Sweet Potato Soup

1/2 stick of butter (I used smart balance)
2 cups finely chopped onion
6 cups chicken broth
5 cups peeled and cubed fresh yams or sweet potatoes
5 cups peeled and cubed russet potaoes
1 cup peeled and shredded russet potatoes (about 1 med)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I am going to try using fat free half and half)
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. dried parsley
1/4 t. salt
ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large stockpot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and saute until soft. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bringing to boil, then lowering heat and simmering for 10 min. Add the potatoes, return to simmering and cook until the potatoes are soft. Stir in the cream, cumin, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring often until heated through.

(This recipe is from the Farm Chicks in the Kitchen book. This soup is so good, you will be tempted to swallow the spoon you are eating with!)

Lasagna Soup

1 lb gound sausage
1 med onion chopped
minced garlic
2 14oz cans diced tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 14oz can beef broth
1 1/2 cup water
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp chopped basil
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 tsp thyme
3 cups dried mini lasagna noodles
3/4 cups parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzerella

Brown sausage, garlic, chopped onion in a soup pot. Add cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in beef broth, water, brown sugar and seasoning. Bring to boil add dry pasta. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 mins. Add parmesan. Garnish with mozzerella.

Shortcut: can adjust and use spaghetti sauce.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana Soup

I've been relishing my mother's cooking while staying in Utah and I'm taking the opprotunity to post some of her yummy recipes so I don't have to bug her for the recipes when I get home. This recipe is super yummy!

1 lb Italian Sausage (like Jimmy Dean, if using lowfat sausage add italian seasoning)
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 precooked bacon (just as good without it)
2 cups potatos, peeled and diced
Enough water to cover potatoes 1/2 inch
3 Chicken Bullion Cubes
Pepper to taste
One Bunch of Kale
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (mom uses about a cup of fat free half and half)

Brown sausage and garlic and onion. Remove from pan. Add potatoes and cover with water. Add bullion cubes. Boil until tender. Add sausage mixture back to the pot. Add pepper and heavy cream. Heat through and then remove from heat. Add chopped kale and serve.

Golden Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com but made a few modifications. It was a yummy, mellow soup. Just right for a winter evening!

INGREDIENTS

* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup diced onion
* 1/2 cup diced celery
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 28 ounces all natural vegetable broth
* 6 ears frozen corn--cooked with the niblets cut off
* 1/2 cup chopped carrot
* 1 can evaporated milk
* 3/4 cup skim milk
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 pinch salt
* a few dashes of red pepper sauce (like Tabasco or Cholula)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onions, celery, and carrots in butter 3 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 6 minutes more, until light brown. Whisk in broth and simmer 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn,evaporated, milk, nutmeg, pepper and salt. Simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.

Butternut-White Bean Soup

Ingredients
3 bacon slices (if I'm in a good mood I up this a touch) :)
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (1/2 T if dried)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained


Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons of drippings in pan; crumble the bacon, and set aside.Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add squash; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in cream, oregano, salt, black pepper, and beans; bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Beefy Crock Pot Chili

This is Josh's "recipe" for the chili he took to our ward's annual chili cook off. It was my favorite one though I might be a little bit partial.

2 lbs chuck roast
2 cans pinto beans (drained, washed)
2 cans kidney beans (drained, washed)
2 cans black beans (drained, washed)
2 cans corn (drained, washed)
2 cans chopped tomatoes (not drained)

1 pint package of small sweet peppers, or 2-3 bell peppers (of different colors), chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
2-4 jalapenos and/or 1-2 habaneros, to taste
2 Tbs jarred minced garlic*
3 Tbs chili powder*
1 Tbs salt*
2 tsp oregano*
Any other spice you think sounds good (black pepper, red pepper flakes, shriracha chili sauce, paprika, etc.)*

* These measurements are my best estimate of what I do and are by no means exact. I will usually taste it a few times as it’s cooking and throw in some more of whatever I think it still needs.


Put the roast in the crock pot. Throw everything else in on top of it and simmer for 5-8 hours. Yes, I just put the roast in raw. After about 4-5 hours, fish the roast out again, it should be tender. Shred the roast and put it back in the chili. Let it simmer for a couple more hours, or until dinner time.

Chicken Noodle Soup (Asian Style)

Wok & Stir Fry Cookbook
Yields 4-6 servings

9 oz. dried egg noodles or equivalent amount of
freshly made noodles
1 tbsp. oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh root ginger
3 1/2 cups chicken bouillon
1 cup scant coconut milk
3 tsp. red curry paste
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt
Pepper

Put the noodles in a shallow dish and soak in boiling water as instructed on the package.

Heat the oil in a large preheated wok or pan. Add the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until lightly browned. Add the white part of the scallions, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the chicken bouillon, coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, and soy sauce.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the red bell pepper, peas, and green scallion tops and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the drained noodles and heat through. Spoon the chicken noodle soup into warmed bowls and serve with a spoon and fork.

Tara's Notes:
We always make homemade noodles and add curry paste to the dough, but usually end up doubling or tripling the bouillon water. We always add one whole can of coconut milk and use chunky peanut butter, extra bell peppers and frozen peas. With our revisions this soup easily serves 6-10, depending on how many noodles you make.

Pumpkin and Coconut Milk Soup

This recipe was a nice mix to all the sweet ones brought to Enrichment. It was submitted by Amanda G.

1 TBS vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 lb pumpkin, diced
1 lb sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 qt chicken broth
1 1/4 cup coconut milk

Heat oil in soup pot. Add onion and leek, cook until soft.

Stir in pumpkin, sweet potato, and broth. Bring to boil, cover, and reduce heat.

Simmer for 15 minutes. Mash veggies and stir in coconut milk.

Season to your liking. I prefer cinnamon, curry, and a little cayenne pepper. Top with sweetened coconut or pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!

Fresh Tomato Soup

Here is one of our favorites, and it is so much better then the canned stuff.  Best part is that it really doesn't take much effort.  We like it best with grilled cheese sandwiches.

6 medium tomatoes, peeled and quartered or 2-14 oz cans tomatoes

3 cups water 

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

6 oz can tomato paste

4 Tbs snipped fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried

4 tsp instant chicken bullion granules

4 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

1. If desired, seed fresh tomatoes.  In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes.  Cool slightly.

2. In a blender, blend half of the mixture until smooth.  Repeat with the rest.

Makes about 8 cups

Meatball Stew

This stew is one of our favorites, and it’s really colorful. If you don’t feel like making the meatballs, you can also use store bought ones. Just heat them up according to the package directions and add to the stew at the end.

Oven 350F      Prep 10 min.    Bake 20 min.    Cook 20 min.

8oz. Lean hamburger
1 slice bread, crumbled
1 egg while
1 Tbs. Dry minced onions
¼ tsp. garlic powder

3 ½ C. water
1 can Garbanzo beans/chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes
1 4oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. beef bullion
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ cup bowtie or other small pasta
5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1. Heat oven to 350F. Mix hamburger, bread, egg white, onions, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Shape into ¾ inch balls, place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, heat water, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, bullion and Italian seasoning on stove to boiling. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm. Add spinach and meatballs. Heat through. Makes about six cups (4 main dish servings).

Wild Rice Soup

Here are two recipes for Wild Rice Soup. The first one is fast and easy to prepare. The second one takes a little more preparation

Wild Rice Soup #1

6 oz box long grain wild rice mix
2 T. butter
1 small chopped onion
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cups milk
2 cans potato soup
1 lb. Velveeta soup

optional: cooked crumbled bacon, or chopped ham, or cooked crumbled sausage (I use low fat)

Prepare rice as pkg directs. In soup pot, saute onion and mushrooms. Add milk and potato soup. Heat to med. stirring. When mixture is hot, add cheese in chunks. When creamy, add cooked rice and meat or garnish with crumbled bacon.



Wild Rice Soup # 2
1/2 cup raw wild rice, rinsed and soaked according to directions
2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
1/2 cup celery
chopped ham or sausage or bacon
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup flour
3 cans chicken broth
1 t. snipped chives
1 cup half and half (I use fat free)

Bring rice and water to boil in a med saucepan. Boil 45 min. Set aside. Melt butter in large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, cooked meat, and mushrooms. Saute until vegies are tender. Add flour and stir until liquid has evaporated. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to blend thoroughly. Add wild rice and chives. Slowly add half and half. Heat through carefully and serve

Tortellini Soup

Another one of our favorite pantry meals. You can jazz it up as much or as little as you want. It is also very good second day. The parmesan cheese makes it extra yummy, so don't skimp on that.

1 med onion, chopped
1 Tbs oil
4 cups chicken broth (I use 4 cups water and boullion)
2 cans diced tomatoes or chopped stewed tomatoes
1 Tbs Italian seasoning (I eyeball this so I'm not sure how much exactly)
*1 pkg of dried tortellini
fresh mushrooms (you can use jarred or canned)
shredded parmesan cheese

Brown the onion in the butter until soft (if I have celery I like to cook it with the onion). Add chicken broth, tomatoes and italian seasoning. Bring to boil. Add tortellini and sliced mushrooms. Cook for time directed on tortellini package. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

(This recipe is easily adjusted to feed more. Just make sure you have enough chicken broth to cover and cook the tortellini.)

*You can buy tortellini dried, frozen, or refrigerated. I either buy a large bag of the frozen and make multiple meals out of it or buy the small bags of dried tortellini ($1.50 at Walmart) and keep them in my pantry. One small bag feeds my family (2 adults and 2 toddlers) dinner with some leftovers.

Chicken Taco Soup (Crock Pot)

This recipe I got from a sister in my ward. I made it tonight and we all loved it! It's super easy and smells so good all day long, plus it mostly uses canned or frozen ingredients.

1 med onion, chopped
1 can chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cups water and boullion)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning (I eyeballed it, about one tbs.-- adjust to taste)
3 chicken breasts
shredding cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Put drained beans and corn, onion tomato sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and green chilies in crock pot. Add taco seasoning and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the ontehr ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover and cook for 5 hours. (I cooked it on high 3-4 hours)

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours (1 hour on high or until ready to serve). Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, if desired.

Cheesy Corn Chowder

This recipe can make a lot of soup and makes great left overs. I sometimes add a little Mrs. Dash to spice it up and a can of regular corn to give it more texture.

1 finely chipped onion
4-5 med potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-2 c ham or bacon pieces
Cook all in 3 T butter, browning onion
2 c water (enough to cover potatoes, adjust bouillon to water amount)
1 tsp chicken bouillon

Bring to boil, allow potatoes to cook.
Add:
3 cans creamed corn
Opt 1 can fiesta Mexican corn for flavor

Stir so it wont stick to the bottom
Add:
1 pint half and half
Salt/pepper
¾ tsp sugar
Garlic powder

Simmer for a few minutes then add cheese
1-1 ½ c Mozzarella and/or parmesan (I usually make it with mozzarella)
Allow cheese to melt and mix in, remove from heat so the cheese doesnt' start to separate.