French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup is one of my very favorite soups. I remember eating it for the first time at a little restaurant on the Rhine River called Noah's Ark in Wiesbaden, Germany. I was around eight or ten years old and my sister and I would get the French Onion Soup every time we had dinner there. It was served in shallow metal "skillets" that were always too hot to touch. There was a thick layer of cheese covering a thin slice of German bread and the cheese was always bubbly and golden brown from the oven and overflowing down the sides of the metal bowls.

With winter just not letting go this year, I am back in a soup kick. It was -1 degree here this morning after all!

Leftover Turkey & Rice Soup

Every Thanksgiving I am so happy to make lots of stock with my turkey carcass. I always wind up with some extra turkey meat from the process, which I love to use in this soup. This is a sort of "throw it together" type of soup, so if you find you prefer more or less of any ingredient, go for it until you find exactly what you like best!

Red Beans and Rice

With the weather getting cooler, my mind turns to soups and other comfort foods. This recipe for Red Beans and Rice is really delicious and it makes enough for leftovers or to freeze for future meals.

Ham and Beans

You can probably tell we have a ham to use up from New Year's Day. This ham and bean soup is delicious and would be especially yummy served with cornbread, like this pumpkin cornbread.

Potato & Leek Soup

I love fall and everything it brings with it, including the end to the brutally hot weather, scarlet and golden leaves, family birthdays, the beginning of the holiday season, use of my oven again, and warm soups! Potato soup is a favorite here and in many households, I know. I hope you'll try this very simple, nourishing version. I'll think it will be a regular at your table.

Lentil Soup

This is another recipe from my grandma, and she always said that her best friend, Anita, taught her how to make this soup. Not only does it taste incredible, but it's very nutritious, easy to make, and freezes well. As such, this is a great soup to make on the weekend to have later in the week. If you've cooked the barley and bacon in advance, prep time is not long.

If you have not, simply cook while the soup is simmering to be added near the end of the process. I like to let my soup simmer on a very low heat for about two hours (maybe a little more, even) but you don't need to simmer that long. Also, if you do, you may need to add a little water as you'll certainly lose some during the process--depending on how thick of a soup you like. You can learn how to soak your lentils here.

Simple Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Soup

With the weather turning colder, grilled cheese and tomato soup is the perfect quick dinner. Try this version of tomato soup, which is an even better choice when made with nourishing home made stock.

Ingredients:
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 1/2 to 6 cups diced or whole peeled tomatoes
About 6-8 fresh basil leaves (approx 1/8 cup if I had to guess), rough chopped
1 1/2 cups homemade stock or broth
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp maple sugar
1/2 cup milk
Olive oil to sauté

How To:
In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and carrot in olive oil until soft, about ten minutes. Add garlic. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes until garlic smell is strong. Carefully add tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper, basil, and maple sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

In a blender or food processor or using a food mill or immersion blender (whatever you prefer), blend all until smooth. If using a blender, be sure to remove center piece in lid so steam will escape and cover with a towel so there is no mess. Return to the pan, add the milk, and simmer on low for another 10 minutes or so.

Comments: Very good, perfect for a fall night. Both boys love this version of tomato soup, which I served with grilled cheese.

I bought a wonderful book, The Healing Spices, which offers simple guidance on how to use herbs, their benefits, and other interesting information. Regarding basil, the book indicates that it may help prevent or treat a variety of ailments such as acne, cancer, stress, ulcer, gout, type 2 diabets (and on and on), and it is a "revered plan in India, where the root is carved into prayer beads (Tulsi Beads)".

Stock (made from a Chicken or Turkey Carcass)

Ingredients:
1 turkey or chicken carcass (farm raised, free-range is the best)
Various vegetables (an onion, 2-3 stalks celery, 2-3 carrots, leeks, garlic, parsley, etc.)***
About 2-3 tbsp vinegar
2 - 3 dried bay leaves, if you have it
1 tbsp peppercorns, if you have it
Water to cover, filtered is best

How To:
1. Place carcass in a large stock pot with any other ingredients. Fill pot with filtered water until the carcass is covered or mostly covered and add your vinegar. If it's sticking out a little, you'll be able to push it down into the pot after it's cooked a bit. You don't want to add too much water (ratio of 3-4 lbs bones per 4 quarts water).

2. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer. If the stock is simmered at too high of a heat, the heat will break down the collagen and your stock won't gel. You should not lose much water during this cooking process, so if you start to see that you're losing a lot of water, you have the heat too high.

3. Simmer for 6-24 hours, the longer the better. If scum or foam rises to the top, simply skim it off with a spoon. When done, strain or remove meat and bones with a slotted spoon. Refrigerate and cool until broth forms a gel, then freeze for future use.

Comments:
***I like to use "trimmings" to fill my stock pot-- simply save carrot tops, celery tops, the green parts of leeks, etc. in the freezer and then when you are ready to make your stock, add these items to your pot with the carcass. You can pick through the meat you've strained away from the broth and use for any recipes requiring cooked meat (like this pot pie recipe from Mrs. Scratch.Love). Save in the refrigerator or use immediately. This meat is also perfect for Turkey and Green Beans, Fajitas, Tortilla Soup, Chicken and Stuffing Bake, and/ or Black Bean Enchilada Cassarole.

When I make a carcass stock, I can't help but think of my grandma who makes a carcass turkey soup after every Thanksgiving. So, I usually reserve at least a portion of my stock, most or all of the meat I've gotten off the carcass, and I add a few vegetables, small quinoa pasta, brown rice, etc. and make a hearty, nutritious soup (try this Turkey Noodle Soup).

Stock is one of the most rewarding things you can make because there is a wonderful satisfaction in using up every bit of the animal and the health benefits of stock are numerous. When picking through the meat, be careful to watch for little bones that you will not want to end up in your soup, or elsewhere.

Here is a great resource for troubleshooting tips from the Healthy Home Economist.

Please visit the following links for additional information about stock.

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful

http://nourishedkitchen.com/recipes/?recipe_id=6003338&prev_term=broth

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups broth/stock (chicken, vegetable, beef, mushroom - all should work just fine)
About six to eight mushrooms, shitake preferred but any fresh type would be fine, sliced thinly (if using portobello, one would be more than enough)
2 stalks green onions, cut into half inch sections, and a little extra to garnish if you wish
2 eggs
2-3 tbsp naturally fermented soy sauce
Sea salt & ground pepper to taste
Optional ingredients (5-6 spinach leaves sliced thinly and 5-6 bamboo shoots sliced thinly)

How To:
1. Bring broth to a simmer and then add mushrooms, onions, soy sauce, salt and pepper and optional ingredients (if using). Simmer for about 3-5 minutes.

2. When just about ready to serve, add egg in a slow stream and use fork (or, if you are feeling extra talented, chop sticks) to shred into long ribbons. Cook another minute and then serve. Optional garnish with green onions.

Comments:
Oh wow, this is so good and so good for you if you make it using your own home made stock. And so easy to make as well. I cannot say enough good things about this super easy recipe. This makes about 4-6 servings.  I couldn't really get a good photo so don't let my poor photography skills deter you from making this very good soup.

 

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French Onion Soup

4 medium sweet onions, sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 cup red wine
1 quart beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 T worcestershire sauce
1/8 to 1/4 cup marsala wine
Sliced mozzarella and/or swiss cheese, gruyere, provolone
Garlic Parmesan Toast Points (optional)

Combine onions in olive oil in a large saucepan and saute until browned over medium heat. Add garlic and cook a few minutes until garlic is done, but not burned. Season with basil and half the thyme, add red wine and reduce. Add broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and season with salt (as needed), pepper, the remaining thyme, worcestershire sauce, and marsala wine. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Pour soup into individual oven proof bowls or ramekins, top with a thin slice of cheese, and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts at 350-400 degrees.

Or, if serving with Garlic Parmesan Toast Points, after pouring soup in the bowl, add toast point, cover with sliced cheese and bake.

Comments: I really love French onion soup and this is a fairly quick recipe that tastes very good. I will serve with the Garlic Parmesan Toast Points either in the soup or on the side. This recipe makes about four servings and has pretty quick prep time.

Tomato Soup

2 14-ounce can diced tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce can)
2 medium stalks of celery or one large stalk, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed so skins are broken
About 1 cup chicken broth (more or less to your desired consistency)
1 t basil
1/3 can lite coconut milk
Hot seeds (very small sprinkle, 1/4 t or less to your taste)
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Strain the canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread onto a baking sheet with the "smashed" garlic (still in skins). Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil. Cook for about 15 minutes. Garlic skins will be browned and insides will be mushy.

In the meantime, dice all veggies and saute in olive oil in a medium saucepan for about ten minutes. When tomatoes are done, add tomatoes and garlic (skins removed) to saucepan. Also add reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, hot seeds, and basil. Simmer about 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are soft. Transfer to a food processer, blender, (or use an immersion blender in the same saucepan) and puree until smooth. Return to pan and add coconut milk, mix well. Simmer about 5 to 10 more minutes and serve.

Preparation time is about 15-20 minutes on this due to all the chopping.

Comments: I very rarely get sick, but very unfortunately caught our son's cold this week. Since I didn't feel well enough to work, I had extra time to cook and was craving soups of all kinds. I had never made tomato soup before, but thought I would give it a try and this turned out really good. I served this with Garlic Toast Points in lieu of grilled cheese and it was really a perfect dinner. I did not miss the greasy grilled cheese on the side or the cream in this tomato soup, which subsititutes coconut milk instead of cream (a trick I picked up from my friend Mrs. Scratch.Love).

Tortilla Soup

1.5 to 2.0 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~1 1/2 t cumin
~1/2 to 1 t garlic powder
~1 to 2 t chili powder
~ 1 t Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime
Salt & pepper
1 small onion, cut in half and then sliced thinly (raw, or sauteed in olive oil until lightly browned - see instructions below)
1 15-ounce can of corn, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
4 ounce can of diced jalepenos or green chilis (depending on your heat preference)
About 24-32 ounces of chicken broth (depends on preferred broth thickness)
About 5 or 6 small corn tortillas, sliced, brushed with oil, and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes; or in a pinch, store bought tortillas (check ingredient list to be sure there are no undesirable ingredients in the corn chips you purchase)

Optional garnishes: Greek yogurt, avocado, sliced lime, chopped cilantro, skim-mozzarella cheese, peppers of any kind, etc.

Version 1 (Use if you will be gone all day and cannot do an intermediary step)
Place chicken, the majority of all seasonings, both cans of tomatoes, jalepenos/green chilis, raw onions, chicken broth in slow cooker on low. Cook for about six to eight hours. Add the corn and beans. Re-season with remaining spices to taste. Make sure chicken has "shredded" during cooking or use a fork to break apart. Cook another 30 minutes. Serve in a bowl over tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

Version 2 (Use if you will be home and can do an intermediary step about halfway to 3/4s of the way into the cooking process)
Place chicken, the majority of all seasonings, both cans of tomatoes, jalepenos/green chilis, and chicken broth in slow cooker on low. About 2 or 3 hours before serving, add sauted onions, corn, and beans. Break chicken apart with a fork, as desired. About 30 minutes to an hour before serving, re-season as necessary. If making tortilla chips, begin them now. Serve in a bowl over tortilla chips and garnish as desired.

This serves about 8 to 10.

Comments: My husband cooks a very highly processed version of tortilla soup, which is quite tasty. I really love his soup, but wanted a healthier, more nutritious, and less processed version. This soup was very delicious and everyone in the family loved it. We all prefer the home made tortilla chips, but make it with store bought chips when we are short on time.

Picture shows soup with store bought blue corn chips as garnish (and at the bottom of the bowl)

Basic Bean Soup

This is one of my favorite fast meals. It is surprisingly delicious for how simple it is to make. It is also one of my husband's favorites.

 



Ingredients:
4 cups of soaked and cooked beans (any variety, although I personally prefer a white bean for this soup)
1 small onion, diced
Sea salt, pepper, Italian seasonings, I use this, or herbs du provence
Butter or ghee, enough to saute your onions
A little bacon fat (about 1-2 tsp) optional
Water or stock, about a cup, see Step 3 below

Optional: Garnish with cheese, tobasco sauce, green onions/chives, etc.

How To:
1. Soak your beans: 12-48 hours in advance, place beans in a non-reactive bowl with salted warm water and cover with a dish towel or screen. Let sit and sit and sit. Rinse beans a few times while you wait and switch out your soaking water when you do.

2. Cook your beans: When done soaking, rinse, and then add beans to clean water with a little salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the beans are soft. ***Do way more than your four cups because you will store all the excess in little 1 1/2 or 2 cup containers for your convenience the next time. Read this about storing soaked and cooked beans and what to do to keep them from splitting.

3. Make bean soup: ***If you have pre-soaked and pre-cooked beans, you will start here. Saute onions in butter or ghee over medium heat. Add bacon fat now, if using. When the onions are soft, add beans and just enough water (or stock) to almost cover the beans. See photo below. Start with 1/2 cup and go from there. Add seasonings. Simmer about 5-10 minutes until the beans are softened and then do one of the following in the next step.

In this batch, I actually added a little more water at the end

to thin it a little bit more. Keep in mind you can always thin it easily, so

start with the least amount of water you think you'll need and add

more from that point as necessary.

4. Mash the beans: Either:

A - transfer all to a blender or food processor and blend until creamy, return to pan.
B - using a potato masher, in the same pan mash beans until mostly all mashed.

5. Finish: Return to pot, re-season if necessary. Add more liquid if necessary to reach desired consistency. When serving, garnish with the optional ingredients above, if desired.

Comments:
When I lived alone, I made this often and I did not use the food processor/ blender. I liked the soup with some remaining un-mashed beans in it. It also seemed easier to me because I did not have a dirty blender to clean up. However, when mashing by hand, some beans do not mash nicely (like pintos) whose casings were a little thick and resulted in a bit of a chewy soup - so keep that in mind. You may prefer to "blend".

Using the food processor adds to the ease of making this in that you don't have to chop the onions very small or worry about the casings around the beans. And, the resulting soup is a very nice creamy consistency.

I encourage you to experiment with beans and ingredients. My grandma shared this basic bean soup "recipe" with me, but modifies frequently and has said her version using black beans and diced tomatoes was the best, although I like this version so much I have never tried any others.

One final thought - even though this doesn't sound like some kind of amazing soup recipe since it is so simple, this soup is delicious. It will surprise you! My husband loves it (with tobasco) and our six-year old loves it as well (with freshly grated cheese on top). I do too and cannot urge you strongly enough to try adding this quick, easy, and delicious recipe into your diet. If you have soaked and pre-cooked your beans, this is very fast to make, probably 10 to 20 minutes tops. Or make lots and freeze or refrigerate for lunches or dinners all week.

Version using Kidney and Northern beans without the

food processor - notice it's chunkier

 

Version using Great Northern and Navy beans

with food processor

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This post was shared at Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days, Real Food Wednesday, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Tasty Traditions, Natural Living Link-Up, Simple Meals Friday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Freaky Friday.

 

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