Quick Loaded Potato Soup

I like to make this soup on Mondays because then I just throw a few extra potatoes in to bake with
Sunday dinner and it saves me a step and I usually have cooked bacon on hand which makes this recipe even faster. That being said, this is one of the most requested dinners from my daughters and I love to double and triple it for company. If I am feeling very ambitious I will whip up some bread bowls as well, which makes this dinner very hearty and a little more special.

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) potatoes 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1/2 cup chopped onion 

1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 cups milk, divided 

1/4 cup sour cream 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 bacon slices, halved 

1.5 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/3 cup) 

4 teaspoons thinly sliced green onions

Preparation

1. Pierce potatoes with a fork. Microwave on HIGH 13 minutes or until tender. Cut in half; cool slightly.
2. While potatoes cook, heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add broth. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk; add to pan with 1 1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; stir often. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper.
3. Arrange bacon on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Crumble bacon.
4. Discard potato skins. Coarsely mash potatoes into soup. Top with cheese,

Homemade, not so instant Ramen

I have had a slight obsession with ramen lately. I love it, but don't really want the instant kind. Besides, when you make it yourself it goes from junk food to a nutritious meal.
So I have been on a quest to make my own with limited resources (I live in Mississippi and it is hard to find ingredients). I also wanted it to be relatively quick. I am fine making noodles for lunch, but I am not going to spend all day making the soup. If I have homemade stock on hand it is preferred, but readymade is also fine here. So this is what I have come up with. Pretty quick and easy, but takes a little practice. I can whip this up in half and hour. My family loves it, especially my husband. In our house, some like spicy and some don't, so I wait and let people put their own siracha in, but if your family all likes it, feel free to add the siracha to the broth before simmering. You can also play with toppings to your hearts content. This recipe makes enough for my husband, me, and my two kids who don't eat much.

Noodles:
3/4 cup bread flour
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp water

Combine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and beat the egg and water inside. Then slowly combine the ingredients together. The dough is pretty dry. Once the dough is somewhat combined, dump it onto your clean counter and start kneading. The dough is ready when your hands become fairly clean and the dough does not stick much anymore.

I have a pasta maker, and run the dough through in about 4 batches to make spaghetti. Set aside.

Broth:
1 tbsp oil, sesame is preferred
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups chicken stock or broth
Soy sauce to taste
4 soft to medium boiled eggs, halved
green onion and shredded carrot for garnish
Siracha to taste

In a dutch oven, cook garlic and ginger for about 1 minute, add chicken stock and soy sauce, simmer until ready to use.

Bring to boil 2 quarts water and 1 tbsp baking soda. The baking soda makes the noodles chewier. Don't let the water evaporate too much or you will have too much baking soda in and you will get a bitter aftertaste. (If you are scared of the baking soda, skip it, your noodles won't be as rameny, but that is fine.) Boil the noodles for 4 minutes or until done.

Divide noodles between 4 bowls and top with broth mixture. Add eggs, green onion and carrot. Add siracha if desired.

Onion beef soup

I love French Onion soup and found this easy recipe.

2 c thinly sliced onions (I chopped mine in a food processor)
1T butter or fat of choice to fry onions
2C. cooked hamburger or beef crumbled or cut small
3T flour (or mashed potato flakes to thicken a bit)
1t mustard
1T honey, sugar or sweetener

cook onions in butter over medium low heat for 15 to 20 min until tender and golden brown.    Stir occasionally.  Add beef and broth, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 min.

in a small bowl combine flour and sugar and stir into soup add mustard,. bring to a boil, cook and stir 1-2 min till slightly thickened.  4-5 servings

Cream of _____ Soup

If you are like me, you run out of stuff and it drives me crazy! I love this recipe to use in a pinch or to save money. It can be used in any recipe for cream of chicken, mushroom, celery, whatever.

Ingredients:
2 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup corn starch
1/4 instant chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix well and store in airtight container

To make 1 can cream of ____ soup:
Mix 1/3 cup dry mix and 1 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Cook and stir until thick. Use in your favorite recipe.

Bratten's Clam chowder

1c. finely chopped onion 1c finely chopped celery 2c potatoes diced 16 oz cans minced, juice from clams 3/4 c butter 3/4 c flour 1qt half and half (or milk if you want) dash of pepper 1/2 t sugar or honey 2T red wine vinegar, optional drain juice from clams and pour over  vegetables in a very small sauce pan.  Reserve clams for later.  Add enough  water to barely cover and simmer,  covered over medium heat until barely  tender.  in the meantime, make a roux  by melting butter and adding flour, blend.  cook stirring constantly.  Add cream and  stir with a whip till smooth and thick.  This is important.  Add undrained vegetables  and reserved clams, heat through.   Season with salt, sugar and pepper.   8-10 servings

Gail's Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

2 c dry lentils 2 slices bacon or leftover ham 1 small onion, diced finely 1/2 c. celery diced finely 3T parsley 1 clove garlic minced  1 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 1/2 t oregano 1lb can tomatoes chopped with liquid 2T red wine vinegar rinse lentils and drain. Place in soup kettle add 8 c water and  remaining ingredients except tomatoes and vinegar.   Cover and simmer 1.5 hours add tomatoes and vinegar.   Simmer covered 30 min. Season to taste.  8-10 servings

Tomato Soup (from Joy of Cooking)

I posted this recipe about 2 years ago, but I had to repost it because I am in love with it. The ingredients are simple and most people have them in the backyard garden or can get them from the local farmer's market. This whips up in just a few minutes.

This recipe turns into a chunky soup, but I like to puree it in the blender. Great with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Heat in soup pot, over medium heat;

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Add and cook, stirring, until beginning to color, about 10 minutes:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Coarsely chop together;

4 large cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves

Reduve the hear to medium-low, stir in the garliv mixture, and

cook until the garlic barely colors, 2-3 minutes. Add:

1 ½ lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely

chopped, or one 28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained

and chopped.

Pinch of red pepper flakes.

Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until thick and fragrant,

about 5 minutes. Stir in;

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I like veg better)

Boil for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Top with:

4 fresh basil leaves, torn

Drizzel of extra-virgin olive oil

Parmesan Cheese shavings

Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

This chicken stew is perfect on a cold winter night. This recipe has more dumplings than the original called for, so if you feel like it is too much, don't use all the dumpling mix. It only makes 2 servings, so double or more as needed.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4  cup  (1/4-inch) diagonally cut celery
• 1/2  cup  (1/4-inch) diagonally cut carrot
• 1/2  cup  chopped onion
• 1/8  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 3  parsley sprigs
• 1  bay leaf
• 3  cups  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 4.5  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 2  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add celery and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf) to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute. Add broth to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, chopped parsley, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add milk, stirring just until moist. Spoon by heaping teaspoonfuls into broth mixture; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until dumplings are done. Discard parsley sprigs and bay leaf.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

285 (16% from fat)

Fat:

5.2g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.9g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

25g

Carbohydrate:

35.2g

Fiber:

3.1g

Cholesterol:

55mg

Iron:

3.4mg

Sodium:

596mg

Calcium:

133mg

Butternut Squash Soup

Everyone at our house has been suffering from bronchitis. Fun times. When I am sick there is nothing I want more then soup. I know that chicken noodle is the expected thing, but this is one of the most comforting soups I have ever eaten. The only ingredient you can't compromise on is the fresh ginger, it won't have the same flavor or curative powers. 1 regular onion can be substituted for the leeks (the flavor won't be as mild), chicken broth can replace the veg, and any type of squash can be used. You can bake and scoop the squash up to a day before or take the SUPER easy route and use 2 cans (28 oz each) of pumpkin. Enjoy!

Preheat oven to 400º.
Place cut side down on an baking pan:
   1 medium to large butternut squash (~3.5 lbs.) halved and seeded.
Put about 1-2" of water in pan to prevent browning. Bake until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Let cool, then scoop the pulp from the squash skin and discard skin.
Meld in a soup pot over medium-low heat:
   3 Tbsp unsalted butter or oil
Add and cook, stirring, until tender but not browned, 5-10 min
   2 Large leaks (white part only), cleaned thoroughly and chopped
   4 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
Sir in the squash along with:
   4 cups vegetable stock or broth
Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon for 20 minutes. Put in small batches in the blender and puree until smooth, setting aside after each batch. Return to pot and stir in:
   2 cups vegetable stock or broth
   1 1/2 tsp salt
Heat through. Ladle into warmed bowls. Garnish with:
   Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
   Croutons
   Parmesan cheese goldfish (my favorite)

Irish Stew

The cooking time on this is long, but the prep is short. If your store doesn't have lamb, I use veal instead.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 1-1/2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

• Place 1/3 cup flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
• In a Dutch oven, brown lamb in batches in 2 tablespoons oil. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute onions in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
• Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Return lamb to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
• Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 5-10 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.
• Add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Combine remaining flour with water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Yield: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

Mount Vernon Colonial Peanut & Chestnut Soup

We had this at the restaurant at Mount Vernon, and they gave us the recipe. I made it here at home, and it has now become known as "Peanut Butter Soup" at our house. Ryan even likes it! I made a couple of changes to make it a little bit healthier.

Mount Vernon Colonial Peanut and Chestnut Soup

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour (I actually used whole wheat flour)
1 qt. chicken broth (I used the low sodium version)
1 qt. water
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (chopped, if desired)
1/2 cup water chestnuts, chopped1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Melt butter/margarine in large saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux. Cook on medium heat while frequently stirring until the roux is light tan in color. Once the roux is ready, add chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Then add peanut butter and Worcestershire sauce and stir. The longer it heats, the thicker it gets. Add peanuts and water chestnuts.

Quick Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) finely chopped ham

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan. Add 1 1/2 cans beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Place bean mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return soup to pan. Add remaining 1/2 can of beans to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in juice; set aside.

2. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Mix ham into soup. Garnish soup with sour cream and shredded cheese if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Minestrone Soup

In this recipe, the mix of fresh and canned veggies makes for a quick, but fresh tasting soup.

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1 1/4 cup water

2 tsp vegetable bouillon granules

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, undrained

1 can (8 oz) kidney beans, undrained

1 can (8 oz) whole kernel corn, undrained

Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat all ingredients except cheese to boiling in a large

pot, breaking up tomatoes; reduce heat. Cover and

simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until

macaroni is tender. Serve with cheese. 6 servings

Corn Chili

Marc and I make this all the time. We made it the other day to warm us up in the changing season. Marc likes to make this in the morning then throw it in the slow cooker. Omit the beef for a vegetarian option. Serve with corn bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

1 lb frozen corn kernels

2 (14.5 oz) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained

2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:

In a large pot, cook beef and onion in oil over medium heat until beef is no longer pink. Stir in cayenne and oregano and cook 1 minute more. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, until heated through and slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes.

One Pot Meatball and Gnocchi Soup

This is so easy and yummy. You can just use more broth instead of the red wine or grape juice for extra zip. I also use a melon baller to form the meatballs and just plop them into the soup.

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil
4 pieces turkey bacon, diced
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks (with leafy parts), chopped
1/2 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, roasted
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 C. red wine, preferably cabernet
1 lg. can diced tomatoes(with liquid)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 C. gnocchi, store-bought or hand-made
4 C. chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 C. fresh parsley, minced

Meatball recipe

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flake
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
1 Tbs. fresh thyme, minced
1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon, juiced and zested

Directions

Combine ingredients for the meatball mixture and set aside. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until crisp, about 5-7 minutes. Remove bacon and drain on paper towel, set aside. Next add the carrots, celery, onion, roasted garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme and rosemary and let cook another 5-7 minutes.

Deglaze pan with red wine and let cook for 1 minute before adding the canned tomatoes, garbanzo beans, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and begin forming meatballs and dropping them into the soup. Also add the gnocchi and let simmer for 7-10 minutes, until both meatballs and gnocchi are floating to the top. Return bacon to the soup and garnish with fresh parsley just before serving.