avgolemano!

I am eating this soup RIGHT NOW and did not want to waste another second before posting it.  It is delicious and can be ready in about 30 minutes with some convenient subs like rotisserie chicken.  This is the recipe that I made, which is a riff on a fantastic Cooking Light recipe they featured in their most recent issue.

This soup is purportedly a fantastic hangover cure as well as a delicious, warming meal at any time of day.

Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Egg soup)

2 cups of cooked chicken, diced or pulled (I used a garlic rotisserie chicken)
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup of shallots or onions, sliced and diced (whatever you have around works, I prefer shallots)
7 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of quinoa (red looks best!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 tablespoon of dried tarragon (optional, but i looove the flavor)
2 tablespoons fresh italian flat leaf parsley
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
2 eggs
4 - 6 basil leaves, torn
salt and mixed color peppercorns in large grinds, to taste (I used McCormick's garlic pepper grinder)
1 tablespoon of EVOO

Add EVOO to deep sauce pan on high heat.  After it heats for 60 sec, add shallots and sautee for three minutes. Add garlic, dill and tarragon (if using) and sautee for one minute more.  Add quinoa, tossing in oil, and shallot mixture, sauteeing for two minutes.  Add chicken broth and reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently as it simmers.  Meanwhile, add eggs and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Combine and whisk in two teaspoons of cornstarch, and salt and pepper to your liking.

After the broth, quinoa etc have been simmering for 15 minutes, or when quinoa is tender and about to be done, add egg/lemon mixture in three sections, whisking nonstop so that the eggs do not cook in clumps when they hit the broth.  If you'd prefer you can remove the soup from the heat for this portion.  When egg mixture is completely added, put it back on the heat and whisk for 60 seconds.

When the mixture reaches a solid simmer, add cooked chicken, stirring well.  Cook mixture together for 2 - 3 minutes or until chicken is heated through and quinoa is cooked to your liking.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4!  Great with a salad for dinner, on its own for lunch. You can also sub long grain white rice, basmati brown rice or arborio rice for the quinoa if you'd prefer.