Budget Friendly, Gluten Free Lentil Soup with Rice

If you're in a relationship and anything like me... then you probably find it incredibly hard to cook a meal just for yourself.  Right?  

My husband was not present for dinner tonight.  I was alone in the kitchen with the blessing of a full refrigerator and no idea what to cook.  Then I decided it was the perfect time to test drive a new recipe using gluten free soup.

Progresso offers a gluten free Lentil soup and it's found in the regular soup aisle at the grocery store.  Thank goodness for inexpensive, wheat free soup options.  I've had a difficult time finding any regular soup without wheat flour.

Tonight, I decided to cook some rice and see where the creativity took me.

Lentil Soup with Rice
- 19 oz. can of Progresso Lentil Soup
- 1 cup of jasmine rice
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, minced or finely chopped
- 1/2 green pepper, minced or finely chopped
- 1 TBSP of Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle or Basil & Thyme
- Optional:  3-6 shakes of crushed red pepper or a few pinches of chili powder
- Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the soup in a microwaveable bowl with the veggies and seasoning.  Bring rice to a boil in a sauce pan over high heat, reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally until tender.  Pour the soup over a portion of rice.  Serve and enjoy.

Personalize this recipe with your favorite vegetables:  tomato, mushroom, jalapeno, fresh basil and more.  The choice is yours!  There is no limit.

It's the simplest recipe with a ton of perks.  

► 1 can of Progresso Lentil Soup = 160 calories per 1 cup

► Divide the can of Lentil Soup into thirds - 1 for dinner that night, 1 for your lunch the next day and 1 for your significant others lunch.

► Depending on your part of the country, 1 can of soup costs approximately $1.50 to $2.  1 cup of rice will cost you about $0.50.  Add a few veggies and the meal is still under $5.

► Lentils are packed with nutrients that your body will appreciate.  According to Wikipedia, lentils are a legume with high protein, fiber, vitamin B and iron.

► Time Saver Alert!!  The best perk is that I was able to make 3 meals or portions in under 10 minutes.


Copyright 2012 Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.

Cooking With Wine - Chicken Dumpling Soup

A couple weeks ago we attended a weekly church group gathering.  During the discussion about food, some of the women in our group had expressed their love for a local restaurants' "dumpling soup".  They said that it did not have chicken but was undoubtly delicious.  I was intrigued.

Several days later I decided to create my own "dumpling soup", but would definitely include chicken.  This recipe is the perfect winter meal.  I also created it as a thank you dinner for my dear friend, Danielle (read about the soup that she made for me).

The soup is inspired by Paula Deen's recipe.  I was a bit cautious at first - considering how much butter she uses.  With numerous changes... I am able to call this soup my own.  I hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.  My husband said it was a "home run".  In man terms, I'll take that as pretty-gosh-darn-good!

Prepare time = 30 minutes

Cook time = 2 hours

Chicken Vino Dumpling Soup

Liquids:

- 6 cups of chicken stock

- 4 cups of white wine (I recommend Sauvignon Blanc. Note: I only spent $3 on the wine)

- 1 TBSP of butter

Meat/Vegetable:

- 2 cups of shredded chicken (Tip: I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken and still had some left over)

- 3 celery stalks, diced

- 3 peeled carrots, diced

- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1/2 cup of frozen peas or corn

- 1/4 cups fresh parsley, chopped

Spices:

- 1/2 TSP ground nutmeg

- 2 TBSP tarragon

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 TBSP thyme

- Ground pepper to taste

- Kosher salt - approx. 1 1/2 TBSP

Dumplings:

- 2 TBSP butter

- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 2 large eggs

- 1/2 TSP ground nutmeg

- 1 cup of milk

- Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Prepare all vegetables and meat before adding liquids to a large cooking pot.  Add the liquids to the cooking pot.  Gradually begin to add the chicken and all vegetables.  Season with salt and pepper.  Taste.  Then add all the spices.  Cook on medium-low heat for 1.5 hours, stir occasionally. 

In a medium sauce pan, heat the butter and milk to a slow simmer.  When it begins to slowly bubble, add the flour.  Remove from heat and add the eggs.  Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Whisk until dough is thick.  Use a tablespoon to from small to medium sized balls of dough.  Gradually drop dough into the heated soup broth.  Stir gently.  Cook on medium-low heat for another 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

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I can shamelessly admit that creating the dumplings made me a bit nervous.  Everything turned out very well though.  We used a french bread for dipping.  If you choose to make your own bread... I would recommend a dill bread or fresh dinner roll.  Pair with a crisp glass of your favorite Riesling.

This recipe will make enough for 6-8 servings.  I hope you enjoy it! 

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try it.  Have a fantastic weekend!

We could all use a hint of more time!

Copyright 2011 A Hint of Thyme.  All rights reserved.