SOUPS Love them when the weather starts to be cool in the evening! Through the years I have changed up a couple to make them more calorie friendly or start with fresh chicken stock. That is one thing about soups, you can add and remove to suit what your family likes. But here is a WARNING; Watch your salt. With soups you can get carried away with it. Taste as you add ingredients.
Creamy Potato Cheese Soup; Chili Soup; Irish Stone Soup; Split Pea Soup with Ham
First one up is a Slow-Cooker Soup. You can start this the night before in the pot and before work poop it on.
Creamy Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup
Prep Time: 30 Minutes; Cook Time: 5 Hours; Servings: 18
4 slices bacon, cooked and drained, crumbled
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ teaspoon Celery Salt
1 minced garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half n half
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 -6 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 bay leaf
8 oz. Sour Cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Cook bacon until crisp in a large saucepan over medium
heat. Remove and drain bacon and save. Cook onion in bacon oil until
translucent. Stir in flour until smooth, and then gradually stir in chicken
broth, celery salt, garlic, salt, and pepper. Heat through, and then stir in
half n half and cream of mushroom soup.
Place potatoes in slow cooker, and pour heated mixture
into potatoes. Place bay leaf in pot.
Cover, and cook 5 hours on High, or 8 hours on Low. (This is what I do.) Remove bay leaf.
Use your potato masher and mash; be careful soup is hot in the slow cooker.
Whisk in cheese, sour cream and bacon until cheese is melted.
Second is one of those lower calorie soups, Chili Soup w/ Veggies no meat. But you can add 1 pound of ground turkey, browned.
CHILI SOUP
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
3 cups diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions:
Blend sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup diced tomatoes until
smooth, set aside. In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add onion and
cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in jalapeño, celery, peppers, and
zucchini and cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add blended
tomatoes, remaining diced tomatoes, beans, and water. Season with chili powder,
cumin, salt, and black pepper and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
Third is a tradition we like to do around March 17th with family and friends. You can have lots of fun with this one. Google the Irish folk story of the "Stone Soup".
Irish STONE SOUP
1 River Stone, cleaned (no limestone)optional but fun
1 pound of beef, roast is best
1 pound of beef sausage, cubed
1 pound of new potatoes, cubed
1 pound of frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of Black Beans, drained and rinse
1 cup onion, chopped
1 envelope Onion Lipton soup
2 cups of cabbage, chopped fine
1 bottle of Ale beer
1 can of chopped roasted tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoon Beef bouillon
5 cups of water
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon Paprika
Cook roast in oven wrapped in foil. 350* for one hour.
Take river stone, wash with soap and rinse, add to a
large cauldron.
In a large cauldron add onion and onion soup, tomato,
garlic, bouillon, thyme and paprika (No heat yet).
Let roast cool trim all fat and cut meat into cubes.
In large cauldron add potatoes to mixed spices add water
and salt and pepper. Cook on medium low, 30 minutes.
Add vegetables, beans, sausage and roast. Stir in beer and cabbage and cook 30 more
minutes. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper. Potatoes fork tender.
Serve with biscuits.
Fourth soup is so good during the Christmas Holiday's with left-over Ham. Don't snarl at it because it says pea's, try it!!
Split Pea Soup with Ham
1 tablespoon
olive oil
1 chopped
medium onion
4 carrots,
thinly sliced
3 celery
stalks, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon
dried thyme leaves
Coarse salt and
ground pepper
1 can (14.5
ounces) chicken broth
1 bag (16
ounces) green split peas, picked over and rinsed
Ham bone plus 2
cups reserved ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons
butter
4 slices
whole-wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 tablespoons
fresh lemon juice
In a Dutch oven
or 5-quart heavy pot with a lid, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots,
celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to
soften, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add broth,
split peas, ham bone, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to
medium-low, and partially cover; simmer until peas are soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, make
croutons: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread and cook,
tossing occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a
paper-towel-lined plate.
Remove and
discard bone from soup. Working in batches, puree only 1/2 the soup in a
blender (don't overfill); return to pot. Add ham cubes, and simmer until heated
through. If necessary, thin with water. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to
taste. Serve topped with croutons.
It all starts with Breakfast; 
