Mediterranean Chicken Soup with Olives

I really like soup and I find that it is an easy way to get my veggies. Plus, I tend to make low fat soups. Here's an adapted recipe I made for lunch this week:

Mediterranean Chicken Soup with Olives and Vegetables
6 to 8 servings

4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

Ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped (I used 2 small red onions)

1 1/2 cup of baby carrots, diced

1 1/2 cup Broccoli florets cut into small pieces

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (Next time I will use 1.5 tea.)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1-½ teaspoons dried Herbes de Provence or dried basil, crushed; divided

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 can Artichoke Hearts, quarter (This was not part of the original recipe)

1 large bunch of Kale, leafy sections removed from the stem and torn into small pieces

Optional: 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed (omitted)

1 tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon or chopped lemon zest

1 cup pitted olives, preferably a mixture of green and black, chopped

Salt to taste (omitted)

1. Saute the chicken n a 6-quart pot heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Brown well on all sides.(The browning gives the soup a rich color and flavor.)

2. Saute the onion until translucent stirring occasionally. Add carrot and garlic; continue cooking 4 minutes. Add paprika, cumin and 1 teaspoon of the herb, stirring 1 minute.

3. Stir broth or water, remaining vegatbles and crumbled saffron into the pot. Bring to the boil. Add chicken, stirring well. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.

4. Remove soup from heat. Add remaining ½ teaspoon dried herb, and olives. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed.
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Chicken Fried Rice
via: The Feed Zone Cookbook from Skratch Labs

This recipe is exactly as Allen presented it to his class in the third grade and exactly as he serves it to athletes at training camps, races, or impromptu dinners at his place in Boulder, Colorado. At the 2010 Tour de France, this was Lance Armstrong’s favorite post-race dish.

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2–3 green onions, diced
or thinly sliced
3 eggs
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup boneless chicken thighs (2–3 pieces)
1 cup frozen peas and corn

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS
Sriracha sauce
sesame oil

1 Bring a lightly oiled sauté pan to mediumhigh heat. Add the garlic and green onions
and sauté for about 1 minute.
2 In a small bowl, beat the eggs and soy sauce vigorously and pour into the hot pan. The pan should be hot enough to cause the eggs to fluff. Stir the eggs to cook them quickly.
3 Add the rice and cooked chicken thighs and fry the mixture for 5–6 minutes.
4 Add the peas and corn and cook until the vegetables heat through and are vibrant
in color. Season to taste with salt, Sriracha sauce, and additional soy sauce or sesame oil.
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Melon Cucumber Smoothie
via:Dash of East blog

1 cup honeydew melon, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup garden cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used coconut milk)
1 tablespoon agave
3-4 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients in a blender.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!
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Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce

Pan Seared Honey Glazed Salmon with Browned Butter Lime Sauce
Yields 4 servings
via: Cooking Classy Blog

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets, rested at room temperature 20 minutes
8 tsp flour, divided
2 Tbsp honey, divided
zest of 1 - 2 limes (I like it with a generous amount so in my opinion 2)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 recipe Browned Butter Lime Sauce, recipe follows

Working in batches of two salmon fillets at a time (or using two skillets, because you don't want to overcrowd the salmon when cooking it on the stove-top so it cooks more evenly), place salmon fillets on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle 1 tsp flour over each side of the salmon fillets and spread flour to evenly coat. Evenly drizzle 3/4 tsp honey over each side of the flour coated salmon fillets.* Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil into a 10 inch non-stick skillet, swirl pan to evenly coat bottom and heat over medium heat. Once oil it hot, carefully place salmon ) in pan and cook over medium heat, 3-5 minutes per side until salmon has cooked through and bottom has nicely browned. Plate salmon immediately, drizzle each fillet with 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp Browned Butter Lime Sauce and sprinkle with lime zest. Serve warm.


*note that once you remove the salmon from the plate some of the flour and honey coating will stick to the plate so I'd recommend just scraping it up with a spatula and adding it to the salmon once it's in the pan, alternately you could just coat one side with the flour and honey then after adding it to the pan you can coat the top side with flour and honey. Either way works I'd just say don't waste any of that delicious coating.

Browned Butter Lime Sauce

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp salted butter, diced
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place butter in a small (light colored) saucepan. Cook over medium heat, swirling pan occasionally, until butter is fragrant and has turned a tan shade (for a step by step tutorial on how to brown butter see link here, although I would recommend not to stir constantly rather swirl pan occasionally). Remove from heat and add browned butter along with lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper to a blender. Blend on low speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well blended. Pour sauce into a small glass dish (note: whisk butter mixture with a fork before pouring onto salmon as it will separate, rewarm if needed).
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