Tiny Chef

I mentioned on my Instagram feed (follow me if you don't already: eguill3) when I made this dish that I hardly cook alone anymore.  Rex loves to help me in the kitchen.  As soon as he notices me in there pulling out ingredients and starting to prep he inquires, "Mama, you cooking dinner time?"  Shortly after my confirmation he makes his way to the pantry and pulls out his step stool and puts himself right in the mix.  Normally his first choice is to place himself somewhere in the kitchen that is unsafe, inconvenient and detrimental to my progress.  It usually takes a bit of adjusting on my end and then we are ready to conquer the recipe together.  This particular dish required a bunch of chopping, which of course Rex was more than eager to participate in.  We had to bring in his wooden knife from the toy box, but after he had the right tools he was steadily on his way to claiming his spot as my all time favorite sous chef!

Rex's Veggie Prep Shot from Instagram

Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Adapted from Cooking Light October 2012

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup chopped onion 
• 1/2 cup sliced baby carrots
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta) 
• 5 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast 
• 2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (through thyme) to pan; sauté 4 minutes.



 Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil.

2.  Add pasta and beans;



cook 5 minutes. Stir in chicken,



and sprinkle with cheese.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe