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maryanne
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I'm struggling with menu combinations.  How do you decide what dishes to put together to make a meal?  Are there any websites or blogs that have good advice. Right now I'm trying to figure out ideas to go with soups.  Some soups are complete meals in themselves, like vegetable beef soup.  But, what about the ones aren't a complete meal?

 

For example, I make a corn chowder that contains corn, milk, chicken broth, bacon and onion.  My family eats it really well, but it's mostly carbs. Also it takes a whole lot of it to fill up ds who is 16, active, and eats a lot. I've been serving it with frozen chicken nuggets and a simple salad.  I'd like to find something more homemade than chicken nuggets to go with the corn chowder, but it can't be real time consuming or a take the same pot (large Dutch oven) or the same burner on top the stove (the biggest one) and it should complement the soup or at least not clash with it.  Any suggestions.

 

Tonight I'm making Pioneer Woman's White Chili http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/simple-hearty-white-chili/ I suppose it could be considered a complete meal, but it seems a little short on veggies to me. A simple salad is the obvious choice, but what else could I do.  What make a interesting salad or other vegetable based dish to go with it?

 

I'd like to try a cheesy cauliflower soup at some point like this one http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/cheesy-cauliflower-soup/.  It could be a complete meal, but I think I'd still need more food to fill up ds.

 

I suppose one solution to filling up a teenage boy is just to make a bigger pot of soup, but i'd need a bigger pot. :mellow:

 

I welcome both general advice on menus and specific advice on these soups.

 

Thanks,

Maryanne

 

Edited to remove extra spaces

Edited by maryanne
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Instead of chicken nuggets for the side on chowder, you could make homemade fried chicken. If that's too time intensive, you could do roasted chicken thighs which takes some time but it's very little hands on time.

 

I've never in my life fried chicken or anything else remotely similar. (yeah I know that makes me weird)  The chicken nuggets are pre-made, and I just heat them on a baking sheet in the oven.  I'm pretty sure frying chicken would take the same large burner as the soup, though.

 

I would definitely be interested in more information or a recipe for the roasted chicken thighs.

 

Thanks,

Maryanne

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I've never in my life fried chicken or anything else remotely similar. (yeah I know that makes me weird) The chicken nuggets are pre-made, and I just heat them on a baking sheet in the oven. I'm pretty sure frying chicken would take the same large burner as the soup, though.

 

I would definitely be interested in more information or a recipe for the roasted chicken thighs.

 

Thanks,

Maryanne

Homemade fried chicken is rare these days, I just mentioned it because of the breeding on the nuggets.

 

For bone in, skin on thighs I would preheat the oven to the 425-450 range, dry off the skin with a paper towel, season with a mix of salt, black pepper and thyme. Maybe a pinch of cayenne. Then roast for 30 minutes and check them for doneness. Depending on the size they could need up to 15 more minutes. Very little hands on time but not something for those fix dinner in 20 minutes days either. Bonus though, the chicken fat that will run off is great for roasting the veggies in. And thighs are hard to overcook. Unlike the chicken breasts.

Edited by LucyStoner
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Homemade fried chicken is rare these days, I just mentioned it because of the breeding on the nuggets.

 

For bone in, skin on thighs I would preheat the oven to the 425-450 range, dry off the skin with a paper towel, season with a mix of salt, black pepper and thyme. Maybe a pinch of cayenne. Then roast for 30 minutes and check them for doneness. Depending on the size they could need up to 15 more minutes. Very little hands on time but not something for those fix dinner in 20 minutes days either. Bonus though, the chicken fat that will run off is great for roasting the veggies in.

 

Mmmm

 

This is sounding promising.  What veggies would you put with it?

 

The frozen chicken nuggets weren't about the breading; they were about the ease of preparation and neutral go-with-anything flavor.

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Any time I have soups I serve them with a salad, the ingredients being whatever is in season. I change up the greens (spinach, kale, lettuce, arugula, etc) and veggies and dressings. The only exception would be a stew that is a complete meal, ie lots of protein and veggies, and maybe a starch. We tend to be lowish carb, but if I have a soup like cauliflower or broccoli, I might serve rolls or cornbread or something like that. Feel free to experiment and add things to soups if you feel the need to beef them up. Add chicken or beans to a veggie soup, for example.

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I often serve soups with a side of roasted veggies.  Usually squash, zucchini and mushrooms -- a huge sheet pan full of them cause my kids like them so much.  I agree that pan-fried ham steak would be good with chowders, or even shredded rotisserie chicken. (Or bacon...that's what I usually do with chowders cause I do love bacon.)

 

We always do bread, too, but that's not especially healthy.  A nice, crusty loaf of bread.

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I like making a large sub sandwich on French bread and serving that with soup. Pile with cold cuts, sliced cheese, veggies, mayo, oil and vinegar or whatever sauces your family likes.

Carrots, cucumbers, pepper strips, etc. with dip are another good choice instead of a salad.

We like cold applesauce with soup, as well.

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Rather than chicken nuggets, you could toss some boneless chicken thighs in olive oil and herbs and just roast them - maybe cut them into chunks first.  You could mix them up with some sweet potato chunks.  Or you could make homemade nuggets.

 

You can also think in terms of courses, which I think we don't always in NA but it can be helpful.

 

So - with the cauliflower soup, you could have an appetizer, maybe something like an antipasto plate, or you could do a fruit dessert at the end.  Or, you could serve it with a sort of tart, maybe with tomatoes and onions.

 

I might try some sort of kale dish with the chili, perhaps something like cooked down slowly in fat, almost like collard greens.  But I would probably do the salad, a robust one. 

 

One thing I like to do with salars in the winter is make them out of grated root veg.  Usually I like to include some sweeter ones - like beets and carrots, but then also celeriac, apples, maybe turnip.  You can add kale chopped fine, nuts like walnuts or pumpkin seeds, and toss it in a vinaigrette of some kind. 

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Depending on the soup, I usually serve things like:

salads - green salads, vegetables salads, grain/veggie salads

cheese and fruit plate

charcuterie and olive plate

crudites, with or without a dip

bruschetta or olive pate on toasts

sometimes plain breads with some of the above, too

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Homemade chicken nuggets or tenders:

 

Buy chicken breasts or chicken tenders (they're with the chicken, but skinnier than the breast sizes.)

Cut them into whatever sizes you want: nuggets side or tender size (if you already bought tenders, then no cutting)

 

We make 4 tenders at a time for the boys' lunches.

 

Toaster oven (or full sized oven for more tenders) at 400 degrees.

 

For 4 tenders I mix 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs and 1/3 cup grated parmesan (not that powdery stuff by the pasta, but real grated parm. You can buy it pre-grated.). You can extrapolate how much you'll need for the amount you're making.

 

Line a baking pan with foil. Spray with non-stick spray.

 

With a spoon, scatter a small layer of the bread/cheese mixture on the pan.

Lay the chicken on top of the mixture.

Use the spoon to top the chicken with the bread/cheese mixture

 

Bake 15 minutes for nuggets, 20 minutes for tenders.

 

I can get this whole thing going in under 5 minutes for our lunches if I buy the chicken already cut in the tender size by the butcher. If I have to chop, then more time is needed. It takes a lot to type out, but is fast.

 

You can choose to dip them in some sort of sauce if you like. I prefer this over frozen nuggets and my picky kids actually eat this. (A miracle.)

Edited by Garga
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With the corn chowder, a side of ham would be nice.  Biscuits or crackers or a crusty bread always go well with soup.  I love the shredded chicken idea, and I have to steal Garga's recipe for homemade chicken tenders.  For chili, we always have corn chips and/or cornbread.

 

We do a lot of Caesar salads, which go well with soup, and they pack some fat and protein in there.

 

Roasted vegetables would go well with many of those dishes.  Sweet potatoes might go well with some of them as well, or oven fries (I think oven fries would be great with the corn chowder).  I love having a green veggie, so I'd probably saute up some green beans for the cheesy cauliflower soup or even the chili.

 

And just to share one of my favorite soups/stews, which is also quite substantial (we serve it with cornbread, although I usually omit the potatoes): Tuscan chicken stew from South Your Mouth. http://www.southyourmouth.com/2012/11/tuscan-chicken-stew.html

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Our go-to for hot veggies are green beans.  I get the fresh ones, boil for 5 then blanch them, and set them aside until right before the end of cooking.  At that point they go in a pan to saute in olive oil with a bit of garlic or onion.  The kids love them and eat them like fries.

 

 

If you ever find a pre-1970 Better Homes And Gardens cookbook, the first part of it contains sample meal plans for a week at a time.  I used to use that when I was trying to decide how to get in more than a one-pot dish.  A lot of the recipes are dated (think banana candles), but they contain the same basic ingredients.

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I'm ok with a meal not having enough veggies. It evens out...some nights we only have veggies.  

 

If my family 'needs' something with soup I usually just make grilled cheese or grilled ham and cheese.   But generally we just eat soup without a side. Tonight we had white chicken chili and just had a few crackers with it.  

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I was going to say bake some chicken in olive oil in the oven or toaster oven. Similar to what Bluegoat said. 

 

I asked dh about the white chili. His recommendation was grilled cheese sandwiches and brussels sprouts.

 

If you do add salad, do you already add things like beans or eggs? That might beef up the salad. Chick peas, black beans, hard boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds

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I love a slice of homemade bread with a thick slick of cheese.

 

I also will sometimes add an extra side of veggies.  (Maybe something roasted, under the broiler?  Like sliced cabbage or sliced cauliflower or brussel sprouts?)  Also, hummus with raw veggies is good.

Edited by J-rap
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My kids love broccoli, so we often add that as a side for soup or sandwich meals. They like it raw with some ranch dressing but love it roasted. Just put the florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Stir them around a little with a spoon to distribute the oil, then pop the pan in the oven at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and perhaps stir in the middle, but the best part is where it gets toasty and almost black.

 

We also like a slice of French or Italian bread with butter when we have soup. If your son is not low carb, bread may help fill him up, even if no one else at the table eats it. If only he will eat the bread, you can keep some rolls in the freezer and just defrost what he needs for each meal.

 

We also like to cut up an apple and serve it on the side. You could offer any fruit that your family likes, but apples are fibrous and filling.

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