Yellow & French Lentils with Wilted Greens

Now that we're deep into the cold, gray winter months out here in Illinois, I've been trying to make meals that use what's in my pantry, as I did last week with pumpkin and pasta.

This week, lentils are on the menu. I have several bags – French, yellow and red. I thought of Amy's Soul-Soothing Red Lentil Stew. So pretty, hearty and healthy, lentils could be just the ticket for a cozy dinner.

My original meal plans for the week included sautéing some sausage with a bag of greens. Why not add some lentils into the mix, right? I looked around at various online lentil recipes to give me some ideas – and Yellow & French Lentils with Wilted Greens was born. I served this with a side of cajun sausage links to please my boys. If you have any leftovers, the lentils taste great cold, too.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Yellow & French Lentils with Wilted Greens
Inspired by this recipe from The Kitchn.

1/2 cup French (green) lentils
1/2 cup yellow lentils
2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried, rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 13 ounce bag mixed greens (kale, spinach, collard, etc.)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Put lentils and chicken broth into a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook lentils for about 25 minutes, or until softened. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside. Do not drain.

In a large pan or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-high heat until just crisp. Drain fat out of the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon of grease. Add onions, garlic, rosemary, sage and ground pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are softened.

Lower heat to medium. Add lentils and any remaining stock into the bacon and onion mixture in the Dutch oven. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add greens to Dutch oven and cover for 2 minutes. Remove cover and stir, incorporating greens into lentils. Continue to cook and stir until all greens are wilted. Remove from heat, partially cover and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, mustard and balsamic vinegar to make a dressing.

Serve lentils and greens warm, topped with dressing and sliced green onions.

Cooking Chicken 3 Ways on Fox 46's Good Day Charlotte

Consider the following post a bit of a #humblebrag.

We at Hot Dinner Happy Home have been grinning ear to ear and virtual high-fiving all weekend. You see, Charlotte's Fox affiliate asked Amy to come on Good Day Charlotte and demonstrate a recipe in a "What's Your Dish?" segment that features local food bloggers. Ever the overachiever, Amy opted to show three recipes: her signature Amy's Roasted Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken Stock and Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. 

(VIDEO): What's Your Dish? Amy George Makes Roasted Chicken

Our favorite line in the three-and-a-half  minute segment: "Do not fear the whole chicken." As Erin put it in one of many group texts between your three Bringers of Hot Dinner: "That's our message on HDHH. Just get in the kitchen  and don't be afraid! BRAVO!"

Thank you, dear readers, for keeping up with our culinary adventures and indulging us as we say, "Yay, us!"

XOXO,

Erin, Andrea & Amy

PS: Amy's family -- husband, Jeff,  and daughters,  Lucy and Penny -- tagged along for moral support. The girls even  got to be in a promo spot in which the anchor said they were studying up to come back and cook with Mom! A good day in Charlotte, indeed!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

A friend tried my roasted chicken recipe and afterward she made chicken stock in her slow cooker. She told me that once I tried it I would never make stock on the stove top again.

So, the last time I roasted a chicken, I put the frame in the slow cooker overnight along with all the necessary ingredients and when I got up in the morning...voila chicken stock! My friend was right. I will never again make chicken stock any other way.

So, then, I took that chicken stock -- all eight cups -- and made a double batch of my pressure cooker chicken noodle soup.

The dreaded Fall cold has swept through the George house, so this soup will have us all feeling better in no time -- and there's enough to freeze! BTW, both the soup and the stock by itself freeze nicely.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: No slow cooker? Check out how to make chicken stock the old fashioned way in Andrea's post "Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup."

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Frame of one roasted chicken
Two carrots, peeled
Two celery stalks
1 medium to large onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pierced with a knife but left whole
1 bay leaf
Fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand), tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine if you have it

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and fill to top with water. Set to low for eight hours.

Remove chicken frame and all the solid ingredients. Pour stock into containers, using a mesh strainer to catch all the small bits and pieces. Place stock in refrigerator. I recommend not using the stock right away but letting it cool in the fridge so that you can remove the light layer of congealed fat that forms at the top of the broth. After you do that, use the broth in your favorite soup or recipe or freeze for later.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Lately, I've been loving making chicken noodle soup. And it is super easy now that I also am in love with my pressure cooker. Here's what I do: make my roasted chicken and then throw all the little leftover pieces of meat into the pressure cooker. In a matter of minutes, I have the next day's lunch or dinner in hand.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: Sometimes when I am feeling extra thrifty, I make this soup with homemade broth.

Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Cut up cooked chicken, about 1-2 cups

3 large carrots, peeled and diced ½” inch thick
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup uncooked noodles

32 oz. chicken broth
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Add the cooked chicken, veggies, thyme, noodles and broth to the pressure cooker. Cover and cook on high pressure for six minutes.

Note about the chicken: Again, you can use all white or all dark meat or any combo. You can usually find enough meat from the “scraps” of a homemade roasted chicken or a store-bought rotisserie bird.

When time is up on the pressure cooker, do a quick release and remove the lid when it is safe to do so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup

I'm all for the convenience of packaged chicken broth, but I do enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with cooking from scratch – especially when the process naturally follows a meal I'm already making.

The next time you roast a chicken leave a little meat on the frame and make yourself some chicken stock. It's almost as easy as boiling water – seriously!

You can flavor the broth with whatever herbs and vegetables you have on hand. Experiment until you find a combination you like best. When you're done, you'll have enough chicken stock to make a fragrant Chicken & Tortellini soup (recipe below), plus more to pop into the freezer for later – about 10 cups in all.

P.S. What's the difference between broth and stock, you ask? Traditionally, stock is made from bones. The collagen in the bones breaks down into a gelatin that adds body and a thicker texture to the liquid. Broth is made from meat and seasonings. Since I use both meat and bones to make this soup base, I'm using the terms broth and stock interchangeably.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Chicken Stock

1 frame from a 4 to 5 pound chicken
1 large white onion, peeled and cut in quarters
1 shallots, peeled and cut in half
3 peeled carrots
3 celery stalks
2 o 3 crushed or minced garlic cloves
1 lemon, halved
Fresh herbs sprigs, tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine: thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley or whatever you have on hand
Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken frame in a 6-quart pot. Add vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper. Fill pot with water to cover chicken frame. Cover pot with lid. Bring to a boil and maintain a rolling boil for about 30 minutes. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 4 hours or longer, keeping pot partially covered.

Let broth cool. Skim any fat from top. Remove chicken frame, vegetables and herbs from pot and discard. Place a colander on top of a large pot or bowl and pour stock through strainer. (You could also use cheesecloth in this step.)

You can use your broth right away or place broth into a covered pot or container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off any fat on the surface. Now you have a delicious base for soup.

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

9 ounces cheese tortellini
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 4 ounces spinach, Swiss chard or baby kale
Grated or shaved parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook tortellini according to package directions. While tortellini cooks, heat broth on stove top in medium to large pot. Add tortellini and chicken to hot stock and heat through. If using greens, stir them into soup just until wilted.

Ladle servings into bowls and top with parmesan.