White Chili

So, I'm a soup fanatic. It's the meal I make the most. So, here's another soup idea!
I wanted to make creamy soup, but use up some fresh vegetables, so I made traditional white chili with some additions.

Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 chicken breast
2 pealed carrots
1 stalk celery
1/2 yellow onion
1 can white beans rinsed and drained
1/2 can green chiles (or a splash or red Thai chile sauce, which is what I had on hand)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup yogurt or milk
Fresh chopped cilantro to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken, carrots, and celery and saute until there is no pink in the middle of the pieces and the vegetables are soft. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes; add the garlic, green chiles/chile sauce, cumin, Italian Seasoning and some salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the broth. Next add the beans and cilantro. Simmer on low for 20 minutes; taste during this time and add more spices as desired. Stir in yogurt and heat for several more minutes and then garnish with shredded cheese and cilantro and enjoy!

Tomato Soup with Cilantro

Quick and easy!

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup milk
1 clove minced garlic
1 small onion chopped
A dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or just basil)
Fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions
In a medium pot, saute butter with garlic and onion until tender. Add soup, milk, and all spices except cilantro. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly. Simmer 3 minutes, then add as much cilantro as desired. Take off heat and serve.

Southwest Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
1 can black-eyed peas with bacon
1/2 c yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1/2 c chopped carrots
1-2 chopped red potatoes
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp season salt
chopped cilantro
1 c beef broth (add more to increase broth amount)

Instructions
Put beef broth in a medium pot with carrots, celery, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
Spray a small saute pan with cooking spray and saute onions with garlic until tender.
Add to soup pot with black-eyed peas, season salt, and black pepper and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are soft. Stir in cilantro and enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

I found this recipe in the Weight Watchers cookbook. They use only core, fresh ingredients to make healthy and great tasting meals.
This recipe is for 8 servings, so I cut it down and I tailored it to the ingredients I had.


Ingredients
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves minced (I use the Spice World jar of minced garlic)
1- 1 1/2 cans(s) black beans, undrained (eyeball how much you need depending on how thick you want the soup. See Note below)
1 C chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 C salsa 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
1-1/2 can corn depending on how much you like
Cilantro (optional)

Note: If you didn't have any onions, you could double the salsa amount. Also: You should puree some of the beans to thicken the texture naturally without milk or cornstarch before cooking. I pureed all of mine to make it thick and creamy.

Instructions
Spray bottom of a cooking pot and saute onion and garlic on medium heat until onions are soft, but not brown. (about 5 min)
Puree either half or all the beans in a blender or Magic Bullet with onion mixture, cumin, and red pepper.
Add to the pot with whole beans (if you saved any), salsa, broth, and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium again and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Quick Creamy Broccoli Soup

My roommate and I made this soup from her Magic Bullet recipe book, but we tweaked it slightly.

(For one person)



Ingredients
1 cup frozen broccoli florettes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup milk (we used a little evaporated milk to make it extra creamy)
salt and pepper to taste
Extra: one American single or 1/4 C shredded cheddar mixed with a little shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions
Microwave broccoli, garlic, chicken broth, and cheese until broccoli is soft and cheese is melted-- about 2-3 minutes.
Add milk and blend until smooth.
Then put in bowl and microwave until desired temperature. Add salt and pepper.

(If you don't have a magic bullet, this recipe could be tweaked by putting broccoli in a food processor or regular blender before microwaving with other ingredients.)

Bread for dipping:

Ingredients
cookie sheet
2-3 pieces sandwich bread
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (or basil and oregano)
shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions
Set oven to broil on high.
Cut bread into small squares.
Mix spices with oil in a small bowl.
Brush or sprinkle mixture on top of the bread pieces.
Sprinkle cheese on top of each piece.
Place on cookie sheet and broil for several minutes until the tops of the pieces are browned/toasted.

Dip into the soup and enjoy!

Thai Cocunut Soup

This soup is a combination of two different recipes I've found -- I also tweaked and added some things. It's geared to one or two people, but you can double it to feed more. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1-2 chicken breasts chopped
2 large sweet potatoes chopped
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 tablespoon Thai seasoning
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped red or orange bell pepper
1 can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (You can add more broth or more water if necessary)
1 teaspoon fish sauce (If you don’t have any, just use soy sauce for both)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (13.5-ounce) can light or regular coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

I mixed together my own Thai spices
chili pepper, cardamom, coriander, red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, lemon peel, onion powder, jalapeno salt/seasoning, cayenne pepper, and sesame Seeds.

Note: I just eye-balled the amount of each, but I would recommend using larger portions of chili pepper, garlic, coriander and onion and then a little lesser of cumin, sesame, red pepper flakes, and jalapeno seasoning. Put the least amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, cayenne, and cardamom.

Instructions
Mix Thai spices in a bowl or bag with the chopped chicken
Spray the bottom of a large cooking pot and add chicken. Sauté until cooked through and then set aside.
In the same pot, add chopped sweet potatoes, ginger, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft and mushy and the broth is reduced slightly (about 10 minutes).
Transfer into a blender or magic bullet and puree mixture. Set aside.
Spray bottom of pan again and add chopped bell pepper. Sauté 2 minutes. Add puree, reserved chicken, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Simmer for several minutes and then add coconut milk. Cook about 2 minutes or until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro.