Soup and Sandwich

When its been a few days since I've cooked a meal, when work or life in general gets in the way, my hands get itchy. My right hand longs for my knife and my mind starts coming up with recipes. I've said it before, but people who love to cook, chefs included, have this indescribable draw to a kitchen. I'll try not to sound too overly dramatic and simply say: I needed to cook to keep myself happy.

White beans popped into my head last night for no reason whatsoever and I had it in my mind to make soup. So, that's what I did. This recipe was made on the fly and thank god it was good because just posting the sandwich would have made the title extremely confusing!

You see a lot of grilled chicken sandwiches everywhere - I hate them. They are always dry, tasteless, and wholly unsatisfying. Instead, I like making roasted chicken sandwiches. It's really simple... roast a chicken, tear off some of the meat stick between bread and voila! A tasty chicken sandwich that's moist and yummy.

Roasted Chicken Sandwich
1 whole chicken, cut in pieces, skin removed, room temperature (a little trick here. Chicken or really any protein you roast, should be room temperature before you stick it in the oven. If its still cold then it goes through a little steaming process - you loose flavor and color that way)
3 tbs mayo
1 tbs Dijon
3 tbs freshly chopped tarragon
1 tbs freshly chopped chive
A nice grainy bread, sliced and toasted
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Watercress

-Preheat oven to 400.
-Drizzle oil on the chicken, generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-Roast for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
-While chicken is cooling, mix mayo, mustard, and fresh herbs together.
-Assemble sandwiches: spread mayo mixture on bread, add watercress and torn off pieces of chicken... eat.

White Bean Soup
3 cans of Cannellini beans (white beans)
2 large leeks, cleaned well, white and pale green parts sliced
2 whole shallots, chopped
3-4 tbs fresh thyme
1 tbs butter (or the fake stuff like Smart Balance)
1 tbs olive oil
1 heaping tsp garlic paste
1/4 cup white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cans of low sodium vegetable broth (or about 3/4 of a 32oz box)
8oz. plain yogurt (any kind will do, you could even substitute marscapone or creme fraiche for something really rich)
Salt & pepper

-Sautee the leeks, shallots, garlic paste, and thyme in butter, oil, and wine until very soft.
-Drain the beans, but don't rinse them. Add to pot along with broth and lemon juice.
-Using an immersion blender or in batches, puree the soup until smooth.
-Add yogurt and whisk smooth while re-heating. Add salt and pepper to taste. Also at this point you might want to add more lemon or even more broth to your liking.
-Serve with finely sliced lemon peel.