made by Emily I am not a huge carrot fan, but I was looking for something to do with a ton of carrots leftover from a batch of baby food for my 5 month old. I found this idea from an old, old cookbook that I had dusted off from college days (which is funny, because who cooks in college, besides boiling water for Ramen noodles?). Anyway, Matt called this "20/20 soup"; because it's pretty much all carrots. I, however, like to think of it as "complexion soup" : ) Somehow it's a really good and light, summery soup for dinner, or a tasty starter. It's VERY easy too.
You'll Need:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp honey
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp coriander seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground sea salt
Ground black pepper
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into even chunks about 1-1 1/2" long
3 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 oz heavy cream
3/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
A few sprigs of cilantro leaves, for garnish
To Make:
Preheat the oven to 400' F. Combine oil, honey, cumin, coriander, cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp sea salt and lots of ground pepper in a roasting pan. Add the chunks of carrot and mix well to coat all pieces of carrot. Roast for 1 hour until carrot is tender (toss the carrots once after 30 minutes or so).
Transfer half the carrot chunks (minus the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks), 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, and 1 cup of water to a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth.
To get the carrots into the blender without the coriander seeds and cinnamon sticks, just use your fingers and brush them off. It's pretty easy. But you don't want the seeds or cinnamon in the blender because it doesn't ground up very well and then you'll have to pick them out of the soup as you eat (I did this the first time I made it and it got a little tedious).
Transfer the pureed carrot mixture to a soup pot and put on Medium heat. Then repeat pureeing the remainder of the roasted carrots, another 1 1/2 c. chicken stock and another 1 c. water. Add this to soup pot too. Simmer this for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and season with salt & pepper as needed.
Garnish with 1/4 tsp sour cream and a little cilantro sprig.
made by Emily I recently came up with this recipe after making a Honey Baked ham. After a few days of eating the ham leftovers, finally I got around to making soup from the ham bone (to freeze because we were sick of ham!). I read a few recipes and got the idea to puree the soup which added a fancy twist. It was so good, it never made it to the freezer!
You'll Need:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, whole
3 sizable celery stalks chopped (with leaves if they have them)
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1-2 lb ham bone (not sure what mine weighed but it was what was left over from a Honey Baked ham, and it still had some meat on it)
1 bay leaf
About 10 cups of water
3 15 1/2 oz cans of light colored beans (I used "pinto", "white" & "navy" beans)
To Make:
In a large soup pot, cook veggies (onion, garlic, celery & carrots) in olive oil on medium for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 10 cups of water, ham bone with all the meat on it, beans and bay leaf. The meat will fall off the ham bone after cooking for a while so don't do any trimming yet.
Bring to a boil, then simmer with a lid on for 2 hrs.
Remove ham bone and set aside on a plate to cool.
Meanwhile, let the soup cool a little, then puree in batches using a blender or food processor. This gets a little messy but it's worth it. Return pureed soup to the pot.
Remove meat from the ham bone now that it's slightly cooled enough to handle, chop and return the meat to the pot of soup. Discard the bone and any fatty pieces.
Season to taste with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve with warm rolls, crusty french bread, or you can garnish with homemade croutons*.
*To make homemade croutons, chop french bread up into small cubes (about 1/2-1" diameter) and toss with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Spread all out on a cookie sheet and broil on high for about 5 minutes until they start to brown and toast. Toss the croutons halfway thru broiling so the other sides get a little brown too. Remove and let them cool on a paper towel.
By Rachel This soup is AWESOME!! Seriously. It's so full of flavor and it's pretty simple and quick to make - making it a for sure soon to be household staple! I would highly recommend using a rotisserie chicken because the chicken in this soup was SO tender and tasty. It's 10am as I write this post and I am honestly counting down the hours until I can have it again for lunch!
You will need:
3 Tbs olive oil
3/4 cup onion, diced small
1 jalapeño, diced and seeded
3 garlic cloves, diced small or put through a garlic press
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (start with a pinch then add more to your preference of spiciness)
1/2 tsp paprika
1-2 cups cooked rice (depending how thick or thin you like your soup - I used 2 cups)
2 -4 cups cooked chicken (I used one of those store bought rotisserie chickens because they are EASY, have so much flavor and you can make a big ol' pot of stock from the leftovers. But if you don't want a whole chicken you can boil 2-3 chicken breasts and then shred with a fork - but seriously, a rotisserie chicken is the same price if not cheaper and sooooo much tastier! OR if you are handy and talented like Miranda, you can make your own whole chicken!)
S&P
Optional but HIGHLY Tasty Toppings:
Cilantro
Avocado
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Lime wedges
To make:
Chop up your onion and add to a pot with 3 Tbs olive oil and cook about 3-5 minutes until tender. While that's cooking, cut up your jalapeno and put your garlic through your press and add both to the onions.
Then add your cans of tomatoes to the pot along with 6 cups of chicken broth. Next add the cumin, chili powder, cayenne, paprika and season to taste with S&P. Bring this to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Finally, add your chicken and rice and cook another 5 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of shredded cheddar and a spritz of lime juice. Don't skimp on the topping, they all add a little something something to bring out all that tastiness!
YUM!!
By Miranda I know, this soup pretty much LOOKS awful... but if you like cauliflower, it is delicious and the roasting really adds great flavor. Paired with a crusty bread and a salad, it makes for a nice dinner.
1 head cauliflower
drizzle of olive oil
3 garlic cloves
3/4 cup celery (leaves too!)
3/4 cup onion
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
4-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
s+p
1-2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 450F. Cut cauliflower up into pieces and place in a roasting pan. Add whole garlic cloves to the pan as well. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Toss together in the pan then roast in oven for about 15-25 minutes (stirring 2 or 3 times) or until pieces are starting to brown and edges are crisping slightly. Take out and leave cauliflower for later.
Take out garlic cloves when cool enough to handle and mince.
Meanwhile in soup/stock pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add celery and onion and stir occasionally until starting to soften. Add garlic and continue to stir until vegetables start to brown. Add broth (larger amount if your cauliflower was bigger, or add smaller amount and save a cup to add later if it needs thinning) and bring to a boil.
Add cauliflower from roasting pan and turn down to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are all tender. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree (I like to do 3/4 of my soup so that a few chunks of cauliflower remain).
Return soup to your soup pot and reheat if necessary. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a bowl and whisk in 2 Tbsp flour to form a paste. Add to soup and continue to simmer to thicken soup slightly.
Turn heat to low or remove from heat, and add cheddar cheese to taste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 4 servings.
By Miranda I found a wild rice blend in the bulk section of my grocery store and decided to use it in a soup. I had some keilbasa in the freezer and this is what I came up with. I served it with homemade biscuits to add more calories- ha! Makes 4-6 servings.
You will need:
10-12 oz kielbasa (I used a blend of pork, beef and turkey- stores usually have a variety of kinds), chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery/about 2 large stalks with leaves included
3/4 cup chopped onion/about 1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped carrots/about 2 large
1 cup wild rice
1/2 tsp bells seasoning (comes in a yellow box with red and white writing on it - I use this in a variety of soups - it's worth buying!)
s+p to taste
To make:
In a stock pot over medium heat, brown the chopped kielbasa. Remove kielbasa (set aside for later), leaving oils in pan. (Depending on the fat content of your meat, you may want to discard some oil. I leave most of it in however, because this is where the flavor is).
Add onion, garlic and celery to the pot and stir occasionally until softened. Add the broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Add carrots and rice and simmer until rice is cooked through (usually about 40 minutes). Add kielbasa back to soup and add spices. Season to taste
with salt and pepper.
By Rachel As soon as it started getting chilly outside I started craving warm things for dinner like chili! Thankfully Real Simple (yes, I know, you all realize this is my favorite magazine now) had a fun new recipe for me to try. It turned out extremely spicy and meaty, so I altered it a bit and here is what I came up with. It's delicious!
Here is what you'll need:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large white onion (I used half a white and half a yellow) chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 pound ground chuck beef (I used a 90% beef for less fat/oil)
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs chopped chilies in adobo sauce (you can usually find this in the ethnic food aisle...VERY spicy, so if you are sensitive to spice, add a tsp at a time - 3 tsp=1 tablespoon)
1 bottle/can of beer (preferably a dark Mexican beer, I used a local brew's pale ale since it was that or miller lite in our fridge!)
3 pint jars of canned tomatoes (I have these from my own canning, so if you buy tomatoes, I would do a 28 oz jar of whole peeled tomatoes with their juices)
2 15oz jars of kidney beans, rinsed and drained (dark or light, doesn't matter)
2 15 oz jars of black beans, rinsed and drained
Corn Bread, canned jalepenos, shredded cheddar and sour cream for serving (all optional)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon or potato masher, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Add the chili powder and chipotles in adobo sauce (the chilies in adobo sauce may need to be diced, depending on what brand you got...take one large chili out of the can and dice up, measuring out a tablespoon before adding to the pot - they are very spicy so be careful to add and taste if you are sensitive to spicy things!). If you are crazy, you can add more than a tablespoon!
Add the beer and cook until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices, beans, 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Simmer, breaking up the tomatoes as needed, until thickened, about 20 minutes longer. Serve with corn bread, sour cream (which tones down the spice if necessary), shredded sharp cheddar cheese and jalapenos.
By Emily This originally came from a recipe from The Complete Cookbook, but I have made it many times and every time it changes a little according to what veggies I need to use up (usually right before I have a co-op produce pick up and realize I didn't use us the last pick-up's veggies....) and sometimes I make it with one of those rotisserie chickens that we only half ate and I don't want to waste. Every time it's delicious! It is hearty enough for a meal, especially if you serve it with a loaf of fresh bread, toasted with butter of course. Yum!
You will need for the stock:
2-3 lb whole chicken (this time I used a cooked rotisserie chicken from the supermarket)
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
Handful of fresh parsley sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of whole peppercorns
2 tsp salt
Roughly chop all veggies above and place all above ingredients in a large soup pot with 4 liters of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer 1 hr (with lid on). Skim surface if it gets oily. Allow to cool for 1/2 hr, then strain and save the liquid and the chicken. Remove the meat from the chicken and place aside with the strained broth.
What you'll need for the soup:
4 Tbls butter2 Tbls flour3 small potatoes, diced1 pumpkin squash, diced3 carrots, cut into small thin sticks2 small onions, diced (recipe asked for a leek but I didn't have this)4 small celery sticks, cut into small thin stickslarge handful of green beans (I used a cup of frozen peas b/c that's all I had)I added a cup of frozen corn too b/c I wanted to get rid of it1 head of broccoli, chopped up1 pkg of frozen or fresh spinach leaves1/4 cup fresh parsley1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or cream
Using the same pot, heat the butter over medium heat and when foaming/bubbling, add flour and whisk while cooking for a minute. Stir in the reserved stock slowly. Bring to a boil and then add the potato, pumpkin and carrot and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add onion (or leek), celery & beans (or peas) and corn if you are using that, and cook 5 minutes, then add the final veggies that cook fast like broccoli & spinach. If using frozen spinach, give it some extra time to come to a simmer again. Finally add the chicken, cream and chopped parsley just before serving. You'll need to season with garlic salt (or regular if that's all you have) and fresh ground pepper.
By Rachel I have searched high and low for a butternut squash soup recipe that I like and have come up empty, so here is my version of a couple recipes mixed together. It's sweet and savory, and really fills you up for a meal. I served it with a Three Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich and I hope you like it!
Serves approx 8
What you'll need:
4 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium-large shallots
1 large butternut squash
1 large can of chicken stock/broth
Water
2 tsp salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs brown sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to broil. Cut the squash in half longways and scrape out the seeds and pulp, set aside. Put the squash face down on a baking sheet and put in broiler until skinned is browned and squash is soft to the touch.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat until foaming. Dice the shallot and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the squash scrapings and seeds, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and then fill the chicken broth can halfway with water and add to the pot. Add 2 tsp of salt and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Keep boiling, covered, until the squash is done.
When the squash is down, take out of the oven and cool for a few minutes. Peel off the skin and throw away. cut up the squash into chunks.
Take the pot of liquid and strain out the pulp/seeds/onion and save the liquid. Return the liquid to the pot and add the chunks of squash. Boil until the squash is a little softer and water soaked, about ten minutes. Transfer the liquid and squash mixture to your blender and puree until smooth. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the brown sugar, cream, and nutmeg. I added the sugar a little at a time until I found the right amount (for me, 1 Tablespoon). I did the same with the nutmeg and found that I like it best with a 1/2 teaspoon.
If you only have 2 people eating like me, you can save this in your fridge for leftovers or freeze for later in the season when squash is harder to come by.
I served this soup with grilled cheese and semolina croutons and it was perfect for the chilly Fall day we were having!
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