Lightened Up Classics - Figure-Friendly Waldorf Salad

A few weeks into January and we've been fairly successful in keeping on a healthy track this New Year. Yup, we're celebrating a steady record of gym-going with only a few minor moments of food-driven naughtiness. A whole nineteen days worth! We know, you're impressed. With these lofty resolutions in mind, I had asked my husband to get me the new Giada De Laurentiis cookbook for Christmas, Giada's Feel Good Food. If you aren't familiar, it's the bombshell book where adorably petite GIada lets us in on what I've suspected all along: there's no way she's eating all those delectable bowls of pasta you see her cooking on TV. 

Lighter Waldorf Salad Prep, Photo: NK

My verdict on the book is that it's a pretty good read and there are a great many straightforward, light, and appetizing recipes throughout. Think California spa food gone just a bit more substantial. It even includes some nice tips on how she cares for her skin and hair as well. The first recipe that spoke to me was a much healthier remix of an old classic, a guilty pleasure of mine - Waldorf Salad. Could Waldorf Salad be good without the mayonnaise?, I wondered aloud. Turns out, it can. I hope you enjoy our light adaptation of Giada's recipe (we used crunchy jicama instead of fennel). We found it every bit as satisfying as the original, and filling enough to require only a small accompaniment to make an entire dinner (in our case, we added a crab cake on the side, no bun). As a lunch portion it is perfectly sized. Enjoy!

Lightened Up Waldorf Salad, Photo: NK 

Lightened Up Waldorf Salad

Slightly Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 2

Dressing Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Grapeseed Oil

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (we like Bragg Vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Several Pinches Black Pepper

1.5 teaspoons Light Agave (or Honey)

Salad Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Cooked Grains of your choice (we used Farro, barley or brown rice work well)

1/2 Cup Toasted Walnuts, chopped

1/2 Cup Seedless Red Grapes, sliced in half

1/2 a Granny Smith Apple, cored and cut into a 1/4 inch dice

4 Large Radicchio Leaves

1/2 Cup diced Jicama (1/4 inch dice) or Fennel Bulb, or Celery, diced the same size

Method: 

1. Combine ingredients for Dressing in a small bowl.

2. In a larger bowl, toss the Apple, Jicama, Grapes, Walnuts and Cooked Grains. Drizzle the dressing over the salad (you'll only need about 3 teaspoons), mixing gently until coated. 

3. To plate, place 1 or 2 Radicchio Leaves on the plate. Spoon salad into the leaves (use both if you can't fit the whole portion, or one leaf if it's big enough to accommodate).
Enjoy!

Small Wonders - Easiest Ever Mini Chicken Pot Pies

For me, there's really nothing quite like the exhilaration of receiving new kitchen stuff. Fellow home cooks, I know you feel me. The holidays were especially sweet this year because my thoughtful family and friends showered me with some seriously amazing cooking swag, not to mention several new cookbooks and cooking gadgets that I simply cannot wait to use. I'm a lucky girl and I know it. Today's dinner inspiration comes from the positively swoon-worthy set of four Le Creuset Mini Cocottes that my mom-in-law gifted me. 

These beautiful Mini Pot Pies are incredibly simple to make, Photo: NK

To say that I have been fantasizing about these mini ovenproof bakers for a little while would be a major understatement. And the colors! Oh, the colors. They're just beyond. From soufflés to individual baked egg dishes, these little pots can do it all. Plus, they go straight from oven to table making a smashing presentation in the process. 

When it came time to decide how to christen my new cocottes, the answer came in seconds thanks to my comfort food-lovin' husband. According to him, it just had to be Chicken Pot Pies. Perfect! Not only will they be cute, individual servings, but also, we'd make sure that they'd also be incredibly simple, fast, and delicious. YES.

Mr. NK and I created today's dish by joining the best features of two popular recipes, as usual, with an eye towards taste and convenience. We had a great time cooking them together and they were done in a flash!! Enjoy these pot pies piping hot, straight out of the oven! We sure did. 

Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Adapted from Allrecipes.com/Robbie Rice "Chicken Pot Pie IX" & Inspired by Le Creuset's Mini-Cocotte Cook Book 

Yield: This recipe below makes exactly enough filling for 4 Le Creuset Mini Cocottes (8 ounce capacity each) or about 4 light servings. If you would to make the filling for two large pot pies, double the recipe below (not the puff pastry) and you will end up with 8 modest servings. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 Pound Organic Chicken Tenders, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 Cup Peeled Baby Carrots, sliced about 1/3 inch thick
1/2 Cup Frozen Green Peas
1/4 Cup Celery, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Butter, divided
2 Medium Shallots, finely chopped
2 3/4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour 
1/4 teaspoon Salt, plus more
1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
9/10 Cup Chicken Broth (aka: just shy of a cup) 
1/3 Cup 2% Milk (you can also use whole if you like)
4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme plus more for garnish 
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
2 Sheets Frozen Puff Pastry, unrolled and fully thawed on a non stick surface for 40 min
Equipment: 4 mini Ceramic Cocottes or Oven-Safe Ramekins (8 Ounce capacity each)

Pie Filling. Photo NK

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 with a rack in the middle. 

2. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high flame and heat until shimmering. Cook chicken, stirring occasionally, until opaque and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and juices from the skillet. Set aside.

3. In the same pan as the chicken, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring
occasionally, until translucent and tender. About 4 minutes. Now stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Slowly add the chicken broth and then the milk. Add the 4 sprigs of fresh thyme and bring the liquid to a boil by turning up the heat. As soon as it bubbles,  lower the heat way back down to a simmer. Allow mixture to simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquids have thickened. Turn off the flame and remove and discard the thyme sprigs.

4. Meanwhile, in another medium sauté pan, add the last tablespoon of butter and melt over medium heat. Add the carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables, stirring often until somewhat tender but still al dente - about 6 to 7 minutes (it will be done one or two minutes after the pot pie filling mixture is finished). Turn off the flame. Hit them with a good dose of more salt and pepper.

5. On a lightly floured, non-stick surface, cut four circles out of the puff pastry leaving about 1/2 inch overflow that will spill over the sides of the cocottes. You can measure by inverting the mini-cocottes on the dough and drawing a slightly wider circle (about a 1/2 inch wider) with your knife.

Assembling the Pot Pies, Photo: NK

6. To assemble pot pies, pour the reserved chicken and the celery carrot mixture back into the saute pan with the cream filling. Stir until everything is incorporated. Taste for salt and add a bit more to your taste if you choose. Pour the filling evenly into the 4 cocottes. Divide the still-frozen peas among the 4 cocottes.

7. Brush the edges of each cocotte with the egg yolk wash and press a puff pastry round on top of each to close. Fold down the 1/2 inch overhang to seal the edges, and create some fluting along the edges with your fork to seal the pastry. Finally, paint the tops of the pastries with more egg wash, and pierce the middle of each pot pie in order to vent.

8. Place cocottes directly in the oven on the middle rack a few inches apart. Cook for 16-17 minutes until the puff pastry has risen and is golden brown. Serve immediately with fresh Thyme Garnish, a fork and a spoon for the delicious creamy filling!

Golden and crispy outside, bubbly and savory inside. Photo: NK

Neurotic Homestyle - Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Had it not come out so tasty, this recipe for Chicken and Dumpling Soup might never have made it to Neurotic Kitchen. 

Chicken and Dumpling Soup, Photo: NK

It's great to use a large Dutch Oven for this dish Photo: NK

Before setting out to adapt a really wonderful version of Chicken and Dumpling Soup from Taste of Home Magazine, I conveniently forgot that when I made it last year it took quite a while and made a colossal mess in my kitchen because it requires so many pots and bowls. See, the trouble is, there are several steps to this thoughtful recipe - which is probably why it comes out so good. The original author ingeniously suggests using a pre-cooked Rotisserie Chicken to cut down on prep time. I followed that very clever directive, but still found the process of creating the stock, browning the Vegetables, simmering the Broth and Chicken, preparing the Dumpling Batter, and finally, cooking the Dumplings, a bit too time consuming and messy for a weeknight meal. What I'm getting at is, I just can't say with certainty that this is a fast, no muss no fuss meal - what I can say is that it's delicious. 

Before setting out to cook, I planned out a few changes to the recipe meant to make it slightly lighter. The main change was to use Evaporated Milk instead of Heavy Cream. Doing so shaves 120 calories and 18 grams of fat off the original. Even still, this is definitely not a diet meal by any means, but lightening it up never hurts when no flavor is sacrificed. We also used mostly Fat Free Chicken Broth, less Oil, and less Butter. What makes this recipe special in the first place is that it has an element of spice (which I admittedly increased) and also results in particularly tasty dumplings thanks to a healthy dose of Cayenne Pepper and Salt in the batter. Some Chicken and Dumpling recipes can be a bit bland for my taste, but this version has a ton of flavor and loses none of the homey comfort qualities that make this classic Southern dish so well loved.

I realize I am sending mixed messages but this dish is worth making. Do it when you have an hour and a half, and start it at least that long before you'd like to serve it. A hungry partner staring at me never helps me stay calm in the kitchen.  

Before we begin, some tips on how to make the preparation just a little smoother:

Purchase and chop up a ready-cooked Chicken such as a Rotisserie Roaster, perhaps even do so the day before if you can. It's no fun to have Chicken shrapnel all over your hands when you are trying to stir broth and simultaneously brown Vegetables at the same time. The recipe below asks you to use the whole Chicken (a roaster big enough to serve 2) but the Soup would be just as good if you only have half the chicken. It'll just be a bit less chunky. This means that perhaps you can make sandwiches with half the roaster the first day, and chop up the rest for the soup. You could also use a couple of cans of ready-cooked Chicken. That's not really my thing because such a product is hard to find in organic form, but if you choose to do so, it would certainly eliminate a lot of the mess and chopping. I should also mention that any type of cooked Chicken will do! Light meat, dark meat, tenders, breasts, thigh meat shredded off the bone. Chicken and Dumpling Soup is a great thing to make with leftover cooked Chicken from any other recipe. 

Stir up all your Dry Dumpling Ingredients (Baking Powder, Flour, Cayenne and Salt) in a large bowl before you start cooking. Whenever I am messing with Flour and cracking eggs mid-recipe, I inevitably make an unholy mess. 

Same story with the Wet Dumpling Ingredients (slightly beaten eggs and Buttermilk). Crack and beat the eggs and combine them with the Buttermilk in a measuring cup or small bowl in advance. When it's time to create the quick Dumpling batter, having everything ready and at your fingertips is most definitely a good thing.

Ready Chopped Celery and Carrots can be a huge timesaver. Unfortunately, they can also add to the expense of the produce. At the very least, you can certainly buy pre-peeled small carrot sticks so you don't have to peel the carrots. I like to do this because Carrot Sticks make a handy snack to have around for later and you'll definitely have some leftover. It's also important to chop all your Garlic in advance so it is at the ready. 

Set aside a sieve with a handle if you have one. I use this to scoop out the aromatics that must simmer in the broth as you are creating the Chicken Stock. A slotted spoon works well too. I do this so I don't have to mess up yet another bowl when the recipe calls you to strain out the Thyme Sprigs, Garlic, Bay Leaves, and much of the Crushed Red Pepper. If you have cheesecloth and twine, you can also wrap up the aromatics in a little bouquet so they are even easier to fish out.

Have all additional ingredients out on the counter and ready to go. 

Finally, feel free to have a plan for your Buttermilk. You will have a bunch left over. Use it as an overnight marinade for Chicken or Pork Chops, or maybe you are craving Buttermilk Pancakes this weekend? 

Now, Are we ready to cook? I think so!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Adapted from Taste of Home/Jessica Rehs
Serves 4 to 5 
Ingredients: 
4 Cups Reduced Sodium and Fat Free Chicken Broth 
2 Cups Prepared Chicken Stock
1 Cup Water
3 Bay Leaves 
1.5 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 
6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
5 large Garlic Cloves, peeled
3 Garlic Cloves, minced and set aside 
1 Cup chopped Carrots
1 Cup chopped Celery
2 Tablepoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 Rotisserie Chicken, meat chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
1/2 Cup chopped Chives (optional) for garnish 
Dumpling Ingredients: 
2 Cups All Purpose Flour 
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

Removing the aromatics, Photo: NK

1.25 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1.25 teaspoons Salt 
1 Cup Buttermilk 
2 Eggs, lightly beaten

Method:
Create the Stock:
In a large saucepan, add the first 7 ingredients and combine. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes. Once done, scoop out most of the Crushed Red Pepper, all of the Garlic, Thyme, and Bay leaves. Discard. 
Note: You can also leave a few Cloves of whole Garlic in for the entire cooking process if you like extra Garlic flavor. I did of course. Just be sure to remember to scoop them out later! 

Cook Vegetables and Create the Soup Base:
In a large dutch oven or very large pot add oil and melt butter. Add Carrots and Celery and sauté until they are tender, stirring occasionally and taking care not to burn. This should take about 6-8 minutes. 

Dumpling batter, Photo: NK 

Bring it all together:
Next, add the Minced Garlic and cook about 1 minute longer, stirring. Stir in the 2 Tablespoons of Flour until incorporated. Now, slowly add the prepared Stock. Bring it to a boil and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes to allow it to thicken. Add the Peas and return the mixture to a boil. Cook for another 3 or so minutes until Peas are tender. Stir in Chicken and Evaporated Milk and lower the heat a bit. Allow the mixture to heat thoroughly for another 3 or so minutes.

Make, add, and cook the Dumplings:
In a large bowl, combine Flour, Cayenne, Salt and Baking Powder. In a separate smaller bowl combine slightly beaten Eggs and Buttermilk. Pour the Wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and stir until incorporated and just moistened.

Photo: NK

By the teaspoonful, drop batter into the already simmering broth. Add as many dollops of batter as you'd like keeping in mind that you may have some batter left over. When done, cover the pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into a Dumpling. 

When the Dumpling are finished cooking they will inevitably have stuck together. You can easily remedy this by running a sharp knife around each to separate. 

Photo: NK 

To Serve, portion out the Soup and Dumplings into individual bowls and garnish with ample amounts of Chives.

Cooks note - this "soup" has the potential to come out more stewlike - much of liquid gets sucked up by all the Dumplings, especially after you've stored this and served it as a leftover. You can certainly store the Dumplings apart from the broth, or feel free to add more Chicken Broth or Even a bit of water before reheating to 
increase the amount of liquid. 
Enjoy! 

Ready to serve Chicken and Dumpling Soup, comfort food at its finest, Photo: NK