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Everyone loves sweet summer corn on the cob, slathered with butter and salt - at least I do!

But that's no challenge, so I'm sharing with you one of my favorite recipes, which is great for throwing together leftovers, it's packed with protein and overall, I think it's pretty healthy.

This is the basis for my recipe, but I have quite a few modifications so I'll post my version of the recipe at the bottom...
http://www.food.com/recipe/worlds-best-chicken-soup-454050

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Yum! Those fresh glistening little kernels of summer! Simply shaved off of the cooked cob for soup... (I used cobs leftover from dinner the night before and that works great!)

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I've talked about quinoa before (See post for Stuffed Bell Peppers) but here's a close-up...

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I also shredded up leftover grilled chicken, and I chop up whichever veggies I have in the fridge, this time it was carrots and onions, but sometimes I'll also use celery if I have it.

This is my go-to method of making "chicken soup" and of course, I deem it a SUCCESS!

Cassie's modified recipe:

Chicken Quinoa Corn Soup with Dumplings

Quantities are approximate... I end up eyeballing it and using what I have on hand...

6+ c chicken broth (add more as needed if it gets soaked up)
2+ c cooked, shredded or cut chicken (leftovers are perfect! canned white chicken meat can be used)
1/2 - 1 c quinoa
2 T +/- olive oil
1 T butter
2-3 carrots, sliced in thin rings
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1/2 - 1 c chopped onion
3 tsp minced garlic
2 T fresh chopped parsley (or 2 tsp dried)
fresh ground black pepper
2 C +/- corn kernels, fresh (or half bag of frozen)
2-3 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2 c +/- corn (leftover off the cob are great!)

For dumplings/rivels: Start with 1/2 C flour, pinch of salt (to taste), 1 T water.
I love pasta and if you want the extra dose of pasta in your soup, add these! (You can double if you really love pasta or are making a larger batch...)
- Mix dumpling ingredients together with a pastry blender or fork. Start with 1 T warm water, mix until dough sticks together. If needed, add more water, 1 T at a time. If mixture becomes too sticky, add a little more flour until you have the right consistency.


Directions:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet on medium high heat until the butter melts. Saute the carrot, celery, onions, and garlic, until the garlic and onions are somewhat transparent.

2. In a soup pot, heat the broth, quinoa, and chicken to boiling.

3. Add the sauteed veggies, corn, parsley and chopped eggs. Return to simmer.

4. Mix your dumplings/rivels and drop a few small lumps at a time into the soup pot. I consider dumplings the bigger pieces, and rivels are usually smaller... the size is only a personal preference. They will rise as they cook.

5. Add fresh ground pepper to taste. Simmer 15 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

 
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Another awesome find at the farmer's market! I've never seen these before, but I had to get some just to see what they were like!

They are Mini Cucumbers! Have you ever seen such a cool looking little thing? They are about the size of a grape or a cherry tomato, but the speckled pattern on these is just beautiful! They look like tiny dinosaur eggs... right?

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I don't have a recipe for these, I just sliced them into tiny slices and added them to a grilled chicken spinach salad for dinner... And, they taste like cucumber!

I didn't get many photos, I think I was too hungry to take more pics! The inside is a condensed little version of it's big brother... with little seeds and all!

They weren't cheap at 10 for $1, but this might be a better option for us because I never use a whole cucumber before it goes bad... now, if only I can find some seeds to grow these in our garden next year...