Chicken and Kale Soup

I LOVE this immunity-boosting turmeric chicken soup and make it often!  Click HERE for the original recipe.  Below is my take on the soup.

1 Tablespoon avocado or olive oil

1 onion - diced

4 large carrots, peeled and diced (I like them small)

1 large parsnip, peeled and diced (I like them small)

3 stalks of celery, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (can use breasts, but I like dark meat better), chopped (I like them small)

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 1/2 inch (ish) of fresh turmeric, finely grated (can use 1 teaspoon of dried turmeric)

1 inch (ish) of fresh ginger, finely grated (can use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (more if your bone broth isn't salted) - to taste

4 cups chicken bone broth

2 cups water

1 can full-fat canned coconut milk

1 head kale, chopped (remove the leaves from the stalk)

Heat the oil in a large stock pot.  Add onions and sauté until translucent - stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes - stirring occasionally.  Add chicken and cook until the meat is browned.  Add spices, broth, water, and coconut milk.  Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes (up to one hour).  In last 10 minutes of cooking, toss in the kale, stir, and finish cooking.  Add more salt if needed.  

Enjoy!!

Cold Buster Broth

The cold season has hit and after too many days of coughing and sneezing and stuffy heads, we started fighting back with this.  It feels healthy alllll the way down to your toes!

Cut top of one head of garlic and rub in some olive oil.  Wrap the garlic in foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees or until garlic is soft.  Let cool and then pop all of the garlic cloves out of their skins.

Meanwhile, slice one to two onions and grate 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fresh ginger (I found that if you slice it you end up with woody strings in your soup).  Peel 26 cloves of raw garlic (or use the prechopped stuff...I did this because the cold was kicking my butt and I didn't have enough energy to peel that much garlic!). 

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add onion, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.  Cook until onions are translucent (about six minutes).  Add roasted and raw garlic and cook another three minutes. 

Add 3 1/2 cups veggie or chicken broth, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Puree soup in a blender or with a stick blender until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (I only had coconut water one time I made this and it turned out fine).  You can either squeeze a slice of lemon into each serving or squeeze one whole lemon into the entire batch.  I forgot lemons at the store, but I have a bunch of limes, so I'm going to try two or three limes instead of a lemon and see how it goes.

The soup is pretty strong.  My husband enjoys it that way, but me and the kids, not so much.  I do about a half a mug of soup and then fill the rest of the mug with more chicken broth.  It's still intense but tasty and helped us feel better!

Serve hot.  You can store the soup for a day or two in the fridge.

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

Dump into each bag:

·         1-2lbs cooked chicken, diced

·         1 can refried beans

·         2 cans black beans

·         16 oz frozen corn

·         16 oz salsa

Instructions for Ziplock:

Dump into crock pot and add 2 cups water and 2 cups chicken broth.  

Cook on low 8 hours or until hot and bubbly.  

Stir in 16 oz shredded cheddar and serve with tortilla chips and sour cream. 

Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup

Sausage, Spinach, & White Bean Soup

Dump into each bag:

·         1 package Kielbasa sausage (thinly sliced and browned)

·         3 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 onion, diced

·         6 carrots, peeled and diced

·         2 cans great northern beans (drained and rinsed)

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano

·         2 bay leaves

Instructions for Ziplock:

Dump into crock pot along with 6 cups chicken broth.  Cook on low 8 hours.  

Stir in 3 cups baby spinach and serve.

Bacon topped Roasted Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup

This soup was so easy and delicious I have to write down how I made it so that I can make it again next winter! It all started because I didn't cook a meal I had planned which left me with half of a pumpkin and a head of cauliflower that really needed to be used.  I didn't really have a piece of meat or any potatoes to go with them so a roast was not on the table.  I didn't want to go to the shops ... you know, it was one of those days!  We all have them, right?! So, I scrounged around and this is what I came up with.

1/2 of a Kent pumpkin

1 head of cauliflower 

1 head of garlic

A couple of onions

I chopped the pumpkin and cauliflower, peeled and quartered the onions, and just peeled the garlic.  I put all of that in a large baking dish (lined with baking paper of course) and coasted with olive oil.  I roasted them in the oven on like 180C (350F) until the pumpkin was soft and the cauliflower was starting to brown. 

I put all of that into my blender, added a bit of chicken stock and blended it to a thick soup consistency. 

We love toppings on our soups too so while the veggies were roasting, I chopped up the following.

1 small onion

A couple cloves of garlic

A few rashers of bacon

I fried them all together ... starting with the bacon because it takes a bit longer ... then adding the garlic and onion and cooking til garlic is not longer bitter and onions are soft.

I served the soup in a bowl, sprinkled with the topping. 

I had intended to grab a few chives out of the garden as well to sprinkle on the top, but I forgot!  Oh well ... next time!

Crock Pot Freezer Meals Part 2

Here are a few more of my favorite crock pot freezer meals (click here for part 1) 

CHEESY CHICKEN

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2lbs boneless skinless chicken (thighs, breasts, or combo)
- 2 (10.5oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10.5oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


Cook time: 8  to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: over rice or noodles.

Optional variety: add a little spice or frozen broccoli...can garnish with shredded cheese.







SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

Brown:
- 12 to 14 oz sliced kielbasa sausage
- 1 onion diced
-  3 garlic cloves minced (can use more or less to taste.  Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I just use garlic powder)

Add browned meat mixture to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 2 cups lentils
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

Season with favorite Italian spices (I use parsley, oregano, and basil)

Day of cooking: add 2 quarts of water to crock pot.  (can use less if you want it less soupy)

Cook time: 4 to 5 hours HIGH or 8 to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: fresh bread or rice

Serves: 6


SAUSAGE AND BEAN SUPPER

Brown:
- 1lb sausage (can use ground turkey and season)
- 1 onion diced

Drain meat and add to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 can rotel
- 1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Cook time: 4 to 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: shredded cheese over rice

Serves: 4 to 6

Black bean chili

1/4 c. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced (the original recipe calls for red and green. I usually get at least two colors.)
1.5 tbs minced garlic
2tbs paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/3 tsp salt
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped
1 tbs cumin seed
1 tbs dried leaf oregano
2 cups cooked black beans
1.5 cups canned chopped tomatoes in puree

Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and jalapeno peppers. Saute until onions are soft.
Add cumin, oregano, beans, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook slowly for an hour.

We eat this over rice with cheddar cheese, sour cream and sometimes avocados.
I usually use 2 cans of beans to one can of tomatoes, and I don't think I get them in puree. I think they're just chopped, and if I have the option, I will buy the ones with mexican spices, or chilis or whatever already in them, but not always. If it's cheaper to buy beans fresh cook them yourself.. that's a good option too.

The girl who gave us the recipe puts hers in the blender and purees it, but we like the texture of the chili instead of soup.

Plus, it freezes great!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I found this recipe at A Year Of Slow Cooking. You all know about that blog right ? No ... well, you need to go check it out !! The blog author, Stephanie, made a new years resolution to use her crock pot EVERY DAY for the year 2008 !! And she did it ! So, yeah, no shortage of crock pot recipes over there !!!

I modified the recipe just a little ... here's how I did mine.

2.5 lbs (just over a kilo) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pinch chili powder
1 quart chicken broth ( i used water and stock cubes)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, to add at the end
crumbled bacon, spring onions and avocado to serve

Put everything minus the cream cheese, bacon, spring onions and avocado into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4. (I did high last night) The potatoes should be fork-tender. Add the cream cheese and put lid back on to let cream cheese melt.  I left it for about 20 minutes.

Cook the bacon.

Get your stick blender into the crock pot and blend everything together.

Garnish with crumbled bacon, spring onions and avocado !! Delish !!

My husband who "doesn't like soup" had two helpings of this last night and took if for lunch today !! Soon he will have to stop making the "i don't like soup" statement because he likes many many soups now !!

Crock Pot Vegetable Stock

I hate wasting food.  I do it, but I hate it.  I want to not do it as much as possible.  This week as I was cleaning out my crisper drawers, I decided to make vegetable stock out of the scraps and veg that didn't get used during the week.  It was so easy.  And now I have five cups of delicious vegetable stock in my freezer.

I used this hints and tips in this post.

I used mushrooms, celery, green bell pepper (capsicum), carrot, garlic, apple, and spring onion scraps.  I grabbed some parsley, thyme, basil and rosemary out of the garden and added those too ...   Covered it with water and cooked it through the evening and overnight.  In the morning, I drained the liquid off through a strainer and froze it in 1 cup portions!  Easy peasy! 

Sopa de Queso

Ok, this is going to be the worst recipe ever for a really good soup. For one thing, if you don't live in Nicaragua, you're going to have to do some serious substituting. For another, I took measurements of no things while I was learning how to make this or making it myself. So everything in here is my best guestimate. I'm hoping someone (Bonnie) will make this and tell me how they tweaked it!

For the Arepas:

2 cups maseca (instant corn flour)
Water
1 cup shredded cheese*
Salt
1/2 tomato, minced finely
1/2 chiltoma (small green pepper can be substituted), minced finely
1/4 med onion, minced finely

Mix flour and water to make a soft dough. Kneed until smooth. Incorporate the cheese and veg. Adjust seasoning until it tastes good. You can use chicken flavored bouillon instead of, or in addition to, the salt. Divide and make into 2.5" diameter coasters. Fry in hot oil until nicely golden. It took longer than I thought to fry them because you have to let the corn cook all the way through.


*Notes on cheese. Nicaraguan cheese is semi-hard and very salty. I asked what it was called so I could look for it in an international store in the States. It's called cheese, they said to me. Oh, thanks guys. In any case, the closest substitution I can think of is to maybe mix cheddar and parmesan. Or really just use whatever cheese you fancy. 

For the Soup:

3-4 cups water
2 packets sopa Maggi (instant soup mix, chicken flavored)
1/2 tomato, minced finely
1/2 chiltoma, minced finely
1/4 med onion, minced finely (so cut up one whole tomato, etc. and use half for the cheesy things and half for the soup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch cilanto or mint, minced
2 chayote, peeled, seed removed, and diced (Google tells me this is a kind of squash. If you do find it, rub a little oil on your hands before you peel it or they will be brown all day)
1 ripe plantain, wash, remove the ends and cut into chunks but not peeled
1/3 cup maseca
Ayote (this is a red colorant), Optional
1/2 cup cream or milk

Put the water on to boil in a stock pot. Add the soup mix and minced veg mixture. Chuck in the chayote and plantains (the original soup doesn't have veggies but I prefer to add them, so you can feel free to substitute or omit altogether). When veggies are nearly done, mix the corn flour with a little water and ayote until smooth and add to the soup along with the cilantro. Adjust seasoning to taste. Before serving, stir in the cream.

To serve:

Put one or two fried cheesy things in a bowl, top with soup. Bask in the glow of compliments as your family scarfs down this deliciousness.

Southwest Chicken Soup

A friend gave me a recipe for Southwestern Turkey Soup ... she had discovered it in one of her Cooking Light cookbooks and LOVED it.  I love a good soup so decided to try it.  I followed her modifications, like substituting chicken for the turkey (turkey costs a FORTUNE in Australia) and made a few modifications of my own.  Here's what I did.

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced red capsicum (bell pepper)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

500g chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tablespoons no added salt tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups low sodium chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can green chillies

To Serve:

fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

spring onion, chopped

avocado

lime wedges

corn chips

Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, capsicum, and garlic.  Saute a few minutes or until tender.  

Coat chicken with flour.  Add chicken to pan and cook until browned on all sides. 

Add tomato paste & spices.  Stir. 

Add chicken stock.  I added a little and loosened all the yummy crusty bits that had browned on the bottom of the pan, then added the rest.  Add bay leaves, tomatoes, beans, corn and green chillies.  Bring to the boil. 

Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and serve.  Squeeze lime over individual bowls and then top with fresh coriander, spring onion, avocado & corn chips.

This is delicious. Try it !

***

Just for our records ... One serve is 1 and 1/3 cup soup, 1/4 cup corn chips, 2 tablespoons avocado and 1 lime wedge .... 287 calories.

***

Thai Chicken Soup

This is a soup that everyone needs to try at least once in their life !  Of course, once you've tried it, you'll want it again and again !

When I originally posted the recipe, I didn't do it with measurements or anything ... In fact, here is what I said "Ok ... for those of you who like exact measurements, this recipe is not for you. Actually, I am a person who likes exact measurements but I've made this a number of times now from these instructions my sister gave me and I haven't messed it up yet !!"

But last night I made it again and I wrote down measurement so that you could have them and feel a bit more confident about trying to make this.  I also took photos of each component so you can see what you are aiming to make ! 

I cooked for four of us last night.  Two adults and two kids who love this soup and eat as much as the adults.  We each had two bowls.  There were no leftovers.  (except of the stock, lime juice and spring onions!)

Here's what you need:

8 Cups Chicken Stock or Chicken Stock Cubes (Stock = Boullion)

5 Pork Ribs or Pork Stock Cubes

6 Tablespoons Fish Sauce

3 Tablespoons + 1/4 cup Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce

2 Chicken Breasts

3 Limes

Thai peppers or 2 Teaspoons Chilli Garlic Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sugar

4 Cups Rice (I use sushi rice but you can use what you like)

Fresh Cilantro (Aussies - Coriander)

Green Onions (Aussies - Shallots or Spring Onions)

2 Heads of Garlic (more or less depending on you !)

8 Tablespoons Olive Oil

So, I usually start with the stock because it needs to simmer for a while !

I use 8 cups of already made chicken stock (in the box from the supermarket), although last night I didn't have any and just used water and stock cubes and it was great.  Add 6 more cups of water and a couple of chicken stock cubes and the pork ribs (or pork stock cubes if you can get them, I can't.)Add 1/4 cup Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce and 2 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce.   Boil for at least an hour.  Although, if you are using the pork stock cubes, you probably wouldn't need to boil it for that long ...

What is this Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce ?? Don't know exactly but here's what the bottle looks like. When we were in Colorado, Ellie used one called Gold Label ... I found it in a little Asian shop here. Ellie says it's Thai or Vietnamese. I'll give you the ingredients. That's how I made sure I had the right thing .. It's soy bean sauce, water, sugar salt and food enhancer ...

The chicken. Cut the breasts into small pieces. Ellie says bite sized but I think she did them a bit smaller than bite sized. I guess it's your preference. You can see what size I do mine in the picture above.

Marinate the chicken in 3 Tablespoons Golden Mountain, I usually marinate while I'm getting a few other things ready and then fry the chicken towards the end.  Just with a bit of oil in a fry pan ... 

I put my rice in the rice cooker and forget about it. If you are cooking it another way, you may want to wait til later to cook it so that it is still warm when you eat.

For the funky lime sauce. In a bowl add the juice of 3 limes and a bit of Golden Mountain (oops, I forgot to add this last night ... I'd say add about a teaspoon), 4 Tablespoons Fish Sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 4 Tablespoons water and some chopped up Thai Peppers. I can't get those so I use 2 teaspoons chili/garlic sauce out of a jar.

Ellie said to use about 1/2 the amount of fish sauce as you do lime but I think that's a bit too much fish sauce so I don't put as much in.  You should adjust it to your taste !

Press the garlic through the garlic press. I do two or three heads of garlic but we are garlic freaks around here. So - you choose how much but press your garlic and set it aside. Heat the oil.  I use olive oil and last night I used 8 Tablespoons.  I have a small rectangular pan that I cook this in.  You should use the smallest fry pan you've got and if it's bigger you'll need to adjust the oil.  Ellie told me to use enough oil so that the garlic floats when you are cooking it. So ... get your oil real hot and then add the garlic. Cook it til it starts to brown. But don't burn it !! :)

Chop the cilantro (coriander), put it in a bowl and set it aside. 

Same with the spring onions.

To serve -- put all of these on the table -- the stock, the rice, the funky lime sauce, the garlic (in it's oil), onions, cilantro and the chicken. I also put the chili/garlic sauce on the table in case anyone wants to make theirs spicier.

To eat -- everyone needs to put this into their bowl -- Ellie does it in this order ... Rice, chicken, garlic, green stuff ( cilantro and onions ) funky lime sauce and finally the stock.  I've discovered that I prefer this order ... Rice, chicken, stock, funky lime sauce, onions and top it off with garlic and cilantro (coriander).  No matter what order you use, get all this stuff into the bowl and eat it.  You won't be sorry !!


**
PS ... we let the children decide what they put in theirs.  Jono does everything but the lime sauce and cilantro.  Alia only has chicken, rice and stock.  If we are under the weather, I make her have garlic too !  She told me last night (and it was a night that I made her have garlic) that this is her FAVORITE SOUP !

Spicy Chicken Soup

This was delicious. I used this recipe as a base but I made a few changes. If you are a kitten tongue like my cousin Pam, then you probably won't like this because it is SPICY !! But ... I pulled out some chicken before I added the chipotles, and cooked it in plain broth for Alia ... she liked that.

olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
7 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 chicken breasts, chopped into small bite size pieces
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
6 cups chicken broth
1 bunch cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
S & P
avocado, sliced for topping

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add chicken. Cook til just about cooked through. Add chipotles, adobo sauce, and chicken broth. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Top with avocado.

The original recipe said to top with the tortilla chips ... we didn't but Rory added a few crackers and Jono added sour cream to cool his down a bit.

This fed the four of us for dinner, with corn on the cob on the side, and there was one bowl leftover for Rory's lunch. Next time I might use three chicken breasts to stretch it a bit further ...

Turkey Chili

1 pound ground turkey

1 red bell pepper
1 onion
Rough chopped garlic (however much you want)
1-2 can(s) of crushed tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1T chili powder
1t salt
1/2t black pepper
Optional: 1 can of green chilis

Brown ground turkey with onion and garlic. Add all ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours. Serve.

Super Healthy Chicken-Vegetable Soup

Diets often equal bland, boring food...but the new diet that we've been exploring is MUCH better than normal and it works! (for those interested it's called the 17 day diet...there's a book).

I modified this soup recipe from one found in the diet book.

NOTE: I don't really measure the ingredients...just try and make a BIG pot of soup that's pretty balanced ingredients-wise.

Super Healthy (and YUMMY) Chicken-Vegetable Soup

Lightly salt and pepper 1 package of chicken breasts (we often use chicken breast tenders). Grill until just done (I think I do about 3 to 4 minutes per side). Dice into small chunks.

Large chop the following veggies: (large chopping the veggies make this soup super fast to throw together)
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- 3 to 5 large carrots
- 1/2 bag of frozen, chopped okra (I've discovered that not all frozen okra is alike...the okra from Safeway seemed slimier)
- 1 to 2 large onions
- 4 to 5 celery heart stalks with leaves
- 1 bulb of garlic (or less as desired...I leave them mostly whole...just slightly crush them)

Using approximately 1T of olive oil, I saute the garlic for 1 minute before adding the onions. Then add the carrots and celery and continue to saute for another couple of minutes. Add remaining veggies.

Add the following ingredients:
- 4 to 5 cans of chicken broth
- 2 cans of crushed tomatoes
- bit of white pepper (or pepper of choice)
- coriander, celery salt, and cumin to taste

Cover and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Simmer for one hour or until veggies are done to your liking.

Once the veggies are cooked, add the chicken.

We keep this soup in the fridge all week to have for lunches or snacks.

ENJOY!

Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup

I saw this recipe over at the flour sack and just HAD TO TRY IT ! I am so glad I did ! This is one delicious soup. I made a few adjustments though. I LOOOOOVE roasted garlic and decided that it would be amazing in this soup ... it was.

Here's how I did mine ...

3 blobs of butter (I didn't really measure, just scooped)
1 leek, sliced (I just slice til I get up to the dirty bits)
1 bunch of spring onions (They needed to be used up but they were a good addition)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 whole garlic heads, chop of the top (you know, the part that holds them all together)
6 cups chicken stock
a bay leaf
salt
pepper
700g (1.5lb) potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
450g (1lb) red potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
1/2 cup cream (although, I didn't measure and may have used a little more)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
a hand full of fresh chives, minced
garlic chips ... (thinly sliced garlic, shallow fried in olive oil til golden brown)

Preheat oven to 200C (400F), wrap your two garlic heads in tin foil and let roast in oven til softened. (I think it took about 30/40 minutes) Prepare rest of ingredients.

Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add leaks and spring onions, cook til soft. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so, til it smells GREAT ! Add broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Partially cover and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and continue to simmer til potatoes are tender. 15 minutes ? 20 ? Pull out the bay leaf. By now, your garlic should be roasted. Squeeze garlic out of the skins into a small bowl. Smush it up with a fork. Put it, along with the cream and thyme into the soup. Check your seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Use your zoop zoop (stick/immersion blender) to process the soup til creamy ... leave a few potato chunks if you like. Sprinkle with garlic chips and fresh chives.

Cream of Chicken and Barley Soup

• 

I had the most amazing soup at a luncheon at Glen Echo Country Club. This is my attempt to replicate it. I added chicken to make it a meal rather than a first course, and I omitted the almonds in deference to my husband. I recommend adding them, as they add a delightful crunch. I'm not sure at what point to add them though. You can also use cream, or yogurt mixed with a little flour to thicken the soup and make it creamy. I chose this low-fat option, and it was delicious!

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
  
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• ½-2/3 c pearl barley
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 3 c chicken broth
• dried thyme
• 1 c nonfat dried milk
• 2 T cornstarch
• garlic powder
• optional: salt, pepper, sliced almonds

(may use other chicken pieces, removing meat from bone after first hour of cooking and returning meat to soup)

Put chicken, onions, carrots, and barley in soup pot. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer one hour. After an hour, add mushrooms and continue simmering until barley is tender (approximately 30 minutes). Add water as needed at any point to maintain soup consistency.

In separate container, combine powdered milk, cornstarch, and garlic powder. Add enough water to dissolve milk and cornstarch and stir. Add this mixture into soup and stir to incorporate. Continue to simmer until soup thickens and becomes creamy. Season to taste. Add almonds if desired. Serve with crusty bread.

Rory's Rustic Ham Bone Soup

So, we had an amazing ham for Christmas dinner (I'll post that recipe later !) Rory wanted to do something with the ham bone so he searched on line, found a basic recipe and modified it ... Here is what he made. We loved it !

Ham Bone ... with about 1 cup of ham chunks that aren't good for sandwiches
½ pound (250g) dried red lentils
6 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, a couple minced and a couple roughly chopped
1 red chili, diced
1 (420g) can of tomato puree
¼ cup canola oil
handful of roughly chopped fresh basil and parsley leaves
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse lentils thoroughly. Combine ingredients and bring to a boil. Then cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove bone from soup. Pull ham off of bone and gather up big chunks that have fallen off ... chop it up and return to soup. Discard the bone.

That's it. Dead easy. You could also do it in the crock pot ... 8 to 10 hours on low.

We served it with buttered sour dough bread and Rory sprinkled a few chili flakes on top of his ...

Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

I did not take a picture of this as I was too busy shoveling it into my face.  The barley is velvety and the beef is tender.  The whole thing is warm, hearty, and tasty; perfect for a chilly fall night!  But do note, be careful when you add the thyme, lest you (like me) end up with a few bites that taste like tree bark.

Ingredients:
1 lb beef, cubed
2 T oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, unpeeled, sliced
3-4 cloved garlic, pressed
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups beef broth
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 T dried parsley
1/2 t dried thyme

Dry the meat using several paper towels (this is important, do not skip this step).  Season with salt and pepper, brown in half the oil.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic in the remaining oil until the veggies are soft.  Add the wine to the pan, reduce by half, scrapping any bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add all the ingredients to the crockpot, cook on low 6-7 hours.

NOTE FOR MAKING AHEAD:  If you want to make this the night before, or even a day or two before, store the meat and the veggies in the fridge in separate containers.  Only combine the ingredients right before you are ready to start the soup. 

Bonnie tries Jill's Soup ...

We tried Jill's Thai Coconut Soup the other night.
I did not have red curry paste so I used green. It was nice.

My conclusion on this dish is that the I should make it the day before I want to serve it.
I say this because I enjoyed it the first night but I LOVED it re-heated the second day for lunch !

The flavors were a lot more infused ...

Thanks Jilly ! Keep your recipes a-comin' !