Meatless Stuffed Poblanos

It's easy to fall into a habit of eating heavy food in the winter, because let's face it, doughy food tastes wonderful when it's blustery and freezing cold outside. A nice piece of pie, some cinnamon buns, maybe some pasta...But I think that's just the right time to remind yourself how good fresh produce can be.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, where I find most of my recipes and decided to give it a try. I didn't feel like grilling (because snow) so I took one of the readers' advice and baked mine in the oven for 30 mins at 350F.

I also decided to keep the rice out of the equation, too. From what I read, the filling was more than enough (with the rice) for most who tried it. I was really happy with the way my filling turned out with the beans, tomato, cilantro, onion and cheese (I used cheddar). If you want to use rice, I think you could use the rice or even quinoa (if you're a fan).

What I failed to remember was that I should grill and peel my poblanos first. So here was my stovetop attempt to blacken and peel them. It really didn't go too badly but could gone better. I'm open to suggestions here, guys.

I cooked some spicy vegan sausage from Field Roast and served with some leftover lettuce and avocado slices. Overall, I was satisfied with the result. Could it have looked prettier? Yes. Could I have done a better job peeling the peppers? Absolutely. Was it fun? Of course.

I Cooked Soup While I Slept, and I Wasn't Sleepwalking

January is here. It feels like negative temperatures outside, and suddenly a chef salad at lunch just doesn't cut it.  I know myself, and I know that on cold days like today all I want is a hot meal and a few hot cups of coffee. But maybe you're like me and you helped yourself to a little too much Christmas stuffing or one too many cookies (I go for the stuffing). I'm left wondering what I can eat that is warm and satisfying yet doesn't make me feel like fitting effortlessly into those skinny jeans is out of reach.

Making chicken noodle soup sounded like a good idea at 5 p.m. last night as I was driving home from work. Unfortunately, I still had to walk the dog, do some laundry and clean up some leftover boxes of stuff from when I moved recently. I didn't really feel like "manning" the stove for a few hours on top of that, so Crock Pot it was.

I had all the ingredients at home and decided I would prep everything and toss it all in the Crock Pot to cook overnight. I suppose if I had planned ahead, I could have cooked it all while I was at work yesterday, but I didn't (because that's how ideas work sometime). Overnight seemed just as good and I knew it would be ready in time for me to pack for lunch today.

What a good idea. But is homemade soup on a cold day ever a bad idea?

Ready to cook!

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (mine were frozen, but they can be thawed)
4-5 carrots chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 - 1 1/2 C celery chopped
Parsley to season
4 C chicken broth
2 C water
salt & pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne (I sprinkled some in because I like spicy food, but you don't have to)
1/2 C peas (fresh or frozen)
2 C noodles (your choice - I used whole wheat, but egg noodles are good, too)

Add chicken, carrot, onion, celery, parsley, chicken broth, water, salt and pepper, and cayenne (optional) to Crock Pot. Cook on low overnight. Mine cooked about 10 hours, but I estimate any time between 8-10 hours is sufficient.

In the morning, shred chicken and add peas and noodles. Turn heat to high and cook for a half hour. I packaged a cup for lunch today and carefully set the rest to cool in the fridge.

Ready to eat!

Note: This is pretty basic recipe for chicken noodle soup and can be adapted easily with herbs like sage, bay leaves, thyme, ginger, etc. You could also use 6 C of broth instead of the 4/2 that I used. I just like to watch how much sodium I'm consuming and I've never really cared too much for salt anyway. I'm the person who eats unsalted pretzels. You could also sub skinless chicken thighs/quarters for the boneless chicken breasts. Just remember to pick the bones out in the morning!

Also, waking up to the smell of chicken soup in the morning is actually pretty nice!