Fideo & Chicken Soup with Queso Fresco

Just my luck. It is my last week of summer vacation and I am sick.  I have been feeling really lousy all week and Wednesday, I woke up feeling a teeny bit better. So I decided to go for a ride with my new clip-in shoes. Bad idea.  I got home, felt even more lousy and have had a fever that is coming and going ever since.

Soup to the rescue!!  

Have I mentioned I love soup? Yes, it might be a small addiction. Maybe I should change the blog to "The S's of Life: Soup and Sweat." hehehe. Okay, maybe a bit extreme.

Anywho - after feeling so icky, I decided to make a soup that I happened to buy ingredients for this past weekend.  I found this recipe in the August chapter of my Williams-Sonoma Soup of the Day cookbook.  It looked delicious and pretty simple.

Here's what you will need for this tasty soup:

Fideo & Chicken Soup with Queso Fresco 
(serves 6 - unless you are like me and eat it all yourself)

2 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 Tbsp olive soul
Salt & fresh ground pepper
1 white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 chipotle chili in adobo, minced (use the whole chili if you like the extra kick)
6 cups chicken broth (I used 4 cups broth, 2 cups water)
1/2 fideo noodles or vermicilli/angel hair pasta broken into 2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
3 oz queso fresco, crumbled

Let's get cooking...

I love that most of the ingredients are pantry staples. 

Chicken breasts were roasting for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

 I omitted the cilantro because, well... I didn't have any. 

And as lousy as I felt, I didn't want to go to the store.

 Chop & mince while the oil is heating in big ol' soup pot.

 Saute onion & garlic for 5 minutes, until translucent.

 Add in oregano, tomato paste & adobo chili to onion and garlic mixture.  

Let's take a moment: How cool is this tube of tomato paste?  No more wasting a whole can!

Hmmm..what am I going to do with all these chilis? I guess another recipe soon.

  Add the broth and bring to a boil (I chose broth & water to lower the sodium)

I love watching soup simmer! 

Add noodles & cooked chicken to broth mixture and let boil until noodles are done. My angel hair only took 4 minutes, but the recipe says 8 for fideo noodles. 

Stir a few times while the noodles cook, then salt & pepper to taste!

Since my mumbo jumbo directions probably are scattered, here's the exact recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and put chicken breasts on baking sheet. Brush with 1 Tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast chicken in the oven until it is cooked through, about 20 minutes.   When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred and set aside. 

2. In a large pot, warm 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, tomato paste and chipotle and stir well to combine. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook til soft. Add the shredded chicken and cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

3. Serve, top with avocado and crumbled queso fresco. 

 I think Williams-Sonoma would be very proud of how my soup compares to theirs.

 Muy delicioso!

Cheers,

Belle

Steak & Double Potato Soup with Fried Shallots

Made this soup last week and it was amazing. I had a few sweet potatoes and white potatoes in the fridge and knew I wanted to make something with them.  I was browsing through my Soup of the Day cookbook and found this...

 

I didn't have a parsnip, celery or tomato paste so here is what I came up with.

Steak & Double Potato Soup with Fried Shallots 

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 russet potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 lb tri-tip steaks 

3 cups beef broth

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced 

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 

fresh salt & pepper

olive oil

red table wine

Fried Shallots

Stir together 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Add 2 sliced shallots and toss to coat. Heat 1-2 Tbsp canola oil (the recipe said 1/2 cup, gross!) in a frying pan over medium-heat until very hot. Shake off any excess flour from the shallots and fry until golden brown, 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. And then put them on everything you eat, wait... that's just what I wanted to do.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel & chop potatoes, toss in olive oil (I started with 1 Tbsp), generously season with salt & pepper and roast until caramelized, about 25 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting, warm a grill pan over high heat. Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Cook to medium-rare, about 5-6 minutes per side. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. *You can use flank steak as another option

While the meat's cooking, I sliced my shallot and chopped the onion & garlic. Probably should have prepped everything at the beginning but this was me using my time wisely (since I had to wait for the potatoes anyway).

 

 

In a large, heavy pot, warm 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic (throw in celery here if you like that too) and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add broth and 1/4 c red wine and cook for 10 minutes (can add 2 Tbsp tomato paste if you want it thicker).

  Add the potatoes and steak into broth and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

 

I wanted to just eat these right then and there. 

Shallots ready for a quick fry. What a great touch to the soup! 

Soup de Jour

I love soup. Soup loves me. Pretty sure I have mentioned that before... So, a Christmas gift of Soup of the Day was a match made in heaven! This book is so fabulous, it is organized not only by suggested dates & months... it uses all fruits and veggies that are in season.  After reading a book this summer about organic and sustainable farming, I have been more aware about where my food is coming from.  Quite an interesting thing when you look and see your meat is being shipped from across the world and your fruits have been sitting in a truck for a few days making their way here from South America.  I guess what I am trying to say is, this book is great.

This week I had a chance to try two recipes.  The first was Avgolemono, a greek soup with delicious lemon flavor! I followed this recipe exactly since I have never made (or heard of this soup!)

Avgolemono:
6 c chicken broth
1/2 c long-grain white rice (I used brown)
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 tsp finely chopped lemon zest (I grated)
Salt & ground white pepper
2 T finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

       In a large, heavy pot, bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, uncovered, until tender.

       In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisking constantly, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg mixture (slowly, you don't want to curdle the egg). Reduce the heat of the broth to medium-low and slowly stir the egg mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring, until the soup is slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. Do NOT let it boil.

      Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley. Serve hot!

       

              A creamy soup with no cream!                                                   4 egg yolks...  

I love my microplane! 

 Piping hot off the stove! yummo! 

Things to note: My soup looks nothing like the recipe's photo, but my broth was actually very thick and delicious. Add more rice if you like it thicker and the leftovers definitely aren't as good as the fresh soup.  When I reheated it the next day (on super low so the eggs wouldn't curdle), it produced an overwhelming egg taste that I just wasn't that excited about. Granted, I still ate the leftovers. 

I also had my eye on a recipe for Roast Pork & Udon Noodle soup. Winter is a great time for a pork tenderloin!  I took parts of Soup of the Day's recipe and added in a few extra ingredients as I went along. Instead of having separate frying pans and pots, I combined it all into one. My changes to the recipe are noted in italics.

Roast Pork & Udon Noodle Soup

Pork Tenderloin

Freshly ground salt & pepper

1 Tbsp canola oil

3 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 baby bok choy, quartered lenghtwise

5 c chicken broth

5 Tbsp soy sauce

6 oz udon noodles

my enhancements

1/2 thinly sliced white onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 c chopped carrots

3 inch piece of ginger, peeled

Sesame oil

Fresh bean sprouts & cabbage for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the pork on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and season with salt & pepper.  Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 140 degrees,  20-25 minutes. Let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes. Then chop into bite-sized pieces (I thinly sliced the tenderloin for larger, thinner pieces). 

While the pork is resting, warm the sesame oil in large, heavy pot.   Add the carrots, onions and garlic and saute until they begin to carmelize, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute, 2 minutes. Then combine and add in the broth and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Place the unpeeled ginger straight into the pot, letting the broth soak up its amazing flavors!  Reduce heat and simmer until you just can't take it anymore and you want to eat!! Not necessary to simmer for a long time, but the longer you do, the richer the flavors.  Bring back to a quick boil and add the udon. Cook until noodles are tender.  Add in the pork and shredded cabbage and reduce heat to simmer just for a few minutes.  Serve with bean sprouts and cabbage on top!

 

 Soaking some shiitakes

 Using up some veggies and making the broth even more amazing

   Peeled this little guy, threw it into the simmering broth and let it flavor everything up! When done & ready to serve, take the whole ginger back out and toss into trash..

 Sesame oil gives it just a little extra oomph!

   Adding the soy into the broth

 Tossed in some chopped cabbage right at the end  

Slurpy, soupy deliciousness....coming right up!

Tri Tip Tortilla-less Soup

I am a big fan of tortilla soup and a few weeks back when I made Slow Cooker Tri-Tip, I had an idea to use the leftover meat in a "tortilla" soup. After the slow cooker, I froze half of the shredded tri tip so it was easy to use when ready.



There is no special recipe, just a hodge podge of veggies and spices.  The fun thing is you can make it vegetarian or with meat, spicy or mild, creamy or brothy (yes, I just made that word up). 

Tri Tip Tortilla-less Soup
2 cups broth of choice
2 cups shredded tri-tip
1 can black beans
1 can corn kernels
1 can diced tomatoes (with green chiles adds extra spice)
1 chopped yellow or white onion
1-2 chopped jalapenos, depending on size
Chili Powder
Cayenne Pepper 
Oregano
Salt & Pepper
Avocado, cheese, corn and beans for topping

 

Canned veggies make it quick and easy

 Boil the broth, corn, beans, tomatoes and meat for a few minutes and then reduce to simmer

 Coarsely chopped jalapeno and onion

 

In they go... time for some simmering and spices

 

Look at all that meaty goodness!

 Chop some avocado and squeeze in fresh lime when soup is ready to be served

 Enjoy a hearty meal!

Don't forget you can always divide the extra portions and freeze for lunches or quick-fix dinners down the road... All my tri-tip is gone now, what next?

A Perfect Saturday

Yesterday was a little slice of happiness!  I went on a run in the morning with my old running group and ran 8.5 miles... It felt so good considering I haven't ran more than 5 miles since my marathon a month and a half ago.  After my run, I cruised over to Target and Walmart and scored some amazing printed turtlenecks for a Holiday party I am co-hosting next weekend.  A nice, leisurely grocery trip through Sprouts and home to beginning a fun day in the kitchen!

I started off with a little tortilla soup for lunch, minus the tortillas.
Here is what I threw together

Mexican Soup:
Chicken broth
A splash of leftover tomato soup
2 mini jalapenos from garden, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 can black beans
1/2 avocado, chopped
About 1 cup of leftover corn kernels
A heavy sprinkle of chili powder & cumin
Fresh ground pepper

After it simmered for a while, I used my immersion blender  because I like my soups on the "creamier" side. A perfect recovery lunch!

Next, I prepped Endive Stuffed with Goat Cheese to bring over to a friend's house before we headed to Balboa Park's December Nights.

                               here is the start of them... I forgot to take a picture of the final product

Once that was done, I started on my 3rd attempt at making Kale Chips. My friend Tammy, who has an awesome blog iEatNeat, talked about Kale a few times this summer/spring when we were running together. I asked her over and over what she did with this Kale stuff. It sounded scary to me. So she told me about Kale Chips... I figured "Sounds easy enough!" I browsed a few recipes online and then gave it a whirl. My first two attempts a few weeks ago gave me delicious results BUT then a few hours later, they would be soggy instead of crispy. I even let them cool all the way!  So I have been determined to get it right.   Yesterday, I did.

Kale Chips:
1 head of fresh kale, leaves torn off stems into big chunks
2 tsp olive oil (I used a Tbsp or so the last few times, I think that is what left them soggy)
Sprinkles of nutritional yeast (also recommended by Tammy)
Fresh sea salt
Bake for 17-20 minutes at 275 degrees.   Be sure to keep your eye on them because they can burn quickly!
YUM!

Then I took on my 3rd project for the day, Peanut Butter Caramel Corn.  I thought I'd also bring something sweet to December Nights.  All I can say is that I think I found a new holiday treat I can make for gifts. It is incredible!

 

I got to use my dutch oven for the second time this week!

 

I absolutely loved being in my tiny kitchen all day, just trying out new recipes. What a blast!!! And to finish off my Saturday, I headed to December Nights with close friends and family for some holiday cheer!