Chicken Matzah Ball Soup

During the rainy weather, or when I'm not feeling very well, a big 'o bowl of soup is my go to meal. Though I'm not a huge, huge fan of simple chicken soup, I do make it once or twice a year. In my opinion though, its a dumpling or rice noodle pho that really warms my insides.

This soup isn't either a dumpling or rice noodle, but it is better than both of  those. It's a variation of Matzah Ball soup but with the added yumminess of ground chicken. I still kept it very simple to make because I love the taste of Matzah balls, but also if you are down with a cold it can be made relatively quickly, which is a plus. Though feel free to add anything to it as you desire!

Chicken Matzah Ball Soup
Serves 4-6

1 Package Matzah Ball Mix
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Oil
1/2 lb Ground Chicken
6 C Chicken Stock
1 Carrot (Peeled & Sliced)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Zucchini (Chopped)
2 C Fresh Spinach (Washed)

Optional add ins:  Thyme, Oregano. Corn

-Mix Matzah Ball mix, Eggs & Oil according to package instructions & refrigerate for 5 mins.
-Add Chicken to the mixture until fully combined and refrigerate 10 more mins.
-Bring Chicken Stock, Carrots and S&P to a boil in a med pot.
-Take Chicken-Matzah mix and scoop about 1-2 tablespoons into your wet hands and form into a ball then dump into boiling Stock. Repeate with remaining mixture.
-Toss in Zucchini and cook for 20 mins, covered.
-Add in Spinach, making sure to stir all spinach into the soup and cook another couple of mins.

NRW 3-Bob's Red Mill Black Bean Soup-Kinda

New Recipe Week 3

Well for this week I decided to try out Bob's Red Mill Bountiful Black Bean Soup, but it ended up more of a (tomato-less) Black Bean Chili.

It came out pretty yummy and I served it over Trader Joe's Corn Bread. It was the perfect meal for this rainy January night. What I would change for next time: actually use real chili peppers instead of the Cayenne Pepper, add more seasoning like Italian seasoning mix, it was a tad on the bland side.

Here's my version of the recipe (Serves 6):

1 Cup Roasted Corn (put frozen corn on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 mins.)
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Onion (Chopped)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (Chopped)
1 Tsp Crushed Garlic
3 Cups Veggie Stock (homemade-see directions below)
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Bob's Red Mill Black Bean Soup Mix
1 Cup Butternut Squash (Chopped)
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Turkey
2 Bay Leaves
1 Tsp Ea. Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Paprika & Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper to Taste

-In a Heavy Soup Pot heat oil then saute onion for a few mins. Add Red Bell Peppers & Garlic and saute another minute.
-Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Veggie Stock: I keep a freezer bag in the freezer and fill it with veggie trimmings when I'm prepping various dishes. I fill it with squash tops/bottoms, onion trimmings, carrot shavings, etc. and it takes me about a month to fill the bag. Then I combine with 6-8 quarts of water in a large stock pot, boil and simmer for about 2 hrs. This produces about 20 cups of broth which I strain into quart size freezer bags, freeze then use when needed!