Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
(adapted from Bon Appetit and originally posted at AMU) (posted by Carol)

Yield - 2 servings

1 15 oz can pumpkin (or equivalent amount of fresh, cooked pumpkin)
1 15 oz can coconut milk, regular or light
1 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp ground cumin
lime juice
chopped cilantro to taste
salt to taste

In heavy saucepan, heat cumin over medium heat for ~ 30 seconds. Add pumpkin, beans, coconut milk and stock. Cook until hot and flavors meld. Add 1-2 Tbsp of fresh lime juice and cilantro to taste. Add salt if needed. Serve with chopped cilantro on top.

My Notes:
I discovered this recipe on a forum I frequent. I assume sharing is good! I love how fast and good this is.

I use parsley or skip it as DH hates Cilantro.

Chilled Beet Soup

1 16-ounce can diced beets (I use about 4 beets, boiled 'til fork tender and pealed and diced)
1 slice onion (I use about 1/2 a medium onion)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I've had good luck with just water)
1 t sugar
1/2 salt
1/4 pepper
1T lemon juice
dash ground cloves
lemon slices (optional)
sliced green onions (optional)

Put it all in a blender and blend until very smooth. Chill. Use lemon slices and green onions as garnish.

Hearty (& fast) Lentil Sausage Soup

This has become our go-to Lentil Soup around here. I highly recommend pairing it with the beer bread she links to as well. My note on the beer bread is to make it with 100% fresh whole wheat, dropping the measurement to 2 1/2 c ww flour and adding 1/2 wheat germ.

Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

I found this online and it makes the most yummy, hearty soup. Really good with the no knead bread.

4 C vegetable broth/stock
4C tomato juice
1t salt
1T basil
1 red pepper, chopped
2 carrots. chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2t garlic powder
1C sliced mushrooms
28oz can whole tomatoes (slice the tomatoes and reserve the juice)
can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed (if you like them)
1.5 cups of pasta (rotini worked great)

Combine all ingredients except pasta in a crock pot on low for 6 hours or until veggies are cooked. Add pasta, cook for 20-30 minutes, depending on your pasta.

Cheddar & Bacon Potato Soup

I made this tonight and it was so yummy I have to share! I like potato soups and this was one I pulled together in honor of this super cheddar cheese my aunt got us for Christmas (raw artisan cheddar from a small farm in Vermont!). Anyway, if you're not afraid of fat, give it whirl!

Ingredients:
8 slices of bacon chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 onion finely diced
3 Tbs flour
4 medium potatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups chicken stock or water
1 1/2- 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded (the better the cheese, the better the soup!!)

1) Cook chopped potatoes in a separate pot until they are just cooked through (still nice and firm). If you want a smooth soup, puree the potatoes now. If you like it chunkier, then leave them be. Set aside.

2) Put the bacon into a hot pot and turn heat to medium-low. Render the fat out of the bacon by cooking it on med-low til the bacon is crispy and there's a lot of fat in the pan (about 10-15 minutes). Add chopped onion and cook til onion is soft & clear. Add flour and cook for another minute, stirring often.

3) Add broth and bay leaf and cooked potatoes, bringing soup to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add shredded cheese, stirring until smooth and completely melted. Remove bay leaf and enjoy!

Portuguese Kale Soup

Just found this today. 5 ingredients!

1 lb of chorizo (or another spicy sausage), sliced
1 med-large onion, diced
8-12 cups of chicken stock
1 10 oz box of frozen kale (thawed & drained) or a few handfuls of fresh kale (spinach works too)
3-4 cubed potatoes (sometimes I use sweet potatoes instead)

Saute onions in a little oil. Add stock. Add sliced sausage. Bring to a boil. Add kale. Reduce heat & simmer until sausage is done and the potatoes & kale are tender.

No need to add salt or pepper as the chorizo has all the seasoning you need.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

I adapted this from a couple different recipes and what I have on hand. Tortilla soup is an outstanding way to use up leftover turkey - especially that weird meat from the bottom of the bird that is never quite cooked enough. Its nice to have such different, bright flavors with t-day leftovers.

Ingredients
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
3+ Garlic cloves
1/2 onion, chopped
2-4 Chipolte Peppers in Adobo sauce*
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock - you could easily make the stock with the turkey carcass, but I didn't bother.
1 Large can tomatoes
1 tbl cumin (best if freshly ground)

Turkey (or chicken) pulled from carcass and coarsely chopped. It doesn't matter how much you have, really, just enough for how ever many people are eating
1 bell pepper (I think this would be awesome with roasted pablano peppers).


Corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Cheese, avocado, cilantro and lime for topping and garnish
Cooked Rice

The To-Do Part
Puree first seven ingredients in large stock pot with immersion blender. Bring to a boil and simmer for one hour. If you have some large bones, you can add those to the simmer.

Meanwhile, cook remaining half onion in some oil until tender. Add Turkey and bell pepper and some garlic. Saute for a few minutes until turkey is warmed through or finished cooking.

Cut 20 or so tortillas into strips. Fry in a large frying pan in 1/2 inch hot oil in small batches. You can use chips, but freshly fried tortillas are a very special and yummy treat. Drain twice on paper towels or brown paper bags (I find it works quite well, after the initial draining, to put strips inside a brown bag with some salt for a second draining.)

Assembly
Ladle hot soup over brown rice and turkey/chicken. Top with avocado, a little grated cheese or (even better) crumbled queso fresca, cilantro and lime. Put tortilla strips on top or on the side.

YUM!

Notes: The chipolte peppers give an unroasted tortilla soup a roasted flavor and add heat. These are available st Shnuks now, or, of course Jays or the mexican grocery stores. Buy a tiny can (Herdez is one brand) and freeze what is leftover. Tonight I used 2 chilis with some of the extra sauce and it was fairly mild. I wish I'd used 4. I also added some of our leftover gravy and additional water. This thickened the soup and added even more flavor.

This is my favorite winter soup, and I actually like it better with turkey than chicken.

Slow-cooker Minestrone

I haven't made this yet, but it looks yummy! It says prep time is only 20 minutes and it serves 6-8. The quantities are a little strange, surely you could fudge it with what you have, if you don't have a kitchen scale. (Nerd that I am, I do have one!)

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 slices bacon, finely diced bacon (discard rinds)

2 ribs celery, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1/4 c. olive oil

8 c. chicken broth

1 c. canned chopped tomatoes

2 T. tomato paste

5 oz. cabbage

4 oz. green beans

2 oz. macaroni

salt and pepper

10 oz. canned kidney beans, drained

1. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bacon, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer to a slow cooker and add the broth. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Put on the lid and cook on the Low setting for 4-5 hours. About 2 and 1/2 hours before the soup is done, thinly shred the cabbage and cut the green beans into 1-inch pieces, and add along with the macaroni.

3. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans and cook a few more minutes until they are heated through. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with shredded basil leaves and grated Parmesan.

Syrian Red Lentil Soup

2 Tbs oil
3 cloves garlic (I use more like 5 or 6)
1 1/2 c red lentils
6 c. water
1 Tbs thyme
2 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp salt

Cook garlic in oil for about a minute. Before it smells too strong,
add cumin. As soon as cumin begins to turn darker (or before your
garlic burns!) add lentils, water, thyme & salt. Bring to a boil,
then simmer on low for about one hour. Serve with a nice bread.

I like to add some potatoes & maybe a carrot or whatever greens I
have on hand (actually a good use for chard) and then I serve it over
brown rice. However, this can be made just as simply and
straightforward as the recipe calls for and it's super yummy. This
is one of our "bare pantry" recipes cause it takes almost nothing and
is very satisfying! Oh and, even though red lentils will be soft and
done cooking within like 20 minutes, the flavor really is best if
it's allowed to simmer as long as it's called for (but if you're in a
rush, it can take as little as half an hour to make!)