Foods that give you satisfaction after consumption are considered as comfort food. Now-a-days people are very prone to indulge themselves in eating food that helps them come out of situations that make them feel “low and emotionally drained”. These foods are mainly home-made or eaten at small restaurants’. These foods help you cope with these situations and also help you be healthy. Now the debate always a hype with people who are diet conscious and count calories while they eat, would be that weather  comfort food will make them fat or not?

Here’s good news, a lot of researchers have claimed that certain comfort food when eaten in a right proportion would not make you fat. These foods carry some emotional significance and so comfort the person who eats it. When one is stressed or ill he often tends himself with certain food stuff, these foods invoke feeling of safety, security and nostalgia.  Just ask yourself “At the end of a long day, when I’m tired and stressed or sick in bed, what food would I like? The outcome is what comfort food is.

Mostly people choose to munch on unhealthy foodstuff like macaroni and cheese, chocolate cake, fried chicken, chocolate pudding. But there are also healthy and comforting comfort foods that can help your stressed nerve, here are two delicious and easy to cook comfort food recipe:

Fresh Tomato Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups water
4 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup medium or whipping cream
Preparation:

Melt the butter in a big saucepan. Add onions and toss to cover. Stir over medium heat until the onion is tender. Sprinkle on the flour and continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture foams. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. 

Measure out 3/4 cup of the tomato pieces and set aside. Add the remaining tomato pieces to the boiling mixture. Stir in brown sugar and cloves. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, at the gentle bubble for 30 minutes. 

Transfer to a food processor and grind. Return to the saucepan and stir in the rest of tomato pieces. Blend in the salt, pepper, and cream. Place soup over medium heat and warm gently, but do not boil. 

Yield: 6 servings

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound medium baking potatoes, preferably russets, scrubbed
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), halved
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably an amber lager
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation:

Keep a medium pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, for about 40 minutes. Drain and cool. Slip the skins off and then press the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and the nutmeg and set aside. 

Season the chicken breasts and thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil; then add the chicken breasts to brown them, about a minute all sides, turning them with tongs. Transfer the breasts to a platter and add the thighs to the pan. Brown them; about a minute per side, then transfer to the platter with the chicken breasts. Tent it with foil to keep warm. 

Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pan. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the entire mixture; cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. 

Whip in the beer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan; continue whipping until the mixture thickens, about a minute. Stir in the thyme and sage, then the stock and bay leaf. Let the sauce come to a simmer and then add the chicken breasts and thighs along with accumulated juices. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, gently stir the 1/3 cup flour and the cornstarch into the potatoes with a wooden spoon just until smooth. Do not beat. 

Discard the bay leaf from the stew. Scoop up scant 1/4 cups of the potato mixture and lay them on top of the stew. Cover and steam the dumplings for 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes; then serve. 

Yield: 4 servings

Do try the above recipes whenever you feel low, these are considered very effective comfort food as they take you back to your memory lane and help you feel better and gives you a soothing feeling. Comfort foods are used widely and are a very effective technique preferred by all. MUNCH TO SWEEP STRESS OFF..!

 

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