Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Looking for a special soup to serve over the Thanksgiving holiday? Consider this creamy sweet potato soup seasoned with nutmeg and maple syrup.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 small celery stalks, chopped

1 medium leek, sliced (white and pale green parts only)

1 large garlic clove, chopped

1-1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)

4 cups chicken stock

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1-1/2 cups half and half

2 tablespoons maple syrup

The leafy tops of the celery stalks, chopped

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chopped celery stalks and leek, sauté about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes.

Add sweet potatoes, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove cinnamon stick and discard. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot.

Add half and half and maple syrup and stir over medium-low heat to heat through. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with celery leaves.

Homemade Turkey Soup

A lot of recipes for Turkey soup call for the turkey carcass but since my Thanksgiving turkeys are stuffed my carcasses are never really clean enough for soup.  So I buy extra turkey legs and wings to make turkey broth and throw that old  carcass away.

This is a great Soup for that first Saturday night after Thanksgiving.


Homemade Turkey Soup

2 large fresh or frozen Turkey legs

4 large fresh or frozen Turkey wings

3 quarts (12 cups) water

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning or dried sage leaves

1 dried bay leaf

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

3 medium carrots, sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 medium stalks celery, sliced (1 cup)

3 cups cut-up cooked turkey

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

In a large soup pot add Turkey, water, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and bay leaf. Heat to boiling over high heat; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 1 hour 30 minutes.

Skim off any residue that rises to the surface. Remove bones, meat and bay leaf from broth; cool. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and cut into bite-size pieces; set aside. Discard bones and bay leaf.

Strain the broth through a sieve covered with wet cheesecloth into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Place the bowl in a bath of ice to chill broth quickly and let fat solidify.

Skim fat from broth; discard. Pour broth back into soup pot and add turkey meat cut from bones to broth; stir in barley. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in carrots, onion, celery and 3 cups cooked turkey. Simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and barley are tender. Stir in parsley.

Serve in warm bowls.

Creamy Turkey Soup

Post Thanksgiving day there is always some left over turkey and what better way to use it than in a soup.  This is a creamy version that would be great for your Sunday dinner following Thanksgiving day.

Creamy Turkey Soup

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrot, diced

1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, smashed and diced

2 teaspoons butter

2 cups diced potatoes

2 cups diced cooked turkey

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk or half-and-half

1/2 cup sour cream

Garnish: Dry parsley flakes

Sauté onion, celery, carrot, mushrooms, basil, garlic and rosemary in the 2 teaspoons melted butter until lightly browned.

Add potatoes, turkey and broth. Simmer approximately 15 minutes.

Reduce heat; add milk, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat and serve hot with a hearty dab of sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley for garnish.

Witches Brew Soup

Your little goblins not eating their veggies?  Well feed them some Witches Brew soup.  Fun way to get those goblins to eat some broccoli and spinach.  The spider web looks cute too.

Witches Brew Soup

For the soup:

1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into 1-inch broccoli florets

5 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

freshly grated smoked mozzarella, for serving

For the spiderweb:

plain greek yogurt

milk

squeeze bottle

toothpick

To make the soup - set a large stockpot over medium heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When hot, add onion. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Add broccoli florets and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green. Add in the broth, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Partially cover the pot with the lid and then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes, until the broccoli is tender. Add the spinach leaves to the pot (you may need to do this in two batches). Continue to cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Very carefully, in batches puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot.

Taste and add additional salt/pepper if needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Make spiderweb. Sprinkle with some chopped walnuts and cheese as desired.

To make a spiderweb - add a few tablespoons of greek yogurt to a small bowl. Add in a tablespoon or so of milk. Mix together until completely smooth. Mixture should be liquid enough to squeeze out of the bottle, but not too runny.

Transfer the mixture to a squeeze bottle. Make three circles (one inside the other) on the top of the soup. Drag a toothpick through the circles, starting from the center and moving outward, to make a spiderweb.

Mushroom and Brie Soup II

This is not your grandmother's mushroom soup recipe! It is a stab at trying to duplicate the Mushroom and Brie Soup from the Bakers Crust restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The rich elegance of brie makes this soup a stand-out!

Mushroom and Brie Soup II

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-3/4 cups chicken broth

1/2-pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

1/2-pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour; blend until smooth then set aside.

In a soup pot, combine the chicken broth, cremini and shiitake mushrooms, onion, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender.

Add butter mixture, stirring until soup is thickened. Slowly stir in heavy cream, mixing well. Add cheese, stirring constantly, until melted.

Serve immediately.

Mushroom and Brie Soup I

The Bakers Crust in Virginia Beach, Virginia, makes this great tasting soup. Of course you'll never get them to give you the recipe so I've found two that come close. This one uses both Brie and pepper Jack cheeses and makes enough for a small army. Enjoy.

Mushroom and Brie Soup I

Seasoning Blend:
2 parts kosher salt
2 parts granulated garlic
1 part dry whole thyme
1 part paprika
1/2 part ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups butter
1 cup diced onions
1/2 cup chopped garlic
3 pounds mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons Chaps seasoning blend
2 cups red wine
3 cups fresh chicken stock
4 cups heavy cream
3 cups half-and-half
2 cups shredded Brie cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are soft and reduced in size. Add the seasoning blend and stir. Deglaze the pot with 1 cup red wine and let it come to a boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Carefully pour the mushroom mixture into a blender. Blend until the mushrooms are all consistently chopped into small pieces. Add the mixture to the soup pot and bring it up to a simmer.

Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, and half-and-half. Bring to just a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Slowly stir in the cheeses while mixing with a whip or whisk. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if needed.

Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy!

Homemade Ramen Noodle Soup

Okay, it’s not the fanciest, best soup I've ever made, but when you’re not feeling good and still need to make dinner for your family, this is pretty good!

If you need a lower salt soup use low-sodium chicken broth and soy sauce. Chuka-men wheat noodles are available at Asian markets or online -- I use the Hime brand.

Homemade Ramen Noodle Soup

1 1.45-pound package Chuka-men Chinese Noodles

12-16 cups chicken broth (3-1/2 32-ounce cartons)

2 carrots, peeled and large diced

2 stalks celery, large diced

2 scallions, ends removed and sliced fine including the green and white parts

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Garnish additions: 3-minute soft boiled egg, thinly sliced roast pork, good squeeze of lemaon juice, green onion, splash of soy sauce, sesame oil or pastis

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the carrots, celery, scallions, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium (it will still be boiling, just not as hard) and cook until vegetables are soft.

Add noodles, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Continue cooking for 3 minutes then remove from heat and serve in warm Ramen bowls. Add garnishes as desired.

Polish Dill Soup (Zupa Koperkowa)

The Polish like Dill, I like Dill, lot's of folks like Dill, so what's not to like about Dill Soup? And, with this soup you even get dumplings!

Polish Dill Soup (Zupa Koperkowa)

2 tablespoons butter, divided

3/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

6 cups of stock, either: beef, veal, chicken or vegetable

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cold water

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet, add 1/4 cup dill and sauté gently over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.

In a large soup pot heat stock to boiling and add the dill and butter mixture.

Dissolve the flour in the cold water and add to the stock. Bring the stock back to a low boil.

Make String Dumpling mixture and dribble the mixture into the boiling stock with a fork and cook for one minute. Keep soup at a low boil to avoid disintegrating the dumplings.

Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of butter. Gradually add 1 cup of the boiling stock and stir well. Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth. Return this mixture to the soup pot.

Simmer for a minute or two but do not boil. Turn off the heat, add the remaining dill, stir, cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes.

Adjust seasonings and serve soup in warm bowls.

Serves 4.

String Dumplings

1 large egg

3-1/2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Mix egg with flour and salt. Beat with whisk or fork for 2 minutes. Dribble batter slowly into boiling stock from a spoon or fork.

Apple Parsnip Soup

Parsnip soup? Are parsnips not a little bitter you say? Well with the sweetness of an apple and the warmth of some spices you can nicely round out the parsnips’ mild abrasiveness. Add some body to the soup with potatoes and some cream.

Apple Parsnip Soup

4 tablespoon butter

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 pound parsnips (4 medium), peeled and chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup cream or half-and-half

salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until softened but not browned, about 8 minutes.

Add potato, apples and parsnips; stir in chicken broth and spices. Increase heat to bring soup to a boil, then reduce back to medium low and simmer, covered, until vegetables and apples are very soft, about 30 minutes.

In a blender or food processor puree in batches.  Returned puree back to saucepan and stir in cream or half-and-half and season well with salt and pepper.

Serve in warm bowls.

Makes 4 meal-sized servings; 6-8 starter sized servings

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Creamy tomato soup with cheese filled pasta. A tasty bowl of soup.

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

2 large Garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 10.75 ounce cans of Condensed Tomato Soup

1/4 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped or 2 tablespoons Sun Dried Tomato Paste

2 cups Half-and-half

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1 9-ounce package fresh cheese filled Tortellini

Garnish: Parmesan cheese

Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown. When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half and half, chicken stock and spices.

Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup. Cook according to the package directions.

After tortellini are cooked, ladle soup into warm bowls and top with Parmesan cheese. 

Lemon, Orzo, and Meatball Soup

Chicken noodle soup with a lemony twist. Ground chicken meatballs and orzo pasta in a lemon spiked broth.  Yummy!

Lemon, Orzo, and Meatball Soup

1 pound ground chicken

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 teaspoons loosely packed lemon zest, divided

1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped

3 carrots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 32-ounce containers chicken broth

5 to 6 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup orzo pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Combine ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs and salt, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary in a medium bowl. Shape into 30 (1-inch) meatballs (about 1 level tablespoonful each).

Sauté meatballs, in 2 batches, in 1 tablespoon. hot oil per batch in a Dutch oven over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until browned. Remove using a slotted spoon.

Sauté onion, carrots and garlic in remaining 1 tablespoon. hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, lemon juice, and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon. zest and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary. 

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add orzo. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes or until pasta is almost tender.

Stir in meatballs; simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve in warm bowls topped with cheese and parsley.

Yield: Makes about 3 qt.

Pumpkin Soup

Fall is the beginning of hot soup weather here in Virginia and with our Fall comes pumpkins which can be turned into a perfect fully wonderful soup. Add a slice of homemade bread and you have a great lunch or light dinner to warm you up on a cold day.

You can use whole pumpkins which you can slice, dice, and puree, or as in this recipe use canned pumpkin. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Pumpkin Soup

1 Onion, diced

1 Garlic clove, chopped

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoon Brown Sugar

1 14-1/2 ounce can Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 cup water

1/8 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 15 ounce can Pumpkin

1-1/2 cups half-and-half milk

Garnish: Chopped green onion or chives, chopped peanuts, chopped toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted croutons

In a large soup pot, over medium, cook the onion and garlic in the butter until soft and fragrant. Add brown sugar and cook until melted into the butter/onion mixture.

Add chicken broth, salt, pepper and water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add pumpkin and stir until well combined.

Stir in evaporated milk and cinnamon and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or until soup is hot.

Serve in warm bowls and garnish as desired.

Fisherman’s Soup

Nothing is better that a bowl of soup with fish and shrimp on a cold winter's day. This savory soup will surely hit the spot!

Fisherman’s Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced

1 large carrot, diced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon dried (crushed) chile flakes

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (juices included)

3/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 pound. firm white fish (such as tilapia), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled

2 tablespoon capers

Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the oregano and chile flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley and white wine, and cook for 1 additional minute.

Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer.

Add the fish pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fish is almost cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Add the shrimp and continue to simmer until the shrimp is barely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in capers and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve in warm bowls with crusty bread.

Zuppa Toscana

Okay. I confess. I stole this recipe from Olive Garden where they serve it as a lunch special with a salad. 

Zuppa Toscana

2 unpeeled medium potatoes
6 spicy Italian sausage links

3/4 cup onions, diced
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cup kale leaves, cut in half, then sliced
2 tablespoons chicken base or 2 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes
1 quart water
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Garnish: Shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 300° Fahrenheit.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/4-inch moons. Reserve in water to cover.

Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done; cut in half length-wise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices.

Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Remove bacon and crumble; reserve. Add garlic to the onions and cook an additional one minute. Add chicken base, water, and drained potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes.

Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese as desired.

Wonton Soup

The “other” Chinese soup. You can make the wontons in advance and freeze on a cookie sheet, then place them in freezer bags.

Wonton Soup

1/2 pound ground pork or chicken

1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

1/4 cup water chestnuts, finely chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

2 1/8-inch wide coins ginger, finely chopped

1 egg, separated

32 square wonton wrappers

4 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water chestnuts, thinly sliced

2 green onions, sliced

Garnish: Minced green onion

Mix meat, mushrooms, water chestnuts, onions, sesame oil, five spice powder, ginger and egg yolk until well blended. Spoon evenly onto wonton wrappers, adding about 1 teaspoon of the meat mixture to each wrapper.

Beat egg white lightly. Brush onto edges of each wrapper; fold in half to form triangle. Press edges together to seal. Bring opposite corners of long edge of each triangle together, overlapping corners; brush with egg white to seal. Keep wonton’s covered until all are made and ready for soup.

Combine chicken broth, chicken bouillon cubes, mushrooms, water chestnuts and onions in large saucepan. Bring just to boil on medium heat. Carefully add wontons; simmer 4 minutes or until filling is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately in large warm bowls garnished with minced green onion if desired.

Beef Vegetable Soup From Cans

Fresh vegetables are nice.  Fresh vegetables are good.  BUT, you can't always fine good fresh vegetables when you want to make soup.  So here is my fallback recipe.   

With all the can vegetables that go in this soup you shouldn't need any additional salt.

Miss Anna calls this "Stone Soup" because it can use whatever ingredients you may have on hand.

Beef Vegetable Soup From Cans

1-1/2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

3 14.5-ounce cans beef stock

2 beef bullion cubes

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 14.5-ounce can green beans, drained

1 14.5-ounce can whole corn, drained

1 14.5-ounce can white beans, un-drained (optional)

1/2 pound white mushrooms, cut into chunks

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups water

3 medium potatoes, 1/2-inch dice

15 baby carrots, cut into thirds

2 small turnips, 1/2-inch dice (optional)

1 small rutabaga, 1/2-inch dice (optional)

2-3 bay leaves

Dried thyme

Dried basil

Black pepper

2 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (optional)

1/2 cup frozen green peas (optional)

Garnish: Parmesan cheese.

In a large soup pot, over medium high heat warm two tablespoons olive oil. In two batches, sauté the beef until no longer pink; remove and reserve. Add another tablespoon olive oil to the pot and sauté the onion and garlic for five minutes.

Add the beef, beef stock, bouillon cubes, tomatoes, green beans, corn, white beans, mushrooms, tomato sauce, water, potatoes, carrots and optional vegetables you are using.  Season to taste with basil, thyme, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes or until beef, potatoes, carrots and optional vegetables are just tender; add zucchini and green peas and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you like.

Note:  To make plain old vegetable Vegetable Soup From Cans omit the beef and change the beef broth and beef bouillon cubes to chicken or vegetable broth and chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes.  Everything else stays the same.

Tortilla Soup

This soup is more in honor to the movie “Tortilla Soup” than any soup I ever had as a child. If you don’t want to fool with frying your own tortilla strips use bagged Tortilla chips instead (but they are not as good!). Or you can just eat the toppings (inside joke).

Tortilla Soup

6 corn tortillas

1 cup corn oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth

1-1/2 cups water

1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1/4 teaspoon powdered cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 4-ounce can diced green chilies

Garnish: Shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses; sour cream; large avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped; large tomato, seeded and diced.

Cut tortillas in half. Place each tortilla half on cutting board, cut edge in front and from right to left cup into 1/4-inch wide strips. Reserve.

If crispy tortillas strips are desired instead of soft strips: In a large saucepan heat oil over medium-high heat; in batches fry tortilla strips until just golden. Remove to plate and drain on paper towels. Reserve.

In a large sauce pot heat olive oil and cook garlic over medium-high heat 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually add broth and water, stirring until well blended. Add chicken. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from broth mixture; cool slightly. Pour broth through a fine-mesh strainer; return broth to pan.

Shred chicken; return to pan. Stir in tomato sauce, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano and green chilies. Cook on medium-high heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

To serve place a half-handful of tortilla strips in bottom of large warm bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with cheeses, sour cream, chopped avocado and diced tomato as you like.  

Tortellini Soup

The Doc said no more tortellini in cream sauce for me, so I make tortellini soup instead. It’s a good soup for a diet.

Tortellini Soup

8 cups homemade chicken broth

- or -

4 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth

3/4 cup water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1/4 teaspoon Thyme

Freshly ground black pepper 

2 9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese tortellini

Garnish: Chopped parsley leaves, grated Parmesan cheese

Pour the homemade broth or canned broth (and water if using canned stock) into a heavy large saucepan; add chicken bouillon (if using canned stock). Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the broth with pepper, to taste. Add the tortellini and the thyme. Simmer over medium heat until al dente, about 7 minutes.

Ladle the broth and tortellini into warm soup bowls. Top with parsley and Parmesan cheese to taste.

Cream of Tomato Soup

This is a quick and easy way to replace that can of Tomato soup you always make.

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and juice from the cans, salt and pepper to taste, and the chicken broth. Simmer the tomato mixture for 10 minutes.

Working in batches, add the hot tomato mixture to a blender or food processor, and process until very smooth. If using a blender, cover the top with a towel, not the lid.

Add the smooth soup back to the sauce pan and add the cream. Stir to combine.

Serve in warm bowls with a bit of cream swirled on top.

Tomato Rice Soup

This is one of my favorite end-of-the-month soups, when I’m of everything but stock. I try to always have chicken stock, tomatoes and rice on hand, among other things, so I can make this soup. It's a very good soup.

Tomato Rice Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large white onion, cut into half-moon slices

3/4 cup rice

2 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons dry parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon dry thyme

3 14.5-ounce can chicken broth

1 14.5-ounce can water

2 bullion cubes

Pepper to taste

Garnish: French bread croutons

In a soup pot, over medium-heat, heat olive oil; sauté onions until translucent, about five minutes. Add rice and heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced tomatoes, with juice, parsley and thyme to pot; stir well.

Add chicken broth, water and bullion cubes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Add pepper to taste; soup should not need additional salt.

Serve in warm bowls and garnish with croutons.

Steak Soup

The trick to this soup is to cook the steak rare or medium-rare first and add it to the soup at the very end -- let it get warm in the soup bowl.

Steak Soup

3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pound sirloin steak, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices about 1 1/2 inches long and 3/4-inch wide

1-1/4 teaspoons salt1 large onion, chopped
1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
2 cups water

2 14.5-ounces cans low-sodium chicken-broth
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
Oil for frying
2 teaspoons A-1 Spicy or Original Steak Sauce

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining steak. Remove the steak from the pot and toss all of the steak slices with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Reserve.

Reduce the heat to moderately low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the green beans, water, broth, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to dislodge any brown bits. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. 

In a deep fryer heat oil to 375 degrees F and fry potato rounds until tender and golden.

Return the steak with any juices and fried potato rounds to the soup and stir in the A-1 Steak sauce.

Serve in warm bowls.