Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Brrrr..... It's Time to Warm Up!

Wow, now has been a crazy month or what?! Geesh, what a whirlwind of craziness, but I sure have missed chatting, sharing, & eatin' with you all and excited to be back and rolling.

In case you're wondering if I chopped my finger off or burned the building down on my TV debut, that is excitedly a NO!..... However, if we were in public speaking class, I'm guessing I would have gotten an F for the amount of pauses and "um's" thrown around in just a few short minutes..... that flew by as if it were a few short seconds! I'll be workin' on that so you don't have to hear round 2 of Katie's inaudible ramblings ;)




Find the segment here if you want living proof (and the very talked about shout out to my husband's beard) -- you have to click on the arrow pointing to the right of the screen to get to the second part.  And of course, you can find the recipes I made here if they looked yummy enough to make!


Andi and Tracy, the hosts, were SO incredibly sweet and easy going that it was like talking to someone I had known for years and as if the camera weren't there except when I made the stupid mistake of looking straight at them and going into panic mode, but seriously, they were just awesome and reaffirmed not only how much I love to cook, but how much I'd die to have a vegetarian Food Network TV show.... although I doubt they'd cast one of the worst public speakers on the planet (AKA: me), but hey, a gal can dream, eh?!


I can't tell you how many times I watched this and was thinking, KATIE: Why did you not answer with this?! or that?!.... Come on now!  We're all our own worst critic as they say, and such a truth!


And yes, presentation is also not my strong suit.... and they pictured this AFTER my segment was over. (I wonder why?! ;) HA!) I'm no professional here ladies and gents!




Anyhow, enough about my self absorbed obsession to watch and critique every mistake I can't take back now and onto delicious, heart warming, food-for-the-soul....... SOUP!!!!!!! 


Except for you Floridian's and southern west coast folks blessed with year round warmth ;) us in the Midwest are feeling the BRRRRRRRR for sure..... In fact, it's sleeting as I type, but nonetheless, is my very favorite time of year come, and there's nothing like watching it come alive our yards, streets, etc. blissfully change into the vibrant colors of autumn.  Now I'm wanting to sip on some hot chocolate, STAT! ;)



Every autumn and winter, who doesn't auto think of soup?! Seriously... it's just a staple that warms you from the inside out! Soup is something I LOVEEEEEEEEEE, but since becoming a vegetarian, has also been like a long lost friend because when you go to restaurants, you see salivating sounding soup selections, but always made with chicken or beef broth/stock, so it's like a love of my life that feels dearly distant at times (yes, oh so dramatic, I know!)

Last time I got sick, my mom made the remark something like, "this would be such a good time for a bowl of chicken noodle soup," and although probably drugged on Nyquil and my naturally stubborn/have to be right nature, I had a thought.... VEGETARIANS CAN EAT "CHICKEN" NOODLE SOUP TOO GOSH DARN IT!


Nursed back to health, brain less foggy and I was ready.... no, I was DETERMINED.... to concoct a tailor made recipe even non-vegetarians could enjoy!


So now I demand that you light a fire, get under a blanket, and enjoy a super healthy, super warm and SUPER tasty version of....


Chik'n Noodle Soup, Veggie Style



In the line up for a good ol' classic favorite!

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 fresh sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
2 cooked, cooled and shredded Quorn Chik’n cutlets
6 cups vegetable broth
8 oz frozen egg noodles

Start with the most important ingredients..... What would Chik'n Noodle Soup be without the Chik'n and without the noodles?! I'll tell ya', it'd be BLAH, so here we go.  Get going by baking (or cooking on the stove) the Chik'n cutlets until cooked/heated through and then let cool (can make ahead if ya'd like!).  When cool enough to handle, shred or cut up however thick or thin you'd like it in your soup (I shredded mine pretty thin as ya' can tell cause' I want it to be really SOUP-y with all that yummo broth!)


Next, heat the olive oil and butter/margarine in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and full thyme sprigs (stem on) and season with salt and pepper.  Sautee for about 5-10 minutes.


Once the veggies have softened, add the vegetable broth and turn the heat to medium-high to bring it up to a boil.










Once the broth is boiling, add in your noodles and cook for the amount of time recommended on the package you purchased (approximately 15-20 minutes).  













Either serve up alongside a warm veggie or side salad, or let cool and heat up another day.  Generally, I always find that soups can taste better next day since the flavors get to partay with each other and becomes an overall tastier experience a day later, but to each their own! 


ENJOY ma' friends, and keep warm!







Healthy, vegetarian, and better and almost as fast as heating up that Campbell's can I know you've got in your pantry!!!!! ;)




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