Velvety Vegetable Soup

I was in the mood for something seasonal and came across this soup in my Simply in Season cookbook. They weren’t kidding about “velvety,” and although I was skeptical about velvety as a soup texture, it was great. I served it with a green salad and these adorable little bread bowls. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil (or less)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 4 cups leeks (diced, white part and 1 inch of green)
• 1 cup celery (diced)
• 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon (chopped; or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped; or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 cups potatoes (diced)
• 1 bunch spinach (chopped)
• 1/2 cup milk (optional)

Directions:

In olive oil over medium heat, sauté onion, leeks, and celery until wilted, about 15 minutes.

Add tarragon, thyme, salt, and pepper and stir well.

Add broth and potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add spinach and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove soup from heat. Purée with hand blender in pot or in small batches in blender or food processor.

Return soup to pot and place over low heat.

Add milk, if using, and heat through. Add additional water or broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Fresh Pea Soup

It might be more accurate to call this “Frozen Pea Soup,” but that doesn’t really make any sense. This beautiful green soup has a really fresh look and taste, so Fresh Pea Soup it is. It’s a nice light meal for spring (and I’m insisting that it is still spring, even though it feels like summer in Nebraska). Original recipe (adapted just a wee bit) here.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 leek, trimmed, washed, and sliced
• 1 potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 pounds (6 cups) frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft but not colored, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes and chicken broth to the pot and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the peas and season with some salt and pepper. When the peas are heated through, about 1 minute, remove the pot from the heat.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender.
4. Return the soup to the pot and warm it over low heat. Or, cover and refrigerate it until cold. Serve the soup hot or cold.

Potato Chicken Corn Chowder

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law’s friend Genni. Kristin sent it to me after hovering over her Genni’s shoulder to get the approximate measurements for this amazing, soul-feeding, ultimate comfort food of a chowder. Enjoy!

5lb Yukon Gold potatoes
5 large celery stalks
1 med white onion
5 chicken bouillon cubes
42oz (or largest size) chicken broth
2 sticks butter
1lb chicken
Wondra
Tony Cachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
2 cans corn
s&p (to taste)
1 pint heavy cream

1) Peel and cube all potatoes. Boil in bouillon. Slightly mash, leaving some cubed.
2) On medium heat, blacken chicken in Tony’s, then cut into cubes. Saute diced onions and celery in leftover seasoning with one stick of butter.
3) Melt second stick of butter in another pan. Add Wondera until pasty, then add 1 C heavy cream and combine well. Add more Tony’s and the rest of the cream. Finally, add 1/2 C chicken broth.
4) To potatoes, add corn, veggies, chicken and rest of broth. Heat at medium high until bubbling. Add cream sauce, mix well. Salt to taste.

Radish Top Soup

I am not a huge fan of radishes, but, as it turns out, I am a big fan of radish top soup. This recipe comes from Ruth at Common Good Farm (and she got it from Victory Garden Cookbook). I did use radish tops, but you could make this with a combination of radish tops and turnip greens or just turnip greens.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped onions (or green onions, leeks, or chives)
• 8 cups loosely packed radish leaves
• 6 cups liquid (stock, water, or a combination)
• 2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional, but so delicious)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan. Add onions and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in radish tops. Cover pan and cook over low heat until wilted, about 8–10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in liquid until soft.
4. Combine potatoes and liquid with radish tops and cook covered for 5 minutes to mingle flavors.
5. Puree in a blender or food processor.
6. Add cream if desired and enrich with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Pozole

We attended a wedding several weeks ago where the reception was a soup luncheon. One of the soups was a pozole that was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that we couldn’t stop thinking about it. We made two attempts at making some pozole of our own, but both efforts were pretty disappointing, to say the least. We finally got a hold of the right recipe, thanks to Emily Moss, and it was as good as we remembered.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds of pork roast
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 10 cups of chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons ground red chili or chili powder
• 3 cups hominy, canned

Directions

1. Cook the pork slowly until it shreds easily. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Saute onion and garlic cloves in the bottom of a heavy pot.
3. Add meat, broth, and other ingredients.
4. Reduce heat to low and let it all simmer for 90 minutes.
5. Add seasoning according to taste.

When you’re ready to eat, the pozole can be garnished with shredded cabbage, onions, cilantro, lime, tortilla chips, hot sauce, radishes, and/or cheese.

Note: When you buy the pork, ask the butcher to cube it for you while you do the rest of your shopping. Doing so will save you a lot of time.

Fast Black Bean Soup

This is another recipe I made pretty much as is from Eat Right America. It’s really more of a vegetable soup than a black bean soup. I don’t know how to say this without it sounding bad, but it doesn’t have a whole lot of taste. That really isn’t a bad thing — it tastes really fresh (because of the carrot juice, I think). If you’re used to black bean soup having more of a kick, you could add more chili powder or cumin and, of course, salt.  I made a full recipe and froze half of it because it makes a ton.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 15-ounce cans black beans, no or low salt
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 2 cups frozen chopped broccoli florets
• 2 cups carrot juice
• 1 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can prepared black bean soup, no or low salt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1 avocado, chopped or mashed (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions (optional)
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine black beans, mixed vegetables, corn, broccoli, carrot juice, water, soup, cilantro, and

chili powder in a soup pot. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Stir in fresh

tomatoes and heat through.

2. Serve topped with avocado, green onions, and pumpkin seeds, if desired.

Curried Chicken & Cauliflower Soup

My one New Year’s resolution is to feed my family healthier meals. I bought a magazine called Clean Eating and fixed this soup after Jeremy showed interest in it. If you want nutrition info, leave a comment and I’ll add it. I’ll leave my recipe changes underneath the original recipe.

2 T light coconut milk
12oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
4 t curry powder
4 C chopped cauliflower
1 small red bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
4 C low-sodium chicken broth
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 large scallions, chopped
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro
1.5 C nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt

In a 4qt pot, heat coconut milk over medium heat, swirling to coat pot and being careful to not let milk boil. Add chicken, covering the bottom of the pot, and season with curry powder. When edges of chicken turn white, about 3 minutes, flip pieces. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes, until chicken is lightly golden. Add cauliflower bell pepper, potato and broth, and increase heat to medium-high to bring mixture to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

When cauliflower and potatoes are tender, simmer uncovered for 1 more minute to thicken slightly. Season with black pepper. Spoon soup into bowls and top with scallions and cilantro, dividing both evenly. Finish each with a 1/4 cup dollop of yogurt.

**I omitted the red pepper per my fam’s eating preferences, and used extra coconut milk and curry powder. I added another potato and about an extra cup of water. In my opinion, scallions are unnecessary, but cilantro and yogurt are a must. Also, we added salt and pepper to our individual bowls. Next time I make it, I plan to beef it up with carrots, more potatoes and perhaps a bit of cream. (What? Cream isn’t all that healthy? Geez.)

Winter Beef Stew

I found this recipe on an old Kraft calendar. It was called “Perfect Winter Beef Stew,” but I can’t verify the “perfect” yet. It’s simmering on the stove, and it does smell pretty good. Also, Jason asked me to omit the bacon (what?!?!), so I don’t think my version will be perfect anyway because everything is better with bacon (except, according to Jason only, soup).

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Italian dressing
• 2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 6 slices bacon, chopped (apparently optional)
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 cups sliced mushrooms
• 3 cups sliced carrots
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can beef broth

Directions

1. Place dressing and meat in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate 30 minutes (or more) to marinate.
2. Cook bacon until crisp; drain.
3. In a large saucepan, cook onions and mushrooms on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until soft.
4. Remove meat from marinade; discard marinade.
5. Add meat, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes with their liquid, broth, and bacon to saucepan and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 75 minutes.
7. Simmer uncovered 15 more minutes, or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

I’m not generally a big fan of chicken noodle soup, but this might turn me around. We made a double batch for my family’s Christmas celebration. The recipe is slightly modified from Pioneer Woman’s.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole cut up fryer chicken
• 2 whole carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced (optional)
• 1 heaping tablespoon chicken-flavor soup base (optional)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
• 2 teaspoons parsley flakes
• 16 ounces, frozen “homemade” egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons flour

Directions:

1. Cover chicken in 4 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, slightly shredding meat in the process. Return bones to broth and simmer on low, covered, for 45 minutes.
3. Remove bones from broth with a slotted spoon, making sure to get any small bones that might have detached.
4. Add the carrots and celery (and onions, if using) to the pot, followed by the herbs and spices. Stir to combine and simmer for ten minutes to meld flavors.
5. Increase heat and add frozen egg noodles and chicken. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Mix flour and a little water. Stir until smooth. Pour into soup, stir to combine, and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until broth thickens a bit. Test and adjust seasonings as needed.

 

Barley-Cabbage Soup

Welcome, soup weather! This is from More with Less, slightly modified.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pearl barley
• 4 cups meat or vegetable broth (may use bouillon)
• 1–2 tablespoons oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3–4 cups green cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (optional)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk
• 4 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Directions:

1. Combine pearl barley and broth in a kettle and simmer, covered, for 2 hours.
2. Sauté onions, cabbage, and parsley if using it, in oil. Cook until soft, but do not brown.
3. Make a white sauce with the flour, milk, bouillon cubes, and celery salt.
4. Add white sauce to barley and broth.
5. Stir in sautéed cabbage and onion.
6. Check seasonings. Serve sprinkled with bacon bits, chopped ham, or croutons.