many mushroom soup

did i mention that i had 20 stitches my mouth last week?
oh, i didn't? probably because i figured it was TMI.

long story short is that i had some minor oral surgery that left me
down and out AND on a liquid/soft foods diet for more than a week!

needless to say, it was perfect timing to find a new favorite soup recipe,
that could be soft, soothing, healthy and delicious.

this is one of gweneth's detox soup recipes from her second cookbook.
she blends it to create more a creamy mushroom soup, sans cream or butter.
the first time i made it, i followed the instructions and pureed everything in a blender.
as soon as i took my first bite, i wished i had left it as is.
don't get be wrong - it was still good, but i just wanted more of a chunky mushroom soup.
personal preference!

a few days later i made the exact same recipe and just skipped the blender.
 voila! a delicious and super healthy mushroom soup to my liking.
perfect for an easy weeknight meal, or if you're holing up by the fireplace next winter.

recipe via it's all good

serves 6

ingredients

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
i used dried once and not dried once

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly washed and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

coarse sea salt

1 pound crimini mushrooms, stems removed and caps roughly chopped

1 large portobello mushroom, stem removed and cap roughly chopped

4 cups vegetable stock
i found that i wanted more like 6 cups veggie stock

fresh herbs for serving

fresh ground black pepper

directions

1. place the shiitakes in a small bowl with the boiling water and set aside for at least 10 minutes. drain the mushrooms, being sure to reserve their soaking liquid. 

slice off and discard the stems and thinly slice the caps and set them aside.

2. meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. 

add the leeks, onion, garlic, and cook thyme, along with 2 heavy pinches of salt, 

cook, stirring off and on, until softened but not browned, 9 or 10 minutes. 

add the cinimi and portobello mushrooms and the reserved shiitake mushrooms. 

stir to combine with the leek mixture and cook until the 

mushrooms begin to release their liquid, 5-6 minutes.

3. add the vegetable stock and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid 

(avoid any grit that may be at the bottom) to the pot and turn up the heat. 

once the soup comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes to bring it all together.

4. here is where you have two options:

for chunky mushroom soup, serve as is.
for a smooth mushroom soup, carefully puree in a powerful blender. 

serve immediately with a bit of parsley for color and a healthy grind of black pepper.

soup, round 1

soup, round 2

5 alarm slow cooker chili

i'm obsessed with thanksgiving dinner.

i often tell people it's my favorite kind of food.

but after a couple days of the amazing turkey, 

pumpkin pie, and piles of stuffing and mashers...

you gotta switch it up.

this recipe is PERFECT for the rest of your holiday weekend.

first of all, it's a slow cooker recipe... 

so pretty much you do nothing all day 

and have this awesome meal to show for it.

second of all, it's flavors are far away 

from the home style cooking of a thanksgiving meal.

i like spicy, so when i saw the '5 alarm' warning i didn't sweat it.

that is, until i actually ate this chili.

(then i was literally sweating)

5 alarm is right.

this is like 5 stars spicy at a thai restaurant.

so feel free to dial back the heat in the ingredients below to your liking

(i've starred*** them for your reference)

this was delicious.

serve with the cornbread.

recipe via america's test kitchen

ingredients

1 slice high quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 pound lean ground beef

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 onions, minced

2 habanero chiles, minced*

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes*

1 15oz can tomato sauce

1 14.5 can diced tomatoes

1 15oz can dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce*

directions

1. mash bread and milk into paste in a large bowl using a fork 

mix in ground beef, 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper, using hands.

2. heat oil in large skillet over medium/high heat until shimmering. 

add onions, hanaberos, chili powder, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, 

and red pepper flakes and cook until vegetables are softened 

and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. stir in beef mixture and cook, breaking up any large pieces 

with wooden spoon, until no longer pink. 

stir in tomato sauce, scraping up any browned bits, 

transfer to a slow cooker.

4. stir diced tomatoes with juice, beans, soy sauce, sugar, 

and chipotles into slow cooker. cover and cook until beef is tender, 

6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 5 hours on high.

5. let chili settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. 

break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon. 

sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

chicken vegetable soup

why hello there! i'm back :)

and guess what?

this morning i have eggnog in my coffee 

and christmas music playing on my headphones.

HELLO HOLIDAY SEASON! :)

in my opinion it's never too soon to start celebrating.

and what better way to get in the spirit then snuggling up 

with some soup while it starts getting blustery outside?

this soup was amazingly easy and healthy.

ate it every day for lunch and dinner for 3 days in a row.

delicious and hearty. perf.

recipe via cooking light

ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 thyme sprig
• 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

directions

1. 
   
2. 1. add oil to pan over medium heat; swirl to coat. 
3. add onion and next 5 ingredients (through thyme) to pan; sauté 4 minutes. 

1. 2. add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. 
2. add pasta and beans; cook 5 minutes. 

1. 3. stir in chicken, and sprinkle with cheese. discard thyme.

4. enjoy :)

black bean pumpkin soup

i've got good news and bad news folks.

i'll start with the bad news...

apparently a rapper was driving all crazy and tweeted YOLO and died.

yes, i know. it's sad and ironic all at the same time.

here's the good news:

i've decided to stop texting and driving.

you heard it here first people.

in fact, if you are someone that i know and love,

(which i'm assuming all of my readers are)

will you take this pledge with me?

i'm going to start saying YODO (you only die once)

and i'd like it to NOT be while texting and driving.

***this public service announcement was brought to you with love :)

in other news, i decided to make pumpkin soup.

an obvious choice for fall.

and i LOVED this recipe.

it was almost a mexican pumpkin soup

with the black bean base and cumin flavors. YUM!

recipe via smitten kitchen

ingredients

3 15.5oz cans black beans (about 4.5 cups), rinsed, drained

1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup minced shallot

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground back pepper

1/4 cup of butter

4 cups beef broth

16oz canned pumpkin puree (about 1.5 cups)

1/2 cup dry sherry

1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8" dice

3 to 4 tablespoons sherry

garnish: sour cream, pumpkin seeds (optional)

directions

1. in a food processor, coarsely puree beans and tomatoes.

2. in a large pot, cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, 

salt, pepper and butter over moderate heat,

stirring often until onion is softened and beginning to brown.

3. stir in bean puree.

4. stir in broth, pumpkin, and sherry until combined 

and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes 

or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5. just before serving, add ham and extra vinegar.

simmer until heated through.

season soup with salt and pepper.

6. serve garnished with sour cream and/or pumpkin seeds.

baked potato soup

today i am in colorado springs for business.

have i mentioned that i love my job? :)

the colorado mountains always make me want to

snuggle up by the fireplace, eat soup and watch ELF.

this soup in honestly my new favorite.

i normally lean towards a lighter, broth-based soup,

but you guys can't pass this up. it's amazing.

it will warm your heart and your belly!

(thank you all recipes!)

tip: be generous with the hot sauce if you like a kick!

YUM!!

ingredients

3 bacon strips, diced

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup half-and-half cream

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (tabasco)

shredded cheddar cheese

directions

1. in a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp.

drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. set bacon aside.

2. saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender.

stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well.

3. gradually add broth. bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.

4. add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil.

garnish with bacon & cheese (if your heart desires!)

enjoy :)

creamy tomato basil soup

i love soup.

i love it so much i have a cookbook called 'the ultimate soup bible'

since most people disagree with me on the fact

that soup can be an entire meal in and of itself, i resort to either

a) eating soup when flying solo OR

b) pairing it with salads, etc.

this past week i just found myself craving some

super creamy delicious tomato basil soup.

so, i adapted this recipe from allrecipes

(not the soup bible) :)

warning: not the healthiest soup in the book,

but delish nonetheless!

ingredients

4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced

4 cups tomato juice

14 leaves fresh basil

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup butter

salt and pepper to taste

**i halved both the butter and the cream. this is already noted in the ingredients above**

directions

1. place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat.

simmer for 30 minutes.

2. puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves,

and return the puree to the stock pot.

3. place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter.

season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. do not boil.

4. enjoy! :)

we enjoyed our with a chopped salad :)

chilled basil pea soup

for those of you that live in seattle, i hope you're enjoying this sunshine :)

makes me feel like summer has arrived!

nothing better than a chilled summer soup for a warm evening.

i have been eating out on the porch, drinking wine until 9pm.

hello! perfection!

recipe via my father's daughter

ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion

4 cups frozen peas

1 quart vegetable stock

12 fresh basil leaves (10 whole, 2 sliced)

coarse salt

fresh ground black pepper

sour cream (optional)

directions

1. heat the olive oil in a small soup pot over medium heat,

add the onion, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. add the peas and stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. remove from the heat and add the whole basil leaves and salt and pepper to taste.

let the soup cool and then whiz in a blender until smooth.

4. cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

5. serve garnished with a spoonful of sour cream and the finely sliced basil.

this soup is my new fave.

so easy AND healthy AND delicious.

what more could you want??

ENJOY!

spring minestrone with chicken meatballs

beautiful weather calls for fresher ingredients and lighter meals.

i tried this soup from bon appetit last night... and fell in love.

you have to try this. the broth was delicious!

the meatballs made it relatively hearty.

and the balance of the leeks, carrots, fresh basil and parmesan.

omgAMAZING.

i put this on my 'make again list'

ingredients

6 ounces ground chicken (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for garnish

4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 2 thinly sliced

2 tablespoonschopped fresh chives

1 large egg, whisked to blend

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1leek, white and pale-green parts only, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

5 cup slow-salt chicken broth

3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta

1 cup 1/2-inch rounds peeled carrots

1 cup (packed) baby spinach

chopped fresh basil

directions

1. mix chicken, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp. Parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves,

chives, egg, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.

form into 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs (makes about 28).

2. heat oil in a small pot over medium heat.

cook meatballs until golden all over, about 3 minutes (they will finish cooking in soup). 

transfer to a plate; set aside.

3. add leek to pot and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes.

add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves; cook for 1 minute. 

add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil.

4. stir in pasta and carrots; simmer until pasta is almost al dente, about 8 minutes.

add meatballs; simmer until pasta is al dente, carrots are tender,

and meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes.

5. add spinach and remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan;

stir until spinach is wilted and Parmesan is melted. season with salt and pepper.

6. ladle soup into bowls. garnish with chopped basil and  parmesan.