Chicken and vegetable soup

Certainly I love using my slow cooker year round, but as the weather turns colder I especially enjoy making soups. This recipe is a healthy option; its packed with vegetables -- both fresh and canned -- and I used chicken breast tenderloins, which are low in fat and high in protein.

Chicken and vegetable soup

8-10 chicken breast tenderloins
14.5 ounce can green beans, drained
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
15.25 ounce can corn, drained
2 stalks celery, diced
1 cup diced carrots
2 potatoes, diced
4-5 cups water, or chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste



Dice all the fresh vegetables (potatoes, carrots and celery) and place them in a 6-quart slow cooker.

You'll go from this... to this...

I used Yukon gold potatoes, which are my husband's favorite. They have a beautiful golden color and are buttery when cooked. Then add the canned vegetables, water or stock and the dried seasonings.

Next, cook the chicken breast tenderloins in a small amount of oil (about 1 teaspoon) over medium heat. Brown the tenderloins slightly, then let them cool.

Don't these look yummy? I let these tenderloins rest on the cutting board for about 5 minutes, then diced the chicken meat and added it to the slow cooker.

Stir to blend all the ingredients, then cook on low for about 8 hours. This soup was delicious (I ate three bowls!). Yield is about 10-12 cups. Plenty of leftovers to enjoy today.

Best-ever grilled chicken, improvised

Life happens. Things break. Some days the chicken you want isn't available at the store. The propane runs out. The grill won't work.

All those things happened about 10 days ago when we aimed to make my recipe for Best-ever grilled chicken. No chicken thighs at the store (we bought breast tenderloins). Two days later when we aimed to put them on the grill, the grill refused to cooperate. At first, we thought the tank was out. Then, we figured it might be that the ancient, rusty grill may have given its all.

But nearly everyone in America has one of these, right?

We had marinated the breast tenderloins for about two days.

Then got them on the hot grill.

Close the lid and grill the tenderloins for about 7 minutes.

Because the grill cooks from the top and bottom, you will get beautiful grill marks on both sides.

I'll not tell you that the indoor method is as great as grilling outdoors, but it was still pretty fine. And nothing tops this marinade. As the weather is turning colder, consider this method. It's delicious, I promise.