Chicken Soup With Vegetables

Ingredients:

  • 1 large roasting chicken
  • 4 quarts water
  • 4 stalks celery, sliced
  • 2 large leeks, sliced
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • 2 potatoes, cubed
  • 4 cups parsnip, chopped
  • 1 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chopped dill, fresh
  • 6 tablespoons parsley, fresh

Instructions:

  1. Put the water and the chicken in a large pot and bring the water to a boil.
  2. Add the leeks, parsnips, celery, carrots, parsley, dill, and the salt and pepper.
  3. Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
  4. Remove the chicken.
  5. Strain broth to remove vegetables and set aside.
  6. Refrigerate the broth to solidify the fat.  
  7. Cool chicken, remove the skin and bones.
  8. Cut the meat into bite-size chunks and refrigerate.
  9. Skim the fat from the broth.
  10. Bring the broth to a boil.
  11. Add chicken, zucchini and cooked vegetables to the soup.
  12. Simmer about 15 minutes.

Servings: 16 (1 cup)

Winter Salad


Salad:

  • 1  1/2   heads romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 2 apples, cubed
  • 4 cups spinach
  • 2 red bell peppers, cubed
  • 1 container cherry tomatoes
  • 6-8 tablespoons cranberries
  • 4 cups carrots, grated
  • 1/2  cup parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 cup almonds, slivered

 

Dressing:

  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1⁄2 cup vinegar
  • 1 cup olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Combine all salad ingredients.
  2. Combine honey and mustard until smooth.
  3. Add vinegar to honey-mustard and blend well.
  4. Slowly add oil to step 3 while beating with a whisk.
  5. Pour dressing over salad.
  6. Add almonds and serve immediately.

Servings: 8

 

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 8 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 cups low-fat chicken broth
  • 2 cups non-fat milk
  • 4 cups diced chicken, skin removed
  • 1/2  teaspoon salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cups rice, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

 

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
  2. Grease a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish.
  3. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  4. Whisk in flour and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Gradually stir in broth and milk until thick and smooth.
  6. Stir in chicken. Add salt and pepper; set aside.
  7. Spread rice in prepared baking dish, sprinkle with the peas and then pour creamed chicken mixture over.
  8. Dot with remaining tablespoon of butter.
  9. Mix cheese and bread crumbs and sprinkle
  10. Bake until hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

 

Servings: 8

 

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

  •  4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2  cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 1/2  cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • Pinch fresh nutmeg, grated
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2   teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2   cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/3   cup flour

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
  2. Boil sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan over medium heat until tender.
  3. Drain the water and mash potatoes until smooth.
  4. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, eggs, white sugar, butter (half of it) salt, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
  5. Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  6. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour.
  7. Cut in the remaining butter until the mixture is coarse.
  8. Stir pecans into the brown sugar mixture.
  9. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes.  (Topping should be lightly brown)

Servings: 12

Low Fat Egg Nog

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups nonfat milk
  • 4 tablespoons lemon or orange zest
  • 2 vanilla beans
  • 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • Fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 12 cinnamon sticks
  • 3/4 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Combine 3 cups milk and the zest in a medium saucepan.
  2. Split the vanilla beans (lengthwise and scrape out the seeds) add the seeds and pod to the saucepan and simmer over medium heat.
  3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a medium bowl until light yellow.
  4. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Make sure you whisk constantly.
  5. Pour mixture back into the pan and place over medium heat.
  6. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the eggnog begins to thicken, (around 8 minutes).
  7. Remove from the heat.
  8. Immediately stir in the remaining 1 cup milk to stop the cooking.
  9. Transfer the eggnog to a large bowl and place over a larger bowl of ice to cool.
  10. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  11. Remove the zest and vanilla pod.
  12. Garnish with nutmeg and serve with a cinnamon stick.

Servings: 12 (1/2 cup size)