February 2011

Tessa’s Tips: February

Hi Everyone! My name is Tessa Stamper and I’m Noodles & Company’s chef and registered dietician. I’m back this month to give you more helpful tips on cooking, health and wellness. Last month I talked about reducing calories, but not reducing flavor. This month I’m going to focus on pasta, and since February is heart disease awareness month, I will share with you how pasta can be part of a heart-healthy diet.

 When it comes to pasta, we take pride in what we serve. It all starts in the fields of North Dakota with #1 hard amber durum wheat. It’s what gives our pasta the al dente texture, bright amber color and nutty wheat taste. We have 8 different varieties of noodles and pasta on our menu from udon to penne to cavatappi.

Want to learn more about our pasta? Check out this video to see how it’s made and what makes it taste so good.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ralF4U9UwqQ]

February is heart disease awareness month. A great pasta option that’s also recommended for a heart-healthy diet is whole wheat pasta. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that were just released last month by the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, whole grain is a great source of nutrients such as iron, magnesium, B vitamins and dietary fiber. The new dietary guidelines also states there is evidence indicating that eating whole grains may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

To offer you a heart-healthy pasta option, we serve whole wheat linguine. It’s featured in our Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine on our Mediterranean menu. Although it’s featured in one dish, it may be substituted in any of our dishes!

Check back next month for more tips from yours truly!

Tessa Stamper

Chef & Registered Dietitian

Noodles & Company

How do you customize your meal at our restaurants to incorporate whole grains? What bowl do you sub in our whole grain linguine? Tell us and we’ll choose five people to win a free bowl card by Friday, 2/18 at 5 p.m. MST.

Colossal Winter Storm Chicken Soup

Congratulations! You have survived the crazy cold weather that swept the country this week. In honor of your survival, and to warm you up, our chef has created a ‘Colossal Winter Storm Chicken Soup’ recipe just for you. It’s similar, but not exactly like, the Chicken Noodle Soup we serve in our restaurants. If you can get your car out of the snow bank you could pick up a bowl of our Chicken Noodle Soup- visit http://noodles.com/locations to find a location near you. If your car is stuck in your garage, try making this soup at home- it will warm you up and make a splash at your NFL party this Sunday. 

Colossal Winter Storm Chicken Soup: A Recipe for the Home Chef

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Stock

• 1 Whole chicken (3-5 Lbs.), cut into 6 pieces
• 3 quarts water
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
• 4 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Soup

• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 2 cups celery, sliced
• 2.5 cups egg noodle, uncooked
• 3 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Preparation:

• Add all stock ingredients into a pot and simmer until chicken is tender, about 45 minutes
• Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to pull apart into bite-sized pieces, discard any bones and skin
• Pull out and discard the onions and bay leaves
• Bring stock to a boil and add carrots, cook about 3 minutes
• Add celery, cook 10 minutes
• Lower the temp to a simmer and add egg noodles, cook until softened, about 5 minutes
• Add cooked chicken pieces back into pot along with parsley and thyme
• Adjust salt and pepper seasoning to taste

Did you try making this soup at home? If so, share a picture with us! Take a picture of your finished product, upload the photo to the web, and post a link to your photo below.

Noodles & Company's Colossal Winter Storm Chicken Soup- a recipe for the home chef

 

Big Air, Denver

We were at the Big Air event in Denver Jan. 25 & 26 serving up some hot Wisconsin Mac & Cheese, Japanese Pan Noodles and Rice Krispy Treats while watching the skiers and riders do their thing. It was nice seeing you there, and if we didn’t- hopefully we’ll see you at our Dillon restaurant on your way up to the mountains.

Big Air in Denver

Dudes eating with us at the Big Air event in Denver.

Beautiful Denver, Colorado.

The ramp was 101' high, 300' long and 80' wide.