Zucchini Soup

Okay, so I admit that I am my mother's child and I could eat soup 5 or 6 nights a week and never tire of it. This recipe is great for those cooler summer nights and a great way to use up those 10lb zucchini that hide in your vegetable garden. The original recipe is Karen Bishop's, but since I'm my mother's child, I have made a few changes/adaptations. My additions will be in (parenthesis).

Zucchini Soup
-a small batch, but you get the idea for ratios-

1.5 c zucchini, chopped
1.5 c chicken broth
(1onion, or some leeks, chopped)
dash nutmeg
2T butter
2T flour
1 c milk

(slightly saute onion and zucchini in soup pot)
Cook zucchini in chicken broth until soft
Add a dash of nutmeg
Slightly cool then blend until smooth with immersion blender or in small batches in your regular blender.
Pour into large bowl, set aside

In same pot melt butter. Whisk in flour until thick. Slowly add milk, whisking until it's all incorporated and not lumpy. Add zucchini mixture back into pot and stir together with milk mixture. Heat thoroughly, add salt & pepper to taste.

I serve this with homemade croutons and sometimes some shredded cheese. It would also be great with grilled cheese sandwiches or chicken salad sandwiches.

Moroccan Beef Stew

I made this the other night and it was a hit. It was fun to play with different flavors for a change without being too drastic. It's super easy and could be made vegetarian (as if you would want that!) I served it over couscous and it was deeee-licious.

Moroccan Beef Stew (serves 4 but could easily be added to to feed more)

1T oil
1 1/4 lb beef steak cut into stew sized cubes
1 c chopped yellow onion
2 carrots chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
2t paprika
2t cumin
2t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c beef broth
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained (if vegetarian, add another can)
1 c pitted kalamata olives, drained and halved (i use black olives b/c dylan doesn't like any other kind)
1/2 c raisens (golden or regular)
1/4 c chopped cilantro

1. heat oil over med-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned on all sides. You may need to do this in batches so it browns, not boils (i speak from expecience here!). Remove beef from pan and set aside.

2. add onion, carrots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add spices and cook for 1 minute. Return beef to pan and add broth, chickpeas, olives and raisins. Bring to simmer then reduce heat to med-low and continue to simmer until beef is cooked through (5 min or so). Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and serve over cous cous.

3. i used a carton of beef broth and since i only used just over half of it for the stew, i used the remainder in my couscous to make it extra flavorful.

Tuscan White-Bean Stew

I hear there's no copyright laws I'm violating by posting a recipe from Cookie Magazine, so here it goes.... it comes from a section in the October edition entitled "peasant food."

Tuscan Ribollita
Serves 6 | 20 minutes active time | 1 1/2 hours total

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 ounces pancetta or ham, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3 15-ounce cans cannellini or great northern beans,
  drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bunch kale, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
• Grated Parmesan

1. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté the first five ingredients in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes and their juices, along with the beans, broth, and rosemary. Simmer, covered, until the beans break apart, about an hour.
3. Add the kale and cook for 5 to 7 minutes more. Stir in the bread crumbs and serve, drizzled with the remaining olive oil and sprinkled with the cheese.

TIP: If you don't have a Dutch oven, use a shallow metal baking pan covered with foil.

My customizations to this recipe are that I used prosciutto once and normal ham another time. I also recommend doubling the carrots and celery. After you serve the soup (it's very thick) in bowls is when you drizzle on the olive oil. It makes for great dipping if you also have a baguette. Oh yeah, and it doesn't really serve six. I doubled the recipe and it served 5 adults and 4 kids.

Rio Grande Black Bean Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
28 oz. whole tomatoes, with their liquid
15 oz. tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 dash ground cloves or cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Marsala wine, or 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice or quinoa
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, for serving (optional)
1 cup nonfat or low fat sour cream, for serving (optional)
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cloves or cinnamon and wine or vinegar. Bring it to a low boil and simmer it for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the rice or quinoa, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Test the rice to make sure it is tender, and serve it topped with cheese and sour cream, if desired.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Double the chili powder or use chipotle or hot Mexican style chili powder. Serve the stew with hot sauce.
Tip: Quick-cooking brown rice is a great way to get whole grains in your family's weeknight meals. Another quick-cooking whole grain alternative is quinoa, which has a light flavor and texture and is a great addition to stews.


* After I made this I was thinking you could add a lot more veggies to it- red pepper, corn etc

(Salmon) Corn Chowder

Joy and I made this for our mom's birthday dinner. We used fresh Salmon instead of the canned that the recipe called for. I'm sure it would be delicious without the fish also. The soup was hearty and a big hit and most of the ingredients are pantry staples. Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Salmon Chowder, serves 8, ready in about 45 minutes
3 T butter
3/4 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1 t garlic powder
2 c diced potatoes
2 carrots, diced
2 c chicken broth
1 t salt & pepper
1 t dried dill weed
2 cans salmon (we used approx. 1 lb fresh salmon, cut into small cubes)
1 can evaporated milk
1 can creamed corn
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, shredded

1. melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery and garlic powder until onions are tender. Stir in potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper and dill. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
2. stir in salmon, evaporated milk, corn and cheese. Cook until heated through.
3. ours didn't seem very thick when we were done, so I added in some dissolved corn starch and it helped thicken it right up

Notes: this soup didn't taste "fishy" at all. The salmon flavor didn't really meld into the soup so when you had a bite of soup, if you didn't get a salmon piece, you might not even know that it was fish chowder at all. If you want it to be more fish flavored, you could add fish stock or clam juice instead of the chicken broth. Also, if you used the canned salmon and didn't drain the liquid out, it would add a little more of that flavor.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup shredded or cubed chicken
1 jar of salsa
1 can of black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
*1 cup cooked brown rice optional
*1 can diced tomatoes optional
tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, avocado for garnish

In large pot, brown corn over medium heat (5 minutes).
Once corn is browned, add other ingredients and simmer 20+ minutes. Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream and avocado.

Notes: We eat this soup A LOT. It can be spicy or mild depending on the salsa that you use. We use a southwestern salsa that is kinda sweet and has corn in it.