13. Peggy’s Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

This is from Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking. This is another recipe that looked simple and tasty--a good soup for a good fall night.

Peggy’s Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth, or more as needed
1 to 2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, coarsely chopped
½ to 1 cup crème fraiche
Juice of 2 fresh limes
Salt
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and enough broth to cover. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about 30 minutes. Stir in the chipotle chilies and adobo sauce.

2. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool for 10 minutes. Then, working in several batches, puree in a blender or food processor; return the mixture to the soup pot.) Cooking over medium –low heat, gently whisk in the crème fraiche and lime juice until well blended and hot. Season to taste with salt and more lime juice, if needed. Top each serving with a small spoonful of crème fraiche and a sprinkling of cilantro. Serve at once.



Shortcuts and Changes: I forgot to buy fresh limes, so I used about 2 tablespoons of bottled juice--basically to taste. I also don't care for cilantro, and honestly forgot to buy it, so I used some dried cilantro and just mixed it in at the end when I put in the chipotle and adobo. By the way, you will never use a whole can of chipotle with adobo sauce at one time. For the longest time I was throwing away what I didn't use as it went bad in the refrigerator before I could use it up. Now I put it in a plastic baggie, flatten it out, and freeze it. When I need some, I just chop of a piece of the frozen stuff. It works great!


Results: Nice, thick soup with a lot of flavor!


Keeper? Yes!

15. Country Vegetable Chowder

This recipe is from Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking. I was looking for something quick. I had some fresh spinach in the refrigerator so I thought I'd give this a try.

Country Vegetable Chowder

Prep Time:15 min
Cook time: About 15 min.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium-size leeks, washed, white part only, thinly sliced into rounds, then cut in half
2 tablespoons all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
2 stalks celery, diced
3 new potatoes, diced
1 teaspoon dried crumbled herbs, such as basil, thyme, or Italian blend
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
114.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 16 oz package frozen baby lima beans, thawed
6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves (about 3 large handfuls)
1 ½ cups half and half or plain soy milk

1. melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté the leeks until limp, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the leeks with flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the celery, potatoes, herbs, broth, and tomatoes and their juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetable are tender.


2. Add the lima beans, spinach, and half and half. Season with salt and simmer for 10 minutes, until steaming hot. Serve immediately.


Changes and Shortcuts: We don't like lima beans, so I substituted a can of drained and rinsed white beans. For the items that gave a choice, I used white flour, oregano (couldn't find my basil!, chicken broth, and half and half. I also added pepper and Mrs. Dash.


Results:I felt that this soup need something else. I think carrots would have been better than the beans and spinach. All in all, not bad.


Keeper? I don't think so.

34. Garlicky Tortellini Soup with Tomato and Spinach

I received a new cookbook for Mother’s Day, Not Your Mother’s Weeknight Cooking.(ISBN 978-155832369-1) The first recipe I picked from this book is for soup! Just a few ingredients and only a little bit of time are required. I even had time to make some biscuits from a mix.


Garlicky Tortellini Soup with Tomato and Spinach

Cooking Method: Stovetop
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: About 25 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups chicken broth or a combination of broth and water
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 package (about 9 ounces) fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
One 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
12 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves (about 6 large handfuls)
Salt
Freshly shaved or grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minutes; do not brown or it will get bitter. Add the broth and pepper flakes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook about half as long as the package directs. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the tortellini is tender. Stir in the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and serve, passing the cheese at the table.

Changes and Shortcuts: No shortcuts necessary. The only change I made was to use a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes rather than plan.

Results: Very good soup with very little effort! (best eaten fresh)

Keeper? YES!