November 21, 2024

At Home with GCH: Greek Chicken Soup – Avgolemono

February 1, 2013 by

Avgolemono

 

If there is one unifying theme to At Home with GCH, I would say it’s stewardship.  To me, being a good steward means using my resources wisely and creatively.  The biggest challenge to being a good steward is being thrifty and cutting down on waste.  If you haven’t already, check out the post on the Great Freezer Challenge!  And then, check out this soup recipe!

My favorite tip for saving money in the kitchen is buying a whole chicken instead of pre-cut pieces.  You can easily get two meals out of one chicken, and for the same price you would pay for a package of chicken breasts!  For the first meal, you have endless choices; but then comes the challenge—once you’ve cut the legs and breasts off, or roasted the whole bird, what do you do with the carcass? Easy answer?  Soup!

This Greek recipe is called Avgolemono.  In Greek, “avgo” means “egg” and “lemono,” well you can probably guess what that one is!  This is a fresh-tasting soup, with a bright lemony flavor.  There’s also a lot of room to customize—you can add more vegetables beyond just the spinach (bell peppers, onions, zucchini), and you can choose what kind of starch you want in it.  I’ve seen recipes that call for cooked rice, or different shapes of pasta.  However, most will call for orzo, which is a small, rice-shaped pasta.  Or, if you are cutting out refined flours or grains, just don’t add it in!

This makes a great dinner, with a salad and some bread or a roasted sweet potato.

Greek Chicken Soup – Avgolemono

Ingredients:

  • 1 chicken carcass  (You can also use 2 bone-in chicken breasts)
  • 1 (10ounce) box of frozen spinach
  • 3/4 cup orzo
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 2 eggs
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Put chicken carcass in a large pot with enough water to cover.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone.  Remove carcass to a large bowl to cool.  Strain broth and return to the pot.  
  2. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred or chop into small pieces.  You should have 2-3 cups of chicken.
  3. Return broth to the stove and heat on medium.  When it simmers, add the box of spinach (no need to thaw), along with the bay leaves and the chicken.  Now look at the consistency of your soup.  Do you like it really brothy?  You might want  to add more water.  Do you like your soup thicker, more like a stew?  Now is the time to raise the heat and reduce your broth.
  4. When you have your preferred consistency, add the orzo to the soup.  Cook on medium heat for about 8 minutes.
  5. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs with the lemon juice.  Slowly add a ladleful of your broth to the eggs and stir, to temper them, so they don’t seize up when you add them to the soup.  Turn the heat off.  Slowly stir the egg/lemon juice mixture into the soup. Keep stirring to make sure you don’t get any eggy clumps.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to contact Dana in regards to this blog, please email her at Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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At Home with GCH: Korean Dumplings (Mandu)

January 25, 2013 by

mandu fried

“Mandu” in Korean, “Gyoza” in Japanese, “pot stickers” or “wontons” at your favorite Chinese restaurant—whatever you call them, everyone loves dumplings!  You can buy them frozen in many Asian grocery stores, but why not make them at home?  It’s fun, and best of all, YOU have control over what does—or does not—go into your food.

You shouldn’t have any trouble tracking down the ingredients for this recipe.  Fresh ginger and wonton skins can be found at nearly all grocery stores.  If you can’t find ground pork, you could try ground turkey instead.  Napa cabbage works best in this recipe, but you can use regular green cabbage; just make sure you shred it finely.

Ready to make dumplings?  Let’s go!

Korean Dumplings  (Mandu)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound ground pork
  • 1 large carrot, shredded or chopped in a food processor
  • about 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
  • 4 green onions, minced
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for the cabbage
  • 1 package gyoza skins (mine had 25 skins in the package)

Directions:

  1. After you’ve shredded your veggies or chopped them in the food processor, sprinkle with a good teaspoon of salt, focusing on the cabbage. Let sit for 15 minutes or so, and then squeeze out the water. You can do this by hand, or put them in a strainer and press with your hands or the back of a spoon. You don’t want watery filling.
  2. Add pork and veggies to a mixing bowl. Then add the ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and salt. Stir to combine or use your fingers to make sure everything is really well mixed.
  3. To fill dumplings, hold a gyoza skin in your left hand, and spoon a teaspoonful (don’t be tempted to over-fill!) of filling into the middle. Dip your finger into a bowl of water and wet one half of the edge of the skin, making a C. Fold the other half over and press to seal. I gave mine two little pleats, just to be pretty, but a straight fold is fine too.

 

mandu raw

To cook: you can add these to soup, or just boil them in chicken broth and add some green onions and a little soy sauce  or miso paste for a really fast dumpling soup. I like mine fried. Heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet and add your dumplings. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on medium-low heat until they get golden and crispy (watch carefully, they burn quickly!). Flip the dumplings, add 3 tablespoons of water to the pan, and cover. This steams them and cooks the filling evenly. After 5 minutes, remove lid and cook until golden and crispy. Serve with a dipping sauce of 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and freshly ground black pepper.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to contact Dana in regards to this blog, please email her at Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

 

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At Home with GCH: Focus on Health

January 23, 2013 by

kale saute

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I am a champ.  Every year, I swear I’m going to lose weight, exercise more, and eat healthier.  This year, so far, I’ve done really well on one front—eating better.  There probably isn’t anyone in the world who couldn’t stand to give their daily diet a tune-up, and one of the biggest improvements we can make is to eat less “bad stuff” and more “good stuff.”  What’s the good stuff?  Vegetables, of course!  (Don’t roll your eyes at me!)

Let’s introduce the star of this show:  KALE.  It’s a hearty green vegetable in the Brassica family, related to cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.  Any veggie you eat in the Brassica family is going to help you. Kale is the the best, and most-studied, of the group.  Kale has been shown to reduce the likelihood of many different types of cancer, and is now being investigated as a treatment for cancer and other diseases as well.  If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what a serving of kale can do!

Where I live, kale is in season now.  I’ve seen it at my local farmer’s market lately, as well as at my regular grocery store.  Whole Foods and other health food stores will always have it in stock, and if you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, you can find it stemmed, cleaned, and bagged, all ready for your culinary prowess!

Here’s what you need to know to cook with kale:  the stem, which goes all the way up the middle of each leaf, is too tough to eat.  Your best bet is to wash it, then hold the stem in your hand.  Fold the leaf in half and hold the stem with one hand, and pull off the leafy part with your other hand.  Then rip the leaf into bite-sized pieces.  Now what?

Kale is a hearty leaf, and can stand up to long cooking and strong flavors.  Because it is an excellent source of Vitamin K, it is best served with a little fat to aid absorption of  the important nutrients.  Use either olive oil, butter, or (get ready for it)—BACON!  But don’t boil it to death.  Saute it, add it to soups, toss it into salads, or, my favorite, kale chips.  Are you ready for some inspiration?  Let’s go!

kale bag

 

Let’s start with my favorite, and the most “snacky,” Kale Chips.  (You can probably get your kids to eat these!)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/crispy-kale-chips-recipe/index.html

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Here’s one from me, featuring sautéed kale, sun dried tomatoes, and almonds:

http://frugalgirlmet.blogspot.com/2012/08/superfoods-salad-warm-kale-and-oven.html

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Kale plays well with others!  Try it in Coleen’s yummy soup recipe:

http://girlfriendscoffeehour.com/2013/01/07/gch-whats-on-your-plate-souppalooza-part-two/

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Here’s a salad, for you hearty souls who are ready to take it to the next level and EAT.  YOUR.  GREENS!  (PS: I make a salad similar to this once a week and it is delicious and filling!)

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1835410-Emerald-Sesame-Kale

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Here is another great way to get your greens in!  It will also work for the kids, too! A lot of people think Green Smoothies are going to taste bad.  Not at all!  Especially when you add  fruit to your ingredients!  I always add a banana, or strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, an apple, and more.  Once all of the ingredients are blended together, the main thing you will taste is the fruit!  So don’t be afraid to try this recipe!  I think you’ll be glad you did!

GREEN SMOOTHIE

Green Smoothie

1 handful of kale or spinach ( I use a combination of both)

1 tbsp of almonds

1 tbsp flaxseed

2 scoops of your favorite protein powder

1 banana

16 oz of filtered water

6 ice cubes

Directions

Using a high-power blender, blend all ingredients on high for at least 1 minute.  If you are using a lower power blender, you will want to blend on high for at least 3 to 4 minutes.  Ingredients should smooth and creamy!  Pour yourself a glass of this delicious drink, and keep the rest of it stored in a Mason jar until you’re ready for your afternoon Smoothie!  Makes just over 1 quart.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to contact Dana in regards to this blog, please email her at Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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At Home with GCH: Greek Salad

January 18, 2013 by

Greek Salad

We are big salad eaters at my house.  (And when I say “we”, I mean my husband and I.  My girls won’t go near the lettuce unless it’s shredded in a sandwich, and even then it’s touch and go!)  We’ll have a big salad for dinner at least once a week, sometimes more.  I’m always on the lookout for ways to eat healthier, get more veggies, and eat less refined carbohydrates.  This Greek Salad really fits the bill!

If you’ve made this salad before or had it at a restaurant, you know it’s fresh, bright and simple.  The two things that make it spark and give it that clean taste are the dressing and the cheese.  The dressing is maybe the easiest vinaigrette around—all you need are dried oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil!  Taste it, add salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar to taste, and you’re done!  The cheese is a crumbly white cheese called feta.  It tastes sort of like goat cheese, but it’s a little saltier, a little drier in texture.  It’s also very low in calories, so feel free to add a few tablespoons to your salad.

We had this salad last night, in huge bowls, with braised chicken.  If you want to make it a one-dish meal, add diced chicken or grilled shrimp right to the salad.  Healthy and delicious—it’s what’s for dinner!

Greek Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced in half, then into half-moons
  • 1/4 red onion, sliced as thin as possible
  • 1/4 cup black olives (I like Kalamata; make sure you buy pitted olives – I hate spitting out the pits!)
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. Make the dressing:  In a small Tupperware cup with a tight-fitting lid, mix together the oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.  Set aside – this gives the oregano time to “bloom” in the lemon juice and release it’s flavor.  If you add the oil too soon, you coat the oregano and it’s flavor won’t be as strong.
  2. Cut the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and wash well.  To compose, fill a large bowl with the lettuce, then top with bell pepper, cucumber, onion, olives, and feta.
  3. Add the oil to the oregano and lemon juice, shake well to combine, and pour over salad.

Notes:  This recipe makes 2 big salads, or  4 side salads.  Many people add tomato to a Greek Salad, and I encourage you to try it out—in the summer, when they are in season.  If you have leftover salad ingredients, this makes a great wrap—just roll it all up in a tortilla and eat like a burrito – especially great with chopped, cooked chicken! 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

Please visit me at Frugal Girlmet for more unique recipes!

If you would like to send Dana a private message in regards to this recipe, please email her at: Dana@girlfriendscoffeehour.com.

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