I'm happy to announce that the exam period for me is officially over. For those of you still pushing through, good luck! Keep it up, you'll get through this! Make sure to take breaks to so you don't burn out!
I know I personally don't feel able to let myself take a break unless it's justified. Cooking is one thing I use as a 'legitimate excuse'. Dinner is a good time to de-stress, especially if cultural soul food is on the menu!
My Jewish grandmother would insist there's no problem that can't be fixed with a bowl of chicken soup. Add matzo balls and you never had any problems in the first place.
This chicken soup super quick, easy and cheap, the perfect comfort soup for a cold night.
For you non-Jews who have no idea what matzo is, I highly recommend trying it with matzo balls. Matzo balls are a kind of dumpling, made with matzo meal. Matzo meal, or matzo (unleavened bread, basically a cracker) can be bought at any Jewish synagogue. These dumplings are wonderfully fluffy and just one of the best things ever. Seriously, try it. This particular part of the soup does require some forethought since the matzo mixture needs to sit for a while in the fridge, but it's so worth it. If you find yourself in need of chicken soup right now, however, this is also wonderful with noodles or gnocchi.
This time, I had the privilege of making my chicken soup with Best Bones Broth organic chicken broth! Bone broth is extremely good for digestion, is great for your hair and nails, and helps fend off infections such as the flu. Best Bones Broth can be found at Naturally Organic, Huckleberry Farms, IE Produce, Scarecrow, and Mt Eden Commonsense Organics.
With homemade or store-bought chicken stock, this recipe only costs about $1.50 per serving - now that's student budget material!
Serves 3
250g boneless skinless chicken
1 carrot
1/2 onion
1 stalk celery
1 parsnip
4 or so cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup matzo meal (or about 2 1/2 sheets matzo, ground in a food processor or blender)
2 eggs
2 tbsp chicken fat (from chicken broth if you made your own) or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder (optional)
Parsley (optional)
Mix the matzo meal, eggs, choice of fat, baking powder, salt and onion powder (if using) in a bowl, and leave in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.
When ready to cook: Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and, using your hands, form walnut-sized balls with the matzo mixture, dropping them one by one into the boiling water. These will fluff right up! Cover the pot and leave to simmer about 30 minutes.
While the matzo balls are boiling, dice the chicken and chop the vegetables into bite-sized chunks. Place them in another pot and cover with the chicken stock. Add the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
When your matzo balls are done, scoop them out one by one with a slotted spoon and place them into the soup.
Take the soup off the heat and garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Boom! Easy, cheap and yummy 30 minute dinner :)
Enjoy!
***
So much has happened since I last posted! Thanks to my wonderful sponsors, I have many prizes to give away to those who donate to the NZ Cancer Foundation via my profile.
Those who donate $5 or more will go in the draw to win a bag of ZeLi's Classic Caraway Sauerkraut! Sauerkraut is a probiotic and is very good for aiding digestion.
Those who donate $10 or more will go in the draw to win a 4-chocolate taster pack of Enlightened Edibles chocolates. Enlightened Edibles' chocolates are 85% raw cacao, which is rich in antioxidants and maintains the health benefits which traditionally-made chocolate loses during heat treatment. They are GMO-, wheat- and soy-free, and are made with NZ flower essences and a small amount of organic coconut nectar.
For those who donate $15 or more, we have the previously mentioned Pretty Damn Good For You grain-, gluten- and sugar-free meusli (see the previous post):
And, in addition, we now also have three boxes of Baron Hasselhoff's cookies from their gluten-free, vegan & organic range! The flavours are Mexican chocolate snickerdoodle, hazelnut & orange delicious, and gingernut deluxe!
Thank you to all those who have shown their support, and good luck for the rest of your Junk Free June! Have a great weekend! ^^
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