Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 4 TB butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (*see notes to make Gluten Free)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup milk (** see notes)
• 3 cup chicken stock or broth (homemade is best-recipe under the How to tab)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and/or yellow cheddar cheese plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half and milk until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20minutes.

Add the broccoli florets and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. If desired, mash broccoli a bit with a potato masher, or puree soup a bit with an immersion blender.  You can also puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot.

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup broth, milk or water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the  bowls and garnish with cheese if desired.

*to make this gluten free like I did–simply omit the 1/4 c flour and use 1/4 c of your favorite GF blend.  Our favorite is Pamela’s and we buy it on Amazon.  It is fantastic!  makes the best GF waffles, pancakes and muffins by far!!

**Use all milk or all half and half depending on how rich and creamy you want it.  Just be careful if you use all low fat milk that the mixture doesn’t curdle.  The lower the fat content is the easier it is to curdle.

Recipe source: adapted from Food Network Magazine

Red Lentil Soup

The technical name of this soup is "Kermizi Mercimek Corbasi", but Red Lentil Soup sounds so much more approachable!  My husband and I ate a version of this a few weeks ago at a Turkish restaurant and it was divine.  I'm always looking for ways to cook with lentils as well.  I used green lentils when I made this and it tasted great, but perhaps red lentils would have made it look a little more appetizing?

Anyway, here it is.

1 cup red lentils
1 medium size onion
1 carrot
1 tbsp tomato or pepper paste (or you can do half&half)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed pepper or red peppercorns - actually, that makes it quite spicy.  You'd be ok with 1/2. 
6 cups of chicken stock

for the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 tbsp sweet or spicy paprika

-Sautee the onion and carrot with 1 tbsp oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and cook for a couple of minutes, and add the rest of the soup ingredients.  Cook until lentils are mushy - maybe 20 minutes?

-Blend in a blender or, even better, with an immersion blender

-Before serving the soup, heat the oil in a skillet and when it's hot add the paprika. Stir for 5-10 seconds. Pour a couple of scoops of the oil+paprika sauce on the soup bowl. (This might be a nightmare with kids - you could skip this part if you like)

-Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on top.

Butternut Squash Soup

This is perfect for a nice fall dinner.

1 butternut squash
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cups water
1 8oz. cream cheese
1 T. salt
red pepper flakes (just or pinch or two depending on how much of a kick you want)

Peel and remove seeds from squash.  Dice into small pieces.  Put squash, onion, garlic, butter, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes in pan and saute for 10 minutes.

Add water and simmer until squash is tender.  Stir in cream cheese until blended and then blend.  I just used my immersion blender, but if you don't have one you can transfer to blender and puree until smooth.

Serve and Enjoy!

Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew

6 servings
prep: 15 minutes
cook time: 6-8 or 3-4

4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, cut and peeled
1 can (28 oz) whole stewed tomatoes
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of parika
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 tsp of cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 fresh basil leaves, chopped


1. Combine all ingredients except for basil and cook in slow cooker for 6-8 hours in high or 2-4 hours on low.

Spicy Tex-Mex Bowl

1/3 cup lentils
1 1/3 cups water
5 strips bacon
1 onion, chopped
1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, undrained
1 can (16 oz) red kidney beans, undrained
1 can (15 oz0 diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


1. Boil lentils with water for 20 to 30 minutes, drain
2. In small skillet, cook bacon until crips; remove, drain. In same skillet, cook onion in bacon drippings until soft
3. Combine all ingredients in teh crock pot and cook for 5 to 6 hours on high or 3 to 4 on low.
4. Add pay leave before serving.

Lean N Green Chili

I found this recipe off another food blog, Hot out of the Oven, and Shawn and I really liked it. I have a love/hate relationship with cumin. I can't stand how it smells-like dirty Mexico sweat or something, but it really works nice in this soup. The homemade tortilla strips are really simple and worth it-but you can always by the pre-made ones. The great thing about this soup is that it is low fat and calories, but high in flavor!!

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, divided
2 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
1-2 medium Poblano Chile peppers or 1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz) can Green Chile enchilada sauce
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

To make to tortilla strips cut four tortillas into strips and toss with 1 tsp. (or a little more) oil. Spread in single layer on pan and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Sprinkle with a little salt after removing from the oven.

For the soup, chop the chicken into small pieces and sprinkle with cumin. Put chicken in pan and cook for 5 minutes, or until done. Take chicken out of of pan and put in chopped pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook for three minutes and then add chicken back in, along with chicken broth, beans, and enchilada sauce. Take the remaining four tortillas and grate through a cheese grated into the soup. This is what acts as the thickener, making this soup much healthier! Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Sprinkle in cilantro and mix in. Serve with homemade tortilla strips and I think it would be good with a dollop of sour cream also!!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Here is another recipe from AllRecipes (Les, I thought of you while eating this-I think you would like it). It was cold-well, cold for Las Vegas weather and I wanted soup for dinner, but didn't want to go to the store so this is pretty basic and I had everything on hand. I did make a few changes from the original recipe to reduce the fat a little.

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breasts, shredded
1 (4.5 oz) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup flour
6 T. butter (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
2 cups milk (the original recipe called for heavy cream)
I also added some veggies-onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and pepper.

In a large pot combine broth, water, and chicken. Bring to boil and stir in rice (not seasoning packet). Bring to boil again, cover, and remove from heat.

In pan over medium heat melt butter and add flour, salt, pepper and seasoning packet. Basically make a roux by reducing the heat to low and let it cook for a minute. Next, whisk in the milk a little at a time until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened 3-5 minutes.

Next, I sauteed some garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and peppers in a pot. When they were done I added all the veggies and the cream sauce to my big pot of rice, chicken, and broth. Mix it all together and cook about 10-15 minutes until heated through. Enjoy!!

Creamy Tomato Soup and Bread Bowls

Creamy Tomato Soup

Ingredients

* 2 (15-ounce) containers, chicken or vegetable stock/broth (preferred brand: Kitchen Basics)
* 1 (28-ounce) can concentrated crushed tomatoes
* 1 cup heavy cream
* Coarse salt and black pepper and basil (I used a tablespoon but, used more or less based on your taste)
*One clove of garlic minced



Directions

Combine broth, tomatoes,basil and garlic in crockpot on high for4 to 6 hours. Stir in heavy cream, salt and pepper and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.With an immersion blender, puree soup. (I didn't have an immersion blender so I poured the crockpot contents into a blender a pureed)

Bread Bowl

I cheated on the bread bowls..

Ingredients

*Package of frozen bread loaves such as Rhodes (I brought the gentric with three 1 lb loaves)
*One egg beaten

Directions

I made 2 adult size bowls and 4 kid size bowls but, you can alter the size of the bowls to your needs.

Thaw 2 loaves. When dough is thawed but still cold divide the first loaf in 4 parts for kid bowls and second loaf into 2 parts. Form into ball and put on greased baking sheets, brush with egg. Let rise. I put mine in a 170 degree oven turned off for 2 hours. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut of tops and hollow out in a bowl shape.

These could easily be made from scratch. Easily, if you know how to make bread from scratch, so not easy for me.

This is a new family favorite. My husband doesn't really like tomato soup but, he loved this.

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Finally I'm posting a recipe! I make this soup probably once or twice a month - it's easy and DELICIOUS. Here you go family and friends

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Ingredients

4 Boneless Skinless chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Can (28 oz) enchilada sauce
1 Can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, drained (I usually use just plain old diced tomatoes, un-drained
– whatever I have really)
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
2 can (4 oz each) chopped green chiles
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn (I usually double this because I love the corn)
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (sometimes I put it in and sometimes I don’t)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder (I usually put at least extra of both chili and cumin, but I’m a spice
freak)
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon black epper


Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook for 8 hours (or less, you can kind of tell
when it’s done)
2. Garnish with chips, cheese, avocado, green onions – whatever you feel like.


Notes

I kind of fudge on some things here and there. I usually add whatever vegetables I have and whichever sound good; HOWEVER the zuchhini and squash really make this soup. It’s pretty hearty because of the enchilada sauce base – it even fills Max!

Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Cavatappi

This is the absolute best soup you'll ever try. It is by far restaurant quality. I use dried shitake mushrooms (just put them in water and rehydrate them), cavatappi (cork screws) pasta, and kale. Serve it with some warm bread and you've got a great home cooked meal (of course it's very cozy for us that are buried under snow).

4 skinless chicken thighs (1-1/4 lbs.)
1 large (8 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
4 ounces shiitake or white mushrooms, diced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal pieces
2 garlic cloves, without skins
4 1/2-inch-thick slices fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
3 14-ounce cans chicken broth
1-1/2 cups cavatappi or elbow macaroni
1-1/2 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard

1. With a small, sharp knife, cut chicken thighs along the bone, removing as much thigh meat as possible. Reserve bones. Cut thigh and breast meat into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a small Dutch oven. Cook thigh meat until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add remaining oil. Cook chicken breast until golden brown on all sides; transfer to another bowl.

3. Add mushrooms to Dutch oven and cook 5 minutes. Add to chicken breast. Add onion, carrots, garlic, ginger and bay leaf to Dutch oven; cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables soften. Stir in chicken broth, reserved thigh meat and bones. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Remove garlic cloves, mash and return to broth. Add pasta, chicken breast, mushrooms and kale. Cover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Discard bones. Makes 4 servings.

Italian Wedding Soup

I decided to post some favorite recipes (without a picture) just because they're my favorite. This soup takes a little more effort because of the chicken, but you can replace it with an equal amount of ground beef (or you could try ground chicken too).

1/2 pound extra-lean ground beef
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, excess fat removed
2 eggs
1/2 dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 t. dried basil
1 t. onion powder
pepper, to taste
11-1/2 c. chicken broth (maybe more if you use too much pasta)
5 c. chopped spinach
1-3/4 c. acini de pepe pasta
2/3 finely chopped carrot

In a stock pot heat about 1 Tbsp. olive oil and brown chicken thighs (they don't need to be cooked all the way you just need to get them firmer to grind). In a food processor, chop chicken into fine pieces. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, chopped chicken, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, onion powder and pepper. Combine well. Set aside.

In the same stock pot used to brown chicken, heat broth to boiling. Drop meatballs by teaspoon size balls (1/2 teaspoon for smaller meatballs). Add spinach, acini de pepe pasta, and chopped carrot. Return to boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir gently, as to not squash meatballs and prevent sticking.

Chicken Vegetable Alfredo Soup

This is really easy and really good too. It comes from Pampered Chef. Serve with the Crispy Bread Bowls.

1 c. chopped broccoli
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c diced red pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 (14 oz.) can chicken broth
2 c. diced chicken, cooked
1 T. snipped basil
1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo sauce
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese, opt.

Chop carrots, broccoli, and onion (Pampered Chef's food chopper does this really well). Dice red pepper. Place broccoli, carrots, onion, pepper, and garlic in 3 qt. sauce pan. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Meanwhile dice chicken and snip basil. Set aside. Add chicken and Alfredo sauce to broth; simmer 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat stir in basil. If desired, ladle into bread bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Crispy Bread Bowls

2 pkgs. refrigerated pizza crust
small amount of oil
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from pkgs; cut each loaf in half. Place dough cut side down on large round stone (or cookie sheet). Press lightly to form 4-1/2 in rounds.

Brush dough with oil; sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake 21-23 minutes or until deep golden brown.

To serve, slice off top of each bread round; carefully remove centers to for bowls. Place on plates; ladle soup into bowls.