Fall in a Bowl

Acorn Squash Soup--the best squash soup I've ever had. It isn't too sweet! I even put a bit of bacon on top as a garnish. It was SO lovely. Make it. You won't regret it.

1 chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red pepper
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 cups chicken broth
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
3 cups mashed cooked acorn squash (I only had one acorn squash--so I made up the rest with some shredded zucchini)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of garlic salt

In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper in butter. Stir in flour, bouillon, dill and curry until blended. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the squash, salt & pepper; heat through.

In a blender, process the soup in batches until smooth. Mmmm, you are going to love this.

Double the Pleasure & Double the Recipes

There's lots of soup making going on at my house right now. I'm trying to get in some extra vegetables AND take advantage of some cool spring days. As a result, I've been cooking up a storm. Gina's blog is just amazing and I have enjoyed the "leftovers" for days following. One of the advantages to living alone is that I only cook 2-3 times a week and eat like a queen. So, here are the two soup recipes I tested out last week. They were healthy and wonderful. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Potato Leek Soup
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 cup • Calories: 159 • Points: 2.75 ww points

• 1 bunch leeks (about 4) dark green stems removed
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 cups fat free chicken stock (or vegetable broth for vegetarians)
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• salt and fresh pepper

Wash leeks very carefully to remove all grit. I usually cut them horizontally and separate the rings to make sure no dirt remains. Coarsely chop them when washed.

In a medium soup pot, melt butter and add flour on low flame. Using a wooden spoon, mix well. This will thicken your soup and give it a wonderful flavor.

Add chicken stock, leeks, onion, potatoes and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for about 20-25 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth adding the milk and adjusting salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.


Cream of Broccoli Soup
I omitted the cheese for waistline purposes, but I'm certain it would have been divine!
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 servings • Time: 20 minutes • Points: 2.5 ww point

• 3 cans fat free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup milk (2 percent)
• 2 tbsp low fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery chopped
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 5 cups broccoli florets (head of 2 large bunches)
• ground black pepper to taste

In a medium sized stock pot, bring chicken broth, onions, carrots, garlic, and celery to a boil. Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add broccoli, milk and pepper and cook, covered, 10 more minutes. Add sour cream and puree soup. Adjust pepper to taste and heat through over medium heat. Add cheddar cheese and serve.

*Please note that I give all the credit to Gina for these recipes, but this blog serves as a virtual recipe book of sorts and I didn't want to lose these recipes in cyberspace.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Adapted from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 Serving Size: 1.5 cups Calories: 137 Points: 1.5 ww points

4 large red bell peppers, roasted seeds removed
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fat free sour cream
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

I usually just roast my peppers in the oven under the broiler until they are black. Turn your peppers frequently, as needed until the skin has turned completely black and starts to blister. When the entire pepper skin has turned black, remove the peppers place them into a bowl.

Cover the bowl with a lid or a dish to make it airtight to build up steam. Let the peppers rest in the bowl for 10 minutes. Uncover, remove from the bowl and the skin will slide off easily. Cut the pepper in half to core and remove seeds.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, and herbs and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, roasted bell peppers, and potato. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cover, simmer until the potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

With an immersion hand blender, puree the soup in the pot with the sour cream until it is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the grated parmesean and ladle into bowls.

Basic Black Bean Soup

One of my resolutions for 2010 was to master the art of cooking with dried beans. After much experimentation, I'm not sure if I've mastered it, but I'm definitely more comfortable with the process. Granted, I still keep many a can of prepared beans in my pantry for emergencies, but I think the dried bean and I are now friends, too.

Here's my favorite way to prepare dry beans. Put them in a pot covered with water. Bring them to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave them tightly covered to sit for one hour. This is the quick method and I've found it very useful for slow cooker recipes.

This Black Bean Soup is one of my favorites. It's healthy (until you add cheese, sour cream, and tortilla strips), full of wonderful flavor, and cooks up in a jiffy!

I'd post a photo for it, but it isn't the prettiest dish and I can't seem to do it justice with my camera. JUST TRUST ME!

Black Bean Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T ground cumin

¼-1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 T vegetable oil

3-16 oz cans black beans, undrained

½ cup chicken broth

3 cups salsa

2 T lime juice

Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and red pepper in olive oil. Blend to puree 2 cans of beans with liquid and broth. Add to pot. Stir in last can of beans, salsa, and lime juice. Serve over rice with sour cream and cheese.

Ham and White Bean Soup

Cook a ham for Christmas and if you're at our house you'll wind up with that whole hunk of meat at the end of it that doesn't get spiral cut and is just hard to deal with. In the past I have feebly hacked away at it, winding up eventually throwing much of it away. This time I was determined to not waste it, so I looked around on line at a few different soup recipes, and then opened up my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (you know, that classic red and white checkered one), and loosely followed their recipe. Alan declared it one of his favorite soups, and that's saying something. This was also one of my very few attempts at cooking beans from scratch and I'm pleased to say that they came out well. This is the sort of soup that you should plan ahead, starting it around 4 hours before you plan to eat it if you're cooking the beans from dry. If you're going to use canned, an hour is sufficient.

Ham and White Bean Soup

3 cups dry Great Northern Beans

pinch of baking soda

1/2 t. ginger

water as directed below

1 yellow or white onion, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. olive oil

ham bone with a generous amount of meat left on it

2 bay leaves

1 T. fresh thyme leaves or 1 t. dried

3 cups carrot "pennies"

1/2-1 t. liquid smoke to taste

1/4-1/2 t. tabasco to taste

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place washed and sorted beans in a 4 quart pot and add 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes, then turn off and let soak for 1 hour. Drain and add another 8 cups of water, along with the pinch of baking soda and ginger (these are supposed to help reduce digestive issues associated with eating beans), and bring to a simmer. In a large nonstick skillet, heat up the olive oil, and add in the celery, onion and garlic. Saute until softened, then add to the beans. While the skillet is still hot, fry the hunk of ham bone on all sides until lightly browned, then add it to the pot. Add in the bay leaves and thyme and let simmer for 1 hour. Add in the carrot pennies and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the ham bone and the meat should fall off easily at this point and allow for easy shredding. Add a little more water if needed. Add the shredded meat back into the pot and season with liquid smoke (go easy - a little goes a long way), tabasco, salt and pepper to your taste.

Hearty roasted southwest chicken soup

I have long sought a recipe for chicken tortilla soup that's hearty rather than brothy, packs a robust flavor into the bowl, and doesn't call for "cream of fill-in-the-blank" soup (banned from my kitchen, I'm afraid). The frost propelled us to clear out the last of the peppers and tomatoes from the garden, yielding bags full of each. We froze a bunch of the peppers until we got tired of chopping, and stashed the remaining couple dozen jalapenos in the fridge. I mulled over what to do with them all day and around 3 in the afternoon, started experimenting. This soup requires some advance planning, but it is not difficult. It is very nutritious and a great way to get some veggies into your kids. And it is delicious! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

15 roma tomatoes, sliced in half vertically and seeds removed
1 large purple onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Prepare the veggies as above, then spread out on a jelly roll pan, drizzle with olive oil, toss lightly to coat, and face all of the tomatoes cut side up. Tuck the garlic into some of the tomatoes, sprinkle everything with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours. No stirring required - just walk away.

When it's done, it should look like this. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken and jalapenos on the grill:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
cumin, coriander, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder
1 lime
8-10 jalapeno peppers

Sprinkle each chicken breast with the seasonings. Place the jalapenos and the chicken breasts on a preheated grill and cook for 8 minutes over medium heat. Rotate the jalapenos to get even browning of the skins, and remove them once they begin to split. Before turning the chicken breasts over, squeeze half a lime over them to moisten the spices. Cook for an additional 8 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove to a plate to allow the juices to settle before cutting each breast into thin strips across the grain, then chop the strips into 4ths. Slice the stem end off each jalapeno, cut lengthwise, and remove the seeds.

Do not fear the jalapeno. This may seem like an outrageous number of the feisty little buggers, but the grilling and subsequent simmering mellows the heat to almost zero. If my 2 year old can eat the soup without complaining, so can you.

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Next, pull out an 8 quart soup pot. Scrape all of the tomatoes, onions and garlic in, and toss in the jalapenos. You will now need:

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2 cans chicken stock

1 cup corn, frozen or canned (drain first)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1/2 t. each oregano, cumin, coriander and if you're feeling spicy, chipotle chili powder

1/4 t. smoked salt (you can substitute liquid smoke, but add it cautiously and taste after every few drops - we're just trying to round out the flavor, not overwhelm it!)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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Pour the chicken stock into the pot with the veggies and use an immersion blender to puree it all until smooth. If you'd like your soup runnier, add another can of stock. Stir in the corn, black beans, diced chicken, seasonings, and adjust to taste. Simmer on medium low for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, then stir in the fresh cilantro and squeeze the other half the lime in just before serving.

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Serve with avocado wedges, lime wedges (this one is really important - the kick of fresh lime squeezed into your bowl is just awesome), grated jack or chedder cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. This quantity will serve 4- 6, depending on how hearty the servings are.

"Food storage" soup - creamy gingered carrot parsnip bisque

This is a girly soup, in Alan's world. He has a hard time with pureed soups, which is unfortunate, because I love them. I whipped this up today and it was awesome. A perfect spring soup, that'd be absolutely lovely for a ladies luncheon with some of that rustic bread and a crisp green salad on the side topped with fruit, nuts and cheese.

I'm calling it "food storage" soup, because I used carrots and parsnips out of my garden that wintered over. It's just the most amazing way to have those vegetables. They get super sweet after the ground freezes. It doesn't look very pretty on top, but I'm here to tell you that there's gold underneath.

Parsnips are often maligned and usually underestimated. Give them a try! Please! If you live near by, I still have a few out in the garden. They're amazing roasted, and really good in this soup.

Without further ado, a very simple spring soup:

2 cups diced carrots

2 cups diced parsnips

2 shallots, minced

2 T. butter

1/2 an apple, diced (I used a gala)

1 T. grated fresh ginger (or ginger paste, if you're in a cheatin' mode)

2 cans chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cream

Saute the veggies in the butter in a medium saucepan, then put the lid on and let them sweat for 5 or so minutes. Add the ginger, apple and broth and simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are all soft. Puree in batches with either an immersion blender or in a regular stand blender and return to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste, and swirl in the cream just before serving.

Slow Simmered Green Chili and Pork Stew

This was entirely experimental, but turned out pretty darn good. I was in the mood for something chili verde-esque, but with a bit more substance to it. I simmered it all afternoon, but really it would have been fine at the 3 hour point.

1 pound pork - I used two boneless chops, but any cut is fine

1 vidalia onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. cumin

1 t. chili powder

1/2 t. chipotle chili powder

2 t. coriander

1 t. salt

2-3 T. olive oil

3 cans green chilis

3 cans chicken broth

5-6 medium red skin potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 can great northern beans

1/2 cup flour

sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges, diced tomatoes, chips

Heat up the olive oil in a stock pot and toss in the pork (I stuck mine in whole and cut them up later after they'd been cooking for a copule hours). Sprinkle the top with the mixture of spices. Sear the bottom for 3 or 4 minutes, then flip them over and sear the other side the same way. Add the onions and garlic, and put the lid on for a few minutes and let them sweat. Give it a good stir so that the onions and garlic get coated with the spices, then stir in the green chilis and chicken broth. Turn to low and let it simmer for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally.

Add in the potatoes and let it simmer for another hour. Add in the great northern beans. If you haven't already, pull the pork out and cut into 1 inch chunks and replace in the pot. Then mix the flour with enough water to form a smooth, pourable paste, and gradually stir it into the soup until it's the desired consistency. The soup is ready to eat when the potatoes are soft and rounded around the edges, and the pork is tender and falls apart easily.

Serve with quesadillas or chips as well as the listed toppings above.

Hearty Sausage and Tortellini Soup

I'm on a roll! Three recipes in three days. This was another invention out of what was in the fridge/freezer, and the results were great. I shared some with my neighbor, and she called me a few minutes later to tell me that this is the "best soup ever" and that she needed the recipe. So here you go.

The ingredients are simple and so is the prep. I love that it has so many vegetables. The sausage satisfies my husband, the cheese tortellini my kids, and the veggies are all for me.

2 sweet/mild italian sausages
2 T. olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 t. each basil and oregano
1 T. sugar (this cuts the acidity of the tomatoes)
1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini
3-4 cups additional water

Grill or saute the sausages in a large soup pot until browned and cooked through. Remove and cut in have lengthwise, then cut into slices. Return to the pot along with the olive oil and all of the fresh veggies. Saute the veggies for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, then put the lid on and let them steam for another 5 minutes. Then add the canned tomatoes, sauce, broth, and spices and simmer for another 10 minutes until the veggies are beginning to soften. Bring the soup to a low boil and add the tortellini. Stir in enough water to float the tortellini easily and keep it at a low boil for 10 minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and serve with freshly grated parmesan and breadsticks if desired.

Soups On!

There's only one of me & that means less time in the kitchen. I actually only cook 1-2 times per week these days--this time of year I make a soup and a main dish all in one quick snap and then supplement the two with fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the week. Today I made a quick broccoli soup--a recipe from a cooking class I took at BYU. Our instructor developed a thickener that does not require fat to bind itself. I swear by the stuff! If you haven't ever tried using UltraGel in your cooking, you're missing out on a product that makes things quicker and healthier. I always purchase mine at Macey's here in Provo. I'm not certain how readily available it is elsewhere, but if you can't find it, drop me a line & I'll ship it to you. Visit the UltraGel site for more recipes, but this easy broccoli soup is one of my winter favorites.

2 c water
2 tsp chicken base
1/4 c chopped onion
1 c chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)*
1 c milk
1/4 c Ultra Gel
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Combine water and chicken base in a medium saucepan. Add onion and broccoli and cook over medium heat until vegetables are tender (about 5 minutes). Add milk, then thicken with Ultra Gel, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Add grated cheese and simmer until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield 4 cups.

*Other vegetables (or a combination of several) may be substituted for broccoli. I love to add cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, etc. It's wonderful garnished with a bit of crispy bacon or even parmesean crisps. . .mmmm.

Cauliflower Soup

The cauliflower soup came about as a result of a series of strange and seemingly unrelated events. First, there has been an unidentifiable stench coming from our refrigerator. This is very unusual, as I am a psycho about keeping our refrigerator cleaned out and semi-organized. So, I went on the warpath this morning & found the culprit. In the process, I discovered a fresh head of cauliflower. For months, I've been wanting to try a mashed/whipped cauliflower or cauliflower soup. Today was the day for such experimentation.

This is the recipe started with and altered to suit my needs.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I only had salted butter & it was fine)
  
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 1 potato, peeled and diced
• 2 cups vegetable stock (I used one can of chicken broth)
  
• 2 cups milk (I used one cup of evaporated milk & one cup skim milk)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onion in the butter for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and potato and saute for 5 more minutes.
2. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Add the milk, stirring well to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I blended mine together so it was a smooth soup. It was LOVELY. . . just lovely.
   

Big Chunk Chicken Noodle Soup

It's FREEZING today, and Alan sounded like he was going to cough up a portion of his lung this afternoon when I talked to him at work. Just the right sort of day for homemade chicken noodle soup. It's really easy, and the homemade noodles are so worth the extra 10 minutes of effort.

Noodles:

1 egg

1 t. water

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough ball, plus additional for rolling (1 - 1 1/2 cups)

Whisk the egg and water until well combined, add the salt and baking powder, then stir in the flour until the dough is still somewhat sticky but forms a workable glob. Turn out on a well floured surface (this is important - it's better to go heavy on the flour than to have all of them stuck and unusable) and knead 10-12 turns until the dough forms a smoother ball. Roll out thinly and evenly. This much dough should spread out to roughly a 10 inch square. Cut the dough into 1/4" x 2 inch strips and set aside to dry while you prepare the rest of the soup. The noodles will roughly double in size when cooked, so keep that in mind.

For the soup:
1 large shallot, minced
1 T. butter
3 cups diced carrots
4 cans chicken broth
1 chicken breast (frozen is ok)
dash each celery seed, thyme, rosemary, allspice, oregano
1 bay leaf
few grinds of pepper
1 cup of frozen peas

In an 8 quart soup pot, saute the shallot in butter for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add the carrots, broth, chicken breast and spices and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken breast and dice into 1/2 inch chunks then return it to the pot. Add the peas and noodles and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are cooked through and tender. Fabulous served with fresh sourdough bread. This amount will serve about 4 people.