Zuppa Toscana

Did you know that every day in Alaska is soup day? It's true! Our cold, extra long winters mean endless soup days ;0) Yummy. This zuppa toscana has made it's way to the top of our list. It. Is. Good. And for the most part healthy-ish (?). I mean it has kale in it and that's like super DUPER healthy. Dark green leafy healthy. And of course the potatoes, ham, and cream don't hurt things either.

Zuppa Toscana

{Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod}

1 large white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

Red pepper flakes to taste

(Optional bacon here too, about 4 slices will do ya)

8 cups chicken broth

1 cup cream (or half & half)

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

3 cups kale, washed and roughly chopped

1+ cup diced ham

Salt and Pepper to taste

In large soup pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and red pepper flakes (to taste) and saute until onions soften a bit. Then add garlic and continue to cook until fragrant. (If opting to use bacon, skip the olive oil and instead cook the diced bacon until crispy, set aside and add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to the bacon grease to saute.) Add chicken broth and potatoes to onion mixture. Simmer until potatoes are softened, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile get some color on your ham by browning in a separate skillet for a few minutes over med-high heat. Then add kale, ham, and cream to soup; simmer for 5- 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If using, add bacon just before serving or on individual servings, no one likes soggy bacon right?!)

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Excuse the "going back for seconds" mess around the bowl. But I suppose it says something that this chili was worthy of seconds. I'm trying to cut some of the meat out of our diet and have been looking around for some decent meatless meal options and lo and behold turns out chili is a great no meat candidate, what with the loads of hearty beans and veggies that can take its place. I really loved this meal and all the many leftovers too, you could easily get a few meals out of it and I'm sure it would freeze just fine. Also, it came together pretty quickly, so nice not to have to stir a pot all day. Serve it with plenty of cheese, sour cream, even some chopped tomatoes and green onions would be a great addition. Hearty and filling and we didn't even miss the meat.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

{Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod}

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced and seed removed

3 15 oz cans diced tomatoes

2 15 oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups beef broth (or water with 4-5 beef bouillon cubes)

1 1/2 T cumin

2 T chili powder

salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until light brown, about 2-3 minutes. Add carrot, celery, peppers, and jalpeno. Cook for five minutes, or until veggies are soft.

Stir in diced tomatoes with their juice, rinsed beans, and water or broth. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir and let chili simmer for 30 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve hot with cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and green onions if desired.

Life-Changing White Chicken Chili

2 recipes today, yay! Pico de gallo follows. Hopefully back on the posting bandwagon, after a bit of a for no good reason break!

This is far and away the best soup recipe I have. It's even award-winning! As in it won first place at our ward chili cook-off one year long ago. However I was not the one who made it then, a friend of mine did and I immediately tracked her down for the recipe.

I usually make it in the crock pot but it can also be made on the stovetop, depending on your time constraints and what really takes it over the the top is a generous spoonful of homemade pico de gallo. A. Maze. Ing.

White Chicken Chili {Crock Pot}

Note: The recipe below is for stove-top directions, but following it are the crock pot directions.

Original Stove-Top Version: (smaller quantity-thicker and more chili-like)

1 lb chicken breast

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 15oz. cans great northern beans

1 can chicken broth

2 4 oz cans diced green chilies

1 t salt

1 t cumin

1 t pepper

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 T finely minced jalepeno (or more to taste)

All seasonings may need to be adjusted to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne)

Cook chicken in broth, remove and shred. Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add to broth. Add beans (mostly drained), chilies, spices, jalapeno, and shredded chicken. Bring to boil, reduce heat, summer uncovered 30 minutes. Turn to low, stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve with a generous spoonful of pico de gallo.

Crock Pot Version: (feeds more and is a bit thinner, more soup-like)

2 chicken breasts, frozen or fresh

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 15oz. cans great northern beans

1 32 oz. carton chicken broth (4 cups)

1 small+1 large cans diced green chilies

1+ t salt

2 t cumin

1+ t pepper

1/4+ t cayenne pepper

1 1/2 to 2 cups sour cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 T finely minced jalepeno (or more to taste)

All seasonings may need to be adjusted to taste (salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne)

Place fresh of frozen chicken breasts in crock pot. Pour in 2 cups chicken broth, making sure the breast are immersed-add more broth if neccessary. Cook on high 4 hours, until shreddable. Shred chicken and place back in crock pot. May need to skim the chicken broth a bit. Saute onions and garlic in a bit of oil until tender and fragrant. Add to crock pot. Pour in remaining broth (if any is left), mostly drained beans, green chilies, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne. Cook on low for another 3-4 hours, or high 2 hours. 30 minutes before serving add sour cream, whipping cream, and jalapenos. Before serving, taste and adjust if neccessary. I usually always add more salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Ladle into bowl and serve with fresh pico.

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Nothing says love, warmth, and welcome home quite like a bowl of delicious soup. And this version says all that and more. It's made delightfully creamy with a not so common soup ingredient: cream cheese. And the other great thing about it is that you can personalize to your tastes or to your on-hand ingredients. Got some spinach that needs using up? Pop it on in! Mushrooms? Why not! Bacon, ham, corn? You get the picture! And it's a great non-meat candidate. But that chicken makes it a legit meal to my husband, so in it stays. If you're looking for a no-fail people pleasing bowl of goodness, this is your best bet. Plus the left-overs rock. Gotta love it!

Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup

{Recipe source: The Sisters Cafe}

2 T butter

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 cups chicken broth

1 lb red potatoes, cut in quarters

1 cup milk

4 T flour

1 8oz package cream cheese (1/3 less fat), very soft

1 lb chicken, cubed and cooked

salt

pepper

dried (or fresh) parsley

Optional: mushrooms, spinach, corn, ham or bacon (in place of chicken)

In large pot melt butter and saute onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and flour vigorously until well blended and non-clumpy. While stirring, pour milk/flour into soup pot and cook about 4 minutes until soup begins to thicken. Add very soft cream cheese into pot a little at time, stirringly thoroughly to remove clumps. Add cooked chicken and heat through. Season with plenty of salt, pepper, and some dried parsley too. Serve hot!

Hearty Broccoli Cheese Soup

We're more than our fair share into "soup" days, there's a chill in the air that will only be getting colder and nothing takes the edge off like a bowl of warm soup. I'm a huge fan of cream-based soups, which is no surprise since I can't seem to stay away from the high fat diet. Why, oh why!? But really, who can resist cheesy, broccoli goodness in a bowl? This soup is almost stew-like, it's so thick. Leave your broccoli pieces a little on the larger size and you won't miss the meat! If it has to be cold at least there's soup like this to make-up for it. Almost.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

{An amalgamation of two soups with no recipe source that I can recall!}

In large soup pot, saute till soft:

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, diced

Add to make roux:

1/4 cup flour

Cook and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes.

Then pour in:

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half

2 heads worth broccoli pieces (I use fresh not frozen broccoli, but I'm sure frozen would work)

Bring to boil and then put on lid, reduce heat, and simmer 20ish minutes.

Remove lid and gently stir in:

3+ cups grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese (I think extra sharp is better)

1 cup grated swiss cheese

Dash of nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

Taste test and add more cheese, etc. if desired.

Serve! Re-warms nicely.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This here recipe is one of my most frequently made meals. My friend Carolee is the one to thank for it and really we can't thank her enough! I realize that everyone most likely has a tortilla soup recipe they swear by, and if you do I dare you to give this one a try and not make the switch! It really is that good. It's tomato-y, spicy, chock full of flavorful chicken, hearty beans, and sweet corn. But the best part are the crispy fried tortilla strips that grace the top. To. Die. For. Make away my friends!

Carrie's Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t vegetable oil

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1 t ground black pepper

2 t dried basil or 2 T fresh basil, chopped

1 t kosher salt

15 oz tomato puree

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups cooked chicken

1 can black breans, drained and rinsed

10 flour tortillas cut into 1/2 inch strips

vegetable oil for frying

Optional garnishes:

avocado slices

cilantro

lime wedges

In a stock pot, saute onion, garlic, and green bell pepper in 2 t veggie oil. When soft add broth, black pepper, basil, salt, and tomato puree. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Add chicken, beans, and corn and bring to simmer again. While soup is finishing up, heat vegetable oil in separate pot. When hot enough add tortilla strips in batches and fry until light golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve soup hot, topped with fried tortillas and other garnishes if using.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

I've never been a Campbell's tomato soup fan. Not one little bit. And for the longest time that soup tainted my view of any other tomato soup, to the point of not even trying them. And then my friend Janel fed me homemade tomato soup one day for lunch and a whole new world was opened. Since then I've found this recipe for Roasted Tomato Basil Soup on Annie's Eats and now I find myself craving it all the time! It's so flavorful, has a great consistency, a little bit of spicy heat, and nothing could go better with grilled cheese on sourdough. Plus my kids would drink this with a straw, they love it! and it makes for killer leftovers too :0)

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

{Slightly Adapted from Annies-eats.com}

3 lbs ripe tomatoes, halved with seeds scooped out

1/4 cup plus 2T olive oil

1 T kosher salt

1 1/2 t black pepper

2 T butter

2 cups chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes with their juice

2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn

1 t fresh thyme flakes or an appropriate amount dried thyme substitution

4 cups chicken broth

Whipping cream

Grated parmesan for garnish

Preheat oven to 400. Combine the tomato halves, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss. Spread out on cookie sheet and pop in oven to roast for 45 minutes.

In large soup pot over medium heat, add remaining 2 T olive oil, 2 T butter, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Add canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Using either an immersion blender or regular blender (be careful pouring hot soup in there), blend until smooth. If necessary add back to soup pot and then add a small amount of whipping cream, maybe a 1/4 cup? or so. Stir and serve hot topped with grated parmesan and grilled cheese for dipping.