Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup With Asparagus and Caramelized Mushrooms

This is my 2nd time making this dish and I LOVE it! It's kinda chickenoodlesoupy but with a lot more flavor! It's made with a ton of delicious, fresh, healthy ingredients from the farmers market, my yard, and of course Publix.

Ingredients:
6T Butter/Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts
2 48oz boxes of Chicken Broth
2 Lemons
1 Lime
2T white wine Vinegar
1/2T Sriracha
1/2 a red/purple Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 large Carrot (or several smaller ones)
1/2 a Bell Pepper (I used green this time and orange last time, doesn't matter)
1 Bay Leaf
2T dried Thyme (or several fresh, sprigs if you have it)
1 sprig fresh Rosemary
Seasoning Salt (I use McCormic)
Paprika

1 Tomato
8oz Baby Bella Mushrooms
1 Shalot (or the other half of the red onion)
1 box Orzo pasta
Fresh Basil
Fresh Parsley
A bunch of Asparagus (and/or fresh chopped Spinach, Broccoli, Green Beans, Asparagus Beans...)

Ok, so first things first; chop up the onion and garlic, and zest the lemons. Trim the meat and season it with seasoning salt and paprika. Put half of the oil in large stock pot with all the garlic, half the onion, and a liiiitle bit of the lemon zest. Let that sizzle until the onions barely start to caramelize. Then, put the chicken in and sear it on each side. Once the chicken is seared you will add much of the remaining ingredients.... Add the rest of the chopped onion, juice of both lemons and the lime, white wine vinegar, diced carrot and Bell Pepper, Bay leaf, Thyme, and Rosemary. (All of the italicized ingredients at the bottom of the ingredient list are not added until the end!)

Bring all that to a boil then turn it down to simmer for a couple hours, until the chicken just starts to fall apart. You can speed this up by chopping up the chicken before seasoning and searing it.

So, when the meat is starting to fall apart it's time to initiate the next phase. I learned a little something about cooking mushrooms from this post; which is why the mushrooms receive the treatment they do. You will need to chop up the shallot and mushrooms. Put the remaining butter or oil in a large skillet and heat on medium heat. When the oil is hot, put in the chopped shallot and mushrooms and allow them to caramelize, stirring occasionally.
While the mushrooms caramelize, you will need to add the Orzo and diced Tomato to the soup. Then, when there's only a few minutes left add the Asparagus (chopped into bite sized pieces), chopped fresh Basil and Parsley (if you don't have fresh, just leave the Basil and Parsley out). When I add the Asparagus I remove the tough bottom section, but the bottom of the edible part I put in first, then the middle, then the top; each a minute or 2 after the previous, this keeps the tops from getting overcooked, the tops barely need to cook at all.
Immediately before serving, stir half of the caramelized shallot and mushrooms into the soup; save the other half to sprinkle on top as a garnish.

And there you have it! Lemon Chicken Orzo soup with Asparagus and Caramelized Mushrooms. The first time I made it I added chopped fresh Spinach near the end with the fresh Basil and Parsley. It was delish! We are starting to have a TON of Yard Long Beans (aka Asparagus Beans) in the garden, so I might try them next time, instead of Asparagus. I think Broccoli would be good in this soup as well (or instead).
Enjoy!

Change of plans...

A few months ago I said I would be getting co-op produce boxes for the foreseeable future... Well sometimes the future presents unforeseen circumstances that bring about change. This is one of those times, sort of. My reasons are MANY... here are a few of them.

First, the co-op changed the pick-up time from 4:30 to 2:15. The middle of the day on Saturday was inconvenient for me as I am typically in the middle of something, gardening, chores, homework.... I sucked it up and made the time for a few more weeks. But, at the same time I kept having items in my box that were unusable either due to spoilage, I had a ton of the item already (I'm looking at you potatoes), or because I didn't like the item. Yes, the co-op has a trade-in box. So you can trade stuff, but at a certain point that is a pain. I felt bad trading more than 1 or 2 items in the box, and sometimes the trade-in box didn't have anything I wanted. As far as the spoiled food, I get it, it happens. They do guarantee their product, but every week there was something and again it was kind of a pain, especially if I was planning something for that item.

While all of this was going on I made a life changing discovery.... There is a year-round farmers market 5 minutes from my house!!!! So, I didn't order a co-op box that week and we tried the farmers market instead. HOLY. CRAP.  That week I got SO MUCH fresh produce.... at least as much as was in one of the co-op boxes but.... I only spent $12 (as opposed to $20-25) and I got to hand select my items, meaning nothing went to waste. There was even vendors at the market selling farm fresh eggs and raw honey (the other two things the co-op provides). I was hooked!

We are still working on the yard but when planting season (September here in Florida) comes around our garden bed will be filled with beautiful soil and plants. The plan is to be able to grow as much of our produce as we can. Based on the research I have done, we should be able to grow most of what we eat. So, when that time comes I may not need to go to the farmers market anymore. I am growing almost all my own herbs now and I harvested my first home grown onions this week. I can't wait until I can just walk out into my yard and pick the veggies for that days meal! But for now, I will get what I need from my local farmers market :)

Avocado Pasta Sauce

I love pasta, especially with creamy sauce like Alfredo. Unfortunately, I am lactose intolerant and thus can only have it in limited quantities. Fortunately, I also love avocados! When I heard that I could make a delicious creamy pasta sauce out of them, I couldn't wait to try it! The first time I made it, I was hooked!

Avocado pasta sauce is now in the list of go-to recipes for me! This weeks Produce Co-Op box has avocados in it. So, I figured now was a good time to finally write down the recipe...

Ingredients:
2-3 ripe avocados (pitted and pealed)
butter/olive oil
1 lemon
garlic salt
cream cheese

Optional ingredients:
Green onion/chives
basil
Parmesan
shredded mozzarella
sour cream
tomatoes
other herbs
bacon
anything else your imagination can come up with!

I cook the pasta first- I find that spaghetti type noodles don't work as well as other types (like bowtie, spiral, or elbow) since the sauce is kind of sticky, spaghetti/angel hair noodles tend to become a giant clump of pasta and sauce. Once it is done and strained, leave it in the strainer.
But, while the pasta is cooking I do the prep for the sauce.
First, the avocado needs smashing. I have done this in a food processor, potato ricer, and ziploc bag. If the avocado is soft enough, I just put it in a ziploc and smash it with my hands. I like this method best because it doesn't contribute to the pile of dishes I tend to create. If I don't have any bags, or the avocado is too firm to smash with my hands, I prefer the texture produced by the potato ricer versus the food processor.
Next, you need to zest the lemon. When the pot you cooked the pasta in is empty put it back on the burner on low, add a couple tablespoons of butter and/or olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the lemon zest and cook for a couple minutes. Then, add the avocado and the juice of the whole lemon. Stir that up. Add about 1/4-1/2 a block of cream cheese and few shakes of garlic salt. Some recipes I have seen for avocado pasta don't have any dairy in them, you can do that too. I even tried it with vegan "cheese" once, it just wasn't as good, in my opinion.
Once the cheese is melted and everything is well mixed, I add the pasta back to the pot and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. At this point I usually add a little Parmesan and/or some of the other optional ingredients I listed. That's it! Time to eat! I usually serve this pasta with fish but it's good with chicken or by itself too. One of my favorites with it is my Tomato Lime Tilapia (only I use fresh tomatoes now that I seem to have an endless supply of them from the co-op).

Give it a try! I Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Quick Refrigerator Pickles!

So, I LOVE pickles! I especially love it when they're super crisp and delicious.
Every time I get my hands on cucumbers, I turn at least some of them into pickles. I am told these are more marinated cucumbers. But, I'm not sure when they cross from marinated cucumber territory into pickle territory... they taste like pickles to me!

This recipe is for 2 Quart jars- So, half of each amount goes in each jar.
Ingredients:
2-3 large cucumbers
1/2 a bell pepper
1T whole black pepper
3T salt
3T white vinegar
8 pearl onions
6 cloves of garlic
a bunch of dill... differs based on fresh/dried
water

I simply chop the cucumbers and bell peppers, I take the papery outside off the onions and garlic, but I leave them whole. I split all the ingredients between the 2 jars and fill the rest of the way with water, leaving only a little space at the top (as seen in the picture). Then, shake them and put them in the fridge for 24 hours (shaking every 8 hours or so). DONE!

When I have enough fresh dill, I cram as much in there as seems reasonable. This time I only had a little fresh dill (my plants haven't recovered from the last batch of pickles). So, I supplemented with dried dill. When I have dried, store bought, dill I find the strength of their flavor varies greatly. (That being said, I usually use *about* 2T dried dill in each of the 2 jars and adjust accordingly.) You can use any amount of pretty much any ingredient EXCEPT the salt and vinegar. You can, of course, tweak those a bit too... but I can tell you from experience, it's easier to add more than remove it if it's too strong... Note: I have never had pickles that were "too dilly" I just don't know if that's possible. I have however, had pickles that are too oniony... please, learn from my mistakes. lol

As you can tell, the recipe is not exact. But, remember you can always add more after your first taste!

Hope you like it!

Modified French Chicken

I have this photocopy of a photocopy of a recipe that my mom cut out of a newspaper some 20+ years ago. I remember she would make a slightly altered version using white wine instead of red, fresh mushrooms instead of canned, and corn starch to thicken it, instead of tapioca. I have made it a number of times and each time I deviate a little further from the recipe. Well, the produce box this week had mushrooms in it and someone in the co-op posted a photo of mushrooms on some pasta and it reminded me of this recipe. So, that's what we had for dinner last night! As you can see, the original recipe was a crock pot recipe; If you use a crock pot you can just put the chicken in, put the chopped up veggies and other ingredients in the pot and turn it on low-medium. Stir occasionally. And it's done in 7+ hours. When I have time, I do cook it that way but, I didn't have that luxury this time. The following instructions are for stove-top preparation.

You will need:

1-2 lbs of chicken (I used 4 chicken breasts)

Mushrooms

Carrots

Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

1/2c Wine (white or red, both are good)

2T Butter (I used 1T of butter and 1T of my pepper oil)

2c Chicken Broth

1/2-1 Sweet Onion

3 cloves of Garlic

The leaves from a few sprigs of fresh Thyme (or 1/2t dried)

1 Bay Leaf

Corn Starch or Flour to thicken.

Salt to taste

Start by chopping up your garlic and onion into very small pieces.  Put that in a pot with the butter/oil and turn on low. Finish chopping the remaining veggies into bite size pieces set them aside for now. 

Turn up the burner to medium and when the pot is hot and the garlic and onions are sizzling add the chicken. Turning after a couple minutes, once the first side is just barely cooked. Then, you can add the all the remaining ingredients (except the corn starch/flour and about 1/4c of the chicken broth, save those till the very end). When it starts to boil turn the burner back to low.

I let this simmer on the stove for about an hour and a half while I finished up some homework. When everything in the pot is cooked through is long enough, but the longer you let it cook, the more tender the chicken will be and the more flavorful the sauce. I like to cook it as long as I can to get as close to the crock-pot-chicken as possible. Anyway, when it's about done mix the reserved 1/4c of broth with 1-2T corn starch or flour. I used flour this time, because I was out of corn starch; but I prefer the corn starch. Once mixed, add it to the pot, stir, and let simmer a couple more minutes until the sauce has thickened.

 I usually serve this over pasta, but I have also made it with rice and that was good too. Give it a try, let me know what you think!

Fire Roasted Pepper Infused Oil

I promised the Fire Roasted Pepper Oil recipe a couple weeks ago. So, here it is! It's super simple and makes adding a little extra flavor to a dish really easy.

You will need:
A canning jar or 2
Pure Olive Oil- not extra virgin
Peppers- So far, I've only done this with bell peppers and baby bell peppers but I'm sure you could use other peppers as well. I've heard chili pepper infused oil is really good!

In this batch used a total of 4 full size bell peppers for the 2 quart jars shown to the right. Half a pepper of each color (red, green, orange, and yellow) went into each jar.
I have seen similar recipes which included garlic and/or onions as well. I might try that next time!!

Preheat the oven to about 275°F. Wash the peppers, cut them in half, remove the seeds and stems. I wait and make this whenever I happen to be grilling so I don't have to light the grill just to roast peppers for 10 minutes. You could also roast them in the oven if you don't have, or don't want to use, a grill.

So, once the peppers are prepared, and the grill is hot, you put them on the grill for about 5 minutes on each side. Just until they are a little softened and have grill marks on them. You don't want them too charred or too mushy. They will cook a little more in the next step.

When they are ready, put half of each pepper in each jar. Then, pour the olive oil over them. You can really use as much or as little as you want but make sure to leave at least an inch or so of space at the top. Place the jars in a metal roasting pan and into your pre-heated oven until the oil in them is bubbling steadily, about 20-30 minutes. This is why you don't want to over fill the jars, so it doesn't bubble over. After the oil reaches a boil, remove the tray of jars from the oven and carefully place the jar lids on the jars. Make sure they are on straight in order to properly form a seal, but be careful the metal lids heat up fast! As the jars cool the lids should suction and seal. Allow them to cool all the way to room temperature before transferring them to the fridge.

From what I've read, the peppers and oil can be kept for up to 3 months in the refrigerator, or longer in the freezer. The oil becomes cloudy and solidifies a bit in the fridge making it really easy to scoop out a tablespoon or 2 for cooking. I find myself replacing olive oil with this pepper oil in pretty much all my dishes. So, I go through it pretty quickly but I did put one of these jars in the freezer because I doubt I could use both quarts within 3 months.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

*A note about canning: I am a complete noob to canning. I have a basic understanding but not much experience, yet. Many recipes similar to this make no reference to sealing the jars at all (most skip the oven step completely-but I think it gets more pepper flavor into the oil). It is refrigerator kept and is good for 3 months even without being sealed — So, sealing the jar is probably not imperative, for this recipe. I do wonder though, could properly sealed jars keep for longer, maybe even out of the fridge? I've read arguments against oven canning, but I can find just as many people who are pro-oven. Would I need to pressure can them, since there is oil involved?
Have you made or canned infused oils before? If so, what have you learned?

TACOS!

So, this weekend we spent most of the time working in the yard. We we did get to go to ECHO's annual Food and Farm Festival, which was awesome! While we were there we picked up some more plants for our backyard food forest in progress. If you have not been to ECHO, I highly recommend it! When we got back from that, we picked up this weeks produce box and headed home. I started cooking dinner and while it simmered we planted. What I made for dinner was inspired by the Cubanelle Peppers in this weeks box: TACOS!!


You will need:

1lb Ground Beef
1 Cubanelle Pepper
1 Baby Bell Pepper
2 Tomatoes
1 small Onion
4-5 cloves of Garlic
Fresh Oregano
Fresh Savory
1-2T Chili Powder
1-2T Sirracha
1 7oz can of Tomato sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

I started by removing the seeds from the peppers (setting them aside for potential planting) and putting the peppers in the food processor with the tomatoes, garlic, and onion. I had a huge onion left from my produce box the other week. So, I used half of that instead of a whole normal sized onion. I chopped up the fresh herbs. I had never used Savory before; it is one if the things we got at ECHO. I really liked it!

I browned the meat. Once the meat was about half way cooked, I poured in the salsa-y mix from the food processor along with the remaining ingredients. You can of course alter your amounts of everything, particularly the Chili Powder and Sirracha to your prefered level of spice.

I let that cook down for about 2 hours and soak up all the flavor. You could just cook until the meat is cooked through, but I would not add the can of tomato sauce. That way it isn't too runny, since the liquid won't have time to evaporate off.

I served it topped with chopped Grape Tomatoes, Romaine Lettuce (both from the produce box), black olives, shredded cheese, and sour cream. I wanted to have avocado on it too but they were not ripe enough. It came out super tasty!