The snow is here! For the first time, really, all winter long, we’ve gotten ourselves a good and proper snowfall. As I write this at about 10:30 at night, there are about four inches’ worth on the ground and another three-or-so left to fall. It’s a wonderfully beautiful scene out there! We could stand a winter wonderland from time to time.
So it made sense, then, that this evening’s Crock-Pot Monday offering was a steamy bowl of soup. Who doesn’t love a brothy, slightly salty, spice-filled concoction teeming with vegan chik’n strips, shredded carrots, diced celery, onion, and parsley/basil/garlic powder/pepper/turmeric?
As today was Presidents Day, I didn’t get my slow-cooker act together until later in the day – around 1 p.m., to be precise. So instead of letting the broth cook (sans noodles) all day on Low, I flipped the switch to High and let ’er rip for five hours or so. When I was about 20 minutes away from dinnertime, I added some linguine, broken into halves, and placed the lid back on, stirring occasionally, every five minutes or so.
Now, this is a good time to admit that I may have been just a little bit heavy-handed on the ol’ linguine tonight. A little voice inside my soul told me to quit at about half a package worth, but a louder voice inside my ear told me to FILL IT UP! So I did. And friends, by the time our second helpings rolled around, my chik’n noodle soup had become chik’n and noodles instead. Personally, I don’t find this to be a bad thing. But if you’re looking for a pure soup, lay off the linguine a bit, eh?
I mentioned second helpings above. We both enjoyed a hearty second bowl full, indeed! For being so simple to make, this soup is amazingly flavorful, filling, and hearty. A perfect way to celebrate a snowfall if you ask me!
And judging by the amount of leftovers we’ve got in the fridge, we certainly won’t stop at second helpings. There’s at least enough for three lunches, maybe more! I’m definitely not complaining.
:)