Janae's Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2 boxes wild rice (Rice-a-Roni style, or plain wild rice with ramen seasoning packet)
3 lb. diced carrots
3 stalks celery - sliced
2-3 Cups chicken - chopped
1/2 C. butter
3/4 C. flour
8 C. chicken broth
1 C. half and half
1 tsp. pepper

In a separate saucepan, cook rice according to directions.

In a stockpot, saute veggies in butter.  When tender, add flour and stir for 1-2 minutes.  Add broth slowly and cook until thickened.  Add chicken and rice.  Turn heat to low and stir in half and half.  Heat through and serve with seasoning.

One Pan Mexican Quinoa

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in quinoa, vegetable broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.
3. Serve immediately.

From:  https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

Whole Wheat Waffles

From:  https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe

For my family (including Grandma and Grandpa), I typically have to 4x this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (170g) White Whole Wheat Flour (6 cups)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder (2 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (2 tsp)
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 large egg (4)
• 1 1/2 cups (340g) lukewarm milk (6 cups)
• 5 tablespoons (71g) melted butter or 1/3 cup (67g) vegetable oil (1 1/3 cup)

Instructions

1. Preheat your iron while you make the waffle batter.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and butter or oil.
4. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. The batter will be a bit lumpy; that's OK.

Lemony Lentil Soup

From:  https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/lemony-lentil-soup/

LEMONY LENTIL SOUP

★★★★★ 4.9 from 167 reviews

•  prep time: 10 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 25 MINUTES
 
•  total time: 35 MINUTES
 
•  yield: 4 SERVINGS 1X

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DESCRIPTION

This Lemony Lentil Soup recipe is full of amazing flavor, it’s made with all sorts of feel-good ingredients, and it’s so incredibly comforting.

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SCALE 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 2/3 cup whole-kernel corn
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• (optional) pinch each of saffron and cayenne
• zest and juice of 1 small lemon
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS

STOVETOP:

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
2. Stir in the vegetable stock, lentils, corn, cumin, curry powder (plus saffron and cayenne, if using) until combined.  Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely tender.
3. Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.  You may need to do this in batches if you’re using a traditional blender.  And always be careful, since hot liquids expand while blending.  (I like to leave my soup slightly chunky, but you can make yours as smooth as you’d like.)
4. Return the pureed soup to the pot, and stir in the lemon zest and juice until combined.  Taste and season the soup with sea salt and black pepper as needed.  (I used about 1.5 teaspoons salt and 0.5 teaspoon black pepper.)
5. Serve warm.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER):

1. Press “Sauté”.  Add oil to the bowl of your Instant Pot.  Then add onion* and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.  Press “Cancel”.
2. Stir in the vegetable stock, lentils, corn, cumin, curry powder (plus saffron and cayenne, if using) until combined.
3. Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.
4. Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 8 minutes.  Cook.  Then very carefully, turn the vent to “Venting” for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped.  Remove the lid.
5. Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.  You may need to do this in batches if you’re using a traditional blender.  And always be careful, since hot liquids expand while blending.  (I like to leave my soup slightly chunky, but you can make yours as smooth as you’d like.)
6. Return the pureed soup to the Instant Pot, and stir in the lemon zest and juice until combined.  Taste and season the soup with sea salt and black pepper as needed.  (I used about 1.5 teaspoons salt and 0.5 teaspoon black pepper.)
7. Serve warm.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

CROCK-POT (SLOW COOKER):

1. Add onion, carrots, garlic, vegetable stock, lentils, corn, cumin, curry powder (plus saffron and cayenne, if using) to the bowl of a large slow cooker, and stir to combined.  (No olive oil needed.)  Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 5-6 hours, until the lentils are completely tender.
2. Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.  You may need to do this in batches if you’re using a traditional blender.  And always be careful, since hot liquids expand while blending.  (I like to leave my soup slightly chunky, but you can make yours as smooth as you’d like.)
3. Return the pureed soup to the slow cooker, and stir in the lemon zest and juice until combined.  Taste and season the soup with sea salt and black pepper as needed.  (I used about 1.5 teaspoons salt and 0.5 teaspoon black pepper.)
4. Serve warm.  Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

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NOTES

Inspired by the magical lentil soup at Aladdin Cafe in Kansas City.

*I really recommend sautéing your onions, carrots, garlic if you can before cooking them in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.  (I always think the flavor is so much better.)  But that said, if you’re in a rush, you can just toss them in at the same time as your other ingredients. :)

Lentil Tacos

I found this recipe here:

https://71toes.com/2019/09/lentil-tacos/


Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

2/3 c. dried lentils (any color)

1 Tbs. taco seasoning 

1 2/3 c. chicken broth

2 sweet potatoes

2/3 c. salsa

tortillas

For the toppings:

1 c. cherry tomatoes

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

lime juice and honey (to taste)

1 avocado

Feta cheese

arugula (or other mixed greens, but if you really want your tacos to be amazing, use arugula 

Directions:

Saute the onion and garlic in a pot with a little oil for a little bit until softened (about five minutes). Then add the dried lentils and taco seasoning, stir together for a minute and then add the chicken broth.

Bring this mixture to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop up the sweet potatoes into bite-size pieces, coat them with a little bit of olive oil and 2 tsp. more taco seasoning. Roast in the oven at 400 for about twenty minutes (until they’re slightly browned). 

Dice up the cherry tomatoes and mix them up with the cilantro, some lime juice and a drizzle of honey. Then chop up everything else so people can top their tacos with whatever they like most.

When the lentils are done, mix in the salsa, and then they’re ready to use for your base.

Crushed-Ritz Baked Chicken

Chicken breasts are dipped in beaten eggs and cracker crumbs, then baked with butter. These chicken breast are really tender and moist.  My non-chicken lover said, "You were right, Mom!  This is really good!" 

Ingredients

2 eggs, beaten

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

          ½ teaspoon garlic salt + ground black pepper to taste

                  or 

          1 packet dried Italian salad dressing mix 

                  or 

          1 packet dried ranch dressing mis

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

½ cup butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F 

Step 2

Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow pans. Mix cracker crumbs with chosen seasoning. Dip chicken in the eggs, then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.

Step 3

Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place pieces of butter around the chicken.

Step 4

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Aunt Judi's Caramel Brownies

Oven:  350

48-50 Caramels (I prefer to use 1 - 1.5 bags of caramel bits)
1/3 C. evaporated milk

1 box German chocolate cake mix (just the dry mix)
1/2 C. melted butter
1/2 C. evaporated milk
.5-1 C. chopped nuts (I'd love these, but my family not so much, so I omit them)
1 pkg milk chocolate chips

Melt caramels and evaporated milk in double boiler (or microwave).

Mix in large bowl until moist:  cake mix, butter, evaporated milk, nuts.

Spread 1/2 of mixture in greased 9x13 pan (I often use a slightly smaller pan).

Bake 6 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over baked crust.  Put rest of crumbled batter over crust and drizzle caramel over that.

Bake 15 more minutes.

Cool, mark into 2" squares and refrigerate until set (I don't typically refrigerate them).