Beet and Fennel Soup

INGREDIENTS

1teaspoon canola oil
5 beets, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 fennel bulbs, cored, stems removed, and chopped
8 ounces onions, diced (about 1 large onion)
2 ounces carrots, diced (about 1 small carrot)
2 ounces celery, diced (about 1 large celery stalk)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
5 to 6 cups chicken stock (low-fat and low-sodium)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add the beets, fennel, ginger, stock, orange juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Using a blender, puree the soup adding enough stock to obtain the right consistency. Season to taste and
refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

The soup may be refrigerated up to 5 days.
The soup may be frozen up to 1 month.

4 Servings

FRENCH ONION SOUP

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 cans 14.5 oz each beef broth
1/4 cup sherry or red wine
Six 1/2 inch thick slices French bread, cut on a slight diagonal
1/4 pound Gruyere or Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a pot. Add onions and stir to coat with butter. Cover cook 15 minutes or until onions are very soft and begin to turn golden brown. Uncover and increase heat. Stir in sugar. Cook uncovered 7 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, wine and 1 cup water. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.

Heat broiler. Spread bread slices onto a baking sheet, toast under broiler 2 minutes per side or use a toaster. Set aside. Place six oven proof bowls or crocks onto baking sheet. Divide soup among bowls.

Thinly slice pieces of cheese. Place slice of toast on each serving of soup, top with cheese. Heat under broiler 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and serve warm. MAKES 6 SERVINGS.

Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 can vegetable broth and 1 can water
1/2 a medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 green, yellow, or red pepper, diced
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 can black, pinto, or mixed chili beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup brown rice
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

Simmer the onion, pepper, garlic, rice, corn, and half of the cilantro in the broth and water for about 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the tomatoes and beans. When the tomatoes are just cooked, remove from the heat and add the rest of the cilantro and lime juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over crumbled tortilla chips.

Summer Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 17-oz. pkg. refrigerated cooked beef roast
1  8-oz. pkg. peeled baby carrots, sliced
3-1/2  cups water
1/2  of a 16-oz. pkg. refrigerated rosemary-and-roasted garlic-seasoned, diced red-skinned potatoes
1 14.5-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic
2  Tbsp. snipped fresh oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour juices from beef roast into large saucepan; set meat aside. Add carrots and 1 cup water to saucepan; bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 3 minutes. Add remaining water, potatoes, tomatoes ,and 1 tablespoon oregano. Return to boiling; cover. Simmer 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Break beef into bite-size pieces and add to stew; heat through. Season with salt.

4 Servings

Source: Better Homes and Garden

CORN CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS

8 medium ears of corn
4 slices thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 medium red skin potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp. minced thyme
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cut kernels from 4 ears of corn, set aside. Working over a bowl, grate remaining 4 ears of corn on the large holes of a box grater. Scrape pulp from cobs, set aside.

In a pot, cook bacon 6 min. or until crisp. Remove, drain on paper towel lined plate. Add onion to pot and cook 4 min. or until golden brown. Add garlic and cook 1 min. Add flour and stir 2 min.
Whisk in broth. Add potatoes, thyme, milk and grated corn and pulp. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 min. or until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes 5 times. Stir in bacon.

Add whole corn kernels and cream and cook an additional 5 min. or until corn is tender. Stir in salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into bowls. Top each serving with a little cheese. MAKES 6 SERVINGS.

Crockpot Four Bean Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 cup Pinto beans
1/2 cup Northern beans
1/2 cup Kidney beans
1/2 cup Red lentils
5 cup Water
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Celery seed
1 tsp Dill weed
2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1 Knorr Vegetarian Bullion Cube
2 cup Cubed potatoes and Carrots

DIRECTIONS

Saute onion, garlic in oil along with paprika.
Put all ingredients in crockpot, and simmer on high for about 4 hours.

Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 pound lean beef, cut 1/2 inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 stalks celery, cut diagonal slices
4 carrots, cut in halves lengthwise & crosswise
2 medium onions, cut in 1/2″ slices
1 10 1/2 ounce can condensed tomato soup
1/2 soup can water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

DIRECTIONS

Place beef in 3 qt casserole. Sprinkle with salt,basil, and pepper. Top with celery, carrots, and onions. Combine soup, and water. Pour over meat and vegetables, coating all pieces. Cover tightly and bake in slow oven (300 degrees F.) for 3 hours. Add potatoes and bake an additional 45 minutes.

Serves 4.

Source: RECIPE DU JOUR

Crockpot Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 cup brown rice
1 cup lentils
2 onions chopped
1 lb. carrots chopped
2 stock cubes
1 tsp salt
2 green or red peppers chopped
2 tsp. dried basil
chopped cilantro to taste
9 cups water

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients in a Crockpot and cook for 7-8 hours.

Vegetable Salsa Soup

INGREDIENTS

6 cans chicken broth (14 1/2 oz)
1 jar medium salsa (16 oz)
2 cups chopped carrot
2 cups celery, chopped
1 cups frozen mixed vegetables

DIRECTIONS

In a pot over medium high heat, combine the broth, salsa, carrots, celery and mixed vegetables. Simmer together for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Makes 12 servings

Tortilla Soup

INGREDIENTS

1 large red bell pepper
1 large onion
5 to 7 medium tomatoes
5 medium cloves garlic, skins on
2 Chipotle chiles (canned or otherwise)
3 pounds chicken meat, cut into bite-sized strips
4 cans chicken broth
8 Cups water
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 pounds Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
Salt, to taste
fresh cilantro, washed and chopped (for garnish)
several serrano chiles, sliced (for garnish)
several fresh limes, halved or cut into wedges (for garnish)
crispy tortilla strips or chips (for garnish)
optional garnish: fresh chopped avocado
optional garnish: dairy cream of your choice

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly oil the bottom of a roasting pan or casserole dish. Place the whole bell peppers, Roma tomatoes,and garlic cloves in the dish. Halve the onions, removing the skin,and place them in the dish. Roast in oven for 30 minutes, or until the bell peppers are lightly browned. Increase temperature to400 degrees, and roast for about 15 more minutes. Turn the oven off, remove the dish and allow the vegetables to cool enough to handle, about 15 or 20 minutes. Using a paring knife, remove the stems and seeds from the bell pepper. Remove the stems from the tomatoes, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, and place all of the roasted vegetables into a blender, with some of the chicken broth. Put the Chipotle chiles in the blender, too. Use some chicken broth to deglaze the roasting dish (let it soak for a few minutes and get the caramelized juices off of the bottom,) then pour that into the blender. Add more chicken broth,
if necessary, to help everything blend. Blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture into a pot. Add the water, any remaining chicken broth, the chicken meat, oregano, black pepper, and cumin. Stir. Cover and place on Medium heat until it starts boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt to taste. Serve hot in large soup bowls. Garnish
with cilantro, sliced serrano chile, lime juice, shredded cheese, and crispy tortilla strips (or chips,) as desired. Any or all of the garnishes may be omitted.