Italian Wedding Soup

I've been really into soups lately, having found that they are such a great way to stretch out our veggies and meat for a growing family. I also love having leftovers = less time in the kitchen!

Everyone enjoyed it, and my youngest said it made him feel warm and cozy. :o)

Source: The Kitchn

Italian Wedding Soup is highly adaptable; try other greens like kale (as I did in the photo above) or chard, add grated lemon rind to the meatballs and some lemon juice to the broth for brightness, or consider spicing it up with some ground red pepper flakes added with the onions and garlic.

Italian Wedding Soup serves 6 to 8

3/4 pound ground organic meat (chicken, turkey, pork or beef) - I just used a pound of ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) - I used Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 bunch greens trimmed and torn into bite-sized pieces (about 6 lightly packed cups) - I used kale (just the leaves, no stems)

Combine the ground meat, bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of each cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix thoroughly, then form the mixture into 3/4-inch to 1 1/2-inch balls. You should have 20 to 30 meatballs, depending on how large you form them.

In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Add the meatballs in batches, and cook, turning, until browned all over, 3 to 5 minutes. (If they are still a bit pink in the middle, don't worry, they will continue to cook in the broth.) Set them aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

In a 4 to 6 quart soup pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are tender and garlic is soft, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the greens, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 eggs and remaining cheeses in small bowl and stir with a fork to blend. Slow pour the egg mixture into hot soup, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer just until egg bits are set, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, maybe even a squirt of lemon juice, and serve immediately in a low bowl if possible so the meatballs are visible.

To re-heat, simmer gently over low heat.

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

Cream cheese, chicken, potatoes? Definitely a winner with the kiddos. :o)

Source: Jackie

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 cups chicken broth
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter. Add broth, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper; heat through. Combine flour and milk until smooth; add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Add the cream cheese; cook and stir until melted. Yield: 8 servings.

Disclaimer: I do not normally measure any of my ingredients, but these are the measurements on the recipe that I have. I usually use about half the amount of cream cheese that it calls for, but if cream cheese is your thing, then go for it! You can alter the recipe to your taste by adding or deleting pretty much anything....I always like to throw in some extra vegetables.

Cauliflower Soup

Comforting, hot, creamy soup. Yum!

I didn't have carrot or celery, but this was still yummy.

I did have both cauliflower and broccoli that both needed to be used up, so that's what I used.

Source: Annie's Eats
Image Source: Last Call for Corn

Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
7 tbsp. butter, divided
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 1/2 to 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup half-and-half
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt, to taste
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and stir them around for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to brown.  Add in the carrots and celery, stir, and cook for about 1 minute.   Add in the cauliflower and the fresh parsley and stir.  Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Pour in the chicken broth, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat and let simmer.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Pour the whole milk into a separate bowl.  Add the flour to the bowl and whisk together.  As soon as the butter is melted, pour in the milk/flour mixture and whisk to combine.  The mixture should thicken into a white sauce.  Once thickened, whisk in the half-and-half.  Then pour the whole mixture into the simmering soup.  Add bay leaves to the pot, as well as the salt.  Let the mixture simmer 15-20 minutes.  

Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat.  Mix in sour cream and stir until completely incorporated.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

One of my favorite soups, and was just as good using fresh corn off the cob from the farm, rather than using the normal can of creamed corn that the recipe called for!

Source: All Recipes

Image Source: Yunhee Kim

Ingredients:

1 12 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces) 12 cup onion (chopped) 1 clove minced garlic 3 tbsps butter 2 cubes chicken bouillon (or 1 cup chicken broth) 1 cup hot water 34 tsp ground cumin 2 cups half and half (cream) 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese 14 34 ozs cream style corn (or fresh corn off the cob, about enough to fill a can) 4 ozs green chile (diced) 1 dash hot pepper sauce 1 tomato (chopped) 1 sprig fresh cilantro (garnish optional) 1 In a Dutch oven, brown chicken, onion, and garlic in butter until chicken is no longer pink. 2 Dissolve the bouillon in hot water; Pour into Dutch oven, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. 3 Stir in cream, cheese, corn, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted. Stir in chopped tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Hot Water
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
• _____
• FOR THE GARNISHES:
• Sour Cream
• Diced Avocado
• Diced Red Onion
• Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
• Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart

Tried this tart made by Carrie. Delicious! She also added a crumbling of bacon to hers.

Source: Smitten Kitchen

Blue Cheese and Red Potato Tart
Adapted in a bunch of ways from Gourmet

I changed a slew of things: I opted out of the San Pellegrino and Plugrá, though you don’t need to if you’re feeling fancy. I swapped in my favorite quiche crust these days, which barely shrinks and manages to stay sturdy even without par-baking first. I made one large tart, rather than the 6 tartlets the original recipe called for, added more potatoes to compensate, and swapped tarragon (what I had on hand) for the suggested thyme and rosemary but think any herb you enjoy eating with potatoes and cheese would work.

One note: This is not a quiche. The filling will remain soft and custard-like after baked, not firm up like most egg fillings. I liked this texture; it was a little different but wanted to give a heads-up that the recipe hasn’t gone wrong if your potatoes can still be nudged a little after baking.

1 Savory Tart Shell, below, or recipe of your choice, in a 9-inch tart pan and ready to fill
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup heavy cream
1 large egg yolk
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoons finely chopped herb or herbs of your choice, such as a mixture of thyme and rosemary
Fine sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, cover potato slices with water by two inches. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. If the potatoes don’t seem very dry, pat them dry with towels.

Arrange potato slices, overlapping slightly, in concentric circles around the tart pan. Sprinkle blue cheese over potatoes. Whisk cream and egg yolk together and pour into tart shell, then sprinkle tart with herbs of your choice and salt.

Bake tart on a baking sheet until bubbling and golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan on rack and serve warm or cold. With a big green salad, for balance.

Savory Tart Shell

1 1/4 (5 1/2 ounces) cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter, diced
1 large egg

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely.

This dough can also be made a food processor, or in a stand mixer, though I’ve only tried it in a food processor.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Level the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Proceed with a filling of your choice, no parbaking required.

Greek Pasta Salad

Could also marinate some chicken in a second bath of the vinaigrette (minus the olive oil) and grill it up for some protein.

Source: My Recipes

Ingredients

• 
  Preparation
• Dressing:
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salad:
• Salt
• 1 pound gemelli or other short pasta
• 3/4 medium English cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 6 ounces feta, crumbled 
• 3 cups firmly packed baby spinach 

1. 1. Make dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil until well combined.
2. 
   
3. 2. Make salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes, or as label directs. Drain, rinse under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients, toss with dressing and serve.