Corn Potato and Jalapeno Soup

This corn soup is delicious and light (just what was needed to start the week after a weekend filled with really great food).  The flavors reminded me of a lighter, but equally delicious version of corn chowder.

Corn Potato and Jalapeno Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, minced (I removed the seeds for less heat)
5-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a large dice
2 cups corn kernels
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Cilantro and jalapeno slices for garnish

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion and jalapeno to the pot and cook until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add potatoes, corn, chicken broth, salt, and cayenne to the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro and jalapeno slices.

Recipe from Go Bold with Butter

Winter Minestrone & Garlic Bruschetta

It has been quite cold around here lately (more like I'm cold down too my bones freezing).  Every day for the past week, I've looked forward to lunch because I've had a big bowl of this soup and I'm still not sick of it!  (I've just about finished it off and I may need to make more because warmer temps. are not in the forecast.)

Winter Minestrone and Garlic Bruschetta

Olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 cups (1/2-inch) diced carrots
2 cups (1/2-inch) diced celery
2 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) peeled and diced potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked orzo
8 to 10-ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons pesto
Garlic Bruschetta (recipe follows)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

To cook the orzo pasta, put 1 cup of orzo into a large pot of salted boiling water.  Cook until al dente, drain and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven.  Add onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, and thyme and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the crushed tomatoes, 6 cups of chicken stock, the bay leaf, 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 1 /2 teaspoons pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered until the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf.  Add the beans and cooked pasta and heat through.  Just before serving, add the spinach and toss with 2 big spoons (like tossing a salad).  Cook until the leaves are wilted.  Stir in the pesto.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.  Serve with garlic bruschetta and a good sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

Garlic Bruschetta

1 baguette or a loaf of good crusty bread
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, cut in half lengthwise

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice the baguette at a 45-degree angle in 1/2 inch-thick slices.  Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil and bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted.  Take the slices out of the oven and rub the surface of each one with the cut clove of garlic.

*I like to tear of piece of the Bruschetta and let it sit in the soup for just a bit to let the bread soak up some of the broth and then I eat the bread with a bite of soup.  Yum!

*When I reheat the soup for lunch, I add a little water to thin the soup down a bit.  The soup may need to be reseasoned.

Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten 

Roasted Vegetable Soup

I've been eating this soup for lunch these days and I love it.  I'll usually make a grilled cheese for me and Stella to share and a bowl of this soup on the side (Stella won't eat the soup, just the grilled cheese).  It tastes warm, comforting and delicious!




Roasted Vegetable Soup

Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 cups)

Carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (1 cup)

Parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (1 cup)

Celery, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

Celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (1 cup)

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Olive oil

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups whole milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place the cut vegetables on a baking sheet in a single layer.  Add the sprigs of thyme to the vegetables.  Drizzle the vegetables and thyme with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss well.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.  Once the vegetables are done cooking, discard thyme sprigs.

In a blender combine vegetable broth, milk and roasted vegetables.  Blend until smooth.  Add additional vegetable broth, milk or water to reach desired consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Pour soup into a soup pot and heat through.  Serve with grilled cheese on wheat (or any good crusty bread) for dipping.

Chicken Tortilla Stew

My birthday dinner was at my mom's this year and I decided that chili would be perfect dinner considering the cool/cold nights that October brings in Utah.  I had my mom make her Halloween chili (the one that has filled our bellies on many Halloween nights before trick-or-treating) and I made a white chili or rather a chicken tortilla stew.  Topped with sour cream, Monterey jack cheese, blue corn tortilla chips and cilantro, this one is a keeper and sure to warm you up on a cold October night.  (Noah was positive that it he didn't like it, but after persuading (forcing) him to take a bite, he actually liked it and ate his entire bowl.  That's all I ask...just take a bite).

Chicken Tortilla Stew

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 jar (16-ounce) good quality roasted tomatillo salsa

2 quarts chicken stock

2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained

1 13.5-ounce bag white corn tortilla chips

1 rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat removed from bones and chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Juice of 2 limes

Sour cream

Monterey Jack cheese

Cilantro

Corn tortilla chips (I like blue)

Place a large pot over medium heat and add vegetable oil.  Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno, and season with coriander, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the tomatillo salsa, chicken stock and white beans to the pot and bring to a low boil.  While the mixture is coming to a boil, place the tortilla chips (reserving a handful for garnish) in a food processor and pulse to grind, or in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.  You should have about 2 cups of ground chips.  Add the ground chips to the pot and cook for 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, add the chopped chicken to the pot along with 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and lime juice and cook 2-3 more minutes, until the chicken is heated through.  

To serve, ladle the tortilla chicken stew into a bowl and garnish with sour cream, Monterey jack cheese, tortilla chips and cilantro.

Recipe slightly adapted from Rachel Ray