This episode will be short and savory because I've been sick in bed all week. Nothing serious, I hope: it's either a really, really bad cold or a mild case of the flu. Regardless of the specific virus responsible, the symptoms are the same: fever, sinuses totally stopped up, ears stopped up too, runny nose, coughing, can't taste anything, nothing sounds good to eat, and even if it did, it's really hard to eat and breathe through your mouth at the same time without drooling.
The upside of this is that I've lost about five pounds this week. I don't recommend it as a weight-loss tool, however.
The obvious remedy, of course, is chicken soup! Among so many other things, dKos is a repository of excellent recipes. We have recipes ranging from Frankenoid's Homemade Chicken Soup with Homemade Noodles to tvb's basic chicken stock and soup to cookiebear's lazy person's chicken soup.
If that's not enough, we have begone's Easy Non-Gourmet Chicken Noodle Soup, wiscmass's chicken and tofu soup, and someone else's (no, really, that's the username) lazier person's chicken soup.
From my own Repository of Excellent Things to Eat, Jazz Cooking, I add Avgolemono (Greek Egg and Lemon Soup) and
Chicken Soup with Spring Vegetables
* 5 cups chicken stock
* 1½ cups dry white wine (or more chicken stock, if you prefer)
* ½ cup uncooked rice
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or dill (or 1 teaspoon dried)
* Juice of one lemon
* 1 tablespoon butter or mild cooking oil
* 1 onion, diced
* 1 rib celery, diced (omit if watching sodium)
* 1 carrot, sliced thinly
* Salt and pepper to taste
* ¼ pound fresh thin asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
In a heavy soup pot combine the chicken stock and wine; bring to a boil. Add the rice and lemon juice; stir. If using dried basil, add it now. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the butter or oil in a skillet. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and cook for another 3 minutes. Scrape the vegetables into the soup pot. With a bit of the chicken stock, deglaze the skillet and add that to the soup.
Stir in the asparagus and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender.
Add the fresh basil or dill; taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the cooked chicken and serve.
Makes 3 to 4 servings.
I'm also going to offer a casserole that can be used as an interesting side dish along with a meat course. With both barley and beans, however, it's hearty enough and contains enough complete proteins to stand alone as an ovolactovegetarian main course.
Cheesy Barley Bean Bake
- 2 cups cooked pearl barley, cooking directions below
- 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, undrained
- 1-1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup non-fat milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dill weed
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Combine cooked barley with beans, 1 cup grated cheese and remaining ingredients. Spread in prepared baking pan. Top with remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked through. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.
To cook barley
Place 2-1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add 3/4 cup pearl barley. Return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Makes about 2-1/2 to 3 cups.
For a future edition of What's For Dinner, I've been doing some interesting research on the connections among diet, insulin resistance, and a number of unlikely diseases, including some which have been thought to be autoimmune disorders. This opens an exciting possibility of reducing or possibly even reversing some damage done by these diseases just by changing what we eat. I wish I'd been able to get it done this week, but I must plead oxygen deprivation. That stopped-up head thing, you know.
Until then, what's cooking at your house?