Did you know that soup is one of the easiest low calorie main dish meals you can make? All you need are some basic ingredients and you can make a delicious almost fat-free, gluten-free meal!
Over the past four years, I have come to realize that a you only need to keep a few basic ingredients on hand.
Pantry:
1 quart of chicken broth or a chicken broth cubes
I quart of beef broth or a jar of beef broth cubes
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
Rice or a small box of you favorite pasta (bow ties, orzo, ditalini)
Seasonings like salt, pepper, dried or minced onions, garlic salt, oregano, sage, bay leaves, and something spicy like cumin, creole, or cayane pepper.
Vegetables
Onion
Celery
Carrots
Garlic
1 10-oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables
Meat and Poultry (I keep frozen)
Chicken
Any kind of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey)
Any kind of sausage ( sweet, hot, andouille, smoked, chorizo)
Here is a good basic recipe:
1 cup each diced onion, celery, and carrots sautéed in a tiny bit of olive olive until onions are translucent. If using ground meat, add to the onion mix and cook till browned. Add 1 qt. of broth and diced meat (chicken, or pre-cooked sausage). Add seasonings to taste, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes till meat is heated through or if using chicken-is cooked throughly.
Add pasta during the last 10 or so minutes ( check package for recommended al dente cooking time)..
Some basic combos:
Chicken soup- onions, garlic, carrots, chicken broth, chicken, rice or pasta
Beef vegetable. - onions, garlic, celery, carrots, ground beef or small cubes of bottom round, beef broth, diced tomatoes, mixed veges, bay leaf.
Spicy soups- onion, garlic, celery, peppers, ground meat or spicy sausage, diced tomatoes, cumin or creole seasoning
I have made some great variations using other items that I happen to have on hand:
Fresh spinach (you just want to wilt it so add right before serving)
Yellow squash- diced
Zucchini- diced
Potatoes- peeled and diced
Beans- any kind! Chick peas, red kidney, navy, butter, black, you-name-it! (Rinsed and drained)
Grated cheese- add to top when serving.
Frozen ravoli and tortellini
Serve with bread and salad and you'll have a great meal or two. Freeze left overs for another easy meal.
Have fun- taste as you go!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Happy Mardi Gras!
Purple, green, and gold! Mardi Gras here we come! Well, only Arlene is really in NOLA, but the rest of us are there in spirit. This week we celebrated with Jambalaya Soup (thanks to Food Network!), corn bread, salad, and King cake! Thanks to Erica and Mark for doing the shopping for this week's soup.
Barbara, our salad chef, came up with a new take on salad tonight. I think she is determined to infuse me with 'southern'. Instead of a traditional salad, she prepared a tray of stuffed (aka deviled for my friends up north) eggs, pickles, black olives, celery stuffed with pimento cheese and potted meat. Potted what? Barbara explained that potted meat was a staple in her home growing up in TN. It tasted like a ham spread - in case you want to give it a try.
Taylor used the time to distribute the Girl Scout cookies and I can't for the life if me figure out why I didn't order a box of Thin Mints!!!! I guess I'll finally have to defrost the box (or eat them frozen) that I have stashed away.
To the soup!
It's a little different take on traditional jambalaya but everyone thought that it was the best soup yet. There were a lot of second helpings so I guess it was a good thing that we has a less-than-full house. Of course I made some changes that I will note as I go along. If you make it, and it got a two thumbs up all around, please let me know how you liked it.
Jambalaya Soup
3 TBS olive oil
8 oz. sweet Italian sausage. Par-boiled, cooled, halved lengthwise then sliced
8 oz. andouille sausage. Halved lengthwise then sliced
4 scallions chopped. Separate white from green. White goes into the soup, green goes on top when serving
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper ( there is a story about male and female red pepper- but I'll leave that for another day!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
4 cups of long grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
11/2 cups water
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf ( remove before serving)
Heat oil in a large soup pot and brown sliced sausages until golden. Remove sausages and reserve to later. Add the scallions, pepper, celery to the remaining oil in the pot and cook till soft about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, Cajun seasoning, chicken stock, water, rice, tomatoes, and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook until rice is done, about 15 minutes. Return sausage to the pot and heat through. Season with salt it taste. Remove bay leaf and serve. Top with green scallions and serve with cornbread.
Enjoy! Come back next week for New England Clam Chowder!
Barbara, our salad chef, came up with a new take on salad tonight. I think she is determined to infuse me with 'southern'. Instead of a traditional salad, she prepared a tray of stuffed (aka deviled for my friends up north) eggs, pickles, black olives, celery stuffed with pimento cheese and potted meat. Potted what? Barbara explained that potted meat was a staple in her home growing up in TN. It tasted like a ham spread - in case you want to give it a try.
Taylor used the time to distribute the Girl Scout cookies and I can't for the life if me figure out why I didn't order a box of Thin Mints!!!! I guess I'll finally have to defrost the box (or eat them frozen) that I have stashed away.
To the soup!
It's a little different take on traditional jambalaya but everyone thought that it was the best soup yet. There were a lot of second helpings so I guess it was a good thing that we has a less-than-full house. Of course I made some changes that I will note as I go along. If you make it, and it got a two thumbs up all around, please let me know how you liked it.
Jambalaya Soup
3 TBS olive oil
8 oz. sweet Italian sausage. Par-boiled, cooled, halved lengthwise then sliced
8 oz. andouille sausage. Halved lengthwise then sliced
4 scallions chopped. Separate white from green. White goes into the soup, green goes on top when serving
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper ( there is a story about male and female red pepper- but I'll leave that for another day!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
4 cups of long grain white rice
4 cups chicken broth
11/2 cups water
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf ( remove before serving)
Heat oil in a large soup pot and brown sliced sausages until golden. Remove sausages and reserve to later. Add the scallions, pepper, celery to the remaining oil in the pot and cook till soft about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, Cajun seasoning, chicken stock, water, rice, tomatoes, and bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and cook until rice is done, about 15 minutes. Return sausage to the pot and heat through. Season with salt it taste. Remove bay leaf and serve. Top with green scallions and serve with cornbread.
Enjoy! Come back next week for New England Clam Chowder!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
That's Greek to me!
Who needs dancing when we have yummy Greek meatball soup with a super Greek salad and grilled pita bread! Our Souper Tueday gathering was a little smaller this week. We were missing Erica and Marybeth and Ryan's family. Some weeks are just like that!
Bruce entertained the troops by relating how we started going together..Since it involved sand, piggyback racing, ambulance, surgery, and subsequent recovery, and a row boat, it was quite a story. The best part was that he hooked me in with a phony limp and the need to put his arm around me. Seems like yesterday not 49 years ago!
I digress. The soup was fairly easy to make except that the recipe (than you, Food Network!) didn't call for any egg in the meatball mixture. Some of the meatballs fell apart so I'd add an egg to the mix next time I made them.
2 cups chicken broth
2 14-oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes with Green chilies. ( Jesse our shopper this week had trouble finding these in our local markets. He was able to get them at a Whole Foods.)
1 lg red onion roughly chopped
1 cup fresh dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pimento-stuffer gree olives (I made one batch without these and one batch with)
4 slices of bread
1 egg
1 lb of ground beef
1 14-ox can of butter beans (drained and rinsed)
1 zucchini quartered and cut into small pieces
1 lemon
Prepare onion, olives and spices including the fresh dill by finely copping in a food processor. In the meantime, Bring broth and tomatoes to a boil over med heat. Add half the onion-spice mixture into the tomato mixture.
Crumble the bread in a blender, add to onion-spice mixture and mix in the ground beef. Add an eggs and mix until well blended. Roll into 1 inch meatballs. Drop gently into the soup mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the beans and zucchini. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup just before serving.
Original recipe from the Food Network Magazine, May 2013.
If you' like to make grilled pita, brush both sides with olive oil. Use a pizza cutter to cut each pita into 6 pieces. Bake in a 400 degree oven- about 5 minutes on each side. These were delicious warm or cooled.
Serve with a tossed Greek salad (thank you, Barbara) and a fabulous sherry laden coconut cake from our resident pastry chef, Arlene!
Enjoy! Next up- Black Bean Soup!
Bruce entertained the troops by relating how we started going together..Since it involved sand, piggyback racing, ambulance, surgery, and subsequent recovery, and a row boat, it was quite a story. The best part was that he hooked me in with a phony limp and the need to put his arm around me. Seems like yesterday not 49 years ago!
I digress. The soup was fairly easy to make except that the recipe (than you, Food Network!) didn't call for any egg in the meatball mixture. Some of the meatballs fell apart so I'd add an egg to the mix next time I made them.
2 cups chicken broth
2 14-oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes with Green chilies. ( Jesse our shopper this week had trouble finding these in our local markets. He was able to get them at a Whole Foods.)
1 lg red onion roughly chopped
1 cup fresh dill
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup pimento-stuffer gree olives (I made one batch without these and one batch with)
4 slices of bread
1 egg
1 lb of ground beef
1 14-ox can of butter beans (drained and rinsed)
1 zucchini quartered and cut into small pieces
1 lemon
Prepare onion, olives and spices including the fresh dill by finely copping in a food processor. In the meantime, Bring broth and tomatoes to a boil over med heat. Add half the onion-spice mixture into the tomato mixture.
Crumble the bread in a blender, add to onion-spice mixture and mix in the ground beef. Add an eggs and mix until well blended. Roll into 1 inch meatballs. Drop gently into the soup mixture and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the beans and zucchini. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the soup just before serving.
Original recipe from the Food Network Magazine, May 2013.
If you' like to make grilled pita, brush both sides with olive oil. Use a pizza cutter to cut each pita into 6 pieces. Bake in a 400 degree oven- about 5 minutes on each side. These were delicious warm or cooled.
Serve with a tossed Greek salad (thank you, Barbara) and a fabulous sherry laden coconut cake from our resident pastry chef, Arlene!
Enjoy! Next up- Black Bean Soup!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Welcome to Souper Tuesday, 2015
Welcome to a new year of Souper Tuesday on Thursday! Sounds odd, doesn't it? This year we are getting together on Thursday nights. That's not the only change- we welcomed 2 new families to our gathering. Marybeth, Ryan, and their cute boys, Rocco and Turner and our newest neighbors Jesse and Jennifer helped us kick off a new Souper season.
And quite a gathering it was! Barbara is continuing to bring delicious salads, Marybeth and Arlene tempted us with sweet treats and Erica brought awesome popovers. With all this you might be thinking, "Who needs soup?"
This week I started us off with Chicken Nacho. I found the recipe in Food Network Magazine featured for a slow cooker. Since I am feeding 14, I adapted the recipe for my big soup pot. This version will feed 4-6.
Chicken Nacho Soup
1/2 can of tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 14.5 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 large potato- peeled and diced
1 small zucchini - diced
1 small onion- diced
1 small jalapeño- finely chop half; thinly slice the rest and reserve for the topping ( Wear gloves when working with the jalapeño!) Removing the seeds makes it less hot.
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 sm bag of frozen corn
1 qt of chicken broth
Salt to taste
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 TBS vegetable oil
Topping
1 sm box of Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup milk
Tortilla Chips
Add oil into the bottom of the soup pot. Cook onions in oil over medium heat until onions are tender but not browned. Add the diced tomatoes including juice, tomato paste, sauce, zucchini, potatoes, finely diced jalapeño, garlic, cumin, cilantro, and chicken broth. stirring often, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the corn and chicken and simmer for another 30-40 minutes checking to see that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Prepare the cheese topping by melting the Velveeta in a microwaveable bowl. Stir and thin with milk until the cheese is thick but can be poured. I used a 4 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup.
To serve: top each bowl with 3or 4 whole tortilla chips. Spoon (or pour) a little melted cheese on top of the chips. Add jalapeños if desired.
The soup was very easy to make but found that I had to keep a watchful eye to make sure it didn't stick to the bottom. So make sure to keep the heat low once it comes to a boil. Make sure you stir it as it comes to a boil, too!
Don't skip the topping- I think it really made the soup!
I hope you try it! Please let us know how you like it.
If you want to try the slow cooker version, I found it in the April 2014 Food Network Magazine.
And quite a gathering it was! Barbara is continuing to bring delicious salads, Marybeth and Arlene tempted us with sweet treats and Erica brought awesome popovers. With all this you might be thinking, "Who needs soup?"
This week I started us off with Chicken Nacho. I found the recipe in Food Network Magazine featured for a slow cooker. Since I am feeding 14, I adapted the recipe for my big soup pot. This version will feed 4-6.
Chicken Nacho Soup
1/2 can of tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 14.5 oz jar of spaghetti sauce
1 large potato- peeled and diced
1 small zucchini - diced
1 small onion- diced
1 small jalapeño- finely chop half; thinly slice the rest and reserve for the topping ( Wear gloves when working with the jalapeño!) Removing the seeds makes it less hot.
1 clove of garlic minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 sprigs of fresh cilantro
1 sm bag of frozen corn
1 qt of chicken broth
Salt to taste
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 TBS vegetable oil
Topping
1 sm box of Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup milk
Tortilla Chips
Add oil into the bottom of the soup pot. Cook onions in oil over medium heat until onions are tender but not browned. Add the diced tomatoes including juice, tomato paste, sauce, zucchini, potatoes, finely diced jalapeño, garlic, cumin, cilantro, and chicken broth. stirring often, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the corn and chicken and simmer for another 30-40 minutes checking to see that the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Prepare the cheese topping by melting the Velveeta in a microwaveable bowl. Stir and thin with milk until the cheese is thick but can be poured. I used a 4 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup.
To serve: top each bowl with 3or 4 whole tortilla chips. Spoon (or pour) a little melted cheese on top of the chips. Add jalapeños if desired.
The soup was very easy to make but found that I had to keep a watchful eye to make sure it didn't stick to the bottom. So make sure to keep the heat low once it comes to a boil. Make sure you stir it as it comes to a boil, too!
Don't skip the topping- I think it really made the soup!
I hope you try it! Please let us know how you like it.
If you want to try the slow cooker version, I found it in the April 2014 Food Network Magazine.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Mardi Gras Time!
Well, it's hard to believe that our 2014 Souper Tuesday dinners went by so quickly! We had lots of fun evenings this year and tried some great new recipes. This year, we all chose to shop for a different soup. I think some of our shoppers even learned something along the way- like what shallots are and that white sauce in a package is hard to come!
It is so much fun to see the little ones each week. Luke is old enough to sign up for T-ball this spring, Nate turned 2 in Dec, Andy is walking, and this was 9 month old Jacob's first Souper event! And who can forget the Girl Scout cookies delivered by our resident Brownie, Taylor! My Thin Mints are safely packed in the freezer ready for the next stress-emergency!
One of the favorite soups this year was chicken and sausage gumbo. We celebrated Mardi Gras this week complete with beads, masks, and gumbo. Let me just warn you that is was not a quick, throw-it-together meal. But even though it took some time, it was definitely worth the effort!
I made two different batches- one HOT, one NOT to accommodate everyone's preferences. The Not was pretty hot so I would suggest started with less of the Creole seasoning and hot sauce, seasoning to taste as you go along. I also only used andouille in the HOT pot and substituted beef smoked sausage for the andouille in the NOT batch. Like all good Cajun cooking, the vegetables always include the 'trinity' as my friend Winston says; chopped celery, green pepper, and onions.
So here we go!
Sausage Chicken Gumbo
1 lb. andouille cut into 1/4 in slices ( or other smoked sausage)
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
2 qts hot water
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 Tsp creole seasoning ( I use Tony Chachere's)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 to 1 tsp hot sauce ( here is where you can really spice it up!)
Hot cooked rice ( make it in the crock pot)
Brown sausage slices in your soup pot. Remove and drain. Brown chicken in same pan till it is brown on both sides and remove. (It will finish cooking later.) Add enough oil to make about 1/2 cup to the browned bits on the bottom of the soup pot. Use medium heat. Quickly stir in the flour to make a roux. Stir constantly until it is the color of peanut butter. It will be thing so you have to stir it around so it browns but doesn't burn. This will take about 20 minutes or so. So be prepared!
Very gradually, add the hot water to make a thin gravy. I used a whisk to make sure there wen't any lumps. The rest is easy!
In a separate frying pan, cook the 'trinity' in a little vegetable oil till tender. Add to the soup. Add the chicken, garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Add the sausage and simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove, shred the chicken, and return to the pot.
Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!
It is so much fun to see the little ones each week. Luke is old enough to sign up for T-ball this spring, Nate turned 2 in Dec, Andy is walking, and this was 9 month old Jacob's first Souper event! And who can forget the Girl Scout cookies delivered by our resident Brownie, Taylor! My Thin Mints are safely packed in the freezer ready for the next stress-emergency!
One of the favorite soups this year was chicken and sausage gumbo. We celebrated Mardi Gras this week complete with beads, masks, and gumbo. Let me just warn you that is was not a quick, throw-it-together meal. But even though it took some time, it was definitely worth the effort!
I made two different batches- one HOT, one NOT to accommodate everyone's preferences. The Not was pretty hot so I would suggest started with less of the Creole seasoning and hot sauce, seasoning to taste as you go along. I also only used andouille in the HOT pot and substituted beef smoked sausage for the andouille in the NOT batch. Like all good Cajun cooking, the vegetables always include the 'trinity' as my friend Winston says; chopped celery, green pepper, and onions.
So here we go!
Sausage Chicken Gumbo
1 lb. andouille cut into 1/4 in slices ( or other smoked sausage)
3-4 boneless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2-3 celery ribs, chopped
2 qts hot water
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 Tsp creole seasoning ( I use Tony Chachere's)
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 to 1 tsp hot sauce ( here is where you can really spice it up!)
Hot cooked rice ( make it in the crock pot)
Brown sausage slices in your soup pot. Remove and drain. Brown chicken in same pan till it is brown on both sides and remove. (It will finish cooking later.) Add enough oil to make about 1/2 cup to the browned bits on the bottom of the soup pot. Use medium heat. Quickly stir in the flour to make a roux. Stir constantly until it is the color of peanut butter. It will be thing so you have to stir it around so it browns but doesn't burn. This will take about 20 minutes or so. So be prepared!
Very gradually, add the hot water to make a thin gravy. I used a whisk to make sure there wen't any lumps. The rest is easy!
In a separate frying pan, cook the 'trinity' in a little vegetable oil till tender. Add to the soup. Add the chicken, garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Add the sausage and simmer for another 30 minutes. Remove, shred the chicken, and return to the pot.
Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Where's the beef?
I recently read that chicken had overtaken beef as the most popular meat - to the dismay of beef lovers everywhere. But when to comes to soup, beef is still a great option and this beef vegetable soup proves it! We had a full house and even had a few new people to get to know. Everyone agreed that this soup warmed up a cold winter night.
Beef Vegetable
1 lb of ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion diced
1 cup of celery - diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
I bag of frozen mixed vegetables (10-12 oz; no need to defrost)
1 large potato - peeled, diced into 3/4 inch pieces (You can add more or cut larger pieces, but you may need to increase your cooking time to make sure they are tender before serving.)
4 cups of low sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of Worcestershire and a dash of steak sauce to taste
In a soup pot, heat oil and cook the beef, onions, and celery until cooked through and tender. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.
Makes about 6 servings. Serve with warm dinner rolls and a tossed green salad for a quick and easy dinner.
Enjoy!
Beef Vegetable
1 lb of ground beef
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion diced
1 cup of celery - diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
I bag of frozen mixed vegetables (10-12 oz; no need to defrost)
1 large potato - peeled, diced into 3/4 inch pieces (You can add more or cut larger pieces, but you may need to increase your cooking time to make sure they are tender before serving.)
4 cups of low sodium beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of Worcestershire and a dash of steak sauce to taste
In a soup pot, heat oil and cook the beef, onions, and celery until cooked through and tender. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potato is tender.
Makes about 6 servings. Serve with warm dinner rolls and a tossed green salad for a quick and easy dinner.
Enjoy!
Souper Tuesday 2014 Edition
Well it's been a while since I last posted, but we're baaaaack! We've hosted 2 Souper Tuesday dinners so far with a few more set to go. In case you don't know, Souper Tuesday started as a way for my husband, Bruce, and I to get to know the neighbors in our new neighborhood. Now it is used to get us together during the cold winter months, after the holidays and before we are all outside again in spring.
I will be posting the soup recipes again and hope that you give them a try. We have also had some awesome salads made by our friend, Barbara, and devine desserts made by the ever-so-adventurous, Arlene. With their permission, I will post some of those, too.
I'll be back with some too-good-to-miss recipes shortly. In the meantime, stay warm and have a Souper day!
I will be posting the soup recipes again and hope that you give them a try. We have also had some awesome salads made by our friend, Barbara, and devine desserts made by the ever-so-adventurous, Arlene. With their permission, I will post some of those, too.
I'll be back with some too-good-to-miss recipes shortly. In the meantime, stay warm and have a Souper day!
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