Chicken & Sweet Potato Chowder

After our daughters were born, one of Anand's coworkers (and fishing buddy) and his wife made some soups for us. What a wonderful surprise-thank you Tom & Julie! This soup was so yummy I knew it would become a favorite of ours. Well, after a year and a half, I finally made it and let me tell you-it was definitely worth the wait! I can also tell you it won't be another year and a half until it's made again-I plan on making this one often! It literally tastes like "Thanksgiving in a Spoon"! I'm not usually a sweet potato fan, but this soup may have changed my mind!

Chicken & Sweet Potato Chowder

Ingredients:
2 T Butter
1 Lb. Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts & Thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces (I used breasts because that is what I had)
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
3 Medium Leeks, white & light green part only, thinly sliced (I used 4)
2 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch dice (I used 3)
3 C Chicken Stock (I used about 5 cups since I added more potatoes & leeks)
2 T Sliced Fresh Sage (I used 1 tsp. dried thyme since I couldn't find the sage)
1 T Parsley, minced
1 Bay Leaf
Salt & Pepper
1 C Whole Milk

Directions:
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add chicken & cook over moderately high heat, stirring,until golden brown-about 2 minutes. Transfer to plate. Add onion and all but 1 T of the leeks & cook, stirring often, until softened-about 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes & cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add stock, 1 T sage, parsley, bay leaf, salt, & pepper and bring to boil. Cover & simmer over moderately low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1-1/2 C sweet potatoes to food processor, puree until smooth. Return the puree to saucepan. Stir in milk, season with salt & pepper. Simmer the chowder for 3 minutes, then discard the bay leaf. Serve chowder, hot, garnished with remaining leeks & sage. Enjoy!

Creamy Red Potato Soup

I had some red potatoes and some half & half that I wanted to use up, so I decided to make a creamy potato soup...and it was DELICIOUS! I made my own recipe too, so was super impressed! This made a huge pot and I can imagine the leftovers will taste even better.

I added the following to a large dutch oven: 8 red potatoes, washed & diced (I left the skins on), 1 large diced onion, 1 stick butter, 4 Cans Chicken Broth, Salt, Pepper, Minced Onion (dried), and Minced Garlic (dried). Cover and bring to a boil and continue to boil for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Add 2 Cups Half & Half, 4 Cups Milk and 1 Cup Frozen Corn-simmer on low until warm. I used a potato masher and partially mashed the potatoes-just to give a nice creamy consistency.

While the soup was cooking, I cooked 8 slices of bacon for garnish.

Ladle into bowls-top with bacon bits & shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Black Bean & Salsa Soup With Cheddar & Garlic Biscuits

Tonight, I wanted something quick & easy (and meatless) for dinner. I came upon this soup recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and made a couple of adjustments. Then, I decided we needed something to go with it, so I went to my trusty old Betty Crocker cookbook and found a biscuit recipe that sounded fabulous. Unfortunately it called for a couple ingredients I didn't have on hand (Bisquick & shortening) so I found a different biscuit recipe and combined the two.

The soup was wonderful (and very budget-friendly)! It had just the right flavor combination. The biscuits were such a great compliment to the soup. These are recipes we will definitely have again!

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2-15 oz. Cans Black Beans, drained & rinsed

2 Cups Broth (either Vegetable or Chicken)

1 Cup Chunky Salsa

1 tsp. Ground Cumin (I used cumin seeds and ground it with a mortar & pestle)

Directions:

In a blender, combine beans, broth, salsa, and cumin. Blend until fairly smooth. Heat the mixture in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, green onions and shredded cheddar cheese.

Garlic & Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour

1 T Sugar

3 tsp. Salt

1 Stick Butter

1 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Garlic Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix ingredients (except garlic salt) in KitchenAid Mixer (or by hand). Drop spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet (I used a parchment lined sheet for easy clean-up). Sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Long Time, No Blog!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

I found this recipe on www.sparkpeople.com and thought it would be perfect since I'm trying to clean out the pantry & freezer. They are both so full that I honestly don't even remember what we have! I did remember, however, that we had a package of tortellini in the freezer so thought this would be a great use for it. It was DELICIOUS! My husband ate 2 full bowls. It was really easy to make and made a huge pot (I did tweak the recipe a bit).

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T Olive Oil

3 Chicken Breasts, Cubed

1 Pkg. Four Cheese Tricolor Tortellini

6 Cups (3-14 oz. cans) Chicken Broth

1 14.5 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes

3 Cups Baby Spinach

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil (I used 2 frozen basil cubes from Trader Joe's)

1 Can Garbanzo Beans

Directions:

Saute onions, garlic, and chicken in olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot until chicken is no longer pink. Add broth and bring to a boil-cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add tortellini and cook approximately 10 minutes or until al dente. Add tomatoes, spinach, beans, and basil and cook over medium heat until spinach is wilted. Enjoy!