You can play around with soup and truly make it your own creation. I used less chicken, but added some brown rice and sprinkled the soup with Parmesean cheese. Have fun with this–it’s a great soup with wonderful, spicy flavors!

Spice Blend Ingredients

2 ½ t chili powder

2 t ground cumin

1 ½ t ground coriander

1 t dried oregano

1 t cracked black pepper

½ t kosher salt

Soup Ingredients

1 T canola oil, divided

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips

2 cups chopped sweet onion

1 ½ cup chopped red bell pepper

1 ½ cup chopped yellow bell pepper

1 T minced garlic

½ t salt

2 cups fresh corn kernels (use frozen if fresh is unavailable)

1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 (28-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 T fresh lime juice

cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

To prepare the spice blend, combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

To prepare the soup, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken; sprinkle 1 ½ tablespoons of the spice blend over chicken. Sauté for 8 minutes or until done; cool. Chop the chicken and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in large saucepan or stock pot over medium-high heat; add the onion, peppers, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle the vegetable mixture with the remaining spice blend; sauté 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the chicken, corn, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 15-20 minutes. Add the lime juice and garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

(Adapted from a “Cooking Light” recipe, March 2010)

You can definitely play around with this recipe. I used Israeli couscous and cranberries instead of currants. It’s a very, easy, tasty side dish!

ingredients

2 t butter

3-4 shallots, chopped (about ¾ cup)

3 cups of low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 ½ cups couscous

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted*

¼ cup dried currants

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over a medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, until the shallots are translucent.

Add the broth and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover, and set aside for 10 minutes.

Add the pine nuts, currants, and parsley. Fluff the couscous with a fork and serve hot.

*NOTE: You can toast the pine nuts 2 ways:

1. Use an oven or toaster oven: Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet or foil pan and bake at 375°F, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Use a skillet: Put the pine nuts in a dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden in spots, about 3 minutes.

(I found this recipe years ago in a cookbook, that I no longer have so I cannot name the source.)

I love how the creator of this recipe, Martha Rose Shulman, made it mostly about the herbs!

ingredients

2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (from 2 large bunches)

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

1 cup chopped arugula

2 large ripe tomatoes, very finely chopped

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

1 cup cooked farro

1 t ground sumac

juice of 1 to 2 large lemons, to taste

salt to taste

3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Small leaves from 1 romaine lettuce heart, leaves separated, washed and dried (optional)

directions

Cook the farro according to the instructions on the package. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the parsley, mint, arugula, tomatoes, scallions, farro, sumac, lemon juice and salt to taste. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours so that the farro marinates in the lemon juice.

Add the olive oil, toss together, taste and adjust seasonings. The salad should taste lemony. Add more lemon juice if it doesn’t. Serve with lettuce leaves if desired. Serves 6.

(Adapted from a recipe found in the NY Times on 8/27/14)

Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine and makes this dish just  delicious!

ingredients

¼ cup mirin*

3 T soft light brown sugar

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1 lb salmon (4 x 4oz, cut from the thick part so pieces are narrow and tall rather than wide and flat)

2 T rice wine vinegar

1-2 scallions (halved and shredded into fine strips)

directions

Mix the mirin, brown sugar and soy sauce in a shallow dish that will hold all 4 pieces of salmon. Marinate the salmon in it for 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second. Meanwhile heat a large non-stick frying pan on the stove.

Cook the salmon in the hot, dry pan for 2 minutes and then turn the salmon over, add the marinade and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove the salmon to whatever plate you’re serving it on, add the rice vinegar to the hot pan, and warm through.

Pour the dark, sweet  glaze over the salmon and top with the scallion strips.

Serve with brown rice.

*NOTE: Mirin is not difficult to find—you don’t need to go to a special Japanese market. I found a bottle at my local supermarket.

(Adapted from a recipe found on Nigella’s Lawson’s website: http://www.nigella.com.)