What the Pho?

The Vietnamese Pho is probably one of the best dishes ever created. There's nothing more comforting that a big bowl of noodles! It can be pretty versatile too, you can omit the chicken broth and use vegetable broth, and you can also put whatever veggies you like in it.

Furthermore, you can use whatever kind of noodles you want. I used tofu noodles cause I like to limit my carbs (they are pretty good, they just need to be boiled before you make the soup). By the way, it is pronounced Fuh? (with a question mark).

Olivia's Pho

1 pkg tofu noodles (or rice noodles)
2-3 c chicken broth

chicken breast

ginger

2 cloves of garlic

dark soy sauce

bean sprouts

sugar snap or snow peas

carrots

mushrooms

cilantro

lime

salt

sambal (spicy chili sauce)

1. Slice all veggies thin and set aside until service.

2. Parboil the noodles in water first. Drain noodles, set aside. Slice chicken fairly thin, season with salt, and boil in the same pot with 2-3 cups of chicken broth. Add smashed garlic cloves, slices of fresh ginger, and a few splashes of soy sauce. Add noodles when the chicken is almost done. 

3. Let simmer until the flavors meld together. Take out cloves of garlic, add all veggies. Stir in Sambal. Serve with limes.

Waldorf Chicken Salad

If you've never experienced the sheer joy from a pre-made lunch, you are in for a treat.
Also, if you've never experienced the wonderful textures of Waldorf salad, you are in for a treat.
I apologize for the lack of pictures because (I am a college student) I have finals coming up, (I am a college student) I have papers due, and (I am a college student) I just don't have time!

So this recipe came from the South Beach Diet book (or cookbook, I can't remember) and it is just wonderful! Chicken breast is extremely low in fat, the walnuts included are a great source of fatty acids. They help your skin look youthful! Also, apples help reduce the risk of heart disease if eaten on a regular basis. Apples are also a good source of fiber (equivalent to about one hearty slice of whole grain bread). Raisins are great for your skin and have antioxidant power, too! And then we all know what they say about celery...

Waldorf Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts (with bones)

3 stalks of celery (and some of the leaves)

1 apple

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c toasted walnuts

oil and vinegar dressing

1. Put chicken breasts in a medium pot and cover with water. Season water with a few celery sticks, garlic, and onions. Add in some thyme and parsley or whatever spices you like. Put on the lid. (After it's cooked, this liquid can be frozen and re-used as chicken stock!) Let the water get to a boil, then turn it to simmer. I think mine took about 20 minutes, but just stick a knife through and peek inside to see if your chicken is done.

2. Chop the apple and celery fairly small. Toast the walnuts on a dry skillet until you smell them cooking. Chop the walnuts. Add these ingredients, plus the raisins to a bowl.

3. Once the chicken has finished cooking, let cool on a plate for 10-15 minutes. Then remove the bones and chop into small pieces (about the same size as the apple; chop them smaller than I did). Add to the other ingredients.

4. Add your oil and vinegar dressing (I like Newman's Own) and stir. Serve on romaine spears, by itself, with crackers, or over greens!

Enjoy!

Get Your Salad On!

Its Spring!
Here's a light and fresh salad that reminds me of my grandpa! He grows cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet onions in his garden and sometimes they make a salad like this, only sliced different and excluding the tomatoes cause they are too good on their own.

Veggies are so yummy! And this salad is like free calories. Just wait until the tomatoes are in a good season for eating almost plain.

Summer Salad

2 medium tomatoes

1 medium cucumber

half of a small red onion or sweet onion

olive oil, vinegar

salt, pepper, splenda

1. If you have oil and vinegar dressing (hendriksen's or newman's own), use that. Otherwise, mix 1/4 c vinegar (apple cider is good here or red wine) with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and a sprinkling of Splenda. The sweetness counteracts the flavors and the vinegar breaks down the onions. Whisk in 1/3 c olive oil.

2. Chop or slice cucumbers and rest of veggies. Mix with the dressing and let sit for at least an hour.

Enjoy!