Grandma's Vegetable Beef Soup

I grew up not caring for any soup, but this is the one soup I would always eat.  Now I love all kinds of soup, but this one is still a favorite.  I can't believe I have never posted the recipe.  I took a picture of it the last time I made it (without potatoes and added peas)... but still never got around to posting it.  I figured since I am making it overnight tonight for a family gathering tomorrow after church, I would post it.  This time, I made my beef broth a couple of weeks ago and froze it, just to save some prep time this weekend.  I will not be adding the cabbage or butter this time, though, due to Bristol's sensitivity.  I generally always add homemade tomato soup, but the stuff I have in the freezer right now has milk in it, so I bought some organic soup with the fewest ingredients I could find.  This is such a delicious soup.  Let me know if you try it sometime!

Grandma's Vegetable Beef Soup

1 small beef roast (or 1-2 pounds stew meat)
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 Tablespoons butter
1-2 cans tomato soup

Place roast with onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper in a large soup pot.  Cover with water by a couple of inches, bring to a boil.  Boil until beef is cooked through.  Remove roast and set aside to cool.  Cut up into chunks when cool enough to handle.

Strain broth.  Discard bay leaf and onion.  Return broth to soup pot.

Add chopped beef, celery, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, butter, and tomato soup to the soup pot.  Simmer until vegetables are cooked and beef is very tender. 

You can also dump everything into a crockpot and cook on low all day, if you prefer.

Primal Butternut Squash Soup

I made this soup for dinner last weekend.  I needed to use up another butternut squash and thought a soup sounded good.  I had some locally made polish sausage (some would call it ring sausage) in the freezer, so I decided to add that.  And I just threw in some veggies that I had in my freezer.  You could add whatever veggies you have on hand for this.  Corn would be great, but it's not primal or paleo, so I didn't add it.  If I would have left the peas out, it'd be considered paleo.  This soup came together really quickly and it tasted great!  All three of us enjoyed it a lot. 

Butternut Squash Soup

1/4 cup butter
1 large butternut squash, cooked
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 pound locally made, nitrate-free polish sausage, diced
2 cups peas
2 cups chopped zucchini (I used yellow zucchini from my freezer)
1 cup coconut milk
2-3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

If your squash isn't already cooked and mashed, you'll need to do this first. 

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add in all the veggies, stock, coconut milk, and spices.  Stir to combine.  Let simmer for about a half hour.  Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Fresh Bites Friday at Real Food Whole Health
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS
Pennywise Platter Thursday at the Nourishing Gourmet

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

A few weeks ago, I tried a recipe for cheesy white chicken chili from my friend Melissa's blog.  Melissa writes that this chili has won several chili cook-off competitions and always goes over well.  I can see why because it is delicious!  We all loved it!  I'm sure I'll make it again and just count it as part of the 20% non-primal food allowance on the days that I do 80/20.  :)   I did add some of the optional sour cream and homemade cream cheese, but only about half of the recommended amounts below.  I also only added about a quarter of the shredded cheese.  This would be great without all the cheeses, as well!

Cheesy White Chicken Chili

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans green chilies
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
30 oz. chicken broth, homemade is best
3 cups chicken breast meat, cooked & chopped or shredded
4 cans white beans, drained, home-canned or soaked are best
1/2 - 1 cup sour cream, optional (I used less than 1/2 cup)
4 - 6 oz. cream cheese, optional, homemade is best (I used about 2 oz.)
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
12-16 oz. grated Mexican blend cheese (or you can use any combination of Monterrey Jack, pepper jack, or cheddar, stay away from mozzarella b/c it is stringy when melted... I only used a handful)

In 4 or 5 qt. pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and soften onion and garlic. Add green chilies, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook a few minutes, then add broth, chicken, and 3 cans of the drained beans. Mash the fourth can of beans (use a potato masher, fork or pastry blender and mix in a little bit of the broth from the soup to make it a little easier) and add it to the pot.

Turn heat to low, wait until it is hardly simmering and add cheese slowly until completely melted. If you add the cheese while the soup is bubbling ferociously then the cheese will clump and stick to the chicken.

You can add the sour cream, cream cheese, and/or corn if you would like, but the soup is great without them, depends on your taste.


This post is linked to:
Grain Free Tuesday at Hella Delicious

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

I have discovered that I love split pea soup.  So does Kevin.  Carson tolerates it.  I wouldn't say he loves it, but he does eat it without too many complaints.  :)  I've tried a few different recipes for split pea soup.  One of which I posted a while back.  Since then, I've tried a couple others, one of which I found on A Year of Slow Cooking, which seems to be our favorite.  I don't make it exactly the same way each time, it just depends what I have on hand, but its generally the same.  It doesn't look too appetizing, which is why I always thought I wouldn't like it, but it is seriously delicious!  And its a great, easy meal to throw in the crockpot and let it cook all day.  I usually make this when I have leftover ham.  I have never tried it with bacon, but I'm guessing it'd be pretty good with bacon, too.  We like a more veggies in ours, so I usually double the amount of veggies that Stephanie recommends when I make it... I've posted it the way I make it below. 

Crockpot Split Pea Soup

16oz package of dried split peas
1 yellow onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced carrot
1 cup leftover ham or bacon, diced
ham hock or ham bone if you have them
4 cups broth/stock
1 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

I soak split peas the way I do lentils.  Cover them with water and add about 2 Tablespoons of whey.  Let them soak for about 7 or 8 hours, rinse them, and they're ready to go. 

Dump the peas, diced vegetables, ham/bacon, broth, and water into the crockpot.  Add the salt and pepper.  If you are using a ham hock or bone, add that now.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6. Mine almost always cooks 12-13 hours on low.

If you used a ham hock or bone, scrape off any remaining meat and discard the bone.  Use an immersible hand blender to make your soup a bit more creamy and to have an even consistency.  I usually only do a few pulses of the blender so we still have a good bit of chunk with our veggies and ham in the soup.

Chicken Bone Broth/Stock

I've been making homemade broth/stock from bones for many years now. But I was also canning it at times and I was still buying a good deal of it, too... or making some from Better than Boullion. I decided a few months back that I will not can stock anymore (I will only freeze it now), nor will I buy broth/stock anymore. I'm trying to work broth/stock into our diets more regularly... especially during the cold/flu season that we are headed into.

I've been making stock once a week now for the last three or four weeks so we've been getting it in our diets about two or three times a week. I'd like to eventually have it in our daily diets. That means I need to change the way I make stock... so I can make a larger quantity at one time. Currently, I just make it in my 6-quart crockpot and I usually end up with 3 or 4 quarts of stock once its done. Thanks to a tip I received at last month's WAPF chapter meeting, I think I'm going to start making it in my big roaster so I can make a larger quantity at one time. That way I can still feel comfortable leaving it on while we're away at work (I just would not feel comfortable leaving it on the stovetop when we're away from the house... even if it were only for an hour). I haven't tried it yet, but I look forward to trying it for the first time later this week when I make turkey stock. I'll update on the outcome.

So why the decision on wanting to incorporate bone broth/stock into our daily diets? Because its just so incredibly good for you! A good broth/stock contains minerals that your body can absorb easily - calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, sulphur, and other trace minerals. It contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons - stuff like chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, which are now sold as supplements for arthritis and joint pain... and they cost quite a bit, too. Fish broth/stock is a great source of iodine and other thyroid-supporting minerals. I haven't tried making fish broth yet, but I'm hoping to get fish heads and bones from my uncle after his fishing trips from now on so I can give it a try.

Most importantly, a good broth/stock contains lots of gelatin from the bones. Gelatin is extremely nutritious. It builds strong bones and cartilage and also benefits your skin, digestion, immunity, heart, and muscles. It has been known to have a positive effect on many human ailments - such as ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, and cancer to name a few. It is a wonderful digestive tonic and an excellent treatment for reducing inflammation.

Feet, hooves, heads, and necks from animals contain the largest amounts of gelatin. If you don't already have a source for these pieces, you should definitely find one. I have found many sources for chicken feet and necks. Not so much for hooves, but I also haven't looked into it much yet... I've also heard that selling calves hooves is illegal in Michigan... but again I can't vouch for this yet since I haven't looked into it yet. According to Sally Fallon, you should use 2-4 chicken feet for chicken stock and about 2 pounds calves feet pieces to get the best results in a large pot of stock.

So how do you make a good bone stock/broth? Below, I've included a recipe from Sally Fallon, which can be found in the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. This is how I make my chicken stock. I have been using the carcass of a whole bird, plus 2-3 necks and 3-4 feet. Once I start using my big roaster to make my stock, I'll increase the quantities to adjust for a larger amount of stock.

Chicken Bone Broth/Stock

1 whole free-range chicken or 2 to 3 pounds of bony chicken parts, such as necks, backs, breastbones and wings
gizzards from one chicken (optional)
2-4 chicken feet (optional)
4 quarts cold filtered water
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
1 bunch parsley
(I also like to add the green parts of leeks... I always wondered what I could do with those green parts aside from throwing them on the compost. Now I just collect them all in a large bag in the freezer to throw into my stocks. It adds a delicious flavor! I also add the leaves from the celery stalks, too!)

If you are using a whole chicken, cut off the wings and remove the neck, fat glands and the gizzards from the cavity. Cut chicken parts into several pieces. Place chicken or chicken pieces in a large stainless steel pot (or crockpot or roaster) with water, vinegar and all vegetables except parsley. Let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour. This allows the vinegar to work the bones, making them ready to extract all the gelatin and minerals. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 to 8 hours (if you are using a crockpot on low, you should let it go 18-24 hours). The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavorful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. This will impart additional mineral ions to the broth.

Remove whole chicken or pieces with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken, let cool and remove chicken meat from the carcass. Reserve for other uses, such as chicken salads, enchiladas, sandwiches or curries. (If I use a whole chicken, I take the meat off the bones after a couple of hours, otherwise the chicken gets a weird texture and we don't care for it. Then I put the bones back in to cook... but most of the time I'm starting my stock with only the carcass/bones/pieces, not a whole bird.) Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator or freezer.

For more information, Sally Fallon has a great article that I'd highly recommend reading - Broth is Beautiful. As well as Kaayla Daniel's article - Why Broth is Beautiful.


This post is part of the Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS. 

Cream of Celery Soup

Local celery has been in season for the last couple of weeks, so I've been stocking up as much as I can. I've frozen quite a bit for use in soups and stews, but I also wanted to can some cream of celery soup. Cream of celery is my favorite cream soup. By making it myself, I know exactly what is in it and can use all local, high-quality, sustainably-grown ingredients. I also avoid the preservatives, MSG, GMOs, BPA, pesticides, etc. that you ingest when you buy the commercial branded cream soups. I got this recipe from a Yahoo! canning group that I belong to. This is a really easy soup to make. It only took about 20-30 minutes to prep the ingredients, make the soup, fill the jars, and get them in the canner. I'm planning to get more celery from my CSA next week so I can do up another batch since I wasn't thinking and only ordered enough celery for one batch this week.

Cream of Celery Soup

1/3 cup butter
3 cups celery, 1/4" dice
1/2 cup sweet onion, 1/4" dice
1/3 cup finely diced celery leaves (set aside)
1 quart vegetable broth
1 quart chicken broth
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground celery seed
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup Clearjel

Melt butter. Add celery and onion and sauté until crisp tender. Add broth, saving 1 cup to mix with the Clearjel. Add the seasonings, lemon juice, and the reserved celery leaves. Mix the Clearjel with the reserved broth. Mix all ingredients and heat until it boils, stirring often.

Put in jars and process in pressure canner for 45 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.

Makes 5 pints

Crockpot Quinoa and Chicken

I made this a week or two ago. This recipe comes from The Nourishing Gourmet. This is very quick and easy to just throw in the crockpot and its very healthy. And its so yummy, too! It is very versatile, as well. You can throw in whatever kind of veggies you like. I added some garlic and some cannellini beans to ours and was wishing I had some fresh mushrooms to throw in, too. Some spinach thrown in at the end would be really good, too!

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

1 cup quinoa (soaked overnight in water, than drained and rinsed in a strainer. If you don’t soak your grains still rinse to remove a bitter substance from the grain)
2 cups of chicken broth
1/2-3/4 cup of white wine (I skipped the wine and just added a little more broth)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon of salt
4-6 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 celery, sliced
1 onion, minced
2 chicken breasts or thighs
3 Tablespoons of butter (opt, for added richness and flavor)

Throw all the ingredients in your crockpot, cook on high, 4 hours or on low, 8. Shred the chicken when done, and stir into the stew and you are done!

Crockpot Pizza Soup

I was going through some draft posts I'd saved a while back and realize I never posted this recipe. I made this back in April. Its from A Year of Slow Cooking and it is so good! It really does taste like pizza in a bowl. We all loved it! I'll update with my picture of it if I find it...

Crockpot Pizza Soup

1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
3 empty jars full of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (I used 1 can diced tomatoes)
2 already-cooked Italian sausage (I used 2 sweet Italian sausages (uncooked), cut/broken in chunks (casing removed))
1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried)
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (I used organic whole wheat penne)
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe. Serves 4 hungry adults, or 2 hungry adults and 2 kids with enough leftovers to feed them all again.

Wash and prepare veggies. Dump them into the crockpot. Cut up the sausage into small pieces. Add to crockpot. Cut up the pepperoni, add it, too. Add basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, add the dry pasta, and turn to high. Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I made stuffed pepper soup the other night for dinner. I found the recipe on RecipeZaar and made a few changes so I could do it in the crockpot. I'll post the original recipe below with my changes in parentheses. This was a very good soup - it smelled so good when we came home from work! It tasted very much like a stuffed pepper - delicious! All three of us loved it!

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I used 1 pound ground lamb)
3 large green peppers, chopped (I used 4)
1 large onion, chopped
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth (I used Organic BTB and water... and added about 3 cups extra water for the rice)
2 (10 ounce) cans tomato soup, undiluted (I just used a pint of my home-canned)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained (I used organic, fire-roasted, diced)
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom pieces, drained (I used a pint of home-canned)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I used 3/4 cup uncooked organic short brown rice)

In a dutch oven or large saucepan, cook beef, peppers, and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, soup, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rice, heat through and serve.

(I cooked the meat and then just threw everything into the crockpot and let it cook on low for 9 hours).

Crockpot Cream of Tomato Soup

On Monday, I made up a batch of cream of tomato soup in the crockpot. This recipe comes from my SIL Mary. This is a very good soup. It tastes as good as the last tomato soup I had tried (a Giada recipe), but its much simpler since everything is just thrown into the crockpot. We had a little for dinner with grilled cheese sandwiches and I canned the remaining soup into 8 pints. I'm very excited to have this on hand for quick lunches and dinners!

I'll update with a picture later on.

Crockpot Cream of Tomato Soup

(This cream of tomato soup is rich and hearty and very delicious. It can be used as a substitute for canned tomato soup with excellent results and cannot be beat when served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Mix and match any of the suggested herbs and spices for a marvelous soup. For a traditional blend we use 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, 1 tablespoon oregano, and 1 tablespoon basil.)

2 Tbsp. olive oil (I didn't add this)
1 large chopped onion
3 crushed garlic cloves
2 minced carrots (I just did a rough chop into slices)
2 pounds peeled and diced tomatoes (reserve and add all juices) (I used 1 large can of diced tomatoes and 1 large can of crushed tomatoes)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
2-4 Tbsp. freshly chopped herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, savory, chervil, Italian parsley, mint, lavender) or 1-2 tsp. dried herbs or spices (Italian spices, basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, cumin, curry powder, nutmeg)
1 cup heavy cream (or milk - I used 1% milk)

Combine the oil, onion, garlic, and carrot in the crockpot. Cook on high, stirring frequently, until the onion softens. This can also be done in a skillet. (I skipped this step.) Add the remaining ingredients except for the herbs and spices and cream. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Add the herbs and adjust seasoning. Cool slightly and puree in small batches (I used an immersion blender). Return to the crockpot and add the cream. (I just added the cream to the individual bowls and canned the soup plain). Reheat until piping hot, or else cool and chill before serving.

* Process at 10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes if you want to can it.

Miso Soup

I made this for dinner last week. I had planned to make some salads with an asian ginger dressing, as well, but I gave up on that for lack of time and we just had this soup with some veggie stir-fry. It was a super tasty, very low-calorie, healthy meal! And pretty quick to prepare, too! Gotta love that kind of meal! :) This recipe is from my Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start book. I've always had miso soup at sushi or hibachi restaurants - they usually bring this out with a salad with ginger dressing before your main meal is brought out or prepared. Miso is such a simple, yet super tasty and warming soup - I love it! Kevin didn't think he'd ever had it and wasn't too sure what to think of such a simple soup, but he loved it, too. And Carson... wow, he totally loved it! He ate every last drop... drinking the broth from his bowl... and asking for more! I'll definitely be making this again very soon! Everything I used was organic.

I'll update later with a picture.

Miso Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil or sesame oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 Tablespoon peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie)
2 Tablespoons sweet white or yellow miso
4 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes (about 1 cup)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut in fine chiffonade
1 scallion, white and green parts, very thinly sliced

Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add teh onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until very soft, but not browned. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Whisk in the miso until it is dissolved into the soup. Add the tofu and spinach and simmer for 1 minute. Serve warm, garnished with scallions.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 90 calories, 6 g protein, 4 g carbs, 6 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 360 mg sodium

Crockpot Taco Soup

I made another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking on Tuesday - for taco soup. This was excellent! It seemed like a chili to us, though - not sure why mine got so thick... I even added some water to make up for the liquid I didn't add from using canned corn (I used home-frozen)... and with the kidney beans in there, it reminded us of chili with a taco flavor. No complaints from anyone, though - all three of us loved it! Definitely another keeper recipe! I made a half recipe and it was more than enough for dinner and several lunches.

Taco Soup in the Crockpot

2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn (I used home-frozen, so I added about 2 cups of water to replace the liquid in the cans of corn)
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I used 2 Tablespoons of my homemade mix)
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment (optional)

Brown meat if you are going to use it. Drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.) Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the crock. Add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans. Stir. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5.

Stir well before serving and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. (I just used a small dollop of sour cream)

White Bean and Ham Soup

My grandma makes bean soup quite often. I've never been a huge fan... mainly because I just didn't think I liked soups. But since I've been expanding my soup tastes, I like bean soup now. Kevin loves it and Carson really loves it. I had some great northern beans leftover from canning this morning, so I decided to make a batch of this soup. There isn't really recipe that we have written down, its basically just throwing things together in the quantities that look good to you. But I've tried to capture it below.

White Bean and Ham Soup

2 cans great northern beans - (or about 2 cups dried - you'll want to increase the amount of water you use if you're using dried)
1 - 2 cups diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
2 - 3 cups diced, cooked ham
2 - 3 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
water, just to cover... maybe about 2 cups? (be sure to cover by about an inch if you're using dry beans)
1 teaspoon organic Better than Boullion Veggie base

Throw all ingredients into your crockpot. Cover and cook on low all day.

Crockpot Fish Chowder

I made crockpot fish chowder from A Year of Slow Cooking earlier in the week... I don't have a picture and I'm not going to post the recipe... we didn't care for it at all. I was super disappointed since we love seafood chowder normally... but this just did not do it for us at all. It got great reviews on the A Year of Slow Cooking blog, but it just wasn't for us.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. I just love Stephanie's blog - I think I've tried more recipes from her slow cooking blog than I have from any other blog. I just like using my crockpot - its so nice to come home from work and having our dinner ready to go. I'm gone a minimum of 12 hours in the day between commuting, working, and picking up Carson, so I don't always feel like cooking when I get home, either. So the crockpot solves everything... well almost! :) Anyway, we tried salsa chicken and black bean soup earlier this week. It was so, so good!! Great flavor - but I love soups like this. We all loved it and I'll definitely make it again! It turned out more like a chili than a soup for me, though. But that's ok - it was still delicious!

I'm so glad I've broadened my tastes for soups over the last year. That was kind of an unspoken goal of mine over the last year. I never used to like soup... and I still don't really like broth. The only soup I would really eat before were broccoli cheese, baked potato, and seafood chowder... I liked them if they were thick and creamy. But I steered clear of any thin-broth soups. I think I've done pretty well in broadening my tastes for soups... this will be my 21st soup recipe to post on my blog... and I've enjoyed almost all of them! Now I love soup! I'm glad, because its just so easy and nutritious! Well most soups, anyway. :)

I'll update later with a picture.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

1 pound chicken
1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed... but I used dried)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

I used a 6 quart crockpot. You will need a 4 quart or larger.

If you know you are going to make this the night before soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.

If you don't have super hard water or live in a super high altitude, you can quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two.

Drain and rinse the beans. Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans - let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.

Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yes, High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.

If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 -similar to normal soup-cooking time.

If you'd like to thicken the broth, you can use your immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot. (I did not do this, ours was plenty thick!)

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving (I just used a small scoop on top of each bowl, rather than stirring it in), and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices (did not use either, but was wishing I'd had some avocadoes!).

Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak Soup

I tried out another recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking last night for Philly Cheesesteak Soup... only I used leftover lamb since we have quite a bit leftover from our NYD dinner. This was really good! We all really liked it a lot. The broth had an awesome flavor (and I normally don't like the broth of soups). I added some carrots for some extra veggies and I cut the recipe in half, which was enough for our dinner last night with a small amount leftover for a lunch for Carson (Kevin was super hungry though and had two huge bowls).

Crockpot Philly Cheesesteak Soup

1 pound thinly cut beef strips (I used leftover lamb)
4 cups beef broth
2 cups skim or 2% milk
1 T butter (I left this out)
1 yellow onion, cut in chunks
2 bell peppers
2 t gluten free Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 t black pepper
1 t kosher salt
8oz provolone cheese (to add at the very end)

Add the 1 tablespoon of butter to your crockpot and turn it on high to melt. Cut up your meat and add it to the crock, swirling it into the butter to coat. Add the chopped peppers, onion, and garlic. Add the Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Stir in the beef broth and milk.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. The soup is done when the meat has reached the desired tenderness.

Before serving, stir in the provolone cheese. It will melt in stringy chunks---yum. (I just shredded up some provolone to sprinkle on top of our bowls.)

Creamy White Chicken Chili

I wanted to make a white chicken chili this week, instead of the normal red chili I usually throw together. I linked to My Kitchen Cafe through my friend Melissa's blog last week - holy wow, there are some delicious recipes on this blog! When I saw this recipe for creamy white chicken chili, I knew I wanted to try it... and make it a little healthier. I added some extra veggies (green bell peppers and fresh mushrooms), used half the sour cream called for, and used fat-free half-and-half instead of heavy cream... and it was still delicious and super creamy! I didn't make it on the stovetop, though, just threw everything except the sour cream and milk into the crockpot before work. This was delicious!! So, so, so good!

I'll update later when I (finally) upload my pictures off my camera.

Creamy White Chili

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used some leftover rotisserie chicken I had frozen)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil (didn't use this)
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can... I just used 1 for Carson's sake)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out for Carson... Kevin and I wanted more heat, so we squirted some sriracha in our bowls..)
1 cup sour cream (I didn't add this much... probably only about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup whipping cream (I used fat-free half-and-half instead)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Makes about 6 servings.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

On Sunday, I made roasted vegetable soup for dinner. We had a ton of leftover roasted veggies from Thanksgiving still, so I figured this would be perfect! And super easy! I just got out my 5 quart cast iron dutch oven and dropped the veggies in (we had carrots, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts), covered with a box of chicken stock, and let it come up to a simmer for about a half hour or so. I didn't add any extra seasonings because the roasted veggies just have so much flavor already. Once it had simmered for about a half hour, I got out my stick blender and pureed it up. This made a nice, thick, hearty pureed soup - yum! All three of us loved it! Definitely something I will do again and again.

Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup

Yesterday, I made italian wedding soup in the crockpot using a recipe from RecipeZaar. I've made italian wedding soup several times in the past, but its been quite a while. And I'd never used the crockpot. We love italian wedding soup and this recipe was awesome! Carson loved it - he scarfed his serving down and wanted more! The recipe below calls for meatballs - I made my own, which takes a little longer, but they're way better than the ones you buy, in my opinion. I just thawed a pound of ground beef, added some chopped onion, and garlic powder. Then I formed mini meatballs and baked them for about 7 minutes. I also used cooked/shredded turkey since that's what I came across first in the freezer - it worked out well. Its definitely easier to let the crockpot do all the work than to make this on the stovetop like I have in the past... this will be the way I do it from now on, for sure! This recipe makes quite a bit. We had my parents and sister over for dinner and we still had enough leftover for another dinner for the three of us (which I froze). I forgot to take a picture.

Crockpot Italian Wedding Soup

16 1/2 ounces meatballs (I made my own)
6 cups chicken broth (I used 4 cups home-canned stock and 2 cups water with organic BTB)
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped (I used turkey since that's what I found in the freezer first)
1/2 cup carrot, diced (from the garden and I added about a cup)
1/2 cup celery, diced (from the garden and I added about a cup)
1/4 (8 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (I used about 1/2 pound fresh)
garlic salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup romano cheese (I used parm-reggiano)
1/4 cup acini di pepe pasta

Pop the meatballs in the microwave for 1 minute on defrost so you can quarter them. (or make your own!) Combine rest of ingredients except pasta in crock pot and cook all day on low. Add the pasta during the last hour of cooking. This freezes well.

Spicy Shrimp and Pac Choi Noodle Soup

I tried another recipe that I had seen on Two Peas and Their Pod quite awhile ago for Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy (Pac Choi) Soup. It's a Rachael Ray recipe. Its a little hot to be eating soup, I know, but since the pac choi in my garden is growing strong right now, I figured this was the perfect time to try it. This was delicious! Kevin really loved it - it actually got a "this is really very, very good... I really like this a lot." He hasn't said that about a new dish in awhile, so that was nice to hear.

Spicy Shrimp and Pac Choi Noodle Bowl

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan (I used canola)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (I only did about 1 t so that it wasn't too spicy for Carson)
4 cloves garlic, chopped (organic)
2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated
1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps, sliced, a couple of cups (I left these out and added green beans instead - I know they're completely different, but its what I had in the freezer)
1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut sticks lengthwise (from the garden)
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken broth (I used organic BTB chicken base and water)
1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or, 1 cup clam juice (I used BTB, the clam base, plus water)
1 1/2 pounds medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti) (organic)
4 scallions, cut into 3 inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks (organic)

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and bok choy, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.

Add shrimp and noodles and cook 3 minutes. Add in scallions and cook 2 minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2 to 3 minutes more. Adjust salt and serve.