Lentil Sausage Soup

Try this. It's yummie. Trust me.

Lentil Sausage Soup

...from the kitchen of One More Moore (Morgan Moore - don't know her personally, but love her!)

...from the kitchen of Ina Garten (aka Barefoot Contessa - slurp!)

I actually made this the other week. It was yummie fresh. But we had lots left over, so I froze it. I thawed it today, and it is just as yummie!!

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

Love Panera Bread! LOVE THIS SOUP!!

If you don't have a Panera near you. I am sorry. We are bread people. Bring on the carbs. Hello Fontega Chicken Panini. Hello Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. Hello French Bread (for French toast). We <3 Panera!

Anyway, back to the recipe.

What I did...

I chopped the broccoli into tiny, tiny pieces.

I used bagged shredded carrots.

I didn't set the sauteed onions aside. One less dish to clean, the better.

I skipped the whole puree part. Again, less dishes to clean.

I didn't have any on hand tonight, but serve this with a yummy French bread baguette. When I'm in Panera I use my baguette as my spoon. :P

Taco Soup

And for the main course of the evening...

Taco Soup (from the kitchen of Paula Deen)

Here are the few changes we made (and it's a good thing we did, because all the ingredients probably wouldn't fit in our 4 qt. crockpot).

1. We went with less beef (probably about a 1.5 lbs.)
2. 1/2 the amount of onions
3. Only 1 can of pinto beans
4. Replaced kidney beans with black beans
5. Used Italian tomatoes instead of Mexican (couldn't find them in Target)
6. No olives

I'm sure this would pare down nicely for less people.

One more note: Close all your bedroom doors! This soup can have a pretty meaty smell...yummy...but meaty.

Albondigas Soup

We love this soup three ways:
1. from 3 Margaritas
2. from Auntie Barbara
3. this way:

Grandma Salazar's Albondigas Soup

This is a Cooking Light recipe, so when it gives you the directions on cooking the meatballs, it uses cooking spray. I found this to be a complete mess b/c the meatballs kept sticking to the pan. I gave up and just used veggie oil and ended up completely satisfied.

By the way, this is not a quick meal...so plan ahead.

Easy Chicken Chili

This is another one of those meals we make with Rotisserie Chicken that is super tasty. It's a pretty quick meal and low fat, too! I got it from my Betty Crocker: Simple Winter Meals Magazine.

Ingredients
1 T olive oil or veggie oil
1 medium onion, chopped (~1/2 c)
1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 c water
2 c diced rotisserie chicken
2 cans (15.5 oz each) great northern beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 c sour cream, if desired
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

In 4 qt. saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.

Stir in soup, broth and water. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, sirring frequently, until smooth and well blended. Stir in chicken, beans, chiles, oregano and cumin. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, sirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated.

Top each serving with sour cream and cilantro.

Notes:
-You could cook your own chicken, but why bother?
-You can substitute the fresh bell pepper and onion with 1 c frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry. I like this idea b/c bell peppers are cheaper frozen and in this soup you don't notice the difference.
-I've made this soup without certain ingredients (i.e. rotisserie chicken, only one can of beans) and it still comes out fine. In fact, we (Alex and I) agree it's way better with one less can of beans and maybe just one cup of rotisserie chicken.

Zucchini Soup

We love this soup! And it's even better when you use the zucchini from your backyard. I put a little bit of crumbled bacon for a little salty crunch!

Ingredients:

3 T. butter

3 medium onions, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, crushed

26 oz. chicken broth

4 medium zucchini, sliced thin

2 stalks celery and leaves, sliced thin

1 T. minced parsley

1 t. salt

1/2 t. each of dried dill, crushed basil, and ground pepper

1 c. milk, add before serving

Heat butter in a skillet and saute the onion and garlic, but do not brown. In a large soup kettle, combine chicken broth, zucchini, celery, parsley, and seasonings. Stir in the onion mixture. Bring to a boil then lower heat and for simmer 30 minutes.

Blend the veggies in batches in a blender until all of the soup is blended. Return to the soup kettle and stir in milk. Heat through. Serve hot or cold.

Broccoli, spinach, or cauliflower may be substituted for the zucchini.