Magic's Green and White Chicken Soup

Here is another recipe from Allrecipes.com that uses both cilantro and spinach. It turned out pretty good but needed some extra salt and pepper. I guess the recipe says use it "to taste" and I guess my taste needs a lot for this recipe. It smelled so good but then you took a taste of it and the flavor just wasn't there till you added a little more salt. Anyway, still good and I do recommend it. The only thing is I didn't make the noodles by hand since we have an egg allergy so I just substitued packaged noodles. I also didn't use kale, I just used more spinach. I give the recipe a 4.5! Sorry no picture this time...

INGREDIENTS

1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used about 4 chicken breasts)
2 medium heads garlic, chopped
(if you're not making homemade noodles skip the next 5 ingredients)
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces (or just use more spinach instead)
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, torn into small pieces
2 bunches green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken and garlic in a large pot and with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is very tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and let rest until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and bone and tear or chop meat into bite-size pieces.

(If you're not making homemade noodles skip this next step)

In a large bowl, beat together butter, flour and salt to form a mealy mixture. Beat in eggs and egg yolks to form a stiff dough. Divide dough into thirds and roll each third out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness. Let rolled pieces of dough rest on racks for 20 minutes.

While dough is resting, stir chicken meat, cilantro, parsley, kale, spinach and green onions into broth. Season with Italian seasoning, curry powder and balsamic vinegar. Simmer over low heat, adding more water if necessary. Slice the noodle dough into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) widths. Bring the soup to a light boil and drop noodles into the soup a few at a time. Cook until noodles are tender, 5 minutes. (If using prepackaged noodles cook them on the stove until almost done, drain, then add them to the soup to cook the extra 5 minutes). Season soup with salt and pepper and serve.

Black Bean Spinach Pizza

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com because I was looking for a recipe that specifically had both spinach and cilantro in it. My in laws gave us a bunch of both from their garden and I didn't want it to go to waste! It was supposed to be a vegetarian pizza but I added chicken to it as well. It turned out so good! Tim said it was his favorite pizza I've ever made. So I definitely had to share! I of course give it a 5!

INGREDIENTS

1 (10 ounce) package prebaked Italian bread shell crust (I used Pillsbury's pizza dough)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and mashed
1/3 cup chopped onion (I used green onion)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup salsa (I used salsa verde)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used fresh spinach)
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 chicken breast cut up

DIRECTIONS

Place the crust on an ungreased 12-in. pizza pan (I prebaked the pizza dough I used). Combine the beans, onion, chili powder, cumin and garlic; spread over crust. Layer with salsa, spinach and cilantro. Sprinkle with hot pepper sauce and cheeses. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (I baked it at 400 degrees for 8 minutes according to the dough package).