Where are you lunchin? DC Lunch Spots

So I meant to post this...apparently months and months ago. Oh how time flies...

For your lunching enjoyment...

In an effort to lend some variety to my DC lunch experiences, I made an informal poll of friends of favorite places for lunch in DC. I asked for each friend to send in their top three picks and offered just one rule -- a meal plus a drink must be $10 or less. I expected that several contenders would come out on top, but was (pleasantly) surprised to find that the resulting list was quite extensive with only several places receiving multiple votes.

The three that received multiple votes are as follows:

Bread Line (1751 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW -- Farragut West)

• Different options daily! Check the website for daily menus -- opened Monday thru Friday


• Favorites include... portobello piadine (caramelized onions, spinach, portobellos, and fontina cheese), italian sausage sandwich, spicy chicken sandwich (west african chicken, caramelized opinion, fried plaintain), french madrange ham sandwich, oyster po'boy, cuban sandwich


• AND the salad combos -- choose 1, 2, or 3 toppings -- our picks: curry chicken, lentils and feta, nicoise, and potato green beans.

Brown Bag (2 locations in DC -- 818 18th Street NW (Farragut West); 1099 14th Street NW (McPherson Sq))

• Noodle bowls (pad thai, chicken marinara, chicken pesto, "build your own noodle bowl")


• Salad bowls (Bayou chicken caesar, cowboy steak, kitchen sink chef, remember the alamo)


• Grilled Sandwiches (Parisian (brie, tomato, basil, olive oil, salt & pepper on baguette); golden gate grill (roast beef, artichokes, red peppers, onions), coltrane chicken (grilled chicken, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, pesto mayo)


• Stuffed Sandwiches (big apple turkey, portabello sandwich, voo doo chicken wrap)

Chop't (menu) (NOW 5 locations in the DC area! Chinatown (730 7th St NW), Dupont Circle (1300 Connecticut Avenue), 19th & L St NW, and Metro Center (618 12th St. NW), Rosslyn (1735 N. Lynn St.))

• Famous for their salads -- array of fresh ingredients all "chop't" up together to make a very tasty (and fairly massive) salad. Pick your own ingredients or from one of the salad mixes... highlights below


• Santa Fe (Romaine lettuce, pepper jack cheese, avocado, tomato, corn, and fried onion)


• Beverly Hills Chef (Iceberg lettuce, grilled chicken, italian salami, mozzerella cheese, tomato, and chickpeas)


• Palm Beach Shrimp (Romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomato, avocado, hearts of palm, and grilled shrimp)


• Harvest Cobb (Spinach and romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, granny smith apples, walnuts, beets, goat cheese)

Below are the rest of the best (and if their nominators provided comments or favorite dishes, that information is below too):

• Ben's Chili Bowl (1213 U Street NW) The original chili half-smoke, chili con carne, chili fries...
• Burrito Cart (15th and K) I admit, I didn't expect to find a website when I googled the Burrito Cart, but here it is! Pedro & Vinny's burritos...their slogan "FRESH! never canned or frozen ingredients" ... I heard rave reviews about the burrito cart (and that a line often snakes around the corner...). Check their website daily to see if they are open
  
• Busboys and Poets (2 DC locations - 14th & V St NW, 5th & K St NW) More for a nice leisurely lunch as opposed to a quick bite.
• Casa Blanca (1014 Vermont Avenue NW)
• Corner Bakery
• Falafel House
• Five Guys (love the burgers!)
• Heidi's (excellent cajun turkey sandwich, all the bread is made on site)
• Java Green (the stuff may be sort of strange, but lots of vegetarian options, incredibly earth friendly, even their disposable cups are made out of corn, great bulgogi sandwich)
• Le Bon Cafe
• Loeb Deli (favorite dish: reuben)
• Old Ebbitt Express
• Port of Piraeus (large variety, favorites: 42nd Streeter, Greek Style Chicken, Kolonaki Salad)
• Potbelly's
• Ravi Kabob (in Arlington, amazing Pakistani kabob place, looks like a hole in the wall in a strip mall, but always packed)
• Roasting House (fabulous roast turkey salads/sandwiches)
• Santa Fe Cafe (great Mexican sit down place, more like Rio Grande, less like Chipotle)
• Sushi Place McPherson (bulgogi box lunch very good)
• Teaism (love the chicken bento box, basically panko fried chicken, yum!)
• Thai Place
• Washington Deli (favorite: Marylin Monroe sandwich - fresh turkey, chedar, sauteed onions, hard roll)

BB: Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta

The month of July brought us Barefoot Bloggers a very tasty recipe... actually, one of the best recipes I've tried yet! Thank you to Cat from the blog Delta Whiskey for selecting the Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes ... or as I refer to it "Sundried Tomato and Fresh Mozzerella Pasta" (because really, how could you omit the fresh mozzerella from the title?).

I was thrilled to try a dish that I would have tons of leftovers from to bring for lunch. And this was the perfect dish for it (although I wasn't a fan of re-heating ... better to have it cold!). My husband also raved about this dish -- he too agreed that this was one of the best dishes we've made yet in the Barefoot Bloggers. The flavors -- with the mix of the salty and sweet of the sundried tomatoes, the richness of the cheese, and the freshness of the vine ripened tomatoes and then the almost sour taste of the dressing -- all balanced each other very nicely. Originally, my husband prepared a side of turkey for himself, but found that the pasta stood on its own as a meal.

I definitely urge others to try this recipe! Although, I will let you know, that my pasta didn't warm up well. I think the vinegar in the dressing in particular didn't take to warming up...

RECIPE: Barefoot Contessa's Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

DRESSING:

• 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 6 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 teaspoon capers, drained
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.

Barefoot Bloggers: Curried Couscous

For this week's Barefoot Bloggers' recipe, Ellyn at Recipe Collector and Tester selected Ina's "Curried Couscous" (from Ina's original Barefoot Contessa cookbook!). I've always been a fan of couscous, so I was curious to try out this recipe (and actually surprised I hadn't tried it already!). I was quite pleased with how easy it was and how fast it was to cook up... In fact, I've already made it TWICE in the past week. More details below:

Barefoot Contessa's CURRIED COUSCOUS

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup small-diced carrots
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
• 1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup small-diced red onion

What to do:
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Results/Comments:

A perfect meal for the summer -- very light and great by itself or combined with your favorite protein.

Because I tend to prefer my carrots cooked, the first time I tried this recipe I sauteed the carrots briefly. The second time I tried the recipe, we didn't cook the carrots -- this added more of a crunch to the couscous. I preferred the cooked carrots version, but both were good!

Also a quick note on the "yogurt sauce" -- I taste tested this before pouring it on the couscous. I was surprised by how salty it tasted -- but don't be alarmed by this! In fact, don't change anything about it. Just pour it on your couscous and the flavors all come out well balanced. The couscous itself lacks any flavor, so the strong flavors from the sauce blend well into the couscous.

Great choice! We're planning on making this dish again, but trying it with different herbs and spices. For instance, we're thinking of making an Italian version of it with basil, tomatoes, and such. Yum. If (and when) we do that, I'll post here! Cheers!

Barefoot Bloggers: Asian Tuna Salad

This week's Barefoot Bloggers recipe brings us Tuna Salad. Tuna salad you say? Isn't that just popping open a can and mixing it up with mayo (and perhaps a sprinkling of chopped celery)? Not for the Barefoot Contessa! This recipe, selected by Kate from Warm Olives and Cool Cocktails, includes much more -- fresh tuna steaks, avocados, wasabi, lime zest... Think, tuna salad with an Asian flare.

Now, I decided to tweak the recipe a bit and tried it out with canned tuna instead. I've posted here the original recipe and go into detail about my changes in the results/comments section.

RECIPE: BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S TUNA SALAD
4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 to 2 ripe Haas avocados, medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Results/Comments:

This turned out pretty well... although my tuna salad does not look particularly beautiful, I loved the flavor profile of the vinaigrette. I decided to cut the recipe in half (as that I'm heading on vacation soon, so didn't want too much leftover). I also used canned tuna instead of the fresh tuna steaks (I had a hard time coming across fresh tuna steaks and I also wanted to try it out in the way that I would most likely use it in the future).

A few other bumps in the road... I went to the grocery store on the same night that I made this dish and found very few avocados... and no ripe avocados. Normally I would buy avocados and bring them home to ripen, but I was short on time, so just in case my avocado wasn't ripe enough, I bought some guacamole to substitute. (I love avocados and guac, so I didn't want to omit this from the recipe!). As it turned out, my avocado definitely was not ripe enough, but I cubed a few pieces into the mixture and added in guacamole to taste. Oh, and I also used wasabi paste instead of wasabi powder -- accidentally grabbed the wrong thing when I was at the market, but this still provided the kick of wasabi in the salad.


I taste-tested the "vinaigrette" before mixing it in with the tuna and I LOVED it. It contains many flavors that I love and I could see myself using in a wide variety of dishes. A little bit salty, a little bit spicy, and a little bit of bite. I think next time I might try it with chicken.

This recipe was so simple to put together. A very quick dinner with leftovers to spare for lunch the next day. I wasn't bowled over by it, but I would try it again with different proteins. I think though that it would be quite delicious with fresh tuna, so I'll put that on my list of things to try.

Cheers!

Barefoot Bloggers: Tart of Tomato and Cheesy Goodness

I was thrilled to find a group of foodie bloggers dedicated to the Barefoot Contessa. When in search of a delicious and reliable recipe, I've time and time again ran to Ms. Ina Garten for ideas. Sooo, cheers to my first Barefoot Bloggers entry!

The two March recipes looked fabulous. I joined after the first recipe, Chicken Piccata, already took place (but plan to make that one too!) so here is the second recipe -- TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS. Um, hello, yum! (Thanks to Anne of Anne Strawberry for picking out this recipe!) Mr. J was a bit wary of goat cheese, but I was so excited to try a recipe with many of my favorite ingredients. And this turned out to be so simple. We were visiting my parents this past weekend so I took this opportunity to cook up a storm for a larger audience. I brought along my inside out carrot cake cookies (the March entry for Cookie Carnival!) for taste testing and all the ingredients for these tarts...

THE RECIPE: TOMATO AND GOAT CHEESE TARTS
Ingredients
1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted (I used Pepperidge Farm)
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

What to do:
Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all.

Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Results/Comments:

Let's just say, they turned out beautifully and smelled amazing. I had such fun with assembly -- I cut out the puff pastry circles freehand (with a little bit of guidance as to what "6 inch rounds" were), scored the border with my new favorite knife (the "multicolor paring knife from Williams-Sonoma), and stacked up the yummy ingredients on these beauties (with a few nibbles of the ingredients in between).

I had quite a bit of leftover puff pastry dough so I made some extra treats on a separate tray. I was able to fit the four tarts onto one tray so I would have enough space for the second tray of extras. I rolled some of the puff pastry into "twists" and covered them in extra grated parm cheese. I also made some mini tarts with the extra parm cheese and sauteed onions/garlic. We had these as a snack the next day, mmm, so good even cold!

The tarts puffed up and took on a golden brown color. We found it was easiest to just eat these tarts like a slice of pizza -- picking it up with your hands and devouring it from outside in. I attempted to use a fork and a knife, but that wasn't really necessary.

I would definitely make these again! I loved all the flavors and the recipe is so versatile, you could try all sorts of ingredients in these.

We had the tarts with small steaks on the side. The tarts though are quite filling by themselves, so maybe next time I would put together a side salad with some sort of protein.

Oh, and I'm happy to say that the goat cheese won over Mr. J.

A Non-Meat Burger Tasting OH SO MEATY. Yum.

Yesterday, the weather was absolutely beautiful here in DC. Albeit, it was a little bit brisk, but wonderfully sunny with blue skies, and you could just feel that spring weather was around the corner. Inspired by the warming weather and the February issue of Gourmet, I "grilled" up some burgers. These were super simple and quick to make -- and as Gourmet said, very pantry friendly.

I'll just put it out there, I love meat -- give me a good steak anytime and I'm a happy girl. But, we are attempting to eat healthier, so this seemed like a good alternative! These burgers are made of black beans, but tasted of meaty goodness. Perfect for the meat lovers (and non-meat lovers) in your life!

Italian Black Bean Burgers (adapted from Gourmet magazine's recipe) -- 2 burgers

Ingredients:

1 (15-oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided in half
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 cup finely chopped basil

Garlic salt to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 soft hamburger buns or toasted sliced bread

What to do:
Pulse 1/2 a can of beans in a food processor with mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cumin, dried basil, garlic salt, and cayenne until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in fresh basil and remaining beans. Form mixture into 2 patties.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 5 minutes total. Serve on buns.

Comments: Gourmet called for cilantro and additional spices to give these burgers a southwest taste. I had mainly basil and other Italian spices in my pantry at the time, so I ran with that! I stacked mine with swiss cheese, ketchup, mustard and a little bit of Thai hot sauce. Mr. J topped his with carrot slices for some crunch and Thai hot sauce.

Zaytinya RW - a little something for everyone

Zaytinya, for me, is always an ideal go to choice for when friends or family are visiting from out of town. There is a little something for everybody and it has a great atmosphere.

I recently revisited Zaytinya for a birthday Restaurant Week lunch with four work friends. My one friend and I were so excited to revisit Zaytinya during Restaurant Week because of the GREEK CHERRIES AND YOGURT DESSERT ( !! ) that they serve ONLY during RW (they usually serve up a peach version, which is delish, but the cherry is to die for).

For $20.09, we ate like kings and queens. Four courses of mezze -- Zaytinya offered several choices for each course and we mixed it up a bit, so we could share. My favorites were:

*the hummus
*the baba ghannouge (both the hummus and baba were perfect with their oven-fresh, pippin hot bread... how I love their puffed up ellipses of bread)
*garides me anitho (sauteed shrimp)
*shish taouk (grilled chicken, sumac onions, grilled tomatoes, garlic tuom ... one of my faves every time I go there)
and of course, the greek cherries and yogurt (marinated cherries, vanilla yogurt cream, apricot espuma, pistachio powder).

Always a crowd pleaser, for any meal (including brunch which I tried last summer and loved!).

WAGAMAMA Comes to DC!

I was excited to hear from my friend DT that WAGAMAMA is coming to DC! I have fond memories of Wagamama, sitting at the long tables, slurping up piping hot bowls of noodles. Yum. My memories come from my first visit to Wagamama many years ago in London and then most recently, in Sydney (ironically, D and I figured out that the last time we were separately at Wagamama, we were both at the same location in Sydney at the Galleries Victoria (CBD)).

If you haven't been to Wagamama, then you're in for a happy treat ... Just think of it as good food for the soul. It is still a ways away... opening in May 2010!

Bring Your Lunch to Work Day

I go through periods of time where I'm reallllyy good about bringing my lunch to work ... well, this period of time hasn't been one of those periods of time. Despite the cold weather, I find myself hoofing it to various lunch places near my office, as a treat to (a) leave the office and (b) to get something delicious as a midday treat.

But who is to say that you can't have something delicious made from home? I think it is time to get back on track. Inspired by the Modern Girls Kitchen, I asked around to friends about their bring from home lunch ideas and tried to brainstorm a few of my own. Here are the highlights:

Two Meals in One!

Often some of my favorite lunches come from dinner the night before. We'll often make a bit too much for dinner just so we can have some for lunch the next day. Some "leftover" ideas from my friends and me:

• Fried Rice! -- So easy and perfect for all those leftovers hanging out in your fridge. Just put a little oil in a pan, throw in your rice, some diced up veggies/meat, a teeny bit of soy sauce, maybe a little bit of black pepper for good measure, and a must ingredient (in my mind) -- an egg. Cook it all up together and you're good to go! Warms up well the next day, the day after that, the day after that, and the day after that...


• Dirty Rice -- A variation on "fried rice" -- Rice cooked with ground meat, stock, and spinach.


• Polenta with meat sauce

I'm a big soup fan and one of my favorites to make in bulk is chicken noodle soup -- I love the Barefoot Contessa's recipe -- I've posted about this recipe in a separate entry. I often cook up a large pot of it if someone gets sick and then we can all enjoy the leftovers for days. But also just warm and comforting for any time of year, especially now when it is quite cold out.

No Leftovers? Try this salad formula: My friend RH suggested a "salad formula" to me that encompasses some of those good for you nutrients with very tasty items. Do not be like me and be tempted by Chop't when you can make your own salads at home! (Although, I recently discovered that Chop't delivers... I like that).

Yummy salad = Whole grain + Lean protein + Diced veggies

• Grain ideas: whole wheat pasta, whole wheat couscous, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, barley


• Protein ideas: canned tuna, hardboiled eggs, black beans, white beans, leftover pork chops, low fat feta cheese, avocados (yes, not lean, but healthy fats!), Babybel cheeses


• Veggie ideas: green onions, salsa, parsley, bell peppers, cucumber, blanched broccoli, mushrooms, baby spinach.
  

All drizzled with olive oil, flavored rice vinegar, sprinkle of furikake, or whatever else fits with the ingreidents.

Her particular fave is brown rice with avocado, fake crab meat, cucumber and furikake -- like a California roll salad (inspired by Teaism).

Another suggested combination, with a Mexican flare, is quinoa, black beans, salsa, shredded cheddar, and green onions.

Summer Ideas

So yes, still many months until summer (although perhaps some of you reading are enjoying summer right now...), but a simple summer idea (also courtesy of RH): white beans, black beans, diced tomatoes, olive oil, and salt/pepper.

So, I hope that these ideas are helpful to you in your quest for bringing lunch to work... it certainly was helpful to me to ask around and be inspired by my friends' ideas.

I'd love to hear about any of your successful lunch ideas!

A Cure of the Winter Blues - Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Noodle Soup

I'm a big soup person. I love soup, especially in the winter, because they are comforting, versatile, and lend well to leftovers.

One of my favorite soups to cook up is chicken noodle soup. Yes, yes, a standard classic, but I always found it to be so warm and inviting. In particular, I'm a fan of the Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Noodle Soup, which goes a little something like this:

(1) Coat two chicken breasts (she suggests with skin and bone, I tend to have boneless skinless chicken breasts in my freezer so I use that) in olive oil, generous helping of salt and black pepper. (I've recently become a fan of Giada's sea salt with lemon zest).

(2) Roast the chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes (this is actually one of my favorite ways to just make chicken breast in general -- turns out quite moist!). After the chicken breasts are done (and at least somewhat cooled), shred or dice the chicken.

(3) About 10 minutes before the chicken breasts are done, heat to a simmer 2 quarts of chicken stock (Ina recommends homemade chicken stock... I often don't have this, so use good old store bought Swanson chicken stock).

(4) Once simmering, add in 1 cup of diced celery (approx 2 stalks), 1 cup of diced carrots (approx 3 carrots), and 2 cups of wide egg noodles (I often put in a bit more noodles because I love them). Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the noodles are cooked.

(5) Add shredded/diced chicken breast into soup to heat through.

(6) Ladle up a large bowl and enjoy!

Ina also suggests adding parsley, but I often end up omitting this. You can also easily freeze this into serving size portions to save for a snowy day.