Creamy Vegetable Soup

I made a vegetable soup similar to the Tomato Basil Parmesan soup and it was quite delicious.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

4 carrots

4-6 stalks celery

1 medium onion

1/2 red pepper

1-2 stalks of broccoli

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

oregano, basil

1 (16 oz) can chicken broth

1/3 c half and half, warmed

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes (my can had basil and garlic added)

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

1/4 c cheddar cheese

1/2 c spinach

Dice all vegetables. Place carrots and celery in pot with butter, let cook until almost completely done. Add the rest of the vegetables and let cook. Once cooked add the flour, basil and oregano, until all flour is mixed in. Add the chicken broth and let warm, then add the diced tomatoes and the half and half. Add cheeses until melted. Using an immersion blender, blend soup but do not puree. Add spinach before serving.

My quantities are not exact as I did not measure before, but should be close enough to work. At least this is the recipe I will follow to make the soup again. We served with grilled cheese sandwiches, but warm bread would be just as good.

Soup Season

Yet another soup that was absolutely fantastic, found on the Sister's Cafe. (Picture also from their site as I didn't get a picture and their picture is better than I could have taken)

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice

1 c finely diced celery

1 c finely diced carrots

4 c chicken broth

1 c finely diced onions

1/2 bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp dried basil

1/2 c butter

1/2 c flour

1 c Parmesan cheese

2 c half and half, warmed (we used whole milk since we had it on hand)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

In a large crock pot, combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions. (If using fresh herbs, add these now, if not, add at the last hour of cook time). Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

About an hour before serving prepare a roux: Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour; stirring constantly with a whisk. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup from the crock pot. Add another 3 cups soup and stir until smooth.

Add all back into the crock pot. Stir and add Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt, pepper, basil, bay leaf and oregano.

The soup looked delicious at this point, but my sister and I felt it would be better if we pureed the soup a bit. Using our immersion blender we blended all ingredients to make it smooth.

Salmon Chowder

I made this the other night for dinner for me and my husband or my "man chowder" as my brother would refer to him when we were dating/engaged. This recipe is delicious, found on allrecipes.com (as well as the picture).

Salmon Chowder

3 Tbsp butter

3/4 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped celery

1/2 c chopped red pepper (not in the actual recipe, but I had it on hand)

1 tsp garlic powder

2 c diced potatoes

2 carrots, diced

2 c chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dill weed (or tarragon as a substitutes)

2 (16 oz) cans salmon (I used fresh salmon that I baked before)

1 can evaporated milk

1 can creamed corn

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, red pepper and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper and dill. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Stir in salon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese. Cook until heated through.

I added a little more broth at the beginning because I had extra potatoes and extra veggies. At the end I also added a little flour to make it a little thicker.

Thai Soup

(This picture is also taken from the blog, she claims she is not a food photographer, but I am pretty sure it would be better than one I could take)

My friend posted this recipe on a blog we contribute to. Her mother-in-law introduced it to her while in Idaho. In her words, "it is SO yummy and SO easy." I completely agree and would add that it is SO versatile.

INGREDIENTS:
1 14oz can of coconut milk
2 Tbs red curry paste
2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 of one red bell pepper (chopped)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1/3 cup water
sticky rice or jasmine rice
chicken, shrimp, crab, halibut, or salmon

INSTRUCTIONS:
Make rice according to package directions. In another pot, simmer coconut milk and curry for 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and cook until heated through. NOTE: Because the seafood cooks so fast, you can just add it uncooked. If you are using chicken, cube and cook BEFORE adding to the soup.
Spoon rice into serving dishes. Ladle soup on top and serve immediately.

The last time I made this, I was making lettuce wraps with rice noodles and tofu. So for the meat I used tofu and instead of rice, I added the rice noodles. You can put in any vegetables of your choosing and could even go all vegetarian, any way it is made, it is delicious.

One of my favorite cookbooks...

is a vegetarian cookbook. They really are delicious recipes, like the one below:

Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

3 medium sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

2 cans garbanzo beans (drain and rinse)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can vegetable broth

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro


Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2" cubes and microwave for 8 1/2 minutes. Meanwhile, put oil in stock pot and warm on medium heat. Add oil, garlic, cumin, cinnamon and salt.

Add garbanzo beans and tomatoes and veg broth. Mix and then add peanut butter. Once all mixed and sweet potatoes are done, add and stir in with cilantro.

*My sweet potatoes were not done from microwaving so I just cooked them longer in the stew- which I think next time (because there will be a next time because it is so delicious) I would try to cook the sweet potatoes completely in the stew.

Zuppa Toscana

I love this soup for a variety of reasons: the taste, the simple steps to make and we served this this at our wedding. I use this recipe I found on a friend's blog (that I am supposed to contribute to). I don't know if my mom used the same recipe at our wedding, but this is the one I typically use.

Zuppa Toscana
I linked the recipe, but thought I would write it out and include my additions...

1 pound Italian sausage
2 large russet baking potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 can Oscar Meyer Real Bacon Bits (I use turkey bacon)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped (Spinach can also be used)
2 cans chicken broth
1 qt. water
1 cup heavy whipping cream


Cook sausage in a 300-degree oven. Bake approximately 1/2 hour, drain on paper towels, and cut into slices. *I cook the sausage in a pan and drain on paper towels.

Place onion, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.

Add sausage, bacon bits, salt, and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve.

Tortellini Soup

I think I may have found a perfect dish for St. Patrick's Day...

Tortellini Soup

3 cans chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken

4-6 cups water

1 medium zucchini

1/2 yellow onion

broccoli

1/2 bag of spinach

1 20 oz pckg of tortellini

basil

oregano

s & p

Heat chicken broth, cream of chicken and water and bring to a boil. Add spices, zucchini, onion and broccoli. Let cook until almost tender. Add tortellini and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until done. Add spinach just before tortellini is cooked.