Supper-Time Sunday!

This week contributed some very tasty eats to our pallets and I am excited to share these gems with you!

MAPLE LEMON SKIRT STEAK

Recipe + Photo Courtesy of Prevention.com

We don't eat a whole lot of beef around here so it is always kind of a special treat when we do. Plus, petite sirloin was on sale this week so that is just an amazing excuse to pull out one of my beef pins to try out. I have never heard of skirt steak so if any of you have... enlighten me!

I also don't know why they call it petite sirloin - these babies were huge! I sliced mine in half BOTH ways and they cooked up quickly. Besides the baked potatoes that I served on the side of this the whole meal came together in a half hour. I also served it with roasted red and green peppers and yellow onion. Very delicious.

We particularly liked the sauce which I didn't change anything about. It is a bit on the sweeter side of things with a tiny bit of a kick from the dijon mustard. Cute hubster loved it.

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SWEET POTATO-PEANUT BISQUE

Recipe + Picture Courtesy of Eating Well

Not kidding, this is one of my new favorite soups. Now, granted, I am not much of a soup person. Maybe that is more comforting to you because I am really picky about the soups that I like. But we loved this. I will admit that I balked at the recipe list... when you look at it it just doesn't seem possible that it would all come together but it does and it just... works!

I thought that this soup was extra tasty fresh but it is still quite good as leftovers. And it is filling too. One bowl was plenty for me to feel satisfied 

The only changes that I made to the recipe were that I used olive oil instead of canola, we used the tomato-vegetable juice blend, and we didn't garnish with cilantro. Cute hubster doesn't like cilantro so I leave it out when it is optional. 

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CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Beth at Eat.Drink.Smile.

UPDATE!!!

This week I made this crust again for our pizza eats on Monday. 

I used ~3 cups riced, cooked cauliflower (1 large cauliflower worth), 1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella, 3 whole eggs, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 3 tbsp nutritional yeast, and 3 tbsp ground flaxseed. I oiled my pan and spread the whole thing on a cookie sheet and baked for about 17 minutes. I then proceeded to top the pizza and cook for 5 minutes more. 

It was FABULOUS! Best time we have had it yet with the best texture. And this way you can do a whole pizza and have the family separate it out into individual sections instead of having to do little pizzas individually. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Have you made anything delicious this week that you can share with me? I LOVE getting new ideas! I am particularly looking for a single serve pizza crust that you can cook in a frying pan and is gluten free... too much to ask? 

Loves...Shayla

What I Ate Wednesday

You see these around the web all the time and I wanted to join in the fun! The eats that I chose to share were from Sunday, February 17th. Weekend days can be scary and don't usually reflect the normal eating patterns you follow but Sundays aren't really like that for me. Now if we were talking Date Night Fridays... :0)

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BREAKFAST 9:55 AM

Tone it Up Protein Pancake topped with homemade almond butter and 1/2 banana (sliced), "lemonade"

I put "lemonade" in quotations because all it really is is 1/2 lemon squeezed into 24 ounces of water with a little bit of stevia to help take the super sour edge off. And I am just not sure if there is a way to make protein pancakes look really pretty; however, they taste so delicious that it doesn't even matter. This has been my go-to breakfast for the last couple of days ever since I got a new protein powder:

I am loving this stuff and since it is not sweetened with any artificial or refined sugars it is great for me! The scoop that it came with was HUGE so I replaced it with a smaller scoop that I had from a previous protein powder. This recipe is courtesy of SarahFit. The only things that I do differently are that I just use the whole egg instead of only the egg whites and I add water if I need to to thin it out. 

I don't like wasting the egg yolk but also... here is a bit from Livestrong about Egg Yolks:

"An egg yolk provides almost 2 mg of highly absorbable lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids beneficial for eye health. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University suggests consuming 6 mg of dietary lutein and zeaxanthin daily. An egg yolk provides 27 percent of the adequate intake, or AI, of choline for adult women and 21 percent of the AI of choline for adult men. An egg yolk also offers 17 percent of the RDA of selenium and 9 percent of the RDA of phosphorus."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544071-calcium-and-egg-yolk/#ixzz2LCIf1ULM

Anyways... onto the eats!

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SNACK 12:35 PM

1 can low-sodium V8 Vegetable Juice, 1 rice cake with lowfat cottage cheese

This is one of my favorite snack combos. I get the low sodium Quaker rice cakes and I love the Darigold 2% fat cottage cheese that you can buy in a big tub at Costco. The V8 juice is refreshing and a wonderful way to get 2 servings of veggies during a snack.

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LUNCH 2:20 PM

1 small bowl leftover Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup topped with lime juice and green onions, 1 small braeburn apple (sliced) with ~1 tbsp all natural peanut butter, 1 organic carrot

I almost always start lunch and dinner with a carrot. I have a big bag sitting in a very accessible place in my fridge and I munch away at it while I am prepping food. It helps me to not mindlessly munch on other less healthy things and helps to take the edge off of my hunger. I also really like the Braeburn apples because they are a bit sour instead of super sweet like the Red Delicious or Jonagold apples. 

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DINNER 5:45 PM

Kyle's Favorite Beef Stew

My lovely mother made us this wonderful stew for dinner. The recipe is from Allrecipes.com. It was DIVINE! The broth had an almost sweet taste to it and it was hearty and delicious with the beef tender. YUM!

She didn't dredge the meat in flour at all so that it would be gluten free for me. She didn't use any of the real onions (just the onion soup mix) and just added 1 tsp onion powder. She used red wine vinegar instead of the burgundy and just poured the onion soup mix on top of everything in the crock pot.

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DESSERT 6:20 PM

Chili Maple Cinnamon Popcorn

My friends who know me really well know that it wouldn't be a "What I Ate" any day without some popcorn. I LOVE popcorn. Love love love it. I air pop the popcorn and add melted coconut oil. This particular popcorn is sprinkled with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, chili powder, and sea salt. I definitely had more than just this one small bowl. 

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WATER INTAKE (Whole Day)

24 ounces "lemonade" + 84 ounces normal water = 108 ounces total

Not my best water intake but pretty good for a weekend day. It is harder to drink water away from home when I don't have my trusty orange cup with me. 

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: Is there something that you eat regularly? A favorite meal or snack? Share your ideas with me!

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Hello all! It is time for another recipe round-up! There are lots of delicious eats around the web and here are the ones that we have tried lately!

THE CHEW'S BAKED ARTICHOKE CHICKEN

Recipe + photo courtesy of Stacey over at Stacey Snacks

From Stacey Snacks blog, "This recipe won a contest on a television show called The Chew.

Mario Batali and others judged 3 chicken recipes made by regular people, and this won first prize!"

Confession... it has been a long time coming before I thought I would ever be okay eating artichoke hearts and mushrooms - let alone this much! But, I kid you not, we loved this meal SO much that I made it twice in two weeks. Every bite is extremely flavorful and the combination of the mushrooms with the onion and artichokes is just heavenly. 

And guess what? I did this in the crockpot! I placed all of the veggies on the bottom of the crockpot, topped with the chicken, topped with the sauce and let it go to town. My crockpot believes that it is the depths of Mordor itself and I have to keep a careful eye on my dishes so that they don't get over cooked but I think that if you go by the standard of 6 hours on low that you will be alright. I did this in the crockpot both times and both times it turned out great.

I also did not use chicken with bones or skin. I used 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs. The only other changes that I made were that I used dijon mustard and chicken stock instead of the wine. We served this over Lemon Parmesan brown rice. YUMMY!

Make this one! You won't be disappointed!

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CROCK POT PICANTE CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN SOUP

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Gina over at Skinnytaste.com

Was the above crock pot recipe not really to your liking? Well I have another one for you! This came together so quickly and got rave reviews from cute hubster, my girl [A] and my boy {N}. The chicken came out tender and delicious and shredded with hardly any effort whatsoever on my part. 

Unfortunately, I waited too long to make this after buying my groceries and so my avocados were no longer good. But we did use the lime juice and sliced scallions (aka green onions). I sprinkled a little bit of cheddar cheese into the family portions - not mine though. I like my food tasting more fresh!

Cute hubster added some Greek yogurt to his 2nd portion to tone down the heat a bit. It is fairly spicy but neither of my babies complained about it. If you are worried about it I would use Rotel tomatoes without the green chiles and it should be just fine. 

I didn't have ancho chile powder so I just used normal chile powder but I kept everything else the same. I know that 2 chicken breasts seems like a small amount but it really was perfect for this recipe.

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CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Recipe + Photo courtesy of Katie over at Chocolate-Covered Katie: the healthy dessert blog

Sometimes a girl just needs some chocolate! And chocolate mousse/ice cream is a delicious treat that I have not been able to enjoy for a long time thanks to my body rejecting refined sugars. 

Enter the always reliable Chocolate-Covered Katie! I love love love love her. I have never had trouble with any of her recipes and I have ALWAYS liked them. This dessert did not disappoint at all. And at only 4 ingredients there is NO reason to not try it out!

I didn't need to refrigerate my coconut milk overnight - it was thick enough when I opened the can. I used Stevia in the Raw + a little pure maple syrup to sweeten our desserts. I would normally be alright with just stevia but my family likes things a little bit sweeter than stevia can provide without going too bitter. 

I divvied this recipe up into 4 small cups and stuck them in the freezer while we ate dinner. When they came out they had just started freezing around the edges but the middle was decadently creamy. If you want a mousse like texture = refrigerate. Ice cream = freezer.

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QUESTION FOR MY DEAR READERS: What recipes have you tried from around the web lately? Share your faves with me! 

Loves...Shayla

Supper-Time Sunday!

Key Lime Coconut Bars

Rating on cooking method: B-, Rating on taste (for me): B, Rating on taste (for everyone else): A+

Lol. Are you laughing at my ratings? Well I needed to give you an accurate representation of this recipe! This is not an easy dessert to make. And make no mistake - this is not a healthy dessert. This is an indulgent dessert that I made for a really big family party. :-) Squeezing enough key limes to give you the juice you  need for this is a PAIN. And if that weren't bad enough, you have to zest them too. Luckily we have a cool squeezy tool that made the job a bit easier. But you will need a TON of key limes. I made the mistake of underestimating how many I would need. If you happen to do the same thing, make up the rest of the "key lime" juice with a mixture of 1/2 lemon juice and 1/2 lime juice. It will taste almost exactly the same.

I doubled the amounts called for in this recipe since I was making it for a big party and it fit into a BIG pan. Like, the one bigger than the 9x13. I am not exactly sure on the size... 11x17? Something like that. But it filled it to the BRIM.

I didn't think that the crust held together well enough. It seemed like it needed more butter to help it along. But it worked just fine with the amount called for and I used fat free sweetened condensed milk and it still worked out perfectly. 

If you choose to whip your own topping instead of using Cool whip like I did I used 1 pint of whipping cream and it covered the whole thing in a nice thin layer that offset the richness of the dessert. It was a bit too rich and sweet for me (remember I don't eat a lot of sugar) but everyone seriously ooohed and aaahed over it. And what matters most is that my mom loved it and since I made it special for her that is what I care about!

LINK: http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/2012/04/key-lime-coconut-bars.html

Spinach Quesadillas

Rating: A

This is a really easy and tasty lunch (or dinner) idea. I added some red pepper flakes to mine since I like things a bit spicy and used whole wheat tortillas.

LINK: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-recipes/healthy-sandwich-recipes?page=5

Vegan Quinoa & Sweet Potato Chili

Rating: A-

I really enjoyed this chili and liked the different textures. My whole family liked it as well, including my children. We topped ours with avocado and a little bit of Greek yogurt. That would nullify the fact that it is supposed to be Vegan but it is a wonderful addition and a great alternative to sour cream. I thought that it tasted a lot like a regular chili and since it is so much healthier that is great. My husband didn't agree but he liked it all the same. We will definitely be making this one again!

LINK: http://www.milkfreemom.com/vegan-quinoa-sweet-potato-chili/

Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup

I am not a big soup fan but I like soups that are chock full of ingredients. Hearty and thick and less liquidy. I am a big fan of taco soup and this recipe was a good change up from our normal. It wasn't drastically different but it had a good flaovr to it and it is a really easy way to use up leftoever turkey if you have some in a few weeks!

This recipe and picture are from Sweet Treats and More and can be found at this site here: http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2010/11/i-hope-you-all-had-great-thanksgiving.html

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
From Sweet Treats and More, Adapted from allrecipes
Printer Friendly Version
 
2 c. chicken broth
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
1/4 c. sour cream
1 (16oz) can diced tomato
1 (4 oz) can diced green chili
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken tenders (2 breasts OR abt 2 cups shredded turkey)
4  corn tortillas

Place everything but the tortillas in the crock pot, stir together, and cook on high for about 3 hours (or low for 6-8 hours). (I ALWAYS aim low!)

Shred corn tortillas into small squares and stir into soup 5-10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with cheese, avocado, and additional sour cream if desired.

Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup

I will use the term "soup" very lightly in this recipe because this delicious and hearty meal turns out much closer to a stew. It is thick and packed with various vegetables and flavor. I have never had chicken and vegetable dumpling soup before now but it sure was delicious.

My biggest complaint about this particular recipe is the sodium content. It turned out WAY too salty for my tastes. I would strongly recommend only using low sodium based chicken broth or cutting out some of the added salt altogether. I will definitely do so next time.

And don't be freaked out by the long ingredient list. These are basic ingredients, nothing weird or hard to find, and it comes together surprisingly quick. Plus, it makes a LOT. I think it could easily serve more than 6.

This lovely soup that is perfect for fall and the picture are courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe and can be found at this site here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/02/chicken-and-vegetable-dumpling-soup.html

CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE DUMPLING SOUP

From My Kitchen Café

Printer Friendly Version

*Serves 6

Chicken and Broth:
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2-3 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Vegetables:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots (6-7 baby carrots), chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas

Dumplings:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or sage
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

In a large pot, boil the chicken broth, water and chicken breasts until the chicken is cooked through and tender (about 15 minutes). Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the broth in the pot, and shred the chicken with two forks. Set the chicken aside and keep the broth warm on the stove.

While the chicken is boiling, in a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the celery, carrots and onions. Saute for about 6-7 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the vegetables to the hot broth in the pot after the chicken has been removed. Add salt, thyme and pepper to the vegetable/broth mixture and stir to combine. Heat the soup to a simmer.

In a small bowl, blend ½ cup cold water and 1/4 cup flour with a wire whisk until smooth. Whisking vigorously, slowly add the flour mixture into the hot vegetables and broth and whisk until well combined. Add ½ cup frozen peas and the reserved chicken and cook, stirring gently for one minute.

For the dumplings, in a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, milk and oil. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined (don't overmix, it is ok if there are a few dry spots of flour here and there).

Heat the soup to boiling and drop teaspoonful amounts (the dumplings should be fairly small, they'll expand while cooking) of dumpling dough into the boiling soup, covering the entire surface of the soup (don't make more than one layer of dumplings). Reduce the heat to simmering, cover and let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes. Do not lift the lid of the pot while the dumplings cook.

When the dumplings have cooked fully, remove the lid and gently stir the dumplings to break them apart. Serve.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This amazing recipe was fast and tasty and authentic tasting! It was great the day I made it and it was wonderful as leftovers. Don't pass this one up! You will love it! The recipe is courtesy of The Sisters Cafe and can be found here.

CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

Posted at: http://recipesofacheapskate.blogspot.com
Adapted from: sisterscafe.blogspot.com

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 15-oz cans black beans, drained
• 3 15-oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 cup salsa (I used 2 cups to give it more kick)
• 2 4-oz cans chopped green chilies
• 1 14 ½-oz can tomato sauce
• 3 cups grated cheddar cheese, for topping
• Tortilla chips, for topping
• Sour cream, for topping

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 hours. During the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove chicken breasts and slice or shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir into soup. Serve with cheese, chips, and sour cream. Freeze leftovers.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

I love coming across recipes that are quick and easy to put together and very tasty. I love Chicken Enchilada Soup and this one didn't disappoint. I think the entire soup came together in about 15-20 minutes and doesn't call for any ingredients that I didn't already have on hand except for the enchilada sauce. I will definitely be making this one again. The recipe below is my altered recipe. The picture and original recipe are courtesy of Bettycrocker.com and can be found here.

CHEESY CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP
From Bettycrocker.com

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup with 30% less sodium
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
2 cups chicken, cooked and cut into small pieces
Taco seasoning
2 cups frozen corn
Crushed tortilla chips

1. In 3-quart saucepan, mix chicken soup, enchilada sauce, milk, and cheese.
2. In a skillet cook chicken pieces and season as desired with taco seasoning. (We also used a little bit of chipotle seasoning.)
3. Add cooked chicken and frozen corn to soup mixture.
4. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Top individual servings with tortilla chips.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a classic family recipe that I grew up with. It has also been my favorite pregnancy food. A bowl of this stuff can make even the worst pregnancy days alright again. And with the extremely cold weather we have been having lately this is a great way to warm yourself and your family up.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 1/2 lbs. noodles (we like the thick egg noodles)
3 chicken breasts
1 package baby carrots
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3-4 cubes chicken bouillon
Onion powder to taste or one onion cut into thick pieces and separated

Cook chicken breasts in approximately 8 cups water with carrots and shake a bit of onion powder in. If you use the real onion you will take out the onion pieces (they don't go in the soup they are just for flavor). Start noodles cooking in a separate pan. Cook until carrots are soft. Take out chicken breasts and carrots but KEEP THE WATER. (Use a strainer on top of the pan). Add chicken bouillon and cream of mushroom soup to "juice." Cut up chicken and carrots to add to soup. Add noodles. Salt and pepper to taste.

*This recipe makes a HUGE pot of soup. If you have less people to feed cut the recipe in half, or even in fourths.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup like Zupas

Have you ever been to Zupas? If you haven't you really should go! It is delicious and flavorful and good for you! My mom loves this soup from their menu and really wanted a copy recipe. She found this one on Just Cook Already and we all LOVED it! It is creamy and delicious and PERFECT for this weather! The recipe is courtesy of Just Cook Already and can be found here. The picture is courtesy of Zupas and can be found here.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup
From Just Cook Already

Yields: 9 cups or 8 first-course servings (or 4-5 hungry adults :)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

Classic Repeat: Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

It has been long enough since I posted this that I needed to share it again, especially since the weather is so wonderfully cooling down. This smooth soup with just a bit of kickback is exactly what one needs to make these cold days even better. We love this soup and it is so easy and quick to make with such basic ingredients! The picture is courtesy of Allrecipes.com. My original post for this soup can be found here.

Mom Troff's Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE SOUPS!!!!! And I am pretty picky about my soups. Anytime my mom makes this one it is the first soup to go and we are all really quick to get our bowls up there so we can get a big helping before we lose our chance. Be forewarned, however. This soup is spicy. If you don't like spicy you may want to add sour cream to your final dish. Or you can leave out the diced green chilies all together, but it will lose some of it's unique flavor. I mixed my little girl's bowl of soup with a little bit of milk and she had no problems with it. I can almost promise that you will love this one. If you don't - you're crazy! The picture is courtesy of FanFoodie.

MOM TROFF’S CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken, cooked and shredded
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen corn
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
6 corn tortillas
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (It is even better with shredded Parmesan)

In Crock-pot, combine shredded chicken, crushed tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies and garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and frozen corn. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High 3 to 4 hours. Add cilantro ½ hour before serving. For tortilla strips, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with vegetable oil. Cut tortillas into 2½ X ½ inch strips. Spread tortilla strips onto baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle tortilla strips and grated Parmesan cheese over soup. Serve immediately.

*NOTE: If you don't want to do this as a crockpot recipe all you have to do is add all of the ingredients together and heat thoroughly. Yes, it is that easy. And you don't have to make your own tortilla strips. Buy them or just used crushed chips.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

I know. Really. I wouldn't have ever thought to do it, but apparently someone did. And trust me, as bizarre as it seems and as crazy as you think I am... it is delicious. Really. You are going to have to take that leap of faith and try it because it really is delicious. Thanks to Allrecipes.com for the original recipe (which my mother has nicely modified) and the picture.


PUMPKIN BLACK BEAN SOUP

• 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained (21/2 beans/1 1/2 pureed)
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 3 large links sausage, sliced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 can diced chilies

Directions

1. Pour 2 cans of the black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, cumin, diced chilies and apple cider vinegar. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in the sausage, and heat through before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup

Despite what the title may lead you to believe, this soup does not have chicken wings in it - rather it has chicken with the flavor of buffalo wings. We LOVED it. Like, seriously! My husband is not a big soup fan and we ate this up! Below is my modified recipe. The original recipe only calls for a very small amount of hot sauce but you could hardly taste it and so we really turned up the heat!

BUFFALO CHICKEN WING SOUP

6 cups milk

3 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted (10 3/4 oz. cans)

3 cups (about 1 lb.) shredded or cubed cooked chicken

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

2 cups frozen corn (optional) - I added it for more substance

Hot pepper sauce to taste (we used at least 3-4 Tbsp!)

Combine milk and soups in slow cooker until smooth. Stir in chicken. Cover and cook on Low 3-4 hours. Fiftenn minutes before serving stir in sour cream and hot sauce (and corn if you decided to use it.) Cover and contine cooking just until bubbly.

Makes 8 servings. AT LEAST! If you are cooking for just a few people you will want to cut this recipe down because it makes a full crockpot of soup.

*This is REALLY fantastic with some crumbled tortilla chips and cheese on the top!
*Our favorite hot sauce is the Louisiana hot sauce. It has a slight tang to it instead of being just heat.

Classic Family Chicken Noodle Soup

My dear sweet Jake is SICK! So after work let out I sent him straight back to our room to get in his jammies and to rest while I made a big pot of our classic Chicken Noodle Soup! It's really great tasting and Jake loved it. Hopefully he will be able to get some sleep now and get better! This recipe is really easy and doesn't require very many ingredients!

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

1 1/2 lbs. noodles (I just use 16 oz.)
3 chicken breasts
1 package baby carrots
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3-4 cubes chicken bouillon
Onion powder to taste

Cook chicken breasts in approximately 8 cups water with carrots and shake a bit of onion powder in. Start noodles cooking in a separate pan. Cook until carrots are soft. Take out chicken breasts and carrots but KEEP THE WATER. (Use a strainer on top of the pan). Add chicken bouillon and cream of mushroom soup to "juice." Cut up chicken and carrots to add to soup. Add noodles. Salt and pepper to taste.

*This recipe makes a HUGE pot of soup. If you have less people to feed cut the recipe in half, or even in fourths.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

So, not only did I finally get a CAMERA for Christmas, I also got this great new cookbook called Made Simple Chicken. I love chicken and so I am very excited to try the MANY tasty looking recipes. This first recipe looked too good to wait any amount of time before making it - and it didn't disappoint. I loved the flavor and Jake said it is a keeper for our regular recipes! It was very easy to make and only required a trip to the grocery store for a few inexpensive items. (Getting packaged tortellini instead of the refrigerated kind is a HUGE price break, and it isn't that hard to cook it yourself!)

CHICKEN TORTELLINI SOUP
From Made Simple Chicken

6 cups chicken broth or 1 can (48 ounces) chicken broth
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese and spinach tortellini or three-cheese tortellini
1 package (about 6 ounces) refrigerated fully cooked chicken breast strips, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach leaves
4 to 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives or 2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Bring chicken broth to a boil in large saucepan over high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and spinach.

Reduce heat to low. Cook 3 minutes or until chicken is hot. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chives. Makes 4 servings.

*I used 6 cups water plus 6 chicken boullion cubes for my broth, 9 ounces uncooked spinach tortellini (cooked to package directions), frozen chicken cooked up in a bit of oil with onion powder, salt, and pepper until browned, and the green onions instead of the chives.

Chunky Potato and Ham Soup

I have made this soup twice now - once with my mother and once by myself. I have potato trauma whenever I put them on the stove to boil, so it was pretty frustrating for me when I did it... but I think it is a pretty simple recipe in general. And in the end, it tastes great! I served it at a party we hosted at my house and it was gone in about 5 minutes flat!

CHUNKY POTATO AND HAM SOUP

3 medium red potatoes
2 cups water
Onion Powder
Salt
Crushed Red Pepper
Black Pepper
3 Tbsp. Flour
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cheese
1/2 tsp. sugar
Crushed red pepper flakes

Cut potatoes into cubes and add to water. Cook until tender. Drain, reserving liquid. Set aside potatoes. Measure 1 cup cooking liquid; set aside. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour to saucepan; season with onion powder, pepper flakes, pepper, and salt. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Gradually add potatoes, reserved 1 cup of cooking liquid, milk and sugar to mixture; stir well. Add cheese and ham. Simmer over low heat 20 - 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

*I added some extra cheese and just turned the heat up until the cheese was all melted before serving.

Hearty Lasagna Soup

You would think that this soup would have a strong tomato base or flavor, but it really doesn't. It has a lighter flavor than you may expect but is still really good.

HEARTY LASAGNA SOUP

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
3 1/2 cups Beef Broth
1 can (about 14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 1/2 cups uncooked mafalda or corkscrew-shaped pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the beef, onion, garlic and parsley in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until the beef is well browned, stirring often. Pour off any fat.

Stir the broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in the saucepan and heat to a boil.

Stir the pasta in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Stir in the cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

*I like to use ¼ cup green onions instead of regular yellow or white onions and for the broth I just dissolve 4 beef bouillon cubes in 4 cups water and measure out 3 ½ cups for my soup. (If you boil the water for 5 - 10 minutes it should boil out the extra ½ cup pretty closely.)