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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2018)
in other words february15 2018 9 An Unusual Culinary Column: Crockpot Comfort Foods By Karen Kain I have been visiting California since the first of December. My hosts El- len and Bobby have experienced a few health crises. They have had five emer- gency visits, two surgeries, and four hospital admits since my arrival. One surgery was planned, but the rest were un- expected, and this definitely has made life a bit hectic. Ellen works full-time and Bobby has been off work recovering from a double pneumonia. I do as much as I can to step up and make sure dinner is on the table and wine is poured the minute Ellen walks in the door. When I have a busy day planned, I put a meal together in the morning us- ing a slow cooker. This does two things; it fills the house with a lovely aroma and dinner is ready at 6:00 pm. At home, I use my crock pot to make bone broth or frijoles, but that is about all. Crock- pot cooking is a bit much for a single person. Since I have been cooking for three, I have discovered a few new reci- pes that I want to share with you. These meals are perfect for those winter days when your house is full and you don’t want to be fussing in the kitchen. Ellen said these were wonderful comfort foods during a very stressful time. She appre- ciated them the night they were cooked and packed it for lunch the next day. All three of my shares were sug- gested by Bobby. I started out making a batch of Cabbage Soup. If you love cab- bage, you will love this dish. There are a couple things you will want to know if you are going to make this recipe. Your crockpot will be full. For your heartier eaters, add the 2 pounds of sausage the recipe calls for. If you are vegan, pull the sausage and add some zucchini, and re- place the chicken stock with vegetable broth. I personally enjoyed the sausage in this soup. Because cabbage comes in different sizes, you might want to add about ½ to start with. Once the cabbage heats up, it does condense. You can al- ways add more later. This dish has a great flavor and the chili powder gives it a nice bite. You can always add more heat if you like, or pull back on the chili powder and paprika. The Wild Rice Chicken Soup Marie Krahn Massage Therapy Auto injury recovery/medical billing • Accepting: Medical Benefits Cards • Medical Massage Cupping • Swedish Massage • Reiki • Deep Tissue • Reflexology • doTerra Aroma Touch • Trigger Point Therapy • Myofacial Release 503-429-5180 lic#5495 mariekrahn@frontier.com was another hit. This one is definitely a hearty meal. You can use all milk instead of adding the half and half the recipe calls for. If you are watching your diet, use more chicken stock and omit the half and half all together. This is definitely a one pot meal. It does require a bit of ef- fort just before serving, but it is totally worth it. If you have fol- lowed my column for any time you know that I always manage to throw in a Mexican dish if I can. I am a big fan of Tortilla Soup and this recipe is spot on. I love this dish because it is super easy to put to- gether and it is simply delicious. I fully encourage you to get as creative as you want with the toppings; I included some of my favorites below. You can serve this soup alone or with a Mexican Cae- sar salad. I hope you give one or all of these dishes a try. I would love to hear what you think. Cabbage Soup with Beans & Sausage Ingredients: 1 ½ Cups dried white navy beans 1 Small cabbage, sliced or ½ a large 1 Tablespoon chili powder 1 Tablespoon paprika 1 Teaspoon garlic powder 1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning 1-28 Oz. can crushed tomatoes ½ Onion, chopped 2 Cans chicken broth, or vegetable broth 2 Cups water 2 Pounds pork sausage, cut into bite sized pieces ¾ Pounds little potatoes, cut in half Salt & pepper to taste Directions: Dried beans are always better when they are soaked in water over night before cooking. Just cover the beans with wa- ter for 8 hours, drain and rinse, then add them to the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and stir to fully combine. The pot will be full, so you might want to add ½ the cabbage and pack it down. Once the cabbage heats up it will condense. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Stir a few times as it cooks. Wild Rice Chicken Soup Ingredients: 2 Boneless and skinless chicken breasts Salt & pepper to taste 6 Cups chicken stock 1 Cup wild rice 3 Cloves garlic, minced 1 Onion, chopped 3 Carrots, diced 3 Celery stalks, chopped ½ Teaspoon dried thyme ½ Teaspoon diced rosemary 2 Bay leaves 1 Pound mushrooms, sliced ¼ Cup butter ¼ Cup flour 1 Cup milk 1 Cup half and half 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnish Directions: Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and put into the slow cooker. Add the stock, rice, garlic, on- ion, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and mushrooms. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Shred the chicken using two forks. In a sauce- pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 min- ute. Whisk in the milk and half and half. Cook, whisking constantly for about 4 to 5 minutes. You want the milk to thicken. Add the chicken and milk mixture back to the slow cooker and stir to combine the flavors. Serve immediately. 1 11 Oz. Mexican style corn 1 16 Oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 16 Oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 1 15 Oz. can enchilada sauce 1 16 Oz. jar chunky salsa 6 Cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 Tablespoon cumin ½ Tablespoon chili powder Salt & pepper to taste Ideas for garnish – cheese, cilantro, sour cream, corn chips, onions, sliced jalapenos Directions: Add the chicken, onion, bell pepper, ja- lapeno, corn, black beans, pinto beans, enchilada sauce, salsa, broth, spices. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Carefully, so you don’t burn yourself, remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Re- turn the chicken to the pot. Serve with your favorite toppings. Mexican Caesar Salad Ingredients: ½ Cup Mexican cheese or goat cheese, crumbled 1 / 3 Cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds ¼ Cup fresh cilantro, chopped 3 Tablespoons lime juice 2 Cups crumbled blue corn tortilla chips 1 Large avocado, diced 1 Head of romaine lettuce, chopped ½ Cup sliced black olives Directions: Combine all the ingredients together and toss. Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients: 3 Large skinless chicken breasts 1 Onion, diced 1 Green bell pepper, diced 1 Jalapeno pepper, minced with the seeds removed (use gloves to protect your hands) Karen Kain can be reached KarenKain8@icloud.com. at Prime Rib Dinner Every Friday & Saturday Reservations Recommended Vernonia Golf Club • 15961 Timber Rd • (503) 429-6811 Mariolino’s Pizza & Grill Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Ice cream - cones, shakes & sundaes Daily Specials Family owned and operated for over 40 years. 721 Madison Avenue, Vernonia (503) 429-5018 Farmwoman’s Nursery Lorna Poetter • (503) 429-8200 2121 N Mist Drive (503) 369-09 2 3 PoetterFarm@gmail.com FB: Farmwoman’s Nursery
