hola, apples.

the hubby and i made chili. yum. it has me thinking about soups. anything good to pass on?

-jaem

i heart soup.

anyone have a good recipe for pumpkin soup?? pumpkin bisque?

It's been a few years since I've made this one, but it was pretty good as I recall:

Butternut-Corn Chowder with Goat Cheese Croutons

I love tomato dill soup. I made this recipe a while back with a few substitutions, I skipped the yogurt and added some light cream, and left out the green onions cause I didn't have any. It's delicious:

TOMATO SOUP
Serves 6

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small white onion, chopped

4 green onions (green and white parts), chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 clove garlic, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed or 2 teaspoons dried

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt, lightly beaten with a fork

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill weed (optional)
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat bottom of skillet. When oil is hot, add white and green onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until white pieces are translucent. Add flour and garlic; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth, stirring well. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add tomatoes, dill, sugar, salt, and pepper. 

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tomatoes are reduced to a pulp. 

Allow soup to cool for a few minutes. Puree in small batches in a blender or food processor. Reheat soup. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of yogurt over each serving and sprinkle with dill weed.

I just had Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup with the kids and it hit the spot...



...but these recipes sound delicious (and much healthier).

I perfected my chili this weekend. It's vegetarian, but I've fooled two carnivores into thinking they were eating meat. Success!

Kylie Jo,

Here is a fav of mine...

PUMPKIN & BLACK BEAN SOUP

2 tbs olive oil
1 med onion, finely chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1-2 15oz cans pumpkin puree
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbs curry powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
coarse salt to taste
20 blades of fresh chives, chopped

Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, add onion & saute for 5 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoe, black beans & pumpkin puree. stir to combine
ingredients & bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to med-low. Stir in
cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt. simmer 5 minutes adjusting
seasonings to taste. Add chives if desired.

I dig chicken tortilla soup. Like every other soup, there are many ways to make it. Personally, I don't think it's complete without strips of corn tortillas mixed in.

it's low in fat and it's wonderful...



amazing stuff. try it. (and like most chili, it's even better heated up as a leftover)

This is my chili recipe ... I call it "man-chili" because it's very hearty, doesn't taste like vegetables (like a lot of other veggie chilis seems to), and contains beer. My roommate almost never takes me up on my offers of food, but he ate (and requested) multiple servings of this.

*Don't let the ingredients list scare you ... it's mostly spices that you probably already have.

QUOTE

Becky's Vegetarian Man-Chili

Ingredients

• about 2 cups of vegetable broth/bouillon
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 can Great Northern beans
• 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 large can tomato sauce (or 1 small can tomato paste)
• 1/2 large white onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 12 oz. soy burger crumbles
• 2 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp pre-minced garlic from a jar)
• 2.5 tbsp chili powder (start with 2 if you don't like spicy)
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp italian seasoning (or combine basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary to your liking)
• 1 extra tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt or garlic salt
• dash of black pepper
• 2-2.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (to taste)
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 4 oz light-to-medium beer (I used Stella Artois)

Directions

1. Put your bouillon in a large pot with your beans (I rinse and drain two cans and add the third with all its juices), bring it to a boil, and simmer covered for an hour, stirring occasionally.
2. While the beans are cooking, dice your onion and green pepper, and sautee them in vegetable oil along with the garlic, in a separate pot.
3. Once the onion is clear and the peppers are tender, add your tomato sauce (or paste; if paste, also add as much water as the paste can holds) and let that simmer while your beans finish boiling.
4. Once the hour's up, add your tomato-veggie mixture to the bean pot, along with the diced tomatoes, the soy crumbles, the spices, and the various liquids. Taste as you go to make sure things aren't getting too spicy, and when you think you're happy with it, simmer for an hour or so. Voila!

mmmmmmm. becky!
this sounds wonderful. heh-"man chile"

my fave: any variation on the butternut squash/apple soup thing.
my mom does a great version with thyme and tarragon--but she never uses a recipe : (
d.

Made a chicken stew today. I've been watching a fair amount of Food Network over the last couple of months, so my knowledge of the way things work in the kitchen has really gotten a boost, especially thanks to Alton Brown. Anyway, I had these leg and thigh pieces that were on sale, so I boiled that up with your basic mire poiux (spelling?) and some fresh rosemary for about 45 minutes, turned it off, and let it sit while I went to the grocery.

Once at home, I removed the chicken and strained the broth, disposing of the mire poiux. I Then I blanched some peeled, cubed red potatoes and some carrot slices. While that was blanching, I melted three tbsp of butter and sauteed some onion and celery, along with a touch of minced thyme I had left over from yesterday's omelet. Once they were soft and translucent, I made a roux using 1.5 tbsp of regular flour, and 1.5 tbsp of my favorite boxed poultry flour mix (for fried chicken). Added the chicken broth, half the shredded chix (will use the other half for pot pie tomorrow) and some mushrooms and let that brew some while I pulled the blanched veggies off the stove and drained 'em. Added those to the mix in the pot, along with a bay leaf, and it's all simmering as we speak. As an afterthought, I boiled some frozen broccoli and am adding that about 20 minutes before it's done. It smells delicious.

That's mirepoix, darlin'. Wow, I haven't corrected your spelling for ages -- that was fun! Seriously, sounds delicious.

I used to make minestrone and lentil soup in the winter when I had more free time. I had recipes way back when, but by now I know the ingredients by heart and don't really measure them out.

Anna, I'm not completely sure what some of your fancy sauces/mixes are, but nevertheless this sounds amazing--way better than my leftover ravioli!

FTR, mirepoix is just a fancy name for diced carrots, celery and onions (often enhanced with herbs). It's a basic ingredient in many soups and stews.

Just a fancy French word for Alton Brown's slightly less fancy "aromatics." Thanks for the help with spelling!

Oh, and it was delicious, Becky. If you'd lived close I'd have had you over for dinner. The pot pie was delicious as well. And so easy. I always think it'll be so daunting, but once the chicken is done, it's twenty minutes of prep and 50 minutes in the oven.