Comfort Foods - Chicken Soup 2 Ways

We've had a little cold running through our family this week, and nothing says comfort food more to me than chicken soup - especially when I'm a little sick. Today I'm going to share two chicken soup recipes. The first is my favorite one to make lately and is modified from a recipe I had found in Cooking Light. For the second recipe, I am grateful for this contribution from Kimi Harris, author of The Nourishing Gourmet. Thank you Kimi ~ I can't wait to try this one. I have a weakness for anything with turkey in it!


Chicken Orzo Soup

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 cup uncooked orzo

2 Tbs olive oil

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 to 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups water

6 fresh parsley sprigs

2 fresh thyme sprigs

8 cups fresh baby spinach (about half a bag of baby spinach salad mix)

juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

• ·      Cook orzo according to package directions.
• ·      Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
• ·      Add carrot, celery, onion, and chicken. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• ·      Stir in broth, water, parsley, and thyme.
• ·      Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• ·      Discard herb sprigs.
• ·      Add cooked orzo, spinach, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• ·      Simmer for 1 more minute.

Serves 8.

 

Note: I use the 32-oz boxes of chicken broth. I store the remainder in the fridge and add it to any leftover soup when I reheat it since the orzo absorbs a lot of the liquid in the soup.

Chicken Noodle soup, with Ground Turkey “Sausage” 
by Kimi Harris 

3 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
2 celery sticks, sliced thinly
1 onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of brown rice noodles, spiral, or other favorite shape
A handful of minced parsley, minced
Salt and pepper
Turkey sausage
1/2 pound of ground turkey (I use dark ground turkey meat)
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of garlic or one clove
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of thyme or sage
freshly ground pepper
1-Heat oil in pot over medium high heat. When hot, add chopped veggies, stirring frequently. Cook until vegetables are soft
2 -Add broth and bring to a boil. Add noodles, return to a boil, lower heat and let simmer until noodles are soft (check package for time allotment).

Meanwhile prepare turkey sausage:
3-In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the turkey with seasoning until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, drain off any fat, and add to soup when the noodles are done.
4-Add some minced parsley and cook for a few minutes. Check the taste. If using homemade broth, salt and pepper liberally to taste.
Serve with a green salad with Everyday Dressing and Millet Biscuits and you have a complete meal!