Chicken & Wild Rice Soup for the Soul

Today is Chicken Soup for the Soul Day. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of the many Chicken Soup for the Soul books that were created by inspirational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, I highly recommend you pick up a copy. Spend the day in front of a warm fire or sunny window and whip up a pot of this delicious Chicken and Wild Rice Soup and dive in.

These books are close to my heart because they were given to me by my mother to read as a teeneger. She was sweet enough to hand it over as "just a suggestion" to her wild child as a way of finding my center and bringing some inspiration and culture to my world. A world that was full of loud music and Johnny Depp wall collages. That part hasn't changed, but it's now called iTunes and Pinterest boards. Digital rebellion and refusal to ever let the wild child die is how I think of it now. I still like my music loud, but I balance it out with yoga, meditation and well, blogging to all of you (thank you for reading, friends! xoxo). Now back to chicken soup and the soul...

Some of my favorite quotes from Jack:

“Most everything that you want is just outside your comfort zone.” 
― Jack Canfield

“There are essentially two things that will make you wise -- the books you read and the people you meet.” 
― Jack Canfield

“Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” 
― Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul

There is a Chicken Soup book for just about everyone. They are a nice little pick me up and I found reading them, especially as such an impressionable age, made me feel more normal as I related to the stories I read. The struggle is real for all of us. Sometimes it's nice to have that reassurance or a reminder to keep your head up on a bad day. I don't know the author, and couldn't find the source, but I love this quote when I'm feeling stressed or down:




So in honour of this soulful day, I decided the most fitting chicken soup recipe to share would be my chicken & wild rice. Like most of the recipes I post, I've made this one healthier by eliminating the need for cream. It's absolutely delicious with a velvety mouth feel, and as a bonus, good for you too! Try it out, read some happy thoughts and leave me your favorite quotes in the comments below. 

Peace, love and light,

Amelia 

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup for the Soul

Ingredients:

2 organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded.
32 oz. organic free range chicken broth
1 cup of Lundberg wild blend rice
3 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cube of butter
1/2 cup of flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of carrot, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 cup of frozen peas, rinsed
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1 Add rice and chicken broth to a medium pan, on medium heat, with the lid on, until rice is cooked. About 45 minutes.

2 While the rice is cooking, sauté the olive oil, garlic, onion, carrot and celery in a stock pot over medium heat, until the onions are translucent. Remove the veggies and set aside for later.
3 Melt the butter in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the flour, whisking to make a roux. Cook until light blonde. Add the milk and continue whisking until milk thickens. Add the rice and stock mixture, veggies and shredded chicken. Stir together and simmer for ten minutes, to thicken and marry all of the flavors together. Add thyme, salt and pepper and frozen peas. Stir until peas are melted. Serve and enjoy!

If the soup isn't to your desired creaminess, you may add another splash of milk. The reason I suggest cooking the rice in the stock, is to use the rice as a thickening agent and eliminate the need for cream. This saves quite a bit of calories and makes for a hearty, creamy base without sacrificing flavor. 

Homemade Raw Almond Milk

I've never been a fan of dairy milk. The only way I would drink it as a child, was if there was so much Hershey's syrup mixed in, that it left a pool of chocolate at the bottom of the glass. Not much has changed as an adult. I spent years searching for an alternative for coffee, cereal and protein shakes, not only for flavor, but nutrition as well. Leaving the hormones and GMO's aside, organic milk is quite spendy as still has the strong cow's milk flavor that makes me cringe. Soy has a worse flavor in my opinion than the real deal and it wasn't until I discovered the delightful flavor of almond milk that I was satisfied. 

Why make your own you ask? Well you control everything that goes into it. You get the freshest flavor, avoid stabilizers, preservatives and sugar just to name a few. There's a large debate on a widely used thickening ingredient called Carrageenan that is added to processed almond milk and may possibly cause the C word.. CANCER. After further research, I found out there are two types of the seaweed extract; substance degraded and undegraded. They are very different compounds, only the undegraded carrageenan is approved for human consumption. Crisis averted, Gwyneth Paltrow can rest assured that her consciously uncoupled household shall remain cancer free. ;) As for the rest of us, just know that homemade is always best and all of your friends will think "You so fancy!" when they come over for tea and cookies and you bring out your beautiful French carafe of almond milk. (I have yet to do this for my friends, but it's on my list. Love you!) 

Take the extra time on a lazy weekend afternoon, 30 minutes of actual work at most and serve up a glass of almond milk. Just remember to stir before serving.

Raw Almond Milk

2 C. raw, organic, unsalted almonds
3 C. Pure filtered water
1 tsp. Organic vanilla or almond extract (or vanilla bean)
3-4 Tbs. of Stevia or natural sweetener (if sweetness is desired)
1/4 tsp. sea salt, fine grain


Cover the almonds with water in a small bowl and soak overnight (10-12 hours, at room temperature. Drain and rinse the almonds. Don't skip this step as soaking the almonds breaks down phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors and also cultures beneficial enzymes in the almonds. 

Add the almonds and filtered water to a food processor. Blend until pulverized and well combined. At this point, the mixture will be very frothy. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, several layers of cheesecloth or a nut bag into a large bowl. You may add the extract, salt and sweetener at this point if desired and stir until sweetener is dissolved. Taste for flavor, making any needed adjustments.

Funnel into an airtight container for storage. Since there are no stabilizers or preservatives, the shelf life is short for raw almond milk and it should be stored in the refrigerator for 4-7 days. Settling and separation are normal, shake before each use to combine.

As almonds are nutrient packed and can be pricey, get the most out of this recipe by reusing the almond pulp and making almond flour:

Almond Flour:

Preheat the oven to the lowest setting. Usually 150° or 170° F.

 Spread the pulp onto a cookie sheet lined with a silp mat or parchment paper. Place on the middle oven rack and leave the door slightly ajar, helping the moisture to escape. Bake the pulp for 2-3 hours until dry. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes and place back in the (dry) food processor to pulse until flour is smooth.

 Now you have almond flour to make some delicious cookies to dunk in your fresh almond milk! Give yourself a little hair jooge for being so awesome and handling the organic kitchen like a boss. Eat your heart out Martha Stewart! ;)

I haven't baked anything with my almond flour from this batch, but I'll be sure to post a great cookie recipe soon for you to try. I have to say, this process was fairly easy and I feel great knowing I've left all of the bad stuff out of my milk. No hormones or preservatives! try a batch out for yourself.

Xoxo,

Amelia.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

I had quite a bit of pesto and ricotta left over from my last blog post on bruschetta, so I started looking at a few other items I had on hand.  Bottled marinara and Parmesan are always a given in my fridge, I had 2 large grilled chicken breasts, the ricotta, basil and pesto. The wheels started turning, I always like to picture myself as a contestant on Chopped and think of what I would whip together in 30 minutes if $10 grand and my dignity depended on it. So I thought.. Italian ingredients.. pasta.. what do I have? Lasagna noodles.. hmmm... Rollatini! And just like that they all melded together into this delicious twist on a white lasagna. I think this recipe would get me through to the dessert round, but try it out yourself and tell me what your Chopped judges at home think.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rollatini

12 lasagna noodles
4 C. of well shredded chicken. (about 2 large breasts)
2 C. part skim ricotta
2 C. Italian cheese blend or mozzarella
1 C. spinach, shredded
1 C. pesto
1 jar of high quality bottled marinara
1 small bunch of basil leaves for garnish, chopped
shredded parmesan for plating


Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling and salted water until al dente. Drain the water, reserving a few inches in the bottom to keep the noodles from drying out or sticking as you work. Set aside off of the heat.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a large glass baking dish.

Use the time while the pasta cooks to make the filling. Mix the shredded chicken, ricotta, one cup of the Italian cheese blend, spinach and pesto together until well combined. 

Assemble the rollatinis by laying each noodle onto a cutting board, spread a thick layer of the filling onto the noodle, leaving an inch gap uncovered on the end to hold it together. Roll the noodle into a pinwheel and press the end to enclose the filling. Place the rollatinis into the greased dish, seam side down. Once all of the rollatinis are in the dish, spoon marinara sauce over the center of each and top with more cheese. Place in the oven uncovered and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly. Broil the last few minutes to brown the cheese if desired.

Plate with a 1/2 C. of marinara in the center of the plate, topping with a rollatini and garnishing with chopped basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Tropical Paradise Grilled Pineapple

Now that BBQ and grilling season are in full swing, I've been experimenting with grilled desserts. I came up with the idea for this light and tropical dessert after having grilled pineapple at a Brazilian steakhouse recently, which is one of my favorite treats. This version is so easy and will really wow your friends and family. 

Ingredients:

2 20 oz cans of pineapple rings

1 C dried coconut 

1 C dark rum 

1/2 C brown sugar

1 pint of Haagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream (you may substitute vanilla) 

1 lime or a handful of key limes for garnish 

Bosco Sea Salt Caramel Syrup

In a large bowl, drain the pineapple juice from both cans. Mix in the rum and brown sugar until well combined. Layer the pineapple rings as shown above. Cover and soak for at least 6 hours, but the best flavor comes from soaking overnight. 

Use tongs to place the rings side by side on a hot grill. The rings brown quickly, so watch them carefully. Once grilled on both sides, place on a serving platter to assemble later.

Brown the coconut on a microwave safe plate. Microwave on high for 30 second increments, stirring after each increment for even browning. This will take about two minutes total. 

To assemble, place two rings on top of one another in the center of the plate. Top with a quenelle of ice cream right in the center. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and sprinkle with toasted coconut. Garnish with a thin quarter slice of lime and serve. This can be a fairly healthy dessert if you serve with frozen yogurt, or indulge in some creamy Haggen Daas Pineapple Coconut Ice Cream.

 

On Wednesdays we wear PINK...Cupcakes

Today marks the ten year anniversary of the release of the movie Mean Girls. I can't even count how many times I have seen this film. My friends and I still quote the one liners often and giggle as if we have some secret inside joke with each other. I think that's why I love it so much. Everyone who survived high school knows a mean girl and was tortured by a Regina George clone at some point. And if we were really honest with ourselves, we all know we have had a little of the Regina sass from time to time as well. We aren't proud of it, but the truth is everyone can relate to parts of this film. Tina Fey did a remarkable job of writing the screenplay. You want to hate Regina so much, but end up feeling sorry for her and even liking her in the end.

So in honor of this landmark anniversary, I watched Mean Girls again today while I made these treats that are perfect for an all carb diet. You are guaranteed to loose 3 lbs after eating just one. And the color choice? Well today is Wednesday, after all. On Wednesday's we wear PINK. 

Here's a fun trivia link to 25 facts you didn't know about the film.

Normally I make my cupcakes from scratch, but as it's a weeknight, I came up with this semi-homemade option. It's healthier than store bought and tastes like you spent hours instead of minutes. Frosting is the longest process and even then, I cheated.

What you'll need:

1 box of cake mix

1 C. of diet soda

1 container of low fat greek yogurt

2 containers of flavored and colored frosting

2 tsp. of vanilla extract (add to the frosting for a more homemade flavor)

1 egg

This master recipe is so versatile, mix and match flavors to create endless possibilities. Today I used Funfetti cake, Diet orange soda, creamsicle yogurt and vanilla frosting. Pick flavors that compliment each other. Devils food cake, cherry coke zero and black cherry yogurt with chocolate frosting is another favorite of mine. Think light cakes with light or bright colored colas and dark cakes with dark colas for your best flavor bet. Or use basic white cake as a blank canvas for any flavor. Grape or strawberry soda go well with white cake.

 Mix all ingredients together in a large bow. For easier clean up, use the empty yogurt container to measure your soda. Fill it up for the equivalent of one cup.

Using a non-stick cookie sheet filled with liners, drop one large tablespoon into the center of each liner. You'll get about 16 cupcakes out of this batch. Fill the remaining empty slots half way with water for even baking.

Bake @ 450 degrees for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Set aside to cool on a baking rack.

A tip on filling frosting bags; set the bag over a tall glass and then fill with frosting. Now you don't have to juggle the bag and gooey mess.

Frost and decorate as desired.  Make sure to add sparkles. SO FETCH!!!

Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

I am still reveling and soaking in my whirlwind trip to NYC last week. The last day before we headed home was a Saturday, we thought it would be fitting to spend it like true New Yorkers in Central Park. The park was so beautiful and full of life. All of the wonderful colors and varying shades of green were so stunning to see in contrast to the monochromatic black of the city streets and typical New York attire.

How Beautiful is this electric blue water? It was an absolutely perfect day to wander around Central Park.

Rouge Tomate is a unique gourmet food truck in the park that uses solar panels to power and is 100% green, using biodegradable and recyclable materials.

 The smell of Moroccan chicken and burgers grilling perfumed the air all around and was memorizing. We just had brunch at Sarabeth's or I would have been trying one of everything on their menu.

I miss the abundance of small markets available with fresh produce, as we are just starting our growing season here in Utah. Chelsea market was a world of it's own I enjoyed visiting as we stopped in for lunch, taking in all of the culture and endless varieties of shops and dining options. I had the most amazing salad of fresh greens, chicken, vegetables and a carrot-ginger dressing, all while enjoying a view of the Hudson. 

All of the sights, smells and people watching inspired me to create this dish and bring some sunshine and color home to enjoy. 

 

Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

 

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of chicken thighs and drumsticks (or an entire chicken, divided into pieces)
• 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound fingerling or small red potatoes, halved
• 2 bunches of radishes, halved and leaves removed.
• 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
• 1 bunch of baby carrots with 1/4" of the stems remaining
• 1 small bag of snap peas (about 3/4 of a lb) washed and rinsed
• 2 T. lemon pepper seasoning
• 2 T. McCormick roasted garlic and herb seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
•  1 small bunch of each chopped; fresh rosemarry and thyme (lemon thyme if you can find it)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 F on convection roast. (500 degrees conventional)  Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Trim excess fat from chicken with kitchen shears. Season with 1 T. lemon pepper and the garlic and herb seasoning, Place chicken in a large (3 quart) baking dish that has been prepped with cooking spray. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the chicken and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes and radishes in half and quarter the shallot, breaking up the layers into individual slices. Slice one lemon into 1/8" slices, removing the seeds as you go. Toss the potatoes, radishes, carrots, snap peas, lemon slices and shallot and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl; season with salt and pepper and remaining tablespoon of lemon pepper. 

Remove the chicken from the oven and scatter the vegetables around it. Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Top with the herbs and continue to roast until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is golden and cooked through, about 25 more minutes.

Plate the chicken and vegetables. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the pan drippings over the meal just before serving. Top with a few fresh sprigs of herbs for presentation. Enjoy this flavorful and colorful meal outdoors on a patio, or in the park, where you can take in all of the beautiful flowers and smells of spring.