Apple Pie Oatmeal did not live up to my hopes. At all. I think it would work on the stove, but in the Crock Pot it failed spectacularly! Most of the oats stuck to the bottom, so what we got was watery apple soup with a few bits of oat. Also, the results were not palatable without some added sweetness, so the fam used 100% maple syrup while I used Cary's, because yes, that's one substitute I have to go with for the sake of my blood glucose levels.
There wasn't enough substance in the "oatmeal" to keep me from post-Symlin nausea, so I had to supplement with a fresh apple. Naturally, my dog LuLu was very eager to share that with me.
I see you have an apple. You're going to share, right?
Anyway, on to today's project. There's flu in the house, so I'm making soup. The thing about soup is that it's easy to make it both delicious and bloodsugar-friendly. Just add tons of healthy veggies and some healthy carbs, and leave out the refined items and unhealthy starches.
I do tend to be one of those "pinch of this, dash of that" cooks, but in the interest of blogging, I'm going to try and become more imperical in my methods. On the other hand, one of the nicest things about soup cookery is that it's very forgiving. Don't have a particular veggie? Don't use it. Add something else instead! Forget the herb packet? It will probably taste just fine without it, just more ... simple. No problem.
Soup du Jour: Italian Inspired Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
1 box sliced baby bella mushrooms
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, two turns of the pan
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 onion
1 large handful peeled garlic cloves, halved or cut in thirds
2+ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
splash of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
1 box (or can, but I use Pomi) chopped tomatoes
4 boxes chicken stock
1 bunch fresh kale, stripped from the stalks and torn into small pieces
4 small, thin zucchini, sliced
2 cups chopped fresh green beans
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cans cannelini beans, drained
1 largish sprig fresh thyme +
1 largish sprig fresh oregano, both tied into a bouquet garni with cheesecloth
Barley
I like to start by sauteeing the mushrooms alone in a bit of olive oil. They just taste better when they are treated well in this manner. When they are ready, add your chopped onion, bell peppers, garlic, and celery and let those sweat down a bit.
Next comes the chicken. I like thighs because they are cheaper, and stay juicy in soup; if you prefer breasts then by all means go for it. Chop it up, cut off as much of the fat as you can, and add it to the pot, stirring it around occasionally until it gets nice and browned on the edges.
When that's all done, add a splash of white wine to deglaze the pot, and scrape up all the bits of YUM that were stuck to the bottom from the sauteeing. You will thank me for including this step, I promise! If you don't want to use wine, that's fine. Just use a splash of your broth before adding the rest and do the same scraping up thing with the broth. The wine does add a nice depth of flavor, though.
Next we add our broth, chopped tomatoes, beans, and the rest of the veggies. Stir it up, tuck the cheesecloth bundle into the soup, cover, and let simmer for a good long while... at least an hour, more if you have the patience... on medium-low heat.
Add about a cup of barley before serving, and let it simmer as long as the package says. I used quick barley, so it was 10 minutes.
This recipe makes a LOT of soup. I like to make tons when I bring out the soup pot because: 1. It's just as much effort to make a lot of soup as a little, and 2. soup tastes even better after it's been in the fridge for a day or two.
I like to garnish the bowls with some parmesan and shredded fresh basil.
