Chicken Tortilla Soup

Now HERE is a definitely favorite from this household.  I make a few pots of this every winter and this week marked pot number one.  Never has anyone expressed anything but love for this recipe.  Don't let the longish list of ingredients scare you off!  The recipe is derived from one I found online and modified to get as close to the one used at my favorite little Mexican place.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (or equivalent amount), cooked and cubed
•  1 package taco seasoning, or make your own with this recipe
• 30 oz chicken broth
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 24 oz stewed tomatoes
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa or about 3 cups (pretty much takes care of most of the seasoning!)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1.5 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 chopped zucchini
• 2 diced avocados
• 1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Directions

• Coat chicken with taco seasoning and cook chicken in small amount of oil.  When done, cut into cubes.
• Combine cooked chicken with all other ingredients into crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours
• Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese

Sorry no picture!  Ate this bad boy up before I thought about grabbing the camera :(  

Guess I'll have to make it again :)

Chili Taco Soup

This is another recipe from my good friend Amy that I made back in the Fall when I visited her in Florida.  It was YUMMY!

You will need:

• 2lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (4oz) can green chilies
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 3 (14 ½ oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (15oz) can ranch beans, undrained (can use chili beans)
• 1 (15oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 packet taco seasoning mix or you can make your own found here
• 1 packet Ranch dressing mix
• 2 c water or more to desired consistency

Brown beef with chopped onion and green chilies in a large soup pot. Drain fat. Blend tomatoes and add to meat. Add rest of ingredients and cook (simmer) for 20-30 mins. Makes large pot of soup.

Jesus Heals & So Does Cabbage Soup

It's that season...the thermostats in some places are as high as the number of people catching colds!  I am, in fact, fighting my first (and hopefully last!)  Cabbage soup is incredibly healing.  It's soothing for flu and cold season because of the garlic.  The cabbage has cleansing properties for digestive discomfort.  There are no carbs or fat.

Oh and it tastes great too!  See for yourself!

Ingredients

• 1/2 head of cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1/2 to 1 whole onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 quarts water
• 4 tsp (or cubes) chicken bouillon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 (14.5 oz) can italian stewed tomatoes
• Red pepper flakes and/or ground red pepper to taste, depending on your taste and tolerance for spiciness - I used a couple shakes of each 

Directions

• In a large stock pot, sauté onions and garlic in oil until translucent, about 5-7 minutes
•  Stir in water, bouillon, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes/ground red pepper
• Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer
• Add cabbage and continue to simmer 10 minutes
• Stir in tomatoes
• Return to boil, then reduce to final simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often

Got no plans for that other half of cabbage head?  Make a double batch and freeze half for next time!  Make sure you have a large enough pot.

Optionally Spicy Pumpkin Soup

After this, there's just one more weekend in October thus only one more pumpkin recipe coming.  Although I'm saving my favorite for last, I definitely give this one both thumbs way up as well.  This recipe is an adaptation of one featured in Oprah's O Magazine.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 large (mine was 1 lb, 13 oz) can pumpkin 
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat
• Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent
• Add spices and stir for one additional minute - the spice amounts called for in the recipe will make for a good taste but will not AT ALL make this soup spicy yet.  There will be a time later to add more spices as necessary for your personal liking

• Add chicken broth and pumpkin and mix well
• Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

• Transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and return soup to pot - I personally like to stop the blender just shy of "smooth" and leave a couple chunks of onion still in tact
• With soup on low heat, add in brown sugar and mix
• Slowly add milk while stirring
• Add cream

• Adjust spices, if necessary, to make the soup spicier to your personal taste - for me, this meant a LOT of the red pepper flakes and the cayenne.  If you find that you overdo it and it is too spicy, just add a little more cream to temper it.
• Optional: if you've got 'em, garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds!

Bacon Corn Chowder

At noon it was 46 degrees here in the southwest part of Midwest to Southwest: Good Eats.  Chilly.  Definitely time for crock pot soup!

Ingredients

• 8 strips cooked bacon, crumbled 
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 red potatoes, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 30 oz chicken broth
• 2 cans creamed corn
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Directions

• Combine all ingredients besides the evaporated milk in a crock pot
• Cook on low for 8 hours
• Add evaporated milk for final 45 minutes

French Onion Soup

Riding on the coattails of the recipe, posted yesterday, for zucchini bread provided by friend of Good Eats, Andy, we bring you another borrowed but tasty dish.  All the way from Colorado, Seth, author of All That Is, has shared with us a good French Onion Soup recipe that his family uses.  After testing it, we have deemed it not only delicious but also blogworthy.

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions, sliced into rings
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp dry sherry or dry white wine (optional)
• Several grinds from pepper mill
• 4 slices french bread, day old or toasted
• Shredded swiss cheese - I had sliced swiss for sandwiches so I went ahead and used that

Directions

• Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat
• Add the onion rings and sauté them in the butter until tender and golden.  Cover the pan if possible 

• Add the beef broth, worchestershire sauce, pepper and sherry (optional)
• Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
• In 4 bowls, place 1 slice of french bread
• Pour soup over bread and sprinkle with cheese and serve

Thanks again, Seth!

Look forward to more soup recipes as the temperatures continue to drop and we get more and more into the Fall!