Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts
3 carrots
2 celery stalks
½ onion chopped
Nature's Seasons seasoning blend
¼ cup butter
2 Tbsp. flour
3 cans chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 cups egg noodles (or homemade egg noodles, recipe below)
½ cup cream*
Salt and pepper to taste

Place chicken breasts in crock-pot and season with salt and pepper.  Cook on high for 3 - 5 hours (chicken can be frozen, just needs to be cooked longer).  Remove from crock-pot and shred.

Peel and chop carrots, celery and onion.  Generously sprinkle with Nature's Seasonings and sauté in butter until soft, but still firm. Add flour. Cook, stirring until golden brown. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring chicken broth to a boil; add bay leaf, and egg noodles. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add vegetables, shredded chicken and cream; simmer for 15 more minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

*can use half and half or evaporated milk, just isn't as creamy, obviously.

Homemade Egg Noodles

1 egg, beaten
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbs. milk
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)

Mix all ingredients together, divide into balls, coat with flour and roll out thin (or use a pasta roller). Use a pizza cutter to cut into small strips and pull apart.

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups chicken broth (or one 14 oz can)
1/2 cup each carrots, celery cut into chunks (I omit the celery and double the carrots :)
1 onion chopped

Dumplings:
2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
2 Tbs. parsley

Cook Chicken breasts in microwave. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour all ingredients into the crock pot. Cook on high for about 3 hours. Make dumplings and drop spoonfuls on top of chicken stew. Cover and bake one more hour on high. Do not remove lid the last hour. Enjoy!!

Black Bean and Rice Soup with Lime and Cilantro

(makes 6 servings, can be doubled for larger Crock pot or stovetop cooking, recipe created by Kalyn's Kitchen)

2 cans black beans with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
(use 2 cups for stovetop cooking)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic (or more)
1 T ground cumin
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp. ground chile powder
1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle chile powder (I omitted this)
1/4 cup white long-grain rice (not more!)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or more)

In small Crockpot or 3 quart sauce pan, combine beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, chile powder and Chipotle chile powder. Cook on low for 6-8 hours in Crockpot or 1-2 hours on stove, until tomatoes are disintegrating and beans are starting to fall apart. On stovetop, you might need to add a little water during the cooking time. When soup has reached the consistency you want, raise heat slightly or turn Crockpot to high. Add 1/4 rice and cook until rice is done, about 30 minutes for either Crockpot or stove. Lower heat again, add fresh lime juice and cilantro and cook 5 minutes. Serve hot, with additional fresh lime pieces for each person to squeeze into soup.

Egg Drop Soup

Serves 4

4 cups (2 cans) chicken broth, divided
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or dried)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs
1 egg yolk

Reserve 3/4 cup chicken broth and pour rest into large sauce pan. Stir the salt, ginger, and chives into the saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining broth and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together using a fork. Drizzle egg a little at a time from the fork into the boiling broth mixture. Egg should cook immediately. Once the eggs have been dropped, stir in the cornstarch mixture gradually until the soup is the desired consistency.