Simple Creamy Carrot Soup

I love soup. I don't think soup should only be eaten when it is cold. In light of Easter yesterday I thought this recipe was perfect. Ok carrots don't really have anything to do with Easter, more the Easter bunny, but since I am a huge fan of Easter egg hunts I think that carrots do have a place in Easter! This soup definitely has a carrot flavor. If you aren't a hug fan of carrots, then this soup might not be for you. If you do enjoy carrots then this soup is definitely worth a try. The flavor is unique, but I love the carrot and rosemary combo. I am also pretty excited about how healthy this soup is!

Simple Creamy Carrot Soup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
32 ounces chicken broth
2 strips precooked bacon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions
Place oil in large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 15 minutes, until carrots are fork tender. Remove herb sprigs and transfer carrots and vegetables to blender (I used our Kitchen Aid blender). Puree, using the soup button if you have one. Add chicken broth and continue to puree. Transfer to large saucepan over medium heat and add bacon strips. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Simmer until ready to serve.

Makes 6 servings

Recipe Source: Picky Palate

Mama Mondola's Chicken Soup

I hope all of you had a fabulous Christmas and New Years! As one of my new years goals I have decided to eat less sugar. For me this means that for the month of January I have decided to cut out all cane sugar from my diet. In case you haven't noticed my dessert section is my largest section on this blog. That is because I LOVE desserts. I would say almost all of them contain cane sugar. This is going to be a fun challenge for me. I'm not saying I won't post desserts. I will just have to be more creative in using honey, agave, and xylitol.

Well to start off this no sugar month I decided to post this delicious soup. One of my husband's and my favorite restaurants is Carrabbas. My husband always gets this soup. It is hearty and full of flavor. He decided a while back that he wanted to make it. We have made it a few times since then and absolutely love it. This is a big recipe so be prepared. We honestly didn't have a pot big enough to hold the whole soup so we used less (a lot less) water. The flavor is still amazing it is just slightly more like a stew than a soup.

MAMA MANDOLA'S CHICKEN SOUP (MINESTRA DI POLLO)
From Carrabba's
Makes 1 1/2 Gallons

5 celery ribs
4 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
2 medium potatoes, peeled
1 large green bell pepper
1(14-ounce) can imported Italian plum tomatoes
1(5-pound) hen, washed and cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 quarts water (for soup) or 6-8 cups water for stew
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice.

Place vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, chicken pieces, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot. Add water. Season with salt and pepper. This can also be done in a crock pot (my personal preference)

Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat. Skim off foam that rises to the surface; may have to skim 2 or 3 times. Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours.

When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Let cool.

Meanwhile, mash vegetables in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon or a potato masher.

When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and return meat to soup.

Notes: Soup is best served the day after it is made. Refrigerate and remove fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup. Serve soup with rice or small, stubby pasta such as pastina, tubetti or small elbow macaroni. For better flavor, cook the rice or pasta in the soup when reheating. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Tis the season...for soup! I absolutely love soups. To be specific I love creamy cheesy soups! Since it has been getting quite cold around these parts I have been wanting and making more and more soups. I love something warm when its all cold outside. This soup fits all of my criteria for a soup that I love. I also kinda love that it is pureed until smooth. I love smooth creamy soups, and if you have children (or picky husbands) they won't even know that there is cauliflower in it!

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

2 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk**
1 1/2 cups water**
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
Season with salt and pepper as desired

**Can substitute 1 can {12 oz} evaporated milk and 2 cups water for the 2 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups water.

In a large saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour and salt. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and water.

Add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.

In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. {Don't let this step deter you from making the soup! Blending it is really easy and so worth the extra 3 minutes. The most annoying part are the added dishes!}

Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Serve soup with remaining cheese as a garnish.

Recipe Source:Adapted slightly from Utah Deal Diva

White Chicken Chili

I don't know about you all, but around here it is starting to get cold and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. We have had a beautiful fall (kinda unusual), but it has been so great that I don't want to see it go. I actually had frost and ice on my car this morning as I left for work. I cried a little then refused to scrape it and resorted to using my windshield wiper fluid. It actually turned out to be a very beautiful day, I just wish it were warmer. Since Mother Nature doesn't seem to be listening to my requests for shorter winters (preferably the month of December only) and it continues to get cold around here I decided that I should give in and make this soup to console myself. Luckily this soup is fantastic and eased the pain of cold weather, at least until tomorrow.

I got this recipe from a gal I work with. She brought a big pot of this to a work pot luck years ago. I am not a huge chili fan and was slightly skeptical if I would like it. I almost didn't try it that is how skeptical I was. Everyone kept raving about it so I gave in and tried a little. Boy am I glad that I did! This really is the best chili I have ever had. It has a very subtle kick to it, but just enough to give it a delicious flavor. The best part is that it comes together pretty quickly.  I usually make a big batch of chicken in a crock pot, shred it, and keep it in the freezer with 2 lbs in each bag. Then when I'm ready to make anything that calls for chicken I can just pull one out and use it.

White Chicken Chili
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients:
2 lbs shredded chicken
3 cups chicken broth
5-6 (15 oz) cans white beans drained.
1 (6 oz) can fire roasted whole chiles sliced
1 (16 oz) jar chili Verde salsa
1 tbs minced garlic
1/3 cup white cooking wine
1 pint sour cream

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except the sour cream in a large pot. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes to make sure everything is heated through and all the flavors are combined. Just prior to serving mix in sour cream.


Thanks Hailey for the amazing recipe!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I know I know, it is summer, so why am I posting soups? I have a few very good reason for posting another soup. First, even though it is summer here, and has been very hot we have had a few days recently that have been rainy with awesome thunderstorms. I feel that a good thunderstorm deserves a good bowl of soup don't you? Second I think that soups shouldn't be restricted to any particular season. I don't limit limit my brownie or ice cream intake to any one given season so why should I limit my soup intake? Last and most important reason is that this soup is PHENOMENAL! It is so basic and fairly simple to make and yet there is a party of deliciousness in my mouth every time I eat it! I have made this soup a few times for my husband and every time he tells me that this could quite possibly be his favorite soup ever. We have eaten this soup by itself or in bread bowls, either way it is fantastic!

Broccoli Cheese Soup



Note: To make my life easier, while the soup is coming together, I put the chopped broccoli in a large glass bowl, cover with saran wrap and microwave for about 3-4 minutes. It cooks perfectly and just in time to add it to the soup.


*Serves 4

1 can chicken broth (about 1 3/4 cups of broth)
1 small onion, diced (or 1 tsp onion powder)
1/3 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately.

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Roasted Tomato Soup With Basil

It is no secret that I am a picky eater. One of the many things that I don't really enjoy eating are tomatoes. I don't like fresh tomatoes. The weird thing about my dislike for tomatoes is that I love ketchup, tomato soup, pasta sauce, and some salsas. My absolute favorite of these items is tomato soup. I love a nice bowl of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. My mom would always make that for us on a cold or rainy day. Well it is summer now, and we don't really have cold days for at least a few months, but I do for some reason have a lot of tomatoes. What better thing to do with fresh tomatoes than turn it into a delicious homemade soup.

Roasted Tomato Soup With Basil

• 4 lb tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 6-8 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced [use only 1/2 tsp if you used dried]
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced [use only 1 tsp if using dried basil]
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.

Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan on a rack. Peel garlic.

Cook onion, oregano, basil, and sugar in butter in a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).  Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.

Divide soup among 8 bowls.

 Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Caroline