Comfort Food 101

One of my favorite comfort foods is chicken and dumplings. I don't know why but somehow I always feel better about the world after a nice warm bowl of chicken and dumplings. So since we are getting ready to start Fall I thought I would share an easy and delicious recipe.

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

4 cups water
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I just buy one of those great pre-made roast chickens from the store)
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. pepper
1 (7.5 oz.) can refrigerated biscuits (this depends on what you like - I personally prefer to use Annie's brand frozen pre-made dumplings OR spaetzle - homemade German noodles)

1. Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often.
2. Separate biscuits in half, forming rounds; cut each round in half. Drop biscuit pieces, 1 at a time, into boiling mixture; stir gently. Or if using frozen Annie's dumplings simply break into small pieces and add to mixture. 
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.
   

Notes:
If you would like to make the recipe lighter just use reduced sodium, reduced fat cream of chicken soup
If you would like to make this dish with spaetzle please use the following recipe:

Spaetzle
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt
water or milk to moisten - generally about 2 tbs. ( I prefer milk)

1. Lightly whisk the egg and salt in a bowl.
2. Slowly add flour and stir after each addition.
3. Add water or milk and mix in.
4. The batter should be gooey but not runny. If you add too much liquid simply add a little more flour to tighten up the mixture a bit.
5. You now should have a "dough".
6. Add dough to your chicken and dumpling mixture by placing  a bit of your dough on a cutting board (wood works best) and taking a large knife and cutting small pieces of dough off into the boiling mixture.
7. Continue step 6 until you have used all of your dough and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

New Twist on an Old Favorite

Growing up Beef Stroganoff was my favorite. My mom always made it for me for my birthday or special occasions. Although I loved it and still do it always felt heavy and I would be uncomfortably stuffed after eating. So recently when I was craving my favorite comfort food I decided I wanted to try a different twist on it to see if I could make it a little lighter. What follows is the recipe I came up with.

Turkey Stroganoff

1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer
1 small onion diced
2 tbs margarine or butter (low fat versions are better)
1 10 3/4 oz can of your favorite cream soup (chicken or mushroom)
8 to 12 oz low fat or no fat sour cream
2 to 4 tbs milk (depending on how thin or thick you like your sauce)
1 pkg wide egg or homestyle noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the water on to boil for your noodles according to the directions on the package.
2. Melt butter/margarine and add onion. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes just log enough to soften.
3. Add turkey and cook thoroughly on medium until there is no longer any pink.
4. Once the turkey is completely cooked through lower the heat and add the soup. Stir well to combine.
5. Stir in sour cream starting with just 8 oz. and 2 tbs of milk. If you prefer your sauce a little thinner add remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe serves 6

Enjoy!