Super simple "cream" of mushroom soup (with Chicken!)

As a brief aside before the food part, I don't have anything particularly wise to say about games wod #2. I do however wish to point out all of the most excellent efforts that went on at my gym. The plethora of people getting new max snatches under pressure was amazing. This was just the reason I was encouraging everyone to participate! so many people ended up surpassing their own expectations and, as usual, the support from everyone was outstanding. The atmosphere on games day is my favourite thing about the whole process :) Now if only someone could give me a cure for my compulsion to check the leaderboard constantly. Also, if someone could maybe go back in time and tell me to go to olympic lifting classes a bit more regularly so I could do a 100 lb snatch that would be super.

So food.

My mom used to make this tasty dish where she threw rice, porkchops, and cream of mushroom soup in a casserole dish in the oven. I had a craving for it last week and decided to try my own version. I didn't have a recipe so there was a large risk of wasting a can of coconut milk and two chicken breasts, not to mention being left without edible dinner, but it turned out splendidly. The coconut milk as a substitute for cream was not too coconutty, as I'd feared it might be, and the mushroom flavour was lovely.

"Cream" of mushroom soup with Chicken (and possibly "rice")

The prep for this is really quick, but you do have to leave it in the oven for a while. If I'd had more prep time I would have added cauliflower rice to the casserole but I was in a hurry.

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless (I think porkchops would also be yummy)
1 can coconut milk (and equal part water)
lots of mushrooms (I used cremini)
green pepper (or red, or some other vegetable you think might taste good)
salt and pepper to taste
garlic and onion powder, also to taste
green onions (would have added them if I'd had any)
cauliflower, riced (optional)

1. In a casserole dish, mix the coconut milk and water (less or more water depending how thick you like your soup). Use a dish of a size that the chicken/chops will be covered by liquid.
2. Chop up the mushrooms and green peppers and add to the casserole
3. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir it up and add the chicken breasts.
4. If you want "rice", mulch up your cauliflower and add it too. I haven't made the dish with the cauliflower rice before, so I'm not sure about how much to add to keep the liquid ratio optimal. I think it would taste lovely though. Let me know if you try it!
5. Bake at about 350 for 30-40 minutes depending how thick your meat pieces are.
6. I think some green onions would garnish the dish nicely, but I had none.

Internet ingredient search says: Sausage and Kale Soup!

Today I had planned sausage for dinner with a side of kale, but didn't feel like eating them in the usual way. The internet suggested I make soup, and happily I took google's advice because it was delicious! I've never made soup before so I am disproportionately pleased with myself :D The recipe below is an amalgamation of various internet suggestions.

Sausage and Kale Soup

Ingredients
4 sausages, any kind
1 bunch of kale
1 onion
1 or more tomatoes
a bit of ginger, for fun
about 4 cups of water
sea salt and ground pepper
paprika, cumin, chili powder

other vegetables that I will consider adding next time: turnip, brocolli, cauliflower, carrot, leek....

1. Brown the sausages. I used Tomato and Basil Chicken sausages from VG Meats. They were tasty, but my favourite is their fennel sausages. Check out this place (in Stoney Creek) for awesome, well priced, hormone free meats, and grass fed (!) beef.
2. Set the sausage aside, dice the onions, and saute in some oil (I used my big wok).
3. I added a splash of red wine here.
4. When the onions are translucent, add a diced tomato (I think I'll add more next time) and the ginger (optional)
5. Slice the sausage and toss back into the wok. At this point I realized I had misplaced my chicken stock, which is what the internet recipes all called for next. Not to be discouraged, I decided to just add a bunch of water, spice the crap out of the thing, and hope for the best.
6. Add water, I think I used about 4 cups, but I kept adding throughout to make sure all of the contents were covered.
7. Season with lots of sea salt and ground pepper, some garlic salt, and my usual three spices (lots of paprika, a bit of chili powder, and a pinch of cumin). I think the salt/pepper/paprika was the important flavour here.
8. Let that simmer (I left the lid on) for about 15 minutes.
9. In the meantime, cut the kale from its stems and coarsely chop
10. Add the kale to the wok.

KALE

Don't be alarmed, it shrinks

While I let everything simmer I attempted to address the disaster zone in my kitchen. By the time I'd finished my dishes the kale had been simmering for about 25 minutes. I think 15 would have been fine, just taste it to see if it's wilted to your satisfaction. The longer it simmers, says the internet, the mellower its flavour. I also added more spices part way through so be sure to taste your broth as you go along.

Serve! (My batch made enough for two meals)
I hope you have a ladle for this part. Having never made soup, and having previously had roomates who owned ladles, I did not. Being rather afraid of trying to pour from the giant wok directly into a bowl, I stood in my kitchen for a full minute, panicked that I would never figure out how to eat my dinner, before I came to my senses and realized that ladels aren't the only scoop shaped containers. I used a mug, and have updated my shopping list accordingly.