mmmmm: lemon chicken quinoa soup

it's fall and, to me, that means comfort food. today's comfort food came in the form of soup. i am trying to incorporate quinoa into as much as possible--i love that it feels like i am eating a carb but am getting loads of added protein in my diet. this soup turned out stew-like and amazing. it makes for wonderful left-overs and freezes really well too. enjoy! 

lemon chicken quinoa soup

ingredients
4 chicken breasts (or 2 rotisserie chickens)
2 cups lemon juice (usually 6-8 lemons)
3 tablespoons lemon herb seasoning (the trade winds brand from smart & final is amazing)
3 qt chicken broth
3 eggs (beaten)
3 cups of cooked quinoa (i used the tri-color quinoa)

directions
boil the chicken in 2 quarts of water for approximately 15 minutes.

shred the chicken with a fork into bite sized strips.
(or you can buy 2 rotisserie chickens and simply remove the meat and cut into bite sized strips)

add chicken to a large pot (either the shredded chicken you cooked or the rotisserie you didn't).

add lemon juice, chicken broth and lemon herb seasoning. bring to a boil.

take some of the hot broth from the pot and SLOWLY add to the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. (this brings the eggs closer to the temp of the soup).

add the eggs VERY SLOWLY to the hot soup mixture, stirring constantly so that the eggs don't clump.

add the cooked rice and return the soup to a boil.

serve and enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: creamy tomato basil soup

once upon a time, we posted another recipe for tomato basil soup. while i love that recipe, i wanted something quick and easy. here's the one i ended up making. i served it at a book club meeting that i hosted as well as at a women's bible study. ladies have been asking for the recipe for weeks. so, finally, here you have it! just be forewarned, the only thing healthy about his soup is it's name. everything is better with cream and butter, right? enjoy!

creamy tomato basil soup

1/2 cup butter

12 oz. chopped onions (about 1 1/2 cups) i use frozen onions and i use one 

          bag for this recipe

1 tablespoon minced garlic (again, i buy pre-minced garlic)

3 boxes (33.5 oz each) tomato sauce 

1 teaspoon ground thyme

1 4-oz. tube basil paste

1 heaping teaspoon chicken base

1 1/2 quart heavy cream (i warned you!)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional but I love the little bite!)

in a large pot, saute the onions and the butter together until the onions are translucent (about ten minutes). add the garlic and saute for about 4-5 minutes more. add the tomato sauce, thyme, basil paste, chicken base, cream and red pepper flakes. mix well and simmer for about 30 minutes to an hour. 

blend the soup until it is a creamy consistency. i have a hand blender but if you do not have this, a regular blender works just as well. if you use the regular blender, return the soup to the pot and add the red pepper flakes about 10 minutes before serving.

top with grated parmesan cheese. enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: ham and bean soup

okay, i know...the picture of the ham bone looks disgusting. it's the remnants of a ham my family picked through. i managed to get most of the meat off of it but a good chunk still hung on. i also had left over ham cut up in the refrigerator. as gross as it looks, i can remember being a little girl and eating ham and bean soup at my grandmother's house. in fact, both of my grandmothers made it back in the day. i decided it was my time to give it a try. it turned out pretty fantastic and the kids loved it. it also is a great way to use up all the meat from a ham dinner. waste not, want not and all the jazz.

so, if you have a ham bone leftover, give this one a try. enjoy!

ham and bean soup

one ham bone with some meat still attached

3 cups of water

5 cups of chicken broth

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 diced onion (i used one bag of frozen onions)

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon "emeril's essence" (thank you emeril)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon ground thyme

1 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup chopped spinach (frozen, thawed, water rung out)

2 cans navy beans or northern beans, rinsed and drained

2 (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup extra diced ham

in a large saucepan, combine ham bone, water and chicken broth. add the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, pepper, parsley, emeril's essence, and thyme. bring to a boil. cover and reduce heat. simmer for 2 hours. remove the ham bone. cut off all the ham from the bone and dice it into bite sized bits. add the corn, spinach, beans and tomatoes to the soup. skim off the fat from the top of the soup. add the ham cut from the bone and the extra ham. simmer for 45 minutes to an hour more. top with parmesan cheese and serve with your favorite dinner roll. enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: crockpot creamy turkey and rice stoup

i am always looking for good crockpot recipes. i couldn't find any that i liked for turkey and rice soup so this is what was created. it ended up chunkier than i first thought...so i stole rachel ray's "stoup" category and am posting it here. the kiddos loved it and it was perfect for a cold, stormy day. enjoy!

crockpot turkey and rice stoup.

3 cups chopped onions (one 12 oz. bag frozen chopped onions)

4 cups chicken stock (one box)

4 cups chicken broth (one box)

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup white wine

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups dried wild rice mix

4 cups turkey (chopped into bite sized pieces)

2 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

add onions, chicken stock, chicken broth, carrots, celery, wine, bay leaves, garlic, and wild rice to crockpot.  cook on low for four hours. add turkey. melt butter in a pan. add flour and mix until smooth. whisk in milk and cook until creamy. add creamy mixture to crockpot. turn crockpot to high and cook for another four hours. season with salt and pepper. serve with fresh baked bread (recipe coming next week). enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: black bean soup with cilantro-lime cream-- guest post: vibrant grace

guest blogger: vibrant grace
when i met nellie and chach last fall, i immediately developed a blogger crush on both of them and wanted to partner up and actually be their third boob... that is until i understood the story behind "the third boob" and was thus traumatized for life. they noticed the wide-eyed look of shock and horror on my face and said "oh wait, you don't have children yet, do you?" when I told them that i didn't, they exchanged a quick knowing glance and declared they wouldn't tell me any more stories for fear that i would decide never to have children. i gave them permission to fill me in on all the necessary details... in the future, once its too late and i'm already prego. until then, i'm continuing to live my life in blissful naivete (aside from the irrational fear of growing extra boobs).


so while nellie is getting ready to bring a new little life into the world, and surely gaining more experiences to traumatize me with in the future, i'm blessed with the opportunity to guest post on the third boob. since i can't share my own experiences of motherhood, i decided to share something from my kitchen.


black bean soup with cilantro-lime cream

soup ingredients:
black beans: either 3 cans or 1 lb dried
4 cloves of garlic
2 chopped onions
1 chopped green pepper
1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro
olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh oregano
(jalepeno, if you like extra spice)
2 bay leaves
2 tbs. cumin
bacon (pre-cooked and crumbled)
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
salt & pepper to taste


cream ingredients:
1 carton of sour cream
2 tsp. lime zest
lime juice
cilantro


directions:
in a food processor, puree garlic, onion, green pepper, and cilantro.


in a large pot, heat olive oil, oregano, (jalepeno, if using), bay leaves, and cumin. add the veggie puree and saute for about 10 minutes. you'll be able to smell when it's ready. add beans and chicken stock and simmer for 2 hours if dried or at least 30 min if using canned beans.


while the soup is sauteing, put the sour cream into a bowl and zest a lime over it. cut the lime in half once zested and squeeze juice into the cream. add in some cilantro and mix it all together.


remove bay leaves from the soup. puree soup with an immersion blender to thicken the soup, but leave it a bit chunky. add in the crumbled bacon pieces and season to taste with salt and pepper.


serve the soup with a dollop (or more, clearly I love it!) of cilantro-lime cream. i highly recommend enjoying this soup with cheesy cornbread. yum!


special note, particularly for nellie: i told my sister about this recipe when my nephew was still an infant. she said that it sounded delicious, but refused to cook any overly beany dishes while he was still breastfeeding and/or she was still changing his diapers. just wanted to toss that warning out before you try the recipe. you're welcome.


hope you enjoy it and please come visit me over at vibrantgrace.com

grace writes about faith, fitness, and finances... with a bit of humor and inspiration thrown in for good measure. you can find her over at vibrant grace or follow her on twitter @vibrantgrace.

friday fun finds: all-time best soup recipes

it is still officially winter (even though it still seems like summer in southern california) and that means easy, comforting soups. we have compiled our best of the best for you to enjoy! dig in. they are truly yummy and we can't say a bad thing about any of them. the question is: which will you try first? choices, choices... enjoy!

greek lemon chicken soup

baked potato soup

kellie's red & black bean crock-pot chili

clam chowder

spicy chicken, bean and sausage stew

crocodile cafe's chicken tortilla soup

creamy tomato basil soup

crock-pot taco soup

wonton soup

cheeseburger soup

mmmmm, mondays: creamy tomato-basil soup

winter makes me instantly think of soup. in the mood for a bowl of comfort? try this creamy tomato-basil soup---it is amazing. truly. no really. try it. heaven in a bowl.....

creamy tomato-basil soup
makes 8 cups
source: paula deen quick & easy meals

ingredients
8 on-the-vine tomatoes
olive oil cooking spray
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
3 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
10 large basil leaves, rougly chopped and divided
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c heavy cream

directions
preheat oven to 450F. slice tomatoes in half crosswise, and scoop out seeds with a spoon. place tomato halves, skin side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. coat tomato halves with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper. roast tomatoes for 20 minutes or until very soft and slightly charred.

while tomatoes roast, melt butter over medium-low heat in a large dutch oven. add onion and garlic; cook until soft and golden. remove from heat.

add roasted tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and half of basil to onion mixture; stir.

in the container of a blender or food processor, place one third of the tomato mixture. process until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. repeat procedure twice with the remaining mixture.

return puree to dutch oven. add chicken broth and cream. cook over medium-low heat until heated through. stir in remaining basil, remaining 1/2 t salt, and remaining 1/2 t pepper.

mmmmm, mondays: kellie's red and black bean chili

if you read last weeks post, you know that we went non-traditional this year with our family christmas dinner. along with baked potato soup and greek lemon chicken soup we made this amazing chili. the three together were a triple threat and made for some very happy and full bellies on christmas day. enjoy!

kellie's red and black bean chili

ingredients:
• 1 lb. ground hamburger meat
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large anaheim pepper, chopped (green, mild, about 4-6 inches

   long…do not substitute with bell pepper!!) 

• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans (15 oz each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

directions:
• brown the beef in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 

   until the meat is brown and crumbly. drain off the fat. 

• add the garlic and onion, and cook until the onion is 

   translucent, about 5 minutes. 

• transfer the beef mixture to a crock pot. add the pepper, tomatoes,

   water, red and black beans (rinsed and drained!!), cumin,

   allspice, coriander, and vinegar. 

• cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours 

  (we did 8 and it turned out perfectly!).

mmmmm, mondays: greek lemon chicken soup

we hope that you all had a wonderful day together with family yesterday and that santa brought you everything that you wanted. 


for my family, we decided to forgo the usual feast of ham, turkey and all the fixin's and have a yummy trio of soups. we served baked potato soup, red and black bean chili with cornbread and greek lemon soup; they were all amazing and it was the most simple and satisfying christmas meal to date. you can find the link to the baked potato soup here, if interested (it's amazing). i will post the chili recipe next monday and the greek lemon chicken soup is below. 


enjoy!

  

greek lemon chicken soup

ingredients

4 chicken breasts (or 2 rotisserie chickens)

2 cups lemon juice (usually 6-8 lemons)

3 tablespoons lemon herb seasoning (the trade winds brand from smart & final is amazing)

3 qt chicken broth

3 eggs (beaten)
3 cups of cooked rice (i have used quinoa too and it was great!)

directions

boil the chicken in 2qts water for approximately 15 minutes.

shred the chicken with a fork into bite sized strips.

(or you can buy 2 rotisserie chickens and simply remove the meat and cut into bite sized strips)

add chicken to a large pot (either the shredded chicken you cooked or the rotisserie you didn't). 

add lemon juice, chicken broth and lemon herb seasoning. bring to a boil. 

take some of the hot broth from the pot and SLOWLY add to the beaten eggs, stirring constantly. (this brings the eggs closer to the temp of the soup). 

add the eggs VERY SLOWLY to the hot soup mixture, stirring constantly so that the eggs don't clump.

add the cooked rice and return the soup to a boil. 


serve and enjoy!

mmmmm, mondays: baked potato soup

fall is here and it makes me crave all sorts of soups. baked potato soup is my all time favorite fall recipe. it reminds me of comfort, of good times with college roomies....and it once even played a *tiny* role in a successful matchmaking/blind date of two of my friends that resulted in a 9 year marriage and 4 kids. truth. 

you can even make this recipe gluten free easily by using gluten free flour. easy peasy.


enjoy!

baked potato soup


ingredients:
2/3 cup butter

2/3 cup flour

7 cups milk 

4-6 large baking potatoes, baked cooled, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)

12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1 cup sour cream

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

(add more or less bacon, cheese or sour cream to your liking).

directions:

in a large soup kettle or pot, melt butter. stir in flour and heat and stir until smooth and blended. gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until thickened. add potatoes. bring to a boil, stirring constantly. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. add remaining ingredients and stir until cheese is melted. top with extra crumbled bacon, cheese and green onions, if you want to get all fancy!