Chicken and Rice Soup

I have tried a number of chicken and rice soups. This one has been our families favorite. Cumin, cilantro, and oregano give it a different flavor than a chicken broth based soup.

Its perfect with left over rice and relatively easy for a soup.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 c. shredded or cubed chicken
• 1/2 to 1 c. rice, cooked, any kind (wild rice mix is great in this soup)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 c. cilantro, chopped
• 6-8 c. chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp cumin, more for taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tsp oregano
• Dash Crushed red pepper, optional for spice

Cooking Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to boil then simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My parents lived in Japan shortly after they were married. As a result, we had a lot of rice dishes in our house.
My Mom's best friend while living in Japan shared a number of recipes and this is one of them, growing up it was one of my favorites.

Sweet & Sour Chicken (serves 4-5)

Ingredients:

• 2 c. diced cooked chicken
• 1 small onion, chopped
  
• 1 1/2 c. pineapple chunks
• 1 1/4 c. water (I substitute with a little pineapple juice)
• 2 c. carrots, chopped
• 1 green pepper, cut in strips or chunks
  
• 3 chicken bullion cubes
• 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 c. ketsup
• 2 Tbsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce

Cooking Directions:

Saute onion in 1 Tbsp butter until tender. Add water, carrots, & bullion. Cover & simmer for 5 min. In separate bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, & ginger. In separate bowl, combine ketsup, vinegar, & soy sauce. Add both combinations to vegetable mixture. Cook until clear & thicken. Add chicken, green pepper, & pineapple. Cover & simmer for 5 min.

Serve with rice.

Chinese Beef & Snow Peas

We love ginger root in this house. I use extra ginger in this dish to get the perfect burst of flavor. Delicious!

Chinese Beef & Snow Peas

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb steak, thinly sliced, pounded
• 1/3 c. soy sauce plus 1 tsp
• 2-3 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 oz snow peas, trimmed
• 1/2 red onion, sliced in strips
• Oil, for cooking
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 c. beef stock
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

Cooking Directions

Place meat in bowl, mix soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and stir into meat. In small cup, dissolve cornstarch into beef stock. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in wok and add onion. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes. Add beef and snow peas and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add beef stock, sesame oil, and extra soy sauce. Stir until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over rice immediately.

Thai Basil Chicken

This is just good. You should try it.

Thai Basil Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce, more or less for spice
• 1 c. basil leaves
• 1 tomato, diced
• Vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 scallions, sliced
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 c. snow peas, trimmed
• 1 red pepper, sliced

Cooking Directions:
Combine soy sauce, lime juice, basil, and tomato in a small bowl. Mix and set aside. Heat about one tablespoon oil in a wok. Add garlic and chili sauce. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add chicken and cook until 1 min, add scallions and red pepper and cook until chicken is lightly browned. Add snow peas and sauce mixture. Reduce heat and simmer 2 min, until chicken is cooked all the way through. Top with extra basil leaves. Serve immediately over rice.

*Add more chili garlic sauce at the end if you like spice.

Cilantro Lime Rice

This rice is a great addition for any Mexican meal but also good with any Asian dish.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Ingredients:

• 2-3 c. rice
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 chicken bullion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• Oil for cooking
• Juice of 2 limes
• Pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

Heat a little oil in skillet. Add garlic, cilantro, and rice. Sauté 3-5 min. Put in rice cooker or sauce pan with lime juice, bullion, pepper, and amount of water called for on rice directions. Cook as directed.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Great way to get fresh veggies on kids' plates.

Hawaiian Haystacks (serves 5-6)

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 c. Sour cream
• 2 c. shredded chicken breasts, can use canned or boil your own
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Sprinkle basil and oregano
• Milk

Suggested Toppings: Carrots, celery, pineapple, almonds, mandarin oranges, green peppers, coconut, cheddar cheese, chow mien noodles, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc

Cooking Directions:

Mix all sauce ingredients, except the milk, in pot over medium heat until heated through, add a little milk to thin.

Serve over rice. Top with chopped vegetables and toppings.

Omma Rice/ Fried Rice

This is a family favorite. There was rejoicing when Dad cooked it for us.

This is a great way to use leftover rice, it is the recipe to make fried rice, obviously without the egg over it.

Omma-Rice

Ingredients:

• Eggs
• Left over rice (that has been refrigerated)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 to 2 c. Chopped veggies (chopped Green pepper, carrots, celery)
• Soy sauce
• Butter

Cooking Directions:

In wok, melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat, sauté onions (and any other veggies) in butter. Break up cold rice and add to wok (may need to add more butter so the rice doesn’t burn). Dash in desired amount of soy sauce (I use about 1 Tbs).. Stir-fry rice until heated through. Set on low, don’t let it burn.

In small frying pan, fry an egg. Sprinkle with pepper.

Serve with fried egg over the rice, I really like it with ketchup and I'm not a huge ketchup fan.