Roasted Vegetable Soup

This soup recipe by Ina Garten is delicious and healthy...I totally recommend making it on a cold winter evening.  

I am heating up the leftovers for lunch as I am typing!  So good!

Click here for the recipe!











I only roasted carrots, sweet potato and squash as my hubby is not a huge fan of the sweetness of parsnips and it came out just as good!

And cut it in half, since it was only for 2.














And topped it with a little parmesan cheese!  Just needed a little salty cheese :)

ENJOY!

White Bean and Ham Soup

I love soup!  They're easy, tasty and usually healthy for you!  

serves 6-8

2 cans great northern beans
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups cubed smoked ham
2-3 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 large onion chopped
fresh thyme sprigs
salt and pepper




Brown the celery, onion and carrots in 1-2 TB olive oil in dutch oven on medium heat about 10 minutes.  Add broth, ham, beans and a small hand full of fresh thyme sprigs.  Simmer on low for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy with fresh baguette.  

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 TB butter

Shallots; diced

Carrots; diced

Cilantro

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 cups water

1 can of black beans

Saute shallots and carrots in 2 TB butter

 Add stock, water, beans, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

 Use emulsifier to blend.  Top with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.  Enjoy!

Kale and Tortellini Soup

Kale may be my new favorite ingredient to incorporate into any meal these days.  Besides all the great health benefits of kale, it adds a new flavor and crunch to any dish.

1 bunch of kale; chopped

onion; diced

hot italian turkey sausage; I just take out of packaging

cheese tortellini

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup of water

splash of white wine

salt and pepper

In a large pot, saute onions and 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add sausage.  Cook through.  Add kale and salt and pepper to taste.  Once cooked, add stock, water and wine.  Bring to a simmer.  Add tortellini.  

I like to top it with Parmesan cheese :)  Enjoy!

Lemon Artichoke Soup

I tried to replicate one of my favorite soups I order in a local restaurant.  I think this came out pretty good if not better!  

2 cups artichokes; quartered

1 1/2 lemons

mirepoix (chopped onions, carrots and celery)

2 cloves of garlic; minced

about 3 cups chicken stock (I used broth, but would change to stock for the next time)

2 cups heavy cream

salt and pepper

In a pot saute mirepoix, garlic, salt and pepper until onions sweat.  Add chicken stock and half of the artichokes.  Once heated through, blend the mirepoix and artichokes with emulsifier.  Add the juice of 1 lemon and cream.  Add the other half of the artichokes and half of lemon to the pot.  Let simmer on low for 10 minutes to blend flavors.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy with fresh bread on the side :)

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup

SOUP for 2!  Here is a great fall soup recipe for the soul :)  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

20 oz. pre cut butternut squash

4 cups of chicken stock

1 cup water

1 1/2 cups cream

1 cup frozen corn

1 small cooking onion; diced

handful of fresh sage leaves; cut into thin strips 

3 tablespoons butter

In a medium pot bring the stock and butternut squash to a slow boil.  

In a skillet, add butter onions and sage leaves.  Cook until sage is crispy.  Add corn and cook through. Add cream to warm up before adding to pot.

Once the squash is soft, use an emulsifier to make the soup smooth. Add the corn and sage mixture.  Let flavors blend together and serve!

ENJOY :)

Vegetable Stew Over Couscous

As I picked the last of the veggies from the garden and the temperature has cooled WAY down, all I want is a hot comforting meal and this does does just the trick on a cool fall night.

3 cloves garlic; finely chopped

1 small onion; finely chopped

1/2 bell pepper; chopped

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

4 medium tomatoes; cubed

1 medium zucchini; cubed

1 medium eggplant; cubed

1/3 cup tomato paste

1-2+ cups water (depending how thick you want your stew)

salt and pepper to taste

couscous 

Parmesan cheese

In a large pot add the first 3 ingredients.  Cook until the onion is browned.  Add basil, oregano and tomatoes.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add tomato paste and desired amount of water; I used about a cup and a half.  Mix.  Add eggplant.  Cook for another 5-8 minutes.  I add the zucchini last because I like them a little under cooked.  Cook on low for 5-8 minutes.  Serve over couscous and top with Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Note:  Couscous takes less than 10 minutes to cook:)  I started the couscous when I put the zucchini in the stew...

Herbed Chicken and Dumplings

Sauce is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.  This is a wonderful comfort food and one of Jason's favorites :)

1 rotisserie chicken (cut chicken into small pieces)

• 7 tablespoons butter
• 10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal
• 1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 4 cups chicken broth

Dumplings (I cheated, shhhh!)  Follow dumpling directions on box.

Bisquick!  It's super easy and is just as great, add a little herbs to the bisquick before adding liquid to be extra savory) 

• -------------------

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

------------------

In a large pot melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, until golden-brown, 3 to 4 minutes. When golden brown, whisk in the wine, reserved chicken broth, Essence, and thyme. Cook until sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes, then add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 15 minutes. Add the reserved chicken meat, heavy cream or milk, and peas. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the dumplings on top of the chicken mixture. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve in large soup bowls, garnished with the parsley.

Butternut Squash Soup

In the Food Network magazine last year, I found this recipe in "50 different soups".  This is a great recipe you can make in a flash!  If you want to make it thicker, add heavy cream and for more flavor I fry up some sage leaves and add before serving.  It looks pretty and tastes amazing.  Enjoy :)

Ingredients

• 1 (2 to 3 pound) butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 6 sage leaves (optional)
• 2 Tb butter (to cook with sage)
• heavy cream (optional)  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. In a skillet, melt 1-2 TB of butter, once melted, add sage leaves.  Cook until crispy.  Ladle soup in bowl, add sage leaves and serve.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is the recipe on the cover of this months FoodNetwork Magazine.  For those who are looking for a great food magazine, I highly recommend FoodNetwork's Magazine!  It is full of recipes and very little ads, etc.  The fall chilly weather, is perfect for making homemade soups! YUM!

The only thing I did differently in this recipe was not using sweet potatoes and it was still very tasty!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1/3 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
• Croutons, for topping (optional)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, half-and-half, both potatoes, bay leaf, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl; add 3 tablespoons water and season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes; drain.

When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf from the soup and transfer the soup to a blender. Puree until smooth, leaving the filler cap slightly open to let steam escape (or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pot and thin with water, if necessary. Return to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the broccoli and season with salt and pepper.

Add the cheese and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with croutons, if desired

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato, pureed
• 2 cups cubed fresh watermelon
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint, plus more for garnish
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a blender, puree the tomatoes and 1/2 of the watermelon.  Pour in the red wine vinegar and olive oil and pulse. Add the onion, cucumber, mint and season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. 

Pour into martini glass or bowl, add remaining watermelon and a spring of mint. Chill and Serve!  If serving immediately, chill glasses or bowls ahead of time.  

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato and Ham Soup

Not sure what to do with a left over ham bone? Here is a simple soup that is just wonderful on a chilly night!

Ham bone and about 2 cups of ham

4 cups of water

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1 small onion chopped

1 sweet potato cubed

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

In a large pot combine first 4 ingredients. Simmer on medium heat until it boils.  Once it boils, add potatoes.  

In a sperate small saucepan, melt butter.  Add flour and whisk until it has combined.  Add milk, whisk until has thickened.  Add cheese. 

Once the Potatoes are cooked through, take out ham bone.  Add cheese sauce mixture and mix together.  Enjoy :)

Potato Leek Soup

I love making soups during the week on cold nights.  They are quick and always warm me up!

This is the perfect recipe for 2!

4 butter potatoes, cubed

2 leeks, sliced thinly

5 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup milk

butter

1/2 tsp. thyme

pepper

garnish with cheddar cheese if you wish!

In a pot melt about 3 Tb butter.  Saute leeks and potatoes.  Add thyme and fresh cracked pepper.  After about 5 minutes add chicken broth.  Simmer until potatoes are cooked through. Add milk or cream.

With an emulsion blender, blend soup to thicken.  I hold on bottom of pot so the leeks are blended well, but like to leave the potatoes cubed.

Enjoy :)

Chili

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion chopped

2 cans dark kidney beans (drained and washed)

1 can whole tomatoes

1/2 cup dry red wine

salt and pepper

chili powder

garlic powder

cheddar cheese

In a large pot, saute onions in a tablespoon of butter and a dash of seasoning salt.  When browned remove and save in a bowl for later.  Add ground beef, cook until browned and cooked through.  Ladle out grease. Add sauteed onions, tomatoes, kidney beans, red wine, salt and pepper to taste.  Add 1 thin layer about 2 tsp. of garlic powder and chili powder about 3 tsp.  (add more to taste)  this will make a mild chili.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Serve with cheddar cheese on top! ENJOY :)

Beef Stew

Yes...Still on the hunt for the perfect crock pot meal...

1 package of Wegmans stew beef

2 stalks of celery

baby carrots

2 small potatoes

1 small onion

2 cups beef broth

1/2 cup dry red wine

garlic powder

seasoning salt

salt and pepper

flour

In a bowl mix1/2 cup of flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper and seasoning salt with stew beef.  Brown beef in a frying pan.  

In the crock pot roughly chop onion and celery into large chunks. Quarter potatoes and add to crock pot.  Add baby carrots.  Add freshly ground pepper to veggies.  Add beef broth and red wine. Add beef and mix ingredients together.  Cook on high for 6 hours, low on 10.  Enjoy!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

The perfect meal on a cold winter night!

1 can whole tomatoes

20 oz chicken broth

1 bag of baby spinach leaves

1-2 cloves of garlic

cheese tortellini (I used goat cheese tortellini)

olive oil

salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat, minced garlic cloves, salt, pepper and olive oil on medium heat.  Add tomatoes and chicken broth.  Let come to a simmer.  Add tortellini then add spinach a couple handfuls at a time.  Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top if you wish! ENJOY :)