Cooking Club: Cheddar Chicken Chowder

This is another soup I sampled at cooking club. Very easy, tasty, and not full of cream, so I don't feel guilty having a bowl (or two). I add extra veggies in dishes whenever I can, this soup is perfect for that.

Cheddar Chicken Chowder
From: Julie




2 bacon slices
1 lb boneless skinless chx breast, cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 3/4 c quartered red potatoes
2 1/4 C frozen corn
1.5 cup broccoli
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup carrots
1/2 cup zucchini
1/2 C flour
2 C milk
4 1/2 C chx broth
3/4 C shredded cheddar
salt & pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a dutch oven or stock pot until crisp. Remove bacon and crumble, set aside. Add chicken, onion, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, carrots, broccoli, and zucchini to bacon grease, saute 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. Add corn, stir well.Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Add to soup. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, bacon, salt and pepper.

306 calories, 33.7 g carbohydrates, 7.5 g fat, 25 g protein

Cooking Club: Spicy Sausage and Cabbage Soup

When I found out Trish was going to bring this to cooking club I was disappointed. I don't like sausage and cabbage at all. I was brave though and gave it a shot and loved it. There are so many flavors in the soup, I couldn't taste the cabbage and I could deal with the sausage. This makes a TON of soup. We froze well over half of it and have still been eating it almost every day since I made it. I served this with cornbread (I used Rookie Cookies amazing recipe... never again will I buy a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. This recipe was so easy and tasted delicious) and it was the perfect side.

Spicy Sausage and Cabbage Soup
Source: Trish



2 T. Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
3 BS chicken breast
1 pkg spicy smoked sausage or keilbasa (sliced)
1/2 large chopped onion
3 cups sliced carrots
1 full head cabbage (chopped in about 1 inch pieces)
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/4 teas. red pepper flakes
2 T. Tony Chachere's original creole seasoning (I couldn't find that seasoning so I used this)
Cornstarch and water (optional)

Liberally salt and pepper raw chicken breast and fully cook in olive oil then shred or chop. In stock pot combine cooked chicken, sausage, onion, carrots, cabbage, chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, pepper flakes and tony Chachere's. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender. Trish recommends simmering for 4 - 5 hours, I simmered for 3 hours.

Notes From Trish:

"Also, so many people "don't like cabbage" but it will eventually cook down to a point where most people don't even realize it's in there.. If it needs more liquid add it, it's not a perfect science. I actually use 1/2 teas. red pepper flakes and 3 T. tony Chachere's because I like it more spicy and salty. Adjust the recipe according to your own tastes. You can serve it now "as is" if you like soup with a brothier texture. I prefer my soups to be a little heartier and thicker in consistency. So making sure the soup is at a boil I combine 3 T. cornstarch with just enough water to make it stirrable and smooth then stir it into the soup and boil gently for 5 minutes. Then I repeat this process until it's at my desired consistency."

Cooking Club: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I joined the Realie cooking club over the summer but have been so busy I never made it to a meeting. This month I was so excited for two reasons:

1) I actually got to go!
2) Soups!

I loved every single soup there... even the ones that had strange ingredients. I put on my big girl panties and sucked it and tried the strange things..... like sausage, cabbage, mushrooms, and rice. I've heard excellent things about Trish's Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice soup for the past couple years, but never made it. When I think of rice in a soup, I associate it with Campbell's Chicken with Rice Soup... Nasty! This however is definitely not Campbells. The soup is thick, creamy, flavorful, super simple to make, and amazing! It's the perfect soup for a chilly fall or winter day.

To see other soups that were at cooking club check out Julia's Blog and Nemmie's Blog Here and Here

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Source: Trish



4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
1/2 yellow onion, chopped (I used white)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cups carrots, chopped
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream (i used half and half in an attempt to make this a bit healthier and it was still super creamy)

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken, onion, celery, and carrots. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly.

Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

This makes a ton, so it's perfect to portion out and put it in the freezer for easy meals down the road.

A Soup Day

You know how some days are just perfect for soup? That would be today. When I woke up this morning to go to the gym it was storming. Thunderstorms in KS in February just seem weird.

I found this recipe on Ambers Delectable Delights a few weeks ago and have been dying to make it. Today I finally did. The soup is so good, perfect for a day like today. M loved it too.


Chicken Noodle Soup
Found On: Amber’s Delectable Delights
Originally From: elly says opa




2 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, diced
1.5 cups carrots, sliced
1.5 cups celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups homemade or good quality chicken broth or stock I used 8 cups broth 4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 (heaping) tsp. ground marjoram
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
5 oz. (about 1.5 cups) uncooked egg noodles I used about 2 cups of homestyle Amish noodles
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 3 minutes before adding the celery and carrots. Continue cooking a few more minutes before adding the garlic. Stir until fragrant.

Add the chicken, broth, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, parsley and ground pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce. Simmer lightly for 30 minutes.

Add the noodles* and simmer until cooked, about 8 minutes.

*Note: The noodles will continue to absorb the liquid as leftover sit in the pot/fridge. If you want to prevent your soup from thickening and becoming too chunky, you can reduce the amount of broth slightly and cook the noodles in a separate pot, combining with the soup in your bowl as you are about to eat.

Better than Panera

I love Panera's Black Bean soup. I've been searching for a black bean soup to make at home but haven't found one I liked enough to try. I can't remember where I found this recipe but I'm so happy I did.

Black Bean Soup
from ??

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 c. low-sodium chicken stock
3 cans black beans, undrained I drained and rinsed the beans to lower the sodium content of the soup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1) In a pot, heat oil and add onion, celery, and carrot.Stir over medium high heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2)Add bell pepper, cook for 1 additional minute and deglaze bottom of pan with chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.

3) Lightly puree soup (easy to do with an immersion blender)Add the rest of the beans to the soup. I pureed quite a bit. It made the soup very thick.

4) Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water. Add the lemon and the cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

Ahhhhmazing

I have never been a fan of beef vegetable soups until I went to Jamaica on my honeymoon. Actually, I wasn't a fan of a lot of things until then. Thanks to Jamaica I now love stir fry, Japanese steakhouses, pineapple, and Thai food. (kind of random, I know). I found this recipe in my favorite BHG cook book. I marked back in July as one I wanted to try. Well, with school starting back up I wanted something easy for dinner for the week. I made this Sunday night and now have it for the rest of the week. It is so, so, so good. M and I both LOVE it. Not quite Jamaica, but certainly delicious. It is perfect for this cold weather we've been having.

Vegetable-Beef Soup
Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 85 minutes Low Fat



Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cubed, or beef stew meat
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 14-ounce cans beef broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups chopped, peeled tomato or one 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained (omitted)
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1-1/2 cups cubed, peeled potatoes
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 cup sliced carrot
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions

1. In a 6- to 8-quart Dutch oven (I used a large stock pot) brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil; drain fat. Return all meat to Dutch oven. Stir in beef broth, oregano, marjoram, pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Discard bay leaves. If necessary, skim fat .

2. Stir in tomato, corn, potato, green beans, carrot, celery, and onion. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes more or until vegetables are tender. (I forgot mine was on the stove and let it simmer for about 90 min...oops!)

3. Makes 8 servings ( about 12 cups)

Nutritional Info: 235 Cal, 7 g total fat (2g saturated), 40 mg chol. 921 mg sodium, 20 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 24 g protein.

Eat like a Rockstar

No, for cereal. Eat like a Rockstar. I got this recipe from my friend Rockstar. (Who originally got this recipe from Tastefully Simple) It's the perfect recipe to use up the leftover Shanksgiving Turkey. Before I started making it, I decide to have a few glasses of Shiraz. I was really nervous my wine wasn't going to go with the soup but it did. Soooo good!

Leftover Turkey Day Soup
(... I'm not sure what the real name is!)



2 cans Campbell's Southwest Type Soup (I used a Fiesta Nacho Cheese - that's all they had at the store)
5 c. hot water
1.5 cups shredded turkey
1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 c. jalapenos, diced (I diced hot green Chile peppers)

Whisk together the soup and water. Add turkey, corn, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Heat about 10 minutes, being careful not to scorch. Serve with Tortillas. I think it would be also good with shredded cheese, green onions, or sour cream.