Fresh Tomato/Tortilla Soup

Must be made with fresh tomatoes from the garden!

4 medium fresh tomatoes (1.5 lbs), quartered

1 medium onion, quartered

olive oil spray

6 (7 inch) corn tortillas

6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 TBSP chopped cilantro

1 TBSP ground cumin

1/2 TBSP chili powder

2 small bay leaves

salt to taste

1 small ripe avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

In a food processor, puree tomatoes and onions until smooth.  Finely coat the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil spray.  Take 3 of the corn tortillas and shred them into bite size pieces, add them to the sauce pan with the garlic and sautee for 2-3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and onion mixture.  Add chicken broth, tomato paste, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove and discard bay leaves.  Season with salt as needed.

While soup is cooking, preheat oven to 350.  Take the other 3 tortillas and cut them into strips, brush with olive oil.  Bake for 10-12 minutes shaking the pan occasionally until the strips are crispy.  Set aside.  

Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortillas strips, avocado and cheese.

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 turnip, cubed

3 potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 small onion, quartered

2 large tomatoes, quartered

2 tsp salt

5 cups water

Cook all together for 45 minutes. Do not drain. Blend in blender or use immersion blender!

EASY EASY!

From Favorites Cookbook

Corn and bean chowder

Corn and Bean Chowder

Grilled Chicken, Corn, & Bean Chowder

8 servings

4 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth
4 Carrots, diced or sliced
4 Celery stalks, diced or sliced
2 small all-purpose potato, diced (or 2 small red potatoes/approx. 8 ounces)
2 small Onions or 1 large Onion, chopped
3 Cups Corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 Cups Great Northern Beans, drained & rinsed canned
2 Cups Milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
1 lb Grilled (cooked) Chicken Breast, cubed or shredded

1. In a large nonstick saucepan or dutch oven, combine the broth, carrots, celery, potato, onion, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 15-25 minutes.

2. Stir in the beans, milk, pepper and increase heat. Bring to boil, add the cooked chicken, and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Measure the chowder out into 8 servings. Freeze and/or refrigerated and enjoy!

Helpful Tips: If you prefer a thicker chowder, you can thicken it with 1 T cornstarch. Also, you don't have to grill the chicken, but it does add a very nice flavor to the chowder.

Nutrition per serving:

279 Calories
4.0 g Fat
6.5 g Fiber
36 g Carbs
26 g Protein

If you like a side with your chowder, or serving this for company, you may serve it with a side salad such as 1 cup Romaine Lettuce, 1 Cup Spinach,1 large Sliced Strawberry, 1/2 TBL fresh Basil and 1/2 TBL Balsamic vinegar w/ fresh Black Pepper

Broccoli Soup

Easy and tasty!


1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1-2 bunches broccoli, chopped (approx 7 cups chopped)
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
salt
pepper
cheddar cheese
bacon (optional)


Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.


Add broth, broccoli, potato, 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until the vegetables are tender 18-20 minutes.


Puree soup with immersion blender or in blender. Top with cheddar cheese and bacon.

Fresh Tomato/Tortilla Soup

Must be made with fresh tomatoes from the garden!

4 medium fresh tomatoes (1.5 lbs), quartered

1 medium onion, quartered

olive oil spray

6 (7 inch) corn tortillas

6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 TBSP chopped cilantro

1 TBSP ground cumin

1/2 TBSP chili powder

2 small bay leaves

salt to taste

1 small ripe avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

In a food processor, puree tomatoes and onions until smooth. Finely coat the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil spray. Take 3 of the corn tortillas and shred them into bite size pieces, add them to the sauce pan with the garlic and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and onion mixture. Add chicken broth, tomato paste, cilantro, cumin, chili powder and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves. Season with salt as needed.

While soup is cooking, preheat oven to 350. Take the other 3 tortillas and cut them into strips, brush with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes shaking the pan occasionally until the strips are crispy. Set aside.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortillas strips, avocado and cheese.

White chili

White Chili

Sautée:

1 medium white onion, chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

In Crock-pot, combine:

Sautéed onions

48 oz. can Great Northern Beans

1 4 oz. can chopped or diced mild green chilies

2 tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

6 cups chicken broth (We use Pacific Organic Free Range Chicken Broth)

5 large chicken breasts

3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Cook for three hours on low heat, remove chicken, shred into small pieces and return to crock-pot. Cook for one more hour. Add cheese the last half hour for thicker chili.

To serve:

Lay corn tortilla chips in bowl, and then chili over chips. Top with Monterey Jack cheese, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. If you don't care if the chili stays white, use your favorite salsa too.

Note: To make this dish in a hurry, use 2-3 cans of chicken breast meat. Do not drain. Break up the meat before adding to the pan. Heat the chili on the stove top on medium heat. It can be ready in an hour since all of the ingredients are cooked already.

Zucchini and avocado soup

Prep Time: 18 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Other: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa)

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped zucchini (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
• 1 1/4 cups diced seeded peeled cucumber (about 1 large)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 cup diced peeled avocado (1 medium)
• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

Combine zucchini, 1/4 cup green onions, and broth in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat; cool 30 minutes.

While zucchini mixture cools, combine remaining 1/4 cup green onions, cucumber, cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; toss well. Cover and chill.

Place remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, zucchini mixture, avocado, buttermilk, and cumin in a blender, and process until mixture is smooth. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Pour soup into bowls, and top with cucumber salsa. Serve chilled.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

123 (54% from fat)

Fat:

7.3g (sat 1.5g)

Protein:

5.1g

Carbohydrate:

13.0g

Fiber:

5.1g

Cholesterol:

2mg

Iron:

0.6mg

Sodium:

768mg

Calcium:

76mg

Tomato Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 Potatoes ( slightly baked or cut up into small cubes)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. use olive oil to cook the onions until tender. Mix in the potatoes, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season with Italian seasoning. Pour in milk, gradually stir in cornstarch, and bring to a boil. Mix in tomatoes, broth, and tomato paste. Return to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

*Double the recipe and then freeze the soup! Makes a fast, yummy meal!

Mexican taco stew

Ingredients

1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons taco seasoning-don't forget to check the ingredients for flour/wheat

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 large zucchini or summer squash, cut into small cubes
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup medium salsa

Method

Brown meat in a large pot over medium high heat. Drain, remove and set aside. In the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent. (I like my onions to be a little crunchier than soft so I skip this step and cook the onion, garlic, and meat together for a few minute.) Add meat back to pot and sprinkle mixture with taco seasoning to blend. Add remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 20oz/578g-wt.): 310 calories (70 from fat), 8g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 35mg cholesterol, 820mg sodium, 42g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 10g sugar), 20g protein

Beef and Sweet Potato Crock Pot Stew

1.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into chunks or stew meat
2 sweet potatoes cut into 1/2 inch circles
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup dried apricots
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed
2 cups baby spinach
1/4 cup roasted almonds

In a slow cooker, combine the beef, tomatoes (and their juices), onion, apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and 1/2 cup water.

Cook covered until the meat is tender, on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Ten minutes before serving add chickpeas and heat through. Then stir in spinach. Serve over rice and sprinkle with almonds.

(You will need a large crock pot for this recipe, it serves 6. Or cut the recipe in half and use a smaller crockpot).

Black Bean Chili

Black Bean Chili

Click on the link to access the recipe. Its a good one!

Fresh Vegetable Soup

This was SO easy! I really liked it, let me know what you think!

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion

2 carrots

3 stalks of celery

1-2 zucchini

1-2 yellow squash

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage

1 14 oz can of flavored diced tomatoes (with juice)

4 cups vegetable stock

2 cups carrot juice (if you don't have carrot juice, just use 6 cups total vegetable stock)

sea salt/pepper to taste

2 cups baby spinach

Directions:

Saute onion and garlic

add:

vegetable stock

chopped carrot

chopped celery

thyme

sage

tomatoes

simmer on med low for 45 minutes

add:

spinach

zucchini

squash

taste and re-season

cook 3-5 more minutes

Tip: This is salt and pepper to taste!