14. Curried Pumpkin-Vegetable Soup

This looked super easy and different and I had pretty much everything on hand. The recipe is from www.bettycrocker.com.

Curried Pumpkin-Vegetable Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups Green Giant frozen mixed vegetables (from a 1 lb bag)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14 oz) fat free chick broth with 33% less sodium
½ cup water
½ teaspoon sugar
11/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon paprika

1. In a 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes; stirring frequently until onion is crisp-tender.


2. Stir in all remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. If desired, season with salt and pepper.

Shortcuts and Changes: For starters, I just realized I forgot the sugar. I think it would be good in this recipe and I can't believe I left it out! I don't like peas or lima beans, so I searched the frozen vegetable for something I could use. I came up with a mix of corn, carrots, and asparagus. This worked well but they were whole baby carrots and pieces of asparagus that were about and inch and a half long. So, I wound up fishing them out and cutting them up. (I think some potatoes and carrots would be good, too) In the end, I added a little garam masala since I have a whole bunch on hand. I served this with some refrigerator biscuits.


Results: This is a very thick, flavorful soup. I thought it was tasty.


Keeper: I think so!

17. Potato Leek Soup

This was a recipe on a bag of Potato and Leek Soup Vegetables from Wegmans. I guess this was a little bit of cheating soup, but I happened to see the bag and thought I would give it a try.

Potato and Leek Soup

Serves 4
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 35 min

1 tbsp olive oil
1 pkg (16 oz) Food You Feel Good About Potato and Leek Soup Vegetables
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half

1. heat oil in stockpot on Medium-Low. Add soup vegetable, cook 5 min, stirring frequently.
2. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered,15-20 min, until potatoes are tender.
3, Ladle small batches (about 2 cips at a time) into blender; puree until smooth. Return soup to pot; reheat on Low. Stir in cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Changes and Shortcuts: none

Results: nothing really memorable about this soup. It was very quick and easy, but nothing I would make again.

Keeper? No

21. Corn Chowder

Another recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter’s Cook Book. This soup is made from ingredients that are often on hand and it takes just a little while to make.

Corn Chowder

1 14 ½ oz can chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 12 oz can evaporated skim milk
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 12 oz can whole kernel corn with sweet peppers
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley (optional)

In a medium saucepan combine broth, onion, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or till onion is tender.

In a small bowl stir together milk and flour. Stir into broth mixture. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in corn.* Heat through. If desired, sprinkle with parsley. Makes 6 servings.

*Note: if desired, when adding the corn, add on 6 oz can minced clams, un-drained or1 cup chopped cooked chicken. Makes 3 main-dish servings.

Changes and shortcuts: I couldn’t find corn with sweet peppers so I chopped some fresh red pepper up and threw that in. I felt like it needed something else; it just didn’t seem quite right. I added another can of corn. For leftovers, I added some red pepper flakes and it tasted a little bit peppier.

Results: One can of corn just didn’t seem like enough, but two was too much. Looking back, I think adding some cooked potato to the soup instead of the second can of corn would have been better.

Keeper? Probably not

22. Slow Cooker North Woods Wild Rice Soup

I tried a slow cooker recipe that I found on the Betty Crocker web site (www.bettycrocker.com)while I was looking for something else. Because I'm pressed for time, a slow cooker recipe seemed like a good idea. This one was especially easy because it was pretty much just a matter of throwing everything in the cooker and turning it on.

Slow Cooker North Woods Wild Rice Soup

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 medium stalks celery, diced (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, diced (1 cup)
1 cup diced smoked turkey (6 oz.)
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 1/2 cups Progresso chicken broth (from 32 oz carton)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated fat-free milk
1/3 cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 cup Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers frozen sweet peas, thawed
2 tablespoons dry sherry, if desired

1. In 10 inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion in oil about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
2. Place onion, celery, carrots, turkey, wild rice, tarragon and pepper in 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Pour broth over top.
3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hour or until wild rice and vegetables are tender. Stir in peas last 15 minutes of cooking.
4. Mix milk and flour; stir into soup. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until thickened.

Makes 6 servings

Changes and Shortcuts:No one in this family really likes peas so I substituted chopped broccoli. The only other change is that I didn't use the brand names that were in the recipe.

ResultsNot bad. The soup was a little thicker than I like. I think the soup would be fine without the turkey.

Keeper?I don't think so.

25. Cream of Carrot Soup

I had no idea what I was making for dinner tonight so took inventory and realized I had everything I needed for this soup. The recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden Soups and Stews cook book.

Cream of Carrot Soup

1 ½ cups chicken broth
½ cup chopped onion
1 cup of sliced carrots
1 tablespoon snipped parsley
½ teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
Few dashes white pepper
1 cup milk

In a saucepan combine chicken broth, chopped onion, carrots, parsley, and basil. Bring mixture to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes. Place half the vegetable mixture into a blender or food processor. Cover and blend 30 to 60 seconds or till smooth. Pour into bowl. Repeat with remaining vegetable mixture. Set aside.

In the same saucepan melt the butter. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add the milk all at once. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the blended vegetable mixture. Cook and stir till soup is heated through. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serves 3 or 4.

Changes and Shortcuts: I used rice milk instead of milk and dried parsley instead of fresh. I used a can of chicken broth, so it was 14 ounces instead of 12.

Results: Very good. I felt it need a little something else, so I added a pinch of garlic and ginger.

Keeper? YES

30. North Woods Bean Soup

We are still doing our Quantum Wellness Cleanse. I thought I’d try this recipe because it could easily be adapted to the Cleanse. It’s from Cooking Light Soup.

North Woods Bean Soup

Cooking spray
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
7 ounces turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into ½ inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 (15.8 ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (6 ounce) bag fresh baby spinach

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrots, onion, garlic, and kielbasa; sauté 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add broth, Italian seasoning, pepper and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Place 2 cups soup in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pot. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add spinach, stirring until spinach wilts. Yield:5 servings.

Changes and Shortcuts:
I substituted vegetable broth for the chicken broth and left out the kielbasa. I also thought I had two cans of white beans but one turned out to be black eyed peas. I used it anyway.


Results: Pretty much of a disappointment. I make a good bean soup (with out a recipe, but with a ham bone). This did not even come close. Maybe it’s better when made according to the recipe.

Keeper? Nope

31. Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

My family is doing the Kathy Freston 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse. We are eliminating alcohol, caffeine, sugar, gluten, and animal products from our diet for 3 weeks. This presents some challenges, but we’re managing. This Cleanse requires really thinking about what we’re eating—and reading labels on everything. This week’s recipe is from the Cooking Light Soup cook book. I had to make some changes so that we could stick to our wellness cleanse.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

2 teaspoons butter
½ cup chopped carrot (about 2 medium carrot)
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
1 (8 oz) package pre-sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 oz) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked wild rice
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 ¾ 2% reduced fat milk
2 tablespoons dry sherry
¾ teaspoons salt

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add carrot and next 6 ingredients; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in rice; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to soup mixture. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in sherry and salt. Yield:8 1 cup servings

Changes and Shortcuts:
I used the following substitutions:
Butter = vegan butter
Chicken broth = vegetable broth
Flour = potato starch (you can’t use equal parts, you must use less—the package should have the equivalent)
Milk = rice milk
Sherry = cooking wine

I wouldn’t have been able to make this after work, so I did step one in the morning and just finished the soup when I got home.


Results: Not bad for an experiment. This tasted ok when freshly made, but not that great left over.

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!