Chicken Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

Mondays are hard.  I think we've established that already.  This Monday has been even harder than normal.  Largely due to the fact that I took allergy medication before going to bed last night.  I had some seriously crazy dreams, slept through my alarm, was already running late to work and then ran out to the car to find it encased in ice.

After scraping and scraping and scraping, I finally made a big enough porthole that I could see through.  Made it to work safely and then the drowsiness from the allergy meds kicked in.

There's plenty of time left for things to get harder or easier, but I'm really hoping that it gets easier.  For that reason, we're having leftover soup for dinner.

Luckily, this soup is pretty easy the first time around too.  I don't mind spending some time in the kitchen, getting dishes and my hands dirty a lot of days, but Mondays rarely inspire me to stand over the stove or wait for something to come out of the oven.  Weeknight meals need to be satisfying and easy...that's it.  Hence the number of tacos Austin and I consume :)

CHICKEN STEW w/CORNMEAL DUMPLINGS (serves 4)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 - 14oz. can chicken broth
1 - 10 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. milk
1/3 c. flour
2 c. chicken, cooked & cubed
For the Cornmeal Dumplings: 
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1.  In a large stock pot, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent (about 5 minutes).

2.  Add in chicken broth, frozen vegetables, water and herbs.  Bring to a boil.

3.  While the stock is cooking, combine milk and flour.  Stir into soup.  Add in chicken and continue cooking until thickened, stir frequently.

4.  Mix together dumpling batter: in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cheese, cornmeal, baking powder, and pepper.  Beat together egg, milk and vegetable oil then add to dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.

5.  Drop dumpling batter over the soup in about 8 mounds.  Bring to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes (check doneness of dumplings with a toothpick).

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