15 Best Soups

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE



I love soup. I love it so much that if you check the RECIPES section of this blog you'll find many many soups. I tried to choose my favorites, but even then I did a bad job narrowing things down (I chose fifteen and could have kept going, but these really are the BEST). I hope you love some of these in the cold months ahead as much as I do. Note: I wanted to re-do some of the ugly pictures (you can see that my photography has improved over the years even if it's still not perfect), but I simply didn't have time. One day maybe I will, but for now, know that they are delicious and usually gorgeous.



1. Beef Stew. Simply the best. But not the easiest. But the best. Ever.



2. Cheesy Potato Soup. This is my big group cheapskate go-to. It can feed a crowd on a few dollars. And it's amazing.



3. Meatball Soup. Italian lovers, this is going to be your jam. Also, a great crowd pleaser.



4. Moroccan Carrot Soup. The best carrot soup ever. Mmm. I'm seeing this in my near future.



5. Scared Silly White Chili. Perfect for Halloween. Or whenever. It's the best white chili I've had.

 

6. Broccoli Cheese Soup. The best. We eat this every year for Christmas Eve. Simple, delicious, lovely with sparkling cider.



7. Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Ranch Chili. We can't do this without at least one crock pot recipe right. This one is delicious.



8. Green gumbo. Super Greens. Here you go. This looks ugly. I've made it often and it always does. But it tastes fantastic and is LOADED with greens you don't usually eat.



9. Spinach Soup. And while we're talking greens.... I make this when I have a bunch of spinach that needs using, or I feel a little draggy and need a green boost. It's easy. It's good for you. It tastes delicious. It really is good, which you might need to take on faith if you think that you and yourn feel a little nervous about something called Spinach Soup. But if you're frightened, try it's more carbalicious sibling, Spinach Potato Soup. You might find it more accessible for your crowd and it's still packed with spinach.



10. Corn and Kale Chowder. Again with the greens. But don't worry, this one has corn and potatoes too, so it's less frightening. And sooo good.



11. Fire Roasted Fish Soup. You don't have to love fish to like this. It's so good. A little heat, a little cool.



12. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. Tomato soup is my favorite. It just is. This is a tiny bit more grown up than the \Campbell's. And world's tastier. It deserves a more grown up picture, but I haven't had time to get one:(.



13. Summer Stew. This really is best in summer, but I've had it in winter too.



14. Thai Soup. When it gets cold, I always crave tangy, creamy things. This hits that spot.



15. Zuppa Tuscana. Yes, that Zuppa Tuscana. Only better. It just is. So so good.

My Favorite Dal

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE



Since last week, I posted my two favorite naan recipes, this week I thought it'd be apropos to post my two favorite dal recipes. Especially with the cooler weather and rain we've been having--it's been making me crave warm comfort foods like crazy.

My very favorite to-die-for dal is this Dal with Tomatoes and Cream. I'm actually also kind of fond of the post I wrote about it, so if you like you can go HERE to see/read it. If not, I'll post the recipe below as well. It's just so good it will convert you.

My second most favorite ever dal is this Coconut Red Lentil Dal--beautiful (it's the image featured above) and with an amazing combination of flavors. Find the original post HERE if you're so inclined or the recipe below.

Dal with Tomato and Cream
adapted from Steamy Kitchen
Serves 4
Cook time: 1 hour
Cost: $1.95
(lentils: .50, tomatoes: .75, butter: .30, cream: .35, other stuff: .05)

1 C dry lentils
1 14-oz can diced or crushed tomatoes (I used home-canned)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 cloves)
1/2 tsp ground ginger (you could also use 1/2-1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 C water
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1/3 C heavy cream
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro (didn't have, so skipped. Would have been lovely--for my picture and my palate)

Note for the calorie/fat conscious: You can skip the cream, but not the butter. (Or possibly visa versa.) I tasted it before adding the cream and it was seriously already to die for. Yes, the cream added even more amazingness if such a thing could be, but you could get away without using it. The butter, however, added a smooth  flavorfulness that I don't think you should live without.

Check lentils for stones (I've never found one, but I don't want to either). Put lentils in large sauce pan and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain water and return lentils to the pot. You can mash some of them against the side if you will.

Add crushed tomatoes (I pureed my home-canned ones and left the juices in, so it was pretty watery). Add ginger, garlic, cayenne pepper, water, butter, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 hour until dal is thick with most of the fluid cooked out. Check the pot periodically and if your water cooks out before it's done, just add more. Take off heat and stir in cream. Garnish with cilantro if desired.




Coconut Red Lentil Dal
adapted from 101 Cookbooks (her ingredient list is perfect; her instructions a little fussy to my mind)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Cost: $2.55
peas/lentils: .20, carrot: .10, fresh ginger: .02, butter: .02, green onions: .36, raisins: .10, coconut milk: 1.30, tomato paste: .20) cilantro: .25)

1 C yellow split peas (I didn't have so subbed in regular old lentils--the greenish kind you find at Walmart)
1 C red lentils
7 C water (I wasn't sure I should trust this and almost used chicken stock instead, but 101 Cookbooks came through for me and the water worked fine)
1 medium carrot, diced
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil for a vegan option)
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 C raisins (again, I hesitated here, but went ahead with it--totally awesome. You have to add the raisins. They cook so that they kind of mush into everything else, but add a nice earthy pop of sweetness to the brew)
1/3 C tomato paste
1 14-oz can coconut milk
2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 small handful cilantro, chopped (this could be optional, but I do love me some cilantro)

Rinse peas and lentils until they no longer put off a murky water. This took more rinses than I expected. I'm not sure it's worth it, but I expect it might lower the gasaciousness of the legumes. Place them in a big pot and cover them in the water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer. Add carrot and 1/2 Tbsp of ginger. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until peas are soft.

In the meantime, melt your butter in a small skillet. Add curry, ginger, half the green onions, and the raisins (seriously, don't skip them, even if you hate raisins). Saute for a couple minutes (you should start smelling the seasonings) and then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute.

Add this to the simmering soup (add it after the first 30 minutes). Add coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered for 20 more minutes. It will thicken up and you should give it a stir here and there to be sure it's not sticking to the bottom of your pan (if it is, turn down the heat or stir it more frequently or both). I liked it nice and thick. (How thick you may ask, especially if you're not used to making dal? Well, I hate to use the word pasty here because it's not a word we usually use with food to mean good things, but you'll want to get it less soupy and more pasty. Not so pasty you could make a pinata out of it or anything, but definitely on the pasty spectrum. Hope that helps.)

And I really liked it with some cooked farro thrown in.

Serve garnished with remaining green onions and cilantro.

The Best Beef Stew Ever: aka Beef Burgundy (Minus the Burgundy)--An Alcohol-free Knock-Off

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

How do I decide what makes the cut for the Best of the Tasty Cheapskate this year? Well, I figure if the title is really long, then I must be on to something good. Wait, no, that's just an unfortunate personality quirk. No, the real way I know: if looking at the pictures of it makes me want to make it again. Right now. Without delay. Then I know I've got a winner.

I've made this a couple of times for our Christmas party and both times people have asked for the recipe.

It was originally supposed to be Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy), minus the, uh, Burgundy (wine). Which, if you think too hard about it (you shouldn't), doesn't really make any sense. But I'm a Mormon and don't keep alcohol in the house, and even though alcohol is supposed to cook off in a stew, I'm just not particularly comfortable buying it. And although I sometimes feel like I'm alone in this little cooking eccentricity, I know I'm not alone in this. A whole slew of religious folks (Mormons, Muslims, certain Christian groups) don't drink wine. And there are others in this world with reason not to have alcohol lying around as well. So for this Non-Burgundy Beef Burgundy recipe, you're welcome. 

And for all the rest of you lushes out there, you're welcome too. Because this stew is FANTASTICALLY, amazingly awesome whether you have strong feelings about booze or not. It's just a really solid recipe that stands strong on its own without the wine.

To all you skeptics, I'd just say don't knock it until you try it.

AND, from a purely cheapskate perspective, wine is a fairly expensive ingredient. By bumping it off your grocery list, we just saved you $10 off this recipe. You're welcome, again.

This stew is slightly fussy for a soup. And you MUST give it time to simmer, or it won't be good. You don't have to DO anything while it simmers, but you do have to plan in the time.

Beef Stew: aka Beef Burgundy (Minus the Burgundy)--An Alcohol-free Knock-Off
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Cost: $7.50 (that's less than $1.00/serving; and it's so divine)
onion: .15, carrots: .40, meat: 4.00, flour: .03, Sprite: .40, red wine vinegar: .02, tomato paste: .25, beef stock: .30 (I use bouillon cubes, which are cheaper than stock in cans), potatoes: .40, mushrooms: 1.00, butter: .05, olive oil: .10, spices (mine are almost free because I have an herb garden, so I'm guessing here and giving dry spice estimates): .40

A few notes: 
-This is great with the bay leaves, thyme, and oregano. But once I totally, completely forgot them and it was still great. So you can consider them optional.
-You'll notice there's a wide range for the beef measurement (1-2 pounds). I've done both and love both. Less is obviously cheaper; we usually do more if we're feeding this to guests.
-You could just dump the mushrooms in and simmer, but I like to give them a quick saute in butter first. Because I'm fancy like that.
-If you are short on time and need a simplification, you can skip the saute of the original onion, carrot, and garlic; and just throw it in with the rest of the carrots later (I think this loses a little flavor, but won't ruin this delicious stew). Or you can cut some time (but dirty another pan) by sauteing them in a separate skillet while the beef cooks in your Dutch oven (I favor this pan-dirtying time-saver).


1 1/2 C diced onion (about 1 onion)
1/2 C diced carrot (about 1 carrot)
1 Tbsp garlic (3-4 cloves)
1-2 pound stew meat (depending on how meaty you want it), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 C flour
salt and pepper
1 can Sprite or ginger ale, divided (I prefer Sprite)
1 1/2 C grape juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 C beef stock
1/2 C water
5 bay leaves
10 sprigs thyme (or about 1 tsp dried)
a few shakes of dried oregano
2-3 diced carrots
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 lb mushrooms, halved or sliced (I prefer halves)
butter
olive oil
parsley for garnish if you're taking pictures for a blog or want to impress people, or are just a cool person in general

Heat a Dutch oven (or similar-sized pot) with a bit of olive oil. Add the onion and the 1/2 C of carrots. Saute with salt and pepper for about 5-7 minutes until somewhat softened. Add garlic and cook another minute.

While those veggies are cooking, put salt and pepper on your beef and then toss with 1/4 C flour.

Remove veggies from pot and set aside. Add more olive oil to pot. Put beef on to cook (Note: if you are using 2 pounds, you will need to do this in batches; otherwise, there's just too much meat in the pot). Brown the beef on all sides. It doesn't need to be cooked all the way through. When you're about done, add about half of the can of Sprite to the pot. The carbonation (and maybe the sweetness too) act as a tenderizer for the beef (all acidic foods do this, so here we're kind of making up for some of that wine we're not using).

Take out the beef and set it aside with the vegetables. Add grape juice, red wine vinegar and the rest of the Sprite to the pot. Boil until it reduces somewhat--about 5-10 minutes.

Return beef and veggies to pan. Add tomato paste, beef stock, and water. Add bay leaves, thyme, and oregano (if using).

Simmer. Simmer. Simmer. This is where the magic happens. Allow it to simmer covered for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining carrots (2-3 diced carrots). Simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add diced potatoes (the smaller they're cut, the faster your cook time at this point, so if you're short on time, dice them smaller).

While those are simmering, saute your mushrooms in butter with salt and pepper. This is optional, but so awesome that you really should do it. And they've got to get cooked anyway, so you might as well do it with butter.

When they've released their water and browned somewhat, toss them into the stew and let everything simmer another 10 minutes.

Taste to check seasonings.

Serve with crusty bread and prepare for the best stew of your life.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Soup and Cake

This morning I read a quote so striking that I started to cry immediately upon reading it.

I have no doubt each one of us would move the earth for the people in those photos on our kitchen walls. But so often we don’t want to scare them with our power to bless and heal, so we move the world in increments of soup and cake. They may never even recognize the universe has been realigned for their good. It may be that our mother does glorious things right in front of us every day so often that she blinds us with commonness. Maybe she serves the whole world soup and cake every night.--Sharon Eubank

Has that ever happened to you? For me, it happened on the phrase "blinds us with commonness."

I still can't quite get over it.

And so I thought I would celebrate this concept with a few of my favorite soup and cake recipes. Serve it to the world every night.

Most of them are simple. A little life changing. At least day changing.

5 Favorite Soups

1. Creamy Tomato Basil Soup (Easy)

2. Meatball Soup. (Easy)

3. Moroccan Carrot Soup (Easy)

4. Thai Soup (Some weird ingredients, but totally worth it. Once you get the ingredients, it's easy)

5. Creamy Cheese Potato Soup (Beyond easy)

Okay--so I was going to rate those--you know, like intermediate, hard, easy, etc. Apparently, I only make easy soups. You should too. These are less than 30 minutes each to make, several of them closer to 15-20 minutes.


15 Favorite Cakes (How could I even choose? Clearly, I couldn't (though, truthfully, there's hordes more cake than this on my blog; I really did pick my favorites). You get a lot of cake from a lot of different, er, food groups. Spread them through the world, people.)




1. Best Chocolate Cake (Intermediate)

2. Best White Cake (Intermediate)

3. Carrot Cake (Easy)

4. Orange Bundt Cake (Intermediate)

5. Diana's Apple Cake of Awesomeness (Easy)

6. Peanut Butter Cake  (Easy)

7. Julia Child's Chocolate Almond Cake (Intermediate-hard)

8. Kentucky Caramel Butter Cake (Intermediate, a little harder if you make your own caramel)

9. Red Velvet Cake (Easy)

10. Wacky Cake (Dumb easy)

11. Coconut Cake (Intermediate)

12. Flourless Chocolate Cake (Easy)

13. Lemon Layer Cake (Intermediate) (Note: There is a lemon bundt cake and a lemon sheet cake on this blog, both of which I also consider noteworthy.)

14. Chocolate Volcano Cake (Easy)

15. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. (Intermediate.) Noteworthy for the amazing peanut butter frosting if nothing else.

Nothing says, "I think I have a problem" more than trying to list your favorite cakes. Oh dear.

But, seriously, is there any other food that feels like quite the act of love like making cake and soup.

Meatball Soup

This is one of those recipes I made and then after everyone ate it and loved it, my husband said, "That dinner was way better than it sounded." It's a pretty common phrase in these parts because if I try anything new (and I try LOTS of new things), it is always suspect.

But this was so delicious. So so delicious.

Before summer comes upon us in all her glory you should make this divine, cheap, veggie-filled comfort food.

P.S.I should note that the above pictures were taken the day after I made this. A lot of the saucy/soupy stuff got sucked into the noodles. The day I made it, I took pictures, but they didn't come out very well (nighttime lighting and all). Nevertheless, here's a picture to show what it looks like the first day.

Meatball Soup
serve 6
prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Cost: $6.00
beef: 3.50, bread: .05, egg: .10, other stuff: .10, onion: .10. carrots: .20, Italian diced tomatoes: .70, tomato paste: .30, beef broth: .30 (from cubes), spinach: .35, pasta: .30

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
3/4-1 C bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 Tbsp milk
1 egg (optional--once I forgot it and I actually thought these tasted even better, BUT they didn't hold together as well)

For soup:

Olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (or blended if you've got onion haters in your midst)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 carrots, chopped
1 zucchini, diced (didn't have so skipped this and all was still well)
1 14-oz can Italian diced tomatoes
1/2 C plain, smooth tomato sauce, or 3 oz. tomato paste
5 C beef broth
2 C chopped spinach leaves
1 -1 1/2 C small pasta (such as ditalini)
salt and pepper if needed
Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
a bit of cream for creaminess (optional)

For meatballs:

Put everything into a bowl and smoosh it all together. Roll into balls and cook in a Dutch oven or large soup pot. Note: If you don't have bread crumbs, put a crust in a small blender and blend.

When they're ready, take them out of the pot, but leave the grease (unless there's a crazy amount; then just leave some of the grease)

For the soup:

Put onion, zucchini, and carrot into this grease (add a bit of olive oil if you need some). Cook for a few minutes until they begin to get tender. Add Italian seasoning and stire. Add either tomato sauce or tomato paste and stir for about 30 seconds. Add Italian diced tomatoes. Add beef broth. Stir everything together. Bring to boiling. Add pasta and cook for 10-15 minutes or until they're close to al dente (we used a thick pasta so this took longer than a thinner pasta would have). Add more water if necessary.

When the pasta is almost cooked, add the meatballs back in and add the chopped spinach.

Cook for 4-5 more minutes. Taste and adjust for seasonings. You might want a bit more salt or basil or Italian seasoning.

Serve alone or add some Parmesan or cream.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Basic (5-Minute) Thai Coconut Broth

Maybe this seems like a weird sort of post. I mean, who wants just a Thai broth. Um, you do. Because it's amazing. Honestly, it's loaded with plenty of healthy stuff (coconut, tumeric, ginger) and could be delicious on its own. But it's the perfect canvas for whatever you want to throw in it. We had it with some shredded chicken thrown in, but it'd also be the perfect background for any leftover veggies you've got hanging around or some rice (or regular) noodles. Heck, my kids ate it with corn bread dipped in (fusion, people, fusion).

What I like about this recipe the most is that it's quite simple. There are plenty of delicious Thai soups/broths out there. On this site I've got one that I adore, but this simple little broth is nice because it takes 5 minutes to throw together. There are no lime leaves or coriander root or lemongrass stalks (though those things are amazing). There are just basic ingredients that can (each and every one) be found in the Asian aisle at Walmart. It's Thai broth for the common man. Or the time-pressed woman. Or the person with a bunch of random veggies and noodles sitting in her fridge who wants to make them awesome. Here you go.

Basic 5-Minute Thai Coconut Broth
serves 4
adapted from What a Girl Eats
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cost: $4.00
coconut milk: 3.00, ginger: .15, fish sauce: .20, lime juice: .50, seasonings: .15

2 cans coconut milk
2 C water (or chicken broth)
2 T minced ginger (or 2 t ground ginger)
4 T fish sauce (I usually do more like 3-3 1/2T)
4 Tbsp lime juice (fresh is best, but any will do)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp tumeric
salt if desired

Combine everything together and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Yup, that's it. I should say that sometimes I want more salt or another tablespoon of lime juice. Sometimes I like to use part chicken broth instead of all water. It's all delicious.

Sip it on a cold day or add veggies and/or chicken and/or rice noodles for a comforting Asian soup.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Secret Recipe Club--Mulligatawny Soup

This month for Secret Recipe Club, I had Sarah from Sarah's Kitchen for my blog. Originally from Kent, Sarah has been in the states for 13 years. I thought that was pretty intriguing, and because of that I really wanted to try a British recipe (although I am also dying to try the shrimp she just recently posted and this slow cooker recipe). The one I settled on was this soup. I mean how do you pass up a soup named Mulligatawny. It is a British soup after an Indian recipe--or at least that was the favorite definition I found on the internet. It also explains why this soup that I knew as a British soup had curry as a main player. The translation of mulligatawny (again, per the handy Internet) means pepper-water. It was better than that.

I also liked it because it came together in an easy 30 minutes and has a bunch of healthy players in its line up. It's great to make if you've got leftovers like chicken, rice, and some veggies. Seriously, you could take a chicken/rice dinner and totally turn its leftovers on their heads with this dish. Warm, comforting, and rich, it's a lovely autumn soup if you get bored of the standard winter squash variations (not that they're not awesome, of course).

Mulligatawny Soup
adapted from Sarah's Kitchen
Makes 6 servings
Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $4.15
butter: .25, onion: .10, carrot: .10, celery: .20, tomato paste: .20, curry: .25, apple: .40, coconut milk: 1.50, chicken stock: .30, chicken: .75 rice: .10

Note: If you haven't got coconut milk, you can sub cream or half and half, but you'll want to add it near the end of cooking and warm, not boil it.

1/4 C butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped or grated
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbsp flour
2-3 Tbsp grated ginger (or half that much powder)
1 grated green apple
3 C chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
1/2 C cooked rice (I happened to have this so I used, but you could skip if you don't want to make a small amount of rice)
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped
salt and pepper to taste

If your chicken is raw, cook it. You can do this by boiling then shredding or by stir frying it in a bit of butter and salt.

While it's cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add onion, carrot, and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes.

Add tomato paste, curry powder and flour. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ginger and apple and stir a couple more minutes. Add cooked chicken.

Add stock and coconut milk. simmer until thickened. Add rice if using and heat through.

Season to taste.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

An InLinkz Link-up

Squash-Haters Butternut Soup

There are plenty of reasons to love butternut squash. It's orange and healthy and good. Unless, of course, you dislike squash. In which case it doesn't much matter to you if it's orange and healthy because you don't want to eat it. But maybe with this new soup you will. It involves butternut squash of course, but the squashiness does not overwhelm at all. It's silky and smooth and the browned butter gives it a rich caramelized (but not sweet) sort of flavor. I love regular butternut soup and I was skeptical that this somewhat similar soup would really be that different. But then it kind of was.

Despite the title of this blog I guess I can't promise that true squash haters will love this soup, but I think it's definitely got a shot among the squash dislikers. And even the haters might find that--while it's not their favorite soup ever--it's still worth the orange and healthy and goodness. A gateway squash soup if you will. Try it. You might like it.

Squash-Haters Butternut Soup
adapted from Wannabite
serves 6-10
Prep and cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes (or 30 minutes if use microwave method below or if you have leftover butternut squash from a previous meal)
Cost: $4.65
squash: 3.00, half and half .65, butter: .40, stock: .40, sour cream: .20

Note: I halved this.

Note: If you don't want to roast your squash in the oven or are pinched for time, cut them in half, take out the seeds, and then put them face down on a plate with a bit of water. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and microwave for 10-20 minutes or until the flesh of the squash is easily pierced with a knife.

2 large roasted butternut squashes
1 pint half and half
3/4 stick butter (browned)
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 C chicken stock
Creme fraiche to garnish (or sour cream if creme fraise is not yet something in your cooking database)
rosemary for garnish

Cut the squash in half. Take out the seeds. Lightly coat it with oil, salt and pepper. Roast the squash (open side down) on a large baking sheet for about an hour.

Near the end of your roasting time, add the butter to a small saucepan. Melt and heat until it begins to brown. You can do this quickly over medium high heat if you stir it with a whisk as it begins to bubble and brown (don't let the light-colored frothy bubbles on top fool you--underneath it could be browning--so smell it and whisk it--it should smell nutty and when whisked the bottom oily part should be browning). Or you can do it on low heat and let it heat and brown gradually. This always takes too long for my short attention span, but you don't have to pay it too much heed. When it's browned pour it into a glass dish (if you leave it in the pan it will continue to cook and burn).

When it's easily pierced with a knife, scoop out the flesh (it should come out easily). Put this in a blender, add the half and half and the chicken stock.

Blend well. Put this in a pot on medium heat.

Add browned butter, oil (which I actually forgot when I made this and didn't miss, but maybe it would be even silkier), and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until the desired warmness.

Garnish with creme fraiche or sour cream (and, yes, you really should--it's just delicious).

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Lentil Chickpea Soup

Today it iced. Then it rained. Then it snowed.

I'm thinking soup. Hearty, warm-the-bones soup. I've tried several (SEVERAL) lentil soups that have never made it to this blog because while I liked them fine, I knew I didn't like them well enough to make them again. This one, however, is a winner. Lovely balance of bean, spice, and creaminess. To winter.

Lentil Chickpea Soup
from Mel's Kitchen
Serves 8
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $4.00 ($.50/serving and this is filling)
onion: .10, carrots: .20, curry: .30, broth: .50, lentils: .40, chickpeas: 1.00, sausage: .50-1.00, cream: .50

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1-2 large carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp curry powder (or paste)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 C low-sodium chicken broth (if you don't have low sodium, then use part water--I used 6 C water and 4 tsp bullion and that worked)
1 C dry lentils (I just used boring old green)
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 lb pre-cooked sausage (something like polska kielbasa, or, well, whatever--also I used less than this)
1/3-1/2 C cream (I'd say NOT optional; I felt like this helped this soup go from decent to ooh-la-la for me)
almonds for garnish (optional)
cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a pot, heat oil. Add onion and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, curry, salt and pepper. Cook another minute or two (until nice and fragrant).

Add broth and lentils. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until lentils are tender but not mushy.

Stir in sausage and chickpeas until they're heated through. Then add that cream. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.

You can garnish with crunchy almonds or sassy cilantro or both.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Fire Roasted Fish Soup

White fish, tomato-y, coconut broth, and a little heat. That warms up my little heart just writing it. Seriously, in the winter, I really tend to crave that combo of acid, heat, creamy. And a little protein doesn't hurt either.

This soup is simple and so so good. It's also something different to do with fish when you're bored of the dill and lemon routine. It's also a great way to eat fish without it being so fishy if you and yourn have trouble with fish.

As a cheapskate, it's a great way to use cheap fish without it tasting cheap (we used tilapia, but I've also use swai, which is super cheap for fish). This dish is also the perfect place for leftover fish. I hate it when we wind up with, like, 1 1/2 fillets of fish. It can't really feed the family again, and it starts to taste fishy as a leftover. Well, let me tell you, this is the PERFECT place for that to go.

Soups like this also strike me as inherently romantic--creamy, hot, sophisticated with a piece of rustic bread torn from the loaf and then dipped into the soup. Tactile. Comforting. Sigh. (Note: This type of soup does not strike Kip as inherently romantic. His idea of romance is more like a nice big steak with a potato and maybe even a fun trip to Golden Corral. Why, yes, we do have to take turns choosing restaurants for our anniversaries--why do you ask?)

Fire Roasted Fish Soup
adapted from Tasty Trix
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $3.55
onion: .15, peppers: .30, tomatoes: 1.00, broth: .10, coconut milk: .75, bouillon: .10, fish: 2.00-4.00 (we used less than the recipe calls for and I liked it best that way--thus the $2), other stuff: .15

Note: I only use about half this much fish. I like the soup brothy-er. This is also the perfect place for leftover fish. Just throw it in at the end of cooking.

1 white or yellow onion, diced
1-2 hot peppers (if you're wimpy like me, this can be a jalapeno; if you're brave/crazy you can go super hot with something like a habanero)
1-2 Tbsp peanut oil
16 oz fire roasted tomatoes (or plain old diced tomatoes if you're in a pinch)
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 can coconut milk (that's 7 ounces)
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
several springs fresh thyme
1 pound white fish (or less; we can make do with much less)
salt and pepper to taste

Roast the peppers until they're charred. You can do this under the broiler if you'd like, but if this is the type of first step that makes you want to run, screaming, to McDonald's, then just give those peppers a hot saute (cut 'em up, put them in a pan, and cook on high or medium high).  Remove some or all of the seeds depending on the type of peppers used and your own wimpiness levels. Now add those onions to some oil and cook them until they soften. Puree the peppers and onion with 1/2 the tomatoes (if your family doesn't like chunky broths, then just puree it all--this is what I did).

In a stock pot, put broth, remaining tomatoes (if you didn't puree them), coconut milk, chicken bouillon granules, and thyme. Bring to a simmer. Add in the pureed mixture bit by bit, tasting as you go if you're worried it'll get too hot from the peppers (if you used wimpy peppers like me, you're fine). Add salt and pepper to taste, and allow to simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Now add your fish and simmer another 10 minutes. Just plop that fish in there raw and it will cook up in the broth without becoming overcooked and gummy as fish can sometimes do.

Serve with a nice rustic bread or a plop of rice right into the soup.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Alphabet Soup with Tomatoes and Baby Chard

Classic kid food with a sophisticated twist. Or maybe I should say classic grown up food with a child-like twist. Because, you know, I've mentioned that my kids are picky. So if I just served brothy soup with carrots, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, and baby greens, I'd pretty much be eating that 1/2 gallon of soup by myself. But, miraculously, adding tiny pastas in the shape of letters had a somewhat magical effect. Everyone ate it (although Emma had to be coaxed a bit). Everyone didn't quite eat every bite (several children pulled out carrots or greens or whatever offending food they could see), but they still ate their bowl of soup and without complaint, commenting all the while how this was just like Martha (as in the dog in "Martha Speaks"). And, in fact, we ended up having a dinner-table conversation about literary terms such as simile, metaphor, alliteration, and onomatopoeia (which, ironically, is the furthest thing from the "vocal imitation of the sound associated with it" that I can think of), but anyway, it appears that Martha was on to something in eating all that alphabet soup.

It was a lovely dinner. Now, if you haven't eaten alphabet soup except out of a can (like, cough, me until recently), then you're in for a very nice surprise. It's not just blah salty soup with hundred year old alphabet noodles. It's a delicious veggie soup with extra fun thrown in. The broth is chickeny, yet also tomato/Italian-y, and a tiny bit sweet. It's light, but still worthy to be called a meal. And the noodles are cooked in and thus flavored by that broth, so they're great too. We ate it vegetarian, but some chicken or sausage would have rocked too. Also, if you've got fresh basil, that would be amazing.

Alphabet Soup with Tomatoes and Baby Chard
adapted from Give Me Some Oven
makes 6-10 servings
Prep and cook time: 30 minutes
Cost: $3.75
onion: .15, carrots: .40, zucchini: .30, chicken broth: .50 (more if you buy the canned, but I use homemade or the bullion cubes), tomatoes: 1.00, pasta: 1.50, greens: .40

Note: I found my letter pasta at (weirdly) the Asian food store and bought it on a whim. Then it sat in my pantry for months until this idea for a recipe came along. I assume (hope) it'd be with the pasta in a normal store. If you can't find it, orzo will work too.

Another note: This seems way too brothy at first, but as the pasta cooks it thickens. In fact, it thickens quite a bit--sometimes too much. Today for leftovers, it was very thick. I threw in a few glugs of tomato juice (or V8) to loosen it up and that was yummy. (This was added to the pictures above making the broth a little more red than yours will come out if you don't use V8.) So if you find you need it, use some tomato juice or a bit more broth.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 C diced carrots (I chopped mine quite small so my children would sometimes accidentally eat them instead of picking them all out)
1/2 C grated zucchini (celery would also work)
3 cloves garlic
6 C veggie or chicken broth (I used chicken)
1 can (14-oz) diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted and I think Italian would kick butt, but any will do)
1 1/2 C alphabet pasta (orzo will also work, but you know, then your dogs won't start talking when they eat the leftovers)
few pinches oregano
few pinches rosemary
fresh basil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I didn't need any, but it depends on your broth)
3-4 C (loosely packed) baby chard (or spinach or baby beet greens)

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion and cook for about five minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Then add broth and diced tomatoes. Cook for a minute or so. Add alphabet pasta and seasonings.

Cook (simmer) for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until your alphabet pasta is nearly done. Then, 2 minutes before serving, add the chard and cook until wilted.

Serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Sweet and Sour Soup--Secret Recipe Club

When it gets colder, I crave soup. But what I often really really really crave is soup with that sassy combination of flavors that make up Thai soups. I love the kick of spices and peppers with the creamy coconut milk and a little sweet. It's kind of a meal that appeals to all our cravings in just one dish.

So when I had Morsels of Life this month for Secret Recipe Club, it wasn't hard for me to pick a recipe. This one jumped into my cold house like a--well, anyway, I can't think of a good simile--but I really wanted to make this soup.

And I did. And it was delicious. If you're afraid of Asian soups or cooking, don't be. This was kind of a nice little fusion soup--a little Asian, a little American. CJ. who writes Morsels of Life (and has a new baby--yay!), says that if you like a little more of something or less of something, then add it accordingly. I was making this for a nursing mom, so we scaled back the heat in order to keep her baby happy. I also didn't have any lemon grass and so I used a bit of lemon rind--worked wonderfully. Also, I completely forgot about the rice noodles. I had them; they just never made it into this soup. I didn't even notice their absence until hours later, but if you want noodles, then go for it. The point is--don't be afraid--just give it a go. It's a beautifully balanced soup that is wonderfully satisfying.

Sweet and Sour Soup
adapted from Morsels of Life
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Cost: $6.00 (to reduce the cost, add fewer shrimp or a less expensive white fish)
onion: .15, pepper: .50, chilies: .10, carrot: .10, mushrooms: .30, ginger: .05, garlic: .05, chicken stock: .40, lemon grass: .40, shrimp: 2.50, tomatoes: .20, coconut milk: .75, rice noodles: .50, other ingredients: .20

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 C onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tsp finely diced chilies (I used jalepenos without seeds to add a little something without too much kick; you could also use a chili pepper sauce but then wait and add it with coconut milk)
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 C mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
3 C chicken or veggie stock
1 1/2 stalks lemon grass (or a few scrapes of lemon rind)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 lb shrimp (white fish would probably also work)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 C tomatoes, diced
1 C coconut milk
1 Tbsp cilantro (I used for garnish, but could be added to soup)
2 Tbsp brown or white sugar
a handful rice noodles

Heat oil in a pot. Add onion, pepper, chilies, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and ginger and cook for a minute or two more. Add remaining ingredients except rice noodles. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. (If you used lemon stalk, take it out here.) If using rice noodles, add them and cook for just a few minutes. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

An InLinkz Link-up

Guest Blogger: Squash Soup

For my European readers, I've got a European guest blogger today. Her name is Ella Moss and I hope it's helpful. She starts off with an admonition not to throw away food. How could I resist? For all you American's, know that a pound is about $1.72.

Food waste accounts for 13.9% of our overall waste, second only to paper (28.4%). It’s therefore imperative that we find a way to stop throwing away food. Buying local produce, such as organic vegetables, is healthier, better for the environment and better for the local economy. Buy these in small batches several times a week, rather than doing one large weekly shop so that they stay fresh and you don’t have to throw them away.

If you’re looking to overhaul your diet in order to make it more eco-friendly without spending a huge amount of cash, this guide has advice on how to do this, including where you should buy your food and how you can cut down on waste.

The following recipe utilises vegetables you can find at your local market and can feed the whole family. It’s suitable for vegetarians as well as tasty. The whole batch costs under £5 and could last at least four or five meals – more if you keep adding stock. Also, because of the high water content, it will freeze well and last even longer. Put half in a large Tupperware container and pop in the freezer to eat at a later date when your cupboards are bare instead of opting for a takeaway.

Squash Soup:

Ingredients

·         1 butternut squash (£1.30)

·         3 sweet potato (£1.25)

·         1 red onion (18p)

·         2 cloves garlic (30p for whole bulb)

·         1L Vegetable stock (50p for pack)

·         50g Butter (20p)

·         Sage (75p for whole pot of dried sage)

·         Double cream (optional) (85p for whole pot)

1 – Chop the onions finely and brown with the butter in a frying pan. Grate the garlic to make a pulp and add when the onions are almost cooked. This works better if you keep the heat medium to low, rather than high, as this will slowly soften them without the butter or garlic burning and adding a bitter taste to the soup. Take this off the heat and add the sage to gently cook it with the residual heat. Put this to one side.

2 – Bring the vegetable stock to a boil in a large, deep saucepan.

3 – Chop the squash and sweet potato into small chunks and add to the boiling stock. Boil for 20 minutes until both are soft and easy to break up with a fork.

4 – Add the onions, garlic and sage to the stock and squash and stir together.

5 – If you have a blender, this is where you can blend the mixture together to make a thick soup. Of course, this is optional. If you like chunky soup, blending isn’t mandatory. Blend to the consistency you prefer.

6 – Add salt and pepper to taste – if it needs it.

7 – Serve with a swirl of double cream or crème fraiche for a healthier option.  Why not try baking some homemade crusty bread to accompany it?

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

I realize that the time is nearly foregone for posting soup recipes, but I did want to try to squeeze in one more. I think I can get away with it because this soup is sort of a double agent. Sure it could be a comforting creamy winter soup, but there's also something inherently bright and summery to it. I used canned corn and Rotel, but some off-the-ear corn would rock and I'm betting some homegrown tomatoes and a jalepeno would work too.

Also, it's stupid simple (why didn't I give my blog that name, you ask). You throw stuff in a crock pot and let it sit. I seriously looove those recipes. I actually had kind of low expectations for this soup because it seemed a little too easy. Nope. It totally worked.

It was also one of those wonderfully adaptable soups. Only have 1/2 lb of chicken breast--no problem. Want to add beans--go for it. Random bits of cheese--be my guest (although I'd recommend at least a dose of cheddar). Spicy--fine; not--okay too. Top it with cilantro or not. Serve it with a dash of lime or not. It just works. I mean unless you sub beef for the chicken and nutritional yeast for the cheese and peas for the corn and apple juice for the chicken broth--in that case I'm not sure I can help you...

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
adapted from Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice
Serves about 10
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Cost: $4.00
chicken: 2.00, Rotel: 1.00, corn: .50, chicken broth: .50, cheese: 1.00

Note: If you want you can saute a chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic and a small chopped red pepper in some oil and then dump that in, go for it. I took the low (and stupid simple road) and sprinkled in some onion powder and garlic powder and skipped the pepper--told you it was adaptable).

1 lb chicken breast (less works and mine were frozen)
4 C chicken broth
1 can Rotel (2 would work too)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained, optional (I skipped--I love them but Kip hates them)
onion powder
garlic powder
1-2 tsp chili powder (I used 1)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 C shredded Cheddar (or Monterey Jack or both)
1 C sour cream
tortilla chips and avocado for serving if you wish

Put everything into a crock pot (except cheese and sour cream) and cook on high for 3-4 hours on high or on low 5-6. A half hour before you eat, take the chunks of chicken up and shred them. Put them back in. Then stir in sour cream and shredded cheese (I shred my own; if you buy it shredded it won't incorporate quite as well because they coat it with something).

Serve with extra cheese or avocado or tortilla chips or whatever.

Note: We made homemade tortilla chips by cutting up a tortilla and pan-frying it until golden on either side and then salting it. My kids are gaga for these. And maybe one day they'll get their own post, but for now this will have to do.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Moroccan Carrot Soup

Generally speaking, I like my soups straight-forward and savory. Salt and pepper please. I have such a carrot soup on here. It's a carrot soup for carrot lovers because it is simple and, well, carroty. I've tried several other carrot soups that sound and look divine (ginger carrot soup, cardamom carrot soup, etc.) and they've been fine, but they just haven't been my cup of soup (ha ha--how hilarious am I?) Consequently, I wasn't sure if I would like this new recipe at all. It's chock full of spices (and they're weirdish ones, people) and it uses--gasp--a little honey. Usually, this is my veggie soup red flag. Even among all those squash soups of autumn--you know the ones--they use a little sugar and some cinnamon or whatever--I just can't quite get into them. If I'm going to have sweet vegetables, then I need you to pass the zucchini bread or pumpkin pie. This soup also uses coconut milk. Now I do love me some coconut milk. But again in soups (except a nice Thai soup of course) I like it, but I still usually prefer to go the old fashioned heavy cream route.

The point is, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this soup. But I super super soup did (sorry--been watching too much children's programming apparently). The combination of the carrot and the foreign-ish spices and the coconut just rocked it. An absolutely perfect combo.

Moroccan Carrot Soup
adapted from This Gal Cooks
Serves 4
prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Cost: $2.65
carrots: .75, pepper: .15, onion: .10,  coconut milk: 1.00, chicken stock: .35, spices: .30

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red pepper, chopped
5 average carrots, chopped
1/2 C onion, chopped (I used half a small onion--however much that was)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 C chicken stock (or veggie stock)
1 C coconut milk
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
salt to taste

Heat oil in large pot. Add onion, red pepper, and carrots. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic. Cook one minute. Add spices and cook another minute.

Add 1 1/2 C chicken stock. Cook for 10-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Put in blender and blend with remaining 1/2 C stock, coconut milk, and honey (Note: don't forget the honey--it makes this recipe sing. I forgot it at first and it was fine when I tasted it, but when I added it, then it became awesomeness).

Reheat a bit if necessary.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Creamy Cheese Potato Soup

So apparently winter is not over. I'm more okay with it than a lot of people. I like to believe that this is because I'm flexible and adaptable and a good sport about stuff. In reality it's because I think I might start to cry if I have to start weeding again (those weeds really gave me a butt-kicking last year). 

My own sad laziness aside, there's plenty to love about winter. Only this morning, my sweet Emma said, "Mom, the snow is sparkling." As indeed it was. Then there's our wood-burner, which I'm planning to marry if anything happens to Kip. And soup. There's always soup. 

I really like potato soup. Kip, however, is usually pretty meh about it. So I've tried jazzing it up in a bunch of different ways (bacon, people, bacon), and he eats it and he's fine with it, but until I prepared this super easy, creamy soup for our Christmas party, I hadn't really found one that made him call dibs on the leftovers. The best news is that this is the easiest of the lot. There's not even a roux. You boil potatoes (and a bit of onion) in chicken broth. You add cream cheese and a bit of cream. And then some salt and pepper if you need it. You mash it up, so that it's in little chunks, not big ones. And you're done. Yeah. It sounds too easy right. Bland. Boring. Nope. It's really very delicious. And if you are a bit more daring than my husband (doesn't take too much in the food department), it provides the perfect (truly perfect) canvas for you to go all rogue. You can add kale or spinach, colorful peppers, carrots, corn, sweet paprika, onions. Crazy kinds of cheese. And I think we all know that there's always room for bacon. But if you want to keep it completely simple you can and not be embarrassed to serve it to guests. Also, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm 99% sure that this would be a cinch in the crock pot as well, since it's already a throw-it-all-in recipe. 

We had it with this bread and garnished it with a bit of cheese. 

Creamy Potato Soup

adapted from Rose Bakes

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves:  a lot of people. I usually halve it, but as is, it should serve 12-16 people

Cost: $7.00 (or about $.50/serving)

potatoes: 3.00, broth: 1.00 (this is for cubes or granules), onion: .05, cream cheese: 2.00, whipping cream: 1.00

10-12 C chicken broth

6 lb red potatoes, peeled and diced

1/4 C onion, finely diced

1/2-1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese

1 C whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Heat your broth while peeling and cutting your potatoes and onion (you can also use onion powder if you or a loved one suffer from pieces-of-onion-aversion-intolerance-syndrome). Add salt and pepper to broth. (I'd start with only 1/2 tsp salt and add more later if you need more.)

Throw the potatoes and onion in the broth and let it boil gently until the potatoes are soft. 

Mash the potatoes. You can make it smoother or chunkier depending on your preferences (and whether or not you or your loved ones suffer from low-chunky-tolerance-disorder--or LCTD for short--or not). 

Add the cream cheese (cut it up if you'd like--it makes it a little easier to incorporate). Stir it into the potatoes until it's smooth and incorporated. Add cream. 

Simmer this soup for 20-30 more minutes, stirring occasionally (so it doesn't stick to the bottom of your pot). 

Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Garnish with cheese, green onions, bacon bits, or whatever you like. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE

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