Rosemary White Bean Soup

I got this recipe from one of Ina Garten's books and I LOVE the flavor. For supper club my beans were quite done so it actually may needed longer cooking time than is in the recipe. I've also read that the sugar in the onions makes it hard for beans to go soft so maybe you could try cooking the beans first and then adding the onions.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried white beans
• 4 cups sliced yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large branch fresh rosemary (6 to 7 inches)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, cover the beans with water by at least 1-inch (and 2 Tbsp of kefir or lemon juice to further break down the beans) and leave overnight. Drain.

In a large stockpot over low to medium heat, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook over low heat for 3 more minutes. Add the drained white beans, rosemary, chicken stock, and bay leaf. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the beans are very soft. Remove the rosemary branch and the bay leaf. Pass the soup through the coarsest blade of a food mill, or place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until coarsely pureed. Return the soup to the pot to reheat and add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot.

Cauliflower Leek Soup

This is a super simple soup that I got from a friend just the other day and I made for supper club tonight. It has a lovely, mild flavor and seemed to hit the spot for me when I heard about it the other day. For me, the recipe lived up to expectations. Leeks are a yummy and often under-utilized veggie so this was fun to be able to use several of them. I've also never been a big fan of raw cauliflower but cauliflower in a pureed soup? Yummy! So, here is the recipe. 

CAULIFLOWER LEEK SOUP

2 bunches of leeks

1 head of cauliflower

2 T. butter

3 c. chicken broth

1 c. or 8 oz. Greek plain yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the white and light green parts of the leeks (I chopped just a bit of the dark green too). Turn soup pan on medium-high heat and add the butter. Sautee the chopped leeks in the butter for several minutes until they soften. Chop the garlic and add to the leeks and immediately add the chicken broth. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to soften the cauliflower. 

Take the soup off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. At this point you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender to puree the soup. I used my immersion blender to puree the soup. If you do it in a regular blender, just do the soup in batches. (You may have to let the soup cool a bit longer before adding to the blender.)  Once the soup is fully pureed, add the Greek yogurt (or you could try just plain yogurt). If the soup is too cool at this point reheat for a few minutes and then salt and pepper to taste. Serve. 

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

This recipe is actually Annie Ashton's grandma's and it is one of my favorite fall soups. At the bottom I will post some of the changes I made to make it dairy-free and gluten-free.

(This is for half of the original recipe which serves 10-12 people and my little family could never get through that much soup.)

1/2 cube sweet butter

3 whole slices of white bread

2 whole apples

2 1/2 lbs butternut squash

1/2 medium onion

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 tsp tarragon

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

salt and white pepper to taste

Peel, core and chunk the apples

Peel and chop the squash (Annie cuts the entire squash into 1 1/2 inch slices then cuts off the rind)

Slice the onions

Melt butter in a soup pot over a low flame.

Saute the onions for a few minutes and then add squash and apples and saute until tender

Cut bread slices into cubes and add to the mixture

Add chicken stock, terragon and salt and white pepper to taste

Bring to a boil then cover and simmer over a low flame until squash and apples are fully cooked, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and food process until almost creamy. Stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

***Gluten-free, Dairy-free changes***

A few Tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 medium onion

2 - 2 1/2 lbs butternut squash

2 apples

4 cups chicken stock

1 tsp tarragon

1 cup white beans (already cooked)

1/2 - 1 cup fresh Apple Cider (or more cooked apple)

Salt and white pepper to taste

Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes.

Add squash and apples and saute until tender.

Add chicken stock, tarragon and white beans.

Bring to a boil and let simmer until squash and apples are cooked through.

Blend in batches

Add 1/2 to 1 cup Apple Cider (if using) depending on the sweetness you're looking for.

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with a swirl of light coconut milk and cilantro leaf.

Tuscan Tomato Soup

This recipe is from Chef's Table Restaurant. The soup is best made with fresh garden tomatoes; second choice would be canned diced tomatoes (which is how I make it all winter long). I have also used a combination of both.

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large onions, small dice

5 cups diced, seeded tomatoes, drained

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup basil pesto (Costco has a large bottle)

salt & pepper

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and cook over moderately low heat until completely translucent.

Add tomatoes and allow to warm to a simmer. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add whipping cream and pesto.

Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender and blend until desired consistency.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

**To easily peel tomatoes: heat a pot of water to boiling, turn heat down a bit, and drop the tomatoes into the pot. Remove them after about 1 minute, and place them immediately into a bowl of ice water.

**I usually use the pesto from Costco. You can also make your own by placing in a food processor the following ingredients: fresh basil leaves, pinenuts, parmesan cheese, and a little olive oil.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Revised 10/9/11

2 Cooked Chicken Breasts, shredded (I gently boiled mine with a little season salt)

In a large pot saute:

1/2 C minced onion
1/2 C minced celery
1/2 C carrots, chopped

Add:

8 oz of chopped mushroom

1 package of Rice with Wild Rice minus the seasoning pkg (like Rice-A-Roni brand or Farmhouse)

6 C Chicken Broth

Bring to boil and cook for 20 minutes.

In a large saute pan melt

1/2 cup butter

stir in 3/4 cup flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Seasoning package from rice

Cook for a couple of minutes making a thick roux, then stir in

3 cups half and half

Cook for a couple of minutes and add to broth and veggies, add chicken, stir and serve.

Cheese Potato Soup

I was beginning to wonder if anyone ever checked this site so I'm glad that some of you are out there. Annie, thanks for the post and the motivation to finally get this thing up here. Sorry it took so long.

This recipe is, of course, from my mother and is really fast. You could substitue fat free canned milk if you wanted to lighten it.

Saute:
1 C onion
1 C celery
Add:
dash white pepper
2 Tbsp parsely flakes
3 C chicken broth
6-8 large diced potatoes
Cover and cook 20 minutes

White Sauce:
3/4 C butter

1/2 C flour
1 can evaporated milk
3 C milk (or you can do 2 C cream and 2 1/2 C milk)

Bring to boil to thicken careful not to burn the bottom. Add to potatoes, last stir in 3 C cheese. Do not bring to a boil after cheese is added.

For Broccoli Soup:
Leave out parsley and potatoes
Add frozen broccoli

Turkey Chili

1 pound of ground turkey breast (can also use lean ground beef or chicken, if desired)
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
14 oz. pinto beans, drained
28 oz. diced tomatoes (sodium-free)
1 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Brown ground turkey breast in large pot over medium heat along with onion, garlic and green pepper. Add spices and beans. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You can also add chopped mushrooms or red onions to the chili, if you desire. I add a touch of Real Salt (brand) to this as well. I like it low sodium though.

This makes a yummy, hearty soup that will last for several days and gives you a great intake of veggies every time you eat it.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This is one of those recipes that is to taste...here goes as best I can:
Coming to you from me from my Aunt Heather in Santa Clara, Utah

Boil 2-3 chicken breasts in water with about 1/2 of a chopped onion. (My aunt will also just put the whole onion in the pot to flavor the broth, as one of her children will not eat onion in any form) Add as much sliced carrots and celery as you would like.
Take the chicken out after it's cooked and shred it. Add it back to the broth along with a can of Swanson's low sodium chicken broth. Sometimes I will add bullion cubes if I think it needs more flavor.
Add a can of cream of chicken soup and a big dollup of sour cream. Typically at our house we use low-fat of both products.
Add egg noodles.
Eat it up!

Fruit Soup

This is my sister-in-law Tami's recipes. She grew up using it as a main dish but I come from a family with 5 brothers and fruit soup would never have passed as a main dish. I personally could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and, with all the leftovers from last night, I probably will. The base is a tangy, orange juice-tapioca mix that compliments the sweet fruit nicely. It's also really easy to make.


5 C water
4 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
1 - 12 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 Tbsp sugar

Place tapioca and water in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and tapioca is clear. Remove from heat, add sugar, dash of salt and orange juice. Blend, Cool. Stirring once after 15-20 minutes. Cover and chill. Add fruit with juices: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, peaches, pears, red or green grapes, strawberries, bananas, canned fruit, cocktail fruit.

French Market Soup

This soup is unbelievable. (Probably not what you'd make on a sweltering day, but really, really good.)

2 qts. water
1 qt. chicken stock
salt and pepper
2 meaty country ham hocks
1 bag of 18 bean mix
1 bouquet garni
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
2 c. chopped onions
2 c. chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large chicken breasts

Sort through and thoroughly wash beans. Soak beans 4 hours or overnight in enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Drain and rinse the beans. In a stock pot, combine beans, 2 qts cold water, chicken stock, pepper, ham and bouquet garni. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and cook, covered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt, tomotoes (chopped, including all the juice), onions, celery and garlic. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken. Cover and cook on medium low for and additional 90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Soup should be thickening slightly. Locate and remove ham hocks, chicken and bouquet garni onto a plate to cool. Discard bouquet garni. Place all meats on a cutting board and carefully discard bones and fat. Dice meats finely and return to soup.

Freezes very well. Serves 10-12.