Homemade Vegetable Broccoli Soup!

Sorry no picture, but if you can imagine green creamy soup, that's what this looks like :)
I actually found this recipe online from a website called homemademothering. It is easy, yummy and great for those picky eaters when it comes to vegetables.

2 TBSP butter
1 Onion - diced
4-5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 C carrotts - diced
4 Medium Potatoes (I like 5 or 6 to make it a little thicker)
8 C liquid (water or broth)
3 medium heads of broccoli - chopped
(The recipe doesn't call for Cauliflower but I think it would be a great addition or use it in place of some of the potatoes for less carbs)

In a large pot melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions and saute until soft, about 6 minutes.
Add potatoes and carrotts, cook 5 minutes.
Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
Pour in liquid and bring to a boil.
Cook until potatoes begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in chopped broccoli flourets and stems and cool until just begining to soften.
Puree using a handheld immersion blender or in batches using a regular counter top blender.

(note: I don't have an immersion blender so I used my counter top blender, let the soup cool down a little first!! I might be stating the obviouse but when I did it I was in such a hurry to get to work that I didn't have time to let it cool and the lid blew off from the pressure making a big green mess in the kitchen. Just fyi)

Red Pepper, Corn, Tomato Soup

April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Day!

I decided to make a red pepper, corn, tomato soup to go with our grilled cheese on National Grilled Cheese Day! This recipe calls for fresh whole cherry tomatoes, whenever you get a bite with a cherry tomato in it there is a burst of sweetness! (That was my husbands favorite part.) The soup turned out really great, a little spicy but that's how I like my tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 package of cherry tomatoes, keep whole
• 1 package of frozen corn, slightly thawed
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small jar of salsa, I use Trader Joe's classic salsa
• a few dashes of hot sauce to add some spice
• S&P
• 2 tbl. EVOO
• Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Pour EVOO in a medium-large size pot, turn heat on medium high. Put onions in the pot and saute for about 3-4 minutes stirring around. Add bell peppers and continue to saute for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add corn and tomatoes to the pot, saute until corn is warmed about another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add broth, salsa and as much hot sauce as desired. Salt and pepper the soup.
4. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to low. Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Blend about 1/3 of the soup in a blender, when returning the liquid to the pot pour through a colander with small holes to keep some of the tomato and bell pepper skins out. I wasn't super particular about this and my soup ended up a bit chunky but I was okay with that. Don't forget to let the soup cool a bit before you try to blend it.
6. Serve the soup with a bit of crumbled feta on top and a grilled cheese!

Hearty Beef and Potato Stew

I got a Le Creuset dutch oven for our wedding (3 years ago) and haven't made very many things with it. So this winter I've been on the hunt for good dutch oven recipes! As I've experimented I have to say I love cooking with it! I highly recommend getting a dutch oven, I know Le Creuset's are expensive but I think they are worth every penny! Ben requested a "beef stew" recipe and I had this one among my collection. We were very pleased with it.

Ingredients:

Serve 6 (or 4 with left overs for lunch the next day!)

• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 onion chopped
• 1.5 lbs chuck roast, cubed (a lot of the time you can find beef specifically for stew already pre-cubed in the meat section)
• 1/2 cup red wine (if you prefer not cooking with wine you can substitute for more beef broth/stock)
• 3 carrots chopped
• 2 tsp rosemary
• S&P
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water, divided
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 1/2 lbs baking potatoes cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 tbsp flour (or cornstarch to make this recipe gluten-free, just be sure to dissolve the cornstarch in water before adding it to the pot)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Heat a medium-large dutch oven or medium-high heat. Coat pan with EVOO or cooking spray. Add garlic, saute 1 minute remove garlic with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl. Coat pan with EVOO; add onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add onion to garlic. Coat pan with EVOO add beef to pan; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Add beef and accumulated juices to onion and garlic mixture.
3. Add wine (or 1/2 cup beef broth) to pan and and loosen browned bits. Add beef mixture. Stir in carrot, rosemary, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Add 1/2 cup water, broth, and tomatoes; stir to combine. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; cover and bake at 300 for 90 minutes. Remove from oven; uncover and stir in potatoes.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and flour; stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir flour mixture into the stew. Cover and bake an additional 90 minutes until beef is tender. Discard bay leaves.
5. Serve with bread and a salad!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I made this soup while Ben and I had some visitors in town. It turned out great, however, I added way too much rice so I ended up having to add more broth making the pot of soup HUGE! So even though the amount of rice sounds small it will end up being plenty. Don't double the amount like I did!

Ingredients:

Serves 4 (generous amounts)

• EVOO
• 4 carrots chopped
• 4 celery stalks chopped
• 1 small onion chopped
• coarse S&P
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 zucchini chopped
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked)
• 2/3 cup wild-rice

Directions:

1. Ahead of time I put some EVOO and seasoned chicken in a skillet and cooked until no longer pink. Chop the chicken in small bit size chunks.
2. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion; season with S&P. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes.
3. Add broth, chicken, rice, and 2 cups water to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 10 minutes add zucchini and peas, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. (Or until rice is tender.) Season with S&P to taste, serve with bread and a salad.

Zuppa Toscana-Wanna-be aka Zuppa Tosouppa

Since so many of our poll respondents wanted soup recipes, here is a favorite of mine. Anyone who enjoys Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana will appreciate this yummy soup, adapted from a copycat recipe found on the internet. Some say they like it even better than the original. Fat and calories are reduced by using turkey bacon, turkey or chicken sausage, and half & half instead of cream.

Ingredients:
1 lb. mild (spicy if you want) Italian chicken or turkey sausage, crumbled
1/2 lb. turkey bacon (Wellshire Peppered Turkey Bacon is great)
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth (if using canned, use 2 14.5 oz. cans plus 1/3 cup water)
2 med. russet potatoes (peeled or well-scrubbed and cubed)
1 small head cauliflower (cut into small florets) Note: Not in original recipe, but I think this makes it healthier and yummier. You can omit and add another potato if desired or you can omit the potatoes to make it low carb.
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 med. onion (peeled and chopped)
1 bunch kale (washed and torn away from tough veins)
1 cup half & half
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
-In a skillet over med. heat, brown crumbled sausage, drain (if nec.), set aside.
-In same skillet brown bacon (I cut it into small pieces with shears before browning), drain (if nec.-very little fat with turkey bacon), set aside.
-Place water, broth, potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, and onion in a soup pot; simmer over med. heat until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
-Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 min.
-Add kale and half & half to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Serve with a salad dressed with Italian Vinaigrette and breadsticks. Very satisfying. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Love To All,
Jules

Tomato-Lime Tortilla Soup

We had this soup tonight for dinner & it was so souper delicious! Ha! :) I got the recipe from one of my most recent Food Network magazines. It was way easy and Lydia (my 4 year old) inhaled it, John raved about it, and I (the preggo momma) ate 2 bowls. Micah was the only one who decided to eat just chips - but really, who can blame him on that choice?!?! :) Anyway, here is the recipe:

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 medium sized shallots or 4-5 garlic cloves finely diced
2 pints fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (optional)
8 cups chicken stock or broth
1 large can (28oz.) diced tomatoes
1 bag frozen corn kernels
4 limes juiced
1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro (or 2 tablespoons dried cilantro)
2 tsp. dried, ground cumin
2 chicken breasts, boiled & then shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1) Saute diced shallots in olive oil until they soften
* Salt & pepper the shallots to make them sweat - a pinch of sugar works too
2) Add cherry tomatoes & saute until the skins begin to burst
3) Add 8 cups chicken stock or broth, canned tomatoes, corn, lime juice, cilantro, and cumin.
4) Bring soup to a boil, stir, and then simmer for 20 minutes to an hour
5) Add shredded chicken breasts

Serve & top with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and salsa.

** Take out the chips and I believe this is gluten free! **

Homemade Chicken Stock

Ok ladies (and Colin!)... now I know what you're thinking... "I'm not Martha Stewart - I cannot possible make my own chicken stock!" Oh but you can! And with all the hype about flu and swine flu and colds and the sniffles there is really no reason not to make your own stock! Homemade stock has some of the best germ fighting-immune system boosting stuff ever! And how is this for a clincher - it's easy and it will stretch your food dollar!

First you need to, need to, need to, start with a whole ORGANIC chicken. If not, you'll be making stock and eating concentrated chemically filled chicken... YUCK! You can get whole organic chickens at Costco for $2.99/lb. - that's a deal in my mind. Especially when I consider the fact that 1 roasted chicken will get me through 2 dinners and then make enough stock for about 3 soup recipes!

Now, I can't claim this recipe as my own but I can tell you it's the one I've followed and it's way easy! Enjoy! (Oh and LEAVE the gelatinous fat on the top of the stock when it's done - it's really good for you too!)

Recipe courtesy of: http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/?s=chicken+stock

Chicken Stock
1. When the chicken is cooled down enough to handle without burning your fingers, you’ll want to remove the rest of the meat from the bones.

2. Place the chicken carcass (break it up some if you want) and any discarded chicken bones from dinner into a large stockpot. Throw in the "holy trinity of stock veggies" AKA some washed but unpeeled carrots (2-3) - you don't peel them because the good minerals/vitamins are right there under the skin, an onion - sliced in 1/2, and some celery stalks. If I have it, I also throw in some cilantro, parsley, and thyme.

3. Cover the bones and veggies with cold water, cover the pot, and place it on the stove over high heat until it comes to a boil. (For optimum health benefits, you should first soak the bones in a vinegar/water solution for about an hour. This draws the minerals out of the bones. Just add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the pot and let it sit for an hour before you start to boil.) Also, you’re supposed to skim off any junk that rises to the surface as it comes to a boil; supposedly this is full of impurities. I have never noticed anything. I doubt that my chickens are particularly clean; I’m just not that observant.

4. Once the pot is boiling, turn it down to low so that it’s just simmering. You may have to adjust the temperature a few times to get it right. I simmer mine for anywhere from 2-4 hours.

5. When you’re done, drain the stock through a colander set over a large bowl. Discard the pieces of bone and skin and veggies.

6. I usually drain again, this time through a wire mesh strainer, over a big glass liquid measuring cup – the kind with a spout. That gets the little bits out and makes a nice, clear stock. After it cools down a bit, I pour the stock into quart-sized mason jars and store them in the freezer. And I always have stock when a recipe calls for it!

One-Pot (really!) Sausage Lentil Soup

Ciao tutti!

Here is a delicious and souper :) easy Sausage Lentil Soup recipe. Last year a lady in my Bible study brough it for dinner and it was a hit. I am pretty sure it's gluten free too - Julie you'd have to let me know on that one! :) I love it because it literally takes one pot to make this soup. Tonight I made it in about an hour and 20 minutes. 20 minutes to brown sausage & chop veggies and then 1 hour to let it all simmer together into yummy goodness! Great recipe for a momma with young and busy kiddos. Oh, and did I mention the kiddos eat this!?!? :)

Sausage Lentil Soup

1/2 lb. Italian Sausage (tonight I used Trader Joe's "Hoefbrau Brats" - you can use any sweet italian sausage though)
1 onion chopped
2 bell peppers chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 garlic clove pressed
1 bay leaf
1 qt. chicken broth
16 oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup water
3/4 dry lentils

Directions:
1. Take sausage out of casings and brown sausage, add veggies and saute for a few minutes.
- If you MUST drain the fat off of the browned sausage you can do so, however, I've found that if I buy a lean sausage there is no need to do so.

2. Add rest of ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
3. Serve with dijon mustard (sounds funny but the soup isn't quite as tasty without a little dollop of dijon mustard stirred into each individual bowl!)

Split Pea Soup

This delicious soup takes a little while to cook, but is very easy to prepare and your kitchen will smell wonderful!

5 slices center cut bacon cut into pieces (could use smoked sausage or ham instead)
1 onion chopped
1/2 cu. chopped celery
2 cu. dried split peas (rinsed and drained)
4 cu. water
2 cans chicken broth
1 bay leaf
4 medium carrots sliced and halved
2 potatoes peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 Tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 Tsp. dried Thyme

In a large pot, saute the bacon, onion, and celery until tender. Add the peas, water, chicken broth, bay leaf, carrot, potato, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, and cook covered for 11/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. If soup becomes too thick, thin with additional broth or water. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Broccoli Gouda Soup

First off let me just say a huge thanks to Mandy who has probably saved my marriage since starting this blog :) Secondly, this is the BEST broccoli cheese soup I have ever had and so easy. I added a few tweaks of my own since I believe every recipe should contain onion and garlic.


2 med red potatoes chopped
1 14oz can chicken broth (veggie broth for vegetarian)
3 cu. Broccoli florets fresh
2 cu. milk
3 Tb. all purpose flour (I bet gluten free flour would work for dad :)
1 Tb. EVOO
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cu. smoked Gouda cheese (shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In large saucepan heat oil and saute onion until soft, add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.
2. Add potatoes and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 8min. (or until potatoes are soft). Mash slightly, add broccoli and milk, bring to simmer.
2. In bowl, toss flour and cheese, gradually add to soup, season with salt and pepper.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

I am making Southwestern Corn Chowder right now as I type.  I haven't tasted it yet, but the smell that is filling my kitchen has my mouth watering!  I know it's going to be a keeper!  Here is the recipe, it is so easy!  This is a recipe for 2... so all you empty nesters out there or couples without kids this is a great dinner!  :)

Ingredients:

Serves 2

• 1 tablespoon butter
  
• 1 scallion, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
  
• 1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• coarse salt and ground pepper
  
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
  
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth, use vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian
  
• 1 cup milk
  

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add white part of scallion, carrot, chili powder, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallion is soft, about 2 minutes. Add potato, corn, broth, and milk.
   
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until potato is easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in green part of scallion, and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 day.
   

Pictures and a review of the meal later!

Super Easy and FAST Taco Soup

Fall is soup season in our house and this taco soup is the perfect meal for a blustery rainy Pacific Northwest Fall day - pair it with a football game and you've got a hit on your hands! One of the best things about this soup is that it is so easy and fast - oh and it freezes well too. (I plan on freezing a batch right before I have our 3rd baby.) Lydia cannot get enough of this soup - she ate 2 bowls for lunch today! Even Micah picked through it and eaten bits. Plus, you can make it as spicy or as mild as you like. We make it mild (for me and the kiddos) and then John adds some of his hot chipotle salsa (from Trader Joe's). I've adapted the original recipe to make a little lower in sodium.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken (your choice!)
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 box of low sodium chicken broth or stock
3 (15.5oz) cans Mexican-style chili beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.25oz) can whole kernal corn, drained
1 (15oz) jar or can tomato sauce or salsa (your choice!)
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes (I try and buy the kind that have seasoning like garlic or chiles - more flavor!) DO NOT DRAIN the tomatoes
1 (4.5oz) can of fire-roasted chopped green chiles
1 (1oz) packet/envelope Ranch-style dressing
1 (1.5oz) packet/envelope low-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 and 1/2 cups water

Toppings: (Pick and choose what you like!) tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, sour cream (or plain greek yogurt), shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes

1. Cook your ground meat over med-high heat until meat is browned and crumbled - drain and set aside

2. In the pot you will use to cook the soup, cook your diced onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over med-high heat until they are tender and translucent

3. Add to onion:

• the chicken broth, cooked meat, rinsed beans and all other remaining ingredients

4. Bring soup mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all ingredients combine.

5. Serve soup into bowls and top with the desired toppings!