Thai Chicken Soup

SOUP INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (14 oz.) cans lite coconut milk
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 (4 oz) jar red curry paste OR 1 cup Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce
• 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 pound shredded or sliced grilled chicken breast (or raw chicken placed in soup and shredded later; allow for enough tie to cook thoroughly)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup diagonally sliced carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced or diced mushrooms
• Salt as necessary

GARNISH:

• lime juice
• chopped cilantro

*Delicious served or rice or rice noodles

DIRECTIONS:

1. Whisk together coconut milk, broth, peanut butter, curry paste/sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and red pepper flakes in crockpot
2. Add in chicken, onion, carrots, peppers and mushrooms
3. Stir to combine
4. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours
5. Remove chicken and shred if you went the whole breast route, and then stir back in
6. Taste test and add additional salt, curry and red pepper as needed.
7. Serve as soup, over rice/ noodles and garnish with cilantro, peanuts and lime juice.
8. This soup can be quite brothy so thicken to desired thickness with corn starch.

Thai Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I can't believe I haven't posted this yet!  Don't let the name fool you. This is a meal in a bowl. Use your favorite thai curry paste, to taste.  Serves 4 (as a meal).

INGREDIENTS

Two 398 ml (14 ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk, unshaken (*if you're looking to reduce some of the fat in this soup, you can substitute 1 can of lite coconut milk, but make sure at least one of the two cans is full fat)


1 generous Tbsp. Thai curry paste (red, yellow or green, I have only used red)


2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces


3 cups chicken broth 


1 carrot, cut into matchsticks about 2 inches long


2 Tbsp. fish sauce


Zest and juice of 1 lime


1 tsp. minced fresh ginger


2 cups bean sprouts


2 cups bok choy, trimmed of white root ends (could also use spinach or other greens)


1/2 lb. (225g) wide rice noodles (don't substitute egg noodles or pasta unless pre-cooked sparately)


Fresh cilantro, about 1/3-1/2 cup, roughly chopped


2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish


Shredded carrot, for garnish

METHOD

Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Remove the top layer of coconut cream from one can of coconut milk and add to the pot. Once it's melted, stir in the curry paste and heat until mixture starts to bubble. Add the chicken and cook, stirring until the chicken is cooked, 4-5 minutes.

Add the remaining coconut milk (the remainder of the first can and the whole second can). Add the chicken broth, carrot, fish sauce, ginger and lime juice and zest. Stir and bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Add the rice noodles, ensuring that they are completely covered by the soup. Add the bean sprouts, bok choy. Stir gently to combine. Turn off the heat under the pot, cover and let stand 5 minutes. The rice noodles will re-hydrate in the hot soup (but this won't work with egg/pasta noodles, which is why they aren't recommended. If you need to use egg noodles, you'll have to cook them separately and add them to the soup at the end.)

Stir in some cilantro. Taste and season with a touch more salt, if needed. Serve in large bowls and garnish with the green onions and a bit more cilantro leaves.

Prep time: 5 min 
Cook time: 25 min 
Total time: 30 min 
Yield: 4 servings

Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili

If you use vegetable stock, you can make this a vegan chili. I only had chicken stock on hand. I cannot fully express how satisfying this is! Even Brandon thought so. Oh, and don't worry about the kids liking it. Miles ate 2 bowls for dinner, 2 days in a row. On the second day he saw me getting it out of the fridge and said "Is that chili, Mama?" and went right to the table.


1, 29 oz. can black beans (or 2, 15 oz cans), rinsed & drained
1, 6 oz. can tomato paste
32 oz. vegetable (or chicken) stock
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste, it's not garlicky per se)
1 TB chili powder
1 TB cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 TB olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 C dry quinoa (I used white)
salt & pepper to taste
avocado (didn't have, but I'm sure it takes the chili to the next level)

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium low. Add onions and cook until they start to brown. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes. Add tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook for about 2 minutes (stir constantly). Add beans, stock, potatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add quinoa. Cook for 20-30 minutes (check along the way) until potatoes and quinoa are cooked, and it's thickened to your liking. Serve with avocado.

Mine definitely took around 30 minutes, and I put the lid on the pot for about 5 minutes to get the potatoes working.

Creamy Pumpkin Curry Soup

Make this immediately!!!

4tbsp (1/2 stick) Butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Large onion diced (to taste)
1 1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cup chicken broth
16 oz. can solid pack pumpkin (or squash)
1 12oz. can of evaporated milk (I used 2% but I think anything would work... and wondered about coconut milk instead as well... will try next time.)

Melt butter in large saucepan, saute garlic & onions till golden brown. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, cayenne and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in broth & simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Add pumpkin stirring till smooth. Add evaporated milk. Heat @ medium for 5 minutes. Don't allow to boil (simmer ok). In batches, put in blender until smooth. Eat, love, and be HAPPY!!!

Tomato, Basil, Cheddar Soup (with Greek yogurt... not cream)

  2 28-oz. cans of diced tomatoes

  1 yellow onion, chopped

  2 cloves of garlic, chopped

  1 tsp olive oil

  2 cups of vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)

  1 cup of plain Greek yogurt

  1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

  1/2 cup basil, chopped, loosely packed

  2 tsp of oregano

  1 tsp sugar

  salt and pepper to taste

Directions:  Over medium heat, add the olive oil to a large pot. Add the chopped onion and allow to cook until tender, about three to four minutes. Add in chopped garlic and cook for an additional two minutes. Pour in the two cans of tomatoes (juice and all) and the vegetable stock. Stir in the basil, oregano, sugar, and salt and pepper. Place the lid back onto the pot and allow to simmer ten minutes. At the end, stir in the Greek yogurt and cheddar cheese until well blended. Use either an immersion blender or food processor to puree the soup if you prefer a smooth texture. Garnish with chopped basil and grated cheddar cheese if desired.

Abiento Tortilla Soup (aka the BEST tortilla soup ever ever ever)

Seriously. This is THE BEST tortilla soup you will ever have. It's addicting. There's lots of chopping/prep, but otherwise super duper easy. Oh man, I want more right. now. It makes a lot and although I had intentions to freeze half, it's just too good and we ate it for several days.

2 TB olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
2 whole leeks, coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 TB ground coriander
2 tsp cumin
6 TB chopped cilantro
2 quarts chicken broth
6 corn tortillas, torn in pieces
salt, pepper

optional:
canned corn
shredded cooked chicken
grated cheese
avocado
red pepper flakes

Heat oil in large stock pot. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add celery, onion, peppers, and leeks. Saute over medium heat until soft, 8-9 minutes.

Add tomatoes, coriander, cumin and 6 TB cilantro. Cook 2 minutes.

Add chicken broth and simmer 25 minutes.

Tear corn tortillas into pieces and add to mixture. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and transfer (in batches) to food processor or blender. Or use immersion blender if you have one! Puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and corn. Heat through.

Garnish with tortillas chips, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, and/or avocado. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for spice.

DEVOUR DEVOUR DEVOUR!

Sausage and Bean Ragout

Finally, I'm posting a recipe that isn't a dessert or bread! Feels nice to cook real food again. :) A coworker gave me some fresh basil which inspired an internet search for a dinner recipe. This was delicious, and super easy. I altered it a bit to use what I had... I put the changes in parentheses. (From Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I skipped this)
• 1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
• 1 pound hot Italian pork sausage, casing removed (used Jimmy Dean ground Italian sausage)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, oregano and basil (I just had plain... still really good)
• 1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained (I used 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup uncooked elbow pasta (I used penne because that's what I had)
• 1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach leaves, washed
• 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepot over medium-high heat. Add beef, sausage and onion and cook until meats are browned, stirring to separate meat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, basil, tomatoes and beans. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook until pasta is done.
3. Add spinach and cook just until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve with additional cheese.

Jean's "I'd have a baby just to get some of this chicken noodle soup" Chicken Noodle Soup

This one is (obviously) from my good friend Jean. She notoriously makes it for mamas with new babies, but now that I have the recipe I've made it routinely this winter. DE.LISH! The beauty is that you can adjust to your taste (my notes below).

SOUP
Serves 6

8 C water
3 chicken breasts

Boil in chicken water until cooked through (approx. 15 min.). Then remove from water and set aside.

4 carrots, peeled & chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 chicken bullion cubes

Add the above to water and boil until tender.

Add noodles (recipe below) & cook/boil until done (approx. 10 min.).

Shred chicken and return to pot.

HOMEMADE EGG NOODLES (worth the effort!)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB milk
flour

Combine egg, salt & milk in a bowl. Add flour (1/2 cup at a time) until the dough is no longer sticky. Generously flour counter and roll out dough. Cut into strips (pizza cutter is great for this!).
**Noodles double in size when they cook.


My variations:
1. I use heaping teaspoons of the seasonings.
2. If you don't have poultry seasoning, it's just a combo of: sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, black pepper & nutmeg.
3. I use chicken tenders because they cook faster & are easier to shred. But they're easier to overcook, too.
4. I eyeball the carrots & celery because I like lots of veggies in my soup. It's not an exact science.
5. It probably takes me about 1 1/4 cups flour for the noodles. And SERIOUSLY they are worth it! I just make them while the veggies are boiling. Also, I've experimented with different sizes of noodles. I like them a little fatter (1/2 inch) and maybe 2+ inches long.

Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Soup

Okay, so you should pretty much make this today. Seriously, it's one of the best new recipes I've tried in a long time (and I got it from The New York Times of all places).

1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I probably used a little more, and also added a couple cloves of garlic)

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and diced (I used 1 whole small squash)

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (I used 2 medium sweet potatoes, one white, one orange)

1 medium-size Yukon gold or russet potato, peeled and diced (I used a large red potato with the skin on)

6 cups water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock (I used low-sodium chicken broth)

Salt and pepper to taste

**Note** I also added a pinch of nutmeg, which I think gave it a little extra something delightful!

1. Heat the oil in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and stir together until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the squash, sweet potatoes, regular potato, and water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Add salt to taste, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are thoroughly tender.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup (or you can put it through the fine blade of a food mill or use a regular blender, working in batches and placing a kitchen towel over the top to avoid splashing). Return to the pot and stir with a whisk to even out the texture. Heat through, adjust salt and add pepper to taste.

Yield: Serves 6

Advance preparation: You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently. The soup freezes well. Once thawed, whisk well to smooth out the texture, and reheat.

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories: 189; Calories from Fat: 29; Total Fat 3.2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium,776mg; Total Carbohydrates,38.6g; Dietary Fiber, 5.7g; Sugars, 3.6g; Protein: 3.5g; Vitamin A 163%; Vitamin C 61%; Calcium 7%; Iron 8% (Approximate nutritional information provided by calorie-count.com)

chicken & dumpling soup

from cook's country
perfect for a cold winter's night ... and makes enough for leftovers.

1 1/2 C flour
2/3 C water
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
salt & pepper
3 TB unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped fine
2-3 carrots, peeled & sliced thin
1 celery rib, sliced thin
8 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, shredded into bite-sized pieces

whisk flour, water, eggs, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in bowl; set aside.

melt butter in dutch over or stockpot (med-high heat). cook onion, carrots & celery until lightly browned. stir in broth and bring to boil. reduce heat to med-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender (10-15 min).

stir in chicken, season with salt & pepper. return to simmer. use spoon to drop small (1/2-1 tsp size) dollops of dough into soup. simmer, covered until dumplings are set (1-2 min).

** if you forget to slightly beat the eggs before you add them to the flour, it will still work.

spicy* chicken soup

* or not so spicy, if you are so inclined. From allrecipes.com.

4 C water
2.5 chicken bouillon cubes
4 chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TB dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 TB chili powder
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/2 garlic cloves, chopped
8 oz. chunky salsa
1 can peeled/diced tomatoes
1/2 condensed tomato soup
1 can black beans
1/2 can corn (or equiv. frozen)

Put everything in the crockpot/slow cooker except beans & corn. Cook on low for 8 hours. After 6 hours remove chicken & shred, add back to pot. Add beans and corn.

Serve with dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado and/or tortilla chips.

Adjust anything to your taste; this one's pretty fool proof! I've forgotten the corn & beans and it still tasted uber-good. You could also sub the water/bouillon for 4 cups chicken broth.

White Bean Chicken Chili

(From: Giada At Home - Giada de Laurentiis)

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 pounds ground chicken (I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and it was delicious!)
* 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
* 2 tablespoons ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 2 teaspoons chili powder
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces (I left this out because certain members of my family wouldn't eat it if I added it, but I'm sure it'd be delicious... I was also thinking of using spinach, but it probably wouldn't hold up as well as the swiss chard)
* 11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
* 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
* 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I added this to simmer, rather than garnishing with it at the end)

Directions

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. (The simmering is super important before you start adding more seasoning... you need to give the fennel seeds time to work their magic.) Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Delicious!

Black Bean Soup

This is another winner from Two Peas and Their Pod... but this time I made a couple modifications.

1 Tbl olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves (or more) garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalepeno, minced
1 small can diced green chiles
3 cans diced tomatoes
3 cans chicken broth (fat-free, low sodium)
4 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans sweet corn (drained)
1/2 Tbl chili powder (or more if you like the added heat, which I don't)
1 1/2 Tbl cumin (or a bit more if you like the flavor, which I do)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt/pepper to taste

1. In 1 Tbl olive oil, saute the onion, garlic, green pepper, jalepeno, and green chiles until soft.
2. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and two cans of black beans (the other two we'll use later).
3. Before this comes to a boil, pour it in batches into the blender and puree (this will add great thickness to the soup without having to add other thickening ingredients). If you're so lucky to own one, you could use a hand blender right in the pan.
4. Pour back into pan and add the remaining two cans of black beans and the corn.
5. While it's heating add chili powder, cumin, chopped cilantro (seems like a lot, but it's delicious, unless of course, you don't like cilantro... because you're crazy), lime juice, and salt/pepper to taste.
6. Simmer to combine flavors.

I served mine with avocado and cheddar cheese, but it really is delicious on it's own as well. You could also add tortilla chips, more cilantro, more lime, or anything else your heart tells you would be delicious! :) Btw, this probably isn't a side dish... it's pretty filling. Enjoy!

Grandma Winder's Cheesy Potato Soup

I got this recipe off of Good Things Utah a few years back.

It looks like a lot of work, but it cooks fast and if you double it,

it will feed for a number of people one night

or many nights for a few people.

Ingredients

4 c. peeled and cubed potatoes (or cubed frozen potatoes)

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 c. chopped celery

1 c. shredded carrots

2 c. uncooked small shell pasta

4 chicken boullion cubes

1 tbsp parley flakes

1/4 c. butter

2 tsp all-purpose seasoning

1 tsp salt

3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 c. whipping cream

Directions:

Heat 8 cups of water to boiling.

Add everything except the pasta, cheese and cream.

Cook for 2 minutes, then add the pasta.

Turn heat down to medium and cook until tender (about 8-10 minutes).

Stir often.

When the pasta is done turn off heat.

Stir in the cheddar cheese.

When the cheese is melted, stir in cream.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Worthy Notes: I doubled the recipe and it made enough for three nights of dinner. The 2 extra dinner helpings, I double bagged (placing seams opposite of each other) and put in the freezer and just used another bag this week. To cool the remaining soup, I left mine in the fridge overnight before bagging. To defrost, put the frozen soup in the fridge overnight. You can place the bags in a sink full of hot water to help (be careful of breaking it up, it will smash the pasta and potatoes). I then poured it into a pot and reheated on the stove. Stir it often. Enjoy, night after night after night.

Mexican Chicken Chili

I think the official title once was "Chicken Tortilla Soup," but I think it turns out much more like a chili... and there is no tortilla involved when I eat it, so I came up with a better name. :)

3 or 4 chicken breasts (can even be frozen straight from the freezer)
2 cans stewed tomatoes (seasoned, whichever strikes your fancy)
1 can corn
2 cans black beans
1 can green chilis
1 small bottle salsa

Simmer in crockpot all day on low (even with frozen chicken). Serve over tortilla chips with cheese, or serve over rice (or pearled barley, my new favorite).

Lime Chicken and Rice Soup

I got this recipe from a gal in my ward, she made it for enrichment night...delicious. We made it last night and plenty of leftovers for another night. It is a variation on Taco soup.

Ingredients:
60 oz. Chicken broth (I cooked the chicken with a few bouillon cubes and used it)
1 1/2 cups Salsa
1/4 cup fresh Lime juice
2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced
1 cup frozen corn (I used canned corn)
1 cup instant Rice ( or 2 cups pre-cooked rice added at the end)
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:
Simmer together until rice is cooked (5-10 minutes)
When serving, place a handful of Frito's in each bowl, then pour the soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and avocado (I added cheese on top)

Vegetable Pasta Soup

I take this bad boy around when I take meals in to people in the wintertime. It is so tasty and it makes your whole house smell so good! Thanks to my sis-in-law Angela for sharing this one with me.

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup each: chopped celery, carrot, potato
2 beef bullion cubes
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp worcestershire
1 T parsley flakes
1 cup small uncooked pasta shells

**Brown beef and onion together. In a large pot add water, veggies and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Add macaroni- simmer for 15 minutes or until macaroni tender.

Snap!! So good!