Category Archives: soup

Kristin’s Quinoa Black Bean Chili

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1/2 cup rinsed, uncooked quinoa
1 onion, chopped and sautéed in oil
1 T garlic
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t oregano
1/2 t paprika
8 oz. tomato sauce
2 cans black beans
2 cups water
15 oz. corn
cilantro
Toppings: tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheddar

Directions:

Cook the quinoa in 1 cup of water. Meanwhile sauté onion and garlic in a bit of oil. Add the spices and sauté. Add water, black beans, tomato sauce, corn and simmer about 20 minutes, or until flavors are blended. Add chopped cilantro before serving. Add toppings of choice.

Tomato Bisque

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This is one of those soups that once we discovered it, we made it over and over again. It’s good served with bread or biscuits, as a main dish, or in small bowls as a first course. (It’s hard not to go back for more, though!)  Alice and Grandmama are big fans of this soup – in other words, it’s yummy enough for kids and sophisticated enough for grown-ups.

INGREDIENTS
2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes
1 T beef or vegetable based “Better than Bouillon”
1 T raw honey or sugar
1 t salt
pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 t dried basil
1/2 c butter or earth balance
1/3 c cornstarch/tapioca/coconut flour mix or regular flour
1 quart milk or almond milk

DIRECTIONS
Place tomatoes in a soup pot. Heat to a simmer and stir in the bouillon, honey or sugar, basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth.
Make a roux: melt the butter, stir in flours, then whisk in milk. Stir into the tomato mixture.  Heat gently, and serve.

I often make this using a mix of milk and almond milk, and butter and earth balance, but you can go full-on dairy or completely vegan, and it’s still yummy.

Sausage and Leek Soup

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INGREDIENTS
1 lb Italian pork or chicken sausage
3 cloves garlic
3 large leeks, washed and chopped (including the tender parts of the green stem)
3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 t salt
1 16-oz can of whole tomatoes
8 cups beef or chicken broth
1 cup good red wine
2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried thyme
1/3 cup rice -or- 3 diced Yukon potatoes – or  – 1/2 c pasta (gluten-free or regular)
parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a soup pot, brown the sausage. Drain some of the fat, and add the leeks, garlic, celery, and carrot, and salt. Sauté over medium low heat until  soft. Stir in the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon. Add the broth, wine, basil, and thyme. Simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Add rice or potatoes or pasta and simmer 20 minutes more. Add more water if needed. Top bowls with parmesan cheese.

Shellfish Soup/Cioppino

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This is our Christmas Eve tradition, but it could be good for dinner any night.

1 head fennel, thinly sliced1 lb leeks or onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
3 c. chicken broth
2 c. bottled clam juice
1 c. dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 T fresh thyme
1 T grated orange peel
1 t turmeric

Seafood of choice: shrimp, clams, mussels, crab, scallops, and cod.

Cooking directions:
Sauté fennel, leeks, and garlic in olive oil until tender and slightly carmelized. Add the rest of the ingredients except the seafood. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently, half covered,  for about 25 minutes. This part can be made a day or two ahead of time.

Just before you are ready to eat, cook the seafood separately. Put into the bottom of soup bowls. Ladle the tomato mixture on top. Top with parsley and serve with a nice crusty bread.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

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We had this for Alice and Leo’s birthday dinner, and again for New Year’s Day. It’s delicious and very easy.

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 2″ pieces
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 15-oz can tomatillos
1 4-oz can diced green chilis
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 t ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
2 cups chicken broth

avocado and limes for garnish

Sprinkle salt on the pork and set aside.

Cut the stems off the cilantro and put the stems in the blender along with the tomatillos and chilis. Purée until smooth.

Brown the pork in two batches, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the meat and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onions and garlic until nicely softened. Add the oregano, cumin and salt. Pour in the broth, the tomatillo purée, and then add the meat.

You can either cook this in the oven at 350 degrees for 1-1/2 hours, or put it into the slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours.

Ladle into bowls, or over rice, and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, diced avocado, and lime wedges.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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potpie

The kids love chicken pot pie, but if you’ve ever make the whole thing from scratch, it can feel like an all-day affair. Here is a quicker way to have it for dinner.

INGREDIENTS (adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

About 1-1/2 or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3/4 cup frozen peas

4 T butter
1/2 c flour or gluten-free/grain-free flours (for example: cornstarch, potato starch, coconut flour, arrowroot, tapioca starch)
2 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 cups milk (whole or 2%, or dairy-free)
Salt
Ground white pepper
Nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
Put the chicken in a large saucepan and cover with 2 cup broth and enough water to cover. Poach the chicken for about 15 minutes, or until done. Reserve 2 cups of the poaching liquid (and rinse out the pan to use for the white sauce so you don’t accumulate too many dishes). While the chicken cools, make the vegetables.

Heat 2 T butter or oil in a skillet. Add chopped vegetables (except for peas) and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside while you make the white sauce.

Melt 4 T (1/2 stick) butter in a saucepan, and add the flours, whisking together until blended. Slowly add the chicken broth and milk and keep whisking. It may look like a gloppy mess, but just keep at it until the sauce becomes smooth.

Dice the chicken and add it to the white sauce along the the vegetables and peas. Salt generously to taste, and add a sprinkle of white pepper and nutmeg. A squeeze of lemon juice is also a nice touch to brighten the flavors.

Ladle into bowls and serve with fluffy biscuits or almond biscuits.

If you have a pie crust or some puff pastry on hand, you can bake it in fun shapes. The kids can eat their soup with pie crust cookies.

If you are making pot pie, put it into a 9×13 casserole dish and cover with pie crust. Bake at 375 deg for about 30 minutes.

Carmelized Leek Soup

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I’m passionate about leeks, so I love this soup. I used to always make potato leek soup. Then I was introduced to a darker, sweeter version, served with braised chard stems and whole toasted almonds. The whole thing was just yummy. But if you don’t have time to braise chard and toast almonds, just make the soup. It’s creamy and soothing.

4-5 leeks
1 T butter or olive oil, or a little of both
1 t salt
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water

Trim the bottom off the leeks and split them in half to wash out any dirt, then slice them up to where the tops start to get dark green.

Sauté the leeks in the butter or oil. Add the salt and let them cook for awhile, partially covered, until they are soft and carmelized. This might take about 20 minutes. Add the potato, and sauté it for a few minutes with the leeks. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes until the potato is soft. Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and blend until very creamy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.