:) With the hint of fall in the air, I'm starting to obsess about soup again. Who has or knows of some fabulous, not too difficult soup or chili recipes? Mmmm, chili.

Saute a chopped onion in a some butter seasoned with a little curry powder (garam masala.) Cooked peeled acorn or butternut squash cut into pieces in chicken stock. along with the chopped onion, until the vegetables are soft. Puree, with a stick blender, a regular blender or food mill. Adjust for seasoning.

No one will believe that you did virtually no work.

Mmmm, Sandra, that sounds yummy!

I really have none to offer...but I always remember poor folks sitting at the Automat or the diner with a cup of hot water, mixing in some catsup and making tomato soup.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-21,gre...ce+soup,FF.html



Lemon Rice soup, is one of my favorites . . . lots of recipes, here.

This soup is *so* good and you won't believe how easy it is.


In a med saucepan empty 2 cans of navy beans (undrained) and a can of good chicken broth. Stir and heat to a gentle simmer. Then add half of a 6oz jar of sun dried tomato pesto sauce, stir well and heat thoroughly. Before serving I take about half of the mixure and blend it in a blender or food proccessor, pour this mixture back into the saucepan until ready to serve.

Edited for typos, not content.

Wegmans had some peeled and cut up butternut squash today. So I will be trying this over the weekend.

I am currently sipping on a mug of Sandra's soup. It is yummy. And easy. I used a combo of butter and olive oil to saute the onions and a combo of hot curry powder and garam masala. I think I'd like it a bit thicker in the future, so I'll use less broth (or more squash). I will definitely make this again.

I made Sandra's soup too! I added a pureed red pepper to the recipe with a little bit of tomato base powder, some dill, and a touch of sour cream. Beyond delicious. Thank you Sandra!

Not a soup person whatsoever but I do have a Ham, Cabbage and Potato soup that is heavenly. If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know.

by all means!! out with it! lol

Okay here's my famous (with my husband anyway) Spicy Cheese soup. If you like Mexican flavor and spiciness this is really easy and great tasting. I just started throwing things together one day and years later I am still making this.

Karen's Spicy Cheese Soup

2 cans Campbell's Tomato soup

2 cans Rotel tomatoes (I use the original but you can use the milder ones or one original and one mild depending on how spicy you like your food)

2 cans of milk

approx. 2 cups Velveeta American cheese cubed. I use the low fat but you can use whichever you want. Experiment with the amount to get the level of cheese flavor and consistency you like but this is a pretty close estimation on the amount. Other times I have used Old English cheese spread (Kraft) and also Cheese Whiz.

The Rotel tomatoes have plenty of seasoning but I suppose you could add paprika and/or some chili powder if you want to. Maybe some diced onion that has been sauteed?

The most important part is that when we go to eat it we crush tortilla chips in our bowls and then spoon the soup over it. It is yummy and guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart!


Here's hubby's other favorite soup that I make...

Beer Cheese Soup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 small cans / I use Swanson's 14 oz, low salt / ( LOW SALT chicken broth (very important not to use the salted version. I did once and it's WAY too salty. Unedible, trust me!)

1 1/2 cups half and half (I use the fat free and it's fine)
1 16 oz. jar Cheeze Whiz

1 can beer (don't use a stout or strongly flavored beer. It's too bitter for this soup. I did once and it was horrible. I like to drink stouts and lagers but it doesn't work for this. Use a generic one like Miller. I have used Killian's Red and that was fine. Any smooth beer will do.)

1 Tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. yellow food coloring for appearance (I skipped this once or twice and normally wouldn't bother with this step but in this case it does add to the appeal of this soup.)

1/4 cup chopped chives

Melt butter and mix in flour. Stir over low heat and make sure lumps are gone. Add Cheeze Whiz, beer, Worchestershire sauce, food coloring and chives SLOWLY whisking soup mixture as you go to keep smooth consistency. Heat on low for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

This was given to me by my brother and he was making it at their house every Christmas Eve as his own little tradition.

The smell of this soup will make your mouth water. It smells like bread and cheese and it is DIVINE served with a crusty buttered and toasted bread. Mmmmmmm.....

Now I am going to have to make it! Perfect for fall weather!

Karen

For a chicken stock, I freeze the skin, juice and bones from 2 or 3 of those rotisserie chickens you get at Sams or BJs. When I'm ready, I toss them into a large pot, cover with water and simmer for about an hour. Strain, pick extra meat off the bones for the soup and skim extra fat, if desired. Those seasonings from the skin give a nice lift to the broth. Add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar at the beginning and it will help leach calcium from the chicken bones adding it to the broth. You can't taste it.

For soup, chop celery and onion and a bit of garlic. Saute in a bit of oil until they wilt. Add to broth and simmer for a few minutes. Add beans and/or rice and/or noodles and/or other vegetables (eg. carrots, potatoes, turnips, peas) and whatever seasonings suit you. Taste before you season as those spices used on the rotisserie already add nice flavor. Add chicken. This should be done in less than 30 min.

Jen,

Could you post it please. Some of us soup lover may want to try it. Thanks!

Lentil Soup (also works well with black beans)

saute 1/2 lb of chopped up or crumbled, if bulk, Italian sausage (preferably hot) to render the fat. Pour off most of it and add a large chopped onion, chopped garlic, and a couple of chopped stalks of fennel (instead of celery). When wilted, add to a pot of stock of your choice. Add 1/2 package (or more) of rinsed lentils (or a couple of cans of rinsed black beans). Simmer until lentils are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. I often had some crushed anise seeds and/or a touch of cumin or curry powder.

All measurements are approximate.

Colonia, I think I LOVE your recipe and will be trying it soon!!!

The other night I made a creamed asparagus soup spiced with chives, shallots, just a drop of Tabasco. I stirred grated parmesan into it and garnished it with a few of the cooked asparagus tips and a few croutons. It was wicked good.

Oven Beef Stew, with a tomato base, versus brown gravy. It's yummy on rice. :)
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1612,140186-242199,00.html

Mariana, that recipe for beef stew has a Cuban feel to it. What it doesn't say is whether to brown the beef or not. Have you made it? I want to try it.

Mort, I browned the beef, I had some Omaha tenderloin tips in the freezer so I used those, but any kind of stew cuts should come out very tender.

This is only 2 WW pts.

HEARTY CHILI

10 Ounces Lean Ground Turkey Breast
1 Onion, diced
2 (28 OZ) Cans Tomatoes, diced
2 Zucchini, diced
2 Yellow Squash, diced
1 (15 OZ) Can Black Beans, rinsed & drained
2 (15 OZ) Cans Fat Free Beef Broth, reduced sodium
4 Celery Stalks, diced
2 Green Peppers, diced
1 (1 ¼ OZ) Dry Chili Seasoning Mix

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the turkey and onion and sauté until turkey is cooked through. Transfer to a soup pot. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 30 minutes on medium heat. Serve.

SERVINGS 20; CALORIES 76; FAT 1 g; PROTEIN 7 g; CARBS 11 g;
FIBER 3 g; CHOL 8 mg; SODIUM 270 mg; CALC 45 mg
SERVING SIZE= 1 Cup
WW POINTS= 1.5

I found this excellent. Is more like a stew than chili to me (meaning not thick like chili, more runny). And I would probably add more Chili Seasoning next time to. But it was very good.

Sounds yummy Glo. :) I'll have to try that one out, chili is so yummy in cool weather.

Tonight, I'm trying this one, throwing it all in the crockpot before I go to bed. So far, I've had good luck with every cooks.com recipe that I've tried.

Minestrone Soup

I made this soup this past summer for a dinner party.

The Complete Italian Vegetarina Cookbook by Jack Bishop

6 medium yellow bell peppers (about 2 pounds), roasted and peeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over the soup
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced small
1 celery rib, diced small
1 medium onion, minced
salt
1-1/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups vegetable stock or water

1. Core and seed the roasted peppers and cut them into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large soup kettle or stockpot. Add the carrot, celery, and onion and saute over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the pepper strips and pinch of a salt. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes begin to fall apart, about 20 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree, working in batches. (The soup can be refrigerated for 2 days and reheated just before serving.) Return to the pot and keep warm.
4. Adjust the seasonings in the soup. Ladle into warm bowls. Serve immediately.

It is over 14 months later and I am still enjoying this soup. In fact, my latest batch is on the stove as I type this. Sandra has a real winner here - tasty, easy and healthy. What more could you want?

Oh! Perfect timing.

I've got an acorn squash that I just can't feel inspired about as a side dish. I think this is the perfect solution.

Thanks for the reminder.

That squash soup is extra fabulous with a few grilled shrimps and a sprinkling of cilantro on top as garnishes, by the way. Oh, yes.

Another great topper for squash soup is creme fraiche swirl and toasted sunflower seeds.

I'm making it right now, after my life or death battle with the peeler and the squash. Have any of you actually tried to peel an acorn squash? It's next to impossible -- as the bandaid on my thumb will attest.

I'm sure it will all be worth it, but there's got to be an easier way!

I like my flesh intact, I like my digits still attached , this is why I roast the wee devils before throwing them into soup. No peeling , just scrape your way out.

Just call me Nine Fingers Nadine. Next time, I'll heed your advice.

A few super markets around here (including Wegmans) sell already peeled and chunked squash. That's what I use. I tried the frozen chunks once and they were stringy. Maybe a food processor instead of the stick blender would cure that. The taste was fine with frozen.

Thanks -- obviously I should have sought advice from the experts first! The soup was delicious, by the way, dee-licious!

I have a couple of really good recipes, one that uses up leftover steak (yum!) that I will post later on tonight when I get a free couple of minutes.

What's "leftover steak"?

I can only make two soups, lentil, and baked potato soup. I love reading your recipes and am going to try to branch out over the holidays. Here's the Baked Potato Soup recipe.

Bake until done 5 Lb. of baking potatoes. scoop out (skins aren't used in this recipe)

5 TB. butter
4 TB. flour
6 chopped green onions (I use just the white bulbs)
1 pint of cream, or half-and-half (I use the fat-free)
1 Qt. of milk
salt and pepper to taste
dash of nutmeg

In a pot, melt the butter and gently saute the chopped onion a few minutes - don't brown. Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper to make a roux, cooking gently and stirring. Slowly add 2 cups of milk and bring just to a boil, still whisking. Remove from the heat and add the scooped out potatoes, the half-and-half or cream, and nutmeg. Add another cup of milk and simmer 10 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree till the lumps are gone, adding more milk to thin it if needed.

Now you have your basic soup, a beautiful winter-white-velvet texture! You can melt in grated cheddar cheese, add bacon bits, finely diced ham, cooked broccoli flowerets, chopped green onions (including the green stems)...It's so beautiful and delicious, you couldn't get better at the best restaurants.

I don't follow a recipe, but this is how I make my chili. We have it on Sundays while we watch football.

Brown 1lb of ground beef or ground turkey
Stir in one can of tomato puree (I use most, but not the whole can)
Stir in one can of drained red kidney beans and one can of drained black beens
Stir in half a chopped onion and two garlic bulbs
Stir in one package of McCormick Chili seasoning
Stir in two tablespoons of chili powder ( sometimes I add cumin to taste)
Stir in one quarter cup of sliced jalepenos (I also add a bit of the juice)

Simmer three hours then top with Mexican cheese and chopped red onion.

Enjoy!

-Noelle

Very funny! You're right, this doesn't happen often in my house, but it happens often enough. The theory of the cookbook is that we tend to go overboard when we start grilling big slabs of meat. Anyway, here's the recipe. It's from a book called "A Good Day for Soup":

Steak and Potato Vegetable Soup

2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
2 cups cooked steak strips
6 cups beef stock
1 cup shelled peas
2 cup scrubbed, diced and cooked potatoes

In large heavy pot, heat oil of med-hi heat. Cook onion & pepper until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in worcestershire sauce and steak. Cook another minute. Add stock, bring to a boil, and add peas and potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Most times I don't bother pre-cooking the potatoes -- I just put them in when I add the stock, and cook with the onions and peppers until done, about 10 minutes. Under this approach, I leave out the steak until I put in the peas, so the steak doesn't overcook.

This tastes like a steak dinner in a bowl -- very nice.

Sacre Bleu Cheating French Onion Soup
(because it shouldn't be this easy):

2 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 large sweet onions - I used Mayas, which are wider than they are tall.
1 4-cup container of beef broth
Dash O' Worcestershire Sauce.
Gruyere cheese, and wheat bread.

Heat up your crock pot.
Let your food processor slice the onions.
Melt the butter, add salt and sugar, and saute the onions for about 10-15 minutes. Transfer to crock pot.
Add beef broth. Let everything simmer together - the longer, the better. Add worcestershire sauce to taste. (I added about a teaspoon.)

Toast the wheat bread, put in bottom of serving bowls. If you want to do the traditional presentation, use ramekins. Spoon in broth and onions, cover with gruyere, and put under the broiler under cheese is browned.

Made this the other night, sal. It was so good....definitely 'comfort food'. Thanks for sharing!

I just made a curried butternut squash soup today, coincidentally.

Here's an interesting recipe that my sister the chef gave me:
Catalan Onion Almond Soup
Steep 1 cup toasted ground almonds in 1 cup cream for an hour.
Sauté 12 cups onions in 6 Tblsp. butter, add 3 strips orange zest, 2 teasp. coriander, 4 cups chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Puree and add almond cream.
At last minute add 2-3 Tbls. amaretto, especially if soup has been strained, as mine usually has.

Nummy. I made this and did not strain it -- I liked the gritty almonds, but you may not. Try it unstrained first before serving...

Another good soup tip if you're bored with a classic vegetable soup: swirl in a little basil pesto to a veggie soup for an added kick and delicious fresh green kick. The garlic in the pesto does wonders. This mimics the classic French Soup au Pistou.

Cheers!!

This sounds wonderful for a cold winter night. I can't take wet bread, though. I'd have to have it separately.

I often make for myself, at night, a very simple oyster soup made with canned oysters, milk, real butter, a touch of seasoned salt and pepper. It is pure pleasure for me to dine on this, solo, while my husband is at work and my son has been put to bed, on a cold winter's night, or any night.

A few years ago I lived in a town where most of the residents were of Volga German heritage. Their cooking is a mixture of Russian and German as they left Germany and lived in Russia for a number of years. Eventually this group immigrated to the US.

One of their special soups is "green bean and dumpling soup." This is the kind of recipe your grandma used to make where you take a little of this and a little of that and then make dumplings...etc.

Here is a link for the basic recipe.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20060927/FOOD/109270110

Beware this is not low cal, low carb or low fat. It is a hearty winter soup.

How I make it is different. I don't used chicken or meat stock. I saute onions in real butter. Then I make a flour roux with the butter and onions, add milk and diced boiled potatoes and a can of french cut green beens. I boil the dumplings until done before putting them in. Most of the German folks up there use no recipe. Its all the old fashioned...to taste or adjusting for the size of the recipe. Some people add sour cream. Make sure to use plenty of fresh ground pepper.

I found a bean soup mix (dried beans, lentils, barley plus seasoning packet) at the 99Cent store and made it yesterday. I added my own onions and canned tomatoes and it's delicious. A perfect hearty winter soup. So much for people who say nutritious food is expensive.

One thing I noticed -- the instructions said to mix everything together and then simmer FOUR HOURS. Instead, I soaked the beans the night before, drained them and cooked until nearly tender, about an hour. Then I added the spice mix, which includes salt. If you add salt to the beans while they are cooking, it will take hours and hours for them to get tender. Always add salt at the end. That's probably one reason people don't cook dried beans any more.