Thursday, November 20, 2014

N is for noodles - a chicken (or turkey) noodle soup


i made this pot of loveliness on tuesday for my kids and wonderful babysitting-in-laws.  i had pitching lessons so they got to be with the kids with chris out and about.  i even prepped some manchego grilled cheese sandwiches:)

how did it go?  well, mary and larry LOVED both the soup and sandwiches.  the kids politely declined my soup and gobbled up all the grilled cheese. 

ingrates.

i reheated the soup for next day leftovers and gave all three of them a nice large bowl with calm, simple instructions: if they wanted any of the organic potato chips i had to share, they would have to eat the entire (freaking) bowl.

they licked their bowls clean.  mac and abbie even complimented my soup.  they also tried to leave some vege in the bowl... 

"i'm done!"

"no.you're.not."

my shady food blackmail tactic worked.  and boy do i.love.my.chips.


to the mullies with chicken noodle soup 

2 T coconut or extra virgin olive oil
6 organic rainbow chard ribs chopped (i reserve them when i make sautéed greens or smoothies! kale - hello 52 new foods challenge! - or celery works well here too).
1/2 organic red onion
4 small organic carrots
2 cloves of garlic
pinch of dried thyme
sage salt
2 qts organic vege stock
1 tsp organic chicken bouillon (optional)
1 soup bowl full of organic frozen peas
1 soup bowl full of gluten free pasta (i love the tinkyada brand)
2 handfuls of shredded organic chicken or turkey (hello leftovers from earlier in the week)

heat oil in a large stockpot over med-low heat.  add chopped chard ribs, onion, carrots, garlic, thyme, sage salt & pepper.  stir, sauté and cover low and slow until onions are translucent and just beginning to caramelize (20-30 min).  dump stock + bouillon and bring to a boil.  reduce heat, throw chicken in, cover and simmer for a short or long bit.  when you are 15-20 min from serving, bring heat back up and add peas and gluten free pasta.  season to taste.  the noodles and chicken will continue to break down with every leftover reheat... it just gets better and better.

from start to finish, you could totally make this soup fast, in 30-40 minutes.  however, i think the deliciousness factor went up 10 fold because i took my time with it.  i slow cooked the soffritto, simmered the stock, vege and chicken for a while (probably over an hour!), and then had it for two days of leftovers. the chard adds depth that celery can only wish it had!

when i got home, the noodles had blown up big sitting and cooling in the pot... i think that's my favorite part.  I had my last bowl yesterday for lunch and it was so tasty and thick and wonderful and oh I miss it in my fridge so much already.  

warm your little hearts up!  i think i'll be making it again with our turkey leftovers as it'll sure pair well with our weekend football fixins.

happy friday you foodie freakos,

xoxoL









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