seasonings and tomato paste and saute 30 seconds more.  Dump in the diced tomatoes and broth. Turn your instant pot to pressure cook on high for 2 minutes (make sure valve is set to sealing).  When the time is up, do a quick release.  Then, turn the instant pot to saute.  Add the zucchini and beans and cook for another 10 minutes.  Stir in the spinach (if using) and allow it to wilt (1-2 minutes).  Add more water if you want a thinner soup.  Stir in balsamic vinegar, cooked pasta and serve with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Soup in the Instant Pot

I know that soup is a popular type of recipe in the instant pot, but so far this is the first one that I've made.  I was initially resisting the instruction to dump it all in and turn it on without sauteing the onions or browning the chicken, but I needed a quick meal on a busy evening so I followed the instructions - measured, dumped, and pressed the button.  Because I haven't made something with so much liquid before, I was worried that I pressed something wrong because it took a lot longer than normal to come up to pressure and start counting down the minutes.  I texted my sister about this and she told me it would be okay . . . and it was!

Bottom line:  Although the setting is for 13 minutes of pressure cooking, plan on 40 minutes total start to finish.  I don't think it would have been any better with additional steps of sauteing so go ahead and put all the ingredients in and start it up.

Recipe notes:  No instant pot?  I think the same results could be achieved with 4-6 hours in a slow cooker.  My kids added sour cream and all 3 ate it!  I wanted more spice which I achieved with the optional chopped jalepenos.  Chicken breasts would probably work just as well.

White Chicken Chili (non-dairy / Instant Pot)
serves 6
Original Recipe from A Pinch of Healthy

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
5 cups chicken broth or stock
2 cans white beans (like cannelini), drained and rinsed
1 can diced green chilis (mild)
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
For serving:  chopped cilantro, chopped jalapenos, sour cream (all optional)

Add all the ingredients (except cilantro, jalapenos, and sour cream) to the instant pot.  Place the lid on and lock it.  Make sure the valve is seat to "sealing."  Use the manual setting to pressure cook for 13 minutes.  Do a quick release.  Remove the chicken thighs and shred them with two forks.  Return to the pot and serve immediately.  Serve the cilantro, jalapenos, and sour cream on the side.
4sp (0sp with chicken breasts)

Happy New Year!

I was going to go back and post some Christmas memories, recipes and the like, but we had to get in gear for school and work (on the 3rd!) and I'm embracing the new year without looking back!  Do you make New Year's resolutions?  For the last few years, I've tried to write a focus word or phrase and use that as a mantra or goal for the year to come.  I'm not big on resolutions per se, but I try to visualize what that phrase or goal would look like for our family and set some objectives related to it.  One of my objectives, related to my 2017 focus, is to set down the extra cookie, the junk food that doesn't taste good or fill me up, the extra glass of wine and get back to the basics of cooking nourishing food for myself and my family.

I've been thinking lately that the blog is nearing its natural end.  I'm not sure I have much to say or contribute to this widely expanding online universe.  But, I made some light, delicious, and resolution-friendly recipes in the last few weeks and find myself back here documenting and recording my relationship with the food I eat.

Here's a recipe to start out your New Year - it's light, filling, quick, and versatile.  I've made it with both chicken and leftover roasted turkey.  I've added other vegetables and changed the seasoning (try rosemary if you don't have dill).  I also have sautéed the vegetables first but anyway you try it, this soup is delicious!

Chicken and Orzo Soup with Fennel (8 servings)

8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced and then chopped
1 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
3 T dill, fresh, chopped (or more to taste)

In a large soup pot, add the broth and bring to boil over high heat.  Add carrots, fennel, and orzo.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer until orzo and vegetables are tender (8-10 minutes).  Stir in chicken and cook until heated through.  Remove pot from heat.  Stir in lemon juice and dill.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

New Green Soup

It must be April!  We have California Golden Poppies in bloom, pictures of the caterpillars, chrysalis, and butterflies from Middle's classroom, Derby Days 5K (in the rain!), picking out plants for our garden, and library story time about rain and insects.  April showers have made for some cozy family time this past week.  

Our kitchen is the center of our house and when both big girls had a playdate last weekend, I found my kitchen taken over by a pretend cafe and lots of food preparation and serving.  I'm hoping this glimpse of life with older kids is accurate - I love having a house full of girls, being the house where friends come to play, and lots of action in the kitchen!

One of the other reasons I've been enjoying our cooler weather is soup!  I make my regular green soup recipe often, but my Aunt Sue sent me a link to this recipe because she had tried it at the Kettle and enjoyed it.  It's similar in the base (sauteed and blended kale) but a little sweeter with the apple and I liked the pancetta and creme fraiche quite a bit.  I didn't add quite the whole amount of kale called for in the recipe, and next time would increase it to make the soup not quite as thin.  Little and Middle ate it up . . . Big, not so much.

Kale and Apple Soup (serves 6)
Original recipe from The Kitchn

10-12 oz kale, chopped and thick stems removed
1/4 cup (2 oz) cubed pancetta (Trader Joes sells it diced like this)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, divided
2 T olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (I used a Granny Smith)
Creme fraiche (or mascarpone or plain yogurt) for serving

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute pancetta for 1 minute or until just barely beginning to brown.  Add the kale and stir to coat with rendered fat.  Add a little olive oil if the pancetta didn't render enough fat to keep the kale from sticking to the pan.  Cook, stirring, until kale wilts, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock and lower heat to medium low, stirring occasionally, for about 5-10 minutes.

Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender, pour into a separate bowl, and set aside.

In the same skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook onions and salt until the onions just start to soften up, about 3 minutes.  Add the chopped apple and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the apples soften and the onions are translucent.  Stir in remaining broth.  Puree this mixture in a blender or blend with an immersion blender.  Combine the pureed apple/onion mixture and the kale mixture and stir to combine.  If it seems too thick (mine wasn't), you could add more stock or water.

Reheat if necessary, taste for salt and pepper, and serve garished with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Spicy Soup

Happy New Year!  I'm looking forward to trying new recipes and feeding my family in 2016.  We started out the year with this nurturing spicy soup. Eating lentils on New Year's Day is a tradition thought to bring good luck in the new year in several cultures.  You can adjust the spiciness to your liking so don't be scared off!  And, definitely don't skip the lemon and cilantro at the end.  It's delicious!

Red Lentil Soup with Lemon (makes about 6 cups)

from NYT Cooking

3 T olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T tomato paste

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

pinch of ground chile powder or ground cayenne, more to taste

1 quart chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 cup red lentils

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

3 T chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pot, heat 3 T oil over high heat until hot and shimmering.  Add onion and garlic and salute until golden, 4 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper, and chili powder or cayenne (I used a bit of both) and saute for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, water, lentils, and carrot and bring to a boil.  Give it a good stir, cover the pot, and reduce to a simmer for about 30 minutes.  Test and see if the carrot and lentils are soft.  When they are, taste and adjust the salt and cayenne pepper (I like it spicy!).  

Using a traditional blender or an immersion blender, blend about half of the soup so that it's slightly chunky still.  If you like it smooth, you can blend all of it.  Reheat soup if necessary then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.  Serve soup drizzled with a little olive oil.

Fall Adventures

Last weekend we had to drive out to Palm Desert and back in the same day.  We decided to break up the trip with a detour to Oak Glen to do some apple picking.  Unfortunately when we got there, we found out that due to the drought and low crop yield, apple picking (especially the U-Pick) was over for the season.  After being pretty disappointed, the girls got to taste some different varieties of apples, sample cider, watch the cider press, and at least get out of the car for a little while.

At $15/bag, it wasn't exactly farmer's market prices, but we did buy some apples to make Dad a belated birthday apple pie.  In the past, we've gone to Los Rios Rancho and Riley's Farm, but this trip we stopped at Snow-Line which had some yummy smelling BBQ, hard and regular cider, wine tasting, antiques for sale, and apples galore.

We also went pumpkin picking (well, picking out, not picking from the vine) at Cal Poly Pomona's pumpkin patch.  We didn't go to the pumpkin weekend which is usually super crowded but they still had lots of pumpkins left ($5/apiece for any size) and it was fun to watch the girls decide which pumpkin was "perfect" in their eyes.

Back at home, we celebrated the arrival of slightly cooler weather with making some soup.  I know I've had many versions of broccoli soup and green soup in the past, but this was a riff on a popular family recipe - roasted broccoli.  If you don't make this for your family, try it tonight - just do the roasting step of the broccoli and serve with parmesan cheese (or you can leave it off).  I added more lemon juice than the recipe calls for and wished I hadn't, so try a little at a time.  But, I liked the overall result and it's pretty clean eating.  It reminded me more of the asparagus soup I make than other creamy broccoli soup recipes I've tried and I'm sure we'll be making it again!

Roasted Broccoli Soup (serves 4)

Two large heads broccoli

1 head of garlic

1/2 onion, diced

4 c. vegetable broth

1 tsp. fresh thyme

1 T lemon juice

grated parmesan

olive oil

salt and pepper

Slice just the top of the head of garlic off (leaving the cloves still tucked inside).  Drizzle the top with olive oil and wrap in a piece of foil to make a packet.  Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Separate the broccoli into florets and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread into a single layer on a large rimmed cookie sheet and add to the oven after the first 20 minutes with the garlic.  Cook another 20 minutes (the broccoli will take 20 and the garlic will take 40).

When the garlic and broccoli are done roasting, put the broccoli into a pot on the stove and add the onion, broth, and thyme.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the broccoli is really soft.  Add the cooled roasted garlic cloves to the soup.  Blend in batches in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.  Taste and add salt and pepper and the lemon juice.  Serve with grated parmesan on top.

Spring Soup

When we had a brief interlude of cold(ish) weather and some rain recently, I was excited for the opportunity to make some soup.  I've made a version of this sausage & kale soup in the past and a pasta recipe that's similar (which you can read here and here) but this one was my husband's favorite by far.  He loved the swap of gnocchi for the usual potatoes and we both really liked the roasted red peppers.

I really recommend using the spicy (hot) Italian sausage because it gives the soup most of its flavor and spice.  With the half and half, potato gnocchi and broth, I didn't find the end result to be very spicy but well seasoned.  In fact, I added additional red pepper flakes and black pepper to up the spiciness, even with hot sausage.  I bought uncooked links of spicy chicken Italian sausage and squeezed the sausage out of the links.  I found the gnocchi with the dried pasta and used the DeLallo brand, which I liked.

Sausage & Kale Soup with Gnocchi (serves 4)

1 pound ground italian sausage (use the "hot" kind)
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (12oz) jar roasted red peppers
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 pound potato gnocchi
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper

Add italian sausage and diced onion to a large dutch oven and cook over medium high heat until the sausage is browned and crumbled.  While it's cooking, chop up the roasted red peppers.  Drain the grease.  Then add in the chicken broth and red pepper, bringing the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat.  Once it simmers, reduce heat and add kale and gnocchi and stir to combine.  Cook for 5 minutes or until the gnocchi are cooked through and tender (check the cooking time on the package of gnocchi).  Stir in the half and half.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Not Leftovers . . . a new meal!

Last week I made one of my favorite crock pot recipes here on the blog - the Green Enchilada Chicken Soup.  I made the full recipe even though I know my kids aren't the biggest soup eaters (Big only likes Chicken Noodle and Middle only likes Green Soup) because the leftovers are awesome.  This time, instead of thinning down the thick leftover soup, I warmed it and served it over hot biscuits.  My mom used to make creamed chicken over biscuits and it was so good.  This is a green enchilada twist on that idea.  It made the leftovers into a "new meal" and one I will make again.  

Green Enchilada Chicken Soup (I left out the corn this time)

A good biscuit recipe (or use a tube of Pillsbury ones)

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken

Soup is one of those dishes where a few simple ingredients are transformed by combining them

together.  This recipe looks super simple (and it is) but it was nourishing and delicious.  We are

thankfully healthy but this would be the perfect dish if you're coming down with a cold or feeling

under the weather.  I love the queso fresco and avocado on top of the hot soup.  You can reduce the
jalapeño if you want - I only used a little more than half of one yesterday but it wasn't very spicy and

I wished I had put in the whole thing.  You could cook the chicken in the broth with the onion, garlic,

and jalapeño but I used chopped up rotisserie chicken to make it faster . . . dinner on the table within

a half hour of getting home from soccer practice - not an easy task these days!

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken (2 servings)

(adapted from Williams Sonoma)

3 or 4 limes

2-3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and chopped

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth  

1 1/2 tsp.  oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 Haas avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

2 oz. queso fresco or mild feta cheese, crumbled

Cut 1 lime into 4 to 6 wedges; set aside for serving. Juice as many of the remaining limes as needed to measure 1/4 cup.

Heat some olive oil in a pan.  Add the onion to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth, lime juice and oregano, and chopped chicken. Bring the heat up, but not to a full boil, and then adjust the heat so it barely simmers. Simmer for 15 minutes.  Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

Put the avocado, cheese and lime wedges in separate small bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately. Pass the avocado, cheese and lime wedges alongside.  

Yields 2 large servings (or 4 first course servings)

Tortellini Soup with Pesto

Spring is just flying by.  I can't believe the countdown until kindergarten is over for Big is 3 days and 2 half days.  Her open house, Little Ladies Graduation, Kindergarten promotion, last chapel, and assorted other events are happening between now and then as well - add to that the 120 essays that I collect tomorrow and it's going to make for a very busy weekend!

Here's a little glimpse into our life these days . . . the girls are growing and changing so much.  I've felt really overwhelmed with the thought lately of how blessed I am to be their mom - the person who gets to hear their jokes, fears, and fights, the person who feeds them, tucks them in at night, and comforts them when they cry, the person who gets a front row seat to this amazing part of life where they change constantly as their little personalities are developing.  It's pretty crazy.

An autopia ride (Jacarandas blooming in the background!)

A new, funny scrunchy nose grin

Tennis buddies - playing with the ball machine in the desert

Lounging (posing?) poolside

They love each other . . . despite the frequent arguments and hurt feelings

Getting coffee before music class - an activity the little girls and I have been immensely enjoying.

I realize that soup weather is just about behind us for awhile, but we've had some cooler days in between our 90 degree days and you know how I love making soup!  I've made different variations on tortellini soup but this was probably my favorite.  It reminded me a little of chicken noodle with a twist and since I got sick about a week ago, it was good comfort food.

Tortellini Soup with Sausage (4 servings)

1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 T prepared pesto
4 c. chicken broth
2 cups water
9 oz package fresh cheese-filled tortellini
3-4 links precooked Spicy Italian sausage (sliced)
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Cook garlic, celery, carrot and onion about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the pesto and sauté for a minute or two.  Stir in broth and water, heat to boiling.  Reduce heat, stir in tortellini and sausage, simmer about 10 minutes.  Top each serving with parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Creamy Green Chicken Enchilada Soup

Now that it's officially spring, it finally feels like a California winter and soup weather.  In addition to the Irish Onion Soup, this is a new soup recipe that we just tried and loved.  It's like a cross between the white chicken chili that I love and a corn chowder.  It was delicious and so easy to make in the slow cooker.  I was looking forward to leftovers (I only made a half batch), but alas, there were none.

Creamy Green Chicken Enchilada Soup (8 servings)
Original recipe here

32 oz chicken broth
4 cups green enchilada sauce (or tomatillo salsa)
1.5 lbs chicken breasts
4 oz can diced green chills
3/4 cup water
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 8 oz block cream cheese (not fat free)
3/4 cup rice
salt & pepper to taste

Stir together the broth, enchilada sauce, chills, water and spices in the bowl of a slow cooker.  Put the chicken breasts on top and cook on low for 6 hours.  Remove the chicken and shred with a fork.  Add it back to the pot.

Add the corn, cream cheese, and rice and cook for another hour.  Stir together.  If you want it a little soupier, you can add a little more water.  If you want it thicker, you can dissolve 1 T of cornstarch in 1/8 cup water and stir it in and wait another 15 minutes for it to thicken up.

Irish Onion Soup

Wow - I can't believe a week has gone by since my last post and St. Patrick's Day.  I gave finals on Monday and had a fun week & weekend hanging out with the family and seeing some friends.  One week of spring break and then back to work!

The main course I made to go with our rainbow cake was a variation on French Onion Soup that I had seen floating around Pinterest.  It has an Irish twist with some whiskey and stout and the end result is a little deeper flavor.  I like the traditional French Onion better with lots of Swiss cheese on top but my husband was a big fan of this recipe.  I left the onions in rings but would definitely dice them next time, as indicated in the recipe below.

Irish Onion Soup (serves 6)
from The Fox & She

4 T unsalted butter
4 medium yellow onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup whiskey
3 T flour
kosher salt
1 cup Guinness Stout
6 sprigs thyme
12 cups beef stock
1 tsp. black pepper
Day old baguette slices
Irish cheddar cheese (sliced or grated - Comte or gruyere would also work)

In a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or pot, melt the butter and cook the onions over medium-low heat for an hour.  Be careful not to burn / brown the onions.  They will get brown as they cook but it's not like sauteing and you don't want burning).

Add the whiskey, flour, pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes more.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more.

Add the Guinness and simmer until reduced by 1/3, about 5 minutes.  Add broth, thyme, pepper, and 2 teaspoons of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove thyme sprigs.  Ladle into oven safe bowls and top with baguette slices and cheese.  Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly - watch closely so it doesn't burn!