• 10Feb

    Pinto Bean Soup

    One of my favorite things about wintertime is a large pot of homemade soup simmering on the stovetop. Something that can’t be done as comfortably in the summer months.

    And one of my favorite homemade soups is the simplest of all bean soups made with pinto beans simmered in homemade chicken broth, add a little salt and some fresh ground pepper … and there you have it. The best of all simplest meals.

    pinto bean soup

    Ingredients:

    1 lb pinto beans

    6-8 cups chicken broth

    Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

    Instructions:

    1. Rinse beans; soak overnight in water in large pot (this is an important step).

    2. Drain and rinse beans. Place back in large pot. Cover with chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil.

    3. Let beans simmer until tender – 1 1/2 to 2 hours – adding more broth as needed.

    4. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

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  • 01Apr

    White Bean Soup

    On this beautiful first day of April with snowflakes swirling outside and a fire burning cheerily indoors, homemade bean soup calls to me. I tasted a really good white bean soup at a deli in town where they use a little added ham for flavor. I thought I’d experiment to see if I could come close to it.

    It’s important to first soak the beans overnight (rinse them in a colander, place in a large pot and cover with water).

    Ingredients:

    2 cups small white beans, rinsed and soaked overnight, then drained
    10 cups water
    3 Tbsp vegetarian “Better than Bouillon”
    3 Tbsp olive oil
    1 lg white onion, chopped
    3 carrots, finely chopped
    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    1 cup cooked ham cubes
    3 green onions, chopped

    Directions:

    1. In a large pot over high heat, bring beans, bouillon and the 10 cups of water to a boil.

    (Here’s what “Better than Bouillon” looks like.)

    2. Reduce heat; let beans simmer, uncovered.

    3. Meanwhile, prepare onion, carrots and garlic.

    4. In a large pan, cook veggies in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 10-12 minutes.

    5. Add cooked vegetables to beans. Continue simmering until beans are tender, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Difference in altitude and hardness of water may cause the time to vary.)

    6. Ladel one-third of the bean soup into a blender and process until smooth.

    7. Add the blended soup back to the pot. Turn to medium heat; stir in ham and green onion and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes.

    Makes 8 servings.

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  • 03Jul

    Butternut Squash Soup

    This recipe is probably more appropriate for posting in the fall – considering the weather and the fall produce – but I just got braces on my teeth a couple days ago, which was all the excuse I needed to make a pot of this smooth soup for lunches this coming week.

    It’s an easy soup to make. In fact, the most difficult thing about the recipe is cutting the raw butternut squash in half.

    Ingredients:

    1 3-lb butternut squash
    3 Tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
    1 medium onion, chopped (I’ve also used 6-7 green onions, chopped)
    1 tsp curry powder
    1 tsp salt
    2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
    1 12-oz can evaporated milk

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Cut squash in half length-wise. Remove seeds. Rub with a small amount of olive oil and place face down on foil-lined baking sheet.

    2. Roast for 35-40 minutes, until fork tender. When cool, scrape squash from skin.

    3. Meanwhile, melt butter substitute over medium-high heat and add chopped onions, curry and salt. Saute’ 5-6 minutes until onion is soft.

    4. In a soup pot, combine broth, onion and squash. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

    5. Remove from heat and stir in evaporated milk.

    6. In a blender, puree the soup – 1/2 at a time. Return to soup pot and heat thoroughly before serving.

    Makes about 6-7 cups. Recipe can be doubled.

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  • 05Feb

    Three-Bean Soup

    One of the things I love about winter is all the really great food that goes with gray skies and falling snow. This recipe is one of them – hearty and easy to throw together (I like to use homemade pinto beans in place of the canned variety … but canned works). I made today’s soup with ground elk, but you can use ground turkey or venison, or leftover chicken … or go vegetarian style. It’s all good.

    Ingredients:

    1 lb. ground turkey, venison or elk
    1 (15-oz) can light red kidney beans
    1 (15-oz) can black beans
    2 (15-oz) cans pinto beans
    1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
    1 (15-oz) can corn
    2 cups chicken broth
    1 Tbsp olive oil
    1/2 red bell pepper, diced
    1/2 green bell pepper, diced
    1 small white onion, diced
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    4 green onions, sliced
    8-9 green olives, sliced
    1 Tbsp chili powder
    1 tsp curry
    1/2 tsp paprika
    1 tsp garlic salt

    Optional garnishes:
    Avocado, sliced
    Cheddar cheese, grated
    Cilantro

    Directions:

    1. Rinse beans in cold water in a colander. Let them drain well.

    2. Combine beans, tomatoes, corn and broth in a large pot over medium-high heat.

    3. Meanwhile, prepare vegetables. Set green onions and olives aside.

    4. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Saute’ prepared vegetables until tender, 5-6 minutes. Add to soup pot.

    5. Brown the meat; drain, if necessary, and add to soup pot (I used ground elk in today’s soup).

    6. Reduce heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes (can be simmered for a longer period of time, but you may need to add more liquid).

    7. Just before serving, stir in the sliced green onions and olives until heated through.

    8. Garnish each bowl of soup with avocado slices, cilantro and a small amount of grated cheese. Feeds 6-8 hungry people. Delicious with side of Pumpkin Cornbread.

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  • 16Jan

    Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup

    As mentioned in my previous post, I boiled the carcass of the Mandarin Ginger Roasted Chicken, not sure if it would make good soup stock with its blend of ginger, cinnamon and mandarin rinds. Turns out, it’s excellent … and as you can see from the photos, very dark in color.

    The beauty of this homemade soup is, you create it exactly how your family likes it. Make it thin and brothy, or chock full of vegetables (try broccoli and zucchini in addition to the celery, carrots, onion and parsley) .. or substitute your favorite pasta. Most importantly, have fun experimenting.

    Ingredients:

    4 cups chicken broth (boiling the carcass produced approx 2 cups of broth; I had additional broth in the fridge)
    3 lg stalks celery, thinly sliced
    2-3 lg carrots, thinly sliced
    6-7 green onions, sliced
    3-4 oz whole wheat linguine
    1-2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
    1 cup chopped fresh parsley

    Directions:

    1. Place broth, celery, carrots and onions in a soup pot.

    2. Bring to a gentle rolling boil; cook for approximately 6-7 minutes (vegetables will still be crisp).

    3. Break linguine into thirds. (We’ve gotten used to whole wheat pasta and it’s really quite good.)

    4. Add linguine to pot. Gently boil until pasta is tender, an additional 7-9 minutes.

    5. Stir in chicken and parsley; simmer until heated through. Do not overcook.

    Makes enough for 4 servings. We had banana nut bread and fresh pears with our soup – and hubby had seconds, which is always a good sign.

    Filed under: Chicken Noodle Vegetable Soup, Soups and Sauces
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