Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (1 3/4 cups)
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 4 stalks celery, chopped (1 1/4 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (3 - 15 oz cans)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 tsp celery seed, finely crushed*
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
• 3 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Saltine crackers or parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions

To a slow cooker, add chicken (un-cut), diced carrots, onion, celery, and garlic. Drizzle olive oil over top then add in chicken broth, water, thyme, rosemary, celery seed, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low heat 6 - 7 hours.

Remove cooked chicken and allow to rest 10 minutes, then dice into bite size pieces. Meanwhile, add egg noodles and parsley to slow cooker. Increase temperature to high, cover and cook 10 minutes longer (or until noodles are tender). Stir in lemon juice and toss in cooked, diced chicken. Serve warm with saltine crackers or top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Baby corn and noodle fritters

An excellent source of dietary fibre and vitamin C, sweet corn is a healthy choice for your everyday diet. Try them in these delicious, low-fat corn and noodle fritters.

Ingredients

• 85g dried rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 125g fresh baby corn, thinly sliced
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup self-raising flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• Sweet chilli sauce, sliced green onion, sliced red chilli and mixed salad leaves, to serve

Directions

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 3 minutes or until softened. Drain. Cut into 2cm lengths.

Combine onion, corn, chilli, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and flour in a bowl. Add eggs. Stir to combine. Stir in noodles.

Heat peanut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Using 1/4 cup mixture at a time, cook in batches, for 2 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Cover with foil to keep warm. Serve fritters with sweet chilli sauce, onion, chilli and salad leaves.