Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

 

This soup is absolutely delicious!  It does take some extra steps, but we really enjoy it!  I recently brought this to a party, and someone said it tasted better than Panera's.  I also make a vegetarian version for my daughter, and she loves it.  You can also make this wheat/gluten free by using *gluten free flour.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked wild rice

2 Tbsp olive oil (I prefer extra light tasting)

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced

2 lbs chicken breast, cut up into bite size pieces

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp each dried thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, and black pepper

2 tsp salt, divided

6 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour*

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Cook wild rice.  The method I prefer is to use my instant pot.  I put 1 cup wild rice, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 tsp salt into my instant pot.  I set it on high for 30 minutes and let it natural release for at least 10 minutes.  I do this first while I prepare the rest of my soup.

Cook onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil, stirring often, in a large pot for about 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cut up chicken and continue stirring and cooking until the chicken is mostly no longer pink.  Add chicken broth, spices, and 1 tsp salt, and bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally.  

In a different sauce pan, melt butter on medium heat.  Whisk in flour and stir.  Add milk and heavy cream.  Whisk often and cook until the milk is very thick.  Add mixture to the soup and whisk in. Add cooked rice into your soup as well and stir well.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian version: leave out the chicken and use veggie broth in place of chicken broth

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

 

This is a modification of my previous Savory White Chicken Chili, but this one has become our favorite version.  It has become a favorite, and I have brought it to different potlucks and had people comment about how much they like it.  My kids enjoy eating their chili with pasta.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1-2 pounds chicken breasts

1 medium onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

4.5 oz can chopped green chiles 

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup sour cream 

Directions

Add all ingredients except sour cream to crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken and add sour cream before serving.  

Vegetarian version: my vegetarian daughter loves this chili!  It's one of her favorites!  Leave out the chicken and replace the chicken broth with veggie broth, and that's it!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (gluten free)

 

I have made this creamy chicken noodle soup several times now, and it has been a big hit in my house.  You can totally make this with all-purpose flour and regular noodles if you do not need gluten free.  My daughter is a vegetarian, so I make a smaller version for her as well, and she loves it!  

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces (leave out for vegetarian)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow or sweet onion, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)

1/3 cup gluten free flour

10 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian)

3 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp each of dried parsley, basil, salt

1 tsp each of dried thyme, oregano, pepper

16oz gluten free pasta (my favorite is Tinkyada brand) (may want to add an additional 4-8oz of pasta if doing vegetarian, depending on how thick you want your soup)

3 cups half and half

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

Cook onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil on medium heat until vegetables soften.  Add chicken and cook about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and flour and stir.  Add 9 cups of broth.  Whisk cornstarch with remaining 1 cup broth, and add to soup.  Add all the spices and bring to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to time on the package.  Add half and half, cream, and parmesan (may need to whisk to get out any lumps of cheese.  Remove from heat and enjoy!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

 

I've made this gluten free crust several times now, and it's really delicious!  I've used it for quiches as well as pumpkin pies.  I got the original recipe on King Arthur's website.  I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour, and it works well.  I have read that not all gluten free flours work as well as others.  The first time I didn't add any water, and my crust fell apart.  The next few times I added 1 Tbsp of water and that seemed to work very well.  I might try adding 2 Tbsp of water and see if it holds even better next time.  It should be smooth like a regular crust and not crumbly. The original recipe does call for clearjel, but it's optional, so I haven't tried using it.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups gluten free flour (I chose Bob's Red Mill)

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, cold

1 large egg

2 tsp lemon juice

*For an egg free crust, the recipe states using 4 Tbsp cold water in place of the egg and lemon juice.

Directions

Spray/grease as 9" pie plate (I used deep dish).  Whisk together the flour, sugar, xanthan gum, and salt.  Cut the butter into several pats and work it into the flour mixture until it's crumbly (I use my stand mixer with a whisk for this but you can also use a pastry cutter or forks).  Whisk together the egg and lemon juice until frothy and mix into flour/butter mixture.  Mix until the crust holds together well and is smooth but not wet.  Add cold water if necessary, 1 Tbsp at a time.  Shape into a ball, wrap in saran wrap, and chill in the fridge for one hour or up to overnight.  Let dough rest on counter 10-15 minutes before rolling.  Roll out on saran wrap or a silicone mat that is sprinkled with gluten free flour.  Invert dough into pie plate.  Pinch edges in design if you like.  Fill with whatever fillings you desire and bake.

Green Chile Spinach Quiche with a Hash Brown Crust

 

I wanted to make my Green Chile Spinach Quiche with a gluten free crust, and I've made a crust, but I wanted to try something different, and I'm so glad I did.  I brought these to a ladies retreat, and they got rant and raved over.  Several people wanted the recipe, and all of it got devoured.  You can use regular all purpose flour if you do not need it to be gluten free.  This made a thick hash brown crust, so if you prefer your crust to be thinner and crispier, use only 1 bag of shredded hash browns.  You may need to reduce the cooking time of the crust, but let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients

2 - 26oz bags frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1 stick butter, melted

1/2 cup all purpose flour (gluten free if needed)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

12 eggs

8oz Mexican blend cheese, shredded

2 cups cottage cheese

10-12oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed out

7oz can diced green chiles

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix together the butter and hash browns, and then press into bottom and sides of 2 deep dish pie plates. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until the edges are light brown.  Reduce heat to 400 degrees.  Mix together remaining ingredients (I use my stand mixer for this) until well blended.  Pour into crusts evenly between the pies.   Bake for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temp to 350, and bake an additional 35 minutes.  Store any leftovers in the fridge, or you can cover the them and freeze the quiches, and let thaw in fridge the night before you want to serve it.

Cashew Chicken

 

I modified my other cashew chicken recipe to more our tastes since some in my family don't like bell peppers, and I made it a little simpler.  You can of course use different veggies based on what your family likes.  I served mine over quinoa/rice, but the rest of my family enjoyed it over plain white rice.  I will definitely be making this again.  I had some dried chives, so I sprinkled that on the top after in my bowl, but fresh would be delicious as well sprinkled over top at the end of cooking or on individual bowls.  I did have to double this for my family of 6, but I do have 3 teenagers.  I do cook mine without oil in a nonstick electric skillet, but if you can use 1-2 Tbsp light olive oil or coconut oil to grease your pan if you don't have a nonstick one.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp light olive oil (see note above if using nonstick skillet)

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3 Tbsp soy sauce (I use La Choy brand because it's gluten free)

1 Tbsp white vinegar (or apple cider works too)

1 tsp sugar

dash of ginger

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup cashews (I used halves and pieces)

1/2 lb carrots (about 4 medium), chopped

1 can sliced water chestnuts

chives (optional topping)

Directions

Combine cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and ginger in small bowl and mix well.  Heat skillet up over medium high heat.  Add oil (if not nonstick skillet) to skillet and then add chicken and carrots.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic, water chestnuts, and cashews to pan.  Continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and carrots are soft.  Pour sauce evenly over top and stir to coat everything and sauce thickens.  Sprinkle with green onions or put on the side for people to put on their individual bowls.  Serve over rice if desired.

Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup

 

I got this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe from my sister who got it off this website.  She modified it some and then I modified it a little more.  My family loves this recipe, and it's perfect on a cool day outside or when you're not feeling well or anytime!  It does make a large pot of soup, so if you don't have a large family, you might want to scale it down or eat it for leftovers.  Leftover chicken works fine in this recipe or dark meat is fine too.  You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free pasta.

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken breasts, cut up into bite size chunks

1 Tbsp extra light olive oil

4 celery ribs, diced

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

10 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 bay leaves

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried parsley

3-4 cups uncooked noodles, about 8-16oz (I like to use macaroni - use gluten free if you desire)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Directions

Add oil to large stockpot and heat to medium.  Add onions, carrots, and celery to stockpot and saute until onions are translucent.  Add garlic clove, cut up chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley.  Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes with lid on.  Add pasta and cook about 10 minutes or according to pasta direction.  Turn off heat and add lemon juice.  Enjoy!

Green Chile Casserole (Keto)

I found this Green Chile Casserole and modified it (of course).  It was a winner around here, and I will be making it again.  The original recipe called to put it in a 7x11 pan, so I doubled most of the ingredients.  The container of cottage cheese was 24oz so I added 1 cup of sour cream instead of 32oz of cottage cheese.  Nobody in my family likes cottage cheese alone except for me unless it's in a lasagna or dish like this so if you're not a cottage cheese lover, don't write this one off yet.  Leftover chicken works great for this.

Ingredients
3 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
9 Tbsp taco seasoning or 3 packages (I used my homemade)
1 1/2 cups green salsa (chunky preferably)
7oz can green chilies, drained
24oz cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
8oz shredded Mexican blend cheese
green onions, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, green chilies, cottage cheese, and sour cream together until well mixed.  Pour into a sprayed 9x13 casserole dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving with sour cream and green onions if you desire.

Taco Pie (Keto)

This is not my recipe, but it is worth reposting.  This Taco Pie is delicious and easy!  My whole family enjoyed it, and I've already made it 3 times.  It's super easy.  On the website, it says 1 cup heavy cream, but she has a video and in the comments below she says to use 1/2 cup heavy cream.  When I made this for my entire family, I doubled it and put it in a 9x13 pan and have to bake it for 45 minutes.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey or beef (I used turkey)

3 Tbsp taco seasoning (I use my homemade)

6 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup Mexican blend cheese (or you can use cheddar or another blend if you want)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown ground meat and drain.  Mix in taco seasoning and spread evenly but loosely in the bottom of a sprayed pie plate.  Mix together eggs, cream, garlic, salt, and pepper and pour over top of meat.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over egg and meat mixture.  Bake 30-35 minutes until golden and puffed.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.  Top with sour cream, salsa, olives, avocado, or whatever toppings you would like.

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Casserole (Keto)

I took the sauce from my Cauliflower Cheese "Potatoes" and mixed it with chicken and broccoli and it came out delicious!  Leftover chicken would be perfect in this dish.  Also, if you prefer to make this a vegetarian side dish, leave out the chicken and use an extra bag of broccoli.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 - 12oz bags of frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
1 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
16oz sour cream
3 cups shredded cheddar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
After I cooked the broccoli, I roughly chopped up the larger pieces.  Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onion until soft.  Add 2 cups cheese and let melt, stirring.  Blend in sour cream, salt, and pepper. Fold sauce in with broccoli and chicken.  Spray 9x13 casserole dish and add mixture.  Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.  Bake 350 for 30 minutes or more.

Keto Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a favorite in my household.  I finally decided to try them recently and make them Keto friendly for me by using chicken lunch meat as the tortillas.  It came out super yummy.  I made these like my usual for my family with flour tortillas.  You can use whatever brand of enchilada sauce you like, just watch for the carb count.  I like to get the green one and mix it with the red one, and if I'm buying name brand, I prefer Old El Paso, but Aldi now carries their own brand and we enjoy it.

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8oz Mexican blend cheese
2 10oz cans enchilada sauce (see note above)
16oz thin-sliced deli chicken breast lunch meat (I like to get nitrate-free)

Directions
Mix shredded chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and 1/2 the enchilada sauce.  Use a small amount of the mixture to roll inside each piece of deli lunch meat and and place in a sprayed 9x13 pan.  Use up all the chicken and cheese mixture to fill up the rest of your deli lunch meat "tortillas."  Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Let sit 5-10 to cool.

Serve with sour cream if you like.

Taco Salad (Keto)

We eat taco salad almost every Tuesday in my house.  It's a very simple recipe, but we love it around here.  We cut up all the toppings and everyone can personalize their bowl.  Before I went Keto, I ate it over corn chips (like Fritos), and my kids still eat it this way.  I make 3-4 pounds of meat for my family of 6.  This recipe includes my homemade taco seasoning.  I make large amounts and use 3 Tbsp per pound of meat.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Optional toppings:
lettuce
cheese
salsa
tomatoes
avocado
sour cream
guacamole
cucumber
black olives
corn chips (if you're not doing low-carb or keto)

Directions
Brown ground meat, drain, and return to pan.  Add all the seasonings and the water and bring to a boil but then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Top with whatever taco toppings you choose.

Protein Noodle Lasagna (Keto)

So I know this isn't the prettiest picture, but it's so delicious!  I have brought it to church potluck's and received many compliments.  It's Maria Emmerich's Protein Noodle Lasagna.  I made a few changes but just personal preferences.

Ingredients
1 lb ground sausage
3/4-1 lb ground turkey or beef
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
24oz jar low sugar marinara
16oz full fat cottage cheese (or Ricotta)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 lb shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
16oz thinly sliced deli chicken breast lunch meat (I like to get nitrate-free)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cook sausage, ground meat, onion, and garlic until browned.  Drain and stir in marinara sauce.  In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, and salt.  Spread meat sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan.  Arrange chicken slices over sauce.  Spread with cottage cheese mixture and top with mozzarella and Parmesan.  Repeat layers until everything is used up.  Cover with foil.  Bake 25 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Crockpot Keto Taco Soup

If you look up Keto Taco Soup online, you will find this recipe in multiple places.  I tweeked this to make it my own.  You can do this in the Instant Pot or in the Crock Pot.  If you really don't like spicy, you can use 1 can of Rotel and 1 can of regular diced tomatoes.  You can also serve with pasta if you don't care about carbs.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground sausage

2 8oz packages of cream cheese

2 10oz cans diced tomatoes and green chilies (like Rotel)

2 Tbsp taco seasoning

4 cups beef broth

8oz bag fresh spinach

Directions

Brown ground sausage, drain and add to crockpot.  Add rest of ingredients to crockpot.  Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.  

If you want to use your Instant Pot instead, cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and allow to release naturally. 

Serve with cheese and sour cream.

Cauliflower Chicken Fried "Rice" (Keto)

This is delicious and easy cauliflower chicken fried rice.  I chose to use low-carb vegetables instead of the traditional starchy peas and carrots. You could always leave out the chicken and make this vegetarian if you like.

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken, cooked and chopped

2 frozen bags cauliflower rice, cooked (I used my microwave)

1 stick butter

4 eggs, scrambled and cooked but still wet (I used my microwave again)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 stalks celery, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 bag frozen broccoli, cooked and roughly chopped

1/2 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in saute pan.  Saute bell pepper & celery for a couple of minutes.  Add cauliflower rice, green onions, garlic, and the other half of the butter.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until celery and pepper are soft.  Add in cooked eggs, cooked chicken, liquid aminos, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.  Mix well and remove from heat and serve.

Zucchini (or eggplant) Lasagna (Keto)

I made eggplant and zucchini lasagna to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.  I loved them both.  Most preferred the zucchini, but I think it was because some people just don't prefer eggplant.  I did take a lot of time to grill the vegetables, but I am wondering how they would turn out if you just put salt on them and let them "sweat."  I chose to make these vegetarian because I have family members who are vegetarian, but you could always add meat if you wanted.  I didn't miss the meat at all.

Ingredients
Sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
32oz crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
5oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Lasagna
4-5 zucchini thinly sliced long ways (or 2 medium eggplants)
salt
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan
3-4 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions
Lightly salt and grill your zucchini or eggplant.  Next time I want to try just salting them and let them sit 10-20 minutes and then blot all the excess moisture off.  Or even try baking them 10 minutes.

Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and cook 5-10 minutes until the spinach is wilted.

Mix cottage cheese, eggs, and Parmesan in a small bowl.  Layer sauce, zucchini, cottage cheese, sauce, mozzarella, more zucchini, cottage cheese, sauce, mozzarella, and repeat until all ingredients are used.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered.  Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.

Asian Lettuce Wraps (Keto)

So I usually do 3x-4x this recipe for my family of 6.  It also goes well over rice or mixed with rice if you want to stretch it and aren't concerned about carbs.  If you want to add a little sweetness to it, I use one packet of Truvia when I triple to quadruple the recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 yellow onion, diced 

8 oz canned water chestnuts, drained and finely diced

2 green onions, chopped (optional)

2-3 garlic cloves

3-4 Tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 tsp dried ginger

1 tsp sriracha

1 Tbsp natural peanut butter 

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tsp sesame oil

salt & pepper to taste

butter or hydro lettuce (for wraps)

Directions

Brown ground turkey and onions together.  Drain and return to pan.  Add water chestnuts, garlic, and green onions to pan and saute while you make sauce.  Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, sriracha, peanut butter, sugar, sesame oil, and salt/pepper.  Pour over top of meat mixture and combine thoroughly.  Serve inside lettuce.

Crockpot White Chicken Chili (Keto)

Made this delicious white chicken chili.  My family complained I didn't make enough.  I put cheddar on mine.  It is beanless since it's Keto/low-carb.  You can always add white beans and eliminate the Xantham gum if you aren't concerned about carbs.  You could also use beans and leave out the chicken if you want it vegetarian.  My kids ate theirs with pasta.

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 multi-colored bell peppers, chopped
2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless skinless
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
7oz can green chilies
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp Xantham gum (optional)
10oz bag spinach, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Directions
Throw all the ingredients in the crockpot except the sour cream.  Cook 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 on low.  Shred chicken and mix in sour cream. 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Keto)

I made this Broccoli Cheddar Soup tonight, and it was so delicious and comforting.  I made it in my Instant Pot, but I know you could make it on the stovetop or your crockpot.

Ingredients
1 small yellow onion, diced
36oz frozen broccoli florets (can use fresh if you prefer)
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tsp salt
8oz cream cheese
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Put onion, broccoli, chicken broth, and cream cheese into Instant Pot.  Put on high pressure for 15 minutes.  Quick release.  Turn Instant Pot onto saute for about 10 minutes.  Stir in heavy cream, salt, and cheddar, sprinkling a handful at a time and stirring it in good.  I used my whisk and then finished it off with the immersion blender but that's optional. 

Tortellini Giovanni

My favorite dish at Giovanni's is their Tortellini Giovanni. It is absolutely delicious! I was throwing something together for dinner one night and came up with this, and I went, "Wow! This tastes a lot like Tortellini Giovanni!" So yummy and super easy!!! I do think it had more cheese than it needed, so next time I will use 4oz instead of 8oz, but I love cheese, so I didn't mind. :-)

Ingredients
3 (19oz) bags of frozen cheese tortellini
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu, large or regular size, preferable not one with tomato chunks in it)
1 small jar pesto (I used basil pesto by Classico)
4-8oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Boil tortellini in a very large pot according to package directions (I usually boil them 9-10 minutes or until they all float). Drain pasta and set aside. Add spaghetti sauce, pesto, and mozzarella cheese. Stir over low to medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add tortellini back into pot with sauce and stir well. Yum!