Healthy and hearty soup

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or Thanksgiving turkey)
1 10oz container mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups chicken broth or water
1 15oz can pinto beans (or any kind you like)
4 cups kale or bok-choy, or both, chopped
1/2 cup millet
1 cup couscous
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 cup parsley, dill, and cilantro, chopped (or any one of them)
olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 black pepper
1 tsp paprika


Heat oil in a large pot and saute onions, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for another 3 minutes.
Stir in garlic and the rest of the ingredients except for the herbs and kale, and bring to a boil.
Cover and turn the heat down and cook for 15 minutes. Add the herb mix and the kale and cook for another couple
minutes.


Serves 10

Homemade Vegetable Wash

This recipe is from TheSilverEdge.com

Cabbage Stew

1 medium head cabbage shredded in food processor
1 lb ground beef (turkey or pork)
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cup broth or water
1 cup mushrooms chopped (optional)
1 medium onion sliced or chopped
1 red or green bell pepper chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/3 cup chopped mixed herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro)
1 tsp dry basil
olive oil
salt and pepper


Heat oil in a Dutch oven pot and add onions. Let them get a little brown on the edges. Add ground beef, mushrooms, dry basil, salt and pepper and cook until the meat gets nice and brown. (If you are using pork sausage, no need to season the meat). Add the cabbage to the pot and stir a few times until the cabbage shrinks and gets moist.
Put the remaining ingredients, except for the herbs, into the pot, cover and let it cook until the cabbage is tender but still a little crunchy. Finish it off with the fresh chopped herbs.


Serves 6-8

Quinoa, Kale and chicken dish

I ordered a salad in Florida that was so good. When we got home from our trip I tried to replicate the dish. After a few tries, this one is the best! I think we love this even more than the original dish in the restaurant.


2 cups raw kale, chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup shredded carrots
1 big tomato, chopped
1 can fire-roasted red peppers, sliced
1/3 cup pesto*
salt and pepper to taste




Combine all of the ingredients in a big serving platter. It can be served warm as soon as the quinoa is cooked and everything mixed together or just at room temperature. It will taste really good to squeeze some fresh lemons on top.

Serves 6-8


*Araksya's tip: I make my own pesto by blending fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper with olive oil in a blender. I also make pesto using dill, Italian parsley, and cilantro instead of basil.

Easter Trout in water

1 trout cut in 4 pieces (any kind of fish will work)
4 slices of lemons
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh mixed herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley) chopped
1/2 cup fresh green onions chopped
salt and pepper
1 TB butter
1 tsp seafood seasoning (optional)



Stuff each piece of fish with herbs and green onions, season them with salt and pepper, and seafood seasoning.
Place the lemon slices in a deep skillet, put the fish on the lemons, add butter and water to the skillet. Cover and cook for 5 minutes then gently turn the fish over and cook for another 3 minutes or until the fish looks pink.


Serves 4

Armenian Rice Pilaf with raisins and dried fruits

This is my favorite Armenian Easter dish!

1 cup rice

1 cup raisins and dried fruit (apricot, dates, chopped)
2 TB butter
1 TB honey
a pinch of salt


Cook the rice following the instructions on the package. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet and add the raisins and dried fruits. Cook them for 2-3 minutes until they look shiny and moist. Add honey, and a pinch of salt.

Mix the raisins with the pot of rice and stir well. If it looks a little dry, add more butter.



Araksya's tip: You can only use raisins if you don't have other dried fruits. I used regular and golden raisins, dried apricots, peaches, and dates.

Ginger, bok-choy soup

Ingredients


4 cups bok-choy
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup rotisserie chicken shredded
3 oz Chinese noodles
3 cloves garlic mashed
1 TB fresh ginger minced
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB olive oil
1 egg
1/4 cup green onions chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill and parsley (optional)
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of paprika


Heat oil in a pot and add chicken, garlic, and ginger. Cook for a minute stirring constantly.
Add the broth, soy sauce and bring it to a boil. Cut the bok-choy into thin strips and add them and the noodles to the pot. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Beat the egg in a small bowl and slowly add it to the hot soup while stirring the soup.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another minute. If the soup isn't salty enough, just add more soy sauce.

Serves 4-5