If you smelled something wonderful last Thursday....

During co-op last Thursday (2/23) I was making a wonderful wild rice chicken soup. There were a few folks asking for the recipe... so here it is.....

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients

• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or additional chicken broth
• 3 cups cooked wild rice
• 2 cups cubed, cooked chicken

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, melt butter. stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in soup and wine or broth. Add rice and chicken; heat through.

 I made the following modifications:

I did not have chicken granules, so I just used my homemade stock. I sauteed the onions, carrots, and mushrooms in a little butter and stock. Used cornstarch to thickened it, and threw a bag of Trader Joe's Seasoned Wild Rice in at the end for 15 minutes. Once the 15 minutes was up I let the pot set for a few minutes. Since Luke does not like soup this was perfect because it was pretty thick. After we ate the chicken and rice I took what was left over and put it in freezer bags. I will take the freezer packs and defrost them in stock to make an actual soup when I make it again.

This was delicious!

What will be in your co-op bins this week 2/23/2012

Reminder!!
No Pick-Up on March 8th, but we will resume on March 15...

Extra:
1.Organic, brown eggs $3.50  -- Local Eggs $3.50 dozen
2. Really Raw Honey $6.00 or 2/$11.00
3. Franny's Organic Green Raisins $4.00  -- fresh batch!!
4. Murray's Whole Frozen Chickens 3.5-4 lbs $10.00
5. Sweeney's Certified Organic Soaps --check out their website here-- New scents arrived last week!!
6. Fresh Organic Coffee (hopefully) $8.00/lb

Now for what will be in your co-op bins this week...
Choice: kale OR Swiss chard Local, Organic --in cooler--
Garnet Yams, Organic
Carrots, Organic
Choice: Crimini Mushrooms OR Red Bell Peppers, both Organic  --in bins--
D'Anjou Pears Organic
Florida Honey Tangerines, and  Florida Tangelos, both  Organic
Blueberries, Organic
Kiwifruit, California, Organic

$25 Only...
Cauliflower Organic
Gold Pineapples , Organic

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chard stems and the white wine. Simmer until the stems begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chard leaves, and cook until wilted. Finally, stir in lemon juice and Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt if needed.

Sauteed Kale Recipe

Kale is a member of the cabbage family, and is an excellent source of vitamin C, beta carotene, chlorophyll, and manganese. It also contains some iron, calcium, and potassium.
To optimally extract nutrients from kale, it's best to cook it to soften its fibrous structure. Softening its hardy fiber makes it easier for your digestive tract to gain access to the many nutrients within.
Here is a simple and healthy way to prepare kale:
Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 yellow onion, sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1/2 cup of vegetable broth or water
Sea salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
Directions:
Warm olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or pan. Add onions and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly translucent. Be sure to stir the onions around once in a while so that they don't burn.
Add garlic and kale and mix them together with onions. Allow garlic, kale and onions to cook for one minute, then add vegetable broth and cover pot or pan for 4-6 minutes. Check kale from time to time starting at the 4 minute mark for tenderness.
Once kale is tender, add sea salt and just a few drops of lemon juice. Give it one last stir and serve.
Be sure to taste as you add lemon juice. Adding too much can turn the whole dish sour.
We enjoy this dish with avocado and a bowl of brown rice or quinoa.