Category : Soups
A lady I worked with in Tulsa made this great southwest style soup for a work function, and I fell in love. I have been able to modify it in every country we have lived in, which is to say the recipe is quite flexible. Usually I would serve it with cornbread, but we did not have any in the house, nor the ingredients to make some, so I thought quinoa would add some nice heft to the recipe. You could also serve it over corn chips or something similar by draining more of the juices off of the ingredients or not adding tomato juice.
The Players
1 cup rinsed quinoa
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup black beans
1 cup ranch style beans
1 cup corn
2 cans Rotel
1 quart tomato juice
1 package taco seasoning
1 package powdered ranch dressing mix
The Fun
1. Boil water. Add quinoa. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes. Once done, remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, dump the rest of the ingredients in to a large sauce pan and cover. Allow to heat on medium, stirring occasionally. I try not to bring it to a boil, as I am impatient in waiting for it to cool. 
3. Spoon some quinoa in to a bowl and then ladle the soup over the top.
I tend to mix mine up, while others in the family prefer to scoop to the bottom to get the quinoa. You can top with cheese, sour cream, avacado, etc, but we were low on groceries, so we ate it plain this last time.
A few years ago when I realized I needed to start cooking a bit more, I decided to ask some of my family members that I knew were good cooks for some of their favorite recipes. My sister-in-law Krista was at the top of the list. She loves to cook and is always on the lookout for a new recipe. You will get to meet a few of her recipes as I post on here, but one of the first is her lentil soup. This recipe was passed from her neighbor to her mom onto her.
Now if you are a meat and potatoes kind of person, this might not be for you. But I like to cook vegetarian (and preferably vegan) at least once a week. I love using this recipe because it is simple, includes ingredients that you can find anywhere in the world and is great on the wallet! I don’t think it looks like anything special, but I love the taste. And the kids love it too, which is surprising for this kind of dish. Abby (my oldest, age 6) actually said this is what she wants for her birthday dinner this year.
Here is the simplicity of it:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. marjoram leaves
2 tablespoons parsley
1 cup dry lentils, washed
1 lb. can crushed tomatoes
3 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Sauté 3-5 minutes the onion and carrot in oil.
Add thyme and marjoram leaves and sauté 1 minute more or until soft.
Add chicken broth, tomatoes, lentils, parsley and salt/pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until lentils are soft.
Top with parmesan cheese if desired.
It is a super easy recipe and very forgiving too. I often throw in different spices if I don’t have something on hand (sometimes I put in oregano or basil). I also use bullion to make the broth instead of buying it canned. And when we are in Italy, we usually throw some of the wonderful fresh Parmesan cheese they have here on top.
For those of you in the U.S. snowed in with the cold winter weather, this might be a good meal to warm you up after you come back inside. Enjoy!
This soup is a super easy way to use leftover turkey. Generally, I would add onion, but my son is on a some days I like it, some days I don’t kick with onions. On the other hand, he really wants to eat spinach lately, so I think I made out in the child eating department.
If you do not have the vegetables I used on hand, don’t sweat it. Use what you have and like. Add more of one, less of another. Honestly, that’s how I usually cook. 
The Players
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1-2 cups frozen peas
1-2 cups frozen spinach
3 sea salt with herbs bouillon cubes
6 cups water
2-3 cups chopped Turkey (or chicken)
8-10 ounces egg noodles (or pasta of choice, I like a lot of noodles, so sometimes I use a lot)
The Fun
- Saute the vegetables in olive oil or butter until tender, being careful not to overcook. I use the same pan I’m making the soup in so I can keep adding ingredients.
- Add the bouillon cubes and water. Heat until close to boil, stirring occasionally. Once it is boiling, add the noodles and reduce heat. When the noodles are cooked, it is ready to serve. Alternatively, you could cook the noodles separately and add them without boiling the soup.
- Serve and enjoy!
This recipe is an adaptation of The Pioneer Woman’s (TPW) Cauliflower soup. The soup, as she makes it, is AMAZING. I won’t lie. I never thought I HAD to change the recipe. However, I am how I am…ever curious and playing with food. I now include potatoes and (sometimes) corn, as well as substitute almond milk for the milk and half and half. I could have sucked this soup through a straw or never swallow, whichever would allow the flavors to stay in my mouth forever.
Before I go on, if you like good food, follow The Pioneer Woman’s blog. She’s amazing.
I’m not sure about how much of her recipe I can or should post (even with my changing the ingredients, etc), so if you want a more coherent version, send me an email, and I’ll send it to you with modification.
Cauliflower, Potato & Corn Soup
You need all of the stuff Ree has listed minus the chicken stock (I prefer to use water with veggie bouillon cubes) plus an additional carrot, 1.5 pounds potatoes, and 2 cups or so of corn. I admit, I don’t measure. Also, for the milk and half and half, have an equal amount of almond milk.
- Chop up carrot, onion and celery. Cube up the potatoes.
- Follow TPW’s directions, adding the potatoes after the other veggies. I added the corn last. Also add parsley. Last time I used fresh stuff, but I didn’t have any this time. Oh well…
- Go back to following TPW’s directions. Add the almond milk instead of milk/half&half.
Truly, this is an amazing winter soup. Enjoy!
I must admit, I love tomato soup year round. I know some people say this is a winter dish, but I am addicted to a wide variety of Tomato Soup recipes. Here is but one…the easiest of them all.
Ingredients
1 quart tomato juice (I like home-canned)
2-3 tablespoons honey (cuts the acid of the tomato)
1-2 tablespoons flour (optional)
The fun part
1. Dump the tomato juice in to a saucepan.
2. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer.
3. Slowly add honey one tablespoon at a time. I recommend tasting as you go.
4. Allow to simmer as long as you can possibly stand (at least 20-30 minutes though), stirring occasionally. If your juice was very thin to start with, be sure to whip up the flour with a little water and slowly whisk it in to help it thicken. Like I said, I use the juice my mom cans for me, which means it is not consistent!
5. Double check the honey content. If the acid of the tomato is still too strong add another tablespoon of honey. Repeat until it is how you like it.
6. Serve it up! My husband couldn’t believe I made this. He wanted a straw to suck it up. Or maybe that was my son. Ha ha!
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