DIY Cream of Chicken Soup

If you are anything like me, you search the internet for recipes weekly, if not daily. There are always so many things that look yummy. And then I read the recipe, and find that it calls for a can of cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup. Almost. Every. Time. If you are reading this, you know how I feel about cans, in general...and BPA in cans, specifically. That's when I thought, "Hmm...I bet I can make my own 'soup'." I should warn this really isn't "soup", but - to be fair - I don't really think of the average condensed soup as such either. It is basically a bunch of chicken flavor with some cream and goodness knows what else. How hard could it be, right? 

Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

8 oz chicken broth from a carton (I use regular, not low sodium in this case)

2-4 tbsp of heavy cream

Pepper and other spices to taste

Method: 

Make a roux with your flour and butter, whisk over low heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and cream until completely combined (read: not lumpy). Turn the heat up a bit - stirring occasionally - until it starts to thicken. Substitute anytime a recipe calls for Cream of Chicken Soup. Note: next time, I may change the broth to cream ratio a bit. I think this is a personal preference. 

Voila! 

Here is a link for the recipe that inspired this life changing culinary choice: 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I should note that this recipe is not perfect, at least not the way I made it. Some of the ingredients were hard to work with (I used freshly grated cheese, instead of the pre-grated stuff). I think the lack of anti-caking agents in the cheese I used made it more difficult. However, I find that even if it didn't look as pretty in the baking dish, it looked pretty delicious once plated...especially next to the roasted garlic potatoes and green beans. In case you don't believe me, here's a picture: 

Next time, I think I'll concoct Cream of Mushroom Soup. :)

BPA is Not Your Friend

That's right - BPA is no bueno. If you are a mom of a young child (like me) you probably know this. If you aren't, you probably don't. It wasn't until I was pregnant with Alex that I started realizing that BPA wasn't something to mess around with. So I did what any new mom-to-be would do: I only bought bottles, pacifiers, and toys marked "BPA free", but continued to prepare meals with cans of beans, tomatoes, and my Sparkletts #7 water bottles. After Alex was born, I realized that if something isn't good for him, it's probably not good for anyone else either. So I started investigating (slippery for someone like me, I do realize).

Spare yourself the agony of Googling "BPA". Trust me. It sucks. It's, like, one of the worst things ever to be created. If you read my last post "Finding Peace as a Meat Eater" you know I am extreme, but also try to find balance. Of course, I will never be able to rid myself of this terrible chemical entirely, unless I never eat at a restaurant or use a food processor, or have that darn cranberry sauce out of a can at Thanksgiving. However, there is so much I can do to limit my exposure on a daily basis - when I cook at home - that I wanted to share with you. These are the ways to limit your exposure to BPA:

- let food cool a little before placing it in a food processor. BPA is most often leached when food is stored in the container or as the temperature rises. A quick 30 seconds in a food processor isn't going to do much, if anything...so process away! Making anything with fresh ingredients at home is still, like, 1,000 times better than buying a processed mess at a local store. 

- do your homework on canned foods (or keep reading and I'll tell you...). Companies like Trader Joe's and Eden offer a wide selection of canned goods that are BPA free. Trader Joes' canned corn, beans, and meats use BPA free lining. Eden has a wide variety of beans in BPA-free cans as well. Here is the link to read more: http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/7-companies-you-can-trust-to-use-bpa-free-cans.html

- NEVER BUY CANNED TOMATOES. If anyone ever finds tomatoes in a BPA free can, I may just have to make a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies for you to show my appreciation, because - as far as I know - they don't exist...something about the acidity in the tomatoes is too harsh...yada yada yada. This raises a red flag for me. If tomatoes' acidity is so strong, imagine the toll the can takes. No thank you! Instead, buy Pomi tomatoes. They come in a BPA free carton. While they aren't organic (boo!), they are not genetically modified (oh, don't even get me started on this...). I'll trade a little pesticide for a hormone-mimicking chemical any day. Whole Foods sells them, or you can order them online for a reasonable price. (Hint: if you go to Vitacost.com, you get FREE shipping on orders over $50. They are also available on Amazon (sometimes with Prime!). Here's more info from Pomi's website if you're interested: http://www.pomi.us.com/images/presslinks/PomiTomatoes_BPAFreeAlternativetoCans_EatDrinkBetter.pdf

Darn it all to heck! The baby just woke up. I wanted to post my recipe for the BPA-free spaghetti sauce I made last night. Oh well, that'll have to wait until next time.

In the spirit of my Italian Pomi tomatoes...

...Buona Sera! 

Finding Peace as a Meat Eater

I don't know about you, but I spent my early childhood thinking that livestock was always raised in open pastures, eating the things that - you know - they were supposed to eat; and that when they were slaughtered for food, it was done so as humanely and hygienically as possible. Then I learned that most meat was factory farmed, and most of the animals' welfare was put second to efficiency and profit. Obviously, I started thinking more and more about the food choices I was making. For the past 18 years, I've gone back-and-forth. At times, I'd only eat poultry, then only fish, but it was still the generic meat found in the local grocery store. Then I'd get even more fed up and become a full vegetarian. My diet would then consist of what most vegetarians live on - cheese, highly processed soy products and way too many carbs. I'd keep this up for a while, only to fantasize about meat...not the Double Double from In N Out (this would be the obvious desire), but the actual texture of meat. Clearly, I am not meant to be a vegetarian. My body needs meat. At the same time, I felt so bad contributing to the mass-production of improperly treated animals. Enter: humane farming practices.

I made a deal with myself: if I was going to eat meat, whenever possible, it would be humanely raised. I am not so unrealistic to say I will NEVER eat a traditional piece of meat. Unless I plan to live in a bubble, it's nearly impossible. It would basically mean never eating at 99% of restaurants or at other peoples' homes. I did, however, make a deal with myself. I would only buy meat to prepare at home that was from animals raised in the right conditions; and when going out or eating at someone else's home, I'd try to limit the meat I ate.

Here's my advice for finding the most humane and healthiest meat and other animal products: 

- buy only grass fed organic beef; it is lower in saturated fat, higher in omegas, and the animals are happier because they are eating what they are supposed to be eating. As a result, the cattle are not being treated with antibiotics. Yes, that's right. Antibiotics are used to kill all the illnesses that animals contract because of eating the wrong foods and living in terrible conditions. Cows are not meant to digest corn, just grass. Imagine what your body would feel like if you consumed only things that humans were never meant to eat. 

- shop at Whole Foods; all the meat at Whole Foods is given a 1-5 rating that is displayed next to each selection. The higher the rating, the closer to a completely natural environment the animal experienced. Check out the details here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/meat/welfare.php

- try certified humane eggs by Vital Farms (also available at Whole Foods); the farm raises hens on beautiful pastures, so your eggs are being laid by truly happy hens. This is how eggs are supposed to be. Check out their website: http://www.vitalfarms.com/

The con to eating this way: it's a little more pricey. However, I believe, if meat is cheap to buy, it was cheap to make (yuck!). And if we don't set aside time and money now, we'll be paying for it later in various ways. 

And there you have it! 

 

Ode to Eggs

For as long as I can remember, eggs have been one of my favorite foods. Over the past few months, a midmorning egg has been my go-to "second breakfast". (Yes, I eat two breakfasts - one while Alex scarfs down his blueberries and a more relaxed one during his morning nap.) I have kept this up for probably the last two months, so I thought I'd share my two favorite ways to eat eggs. 

First, the poached egg:

Aww, isn't it glorious? There is something about a perfectly poached egg paired with a perfectly toasted piece of sourdough bread that brings such joy to my tummy. 

I have been making poached eggs for years, but just last week I perfected them. Thanks to....the one and only Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Seriously, this woman is like my culinary savior. Her blog and TV show have given me a whole new lease on cooking comfort food. If you want to see how to make the best poached egg ever, check out her Eggs Benedict recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/10/eggs_benedict/. You may even want to try the hollandaise  sauce, because - OH MY GOODNESS - it looks good. 

Next, is my favorite way to eat scrambled eggs - in a breakfast burrito. It's really just an excuse to make homemade salsa. :) 

Here it is: 

When I was a salsa-making newbie, I wasn't confident enough to make salsa without a recipe. I found this one: http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/homemade-salsa/ (it's pretty darn good). As my confidence grew, I started tweaking things to make my own recipe...which I think I like better. 

You will need: 

- 4 small roma tomatoes

- 1/2 to 3/4 white onion

- 2 jalapeno peppers 

- 1 or 2 juicy limes

- salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

- 2-4 tablespoons of cilantro

Just chop and combine tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos (and please - for the love of all that is good - leave in the jalapeno seeds), sprinkle in salt and pepper and garlic, and squeeze in the lime juice. Stir and enjoy! 

(I must confess, I usually make my salsa the night before so I can have it with warmed tortilla chips...yummmmm!) 

In my next post, I will share tips on finding some of the best-tasting ingredients - including eggs (hint: it also involves buying eggs laid by hens who've been treated with love and kindness). They may be a little pricey compared to a traditional grocery store egg, but I promise you it's worth the couple of bucks. 

Ciao! 

Is Anything Better Than Pasta? Nope. Didn't Think So.

Seriously, if reincarnation exists, I was an Italian in my previous life. I love pasta. I could eat it everyday. I could eat with red sauce, white sauce, butter sauce...and if you add garlic into the mix, my day has pretty much been made complete.

Having said that (I always think of Curb Your Enthusiasm when saying this...haha), I eat it too often to always have a white sauce that is capable of clogging every artery I have. Enter, the greatest culinary epiphany I have had in the recent past: the not-full-of-cream-and-cheese sauce (sophisticated title, I know).

Here's what you need for 2-3 people:

- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 8 ounces of chicken broth (use low sodium, or take it easy on other salt in your dinner)
- 2-4 cloves of garlic (depending on how long you've known the person you'll be kissing later).

Melt the butter over low heat. When melted, add chopped garlic, and cook for a couple minutes. Next, add the flour, and whisk constantly for 2-3 minutes. Then, add in the chicken broth and whisk for 2-3 minutes until completely smooth. Turn up the heat a little and stir gently for as long as the sauce needs to become thick (not Alfredo thick, but enough to coat pasta).

This sauce is truly divine, and not full of cream and cheese (bittersweet, I know). Your waste line (and heart) will thank you.

I combined it with 6-8 oz of linguine, grilled chicken cut into strips, and pieces of roasted asparagus and it was magical. Oh, and I topped it with parmesan cheese, because what would pasta be without it? I can't even imagine.

Here is a photo of the deliciousness:

Here are some helpful hints I've discovered that really helped make this dish easy and delicious:

- Slice the chicken breasts in half (thinner chicken = more even cooking and shorter grill time).
- The asparagus roasted well at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
- Whole Foods sells organic chicken broth in 8 oz cartons (remember, avoid cans when at all possible. BPA is not your friend!).

Buona Sera!

The Best Pot Roast in the Whole Wide World

If you only cook one meal between now and the time the weather gets really warm (and you eat beef), make it this: The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes.

I cannot stress enough how wonderfully comforting this meal is. 

This recipe is so good, I completely went against my grocery list in order to add it to this week's menu. If you do it right, it will be so tender and flavorful you'll almost  forget you spent $28 on your grass fed chuck roast. :) (I know $28 sounds like a lot, but this easily feeds 4 people; or better yet - if you are a family of 2 - it's dinner for two nights. The leftovers will knock your socks off, as well.)

Here is a picture of the last time I made it, just in case you need convincing: 

If you don't like it, maybe you should become a vegetarian; it really doesn't get any better than this. 

Enjoy!  

Grass Fed Beef

Did you know that when eating 100% grass fed beef, instead of traditional grain fed beef, many of the health risks associated with beef consumption nearly disappear? 100% Grass fed beef is better because:

- it has lower amounts of fat
- it has higher levels of vitamin E
- it has higher levels of Omega-3 fatty acids
- its Omega-3 and 6 levels are health promoting 

AND

- cows are meant to eat grass, not grain. Thus, 100% grass fed cows are healthier - emotionally and physically.

To verify this information (and to learn more about grass fed beef) visit: http://novyranches.com/grassfed_beef_nutrition.htm