Mexican Street Corn Soup

My husband enjoys this soup because of all the different toppings you can add to it.  I got the original recipe from thestayathomechef and then added black beans and Monterey Jack cheese to it to make it even more fun. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small sweet onion chopped
• 1 jalapeno minced (optional)
• 5 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 6 cups frozen corn kernels
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream half and half, or milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Toppings:

Crumbled cooked bacon

cotija cheese

fresh squeeze of lime juice

jalapeno slices

tortilla chips, fritos, breadsticks, or oyster crackers

more cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the onions and minced jalapeno and sauté for about 5 minutes, then stir in garlic and cook an additional 1 minute.
• Stir in the flour, cumin, and chili powder and cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken stock until smooth and bring to a boil. Add in the corn, sugar, and salt. Once it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
• Stir in cream and monterey jack cheese and cilantro. Serve topped with crumbled bacon, cotija, and jalapeno slices.

Parmesan, Mushroom, and Spinach Gnocchi Soup

 After realizing that mushrooms are a good way to fill up my husband (who is allergic to beef, pork, and chicken), I began looking for recipes that use them instead of meat.  Thanks to SaltandLavendar for this and many others great recipes!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2 sticks celery chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 16 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced or chopped
• 4 cups chicken or veggie broth
• 2 dashes Italian seasoning
• 1 pound potato gnocchi
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Prep your onion and celery and melt the oil & butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onion and celery to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes (it's ok if the onions brown a bit). I like to cut up the mushrooms while it's cooking to save time.

3. Stir in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or so. Once the mushrooms start to release water, give it a good stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. 

5. Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and gnocchi to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat so it's gently simmering for 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the cream, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Increase the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the spinach is tender and wilted, the cheese melts into the broth, and the broth has thickened up a bit. 

7. Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. If you wish, you can grate some extra parmesan cheese on top of the bowls

Chicken Cordon Blue Soup

This is seriously delicious!  Many thanks to Chef in Training for the great recipe!

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2½ cups half and half (half and half is a half cream, half milk mixture found next to the heavy cream)
• 2½ cups milk
• 1 Tablespoon chicken base, or two chicken bullion cubes crushed
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2½ cups chopped rotisserie chicken (cooked chicken breast will work)
• ½ cup cooked and chopped bacon
• 1 cup cubed ham
• 2 cups grated Swiss cheese

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan melt butter and then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Add the half and half, milk and the chicken base. Heat for a few minutes and then add the cream cheese. While continuously stirring, bring to a boil and add chicken, bacon. and ham. Take off heat and stir in Swiss cheese. Bring back to the stove on low heat and stir until cheese is melted.

Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

I use this recipe all the time in soups and over potatoes or noodles!  Thanks, Meal Planning With Connie

Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup Substitute

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; gradually add milk, whisking to keep smooth. Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil, whisking constantly until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Add salt.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

This makes about 2 cans of cream of chicken soup!   Thanks, Tammy's Recipes!

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups chicken broth*
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon onion powder**
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder***
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (or less; taste to test)
1/4 teaspoon parsley
dash of paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour

Instructions: 

1. In medium-sized saucepan, boil chicken broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, and the seasonings for a minute or two (longer if using fresh onions or garlic).

2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk and flour. Add to boiling mixture and continue whisking briskly until mixture boils and thickens.

Additional Notes: 

*I use the broth from my oven-roasted chicken. Refrigerate broth and then take fat off the top. If you're using chicken bouillon + water for your broth, you may want to add a little extra seasonings, such as lemon pepper, extra garlic, or seasoned salt, since my broth normally has bits of those in it. You can also add bits of chicken, but if you have good rich chicken broth, you probably won't need any chicken in it.

**Or, diced onions (boil with broth for a few minutes)

***Or, fresh minced garlic (boil with broth for a few minutes)

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Another simple and yummy soup recipe that we love from Plain Chicken Blog

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn, undrained
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 1 package ranch dressing mix
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 8 oz package light cream cheese
• 2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

**Can place all ingredients in a freezer bag and freeze for a quick freezer meal later.**
Read more at http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/01/slow-cooker-cream-cheese-chicken-chili.html#7poA9UFypDCYTHIJ.99

Chicken Bacon Wild Rice Soup

We love this soup from Pinch of Yum!  And it freezes pretty well, also.  I usually have to add a little milk when I warm it up again because it gets thick but it is the ultimate comfort food!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 (10¾ oz) cans chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
• ½ cup finely chopped green onions
• ½ cup margarine or butter
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups half and half
• 1½ cup cubed or shredded cooked chicken or turkey
• 8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
• 2-3 tablespoons dry sherry, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth and water. Add wild rice and onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes (or until rice is tender). Once the rice is cooked, there will be some additional broth - do not drain.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt margarine, stir in flour, salt, seasoning, and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly.
3. Gradually stir in half and half with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth. Add remaining ingredients (chicken, bacon, pimiento, and sherry). Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. Do not boil. The mixture will look thin, but the longer you heat the soup, the more the flavors marry and the more it will thicken. This soup is best served after gently heating for an extended period of time (even a few hours) or the next day! For extra flavor, add more poultry seasoning and/or bacon.

Corn and Cheese Chowder

We got this recipe from the amazing Pioneer Woman and it is so good that I had to type it out so I'll never lose it (I'm making my daughters a cookbook from this blog.) 

• 4 Tablespoons 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 3 slices Bacon, Cut Into Pieces
• 3 whole Bell Peppers, Finely Diced (red, Yellow, Orange)
• 5 ears Corn, Kernels Sliced Off
• 1/4 cup All-purpose Flour
• 3 cups Chicken Stock Or Broth
• 2 cups Half-and-half
• 1 cup (heaping) Grated Monterey Jack
• 1 cup (heaping) Pepper Jack
• 1/3 cup Sliced Green Onions
• Bread Bowls

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute. 

Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so. 

Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed. 

Ladle into hollowed out boules and serve immediately

Barbecue chicken soup -- a winner!

I love soups in the winter! My husband is ok with them, but is not totally excited about them. When I told him that I had made barbecue chicken soup for dinner, he told me right away that it did not sound the least bit appealing to him. And yes, he is always completely honest about my cooking and I don't take it personally; I like to try new recipes and half the time they are just not as good as they sound. But this time, he thought it tasted a lot better than it sounded! Yay! I substituted chicken I got at my Farmer's Market for the canned stuff because chicken in a can just sounds gross to me! I also thought sharp cheddar cheese made it even better. And be sure to read the label when buying barbecue sauce or you will be drowning in HFCS. Many thanks to Pinterest and Picky Palate for such a great recipe!

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic

11 oz can corn with peppers, drained (I use frozen organic corn to stay away from BPA and GMO's)

2 12 oz cans Swanson’s Chicken, drained (I used cooked and shredded chicken from our local farmer's market)

1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth

1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I used unrefined sea salt)

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt (I used a natural msg-free garlic salt I got from WFN)

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

(I added cheddar cheese on top!)

1. Heat oil into a medium pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onions for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic, corn and chicken breast; mix to combine. Pour in chicken broth, BBQ sauce, salt, pepper, garlic salt and cilantro leaves. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until ready to serve. Garnish each bowl with a fresh sprig of cilantro. (I added cheddar cheese as well!)

Better than Campbells Creamy Tomato Soup!

Tomato Soup (especially with a yummy grilled cheese) is the ultimate comfort food for me. I've tried many a recipe and love them all, but my girls don't like any basil or garlic or anything that looks funny in their soup... I've never found one to please them. I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it might work because it was creamy and smooth -- no crazy textures to bother them. I was so excited to find that it is very similar (but even better!) to my favorite tomato soup of my youth! (Even though I don't touch canned soups now, very few meals make me as nostalgic as tomato soup and grilled cheese -- we used to eat it almost every Sunday!) I used fresh, whole milk from my farmer and a jar of strained tomatoes from Tropical Traditions. Super creamy and delicious!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups tomato or v-8 juice (I used strained tomatoes)

3 cups milk

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. sugar (I used sucanat)

Toppings if choice (croutons, basil, parmesan, feta, blue cheese, pasta, french bread, etc)

Directions: Melt butter, stir in flour. Blend well; make sure there are no lumps. Add tomato juice and stir until thickened. Add baking soda; blend well. Add milk, sugar, and salt. Serve while hot!

Homemade "Cream of... Soup"

For so long I have rejected all my favorite casseroles because I didn't want to buy canned soups. I wish I had just tried making my own a long time ago! This recipe is extremely easy and flavorful. I usually cook two chickens and make tons of stock from them every month so I always have plenty of chicken broth on hand to make this. Creamed soup will undoubtedly become part of my monthly cooking to make throwing together casseroles a cinch! Many thanks to Katie@ Kitchen Stewardship for posting such a great recipe. You should really check out her post because she gives some tips and great recipes! I added a bunch of minced onions, garlic salt, and cheese to make a very flavorful cream of cheddar soup. It worked well in replacing the yummy sauce in our favorite Chicken Divane Casserole.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
3/4 c. whole wheat flour (can add more if you like a really thick base)
4 cups milk
2 cups homemade chicken stock (preferably condensed for added flavor)
Optional: Chopped onions

Method:

Melt butter over low heat. If using onions for extra flavor, saute in butter until limp. Add flour and whisk together until smooth. Cook 1 minute. Do not let it brown! Gradually add milk and chicken stock, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when sauce has thickened. This may take up to 15-20 minutes.

Options:

• Cream of celery: Sautee a stalk or two of chopped celery with the butter before adding flour.
• Cream of mushroom: Sautee chopped fresh mushrooms in butter.
• Cream of broccoli: Add chopped steamed broccoli to the soup after it thickens.
• Cheesy sauce: Add shredded cheese (sharp cheddar gives the most flavor) after removing from heat. Stir to melt.
• If you want to make a big batch of soup and have different flavors, you can always saute mushrooms or celery separately and simply add to the finished soup, one can-equivalent at a time.

Delicious taquita soup

I usually buy 2 chickens at the Farmer's market at the beginning of each month, cook them both, make a big pot of chicken stock, and make a bunch of recipes from the meat. This month I mixed up a lot of our favorite Chicken Taquitos filling and froze it in smaller portions so I could make Mark a yummy fried taco with it when I needed a meal in a hurry. I defrosted some the other day and the weather grew cold and I started wanting soup. So I just tossed it in a pot, covered it with chicken broth, and added some noodles. It was seriously one of the best-tasting soups ever! The cream cheese made it so creamy and the lime and cilantro just made my tastebuds so happy :) And the best part was, it only took a minute to throw together!

A New Favorite Taco Soup!

Well, my sweet baby is here (just 2 weeks old now) and I'm not doing any cooking right now. (If you want to see pics of her, just click over to our family blog.) My wonderful church family has been providing us with meals and it has been so fun to try out different meals! This taco soup was absolutely delicious! My friend put a lot of cilantro right in the soup and let it simmer, instead of just using it as a topping. And I loved it! The cilantro just made it taste so fresh and delicious. So here is her recipe:

Soak beans the night before - I use 1 cup of pinto and 1 cup black. Cook them the next day for a few hours. (If you don't have time, you can use canned beans.) Drain. Brown 2 lb. beef with a chopped onion and several minced garlic cloves. In a big soup pot, but beans, beef and the following:

2 c frozen corn
1 small can chopped green chillies
2 c salsa
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes - I often use grape tomatoes.
Chicken broth enough to cover food + some

Simmer for 30 min. Top with green onions, cheese, sour cream, cilantro and fritos.

Home-made Tomato Soup

I love tomato soup! It is a comfort food to me... growing up, we ate it (along with a grilled cheese sandwich) almost every Sunday afternoon in the fall and winter. But since I've tried to stop cooking with canned soups, I haven't had it in forever! So when Girl Talk blog gave this easy recipe for Tomato Basil soup, I jumped at the chance to try it! I have to admit that I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I kind of took the idea and ran with it. (For example, I didn't have any heavy cream, so I used a combination of our whole milk and cream cheese :). I also sprinkled parmesan cheese on top. Oh, it was so good!

La Madeline's Tomato Basil Soup

4 cups canned crushed tomatoes
12 fresh basil leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick (1/4 lb) of sweet unsalted butter
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Simmer tomatoes in saucepan for 30 minutes. Puree, with the basil leaves, in small batches, in blender or food processor. Return to saucepan and add cream, butter, salt and pepper while stirring over low heat. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with your favorite bread.

Creamy Chicken Divane Soup

I found this recipe while waiting for my OB apt. and looking through a Southern Living magazine :) We absolutely LOVE my Mom's chicken divane recipe, but I don' t make it often because I don't like the mayonnaise and canned cream of chicken soup it requires. So I was excited to find this soup recipe that does taste surprisingly similar! I added some shredded carrots to it for added nutrients and it worked well with the soup. This recipe makes a lot, so I cut it in half for our family. This post is part of the Whole Food for the Holidays Progressive Dinner!

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. butter
1 med. sweet onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (I left that out)
1 (48 oz.) container chicken broth (I used home-made)
2 (12-oz) pkg. fresh broccoli (about 12 cups)
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, cut into cubes
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 (8oz.) block sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 shredded carrots if desired :)

Directions: Melt butter, saute onion til tender, add garlic (and shredded carrots) and red pepper. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and broccoli. Cover and bring to a boil 10-15 min. Stir in cream cheese. Process with a blender til smooth (we wanted it chunky, so I skipped that step :). Add chicken and shredded cheese. Cook on med-low, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes til cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe is part of Kelly's Korner SUYL

Tuscan Soup

This recipe is a spin-off of a popular soup at Olive Garden and I was excited that Passionate Homemaking posted it. The girls and I all loved it, but Mark wasn't a huge fan. But he is not usually a soup person, unless it is chili or Taco Soup that he can eat with chips :)

1/2 lb bacon (preferably natural, nitrate free)
1/2 lb chicken Italian sausage or bulk sausage of your choice
4-6 potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups chicken stock (you can easily replace some with water as you have available – I used 4 cups stock, 2 cups water)
2 cups whole milk, half & half, or raw cream
1 head of kale (5-6 leaves, as desired), chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese

In a small pan, cook the bacon. Save bacon grease, if desired. Cool and finely chop. In a large pot, cook the sausage, onions, and garlic (in bacon grease, if desired) until the sausage has browned. Crumble sausage as you cook it. Add the potatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, turn it down to low and simmer for 20 minutes or so, just until the potatoes are tender. Add the milk, kale, and bacon and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes. Season to taste. Top with parmesan cheese for extra flavor! Enjoy! Makes 6-8 servings. Freezes well.

Taco soup made healthier

This post is part of the Whole Food for the Holidays Progressive Dinner! My family LOVES taco soup! Even my picky toddler will gobble it down if I tone down the spiciness with some sour cream or cream cheese. We have really enjoyed THIS recipe but since I'm trying to make all my recipes healthier, I wanted to do without the packaged taco seasoning. And I had a leftover cup of butternut squash that needed to be used, so I thought I'd give it a try. I also randomly decided to throw in some spinach to see if anyone minded. I was utterly amazed that it didn't bother them at all and my husband actually said that it was the best taco soup I had made yet! So hopefully I can remember how I did it :)

Ingredients:
1 pound taco meat
1 cup (or more, depending on how thick you want it) of home-made chicken stock
1 jar organic salsa
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can organic Italian style diced tomatoes (make sure you look at ingredients to make sure there is no HFCS!!!)
1 1/2 cup soaked, cooked beans (we like black beans, but you can use whatever you like)
1 1/2 cup frozen organic corn
1 cup of butternut squash puree (optional)
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and drained (optional)
chili powder to taste if it is not spicy enough for you

Directions: If you are making taco meat, saute the green peeper and onion with the ground beef until tender, adding in the other ingredients as the recipe call for them. Then add the taco meat along with all the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low all day. If your taco meat is already made, just throw it along with everything else into the crock pot. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and chips or on top of quinoa.

2 fabulous chili recipes

I've never had a favorite chili recipe. A long time ago, I found this basic, easy chili recipe and have used it a "guideline" ever since. It is nothing special by itself, but I can turn it into something awesome, depending on what I feel like putting in it. (My chili never turns out the same. Never.) And sometimes into something not-so-awesome, like the time I experimented by just using sausage instead of ground beef. Not my family's fav. But anyways, I've been wanting to find a really, really "awesome-every-time" chili recipe and recently pestered two of my friends enough to get them to give me their awesome recipes. I think I'm going to have to have my own chili-cook-off because I haven't decided which one like better :) I will probably tone down the chilies in these, however, because my family doesn't like it quite so spicy :)

Jason's Awesome Chili

(can be made with either chuck roast or hamburger/sausage mixture)

Ingredients:
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can pintos
1 can black beans (all bush's preferably)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow/orange bell pepper
1 sweet onion
1 small can of diced tomatos and green chilis
half a pack of applewood or smoked bacon
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (hunts)
1 packet of McCormick original chili seasoning
1 packet of McCormick mild chili seasoning
1 small can of tomato paste
a little less than a 1/4 of a cup of mustard, and the same for ketchup
1 3lb Chuck roast/ 1 lb of lean ground hamburger and 1 lb of Jimmy Dean Spicy Sausage
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tsp of cinamon
1/4 cup of molasses
cover the top of the chili with chili powder once, mix, then cover lightly with cayenne pepper once and mix
salt and pepper to taste.

For Chuck Roast:
1. chop bacon into small bits and cook in a large skillet
2. chop peppers and onion into small bits and sautee in bacon grease
3. put bacon, sauteed veggies, and whole chuck roast, diced tomatoes with chiles, McCormick original chili mix, and tomato paste in crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours
4. add beans and large can of crushed tomatoes cook on low for 4 more hours checking every now and then to make sure the chuck isn't burning
5. add everything else, mixing after each ingredient, if meat is tender enough to shred at this point do it, otherwise check later to shred meat.
6. Cook for 4 more hours

For Hamburger/Sausage:
1. chop and cook bacon
2. saute veggies in bacon grease and drain
3. mix all beans, peppers, onion, crushed tomatoes, tomatoes and chiles, mild chili seasoning
4. cook on low for about 2 hours
5. mix hamburger and sausage together thoroughly, brown and add original mccormick mix.
6. add meat to crockpot
7. add everything else seasoning to taste
8. cook on low for about 6 hours

Theron's Awesome Chili:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons bacon grease, or canola oil
• 2 red bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)
• 2 jalapenos, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
• 3 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, chopped
• 2 yellow onions, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 head garlic, minced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2 pounds ground beef, coarse grind
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 teaspoons granulated onion or onion powder
  
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic or garlic powder
  
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans pinto beans, with juice
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans kidney beans, with juice
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  

Directions

In large stock pot over high heat, add butter and bacon grease. Add bell pepper, jalapeno, chiles and onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add chuck and brown. Add ground beef and sausage to brown and stir gently, trying not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until meat is nicely browned and cooked through, about 7 to10 minutes. Add in granulated onions, granulated garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add in tomato sauce and paste and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in beef and chicken stock. Add beans, lower heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Butternut Bisque

My sweet friend Mary made this for us when we went to visit her a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE soups, and this one was delicious. I think it would also be good with pumpkin, but I haven't tried it yet :) It was also something my 9-month old enjoyed as well :) Mary said that it was a lot of trouble to peel the squash, so next time she would try cooking it first, and then peeling it. And don't forget the sour cream as you serve it -- it really added a lot of flavor and creaminess :)

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more for garnish (optional)
• Coarse salt
• 1 large butternut squash (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Sour cream, for serving

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, and cayenne. Season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add squash, broth, half-and-half, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree in a blender until smooth. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt. Serve bisque with sour cream, garnished with cayenne, if desired.
4. To Freeze: Ladle cooled bisque (without sour cream) into airtight containers, leaving 1 inch of space; freeze up to 3 months.
5. To Reheat: Run container under hot water to release bisque. Heat with a bit of water, stirring occasionally.

Chicken Curry Soup

This is so healthy with fresh garlic, egg yolks, chicken stock and coconut milk: a perfect soup for healing if you are coming down with a sickness! My husband thought I was crazy because it is so different from our normal types of meals, but he actually really liked it! And my picky toddler asked for seconds. So its a keeper for us :) I left out the cumin because I didn't want it spicy.

4 Cups Chicken Broth (homemade is best)
1.5 cups of chopped cooked chicken
1 Medium Red Onion
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 can of coconut milk (i bought 2 whole coconuts and used the milk from them, but a can would work-I couldn't find any at my grocery store)
1 Tbls curry powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
2 cups of veggies (I threw in frozen peas and frozen corn)
4 raw egg yolks
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Cup cooked rice (optional)

Saute chopped onions and garlic in butter until soft (we like them a little crunchy).

Throw all but the egg yolks and CO into a stock pot. Bring it to a boil and then reduced it to simmer for 20 minutes.

Melt the CO oil and add the egg yolks and mix well. Next, add a little bit of stock and stir. Once it's mixed nicely, add the mixture to the soup and stir to incorporate.

Serve with rice as we did, or with some buttered sourdough bread. Yum!! http://innisrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/02/chicken-curry-soup-recipe.html