Baba's Vegetable Soup

When my grandmother was alive, she used to make her vegetable soup with ABC noodles.  If there was one tip I took from her, it would be to add tomatoes {canned or not} to the soup broth for added flavor and texture.  My husband always says that my best soups are ones made from the ingredients I have left in my fridge and this soup is no different.  Take a look...  

I started with this:

Since this soup was thrown together in a jiffy, all measurements are approximate:

½ red onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

½ red pepper, chopped

Palmful of frozen edamame, shelled

Palmful of frozen corn

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

Salt and pepper to taste

2 quarts of organic vegetable stock

1 large can {28 ounces} tomatoes, pureed

2 bay leaves 
3/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Celery leaves, chopped 

Water to thin soup

Noodles of choice

The steps are simple:

• Saute raw veggies in olive oil until tender
• Add the liquids and tomatoes 
• Add the seasonings
• Simmer for at least 30 minutes
• Boil water in another pot and cook your favorite noodles according to the directions on the package
• Tip: Keep your noodles separate and add to soup before serving

I used these cute snowflake noodles to make our dinner more festive and season-appropriate... 

The final product: a healthy meal for a wet and chilly night.  

Enjoy your Thursday! 

{Soup Club's} Farmhouse Ham and Corn Chowder

Soup Club started at school again!  It’s simple…every Wednesday several people sign up to bring in soup to share.  Those who sign up can partake in the soups that are brought in each week.  

Yesterday, my team signed up together and we had five delicious varieties:

• Stuffed Pepper Soup
• Mexican Bean Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup
• White Cheese Soup with Bacon
• Farmhouse Ham and Corn Chowder

I decided to make Farmhouse Corn Chowder which was taken from a crockpot cookbook that I purchased several years ago.  I've made this recipe a few times and I think it is a nice diversion from your typical beef and chicken based soups.  

Farmhouse Ham and Corn Chowder

2 cans {10.5 ounces each} cream of celery soup
2 cups diced cooked ham
1 package {10 ounces} frozen corn
1 large baking potato, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup milk

1.  Combine all ingredients, except broccoli and milk in a slow cooker, stir to blend.  Add a little water.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours, or HIGH 3 to 4 hours.  

2.  If cooking on low, turn to HIGH and stir in broccoli and milk.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or until broccoli is crisp tender.  

Makes 6 to 8 servings.   

Of course, my team had to crowd together for our group photo.  They are beginning to develop quite the collection of photos over the years!  

Simple ideas such as our Soup Club make coming to work fun.  What do you do at your place of employment to make work a more interesting place to spend your day?

The Makings of a Hearty Soup

When I make soup, I rarely follow a recipe.  For most of my clear soups, I like to start each pot with a few simple ingredients and they never fail me.  

To begin, I always saute the trilogy {carrots, celery and onion} in a little bit of olive oil.  Once they are soft, I add garlic and cook for another minute or two.  Tip: Add pinches of salt throughout the cooking process because if you add it at the end, your soup will just taste salty rather than flavorful.     



Normally, I use organic stock, whether it be beef, chicken or vegetable.  For the pot I made on Sunday...I added a can of cannellini beans for protein, and veggie pasta for added bulk.  When adding pasta to soup, I cook it on the side until it reaches al dente and add before serving.  A can of tomatoes {I crush them myself} adds nice flavor to any vegetable/minestrone-type soup.   



Sometimes I like to add in spinach, but I had a head of cabbage in the fridge so I used that instead.   
 

It's always nice to have something on the side, so I spread leftover basil/walnut pesto over warmed Naan bread and cut it into pieces.  
 

I've given this tip before, but I love it so much that it's worth repeating.  The rinds of Parmesano Reggiano cheese can be saved {or frozen} and dropped into soups.  The warmth of the soup will melt the cheese and disperse the flavor. 
  

Also like to add dried herbs such as oregano and marjoram, as well as fresh ones such as thyme, basil or rosemary.  Before serving, top soups with something special.  I like to use Parmesan, sour cream, or chopped parsley.

Half the fun of making soup is to be creative by using what you have in the fridge and pantry.  

Do you have any tricks for making homemade soup?  
   

 

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Early spring is the time when asparagus is abundant, so why not take advantage of the freshness {and the low prices} and try this delicious and creamy soup?  It's a favorite in my family and hopefully it will become a favorite in your family too.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

3 bunches of fresh asparagus (~ 3 pounds)

2 cartons (8 cups) chicken broth

½ stick unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 leeks, white/light green parts only, chopped and washed (see note below)

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup heavy cream

Mascarpone cheese for garnish

Trim the pretty tops off of the asparagus and place in a bowl.  Trim the woody stems off and discard.  Cut the remaining stalks into 1-inch pieces.  

In a large stockpot, bring the broth to a boil.  Add the "pretty" asparagus tops and cook for 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, ladle them out and submerge into an ice bath for 1 minute.  Remove from ice bath and let dry on a plate layered with paper towels.  Reserve the stock.  

In a medium stockpot, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.  

To prepare the leeks, cut green tops off.  Slice and then halve the light green and white parts only.  Submerge in a large bowl of water.  The leek pieces will rise to the top and the sandy dirt that gets in between the leek layers will sink to the bottom.  Using a slotted spoon, skim out the leek pieces that are afloat.  

When melted, add the leeks and onions and a pinch of salt and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  

Next, add the 1-inch asparagus pieces, salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.  

Add the reserved broth.  

Cook mixture until the asparagus pieces are very tender, about 20 minutes. 

Remove from the heat and process in batches using a food processor.  A hand immersion blender works as well.   Make sure the soup is pureed until smooth.

Taste and add seasonings if necessary.  

Return the pureed mixture to a pot and cook until warm.  Add the cream and reserved asparagus tips and heat through.  

Note: If you are not serving this soup immediately, let pureed mixture cool and add the cream and asparagus tips at a later time.   

To serve, top with a dollop of mascarpone and enjoy!

Serves 8 – 10.

As always, a glass of wine makes cooking so much more fun!  My husband went with the "Uncork, New York" glasses for this pour. 

Plus, Willsey kept a good eye on me while making this soup.

The texture of this creamy soup is divine and the taste is just as delightful.  This recipe does have a few steps throughout the process, but I believe the time put forth is well worth the effort in the end.

Enjoy!

Tracy

Running Intervals and a Little Cream of Zucchini Soup.

Hello!  How are you on this delightful Thursday morning?  The way I look at it…there’s only one more day until the weekend and that makes me happy.  You know what else makes me happy?  A good run including several solid intervals. That equates to a good day for me too.  Yep, yesterday was one of those days. 

Here’s the workout…

Last night I ran right after school, so Jesse and I decided that I could do some intervals around the local community center rather than my planned progression run.  I was in the mood for a little interval action!  Ha!

The workout began with a three-mile warm-up which ended at my starting point.  This particular loop was tracked as 0.85 of a mile, which equates to 1368 meters/1496 yards.  I know, I know…they are weird distances, but the loop was pretty close to a mile and the goal was to be running at “pace” rather than exact distances. 

1 – 5:19 -- (6:15 mile pace) then 1 minute rest

2 – 5:11 -- (6:05 mile pace) then 1 minute rest

3 – 5:05 -- (5:58 mile pace)

I finished the run with a one-mile cool down.

What’s up for the rest of the week?  I’m going to try to run 8 miles today, off Friday, easy 5 miles on Saturday, and then a speedy track workout with Jesse on Sunday.  By Sunday afternoon, I think I will be ready for a good nap! 

Ok, on to the recipe of the day.  For dinner last night, I decided to make a soup using some veggies that I had leftover in my fridge…2 large zucchini, an onion and some garlic.  I also had some fresh basil left from Sunday’s meal and that gave this soup a fresh and vibrant flavor.    

Here’s the recipe…

Cream of Zucchini Soup with Fresh Basil

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large zucchini, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon, Herbs de Provence

2 - 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt to taste; pepper

 

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and a pinch of kosher salt.  Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add zucchini and garlic with another pinch of kosher salt and cook 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, basil leaves and Herbs de Provence and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

Once soup has simmered, purée in small batches in a blender or food processor and transfer into a medium saucepan.

Add sour cream and cumin.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and heat through.

 

I served this soup with mango and strawberries topped with the most delicious raspberry balsamic vinegar from Seasons, a local oil and vinegar tasting room.  This vinegar is thick, sweet and perfect over fresh fruit. 

Walla!  The finished product…

My daughter wanted to try her eye at photography and she caught her meal on camera too.  Not bad!! 

Makes 4 – 6 servings; Takes approximately 45 minutes.

I hope you have a great Thursday!

Enjoy!

Tracy

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup (Club).

Good Morning and Happy Thursday!  I have an exciting and delicious recipe to share with you today.  It is a favorite of my family, as well as my friends at school.  

But before I do, I have to show you the pretty snow that was in my front yard yesterday afternoon.  We finally had some of the "white stuff" here in the Lehigh Valley and I got a little excited.  

Ok, on to the soup...

Every Wednesday at work, we have “Soup Club” where people take turns bringing in crock-pots of soup to share.  Since we usually have about three to four people signed up during any given week, and this week it was my turn.  The rule is: if you participate, then you can have soup.  Easy enough, right? 

Here’s a look at some of the crock-pots full of the yummy soup concoctions: Spinach Tortellini soup, a Southwest Chicken Soup (from Real Simple's website), and a Spicy Rice soup.  I’d say it was a good day for the Soup Club members! 

Here I am with two members of my 4^th grade team and we cheated by tasting the soup before our scheduled lunch.  It’s just so hard to resist!!

Today’s recipe is Spicy Cheeseburger soup.  It is a creamy soup complete with ground beef, vegetables, and cheese with a little kick.  Several years ago, the recipe was given to me by a former colleague, so I decided to continue on with the tradition.  Most cheeseburgers don’t have the zip that this soup gets from the jalapeno pepper – and it’s a fine trade-off for a bun!

Here’s the recipe!

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

2 cups potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, grated

1 small onion, diced

¼ cup green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules

½ teaspoon salt

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained

2 ½ cups milk, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ pound (8 ounces) American cheese, cubed

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

 ½ pound (8 ounces) bacon, cooked and crumb  

In a large stockpot, combine 1 ½ cups water, potatoes, carrots, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, bouillon, garlic, and salt.   

I used a food processor to grate the carrots.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

 Stir in beef and 2 cups of the milk.  Heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and the remaining milk and stir until smooth.  Gradually stir into soup.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened and bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Reduce heat and stir in cheese until melted.  Sliced American cheese is fine, just cut the entire brick into cubes.  Add cayenne pepper if desired.  I didn’t add the cayenne because I thought the soup had enough “kick” for my family’s tastes. 

I cooked the bacon in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.  This is a great way to cook a lot of bacon all at once.

 

 YUM!

Top with bacon just before serving.  Tada...the final masterpiece!

 

This recipe serves six people.  To make enough for an entire crock-pot, I tripled the recipe so I had enough to take to school (and for dinner the night before).

Although this soup isn’t completely low-fat (I used skim milk to help reduce some of the calories).  It is ridiculously delicious and well-worth the splurge!

Enjoy!

Tracy