Asian Egg Drop Soup

From the Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/asian-egg-drop-soup-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 4 cups prepared chicken stock, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 green onions, chopped, including ends
• Salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions

Bring soup stock, grated ginger and soy sauce to a boil. In a small cup, make a slurry by combining the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock. Stir until dissolved. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the stock, until thickened. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in the eggs slowly while stirring the soup in the same direction. The egg will spread and feather. Turn off the heat and add the green onions. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately

Tuscan Chicken (or Turkey) Soup

This recipe is super easy and comes together really quickly. It was a great way to use leftover turkey or a rotissere chicken. (That's why I used shredded rather than cuped chicken.) The boys in my family are not vegetable eaters, and I've adapted many recipes to include vegetables by hiding them. Though not in the original recipe, I added a 1/2 cup of carrot puree, and they didn't know the difference...it's the same color as pumpkin, right?

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth
2 cups cooked turkey/chicken; shredded or cubed
1 can (15oz) solid pack pumpkin
1 can white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Grated parmesean cheese

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery & garlic in oil until tender.

Stir in the broth, turkey, pumpkin, beans, salt, basil & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve with parmesean cheese.

A few other notes- I really don't like mincing and chopping, so I took the celery, onion & garlic and put it all in the food processor and let it do the work for me! I used a rotissere chicken that I'd cooked in the crock-pot, so I used the broth from that and it was even better. Just salt & pepper to taste. Lastly, canned pumpkin is listed in the recipe; I happened to have a plethora of pumpkins, so I roasted one and pureed it and used that. Enjoy!

Bacon and Potato Corn Chowder

5 med. potatoes
½ lb. bacon
1 med. onion, small diced
2-3 celery ribs, small diced
¼ c. butter
¼ c. flour
4 c. milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cans cream style corn
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. seasoned salt
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tb. dried parsley
Shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and dice potatoes into ½ inch cubes. Put in pot with salted water (1-2 Tb salt) and boil 10-12 min. Drain and set aside

2. Cut bacon into approx. 1 inch pieces and fry until crispy. Drain and set aside. Pour off most of bacon grease and in the same pan fry diced onion and celery, scraping bottom of pan. Cook till tender and onions are translucent. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. In a large pot melt butter and add flour and cook roux 2-3 min. Take off stove and slowly add the 4 cups of milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Put pot back on stove.

4. Add heavy cream, cream of celery soup, cream style corn, Worcestershire sauce, salts, pepper and parsley. Also add set aside bacon, potatoes, and celery and onions.

5. Heat through but don’t boil. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese.

Gazpacho with Cilantro Cream

2 medium cucumbers (about 8 oz each), peeled
1 medium yellow pepper
1/4 small red onion
2 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 6 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 to 1 small jalapeno chile, seeded
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon milk
5 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
1. Coarsely cut half of 1 cucumber, half of yellow pepper, and all of red onion; set aside. Cut remaining cucumbers and yellow pepper into chunks.

2. In food processor with knife blade attached, puree cucumber chunks, yellow pepper, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, and 2/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Pour into medium bowl. Add cut-up cucumber, yellow pepper, and red onion. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight.

3. Meanwhile, prepare cilantro cream: In small bowl, mix sour cream, milk, 4 teaspoons chopped cilantro, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve soup.

4. Top each serving of cold soup with a dollop of cilantro cream and sprinkle with remaining chopped cilantro.

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NOTES FROM ERIN:
- Next time I make this, I will use a red pepper instead of yellow because the yellow seemed a bit too bitter.
- It tasted much better the next day. I made this and chilled it in the freezer before I brought it to food group. Then I had it the next day for lunch and I thought it tasted so much better. If you make this, be sure to chill overnight so the flavors have time to meld together.

Tomato Basil Soup

1 onion, chopped
3 Tbs. butter
dash of olive oil
salt and pepper
basil, to taste (I used dried basil, and I would say it start with about a teaspoon and go from there)
4 Tbs. flour
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans (about 15 oz each) stewed tomatoes, puree at least 1 can
1 cup milk
1 pint heavy cream

Saute onion butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, and basil until onions are tender.

Combine flour and broth slowly, then add to onions.  Add tomatoes, milk, and cream.

Simmer 30 minutes.  Garnish with croutons and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*I just read today that if you boil your low-fat milk, it will make for a grainy soup.  So, if you use low-fat (or even skim like I do) be sure you only simmer it!

World's Easiest Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS
4 cans of beans, any kind you like.  (I used white, black, kidney and pinto)
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 package taco seasoning

DIRECTIONS
Brown meat and season according to directions on taco seasoning.
Pour 4 cans of beans into soup pot (do not drain).
Add can of corn (I drain the corn but you don't have to)
Add tomatoes (I blend them up so you don't get the big big chunks of tomato)
Add seasoned meat.
Heat and enjoy!

Top with cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

(Thank you Randi for this recipe, and for being out of town so that I could be the one to bring it to the FTRE meeting!!)

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I got this recipe from SkinnyTaste.com

See http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/homemade-chicken-stock-from-your-crock.html

I use whatever vegetable is left over from my Bountiful Basket that week. I don't really like cilantro and thyme in the stock, but I love sage and basil! You can use your imagination, your preferences, and your contents of your refrigerator and/or garden and come out with a great stock and excellent shredded chicken every time!!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

I got this recipe from SkinnyTaste.com.

See http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/cream-of-zucchini-soup-1-ww-point.html

You can use gray squash for a substitute for zucchini. Either works well in this soup.

Tomato and Red Bell Pepper Soup

Originally Submitted by Kelli Callahan

2 large red bell peppers (or jar of roasted red bell peppers, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 ½ cups fresh vegetable or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 – 14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper

If using fresh bell peppers, halve and seed the bell peppers, arrange them on the broiler rack and cook, turning occasionally, for 8 – 10 minutes until softened and charred. Leave to cool slightly, then carefully peel off the charred skin. Chop the bell pepper flesh and place in a large saucepan. Mix in the onion, celery and garlic. Add the stock and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the tomatoes and transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender). Process for a few seconds until smooth. Return to the saucepan. Season with the salt and pepper to taste and heat for 3 –4 minutes until piping hot. (Calories per serving: 93. Serves 4)

Twice Baked Potato Soup

Original submitter unknown

6 large baking potatoes
5 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
¼ cup light cream
½ cup chopped sweet onion
1 Tbsp. fresh chives

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. (scrubbed and pricked with fork, on a rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender. You can microwave on HIGH for 10 – 12 minutes or until fork tender. Place the potatoes in a bowl with a lid and let steam. Remove the skin and mash pulp. Heat the butter in a three quart saucepan. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the broth and a5 cups of the potato pulp.. Place 1/3 of the broth mixture into a food processor. Place in a medium bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining broth mixture. Return all the pureed mixture into the saucepan. Stir in the cream and chives and cook for a5 minutes more. Season to taste. Place remaining pulp in pureed mixture. Serve with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and/or sour cream.

Baked Potato Soup

Original submitter unknown

2 large or 3 medium baking potatoes, baked or micro waved
¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
cooked and crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, sliced green onions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 -2 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour. Gradually stir in broth and evaporated milk.

2. Scoop potato pulp from 1 potato(reserve potato skin); mash. Add pulp to broth mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes just to a boil.

3. Dice remaining potato skin and potatoes. Add to soup. Heat through. Season with salt and ground black pepper. Top each serving with bacon, cheese and green onions, if desired.

Taco Soup

Originally submitted by Randi DeRoest

1 can Black Beans
1 can Navy Beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can Kidney Beans Do Not drain beans. Add liquid and beans to pot
1 can corn (drained)
1 pound cooked ground beef with taco seasoning
2 cans Mexican style stewed tomatoes, pureed.

Add all ingredients to your pan and bring to a boil. Serve with chips, cheese and sour cream. ( to make a larger batch, add another can or two of beans and adjust taco seasoning to taste.)

Italian Sausage Soup

Originally submitted by Shauna Cook

8 – 16 oz. Italian Sausage
2 cans (14 oz.) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 cup small pasta shells
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 TBSP. grated Parmesan cheese
4 TBSP fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth

Cook sausage, removing casing. Drain. Combine tomatoes, pasta, chicken broth and sausage. Cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat, add spinach until wilted. Serve sprinkled with basil and Parmesan cheese over each bowl of soup.

Bonnie Sisson’s Black Bean Soup

Originally submitted by Deena Callahan

½ cup chopped onion
2 cans RO-TEL chunky diced tomatoes and green chilies (Original)
4 – 5 cans black beans
Chopped ham, or bacon, or smoked sausage, to taste

Sauté onion and meat. Add black beans and RO-TEL. Simmer 30-40 minutes. Serve topped with sour cream and grated cheese. It tastes even better the next day.

Egg Drop Soup

Kellie Braun:

In small saucepan of boiling water, add choice of veggies, etc. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, just until softened. In a separate bowl mix two parts water with one part corn starch. ( Depending on how thick you want this, adjust the amounts). Add to boiling pot and allow to boil until soup thickens. Add chicken bouillon to flavor. Right before serving, crack 1-2 eggs into the small bowl you used for the cornstarch. Blend smooth, and slowly add to the soup, stirring in a circular pattern. Cover with lid for one minute to allow the egg to cook, Serve immediately.

Sweet Pumpkin Apricot Soup

Kellie Braun:

6-8 cups pumpkin or Banana Squash
1 lg can apricots with juice
1 lg carrot, peeled and diced
2-4 cups orange juice concentrate
1-3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ginger
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash salt

Cook all ingredients together, until soft. ( Don't go too long, or you will start to lose the color.) Remove from heat, puree in blender, adding extra water to reach desired consistency. If eating warm, go ahead and serve. If eating cold. place in refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve with whipped cream and strudel topping. For strudel topping: Mix equal amounts of flour, oatmeal, brown sugar and Crisco. Add cinnamon and a dash of salt for flavor.

Slow Cooker Taco Soup (allrecipes.com)

Erin Callahan:

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, with liquid
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans , with liquid
1 (15 oz.)can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
2 (14.5 oz.)cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz)can diced green chili peppers
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning mix.

In a medium skillet cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain and set aside. Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes green chili peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Goop

Tami Hughes:

4-6 chicken breasts
ag of thin spaghetti noodles
large can of chicken broth
sliced carrots
sliced celery
chopped onion
Large Velveeta Cheese (cut in chunks)

Boil chicken. Take out chicken and let cool down. Cut in chunks or shred. Use chicken water to boil carrots, celery, onion and noodles....If more liquid is needed add broth. When noodles are ready add chicken and Velveeta cheese. Stir until melted. ENJOY!

Anderson's Pea Soup

Christie Pethel:

2 quarts water
2 cups green split peas
1 branch celery, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1 pinch cayenne
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste

Boil hard 20 minutes, then slowly until peas are tender. Strain through fine sieve and reheat to boiling point.

Nan's Chili

- Christie Pethel

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes.
1 16 ounce can rinsed kidney or black beans
1 large green (or red) bell pepper.
1 lb. ground beef
1 finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chili powder to taste
2 whole bay leaves

Cook ground beef with onions and drain well. Blot with paper towel and remove any excess grease. In large crock pot combine cooked ground beef with the remaining ingredients and simmer for 3-4 hours. (It can be ready once everything is hot, but the longer it simmers, it brings out more flavors.)