Soup
Chicken Tomatillo Soup
Tomatillos are bordering on the “obscure ingredient” boundary that I’ve set for this food blog. BUT I’m letting it slide because they can be found in most grocery stores and because I wrote a little tutorial about them that can be found HERE. I hope you’ll forgive this little jaunt, especially since I love this fruit SO much now that I’ve worked with it.
With that being said, you really ought to try this soup:
I know that Mexican Tortilla soup recipes are a dime a dozen on line, but I dare you to compare the freshness of this recipe to any of those others that use taco meat seasoning packets or bottled salsa. This recipe got the whole family excited – even my sister in law who was visiting. It doesn’t have a lot of kick to it since my boys are spice sissies, but if you want more spice adding some diced jalapenos or tabasco sauce would be a very simple alteration.
Chicken Tomatillo Soup
- Shredded chicken meat (about 2 breasts worth)
- 4 c. chicken broth (I used low-sodium)
- 1 can beans, drained and rinsed (I used black, but pinto or kidney would go great)
- 1/2 c. corn
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 tomatillos, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes, including liquid
- 1/4 cup cilantro, divided
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 bay leaf
Top soup with:
- shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, mexican blend), if desired
- 1 avocado, diced (Recommended – Jay and I couldn’t get enough of the avocado in ours)
- sour cream, if desired
- tortilla chips
If not using leftover chicken, place 2 chicken breasts in a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer until the chicken tests done, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water, allow to cool a bit then shred the chicken by hand or with forks. Store shredded chicken in fridge until ready to use it.
Add a little cooking spray to your soup pot and set over medium heat. Add onions and the tomatillos and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the onions have softened and are beginning to turn a light brown. Stir in the chopped garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the chopped tomatoes with liquid, beans, corn, chicken, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, cilantro, and finally the chicken broth.
Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve the hot soup with the toppings I used or others to your liking.
Happy Cooking!
All Veggies Potato Soup
Baby it’s cold outside, so let’s talk soup.
I *heart* potato soup. It’s creamy and rich with wonderful herbs, but I also have a mean lazy streak in me that has compelled me to buy loads of the dehyderated potato soups. There are many brands out there, all of which make for tasty soup…
Except for those darn dehydrated potato chunks. You know what I’m talking about right? The ones that come with the soup, but never really cook back to normal potato consistency and get stuck on your teeth.
I hate that.
So, I decided to change things up – use a dehydrated mix for the base, but then use any and all veggies that I had on hand to make the soup fresher. The results were fantastic. Here’s the idea:
All Veggies Potato Soup
- Dehydrated potato soup mix (enough for 8 servings)
- 3 small-med red potatoes
- about 1 cup baby carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1/2 head of fresh broccoli
- 1/2 c. frozen corn
- Any toppings that you like for potatoes: crumbled bacon, cheese, green onion, etc.
Prepare fresh veggies by cutting them into small pieces – especially the potatoes and carrots as they take longer to cook. Fill a large soup pot with the amount of water needed to make 8 servings of the dehydrated soup. Bring water to a boil, then add potatoes and carrots. Boil until potatoes and carrots are just softening (about 20 minutes, but will take longer depending on the size of the chunks). Add soup mix and all other veggies and cook until those veggies have just softened or until the soup has properly thickened. Top as desired (in my pic I’ve got some crumbled turkey bacon and cheese – the bacon was GREAT!).
Don’t want it vegetarian? Bacon did add a great flavor, but you could also mix into the soup some cooked and shredded chicken, or ham pieces.
Happy Cooking!
Cheesy Burger Chowder
The weather has turned cold, even down here in Texas. The time has come for me to unveil a Mama D classic, Cheesy Burger Chowder (AKA Cheeseburger Soup, but I’ve never liked that name since it sounds like a burger, bun, and mustard in a blender – ick).
This soup is seriously out of this world. It’s creamy, flavorful, loaded with veggies, but it’s also bad… so, so bad for you.
I almost chickened out of posting this recipe, it’s THAT bad. I told Jay that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to make it again in good conscience and he nearly cried. So for him, I’m putting this recipe out there, and promising to keep on making it from time to time, but I’m also going to put my notes about how to cut out some of the fat and calories (both versions have been tested on Jay and both were considered delicious).
**Going to a potluck sometime this month? This soup will make you a rock star, I guarantee it.**
Cheesy Burger Chowder – Mama D’s version, with Kim notes for cutting back fat
- 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
- 3/4 c. chopped onion
- 3/4 c. shredded carrots (the amounts of veggies don’t need to be exact, I usually add a bit extra)
- 3/4 c. diced celery
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 4 Tbs. butter/margarine, divided (I don’t use any butter in my version)
- 3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 4 c. peeled and diced potatoes (small bite sizes work best so that they cook faster)
- 1/4 c. flour
- 8 oz. Velveeta (I use the 2% milk variety that has less fat)
- 1 1/2 c. milk (skim)
- 3/4 tsp. salt (I skip this)
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 c. sour cream (I use fat-free)
Brown beef, drain, set aside. In a large soup pot saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 Tbs butter (or just use some cooking spray if omitting butter) until veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, potatoes, and beef. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender (this time will really depend on the size of the potatoes you cut). Meanwhile, melt remaining 3 Tbs butter in a small saucepan and add flour. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes or until bubbly, then add it to soup and bring to a boil. (If not using butter, just throw the flour in the soup, but be very attentive for lumps and smash them out on the side of the pot with a fork if necessary.) Boil for 2 minutes, stirring well. Reduce heat to low, add cheese in small chunks, milk, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted, remove from heat and blend in sour cream. Yields 8 servings.
Happy Cooking!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Chowder
I don’t have a lot of witty commentary to say about this soup, only that it’s awesome, all American, easy, and that I tweaked it to be a bit healthier and loaded it with extra veggies (I’m sure no one is surprised by this). Both of my boys devoured it, which is the best recommendation that I can give.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Chowder
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast meat cut into ½ in. pieces
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 celery ribs, cut fine
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 c. frozen corn kernels
- 2 cans cream of potato soup
- 1 can low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp. dried dill
- 1 tsp curry powder (optional – this isn’t enough to make it taste like curry, but does add a depth and richness to the flavor that I love for chowder)
- pepper to your liking
- ½ c. fat-free half and half
Using a little cooking spray, brown the chicken breast pieces with onion and garlic in a skilled over med-high heat. Put in slow cooker. Next add celery and carrots to pan and sauté with a little water for a few minutes until just tender, then add to slow cooker. Next add corn, soup, broth, curry, pepper, and dill to slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, stirring ingredients together after half the time. During the last 10 minutes, stir in half and half.
Happy Cooking!
