Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this soup over a week ago when we were snowed in. It was a nice meal to help keep warm while the wind and snow were going strong outside. This has a really great combination of flavors and was exactly what I was looking for in a tortilla soup recipe. I made a few adaptations to the recipe based on the fact that grocery stores in our area are absolutely awful at stocking remotely unique ingredients such as any variety of pepper other than bell or jalapeno. I also left out the corn because it turned out we didn’t have any, and the avocado because I’m not a fan. This was definitely a full meal on its own. I just served it with rolls on the side. We are both looking forward to having it again!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
4 tomatoes
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ red bell pepper, diced (about ½ cup)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 cups chicken broth
1-2 diced jalapeno peppers
½ (15 oz.) can peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper
cayenne, to taste (optional)
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts

For garnish:
tortilla chips or strips
1 tomato, diced
chopped fresh cilantro
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sour cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Slice the tomatoes in half. Spread 1 tbsp. of the olive oil on a baking sheet or pizza pan and arrange the tomatoes on top, skin side up. Drizzle the tomatoes with another 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Roast the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and the tomatoes are slightly brown around the edges.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 4-qt. soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté about 5 minutes, until the vegetables become soft. Stir in the chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, 1 cup water, and half of the diced jalapenos. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then cover, decrease the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Place the remaining jalapenos, the canned tomatoes with their juices and the roasted tomatoes (included as much as possible of the juices and browned tomato bits) in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Puree the jalapeno-tomato mixture about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the soup and continue simmering, covered, about 1 hour.

Add salt and pepper to taste and ground cayenne pepper (if using) along with the cooked chicken. Allow to simmer a few minutes, until chicken is heated through.

Ladle the soup into medium bowls. Lean some tortilla chips against the edge of each bowl, partially sticking out of the soup. Sprinkle each bowl with a handful of diced tomatoes, some cilantro, and shredded cheese. Top with a spoonful of sour cream. Serve immediately.

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride, originally from The Pastry Queen, 2004.

Roasted Tomato Soup

When I was a kid, I hated tomato soup. I rarely ate it and certainly never requested it. Of course, that is probably because what I was used to being served as “tomato soup” was the kind from a Campbell’s can. I never understood the whole “tomato soup and grilled cheese” combination, because I couldn’t figure out why you would ruin one of the greatest sandwiches ever with nasty old tomato soup. Well, it turns out that my hubby actually grew up liking tomato soup (the same kind I hated) so last year I thought I would try to find a recipe to make for him - I had no intention of liking it. This is the recipe I ended up with and OH MY GOSH it is the BEST SOUP EVER!!! I am sure that I will never make another recipe for tomato soup because this is just the greatest. And, it pairs wonderfully with the amazing grilled cheese sandwich.

The only drawback to this soup during the winter is the use of fresh basil (I miss my herb garden!), but it is worth the price. I don’t think I use the full amount in the winter though - maybe closer to 1 cup. It doesn’t seem to make a big difference, just as long as you use some fresh basil. The original recipe also calls for fresh thyme but I wasn’t about to pay for any more fresh herbs, so I used dry instead. This soup is great to make ahead and eat throughout the week or to freeze for later.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cut in half, insides scooped out
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped onion
6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz. can) whole or chopped tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp. dried)
4 cups chicken stock

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Spread tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet covered in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 min.

Pass through food processor. (I recommend doing this in two batches. I have a full-size food processor, but putting all of the soup in at once creates an enormous mess. Trust me on this one.)

Source: passed on to me by Nestie bakingblonde

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

This recipe has long been one of my favorites. It is incredibly simple, quick, healthy, and delicious - what more can you ask for? I love to make this when I get home from a long, busy day because it is so quick and easy but still tastes great. It is even great as a leftover. I think the garnish really adds something special to this soup, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 c. vegetable broth
1 c. salsa
1 t. cumin
sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese for garnishing

Directions:
Combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin in a food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Heat soup in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Put soup in bowls and garnish as desired.

Source: Allrecipes

French Onion Soup

Success! This is yet another dish that I love to get in restaurants, and now I can make it in my very own home. I love when this happens, and I must say, it has been happening more and more often. Consequently I find that we have been eating out less and less. This was a pretty simple dinner and didn’t require much work on my part.

Once again I was unable to find leeks at any store so I just left them out. I halved the recipe and made a few minor changes of my own. My version is reflected below. Scroll down for a link to the original recipe.

French Onion Soup
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp. sugar
2 leeks, including tender green portions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef broth
¼ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
½ tsp. fresh thyme (or ¼ tsp. dried)
salt and pepper, to taste
6 baguette slices, ¾” thick
½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Directions:
In a large nonaluminum saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes. Add the sugar and leeks and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until richly colored and caramelized, 30 to 45 minutes. (You may need to increase the heat to medium to add some color at the end.)

Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, wine, bay leaf and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

To serve, preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into individual flameproof soup bowls. Place 2 or 3 slices of bread on top of each bowl and sprinkle with the cheese. Slide under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat element. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 2-3.

Source: Williams Sonoma

Cheddar Corn Chowder

I love soup. That is all there is to it. I have not always loved soup, but that is probably because “soup” used to mean something from a can that didn’t have much taste or nutritional value. Now that I’ve made several types of soup myself, I have come to realize what a great food soup can be when it is homemade. Tonight I decided to try this new recipe, another one from my Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Like every other recipe I have tried from this book, it was delicious! Ben even says it now takes the place of his favorite soup - pretty good, if you ask me.

The only thing I dislike about Ina’s recipes is the huge quantities they make. This recipe serves 10-12 people normally, so I made a third of the regular recipe (not easy to do with these dimensions, by the way). Also, to make it a bit healthier, I used turkey bacon and reduced fat white cheddar cheese. I don’t have any real changes of my own, and I don’t think I’ll change anything next time either. This is good just as it is

Cheddar Corn Chowder
serves 10-12

Ingredients:
8 oz. bacon, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ cup flour
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 lbs.)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 lbs.)
2 cups half-and-half
8 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:
In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten and Martha Stewart, Clarkson Potter, 1999

Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup

It is really only recently that Ben and I have come to appreciate how great soup is. It is definitely a comfort food, and can be a meal in itself or a great accompaniment to a sandwich or other entree. Because of this newfound appreciation, I have been trying to find more soup recipes and this one is definitely a keeper.

This recipe is from Cooking Light, so it is very healthy. I don’t have any specific changes that I make other than to leave off the extra cheese for topping because I don’t find it necessary. This is the second time I have made this soup and I really like how quick and simple it is. We had this with yeast rolls on the side, and it was a great meal.

Baked Potato & Broccoli Soup
Ingredients:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 ¼ cups 2% reduced fat milk
1 (8 oz) block 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (optional)
chopped green onions for topping (optional)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onion in a Dutch oven (or large saucepan). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk & 8 oz. of freshly shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top each serving of soup with shredded cheese and green onions as desired.

**It is recommended to use fresh shredded cheese for creaminess and even melting.