Creamy Brie and Apple Soup

I saw this soup on the Whole Foods recipe page and started salivating.  I loves me some Brie and it’s always good with apples – so this is right up my alley. 

picture courtesy of Whole Foods

Turn a bit of leftover Brie (that is if you actually have any leftover) into a rich and creamy fall soup with the combination of sweet Braeburn and tart Granny Smith apples.

If you can’t find Braeburn, you might substitute Jazz or Gala.  If you don't like Brie, try it with white cheddar - after all, apples and cheese are a classic combination!

This would be great to serve along with Almond Flour Biscuits or maybe some Zucchini Tots - yummy!

Creamy Brie and Apple Soup

makes 4 to 6 servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

2 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

3 ounces Brie, rind removed (1/2 cup chopped)

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

In a medium saucepot, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and celery, and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in apples and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and simmer about 10 minutes or until apples are very tender. 

Add the Brie and salt, and purée with an immersion blender (or carefully transfer mixture to a blender) and blend until smooth.

Return soup to the saucepot and heat over medium heat until hot. Serve garnished with thyme.

Nutritional Info (provided by Whole Foods):

Per Serving: Serving size: about 1 cup, 160 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 16g sugar), 4g protein

Pumpkin Curry Soup

It’s beginning to look a lot like….Pre-Christmas?

recipe courtesy of Amanda at Free Coconut Recipes

Yep, it’s only October but the stores already have the decorations up.  I get confused about what holiday comes next.  That must be why I have pumpkin on the brain.  And don’t wait until Thanksgiving to make this – any cold day will do! 

One of the ladies at work makes her version of Pumpkin Curry Soup and brings it in her crockpot along with a loaf of fresh bread.  Heavenly! 

This recipe was submitted to Free Coconut Recipes by Amanda in Hot Springs, CA – thanks Amanda!  She also took the lovely picture.  I have shaky hands so I prefer to use other people’s pictures so you don’t get nauseated looking at them!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

makes 4 servings

recipe courtesy of www.freecoconutrecipes.com

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 finely minced garlic cloves

3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

Salt to taste

Minced cilantro for garnish and flavor

Heat the oil in a heavy soup pan, medium-low heat.

Add the curry, ginger, cumin and red pepper flakes.

Stir for a couple of minutes while the seasonings roast and become fragrant. Do not walk away - they can burn in a flash and you will have to start over. Add the garlic and stir for a moment. Do not let the garlic brown. The flavor will overpower this delicate soup if you do.

Pour the chicken broth into the spice mixture and stir well. Loosen anything that may be sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the pumpkin puree into the pot, and mix very well.  Try using an immersion blender or carefully combine in a large blender.

Warm the coconut milk separately and then add to the blended pumpkin mixture. Season with sea salt according to your own taste.

Serve with a sprinkling of finely minced cilantro on the top. The green of the cilantro sparkles against the orange hue of the soup. It also adds a subtle earthy quality.

Southwestern Chili

It's Thursday night and I'm in a panic because I don't have something ready to post for Friday!  However, this previously posted recipe has been on my mind all day.  It was one of my dad's favorite meals for a family gathering.  It's been a year since he passed away and since we called him 'Poppa' we are having a memorial family get together this weekend and calling it Poppalooza...hard to believe it's been a year and not a day goes by that I don't have something special to share with him and then realize that it'll have to wait.

This is a very tasty meal, especially on a rainy day.  What's even better about this chili is that you can portion out and freeze it to give to friends or save for another rainy day.

The veggies can be flexible according to your tastes.  I like to triple the recipe for when I have my family over.  My dad loved it with cheesy cornbread muffins.

Southwestern Chili

makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

1 tablespoon chili powder (more or less to taste)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup grated cheddar (2 ounces)

2 green onions, sliced

garlic salt and cumin - to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion and pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute. Stir in the beans, chili powder, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the corn.

Divide the chili among bowls and top with the cheddar and scallions.

Print this recipe:  Southwestern Chili

This is one of my favorite pictures taken at the Family reunion in Iowa last July - my dad (actually smiling) and my daughter (you know her as The Kid).  If you're from Iowa you might recognize the 'House Divided' shirt my brother is wearing (go Hawks!)

Zucchini Soup

‘Oh wait a minute’ you say…’it’s too dang hot to have soup…besides you already posted a bunch of soups back in the wintertime!’

But hold on a second now – this soup can be served hot or COLD…chilled…nice and cool and ready to go when you get home from a long tough day at work.  And it’s vegetable!  So it’s perfect, right?  Well, Bubba would probably call it ‘Grinch Soup’.

So let’s get started…

Zucchini Soup

makes 4 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 pound zucchini

2 cups chicken broth

marjoram: either 1/2 teaspoon dried or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup half-and-half (chilled version only)

Using a grater, coarsely shred the zucchini with the peel still on.

In a heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion and garlic about 4 minutes.  Add the zucchini and sauté for another minute.  Stir in the broth and marjoram.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

If you have an immersion (stick type) blender, go ahead and blend up the soup in the pot.  If not, then carefully pour or ladle the soup in two separate batches into the food processor or the blender and spin it until it’s nice and smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve hot, return the soup to the pan and warm it up, then serve in bowls or mugs (I like to have hot soup in mugs).

To serve chilled – put the soup in a container, cover, and put in the fridge for at least an hour.  When ready to serve, whisk the nicely chilled half-and-half into the nicely chilled soup and enjoy.  (Do I really need to tell you to put it into a bowl and serve?   I mean really, are you going to stand at the counter with a straw and go to town straight from the Tupperware?)  

For those of you who are overwhelmed by the growth of zucchini (Jeri) you could make large batches of this and freeze it so you could enjoy this any time of year.

Black Bean Soup

Let's end our week of warm veggie soups with this lovely easy recipe...

This warm thick hearty soup was just perfect on a cold day.  It was really easy to make and very filling and it makes a lot.  I loved coming in the door and having dinner all set to go!

It’s a crockpot recipe but I think you could just put this together and simmer on the back of the stove all day and still have a great meal. 

Black Bean Soup

makes several servings

3 cans black beans (undrained)

1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

16 oz frozen vegetables

1 cup salsa

1 teaspoon lime juice

garlic salt

toppings: sour cream/Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, additional salsa

Empty the beans and tomatoes into the crockpot - do not rinse or drain the beans.

Mix in the vegetables and broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours, the longer it cooks the better it tastes.

Before serving, use an immersion blender (or carefully pour small batches into blender) and puree until smooth.

Stir in salsa and lime juice.  Season to taste with garlic salt.

Serve hot with toppings of your choice.

Butternut Squash Soup

Is it just me or do you HATE eating salads when it's freezing outside?  Losing weight has made me cold all the time so this week, let's review some WARM COZY VEGGIE SOUPS....aaaaahhhhh that sounds so warm and filling....

This soup was so delicious that the three of us ended up eating it all in one sitting.

I have labeled this as 'easy' but the peeling and cutting up of the butternut squash was a pain.  If you are in a hurry you might want to buy it frozen, (as long as it doesn't have preservatives and stuff added to it) or find it already cut up in the produce section.

Next time I make it I might experiment with roasting it or putting it in the crockpot to soften it up.  Has anyone else tried that?

This soup would be great on all Stages of P10.

Simple Butternut Squash Soup

serves 4-6

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 lbs butternut squash, peeled and diced

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock or broth

salt and freshly ground pepper

parsley for garnishing

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and gently saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add the squash and stock and stir well, bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Blend the soup with an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.   If soup is too thick, thin with more broth or add a splash of cream or milk.

Season to taste and serve hot.

We enjoyed this garnished with Parmesan cheese and toasted hulled sunflower seeds.

1/2 cup of soup = 1 veggie serving

Print this recipe:  Butternut Squash Soup

Pork Green Chili

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Do you view Foodgawker?  www.foodgawker.com

It's a heavenly site that shows different posts of various blogs throughout the day.  For some reason, I can't get it to post any of mine, it doesn't like the pictures.  I'm a bit technically challenged. 

Anywhoo, I found this link to She Makes and Bakes and this lovely green chili recipe.

This is not a sauce. It's a chili. You can heap it in a bowl and top it with some cheese and sour cream along with a tortilla.  You could also pour it over a bowl of beans too. This was great on eggs the next day.

I use canned mild green chilies in this, and I thought it had a kick to it so go easy if you don’t like spicy foods.  And go overboard with lots of spices if you do!

If you accidentally spice it up too much, add sour cream on top of your serving to cool it down.

This makes a great warm dinner that cooks up in an hour OR you can put it in the crockpot and drive your family crazy with the smell.

There is some white flour in this recipe, not a whole lot, so I’m going to green light it for Stage 1.

Pork Green Chili

makes 4 servings

1 pound lean pork, cubed

2 tablespoons butter, divided

small white onion, diced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken broth

2 cans (7 ounces each) mild diced green chilies

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes

1-2 teaspoons cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Dash red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

Combine the 1/2 teaspoons of salt and pepper with the 1/4 cup flour. Dredge the cubed pork through the seasoned flour.

In a large saucepan, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Place the diced onion in the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft. Remove the onion to a bowl. Melt the other tablespoon of butter and add the flour-covered pork to the pan. Let sit for three minutes to brown. Stir and let brown for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add in the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot. Add rest of the ingredients and let simmer for one hour.

Or, carefully pour everything into the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

If the chili is too thin, dissolve some cornstarch in water and stir into to the pot. Bring to a boil (for crockpot, mix in well and warm it up).

Adjust the seasonings to your preference.

Serve warm with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortillas.

Cauliflower Soup

Well, it's a good time of year to be on a soup kick.  Warm, filling and easy to make, soup is a very forgiving recipe, you can add and enhance and adjust to your heart's content.  But if you listen to the judges on Top Chef you want to keep tasting and adjusting and then if you have the time, let it meld for a bit.  With the seasonings, feel free to experiment with whatever you think might be good.  I surprised myself by adding some chili powder (just a wee bit) and it really kicked the taste up a notch.  This soup goes well with a salty topping like cheddar or Parmesan cheese.


Cauliflower Soup
makes 4 servings

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
seasonings - salt, pepper, sage, thyme, chili powder, garlic salt, etc.
toppings - cheddar or Parmesan cheese

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute until soft (but not browned).

Add the roughly chopped cauliflower, stir quickly and then add the broth.  Bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until cauliflower is soft.

Use a immersion blender (or regular blender) to puree until smooth.

Add seasonings to taste and then let the soup sit for about five minutes to thicken up.

Top with cheese and serve warm.

Black Bean Soup

This warm thick hearty soup was just perfect on a cold day.  It was really easy to make and very filling and it makes a lot.  I loved coming in the door and having dinner all set to go!

It’s a crockpot recipe but I think you could just put this together and simmer on the back of the stove all day and still have a great meal. 

Black Bean Soup

makes several servings

3 cans black beans (undrained)

1 can diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

16 oz frozen vegetables

1 cup salsa

1 teaspoon lime juice

garlic salt

toppings: sour cream/Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, additional salsa

Empty the beans and tomatoes into the crockpot - do not rinse or drain the beans.

Mix in the vegetables and broth.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours, the longer it cooks the better it tastes.

Before serving, use an immersion blender (or carefully pour small batches into blender) and puree until smooth.

Stir in salsa and lime juice.  Season to taste with garlic salt.

Serve hot with toppings of your choice.

Slow Cooker White Chili

This is an old WW standby and a really delicious 'white' chili on a cold day. 

This makes a LOT so portion some of it into freezer containers and freeze for another day.

Slow Cooker White Chili

8 servings (1 1/2 cups)

for the crockpot:

4 cups chicken broth

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 (15oz)  cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed

2 med. zucchini diced

2 onions chopped

1 tbs. ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. chili powder

for serving:

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp. salt and pepper or to taste

Mix broth, chicken, beans, zucchini, onions, spices cook on high in slow cooker for 3 1/2 hours (or on low all day)

Stir in corn and sour cream, heat through, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Mushroom Soup

I can’t begin to describe how delicious this soup is.  It’s very warm and velvety and comforting and as far away from the canned crap of mushroom soup as you can get.

This recipe is from the book “Comfort Me with Apples” by Ruth Reichl.  Ruth is the former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and she has written several books, my favorite of which are her best-selling memoirs: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table; Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table; and Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise.  I love these books about her unusual childhood and her ongoing love affair with food and feeding those she loved.  Garlic and Sapphires was especially funny, as she had started working as the food critic for the New York Times and had to wear disguises so she wouldn’t be recognized.  The way this woman describes food should probably be censored…it’s that good.

This recipe was a mainstay for Ruth during a very hard time in her life and she found a lot of comfort in making and eating it.  I revised the recipe to use almond flour rather than regular flour.  I think I'll still need to tweak it a bit (maybe use ground flaxseed?) to get it juuuuuust right, but I don't make it too often 'cause Bubba doesn't care for mushrooms...he's a good sport about it though. 

Mushroom Soup

makes 4 servings

1/2 pound (8 oz) mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

1 small onion, diced

4 tablespoons almond flour

1 cup beef broth

2 cups half and half

salt and pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 bay leaf

Melt the butter in a heavy sauté pan over medium-low heat.  When the foam subsides, add the onion and sauté until golden.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until brown.

Stir in the flour and then slowly add the broth, stirring constantly.

Heat the half and half in a saucepan or in the microwave.  Add it to the mushrooms, along with the salt, pepper, nutmeg and bay leaf.  Cook over low heat for 10 minutes; do not boil.

Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Print this recipe:  Mushroom Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup has been a great standby on a cold day.  If you find yourself rushed in the mornings, get it ready the night before, refrigerate and then start the crockpot in the morning.  Nothing beats coming in out of the rain and sitting down to a warm bowl of soup. 

There are a lot of canned veggies and you are more than welcome to use fresh or frozen if you'd like.  P10 says not to go overboard on corn or carrots so you're welcome to swap those out for some other vegetable.  As you can see, this recipe can be flexible with regards to the ingredients and the spices - whatever you prefer.  Try your best to get the most natural or organic ingredients you can.  You can also shortcut this recipe by using already cooked chicken, a great way to use up leftovers.

If you don't have a crockpot, then simmer the soup for a few hours on the stovetop to let the flavors meld. 

This recipe is good for all Stages.  Stage 1 should not eat the Tortilla Strips, but your family will love them.

I would say that 1 cup of soup = 2 veggie servings and 1/2 protein serving.

Click here to print the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe

Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 cups chicken broth

15 oz can of Hunts diced tomato (Mexican flavor, if available)

1 can kernel corn (do not drain)

1 cup sliced carrots or baby carrots (or 1 can carrots, do not drain)

1 can black beans, drained

4 oz can Ortega diced mild green chilies

1 zucchini, peeled/julienne cut (or 1 can zucchini, do not drain)

1 yellow squash, peeled/julienne cut (optional)

1 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

2 large chicken boneless/skinless breasts, uncooked

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 tsp. cayenne or chili pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Garnish:

Grated cheese

Tortilla strips

Boil chicken broth in saucepan, turn off heat.  Add chicken to broth, cover and poach for 30 minutes.  Sauté onions and garlic with olive oil in separate skillet.  Remove chicken, cool and shred.

Combine all ingredients in large crockpot.  Cook all day on low.

Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic salt.

Soup and tortilla strips freeze well.

Tortilla Strips:

4 10” whole wheat flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut tortillas into 1/4” strips, 1 1/2” long.

Spray cookie sheet, spread strips on sheet.

Bake 5 minutes, turn.  Bake another 2-3 minutes or until golden.

Southwestern Chili

This is a very tasty meal, especially on a rainy day.  What's even better about this chili is that you can portion out and freeze it to give to friends or save for another rainy day.

The veggies can be flexible according to your tastes.  I like to triple the recipe for when I have my family over.  Do you still have your dabs of tomato paste tucked away in the freezer?  Now's the time to use a few of them.

Southwestern Chili

makes 4 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

1 tablespoon chili powder (more or less to taste)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup grated cheddar (2 ounces)

2 green onions, sliced

garlic salt and cumin - to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion and pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it is slightly darkened, 1 minute. Stir in the beans, chili powder, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the corn.

Divide the chili among bowls and top with the cheddar and scallions.

Print this recipe:  Southwestern Chili

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Every single time I make Cream of Broccoli soup I look at it and say ‘I’m not gonna like this’ – but I always do!  I guess it’s not so purty as you’re making it but it turns out great.

So yes, you suppose correctly.  Pretty much any kind of vegetable can be made into soup, there is more or less a basic pattern to it but they all taste great.  And to make really great soup you do need some way to puree it; either with an immersion blender (also called a stick blender) or a regular blender, but the regular blender is more of a hassle.

For those of you who are a certain age group, you will be required to sing along with Dana Carvey - …choppin’ broccoleeeeeee…choppin’ broccoliiiiiii, -  during the cutting of the vegetables.

I also secretly chopped up some zucchini and threw it in with the onions because I needed to cook it soon and because the Kid doesn’t like it – what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.  Since you’re going to puree it, you could sneak all kinds of stuff in there.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

serves 4-6

1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

16 oz broccoli florets, fresh (or frozen and thawed)

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

4 cups chicken or veggie broth

1/2 cup milk or cream or half & half

2 tbsp sour cream

salt and pepper

In a large soup pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook three minutes until soft, add the garlic.

While onions are cooking, roughly chop up the broccoli and throw into the pot, and sauté in the onions and butter for a few minutes.

Add the broth, cover and simmer.  For fresh broccoli, cook about 10-15 minutes and for thawed broccoli, cook about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in the milk, cheese and sour cream into the pot and puree until smooth.  If you like your soup a bit thicker, combine 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a separate dish and mix into the soup until thickened.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a little dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cheddar cheese if you’d like to appear all fancy and gourmet.

1/2 cup of soup = 1 vegetable serving and 1/4 fat serving, don't you think?

Print the recipe:  Cream of Broccoli Soup