Asian Chicken Soup

Asian Chicken Soup
Serves 4

5 1/2 cups reduced-sodium free-range organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon grated ginger (from a 1-inch piece)
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 ounces soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), cut into bite-size strips
1 cup snow peas, sliced 1/2 inch on the diagonal
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt

In a large saucepan, bring broth, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles, lower heat, and simmer until noodles are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add chicken, bell pepper, and snow peas; cook until chicken is opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Add lime juice, scallions; season with salt. Serve immediately.

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Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce

Easy Chunky Tomato Sauce
Makes 6 cups; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 45 minutes
 
3 tablespoons olive oil 
1 large onion, chopped (3 cups) 
3 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon) 
Salt and freshly ground pepper 
2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes 
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or Italian seasoning 

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 

2. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the thyme; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months. 
 
Note: To make a meat sauce, use 1 pound cooked ground meat, such as beef, sausage, turkey, or pork, and add to sauce along with the tomatoes.

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Big-Batch Vegetable Soup

Big-Batch Vegetable Soup
Serves 8; Prep time: 15 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

This basic soup can be made with any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables, so it will taste a little different each time. Recipe can be doubled.

2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 cups chopped onions or thinly sliced leeks (whites only) 
1 cup thinly sliced celery 
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 
Coarse salt and ground pepper 
3 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth 
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice 
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
8 cups mixed fresh or frozen vegetables, such as carrots, corn, green beans, lima beans, peas, potatoes, and zucchini (cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces) 

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions or leeks, celery, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. 

2. Add broth, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to pot; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes. 

3. Add vegetables to pot, and return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Let cool before storing. 

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Homemade Turkey Stock

Homemade Turkey Stock
Makes 5 cups

Make this stock the day before you cook the turkey; remove the neck and giblets, and return the bird to the refrigerator. If the liver has a small green sac (the gallbladder) attached, remove it completely.

Turkey neck and giblets(heart, gizzard, and liver), reserved from turkey 
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks 
2 celery stalks, cut into large chunks 
2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks 
6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 
1 whole bay leaf 
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 

1.   Rinse neck and giblets well. Combine all ingredients and 7 cups water in a medium stockpot. Place over high heat; bring to a boil. 
2.   Reduce heat to low, and simmer stock 1 1/2 hours, skimming off foam that floats to the top as needed. 
3.   Pass the stock through a cheesecloth-lined sieve; discard the solids. Let stock cool, and refrigerate until ready to use. 

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Homemade Chicken Stock

Homemade Chicken Stock
Makes 5 quarts

The stock can be frozen for up to four months.

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 
6 sprigs fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried dill 
6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley 
2 dried bay leaves 
2 leeks, washed, white and pale-green parts only, cut into thirds 
2 carrots, scrubbed, cut into thirds 
2 stalks celery, cut into thirds 
1 four-pound chicken, cut into 6 pieces 
1 1/2 pounds chicken wings 
1 1/2 pounds chicken backs 
12 cups (two 48-ounce cans) canned low-sodium chicken broth 

1.   Place peppercorns, dill, parsley, bay leaves, leeks, carrots, celery, chicken, wings, and backs into a large stockpot. Add stock and 6 cups cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim this off with a slotted spoon, and discard. Repeat as needed. After 45 minutes, remove chicken from the pot, and set aside until it is cool enough to handle. 

2.   Remove the meat from the bones, set the meat aside, and return the bones to the pot. Shred the chicken, and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Continue to simmer the stock, on the lowest heat possible, for 3 hours, skimming as needed. The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a very large bowl. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in an ice bath, and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers. Stock may be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 4 months. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. If storing, leave fat layer intact to the seal the stock. Before using, remove the layer of fat that has collected on the surface. 

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Homemade Pesto

Homemade Pesto

Fresh parmesan cheese (2/3 cup grated)
Olive oil (2/3 cup)
Basil leaves (4 cups loosely packed leaves)
Italian parsley
Pine nuts or walnuts (2 tablespoons)
Fresh garlic (4 garlic cloves)

Run the basil leaves through the food processor or chopper.  Add minced garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts slowly.  Process until bright green; should be somewhat solid and not runny. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Oils 101

Oil 101
Which oils are best for sautéing, frying, or baking? Which ones should be used exclusively for salad dressings? Use this guide to help you choose the oils that fit your cooking needs.

Light olive oil: Light refers to the oil's color and taste, not its calorie content. It has the same amount of beneficial monounsaturated fat that regular olive oil has. Because of an extremely fine filtration process, it has little of the olive oil taste and fragrance and a higher smoke point, making it a good choice for baking and high-heat cooking. It's usually a combination of refined virgin olive oils.

Canola oil: After olive and sunflower oil, canola is the next highest in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. It can be used as a salad dressing and for baking and frying. This neutral-tasting oil is obtained from rapeseed, a mustard relative. Because rapeseed is commonly sprayed with pesticides, be sure to look for organic, expeller-pressed brands of canola oil. It has a smoke point of 400 degrees, a neutral flavor, and is excellent for cooking.

Peanut oil: An all-purpose oil that's high in monounsaturated fats, peanut oil is also about 30 percent polyunsaturated fats and 20 percent saturated. Because it has a high smoke point (450 degrees), it's prized for frying. Most commercial brands are chemically processed, though expeller-pressed brands are available at specialty stores and online. Peanut oil has a longer shelf life than other oils.

Corn oil: Corn oil is high in polyunsaturates. Polyunsaturates are not inherently unhealthy. But they do contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which most Americans already get too much of. Although we need omega-6s in our diets, we should be getting fewer of them and more omega-3s.The current thinking among nutritionists is that other choices may be better.

Blended vegetable oils: Most commercial vegetable oils are a mixture of unidentified oils that have been extracted with chemicals.

Extra-virgin olive oil: Olive oil is the healthiest oil you can buy, as it contains the highest monounsaturate content. It’s often used for dressings and drizzling on food. Extra-virgin is the oil that results from the first cold-pressing of the olives. Being the purest olive oil, it's also the most expensive. But because it has a low smoke point, it should not be used for cooking. Use as dressing for salads. Slice up tomatoes, add extra-virgin olive oil and also add either rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.  Use also for dipping in bread and in fish dishes.

Virgin olive oil: This is also the result of the first pressing of the olives, but it is more acidic, and the flavor is less robust. Always choose cold-pressed. Most mass-produced varieties are extracted with chemical solvents. Use for cooking foods at low and medium temperatures. You can use it to fry potatoes.  Possible to strain it and use it a couple more times.

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All-Around Good Smoothie

All-Around Good Smoothie

1/2 cup nonfat milk
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt (I use any flavor I have)
1/2 frozen banana, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons powdered protein supplement
1 1/2 tablespoons flax seed
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup frozen strawberries

In a blender, blend the milk, yogurt, banana, protein supplement, flax seed, honey, and strawberries until smooth.

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