Soup

Asian Chicken and Rice Soup
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Asian Chicken and Rice Soup

This came together quickly on a Friday night after a long day of work. You can make it spicy as you want by altering the chili paste or omit for a non spicy version. This was adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Soup of the Day.

2 cups chicken broth
1 Cup coconut milk
8 oz shredded chicken
2 cups
1 tsp ginger (I used the frozen cubes)
1 Cup cooked rice, brown or white ( used Trader joe’s frozen)
1 Tbsp orange zest
1/2 Cup orange juice
1 tsp chili paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 cups enoki mushrooms or quartered button mushrooms ( used the button mushrooms)
1/2 cup oyster mushrooms

In a large sauce pan, combine the broth, coconut milk, orange zest and juice, fish sauce and chili paste. Place over medium high heat bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. The soup will be slightly foamy.

Sauté the mushrooms until browned and add to the broth.

Add the cooked rice and remove from heat.


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Chilled Berry Soup
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Chilled Berry Soup

This is just so refreshing on a hot summer day. Great as a first course with grilled meat. I have made this over the years and it never turns out quite the same, but it is always good.. I used a mix of frozen strawberries, blackberries, Blueberries and raspberries for this version but fresh is great if you have ripe fruit. Adapted from an Old James McNair cookbook. I love his cookbooks.

Ingredients

6 cups stemmed ripe berries such as strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries (one kind or assortment), or frozen mixed berries
1 cup orange juice or apple juice
½ cup sugar, or to taste
2 cups Asti Spumante, Champagne, or other sparkling wine

Directions

  • Working in batches, if necessary, combine the berries and juices in a food processor or blender and puree until fairly smooth.
  • Transfer to a glass ceramic bowl and stir in the sugar and sparkling wine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.
  • Ladle into chilled bowls



Serves 6 as a soup course or dessert.

Thai Shrimp Soup
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Thai Shrimp Soup

This is a fast and easy weeknight soup. Filling, full of flavor. I used Trader Joe’s frozen Argentinian pink and their package frozen organic rice which really made it quick. The store was out of red curry paste so I grabbed a jar of red curry sauce and it worked great in a pinch. We warmed up the leftovers and the soup got thicker and was even better the next day. This was adapted from the blog DAMN DELICIOUS.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
    (or 2 packages of Trader Joe’s Organic Basmati rice, prepared using directions)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 tablespoon red curry paste or half a jar of red curry sauce
  • 1 (12-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (full or lite)
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • Juice of 1 lime
DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
  3. Add garlic, onion and bell pepper to the stockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Whisk in curry paste or sauce until well combined, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in coconut milk and chicken/vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
  5. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
  6. Stir in rice, shrimp and lime juice.
  7. Serve immediately.
Broccoli and Potato Soup
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Broccoli and Potato Soup

When it is cold, grey and you just want to curl up with a bowl of comforting soup this is a healthy one do make. Very easy and great for a work night. This is from a wonderful Williams-Sonoma book, Soup of the Day, 365 days of Soup. I added blue cheese to the top but you can eliminate or add cheddar. Serve with a crisp salad or warm bread.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots (or 1 onion)
1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed
1 1/2 lb Broccoli, cored and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 lb Blue cheese crumbled

Directions

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When it foams, add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp, about 1 minute. Stir in the potatoes and broccoli. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour and stir until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add about 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring to make a paste, then gradually add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes and broccoli are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Using a blender or hand held blender (which I used), mix until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, place over medium high heat, and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in half of the cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute. Serve with the remaining cheese on top. I just used some crumbled cheese to sprinkle on top.

Caramelized Onion and Parmesan Cheese Soup with Parmesan Cheese Toasts
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Caramelized Onion and Parmesan Cheese Soup with Parmesan Cheese Toasts

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The past 2 months have been so busy, suddenly it was Christmas and then it was over and I was cleaning up glitter. One more holiday before the bleak month of January. This would make a wonderful start to New Year’s Eve dinner. I served this as a soup course for 9 as part of Christmas Eve dinner. I made it the night before, then heated up and added the cheese and cream right before serving. It also reheated well the next day. This is adapted from a EMERIL LAGASSE recipe. I did not take a lot of photos as I was in full on dinner party mode but trust me this soup is worth making!

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INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onions
8 to 12 garlic cloves, smashed, plus 1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 quarts Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2 cups 1-inch cubes crusty French or Italian bread
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Parmesan Cheese Toasts

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, the smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened and golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Add the bread cubes. Cook, whisking often, until the bread disintegrates and thickens the soup, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Purée the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to the pot and whisk in the cream, cheese, and parsley. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Ladle into bowls. Serve with the hot cheese toasts.

Parmesan Cheese Toasts

Twelve 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices (cut on the diagonal to make large slices)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/3 cup Mayonnaise (I used Black Truffle Aioli)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Spread the bread on a baking sheet. Mix the cheese, mayonnaise, parsley, garlic, and cayenne in a small bowl. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture onto each slice of bread.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Cucumber and Avocado Bisque
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Cucumber and Avocado Bisque

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This is the perfect creamy, cold soup to serve on a hot day. Super simple to make with just a few ingredients. My husband hates cucumbers and he loved this. I topped with blue cheese and a drizzle of lemon balsamic vinegar. This came from a cookbook I just finished, “Big East Forkful” with recipes from Jim Leeson’s kitchen. This recipe may have originally come from Maude’s Courtyard – a favorite Nashville restaurant when I first arrived here in 1981. The original recipe calls for European seedless cucumbers but I used seedless Persian cucumbers and it tasted perfect.  I tweaked the recipe to my own tastes- added more avocado and I did not salt and leave the cucumbers sit.. The KEY is seedless cucumbers. I have included the original recipe card. This is a great cookbook filled with simple, country recipes.

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Ingredients

1 Medium seedless European (or Persian) cucumber, chopped
1 Medium ripe avocado, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 Cup Chicken stock
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
1/2 tsp Salt

Blend all ingredients and chill. Serve garnished with blue cheese and drizzle with lemon balsamic vinegar.

Creamy Artichoke Soup
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Creamy Artichoke Soup

This taste-of-spring soup is made creamy with silken tofu instead of  heavy cream—I adapted this from a cooking light recipe. It was a bit bland so I added some lemon balsamic vinegar since I did not have any lemon juice on hand. I also want to try this with greek yogurt replacing the tofu.

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 (12-oz.) pkg. frozen artichoke hearts
  • 1 (16-oz.) pkg. silken tofu, drained
  • 1 cup frozen sweet peas
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon Juice or balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add stock and artichokes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until artichokes are very tender, about 5 minutes.

Place artichoke mixture, tofu, and peas in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure lid on blender, and place a clean towel over opening in lid. Process until smooth, about 45 seconds. Return mixture to saucepan; stir in milk lemon and salt, and pepper. Heat over medium until warmed through.

Shrimp Pho (faux) Noodle Soup
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Shrimp Pho (faux) Noodle Soup

This is “Faux” Pho – a faster, easier weeknight version that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen! Perfect for cold and rainy nights. This turns out different every time I make it, depending on the ingredients.

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Ingredients

8 oz rice noodles
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns or 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons ginger root minced
1/2 tablespoon chili garlic paste
1 onion, sliced thin
8 cups seafood stock or chicken broth
2 strips lemon peel (use carrot peeler)
2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 cups bok choy stem thinly sliced & leaves roughly chopped
1 lb shrimp raw

It is not traditional but a can of light coconut milk tastes really good in this!

Optional Garnishes
thinly sliced onion, slices jalapeno, cilantro, lime wedges, sriracha sauce, bean sprouts, Thai basil

Instructions

  1. Prepare rice noodles according to package directions and set aside.
  2. In a large soup pot, warm sesame oil over medium heat for 30-60 seconds until it starts to shimmer. Add ginger and chili garlic paste then stir for 30 seconds to release flavors.
  3. Add onion and cook until tender and translucent
  4. Stir in broth, lemon peel, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, hoisin, cinnamon and spices. Bring mixture to a boil then add shrimp and bok choy.
  5. Continue to simmer until shrimp turns bright pink and bok choy wilts – about 3-4 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt/pepper/soy if necessary.
  6. Add noodles (and coconut milk if using) to soup and serve immediately.
  7. Serve with optional garnishes.
Tortilla Soup
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Tortilla Soup

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There is nothing like a good pot of soup at the end of a cold and rainy day. This is perfect. You can add sour cream, avocado or tortilla chips.

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INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 ⁄ 2 medium red pepper
5 small boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 cups frozen corn
1 ⁄ 2 cup dry white wine or 1⁄2 cup water
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS

Sauté onion, garlic, pepper and red pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.
Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large pot and bring to a boil.
After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred.
Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.
Serve, topped with avocado and shredded cheese.

Creamy Broccoli Soup
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Creamy Broccoli Soup

I am on a soup roll, obviously. My husband likes his vegetables disguised and this did a great job. Broccoli is not his favorite but he loved this. I used an immersion blender but it is smoother if you use a food processor. Just depends on what texture you want. The cheese is optional.

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme and parsley
8 cups chopped broccoli (stems and florets)
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
½ cup whole or fat free milk (optional)
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the butter melts. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add carrot and herbs; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.

Stir in broccoli. Add broth; bring to a low boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook until very tender, about 15 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Stir in milk or half-and-half (if using), cheese (if using) and salt and pepper.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.