Chicken Tortilla Soup

Prep Time 10 Minutes
Cook Time 1 Hour30 Minutes
Servings 8
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

■2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
■1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
■1-½ teaspoon Cumin
■1 teaspoon Chili Powder
■½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
■½ teaspoons Salt
■1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
■1 cup Diced Onion
■¼ cups Diced Green Bell Pepper
■¼ cups Red Bell Pepper
■3 cloves Garlic, Minced
■1 can Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
■32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
■3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
■4 cups Hot Water
■2 cans Black Beans, Drained
■3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
■5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches

Garnishes:

■Sour Cream
■Diced Avocado
■Diced Red Onion
■Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
■Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
■Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.

Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.

Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.

Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.

Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese, if you have it! (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/

Quick & Easy Mulligatawny

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients
■1 whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut Into Bite-Sized Pieces
■Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
■4 Tablespoons Butter
■1 whole Medium Onion
■3 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
■¼ cups All-purpose Flour
■1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
■32 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
■2 cups Half-and-half
■1 whole Granny Smith Apple, Peeled And Diced
■1 Tablespoon Sugar (white Or Brown) More Or Less To Taste
■2 teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper
■Cayenne Pepper (optional, For Spice)
Preparation Instructions
Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Remove chicken to a plate. Set aside.

In the same pot, add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and garlic and stir to cook. Onions should be starting to brown.

Sprinkle flour over onions. Stir to combine, then stir in curry powder. Cook mixture over medium heat for one minute, stirring constantly.

Pour in chicken broth. Stir to combine, then cook for five minutes. Add half and half, salt, pepper, and sugar, then cook for another five minutes.

Add chicken and diced apple and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Turn off and allow to stand 5 or 10 minutes before serving. Taste for seasonings before serving.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/easy-mulligatawny/

Spinach Soup with Gruyere

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients

■2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
■10 ounces, weight Spinach
■2 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
■4 Tablespoons Butter
■½ whole Medium Onion
■¼ cups Flour
■5 cups Whole Milk
■2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
■½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
■Freshly Ground Black Pepper
■4 ounces, weight Gruyere Cheese, Grated (other Cheeses Are Fine)

Preparation Instructions

In a large skillet, heat olive over over medium heat. Add spinach and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until wilted. Add spinach to a blender or food processor. Pour in 1/4 cup hot water and pulse until pureed. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, cook onion in butter over medium heat until onions begin to soften. Sprinkle flour over the top and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, then pour in milk, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in pureed spinach, then cook another 3 to 5 minutes until thickened.

Check seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or cayenne as needed. Serve in a bowl. Add a little grated Gruyere.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/spinach-soup-with-gruyere/

Carrot and Squash Curry Soup

Carrot and Squash Curry Soup
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 8

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole Carrots, Washed And Sliced Thin
4 whole Yellow Squash (sliced)
Salt To Taste
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (more To Taste!)
½ cups Dry White Wine (optional)
48 ounces, fluid Chicken Broth
Heavy Cream (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and stir to coat. Add carrots and cook for 3 minutes, or until they start to get soft. Sprinkle in a little salt.
Add squash. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until squash is soft and tender. After a few minutes, add salt to taste and the curry powder.
Pour in wine if using. Let evaporate for about 30 seconds, then pour in chicken broth. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot, and cook for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, taste and adjust seasonings. Turn off heat.
Puree soup using an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender. Return to soup pot and bring to a simmer. Serve hot. If you’re feeling naughty, drizzle heavy cream over the top.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/11/carrot-and-squash-curry-soup/

P-Dub’s Gazpacho

P-Dub’s Gazpacho

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 large cucumber, diced
5 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup (more to taste) red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons (less to taste) sugar
Tabasco to taste
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Optional:
Finely minced jalapeno (for those of you who love heat)
Sliced avocado
Cilantro
Sour cream

Grilled shrimp

In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the minced garlic with half the red onion, half the cucumber, half the tomato, half the zucchini, half the celery, half the tomato juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, Tabasco, and a dash of salt. Pulse until all ingredients are blended well; mixture will have a nice speckled, colorful texture. Pour into a large bowl and add the rest of the tomato juice, and half of the remaining onion, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, and celery. (Reserve the rest of the diced vegetables for garnish.) Stir mixture together and check seasonings, adding salt if needed. Chill soup for at least a couple of hours; soup needs to be very cold!

Remove the soup from the fridge and stir. Check seasonings one last time. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with remaining diced vegetables, a sliver of fresh avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. Finally, place a grilled shrimp on the top and serve with grilled slices of bread.

This is a to-die-for summer dinner.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/gazpacho/

Black Bean Chowder with Yogurt-Cilantro Relish

1 32-ounce package dried black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
Olive oil
1 small ham hock
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
6 cups chicken stock
6 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Relish
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups chopped cucumber (peeled and seeded)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place beans in a colander and rinse the beans well. Place in an 8-quart Dutch oven and cover with water (about an inch over the top of the beans) and soak overnight.

The next morning, prepare the relish by mixing all the ingredients together, then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then drain the beans and rinse them well.

Gently sauté the onion and garlic in the stock pot with 2 -3 TBSP of olive oil, then add diced green chiles. Place beans back in the Dutch oven and add chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, curry powder, cayenne and salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. After one hour is up, add the milk and 2 TBSP butter and simmer another 30 minutes. While the chowder is simmering, place the shredded cheese in a large bowl and add the flour, toss to coat the cheese with the flour. Bring the chowder to a boil and stir in the cheese. Boil while stirring constantly until the chowder thickens to your desired consistency. Ladle chowder into bowls and top with one or two TBSP of yogurt-cilantro relish placed in the center. Serve with warm tortillas.

For a more elegant presentation you could puree the chowder in batches in your blender and serve with the relish, but then it might be more of a soup than a chowder.

This was actually really good cold too, in fact my husband preferred it that way, but that could be because I made him test the recipe when it was about 85 degrees outside.

Busy Mom's shortcuts
You could certainly use canned black beans in this recipe to cut the time, but make sure to purchase good, quality beans and drain their liquid and rinse them well before cooking.

This recipe would lend itself nicely to the slow-cooker or roaster oven (as long as you have a big one). You could make the relish the night before and soak your beans overnight and the next morning you could drain and rinse the beans, throw everything into the slow-cooker and put it on low for 6-8 hours. There's nothing better than going about your busy day and having dinner ready in the evening!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/dairy-contest-finalist-recipe-black-bean-chowder-with-yogurt-cilantro-relish/

Sherried Tomato Soup

6 tablespoons melted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice
2 14 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 to 3 tablespoons chicken base
3 to 6 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
Black Pepper
1 cup cooking sherry
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil

Saute diced onions in butter until transluscent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, sugar, pinch of salt, and black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste, adjust other seasoning, and serve with yummy, crusty bread on a cold, blustery, dreary, depressing, rainy, snowy day. Then close your eyes. And give thanks for soups like this.

Love,
Pioneer Woman

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/sherried_tomato_soup/