Soups

Teresa's Toscana Soup

It's been in the single digits here with windchills reaching below zero. Weather like that makes me think I should pack up and move south ... and then after I realize that's not really feasible, it makes me think about making a big pot of soup! I've been bookmarking yummy-sounding soups like crazy. I can't wait until I get the chance to make Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup and Proud Italian Cook's Ribolitta. And I just know my husband's going to love Kalyn's Sausage, Tomato and Macaroni Soup with Basil. But it look like this winter is going to be cold enough -- and long enough -- that I will have a chance to try these new recipes and still make all of our old favorites too! 

Since the holiday season is upon us and everyone seems to be crazy busy, here are a few of my favorite soup recipes. Soup is the perfect food this season. It's warm and filling. It can be made ahead and re-heated in only a few minutes and in whatever quantity you need. And best of all, soup makes an inexpensive meal so you can save money for more holiday shopping and that you can easily stretch into a company-worthy meal. Add some wonderful artisan bread and a salad and dinner is served!

Teresa's Toscana is one of my favorites. Originally intended to be similar to the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, it's evolved to include more potato and leafy, green kale as well as spicy Italian Sausage. Now it's a meal all by itself. In fact I have a big pot of it simmering away on the stove as  I type!

Bean, Kale and Chorizo Soup

came about as a way to clean out the produce left in the fridge. It ended up being a delicious family favorite I've made again and again. Spanish Chorizo (the kind you can slice, not the Mexican type that is more like ground beef), chunky potatoes, kale and white beans simmered in a spicy chicken broth. Top with some Parm and a side of crusty, warm bread and you've got a perfect winter meal.

Buffalo Chicken Chili proves that food that's good for you can taste good too! Filled with lean chicken breast, black beans and whatever vegetables you have on hand this soup can pack a wallop depending on which wing sauce you use. If you aren't a fan of really spicy food, taste as you go! Top with blue cheese or ranch dressing if you prefer.

Simple White Bean Soup is perfect for lunch. Plenty of protein and fiber to keep you going through a long afternoon. Plus it's a breeze to throw together using pantry staples. And it looks good enough to serve for company or a bunch of neighborhood kids warming up at your house after an afternoon of sledding. Who knew white beans and canned tomatoes could be so tasty? Other than Jill over at Simple Daily Recipes, I mean.

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

is another great recipe from Jill over at Simple Daily Recipes. This one also uses pantry staples: chickpeas, rice, canned tomatoes. It's as delicious and filling as it is good for you! Head on over and check out more of Jill's delicious soups and stews.

Teresa's Tortilla Soup

was originally inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe. With four active kids, you know I love the concept of a 30 minute meal. I also love the idea of chipotle peppers. It's funny to think that I didn't know what they were a few short years ago. Now I keep a supply in the pantry and in the freezer and use them all the time. They add a wonderful smoky heat to this soup.Crispy bacon and fire-roasted tomatoes make this soup taste like it's been simmering all day.

Sponge's Mom's Chili is probably the oldest recipe that I still make on a regular basis. Back before the kids were born, I preferred take out to cleaning up so I rarely cooked. I found this recipe back in the early days of the internet when even AOL was new. It was originally called Sponge's Mom's Chili and has been the best chili recipe I've ever tried. My husband even said it was better than his Grandma's chili. Shh! Don't tell anyone!

Bean, Kale, and Chorizo Soup

I was supposed to go out of town last weekend. My plan called for hubby to take care of Sunday night dinner. When plans changed at the last minute, I decided to throw something together rather than order that pizza. I'd picked up some Spanish Chorizo earlier in the week simply because it's something that my regular grocery store doesn't carry. I didn't really have any specific plans for it so I thought I'd experiment. I sliced it up and browned it in a little olive oil. I threw it in a soup pot with some chicken stock and the remnants of the vegetable crisper: kale, carrots, half an onion. I tossed in some chunks of potato and a can of white beans. Salt, pepper and dash of red pepper flakes simmered until the veggies were soft and dinner was served. It was so good hubby and I fought over the leftovers for lunch the next day. I will definitely be making this again soon.


Chorizo, Kale and White Bean Soup

1 can Navy beans
8 cups chicken broth
1 handful baby carrots, sliced thin
1/2 large onion
1 large potato, diced
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 pound chorizo, cut into discs
1 tablespoon or so of vinegar
red pepper flakes
salt
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Brown chorizo in a small skillet.

Add chorizo and all aother ingredients except kale to stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are soft. Add kale. When kale is done, soup is ready.

Creamy Onion Soup

I've been making a lot of soup lately. Partly because it's been a particularly cold and dreary winter around here, but also because it's so easy to make a lot of soup and keep it in the fridge so that whenever our schedules get to hectic, we can still have a hot, homemade meal that doesn't take a whole lot of time.

When I saw this recipe for Creamy Onion Soup over at elly says opa! I figured we'd like it. The creamy onion Walkabout Soup is my favorite thing to order whenever we go to The Outback to eat. :-)



Creamy Onion Soup
Recipe courtesy of elly says opa!

2 Tbsp. butter
1.5 – 2 lbs. yellow or vidalia onions, cut in half and then into slices
1 qt. beef broth/stock
salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper
1.25 cups half and half or cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your preference)

Heat the butter in a dutch oven over medium-low  heat. Add the onions, coating with the butter and cook until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the beef broth, salt to taste and a good amount of black pepper (I used around a teaspoon).  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add the half and half and cheese until heated through and the cheese melts. Re-season to taste, if necessary.

Ten in 2010: Week Eight and Some Almost Famous Broccoli Soup

 

This week was another crazy one around here. What's new? One basketball season is finishing up and another is beginning. We have basketball tournaments and wrestling meets as well as Math Club and 4-H. You'd think I'd be used to it by now but somehow it never seems to work that way. 

This is week eight of Ten in 2010. I'd been hoping all these healthy new habits would be set by now. Seems like it's been two steps forward and one step back most weeks. But even then, I'm in a much better place than I was before. I may not be drinking as much water as I'd like, but it is more than before. I am exercising. I am eating more vegetables and though it hasn't seemed like it, we are eating out less than we used to.

Running went fairly well this week. I ran five miles on Sunday. Yippee! Slowly but surely I'm getting there and with all this glorious sunshine, anything seems possible! For me running on a treadmill is like torture so I'm happy to finally be back to running outdoors. We'll se how my 7 miler goes today!

I did make a few yummy things this week but there didn't seem to be enough time to get them posted. Hopefully that will get a bit better. Time is really going to be at a premium starting this week. In addition to all of the kid's activities, I'm beginning a big re-decorating project around here this week. Starting with the hallway on Monday, I'll be working my way through the entire house painting, removing old wallpaper and paneling, learning how to tile and maybe even how to install some new lighting in my kitchen! The challenge will come after we finish the hallway. I'll be heading into the kitchen. I'm planning to remove the hideous paneling and take out the outdated soffits. I'm installing some new lighting and putting in some new flooring. I'm not sure how long that's going to take but I can imagine that preparing meals will become more interesting. My goal is to limit eating out to maybe one pizza night during the project. We'll have to see how that works out. It should be interesting becaue this is our month to host the monthly dinner party! 

Broccoli Soup is one of my favorites. It's what I always pick when we eat at Panera Bread. A few months ago Food Network Magazine published a recipe for Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. It took me awhile to get around to making it, but it was definitely worth the wait! Even

Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

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 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 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

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

Buffalo Chicken Chili

 

It's another cold, wintry day here in the Midwest. With one exception. The sun is actually shining! Despite having one home sick from school and a to-do list about a mile long, the glorious sunshine motivated me to make something a little more special for lunch today. Originally intended to use up some leftover ingredients I had on hand, this soup turned out to be a delightful surprise. The Buffalo Sauce added the perfect amount of zing and the veggies and beans make you feel virtuous when you have that second bowl!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1-2 cups already cooked chicken, diced

1medium onion, diced

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons chili powder

salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce, to taste


Add onions and celery to pan and saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except buffalo wing sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Top with a dollop of Ranch dressing if desired.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili is perfect for those winter days when you just know you're not going to have time to make dinner and may be tempted to order out. Four simple ingredients (which I keep on-hand all the time) thrown into a crockpot and you're done.Plug it in and six hours later dinner's on!

White Bean Chicken Chili
Recipe from Pink Parsley

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

The Best Soup Ever!

I'm sick! How not fun is that? Only a few weekends of glorious summer weather left and I'm spending this one in bed. Somehow it's just not fair! The only bright spot is that the only thing that sounds good it a big, steaming bowl of my Toscana Soup. Chock full of spicy sausage, potatoes and kale, I love this soup anytime but it's especially comforting when you're under the weather. This soup is very forgiving. You can use more or less sausage. (Make sure you use a tasty sausage. It's the main flavoring of the soup. We like the "zesty" or "hot" flavors of sausage for this one.) No potatoes on hand? Leave them out and it's still delicious! Use lots of kale if you like greens, less if you don't. And it always comes out delicious!

Teresa's Toscana Soup

4 cups chicken stock or broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more, depending on your tastes)
1 medium russet potato, scrubbed
2-3 cups Kale, chopped
1/2 pound spicy Italian Sausage
1 tablespoon heavy cream (more or less)

Place stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add salt and pepper flakes, adjusting for your tastes. More pepper flakes if you prefer a spicier dish, fewer if you don't.

Cut the un-peeled potato in half, then into 1/4 inch slices and then cut those slices in half and add them to the soup.

Add the kale.

Brown the sausage. Drain and add the sausage to the soup.

Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally.

Add cream, stir and remove from heat.

Serve immediately topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

Since school has started up again, I've been motivated to get back into some kind of routine. I'm blogging again. I'm cooking more often. I'm trying to exercise on a regular basis. One of my other goals is to prepare a healthy lunch for dh and myself. He works at home and now that the kids are gone it's easy to fall into the old ham sandwich rut.

When I saw this Chipotle Black Bean Soup recipe over at Cinnamon & Spice, I knew it would be perfect and I wasn't disappointed. Easy to throw together using ingredients I always keep on hand, this recipe is definitely a keeper. Canned Chipotle peppers add the right amount of heat and echo the smokiness of the bacon. I served it with some cheese quesadillas, made with some delicious Chipotle Cheddar I picked up at the market last week.

Chipotle Black Bean Soup
Recipe from Cinnamon & Spice

4 slices bacon
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 15 ounce cans Black Beans
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can chicken or vegetable broth
1 7.5 ounce can diced green chiles
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced(or more-if you like it very spicy)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
Sea salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper, to taste
Sour cream, lime wedges and spicy tortilla chips, for serving


In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan fry the bacon. Remove the bacon when cooked
and drain the grease all but a tablespoon. Rough chop the bacon and add it back to
the pan with the onion. Saute until tender and translucent, add garlic and saute for a
few more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 35 minutes.
Serve with sour cream, avocado and/or tortilla chips.

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

I came across this recipe for Tomato Chickpea Soup yesterday when I was looking for something quick, tasty and healthy for lunch. All the recipes from Simple Daily Recipes that I've tried have been keepers. (Have I mentioned lately how Jill's recipe for Oven-Fried Bacon has changed my life?) This soup was no exception. Easy to make with ingredients from the pantry, healthy and delicious. Definitely a keeper.



Tomato and Chickpea Soup
Recipe from Simple Daily Recipes

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14 oz) can cooked chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups home cooked chickpeas
3 cups water or vegetable broth
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes with juice
2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion until soften. Add garlic, chickpeas, water, cooked rice, tomatoes, paste, and dried parsley. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in chopped cilantro, season with salt & fresh pepper to taste. Remove from heat, let stand for about 7 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Soup will thicken up, too

Sorry I've been MIA

I suppose it was inevitable. All the kids have been sick so I'm not too surprised that I've got it now. I just wonder why I always get it worse? Hopefully this will all be behind us at Christmas. (That would be a first! Seems like someone is always sick on major holidays. LOL!)

I'm crawling back to bed. I'll post more when I'm able.

I'll leave you with a recipe for my favorite comfort food when I'm sick: Creamy Crockpot Potato Cheese Soup.

Creamy Crockpot Potato Cheese Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 white onions -- chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
4 stalks celery -- diced
2 large carrots -- diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt -- to taste
pepper -- to taste
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons chicken base -- in 1 cup water
5 pounds russet potatoes -- peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
1 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
6 slices bacon -- crisp and crumbled

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour. Stir in 2 cups of water, celery, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Heat through. Stir in milk. Add dissolved chicken base in water. Place potatoes in crockpot and stir heated vegetable mixture into potatoes. Place bay leaf into pot, cover and cook 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Remove bay leaf and puree 4 cups of the soup. Return to crockpot. Add cheese and bacon. Stir until cheese is melted.

Mexican Corn Chowder

I have to have a root canal done this week so I've been eating a lot of soup lately. This one was a great one (and it looked much better than the picture! LOL!) Mexican Corn Chowder was quick and easy and since you can adjust the amount of hot sauce you use, you can make it as spicy as you want!

Mexican Corn Chowder
Recipe from Conversations with a Cupcake

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup hot water
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used Cheddar)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tomato, chopped
fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)

In a Dutch oven, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink.

Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into Dutch oven, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

October is National Chili Month: Sponge's Mom's Chili

Cold weather has finally reached the Midwest. With temperatures dipping into the 20's I can't deny autumn has arrived. Cold weather and falling leaves always make me start to think of football games, bonfires and hearty, steaming bowls of chili.

Way back in the dim and distant past when the internet was a new concept, I discovered a recipe for chili on AOL that has become a family staple. Sponge's Mom's Chili was one of the first recipes I found online and definitely the most enduring. I didn't cook much back in those days and this idiot-proof recipe was the one thing I could make with guaranteed success. I have no idea who Sponge is and the recipe isn't up on AOL any longer, but if anybody knows Sponge, tell him his mom rocks!

Since October is National Chili Month, this is the perfect time to have a great bowl of chili. One thing I always do to chili to make it extra special is to serve it with lots of topping options: cheddar cheese, spaghetti and sour cream, of course. But jalapeno pepper slices, Parmesan cheese, your favorite salsa, or hot sauce, diced onions and even guacamole, can make any chili recipe shine. At home, I usually top everyone's bowl the way I know they like it. When we have company I usually set out bowls of toppings, buffet-style and let everyone serve themselves. Simple and easy to prepare ahead of times, it always gets rave reviews, perfect for any fall get together.


Sponge's Mom's Chili
Recipe adapted from Sponge's Mom's recipe

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper, or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain. Coat meat mixture with dry ingredients and place in pot. Add tomato sauce and 2 cans of water. Add stewed tomatoes and 1 can of water. Add beans. Stir. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add toppings of your choice and serve.

Creamy Onion Soup

Thanks to some dental work I had done, I made a lot of soup this week. This quick and easy Creamy Onion Soup had dh raving about how tasty it was ... even after I told him how healthy it was. This creamy soup doesn't contain any dairy products. The creamy consistency results from the use of a potato. Who knew? LOL!

This recipe is from a really great blog that I've only recently discovered: Dutch Girl Cooking. The blog is full of great ideas and amazing photos. Be sure to check it out for detailed step-by-step Creamy Onion Soup photos. Creamy Onion Soup will be my contribution to the Bookmarked Recipes event over at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments this week.

And while you're visiting Dutch Girl Cooking, be sure to check out the recipe for Stuffed Zucchini that I'm planning to make this weekend!


Creamy Onion Soup
Recipe from Dutch Girl Cooking

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups beef broth
1 potato
pepper
nutmeg
salt

2 slices white bread (stale)
grated cheese
1 tbsp oil
basil

Coarsely chop onions and potato. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauce pan. Add onions, potato and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Stir; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cut 2 stale slices of white bread (I used wheat) into cubes. Add some chopped fresh herbs. (I used basil and parsley.) Mix with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Stir onion mixture. Add salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg. Replace lid

Place bread crumb mixture into an oven safe baking dish and liberally sprinkle with grated cheese. (I used Parmesan.) Place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Stir and return to oven until bread cubes are browned and crunchy. Remove from oven and crumble slightly.

Add beef broth to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup until smooth.

Serve in a bowl with croutons sprinkled on top.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

A couple of years ago I joined a great free website called SparkPeople.com. It's a great resource that provides you with all the tools you need to lose weight, get in shape and lead a healthier life. The have nutrition and fitness trackers, recipes, a great community with "Teams", message boards, articles. Everything it takes for you to reach your goal. Over the course of several months I lost about 25 pounds, trained to run a 13.1 mile half marathon and learned a lot about cooking healthy meals for my family. As time passed, counting calories didn't seem to be quite as important as it was while I was actively losing weight. Then I tore my hamstring and had to stop exercising for awhile. For some reason I didn't feel like I needed to cut back on what I was eating and as a result I gained back all of the weight I'd lost and then some. I used this blog as an excuse to eat what I wanted, when I wanted and got away from my original goal of creating healthy dishes that taste great.

Well, now that cold weather has arrived here in the Midwest, I got a wake up call when I realized that after a summer of wearing shorts, non of my long pants fit and many of my long-sleeved shirts are a little on the tight side. Time to get serious! I logged back into SparkPeople (If you check it out, look for me. My name is tbarton. I post a lot on the message boards and I also promise to post to my Spark Blog often! LOL!) This Loaded Baked Potato Soup certainly doesn't look like a diet dish, but even with a topping of cheese and bacon, it's about 200 calories per serving! Woohoo! Mel also suggests topping it with things like chopped spinach, steamed broccoli, fresh tomatoes or even jalapenos. All which only up it's healthy quotient. Woohoo!

It's delicious secret is that rather than using whipping cream to give it that silky goodness, it calls for plain yogurt. At first I was a bit apprehensive. I'm not a real fan of yogurt unless it's disguised with lots of fruity flavor. I needn't have worried. It was delicious! It's easy to make as well so I know this is one soup that I'll be making often this fall!

The best part is that this Loaded Baked Potato Soup helped my stay within my calorie range for my first official day back at Spark. Thanks Mel!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Recipe from Bitchincamero

1.5 tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium-sized creamer potatoes (roughly 2.5 lbs.), diced
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style Yogurt is perfect here)

Toppings:
1 cup chopped spinach
6 slices bacon, cooked til crisp
6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 – 2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

More topping ideas:
Green onions
Chives
Diced tomato
Fresh salsa
Sauteed or steamed Broccoli
Sauteed mushrooms
Anything you like to put on your baked potato goes!

Set a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil, onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are just starting to become translucent.

Add the diced potatoes and simmer for another couple of minutes, then add the chicken stock. Let the stock come to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt.

Transfer half of the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to puree about half of the soup. The potatoes should still be somewhat chunky, but also creamy.

Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.

Makes 6 servings.

My Kitchen, My World: Ecuador

My Kitchen, My World is traveling to Ecuador this week and I have to admit, it's a country I know almost nothing about. I'm sure back in high school I could point it out on a map, but now ... well, I do know it's in South America. ;-) This is a great opportunity to brush up on Ecuadorian (Is that really a word?) trivia.

• Ecuador is located in South America, on the Pacific Coast. It is bordered on one side by Peru and on the other by Colombia. The Galapagos Islands are a part of Ecuador. It's capitol city is Quito.

• Ecuador is a major exporter of bananas, shrimp, flowers and oil.

• The currency of Ecuador is the American dollar. (Who knew?)

• The Cotapaxi Volcano, located in Ecuador, is the highest active volcano in the world. There are 265 volcanoes within Ecuador, 19 of which are potentially active.

Have I mentioned that I have a degree in Anthropology? Back in the day, I had dreams of traipsing around the world Indiana Jones-style, discovering all sorts of really cool things. Reality intervened. (It's hard to be footloose and fancy-free when you have four children! LOL!) Ecuador has a rich archaeological history. What that means is that I get to waste half my morning, pouring over pictures of really neat artifacts. This style of bottle was produced in Ecuador from the 12th-4th century BC. This particular one is styled as a gourd. I think it's really cool.


Enough with the history lesson. Let's eat! For this challenge, I decided to prepare my Ecuadoran meal at my mom's house, for mom and my sister and her family. I wasn't sure what I'd make to please a whole room of picky people but a quick Google turned up plenty of recipes for llapingachos, or potato patties. I went with the recipe from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Using someone else's stove and kitchen tools was definitely a challenge. I really missed my gas stove and heavy skillet! While my llapingachos didn't turn out as pretty as Natashya's, they still tasted great.

Many of the recipes call for the potato patties to be topped with a peanut sauce. Since I don't like peanuts, I decided to go with a recipe from one of my favorite blogs Laylita's Recipes. Layla is from Ecuador and has tons of delicious looking recipe ideas on her blog. She has also posted a recipe for llapingachos, along with some gorgeous pictures. She suggested topping them with Curtido de cebolla y tomate. (Pickled Red Onion and Tomato Salad, in English.) It was delicious and very easy to throw together!

I also made Locro, or Ecuadoran Potato Soup. For that, I used the recipe posted by our fearless leader over at She's Becoming Doughmesstic. Loved, loved, LOVED it! Might just become my new go-to potato soup recipe. I used Muenster cheese and it gave the soup a wonderful flavor. Yum!

Thanks to Shelby from The lives and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch for selecting such an interesting country!

Barefoot Bloggers: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

The second recipe that the Barefoot Bloggers were to make in September was Ina Garten's Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup.

Yes, I'm late. What's new? One benefit to being late is that I got to see how everyone else's soup turned out before I started mine. Since several bloggers mentioned that soup was rather bland, I took the liberty of using chicken and vegetable broth rather than water as a base for the soup. I also followed the advice to puree the veggies used in making the mushroom stock and adding it back to the soup.

It turned out pretty well. I love mushrooms but I wasn't too thrilled with this soup. I still found it a bit bland. I can see that the stock did add some flavor, but for me, it still lacked something. Dh enjoyed the soup but, while I'm glad I tried this, I doubt that we'll be seeing this one again any time soon. Too much work for too little pay-off, imo.

Check out how the other Barefoot Bloggers did over here.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa at Home

5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 carrot, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don't wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

Chicken, Chorizo and Tortilla Soup

It's nice to know that when I'm drawing a blank on what to fix for dinner, I can usually count on Rachael Ray to give me a little inspiration. I'm not particularly a fan of her shows, though I do watch them sometimes. But I love, Love, LOVE her cookbooks. I think I have them all and while most of my other cookbooks have been banned from the kitchen for taking too much space, seven of the 13 cookbooks I've allowed to stay are Rachael Ray's.

After another hectic day, I was looking for a recipe to use up some chorizo I had in the fridge. Chicken, Chorizo and Tortilla Stoup sounded like a perfect solution. The soup/stew was easy to prepare and done within 30 minutes and it was much more filling than I expected. When I make my usual tortilla soup recipe I can't stop myself from having two bowls. After this dish, dh and I were both stuffed. The addition of the beans and potatoes really makes it much heartier. Definitely a great dish for a chilly autumn night. A little too spicy for the kids but perfect for the adults. Another keeper. Thanks Rachael!

Since I've had this one bookmarked for awhile over at the Food Network site, this will be my contribution to this week's Bookmarked Recipes event over at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments. Check out this link to see all the yummy recipes from last week's event, hosted by Heart and Hearth. And since Ruth is still on vacation, Pam over at Sidewalk Shoes will be hosting this week.

Chicken, Chorizo and Tortilla Stoup
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

1 pound chicken tenders
Salt and pepper
3/4 pound chorizo sausage, in packaged meats case near kielbasa
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 small red potatoes, diced
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes (recommended: Muir Glen)
1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 quart chicken stock
1 sack red or blue corn tortilla chips
2 cups shredded pepper jack or smoked Cheddar
Suggested garnishes: chopped scallions, chopped cilantro or fresh thyme leaves

Preheat medium soup pot over medium-high heat.

Chop tenders into bite-size pieces. Wash up, then season chicken with salt and pepper. Dice chorizo. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken to pot. Lightly brown chicken 2 minutes, then add the chorizo and garlic. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, then add peppers, onions and potatoes. Cook 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, and hot sauce. Add chicken stock and bring soup to a bubble.

Preheat broiler.

Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender 10 to 12 minutes. Ladle soup into shallow bowls and top each bowl with a generous handful of crushed tortillas and cheese. Melt cheese under hot broiler. Garnish with scallions and herbs.

Simple White Bean Soup

The days are still warm here in the Midwest, but definitely not as warm as it was a week or so ago. The nights are actually getting downright chilly. They say it will dip into the '40's this week. Not necessarily time to break out the parkas but it sure motivates me to start whipping up warm bowls of soup for lunch.

This Simple White Bean Soup was one I wanted to try as soon as I saw it over at Simple Daily Recipes. We've loved every recipe I've tried from Simple Daily Recipes. And this one did not disappoint. The best thing about Jill's recipes is that while they usually perfect for kids, they are flavorful enough to satisfy the grown-ups as well. Of course, the fact that they are usually quick and easy to prepare helps too!

Even though I haven't had this one bookmarked too long, I'm submitting Simple White Bean Soup to Bookmarked Recipes over at Ruth's Kitchen Experiments this week. Be sure to check out the weekly round-up of great Bookmarked Recipes!





Simple White Bean Soup
Recipe by Jill from Simple Daily Recipes

2 (15 oz.) cans Northern Beans
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 (15oz.) can plum tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
1 (15oz.) hot chicken broth or 2 cups hot water
salt & pepper to season
extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

Puree one can of Northern Bean with an immersion blender or food processor.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Stir in the onion, and cook until it softens. Add the celery, tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes more.

Pour in hot broth. Stir in the beans and the bean puree. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little extra virgin olive oil in individual soup bowls.

Corn chowder

Daytime temperatures are still fairly summer-like here, but I guess the cooler nights are making me think autumn. I suddenly find myself browsing through blogs and bookmarking more soup recipes than grill recipes. Other bloggers must be in the same situation because there are lots of yummy-sounding soup recipes out there these days. Here are a few on my Must-Make-Soon list:

White Bean and Chicken Chili/Soup from My Cooking Quest

Corn Chowder with Chorizo from Kit's Chow

Simply Recipes Tortilla Soup

French Onion Soup from Columbus Foodie

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Soup with Rosemary and Parmesan from Kalyn's Kitchen

Peter G.'s "Lazy" Bean Soup from Souvlaki for the Soul

Simple White Bean Soup from Jill at Simple Daily Recipes

I needed something to go with the Indonesian Steak Sandwiches I made the other day. I knew the kids would be leery of the sandwiches so I thought I'd go with something simple and kid-friendly: Corn Chowder. This is pretty much just a hodge-podge of ingredients I threw together at the last minute. I used frozen corn because I needed something on the table quickly but I'm sure fresh corn would be even better!

Quick Corn Chowder

Frozen corn
2 small potatoes, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
Bay leaf
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken stock
Heavy cream (or half and half, or even milk)

Saute onion and celery until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except for cream, and simmer until potatoes are soft. Once veggies are soft, add a touch of cream and stir. Remove from heat before soup boils. Serve chunky or use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

Tortilla Soup

I love spicy food, especially when it gets hot outside. And boy, it sure is hot here. Heat indexes of around 100 degrees F all week. The skies are bright blue with big fluffy white clouds and no trace of rain. Woohoo! Great days to hang around at the lake and enjoy the Midwestern sumer.

It's odd to think that a week ago it was 63 and raining. But then again, it was perfect weather to make my favorite Tortilla Soup. This originally started out as Rachael Ray's Chicken Tortilla Soup with Chipotle and Fire Roasted Tomato but over time it has sort of evolved into a "kitchen sink" type soup, good for using up anything extras you have lying around. No red onions? Use yellow. No cilantro? Throw in some scallions. No black beans? Pinto's will work. One thing that can't be changed IMO, is the fire roasted tomatoes. They give the soup a great flavor that is just missing in regular diced tomatoes.

For me, 30 minutes is too long to make lunch so I'm always looking for shortcuts. For this soup, I use pre-cooked chicken, usually Tyson Diced Chicken Breast. I also try to keep plastic containers of pre-chopped onions in the fridge so that cuts even more off the prep time. I like this soup with some added black beans and if I'm out of chicken, I'll just add a few more beans. And if I'm really in a hurry, I'll use that pre-cooked bacon that, thanks to Jill from Simple Daily Recipes, that I keep in my freezer all the time. ;-)


Teresa's Tortilla Soup
Inspired by Rachael Ray


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes (14.5-ounce)
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed, or to taste
4 cups chicken stock
Salt
lightly crushed corn tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
1 lime
1/2 red onion, coarsely chopped
Freshly chopped cilantro leaves

In a soup pot, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp; Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off excess fat from pan, leaving a little to flavor the onions. Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes. Add diced chicken and beans to pot. Add chicken stock and simmer until heated through.

Place a few crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover cheddar cheese then ladle the hot soup over it. Sprinkle with lime, raw onions and cilantro and serve.