Day Twenty-One: Chicken Vegetable Soup

Courtesy of Taste of Home

Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
4 small red potatoes, cubed
3 small carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 tbsp chopped celery leaves
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken, 1 3/4 cups broth, Italian seasoning, garlic, and paprika. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and celery leaves, Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, combine the flour and remaining broth until smooth; gradually add to pot. Bring to a boil again; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.

Day Fifteen: Kicked Up Chicken Soup

A broth based soup for those cold nights. Simple, hearty, and healthy.

Southwestern Chicken Soup

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Plain yogurt and fresh cilantro for garnish

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken and onion in oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the corn, beans, broth, tomatoes, cumin, salt, chili powder and cayenne. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with yogurt and cilantro.

Day Fourteen: Autumn Soup in Winter

As usual I bought some Johnsonville smoked sausage on sale. As usual I found a lovely Taste of Home recipe to utilize it. Soups on!

Autumn Sausage Corn Soup

10-12 servings

1 lb fully cooked smoked sausage, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
3 1/2 cups water
1 pkg frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt, optional
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 In a large skillet, cook, and stir sausage over medium-high eat until browned; set aside.

2 In a dutch oven or soup pot, cook and stir flour in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add the onion, green pepper and green onions; saute until tender.

3 Stir in the water, corn, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, cayenne pepper, ans sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Day Twelve: Chicken Fajitas in Soup Form

I love anything with southwestern or tex mex flavors. This recipe is a must try. :)

Fiesta Chicken Chowder

Ingredients

3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 envelope fajita seasoning, divided
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 tbsp canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can Mexicorn, drained
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can condense nacho cheese soup, undiluted
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour and 2 tbsp fajita seasoning; add chicken. Seal the bag and shake to coat. In a large saucepan, sauté chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.

2. In the same pan, sauté onion until onion is tender; and garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the water, beans, tomatoes, corn, rice, chilies, and remaining fajita seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

Stir in the soup, cilantro, lime juice and chicken, heat through.

Day Eleven: Country Soup

Another country soup. Simple and quick.

Country Sausage Soup

Ingredients

3/4 lb pork sausage
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions

In a large saucepan, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, thyme, rosemary, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir in the beans; heat through.

*Note: Any time you see ground beef, I substitute with ground turkey.

Day Ten: Lentil Soup

Trying something different! I like lentils why not put them in soup?

Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

3 cans vegetable broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 can spicy hot V8 juice
1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium tomato, cubed
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the potato, tomato, carrot, and celery; cover and simmer 30 minutes longer or until rice and vegetables are tender.

Day Nine: Stuffed Peppers

Running with the theme of deconstructed stuffed vegetables I found a recipe for stuffed pepper soup.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pkg ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice

1 lb ground beef

2 cups green peppers, chopped

1 cup onion, chopped

1 jar chunky tomato pasta sauce

1 can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can beef broth

Prepare rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the beef, green peppers, and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pasta sauce, tomatoes, broth, and prepared rice; simmer until heated through and flavor combine.

Day Eight: Country Cabbage Soup

Next to broccoli, cabbage is my favorite vegetable. I love it in slaw, on tacos, sautéed, boiled, and steamed. I wanted a new way to prepare it and found this recipe. Simple ingredients makes this a nice and easy weeknight soup. It reminds me of a deconstructed stuffed cabbage.

Country Cabbage Soup

2 lbs ground beef
2 cans (28 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
2 large onions, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, season and cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;drain. Add the tomatoes, cabbage, onions, and celery and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in salt and pepper.

Day Seven: White Chili

The temperature hasn't been over 28 degrees all week so it seems like the perfect weather for this hearty chili.

Creamy White Chili
From Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp canola oil
2 cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

In a large saucepan, sauté the chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is not longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and cream.

*Note: You could definitely pop this in the crockpot!

Day Six: Fast Fix

I haven't had tomato soup since I was a little kid. Instead of popping open a can of Campbell's I decided to try this recipe from Lanaee O'Neill featured in the latest issue of . . . you guessed it, Taste of Home!

Simple Tomato Soup

2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 carton chicken broth

1. In a blender, process tomatoes with juices until puréed; set aside. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, stir and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in flour until smooth. Cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth. Add tomato purée and bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve sprinkled with grated Parmesan if desired.

Day Five: Decisions, Decisions

The other day I mentioned I was craving cheeseburgers. Again Taste of Home came to the rescue with not one but two recipes to try. I couldn't decide between the them so I'm making small batches of both! I'll let you know how they come out!

Cheeseburger Chowder

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground beef
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup frozen shredded hash browns
1 can chopped green chilies
1 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tbsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp chili powder

Prep

In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, milk, potatoes, chilies, taco seasoning, onion and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until heated brought. Garnish with corn chips, cheese, and green onion if desired.

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 small carrot, grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped (seeded for less heat)
1 qt beef broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp pepper
1 pounds ground turkey
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp butter
2 cups milk, divided
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Prep

1 In a Dutch oven, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.
2 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and mushrooms in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 1 cup of milk; heat through.
3 In a small bowl, combine the flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce hear, stir in cheese until melted and serve garnished with crumbled bacon.

*Note: Season the meat like you would season your hamburger. I use seasoning salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Day Three: Soup for Dessert

Every girl has that time of the month when she craves sweets, snacks, etc.; pretty much all things junk. Unlike the typical woman I'm not a big fan of chocolate at any time of the month. A lot of the time I want a cheeseburger and Doritos, but lately I've really been wanting sweets. I picked up some Florida (being a California girl I'm partial to ours) strawberries while grocery shopping last week, because they were on sale of course. Later that week browsing Taste of Home recipes, low and behold I found a strawberry soup.

Succulent Strawberry Soup
4 servings

Ingredients

2 quarts fresh strawberries, divided
1/2 cup water
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp orange zest
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh mint and additional strawberries for garnish

Directions

1 Mash half the strawberries with a potato masher or fork and set aside
2 In a blender, combine remaining strawberries, water, sugar, flour, and orange zest; process until smooth. Pour into a 2-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3 Add mashed strawberries. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and chill for at least 1 hour.
4 Stir in cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve with mint and strawberries if desired.

Sweet Ending

Before Thanksgiving I bought cranberries because they were on sale. I had no intention of making cranberry sauce but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make with them so I popped them in the freezer. While browsing Taste of Home magazine I found a recipe that had peaches and blueberries. I decided I could substitute cranberries for this so it was perfect. Not to mention how incredibly easy the recipe is. Easy as pie isn't a saying for no reason!

Peach-Cranberry Crumble Tart
(Adapted from James Schend's submission to Taste of Home Oct-Nov 2012)

Ingredients

Crust
1 9" Frozen Pie Crust

Filling
2 Cups fresh cranberries
2 Cups frozen unsweetened sliced peaches, thawed
1 Tbsp honey

Crumb Topping
1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 Cup chopped pecans
1/8 Tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Preparation
1. Sprinkle the pie crust with cinnamon and pre-bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl combine the cranberries, peaches, and honey; toss to coat.
3. In a small bowl combine the first 5 topping ingredients; stir in butter.
4. Spoon fruit mixture into crust, sprinkle with topping, and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fillings is bubbly.
5. Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

*Note: It's pictured here without the crumble that's just because I forgot to take a picture, but don't leave it out, its the best part!