Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 - whole onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I like to use fire-roasted)
2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies, drained
4 (14 oz) cans vegetable broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1 (11 oz) can whole kernal corn, drained
1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Toppings:
tortilla chips (Fritos work, too)
shredded cheddar cheese
avocado, diced
sour cream
cilantro
lime juice

1. In a large pot, saute pepper, onion, garlic, and cumin in oil until tender.

2. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutues.

3. Mix corn and black beans into the soup and continue cooking 5 minutes.

4. Serve in bowls over tortilla chips. Top with other toppings, making sure to squeeze some lime over each portion. Delicious!

Pappa al Pomodoro

This is a yummy tomato and basil soup, make sure your bread is a good quality, stale, country loaf.

1/2 lb cherry tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
large bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, stems finely chopped
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 14oz can plum tomatoes
1 large handful stale bread

Preheat oven to 350. Prick cherry tomatoes; toss in a bowl with 1 sliced garlic clove and 1/4 of the basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil; add salt and pepper; put in a roasting pan and bake about 15 minutes. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot and add remaining garlic and basil stems. Stir, sauteing for a minute until softened. Add plum tomatoes, then fill can with water and add. Break tomatoes up with a spoon; bring to a boil; simmer 10-15 mintues. Tear bread into thumb-size pieces; add to pot. Mix well; season with salt and pepper to tast. Tear in remaining basil leaves, reserving a few for garnish; let soup sit on low heat for 10 minutes. By now, roasted tomatoes will be done; pour into soup (including all juices, basil, oil and sticky bits). Stir; soup should be a porridgy texture, so adjust with some water if necessary. Remove from heat; add 3-4 tbsp. olive oil. Garnish with a little basil.

LEMONY Lentil Soup with CILANTRO!

So I know lentils may not be the most appealing ingredient, but if a dish has lemon and cilantro in it I have to try it! I actually love this soup, and it's deliciously healthy!

1/2 cup chopped cilantro
7 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (28 oz)
3 cups water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Puree cilantro with 6 T oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth. Transger puree to a bowl and set blender aside.
Cook onion in remaining Tbsp oil in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 4-5 minutes. Add allspice and remaining 3/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring frequently, 1 minute. Add lentils, broth, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are very soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer 1 cup lentils with some of broth to blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then return to saucepan. Add lemon juice and pepper to taste. Stir in cilantro puree.

I add more lemon juice (of course), but other than that I think it's great!

vichyssoise

INGREDIENTS:
2 leeks chopped
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup thinly sliced potatoes
2 1/3 cups chicken stock (i use vegetable stock)
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 1/8 cups heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS:
saute the chopped leeks and the chopped onion in butter or margarine until soft (i always use butter) for about 8 minutes. do NOT let them brown.
add potatoes and chicken (or vegetable stock) to the pot. salt and pepper to taste. bring to the boil, and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
puree in a blender or food processor until very smooth. cool completly. gently stir in the cream before serving.

this is traditionally a cold soup, but in the winter i leave it hot and stir in the cream right before serving. it is REALLY good.

strawberry soup

i made this a lot year before last, but forgot about it this summer! it is kinda like a dessert soup, but it is SO good.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste

DIRECTIONS
puree strawberries, milk, cream and sour cream in a blender or food processor until smooth. stir in sugar to taste (don't put in too much. chill 8 hours or overnight in refrigerator before serving.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 med onion diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz can diced green chilies
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2-3 14 oz cans chicken broth
3 16 oz cans great northern beans
1 c sour cream
1-2 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cook the chicken however you like, I like to lightly season it with salt, pepper, and garlic and bake it. Then cube it. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and saute onion for a few minutes, then add garlic, chilies, and dried spices. Saute a few more minutes (It gets a little pasty but lets out all the spice flavors). Then add chicken broth, beans, and cubed chicken, bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the sour cream and cheese, stir until they are melted. Serve with extra cheese, of course, and chips, bread, or tortillas. I think you could add an extra can of beans or two in place of the chicken for you vegetarians.

I just love making soup because it is such a quick easy meal. These are by far my three favorites!

Potato Cheese Soup

3 c. cubed potatoes (I like to use the frozen hash brown cubes, they cook fast and are easy!)
1/2 c. chopped carrott (short cut for this is shredded carrots)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth

Put these in a frying pan and simmer until the veggies are soft. While they simmer:

4 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp butter
3 c milk
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed

In a soup pot melt the butter and add the flour, then the milk. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. When it has thickened, add the cubed cheese. Then add the simmered vegetables and broth mixture. Bacon bits are good if you like, but it's good plain, too. The total cooking time is 30 min or less! Nothing like easy dinner.

Peasant Soup

4 large potatoes, peeled
1 bunch green onion
2 yellow onions
1 carrott
2 stalks celery
2 1/2 c. water
1 cube butter
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 bunch spinach

Coarsely chop veggies and put all ingredients in a large pot EXCEPT spinach. Simmer for 1 hour, until veggies are tender. Clean the spinach while it's simmering, then wilt it in the pot when it's done. You can turn the heat off, or leave it on if you want the spinach more cooked.

ADD 1 c. milk or half and half, and then puree the soup either in parts in a blender or else I have a hand blender and I blend it right in that same pot. If your potatoes are too big you might need more liquid, you can add more milk or water until it is the thickness you like. MUST serve with thick crusty bread!

My kids hate veggies and they love this soup--they request it all the time.

new category

SOUPS are the next category. for those of you lucky enough to have fall weather - start experimenting. for those who actually still see the sun, turn up the air conditioning and get in the fall mood!