orange chicken and rice soup

mix together my love of making soup, a sick husband needing nourishment, and leftover orange rosemary chicken (below) and you have the perfect storm for a yummy kitchen adventure.  this is what i came up with:

Orange Chicken and Rice Soup
prep time: 20 mins  cook time: 30-40mins
serves 4

3 pieces leftover orange and rosemary chicken (chopped into bite-sized pieces) and any leftover juices/sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (i'd leave it out next time)
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/3 - 1/2 cup rice
6 cups soup stock - i used vegetable, chicken would probably be better
a splash of extra orange juice if you want it to taste more "orangey" (i added more than a splash and it was a bit of orange overload, so be careful)
pepper to taste

chop and saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and vegetables in a little olive oil for a couple minutes.
combine everything in a large soup pot.  bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  simmer til the rice and veggies are cooked through.

yum.  it feels good to be eating somewhat well again.  :)

orange rosemary chicken

i cooked!!  two days in a row!  in my house, and my life right now, this is a sizeable miracle.  (and if i get through this post in less than two days, it'll be another miracle.)  we have been eating all sorts of garbage since our little one came home and it's doing nothing good for any of us, so it's time to start some home cooking again.  the goal:  quick (like lightening quick!) to prepare and at least moderately healthy.  the solution?  rosemary orange chicken.  took all of 5 minutes to put together and had enough leftovers to create a soup.  done and done!

Orange Rosemary Chicken - from healthy quick meals
prep time: 5mins  cook time: 1hr
serves 3

1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (about 1/2 the can)
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram

preheat oven to 350.
arrange chicken in a casserole dish.  sprinkle with paprika and pepper.
mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
bake, covered, for 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through.


yum!  i love a dinner that takes 5 minutes to prepare.  we had this with a frozen instant-type rice dish (not ideal, but not bad) and it probably would have been good to add some veggies... but maybe next time.  this makes lots of juice/sauce, which is good for pouring over rice (or saving to add to soup the next day, like i did).

do you have any other lightening quick meal ideas for me?  i need a lot more!