Fall Back Minestrone

Had my favorite minestrone soup for dinner last night, topped with fresh pesto.

Doesn't seem like anyone else in the house like minestrone...which means more for me!

In the USA Weekend magazine, there's a recipe for Baked Potato Soup that looks so good.  No flour is used to thicken the soup.  Has some cream, but can switch out the butter for olive oil to bring down the fat grams.

If you'd like the recipe and can't find it online or in the paper tomorrow, let me know and I'll post it. 

SoupMom

In Hominy

The cafe at work served a chicken tortilla soup, somewhat like the soup I made yesterday.  Except for the addition of hominy.  I've never had hominy before so decided to try it.

What is hominy?  Essentially corn kernels soaked in an alkali solution to remove the hull and germ of the corn.   The result is a puffed up piece of grain.

After doing some online research, it seems that hominy is featured in pozole, which is a Mexican soup of meat, chili peppers and hominy.  Hominy is also dried and ground up to make grits.

The soup was good, but not really an improvement over the more traditional chicken tortilla soup.  I've heard pozole is very good, but spicy.  If you have a great recipe, please share!

SoupMom 

Thanking the Soup Gods

Amazingly, I had chicken, tortillas and an avocado left over from dinner earlier this week.  Sounded like the makings of a chicken tortilla soup, and sure enough, it was!  Here's the recipe I tried (minus the fresh jalapeno peppers and the cilantro as I'm not a fan).   Really easy to make -- I had a great lunch in less than 15 minutes because the chicken was already cooked.  I also topped mine with a little low-fat sour cream.  Yum!

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 2 (6 inch) corn tortillas, julienned 
• 2-1/4 teaspoons olive oil 
• 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced 
• 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into thin strips 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and diced 
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 avocado - diced 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 

 Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange tortilla strips on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion, garlic and jalapenos (if using) in olive oil until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chicken, chicken broth, lime juice, tomato, salt and pepper. Gently simmer until chicken is cooked, 3 to 5 minutes.  If using cooked chicken, simmer until warm.  Stir in avocado and cilantro and heat through. Adjust seasonings and serve.

SoupMom

Curried Lentil Soup

Tried out a new soup today..not sure it hit the mark, even for me and I love lentils!  I think the curry spice was a bit overpowering.  Let me know if you try it, and if so, what you think.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 8-ounce russet potato, peeled, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled, chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 cups lentils (about 12 ounces), rinsed, drained

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, potato and carrot and sauté. until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Mix in curry powder and cayenne and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes with juices and lentils and bring to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are very tender, about 45 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

SoupMom

Tomato Soup Toppings

Tried the new local Boudin SF for lunch.  Husband tried a cup of the Rustic Tomato Soup with rustic sourdough croutons and parmesan cheese.  He thought it was very good -- hearty tomato soup.  And the fresh croutons and shredded cheese were wonderful additions.

The kids typically top tomato soup with Saltine crackers....tasty but not very inspired.  I typically add some crushed pepper, but I think I'll try croutons and parmesan cheese next time.

Any other great tomato soup topping ideas?

SoupMom

Butternut Squash for Thursday Lunch

Yesterday got away from me, so I missed posting about the soup I had for lunch.  Given the rainy, cold weather a bowl of soup was just what I was looking for in the cafe.  And readers of my blog know how much I love butternut squash soup.  Had a wonderful bowl of soup with a french roll...perfect!

Who Knew?

The scientific name for the bean is phaseolus vulgaris....doesn't sound very appetizing to me.  But, I love most beans, and one of my favorites is the black bean.  Its official name is the "black turtle bean."

Beans are top of mind for me tonight because of the black bean soup I had for lunch.  Enjoyed a bowl at work today, with a petite cheese and tomato sandwich on the side.  The soup was only missing sour creme, or perhaps some sherry the way one of my favorite Cuban restaurants serves it.  Share your favorite way to top black bean soup.

Good stuff...and good for you!

SoupMom