I was talking to my morning class about what to make for dinner tonight. I knew it would be some sort of one pot meal – a soup, chili or stew. It has been raining for days and days and days. The kind of day that screams for a bowl of warm, filling, comfort food. One of my friends mentioned a Lemon Chicken Orzo dish she had found on Pinterest and was making for dinner. Sounded like something I needed to try, so off to google I went and made my way to the grocery.
Since I wanted to make it a little thicker to fit my boys’ taste and wanted to add in some hidden greens, I tweaked the original just a bit. Sometimes I just can’t help myself! I’ve linked the original at the bottom so you can check it out.
Thanks Heidi for a great dinner idea!!
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 plus cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
5 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of fresh spinach leaves
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; remove from pot.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme and all-purpose seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in chicken broth, bay leaves and bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and spinach leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Simmer until ready to serve. If it gets too thick, add some water and stir.
This was thick and creamy with a wonderful, fresh hint of lemon to add to the deliciousness. It was the perfect bowl of comfort for a dreary night.
Check out Damndelicious.net for the Original Recipe.
While at the grocery store, I picked up a bag of apples.
They looked so pretty and Fallish, I wanted to do something with them for dinner. I could just imagine the smell of warm apples and cinnamon in the kitchen . . .
HEALTHY BAKED APPLES
2 large apples, your choice
2 T brown sugar
1 T soft coconut oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut apples in half around the middle.
Remove the core and seeds with a small knife. Place apples, cut side up, in baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, coconut oil, nutmeg and cinnamon to make a paste. Spoon this mixture into the center of the apple halves.
Pour water into the baking dish. Bake the apples for 40-45 minutes or until the apples are tender, basting them now and then with the water. (although I have forgotten this before and they were still good!)
Serve warm plain or with whipped cream, ice cream or yogurt.
I am not gonna lie. These were warm, delicious and perfect on a wet Fall night!
I have leftovers for breakfast, too . . .
I hope these give you an idea for a quick meal and warm treat. Let me know what you think!
What is you favorite dreary night meal? How is the weather where you are? Early winter? More rain?
Enjoy Your Day!
Leave a Reply