Coconut Curry Chicken Soup

Thanks to Tiffany for taking the time out of her busy schedule of staring into shiny toasters to submit this magnificent recipe.

You will need:

- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 chopped onion
- 1/2 c. chopped celery
- 1/2 c. sliced carrots
- 1/4 lb.  fresh sliced mushrooms
- 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 6 c. room temp chicken broth
- 2 c. cooked wild rice
- 1 lb cubed chicken, cooked
- 1 tsp. toasted curry powder
- 2 c. coconut milk

In a large pot saute onion, celery and carrots in butter over medium heat until almost soft. Add mushrooms and continue sauteing until soft. Add in your flour and mix thoroughly to form a roux. You'll want to cook the roux for a couple minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add broth (its important that it be room temperature so that the mixture doesn't seize) and whisk until no longer chunky. Whisk in the curry powder, coconut milk and drop in the chicken and simmer 1-2 hours.

I'll be honest, I only put in about 4 plain white mushrooms and diced them fairly small since I'm not a fan but they add great flavor.

Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is one of the easiest and most comforting foods around.  I was always a big fan of any soup that was chicken flavored be it Campbell's, Chef Swagger, Maruchan - you name it.  While canned soup is a staple in many homes, I've grown to prefer a "from scratch" version done up in a slow-cooker because I can throw most of the stuff in and leave it to deal with later.  Making it from scratch allows me to control the veggie to chicken ratio as well as salt content.


You will need:


-2 32 oz. cartons low sodium chicken stock*
-1 cup water
-4 ribs celery, sliced
-2 cloves garlic, diced
-1/2 lb string beans, cleaned (stems and odd ends removed)
-1 can corn, drained and rinsed
-1 large carrot, peeled quartered and diced**
-1 medium onion, diced
-2 large sprigs (should have 4-5 stalks) thyme
-2 sage leaves
-1/4 lb spaghetti noodles***
-2 tbsp butter
-salt and pepper to taste
-fresh tomato, seeded and diced
-fresh grated Parmesan cheese
-sliced green onion
-Your choice of chicken - You can use canned chunk or breast meat but I prefer leg and thigh meat for a more rustic take and flavor.  Besides, its cheaper


Put your slow cooker on high and add your fresh veggies.  Tie your herbs together with kitchen twine and toss it into the slow cooker (tying them together saves you from having to fish out individual stalks). Cover and allow to cook until vegetable are tender (if you plan to have it on for 8hrs or more, put it on low).  If you are using fresh chicken, cook it through and allow to cool before dicing. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a medium frying pan, melt 2 butter on medium-high. Break up spaghetti into three pieces and add to pan.  Allow to cook until mostly browned and then add to boiling water. Cook till al dente, drain. Turn off slow cooker and remove your herb bundle. Add your diced chicken, corn and noodles and allow to heat through - about 10 - 15 minutes.  Serve hot sprinkled with tomato, green onion and Parmesan and a side of crusty bread.

Enjoy!


*It is entirely possible to use your own chicken stock, I just never have that much on hand.  Chicken stock is basically chicken soup with all the chunky parts left out. When I make it, its usually after I've just butchered a chicken. Take the chicken carcass and giblets, put them in a large pot with celery, carrot, onion, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.  Cover it with water, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for about an hour to an hour and half.  Allow to cool slightly on the stove then strain into a container.  You can also make a lot of it before hand and freeze it in plastic containers so you have it available whenever.

**I use one carrot because I'm not a big fan of them.

***Browning the noodles brings out a nice nutty flavor.  If you don't want to use spaghetti you can always use just about any other noodle.  I've used alphabets, stars, bowtie, etc.  I also advise cooking the pasta outside of the soup because if you cook it in the soup, the starch will cause it to cloud and thicken a bit. Its also difficult to gauge when the noodles will be done when making in a slow-cooker.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is one of my favorite soups to get at a sandwich shop and imagine my surprise when I found out how easy it was to make at home! 


 You will need...

1 2 lb block Velveeta processed cheese, cubed (this should be done ahead of time as it is time consuming)

3 cartons low sodium chicken stock

1/2 medium white onion, finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 slices bacon, roughly chopped

2 small bags flash frozen broccoli florets

5 sprigs thyme

In a large soup pot brown bacon bits (should be chopped while raw). When bacon is cooked through and crisp, remove and drain grease. Place pot back over medium heat and put in 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Sautee onions, carrots and garlic until tender but not browned (you may want to throw the garlic in after the onion becomes translucent so it doesn't burn). Pour in 2 cartons of stock - bring to boil and reduce to simmer (BTBRTS! Thanks Chef Anne Burrell!). Tie thyme with kitchen twine and toss into soup. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavor develop, remove the thyme and dump in the broccoli. Bring back to a boil, when broccoli is tender and cooked through (another 15-20 minutes or so) turn off burner and begin putting in handfuls of cheese, stirring constantly. Its important to be sure the burner is off as you do not want the cheese to curdle. Once all of the cheese is in, return burner to low and stir until cheese is fully integrated. If its too thick for your liking you can add addition stock warmed in a separate pan. Turn off heat and sprinkle in bacon, mix well and serve.

Another way to do this, if you prefer a smoother soup without the chunks of broccoli, is fish out the broccoli with a slotted spoon after its been cooked and blend it in a food processor or blender. Another option - if its available to you - is to blend it right in the pan with an immersion blender. This will still give you the delicious broccoli flavor without the chunk bitsy of it in your soup.

This goes great served in a sourdough bread bowl. I prefer to sprinkle some cheddar and 5 or so baguette croutons in the bottom of a bowl, ladle in the soup, sprinkle with more cheese and add a dollop of sour cream on top.

ENJOY!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

2 cartons low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup red enchilada sauce

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 oz can diced green chiles

1 small white onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tsp cumin

1 bag shredded nacho blend cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

lime

sour cream

In a slow cooker combine stock, enchilada sauce, onion, chiles, garlic and cumin. Place slow cooker on high and cover for 4 - 5 hours (if leaving on for longer like while at work, change to low setting) - do not uncover until it has at least come to a boil.

Drain and rinse corn and beans and add to slow cooker with cubed chicken to heat through.

When ready to serve, place some tortilla chip around bowl and ladle soup in. Top with a small handful of cheese (or however much you want - I love lots of cheese), a dollop of sour cream and avocado slices. Squeeze a wedge of lime over to get the juices in and discard rind and pulp.

ENJOY!