A Summer Soup Break

A few summers ago to be "healthier," I tried to cut corn out of my summer cooking repertoire. What a mistake. Fresh sweet corn offers a special taste of summer goodness that it turns out is actually pretty good for you.

So with a leftover cob and another whole one in the fridge, I thought I'd try my hand at a little chicken and corn soup. Also leftover? Two strips of bacon whose compatriots made my quiche of last week so tasty and the sole survivor of a 3-breast chicken package.

Put it all together and you have a wonderfully rich summer-time lunch. I usually lean on lighter cuisine when the weather is so steamy, but sometimes having something that's not too heavy but still hearty is a nice change of pace.

Corn and Chicken Soup

2 strips smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large onion, diced

2 small potatoes, diced

1 corn cob (leftover, no kernels)

1 whole corn cob

2 cups 1 % milk

1 chicken breast

5-6 leaves basil

Salt

In a larger sauce pan or dutch oven, over high heat start to cook bacon pieces. When they begin to crisp up, add the diced onion and potato. Cook, stirring, until onions are translucent and potatoes are slightly tender. The potato is adding some starchy heft to the broth. You could skip it, but it makes it a little heartier and adds texture.

Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast into three sections (mine was huge.) Place it on top of the onion/bacon mixture and add the milk to cover. Bring to a simmer then lower the heat to keep it just steaming and poach the chicken until cooked the whole way through. (I pulled it out to check.) Mine took about 15 minutes, but it really depends on the size of the breast, so best to check.

Remove the chicken breasts and set aside. Cut the kernels off the whole corn cob. I've seen "easy" ways to do this that involve multiple bowls, etc. Um, no. Just go slow and cut from midway on the cob, downward, on a cutting board with a sharp knife. Then flip the cob upside down and repeat. If you don't get the kernels cut close to the cob, don't worry, you'll get all that goodness out when you...

Add the de-kerneled cobs to the milk-onion-bacon mixture and keep the mixture at a simmer. While the cobs are getting nice and warm, shred the chicken into bite size pieces. Remove the cobs with tongs and hold up on a cutting board. Scrape the cob with a knife to get out all the remnant corn bits and return the bits and their liquid to the pot. Add the chicken and uncooked reserve kernels into the pot. Salt to taste. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in some basil leaves and serve.

Tally:

Leftover bits and pieces come together for big flavor

A hearty summer soup to break up the lighter fare and fuels some summertime adventures

Corn's sweet summer flavor pops in this soup

Lunch II, Bigger and Bolder

So that little old bowl of chickpeas with some chimichurri mixed in...that's not just another leftover, it's a fantastic opportunity for a lunch sequel. And unlike most sequels, this dish won't have a re-hashed, dull flavor. It's a whole new enchilada, or falafel as the case may be.

I had my first falafel in Germany. Yes, in the land of snausage, even I-Love-Salty-Meats herself needed a break in the wurst way possible (sorry, I couldn't help myself.) That's when the two vegetarians in my study abroad program and I discovered the Turkish falafel stand. Fried balls of chickpea aren't exactly healthy, but the food was fresh, spicy and filled with green-goodness. I fell in love with it at first bite.

I usually bake falafel to keep this easy dish diet-friendly. Baking won't make it as filling, but you still get a lot of the good flavor without all of the deep-fried calories.

Baked Falafel Leftover Mashup

1/2 Chickpeas with Chimichurri

1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Ground pepper

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pre-heat oven to 420F.

Place leftover chickpeas and sauce and all ingredients in the food processor. Combine until it looks like a paste. **If you are making this as a new dish, just put all of the ingredients for the chimichurri in the food processor along with these ingredients doubled and the chickpeas.

This was looser than my usual mixture so instead of shaping patties, I dropped the falafels like you would cookie dough.

Make about 10 small falafel "piles" on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes one side. Flip falafel and bake another 10 minutes. These spicy falafel-ettes will be crispy on the outside and a little gooey on the inside.

Since I'm not eating too much bread these days, I replace the pita with a big romaine leaf and scatter the falafel with tomato and sliced scallion.

Serve with:

"White Sauce": 1/4 plain yogurt + 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + 1 minced small clove of garlic

Pickled Cabbage: Another leftover sequel! Shred about 1 cup cabbage (I used green) and cook in 1/2 cup of leftover pickling liquid and all the garlic from Garlic-Cumin Refrigerator Pickles. Cook until cabbage looks bright and slightly wilted. Cool before serving.

Tally:

Leftovers get a makeover with some pantry pals

Healthy and flavorful lunch in half and hour

Thriftier and healthier than the food truck falafel

Lunch, The Sequel

I'm a big fan of previews. Before a tv show is even over, I'm already excited for the "Scenes from Next Week," anticipating the next plot twist. (I'm also one of those people who actually likeswatching all those trailers at the movies. I know, weird.) In the same way, lunch leftovers can often get me excited about new recipes that offer their own plot twist. Rather than eat the same-old same-old each day, I try to incorporate leftovers into my lunch plans, usually as a salad, or better yet to make a dish that can transform into something entirely new the next time lunch comes around.

So today when I opened a trusty can of chickpeas, I thought not only about the immediate plan for a salad with "chim-me-churri" dressing, but about what I'll do with the leftovers. Can you guess? Stay tuned to find out. No spoilers here!

And in the meantime, here's a quick, flavorful and healthy lunch option for a hot day.

Chimichurri, Chickpea and Radish Salad

Chimichurri is a South American sauce that usually includes cilantro as well as the parsley featured here. I had a lot of parsley to use up from our CSA shipment, so I skipped the cilantro. If you want to add it in, use about 3:1 parsley to cilantro. While it's usually eaten with grilled meats, I think I'll eat just about anything with chimichurri and chickpeas can always use a flavor-packed boost.

1 scallion (or 1 small onion)

1 c. parsley

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1 can chickpeas

Romaine lettuce

2-3 small radishes

In a mini-Cuisinart, pulse until well mixed the scallion, parsley, garlic, oregano, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Combine this mixture with the drained chickpeas.

Wash and tear romaine lettuce. Sliced radishes into thin disks. Dress salad with olive oil and lemon juice.

Scatter half of the chickpeas on top of salad mixture.

Reserve the other half of the chickpea mixture.

To be continued...

Tally:

Healthy lunch in minutes

Heat-less cooking for a steamy day

Chickpeas offer great protein at a low price

Chimichurri...best.topping.ever.