#garbagecook

I'm what you would call an "adventurous cook".
I'm pretty sure there are many of us in the world based on the plethora of food blogs that have become a big part of my free-reading time.
The good thing about being adventurous is that you get to experience some pretty amazing food
but I'm here to tell you it's not all fun and delicious food all the time....nooooooooo it's not.
Sometimes, we screw up.
You're surprised, aren't you? :)

Work has been super busy recently as we kicked off an 8 week transformation. Add to that the fact that we took an amazing holiday vacation and my son was home from school (imagine unpacked suitcases and laundry...lots of laundry)... I'm behind in my housework and I didn't get food prepped this weekend.
I had a BrIlLiAnT idea, Monday afternoon as I scurried around trying wash a pair of workout pants AND get ready for a night meeting.....
I'll make chicken-rice casserole! But Healthy! In the Crock Pot! It will be Great!

Well....not so much. Meeting ran over... Jeff didn't check on it because I forgot to leave a note and I came home to something that resembled a cement garden stone with hard little chicken pebbles pressed right in the top.

My afternoon visions of juicy chicken with a healthy risotto like rice was nothing more than flaky dry chicken in paste. :(
I scooped it out of the slow cooker into a casserole dish to cool and stored it away in the fridge before bed.

Fast forward a day.... I'm still busy, but had a break in the day to slip home, do some laundry and get dinner ready before I headed back to work.
Checking my depleted refrigerator (it's too darn cold to go to the store), I found wilted celery, mushrooms and a heavy casserole dish full of chicken/rice sludge. The pantry yielded wild rice and broth....
The result was delicious- even Jeff thought so!
Adventure Flop- 0 Garbage Cook- 1 :)

Chicken Soup with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

2 TBS. olive oil
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup wild rice
1 1/2 pounds portbella mushrooms, sliced
32 oz. unsalted chicken stock
Heat oil in large soup pot. Add celery, garlic and wild rice. Saute 5 minutes over medium heat. Stirring occasionally
Add mushrooms and cook until reduced by half. Add stock and bring to a boil.
Transfer mixture to a slow cooker.

Return soup pot to stove and add:

1 1/2 cups pre-cooked whole grain brown rice
4 cups water
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Mix thoroughly to break up clumps of rice and prevent sticking.
Bring to a boil, reduce temperature to medium and cook on low boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Turn off heat and blend with immersion blender until smooth.
You can also process in a blender- Never fill blender over half full, be careful of steam and use a towel to cover lid as you PULSE.
Add to mushroom mixture and repeat until all rice has been processed.
Cover and set slow-cooker on low setting until needed.
Just before serving:

Dice chicken and portion into bowls. I get 4 oz., Jeff gets 6.
Ladle 1 to 1 1/2 cups hot soup over chicken.
Let it sit a couple minutes while you tidy up kitchen and transfer remaining soup to a glass container to cool.
Stir soup to mix warmed chicken throughout and enjoy!

Perfect for Detox week- because ingredients are approved and portions are controlled. I had a small salad on the side.
Delicious after detox with a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan and a piece of crusty bread.



I hope you enjoy!
xoxo & be happy
Kim