Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Indian-Inspired Chicken Soup

This soup is just a little more work that most of the recipes that I post here, but as long as you have an immersion blender (and you should, they're awesome! I have this one and I love it) then it's really not a big deal.

This recipe came about by taking my favorite parts of several real Indian soup recipes and combining them. The result is that this "franken-soup" is no longer very authentic (hence, 'Indian-Inspired) but it's really very tasty and wonderfully warming for fall and winter.

Keeping the chicken in quite large chunks to start makes it easier to remove the chicken when it's time to puree the soup. Then you can quickly chop the cooked chicken and add it back into the soup as more manageably sized pieces. This recipe is suitable for munchkins over 10 months.






















Indian-Inspired Chicken Soup

- 1 cup uncooked chicken breast,  large dice
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
- 2 tart apples (or if sweet, omit sugar), pared and chunked
- 1/4 cup butter or ghee
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp curry powder (preferably Madras)
- 6 cups low sodium or homemade chicken broth
- 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 med green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground mace (or substitute a pinch of ground nutmeg)
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cup cooked Basmati rice

Cook chicken, onion, celery, carrots, and apple in melted butter un a large saucepan over medium heat until softened and fragrant.

Stir in flour and curry powder and cook 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, over low heat until chicken is tender, roughly 20 minutes.

Remove and reserve chicken with a slotted spoon. Fish out and discard the cloves.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is smooth (Alternatively you can work in batches in your blender or food processor). Give the chicken a rough chop to make the pieces bite-sized. Stir in cooked rice.

Enjoy!

* Serves 4-6




Tuesday, January 3, 2012

10 Favorite Recipes of 2011

This is a list of the Munch recipes from 2011 that I find myself coming back to again and again. The one thing that they all have in common is that they are drop dead easy to make and always welcome at the table or in the lunchbox.

What was your favorite Munch recipe of 2011?

1. Chocolate Raspberry Oatmeal
2. 50/50 Bread
3. Chocolate Tofu Pudding
4. Blueberry Banana Mini-Muffins
5. Senegalese Peanut and Tomato Soup
6. Whole Poached Chicken
7. Luc's Favourite Tomato Sauce
8. Baked Coconut Shrimp
9. Curried Chicken and Cheese Balls
10. Honeyed Blueberry Yogurt

New Year, New Posts

I have decided to resurrect this blog! I'm not sure if any of my readers are still out there, but I'm very excited about reconnecting with you and anyone new stumbling onto here! I won't be posting as frequently as I used to, but at the very least I will have a new post up here every Tuesday.

I  hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is looking forward to a Happy New Year!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Luc is 2!

Actually he turned two on the 6th, but we've been out of town since then without...gasp...internet access! I can't believe how big my little boy is getting. He seemed to lose his 'babyness' overnight, and what he can do and how well he can communicate now just amazes me compared to only a month ago. 


Yesterday he told me that there where "birds flying in the air" complete with flapping arms. This was his longest sentence yet and contained two words he's never said before! 



Luc had a small but very happy birthday party at home with people close to him and managed to get completely spoiled. For the party, I made these really yummy-- but not even a little bit healthy-- cupcakes. I went classic with Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing. I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe which I highly recommend as it's not only super quick and easy, it'll stay super moist for 3 days covered at room temperature . Also, they must've been good because Luc learned the word 'cake' solely from seeing and eating these on his party day. 


So when you're feeling indulgent, you can find the recipe here. To make it into cupcakes simple cut the cooking time to around 12 minutes, keeping an eye on them and checking with a toothpick until it comes out clean. 


I always make my own icing because not only does it take about 5 minutes but I find that the canned ones taste like plastic. I love this cake recipe iced with a Chocolate and Espresso Icing but that's not exactly kid-friendly, so I tried a Vanilla Buttercream Icing that turned out wonderfully. Next time I make these, I'm going to try subbing out the vanilla for peppermint extract and make Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream Icing...YUM!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Recipe Shout-Out: Amazing Grilled Cheese

This Grilled Cheese with White Cheddar, Carmelized Onions and Sage recipe from Gaby over at Broke-ass Gourmet is super easy and insanely delicious.  Luc and I both inhaled them. It's just not the same without  white sourdough bread so don't be tempted to sub in something healthier -- sometimes it's just not worth the compromise. Next time you have a craving for some goey cheesy goodness make this super flavorful sandwich, you will not be dissapointed!


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Honey-Curry Dip

It's no secret that kids (and most adults!) like food better that they are able to dip into a tasty sauce. This is a super quick, tangy and slightly sweet dip that works beautifullly with veggies or homemade chicken nuggets for anyone over the age of one. Practically guaranteed to singlehandedly increase vegetable consumption!

Honey-Curry Dip

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can use regular but it'll be thin)
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or Veganaise)
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tbsp honey

Gently whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Enjoy!


* makes 1/2 cup
* will keep covered tightly in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Seeds Banned!

It's been so long since I've posted, anyone reading might have thought something horrible had happened to my hands that I couldn't cook or type. So...that isn't what happened. What has happened is a combination of lack of inspiration, busy schedules, failed cooking experiments, and one small boy with an enormous amount of energy!

My son's daycare has just informed us that we can no longer pack any seeds or seed butters in his lunches and snacks! While on the one hand I want to be respectful of children with allergies, on the other hand it's a huge pain in the ass! Nuts and seeds are so healthy and I do try to encorporate them regularly in Luc's diet. Since he started daycare, as I've posted previously on here, I've subbed Sunbutter for nut butters so that I can continue making some of his favorite snacks. Well...I guess I need work on developing a bigger repertoire of seed and nut free/ easily packed/easily eaten independently by toddlers snacks....sigh...
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