Carrot Tomato Soup

Milk & Honey Mommy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:50:36 +0000

Wow! We made it to the end of the month swapping soup. This has been so much fun and I want to thank the ladies at Ozark Ramblings, Reflections in the Window, and Think Outside the Box for participating. I definitely found some great recipes that I have added to my book and will be trying in the next few months because as you know, I can ~~slurp~~ eat a bowl of soup anytime of the year.

A few things that have been nice about the soups that were shared is that they are quick and easy and don’t require a lot of prep time or cook-time. After seeing some of the soups, I may have to start using my crock-pot for something other than making hot chocolate. I even bought some split peas.

This is the last soup recipe I have to share for the swap. It is one I found on the Soule Mama Web site. Amanda suggested “adding a fresh sprig or two of oregano or thyme atop the tomatoes” if you like more flavor in the soup. I would suggest you doing that because although I liked the soup, it could have used a little more flavor. I know salt works really well in those instances, but sometimes you just don’t want to do that to a meal, especially when it’s homemade.

2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lbs tomatoes, peeled* and sliced in half with stems removed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
(optional) fresh sprigs of thyme, oregano or rosemary
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced
5 medium sized carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice the tomatoes and put them on a baking sheet.
3. Pour all, except two tablespoons, of the olive oil over the tomatoes.
4. Set the reserved olive oil to the side.
5. Add the salt and pepper to the tomatoes.
6. Put the tomatoes in the over and roast for 30 minutes.
7. In a medium sized pot, add the butter and reserved olive oil and warm over medium heat.
8. Once the pot is warm, add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften.
9. After the tomatoes have finished roasting, remove the herbs and place the tomatoes in the pot.
10. Add the stock.
11. Continue cooking the mixture in the pot for about 15 minutes over medium heat until the vegetables are soft.
12. Once cooked, puree the soup using a blender or food processor.
13. Put the soup back into the medium cooking pot and warm for serving.
14. Add chopped basil and heavy (or light) cream an attractive garnish.

Enter your link and share your soup recipe. Be sure that you have a final picture of the soup recipe and that you link directly to the soup post you are sharing.

If you would like, then you may use one of the soup swap buttons in your post or on the sidebar of your blog.

Pea, Leek, and Broccoli Soup

Milk & Honey Mommy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:29:05 +0000

It was purely a visual prompt that made me make this soup and not the combination of ingredients. It was pretty and sometimes that is all it takes for me to make a recipe. It was also a quick, throw everything into the pot type of recipe which is another thing I like when it comes to making soup.

1 onion, chopped
2 cups leek, sliced
8 ounces unpeeled potatoes, diced
3 3/4 cups vegetable stock (make your own stock)
1 bay leaf
8 ounces broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups frozen peas
2 to 3 TBS. chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
pepper to taste
parsley leaves

1. Add the stock, bay leaf, onions, leeks, and potatoes in a medium pot and cook until the mixture boils.
2. Once it boils, then cover pot, reduce heat, and cook for another ten minutes.
3. Then add the peas and broccoli and cover the pot to bring the mixture to a boil.
4. Once it boils, reduce the heat, and cook for another ten minutes and then set aside to cool.

REMOVE THE BAY LEAF BEFORE THE NEXT STEP
5. Using a blender or food processor, puree the mixture until it is lightly smooth. It will still be a little bit chunky, but try to remove as much of the chunks as possible.
6. Next add the parsley.
7. Add the salt and pepper and blend the mixture again.
8. Spoon the mixture back into the medium pot and reheat before serving.

Enter your link and share your soup recipe. Be sure that you have a final picture of the soup recipe and that you link directly to the soup post you are sharing.

If you would like, then you may use one of the soup swap buttons in your post or on the sidebar of your blog.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Milk & Honey Mommy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:09:53 +0000

Okay, so I had to travel a great distance to gather the main ingredient for this recipe. This can’t be made without barley and for more than one year, I haven’t been able to buy barley locally. I had to drive for almost two hours so that should tell you how good this soup really is and worth making.

If you like a nutty flavor, then saute the barley before adding it to the pot of water. If not, then skip the first two steps in this recipe. If you do make this recipe, then I do suggest you saute the barley at least one time. It is really delicious.

1 cup barley
1 1/2 TBS. olive oil
2 medium onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large carrot, diced

2 celery stalks
20 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced
5 cups broth
2 bay leaves
8 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Add 1 TBS. olive oil to your cooking pot and heat.
2. Once the pot is warm, saute the barley on medium heat for about three minutes.
3. Add 4 cups of water to the pot with the barley and bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 35 minutes.
4. In a saute pan add the olive oil and warm until heated.
5. Add onions, pepper, and salt and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Next, add the carrots and celery and cook in covered pot for about 5-6 minutes.
7. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the mushroom, cooking them for about 4-5 minutes.
8. Next, add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme and cook for about ten minutes with the pot uncovered.
9. Add the barley and cook for 4-5 minutes more.
10. Season with pepper and salt.
Remember to remove the bay leaf.

Enter your link and share your soup recipe. Be sure that you have a final picture of the soup recipe and that you link directly to the soup post you are sharing.

If you would like, then you may use one of the soup swap buttons in your post or on the sidebar of your blog.

What’s on the Menu? WK#2

Milk & Honey Mommy — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:11:51 +0000

After completing one week with a menu plan, I figured out something…big green salads don’t go over too well for dinner. It’s not because the children don’t like them, but because it didn’t fill them up and I ended up having to supplement dinner that night with something else.

Sunday
B – Waffles
L – Spaghetti
D – Burritos, Mexican Salad, and Tortilla chips

Monday
B – Egg & Cheese Biscuit and Orange Juice
L – Big Green Salad and Toasted Bread
S – Fresh Fruit and Pretzels
D – Tofu Lasagna Rolls and mixed vegetables

Tuesday
B – Oatmeal and Fruit
L – Tuna Salad
S – Crunchy Baked Garbanzo Beans
D – Rice and Corn Cakes w/Spicy Black Beans

Wednesday
B – Lemon-Blueberry Muffins and Smoothie
L – Spinach-Rice Cakes
S – Fresh Fruit
D – Chicken Toes, Sautéed Vegetables, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Corn Bread

Thursday
B – Yogurt and Granola Parfait and Fruit
L – Burritos and Tortillas Chips
S – Vegetable plate w/Dairy-Free Ranch Dip
D – Mushroom Barley Soup, Green Salad, and Toasted Bread

Friday
B – Apple Sauce and Bagel w/Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter
L – Chicken Toes, Green Peas, and Jasmine Rice
S – Fresh Fruit
D – Specialty Pizza

Saturday
B – Waffles
L – Leftovers From the Week
D – Rice w/Zucchini and Chickpeas, Green Salad, and Foccacia Bread

I have linked to the items that I have already shared at Milk & Honey Mommy. Eventually, I hope to have more recipes of the foods we eat posted so you can see how we put them together.

Soup Swap: White Bean Soup

Milk & Honey Mommy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:10:26 +0000

I am a “bean soaker.” I will say that being a “bean soaker” has it’s advantages – saves money because dried are cheaper than canned, more varieties come dried, and now you can really say you’re a “scratch cooker” because you are doing it like they did back in “the day.” There’s a lot of name calling going on around here, but it’s all good.

Then on the other hand, there are some disadvantages – you have to plan to soak your beans ahead of time so they will be ready when you want to use them (I’ve had to make other dinner plans when I realized I only had dried), you have to actually use them after they are done soaking (confession – I’ve thrown out several batches of soaked beans because I didn’t feel like cooking when they were ready), and trying to figure out exactly the right amount to soak for a specific recipe so I don’t have any leftovers.

I’ll take the good with the bad because I really like the idea of saving money. Everything else can be worked out with a little time and patience. I do keep a few canned beans around just in case I’m ready and the beans are not.

I especially love this white bean soup recipe because it is one of the easiest ones I make. It doesn’t call for broth, but instead calls for water so when I’m short on time or don’t have any simple and quick vegetable broth ready, and want some soup, this is usually what I serve.

Start with soaking your beans overnight. I always have a time deciding what is overnight so, begin soaking them the morning before the day you are planning to make this soup. After the beans are finished soaking (the next day), rinse them off well and remove any bad looking ones.

Boil the beans.

TEST! Every once in a while when cooking, you are going to come across a life altering question. When making this soup, the question is, “What qualifies as one bay leaf?” Since bay leaves come in so many different shapes and sizes, how do you know when you have chosen the correct size and shape of leaf? Will leaf #1 make the soup taste better than leaf #3? Will leaf #6 create more of a flavor impact than leaf #2? What would you do?

Hey! There is no pass or fail here. Just grab your leaf of choice and toss it into the pot. The flavor you need will come from any size of leaf. If you have smaller ones, then it won’t hurt to add two or more leaves. Just be sure to leave the leaf(s) whole so you can easily remove it later.

Sometime while the soup is boiling, take a sniff of the bay leaf cooking in the beans. It is wonderful!

While the beans are boiling, it is time to start chopping so everything will be ready to just toss into the pot.

Once the beans are finished boiling, drain and set aside about 2/3 cup of beans and put the remaining in a food processor or blender and puree. Set aside.

Heat the oil and add the onions.

Next comes the celery…

and the carrots.

Add the garlic.

Then add the tomatoes, fresh or dried thyme, salt, and pepper.

This already looks good enough to eat!

Add the boiling water.

Now it is time to add the bean puree you prepared earlier.

Grab the whole beans you set aside and toss them in too.

Soon you will have yourself a nice looking bowl of soup. All of my children love this one and we usually consume it all in one meal.

1 1/2 cups dried white beans (navy, cannellini, etc.)
1 bay leaf
5 TBS. olive oil
1 medium onion
1 carrot
1 stick celery

3 medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon of dried
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt (or regular)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 cups of boiling water

1. If using dried beans, then soak them overnight.
2. Drain beans, add them to a soup pot, and bring them to a boil cooking for about 20 minutes.
3. Drain the beans again, return them to the soup pot, and add cold water.
4. Place a lid on the pot and cook the beans until they boil.
5. Once the beans are boiling, add the bay leaf and cook on medium to high temperature for about 1 1/2 hours or until beans have softened, but are not mushy.
6. Drain beans after boiling and remove the bay leaf.
7. Scoop out about 2/3 cup of beans and set aside.
8. Put 1/2 cup of water (add before beans) and the remaining beans in a food processor or blender, puree, and set aside.
9. Heat the oil and saute the onions for about three (3) minutes.
10. Add the celery and carrots cooking them for about five (5) minutes on medium heat and stir so they do not burn.
11. Next add the garlic, tomatoes, fresh or dried thyme, and salt and cook for about seven (7) more minutes. Stir the mixture so that it does not burn.
12. Add the boiling water.
13. Add the bean puree and whole beans.
14. Cook the soup on low-medium heat for another 10-15 minutes and then it is ready to serve.

Enter your link and share your soup recipe. Be sure that you have a final picture of the soup recipe and that you link directly to the soup post you are sharing.

If you would like, then you may use one of the soup swap buttons in your post or on the sidebar of your blog.

What’s On the Menu? WK#1

Milk & Honey Mommy — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:36:04 +0000

This is my first week of following a schedule for food preparation. I’m not sure if these are a bunch of lofty ideas or menus I will actually make and complete. I can say that I already feel a weight lifted of of my shoulders as I already prep to make the meals for each day. Tonight, I will be making bread for the sandwiches we will take with us on our field trip.

Monday
B – Egg & Cheese Biscuit and hot chocolate
L – Hamburgers and chips
S – Apples and Peanut butter
D – Sweet & Sour Shrimp and mixed vegetables

Tuesday
B – Yogurt and granola parfait and fruit
L – Turkey Sandwiches (sandwich bread), carrot and celery sticks, cookies, and water
D – Big Green Salad w/chicken and foccacia bread

Wednesday
B – Cranberry-Orange Muffins and smoothie
L – Lentil Rice Balls and vegetable
S – fresh fruit
D – Burritos, Mexican Salad, and tortilla chips

Thursday
B – Oatmeal and Fruit
L – Artichoke Hummus Wraps
S – Apples and Peanut butter
D – White Bean Soup, green salad, and toasted bread

Friday
B – Apple Sauce and Bagel w/cream cheese or peanut butter
L – Big Green Salad w/vegetables
S – Cracker Sandwiches
D – Make your own pizza

Saturday
B – Pancakes
L – leftovers from the week
D – Spaghetti, green salad, and garlic bread

I have linked to the items that I have already shared at Milk & Honey Mommy. Eventually, I hope to have more recipes of the foods we eat posted so you can see how we put them together.

Soup Swap {2012}

Milk & Honey Mommy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:19:13 +0000

There are a few ways to describe me and one of them is a lover of soup. Soup is a comfort food. It is light enough to soothe you when you are ill and it can be heavy enough to answer that hungry, grumbling stomach, all the while providing the daily nutrients you need in one meal. Some soups are quick and easy to make by literally tossing anything available in your refrigerator, while others require a lot of chopping, simmering, and patience for just one tasty spoonful.

Most everyone enjoys some type of soup because it can have a little of to a lot of everything you like. I enjoy pretty much any vegetable in a soup. If you have finicky eaters, then soups may also be your answer because some vegetables taste better in a soup. My oldest son likes chick peas in a soup, but won’t touch them outside of the pot. See some of our favorite soups.

During the month of January, every Wednesday (1/4, 11, 18, and 25), I will be sharing one of our favorite soups. I must confess that they will all be vegetarian, but they will be delicious. If you have a recipe you would like to share (vegetarian, meat-based, gluten-free, etc.), then you will also be able to link up here and strut your “soup stuff.” Since I know that I have readers who are not vegetarian, I know they will enjoy a variety of soup recipes and I too have been known to “vegetarianize” (not a word, but it could be) a meat soup recipe a few times that has turned out yummy to me.

Feel free to use a new post or a previously written one. The only thing I ask is that you have a picture of the completed recipe because a picture is always a great motivator to get someone to cook and that is what I want is for people to not be afraid of – to clank a few pots together and get cooking.

Here is a really simple and quick vegetable broth that you can make which can be stored in a refrigerator or frozen until you are ready to use. I’ll see you back here next week because I already have a few good soup recipes I want to share.

If you would like a button to use on your blog, then feel FREE to grab one of these.

Simple and Quick Vegetable Broth

Milk & Honey Mommy — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:18:04 +0000

So can you tell me the difference? One day, I was asked about the difference between curly leaf parsley and flat leaf parsley (a.k.a. Italian parsley). The answer I gave was “the taste.” Well, duh! Only, I didn’t think about what I had answered until a while later and realized how silly it sounded because I didn’t offer any examples or an explanation. Interestingly enough, the person who asked me the question seemed satisfied with my answer. Hmm, or I guess there is a possibility she could have been struck silly by how obvious it was what I said.

Anyway, there are no redoes on that one, but it did get me to thinking and I realized up until now, I have been a flat leaf parsley snob – I’ve preferred to only use flat leaf parsley. The curly parsley reminds me of a wanna be cook or of one who doesn’t know about the finer things in life that flat leaf parsley has to offer – aroma, flavor, and the ability to make a dish look really, really, pretty (like as a garnish on this soup).

My opinion slightly changed when I was unable to find flat leaf parsley at my local grocery store and instead had to use the curly parsley. I was happy to find that this broth taste fine regardless of which parsley I use as do a few of the other cooked dishes I make. I can definitely tell a difference in taste when using either parsley raw and I still prefer the flat leaf because I think it tastes better. Do you have a preference?

This recipe was shared with me by Monica at Healthy Green Moms when I was looking for an alternative to buying store bought vegetable broth. Although I had found an organic brand that was low in sodium and I liked, I didn’t like the price tag which added up because we eat a lot of soup. Well, it is really quick and easy to make, and you can whip up a batch and have some to use when making your next soup.

Wash the celery and carrots, and remove the “paper” skin from the onion. Do not peel any of the vegetables. I do slice the sides of the onion which helps to remove the “paper” skin more easily.

I also slice and peel the leek because, well…

This is what most leeks look like on the inside and even though I like cooking from scratch and “getting back to my roots,” that doesn’t include eating dirt on purpose.

Place the onion, celery, carrots, and leek on a baking pan and roast.

The vegetables will come out looking like this and yes, there may be some really burnt pieces, but that is fine.

After you remove the roasted vegetables from the oven, fill a cooking pot with twelve cups of cold water.

Put the roasted vegetables in the pot along.

Add the peppercorn.

Add the bay leaf, fresh thyme, and garlic.

Next comes the ~~flat leaf~~ parsley of choice.

Then add the sea salt and simmer uncovered.

Once the broth is cooked, use a strainer to separate the vegetable and liquid and set the broth aside to let it cool. I still haven’t figured out anything to do with the cooked and wilted vegetables. Any suggestions?

The broth can be stored up to three days in a refrigerator or frozen until ready to use. I store my broth in glass containers – used Paul Newman sauce jars, Mason jars, etc.

1 whole leek
3 celery sticks thinly sliced
2 carrots thinly sliced
6 black peppercorn
1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme
2 cups fresh parsley
6 garlic cloves
1 Tbs. sea salt
12 cups cold water

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Clean carrots, celery, and leeks and set aside.
3. Remove “paper” skin from onion.
4. Peel the garlic and set aside.
5. Place carrots, celery, onion, and leek on a baking pan to roast and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Remove roasted vegetables from the oven.
7. Add cold water to a soup pot.
8. Put the roasted vegetables in the soup pot with cold water and turn temperature to medium heat.
9. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme to the pot.
10. Add the ~~flat leaf~~ parsley to the pot.
11. Add the garlic.
12. Add the sea salt and allow the broth to simmer for 30 minutes.
13. After the broth has finished cooking, then use a strainer to separate the roasted vegetables from the liquid and allow the broth to cool before storing. If you are ready to use for cooking, then go for it.
14. Store in a glass container and use within three days or freeze.

Cranberry-Orange Muffins

Milk & Honey Mommy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:57:58 +0000

If you are anything like me, then you will be spending more time than normal in the kitchen this week. It is time I will enjoy because I will be preparing the holiday dinner that launches the holiday season of family, fellowship, and some really good food. I love this time of year.

The guest list is smaller than it has been in the past, but that just makes for a more intimate experience with the family we get to see. Fortunately, a smaller guest list does not translate to a shorter menu. I am cooking everything because I have a lot of food favorites I have been waiting all year to eat.

Making those favorites will take some time and I plan to start the day off with these really delicious, no-frills, muffins that will get everyone in the mood and prepare taste buds for the meal that is to come later that day. Having a batch of these ready to eat tomorrow will keep the hungry people at bay until the last dish is pulled from the oven.

Of course you start with the flour.

Follow with the sugar.

Add the baking powder.

Next comes the baking soda.

The salt is the last dry ingredient.

Whisk the ingredients together well and then set aside.

Cut butter into 1/4″ cubes and drop into the dry ingredients mixture.

Using a hand smasher or something similar, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is all well blended.

The mixture will be coarse, but should look like this and fall easily from the spoon (like a powder).

I usually do the grating and chopping before mixing anything together so everything is ready to toss into the bowl when it is called for in the recipe. Since putting this together went so quickly, I just grated the orange when it was time.

The cranberries chopped quickly except for when I had to grab a few stray ones that started rolling around on the cutting board. Those suckers move fast.

Add the orange juice. You can squeeze the juice from the orange or just buy juice which is what I used here. The juice from the orange does not produce enough to complete this recipe. Just chop the orange up and eat it as a snack.

Add the grated orange rind. This really makes a difference in the flavor of the muffins.

You can beat the egg ahead of time or just add it into the bowl. Sometimes, beating the egg before adding to a recipe is good, especially when the mixture is more dry, but this one has plenty of liquid so I did not beat the egg before adding it.

Add the cranberries and don’t worry about trying to pull out the little seeds.

Mix the batter well.

The batter is not stiff so it will spoon easily into the pan for baking.

Evenly distribute the batter into the baking pan and place in the oven.

You may notice that I cut a few muffins into pieces. They fit more easily into your mouth when cut into smaller pieces. I cut a few of the muffins this way and ate every single one of them. These are really delicious.

NOTE: This recipe works fine in a loaf pan too. The baking time will just be a little longer.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. grated orange rind
1 egg
1 cup fresh cranberries

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the cranberries in half and set aside.
3. Grate the orange rind and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
5. Cut the butter into 1/4″ chunks and mash into the flour mixture until well blended.
6. Add the orange juice, orange rind, and egg and beat well into the mixture until smooth.
7. Combine the cranberries into the batter and blend well.
8. Place the batter into a greased muffin pan or loaf pan.
9. Bake at 350 degrees. Bake the muffins for about 10-12 minutes OR the loaf for about 45 minutes. Watch to be sure you do not over bake. You want the muffins or loaf to be slightly firm, but not hard.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Milk & Honey Mommy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:58:57 +0000

Before you start freaking out, if anyone should be loosely wired, then it would be me. Yes, this recipe has meat in it and it is chicken and not shrimp and yes, I did touch it to cook it. Don’t worry, I am okay. I know that most of my recipes are vegetarian, but I do occasionally cook chicken for my family. You sacrifice for the ones you love.

I took a long break from sharing recipes on my blog, but I am back and there is no better way to make a comeback, then doing something really radical. For me, a chicken recipe is truly radical. I had the opportunity to review e-Mealz which is an online, menu and meal planning service (read review) and this recipe was one of the ones I made while trying out the service. It was actually quite easy to make and has now been added to our menu schedule. Everyone in the family loves it and I am in and out of the kitchen fast which is how I like it.

Sauté the chicken, garlic, ginger, and red pepper.

I relied heavily on the timer to know when the chicken was fully cooked. One thing that will help it cook well and fast is cutting the chicken into about 1″ squared pieces.

After the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside. Keep some of the liquid in the pan for the vegetables.

If you know me, and most of you do, then you know I like to get all of my chopping out of the way before I start cooking a recipe. It saves time in between “tossing this and that” into the pot or the pan.

Right about now, I started thinking about Christmas which is exactly 72 days away. It always sneaks up on me even though we celebrate it the same day every year.

Add the pineapple chunks and cook. One other thing I did before I started cooking was drain the pineapple and set the needed juice and for the sauce.

Return the cooked chicken to the pan.

Add the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sherry, corn starch, and brown sugar mixture to the pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for one more minute. If you like nuts, then you can add some cashews to add to the taste and presentation of the meal.

this recipe came from Courtney whose ministry is to cook for His people.
1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic 1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World) 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped celery		1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons brown sugar

Cook the Rice
1. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package and set aside.

Make the Sauce
1. Drain the pineapple and pour 1/2 cup of the juice into a small bowl.
2. Combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and sugar and whisk well until the mixture is smooth and set aside.

Make the Chicken
1. Chop onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic (if using fresh and not bottled) and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Keep the temperature at this level throughout the entire cooking process; do not reduce heat.
3. Sauté the garlic, ginger, red pepper, and chicken for about five minutes or until the chicken is done.
4. After the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside.

5. Sauté the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the same pan for about four minutes.
6. Add the pineapple chunks to the mixture and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Add the chicken mixture and the soy sauce mixture to the pan with the pineapple and bring to a boil cooking for about one minute.
8. Serve over rice and eat.
NOTE: You may want to make a little more because this went very quickly in our home.