Posts tagged soup

Soup comforts the soul, chili feeds hungry tummys, warm food makes me forget how cold my apartment gets when it is windy in the winter. Jacki has been politely hint that I should make this because she loves the white bean chicken chili at Axel’s Bonfire. I haven’t had their’s before but I think this recipe is a serious knock-out!

White Bean Chicken Chili

(Revised from Giada De Laurentiis)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (12-ounce) bag of frozen corn
• 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or pulled
• salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste

Method:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for 30 seconds.

Add 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, and paprika. Stir with a wooden spoon to let the spices bloom, about 30 seconds. Add in the flour and stir, let cook for 1 minute.

Add the beans, corn and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with your wooden spoon.

Simmer for 30 minutes and add the chicken. Let simmer for 20-30 more minutes until the liquid has reduced and the chili has thickened. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. I added a large pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a small pinch of cayenne pepper. 

Jacki told me that she wouldn’t be mad if I made this every single week, and it is that freaking delicious! It warms the throat, the corn is sweet to the savory flavors, and the chicken is flavorful and tender. This chili is thick which is just the way I wanted it! Make this recipe and your family and friends will think you are ah-maz-ing!

This is my favorite of all the soups. I don’t know if I can explain it to you with justice, but if you have had a good one, you know. It’s the Mexican spices running through the broth which is slightly thickened from the tortilla chips. All the vegetables and juicy pieces of chicken giving it body and texture. And if it there happens to be cheese on or in it, need I say more?

Chicken Tortilla Soup

(Compiled from several recipes)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 2 jalapenos, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 6 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 (14-oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 2 cups leftover precooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 limes
• kosher salt and coarse black pepper, to taste
• Toppings: sliced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, lime, crushed tortilla chips

Method:

Ina large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic to the hot oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Sweat for about 5 minutes.

Add in the chili powder and cumin, stir in and let bloom for about 1 minute.

Add in the chicken stock, tomatoes and black beans. I did not drain the black beans because I wanted the liquid to help thicken the soup.

Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat.When you lower the heat, pour in the crushed tortilla chips. Simmer for 25-30 minutes. 

Add in the precooked chicken and frozen corn. Let the soup cook for 5-10 more minutes. Taste the soup to see if it needs more salt and pepper.

To serve, pour into a bowl. Top with slices of avocado, more crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and a squeeze of a lime wedge.

Curry is a generic term. It is like asking for a sandwich. There are so many different versions and varieties and styles of making it. For this dish I used green curry paste. It is an Asian curry and it has green chilies, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger, shallots, salt, spices and kaffir lime leaf. It wasn’t spicy, it just warmed the throat and gave the soup great flavor. 

This recipe was very quick and simple for a beginner. Starting with onions and curry paste.

Add in chicken broth, tomatoes, agave syrup and lime juice.

Simmer and add the shrimp and peas.

Remove from the heat and add the yogurt. Many times, curry is made with coconut milk giving it a silky texture but adding lots of fat and calories, so Rocco uses Greek yogurt to make it healthier. If you use fat free yogurt, this soup has ZERO grams of fat. 

You can top it with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley.

(Yellow Curry Shrimp and Green Pea Soup from Now Eat This Diet by Rocco DiSpirito page 162)

This is one of the recipes that I dared myself to try. I have never eaten kale and don’t often choose many foods with beans. Broth based soups are great for diets and weight loss because the broth is typically low in calories and makes you feel full. The beans in the soup will give you the protein you need and with only 230 calories, you could have two bowls… but you may not want to.

My only substitution was dried rosemary for fresh because my grocery store was out. It is a very simple and quick recipe for a soup. I personally did not care for this soup. I think it was slightly bland and I added quite a bit of salt, pepper and grated cheese. I felt like a cow munching on grass trying to eat the kale. I really wanted to enjoy this soup and tried to finish my bowl.

If you have the book, I want others to try this recipe and tell me if you liked your or if maybe I did something wrong. I probably won’t attempt to make this again but at least I conquered my fears of kale and beans.

The thing that I do love about this cookbook is that EVERY single recipe has a picture with it. I like being able to see what a recipe looks like because I want to be sure when I create the recipe and it turns out right. 

(White Bean and Kale Soup with Rosemary and  Parmigiano-Reggiano from Now Eat This Diet by Rocco DiSpirito page 152)