Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup

The one thing that doesn’t bum me out about the weather turning colder is that it’s officially soup season.  I can live off of chicken soup, but I have been trying recipes for other kinds to shake things up.  For the past couple days, I have had a craving for some kind of soup with little bits of crumbled sausage.  I don’t know where I had it, but I just kept thinking about it; went on Pinterest and found this recipe.  While I waited for Jim to get home, I took a little sample without the spinach and cream, and it’s REALLY good even without it.  Definitely a fabulous soup to warm your belly and your soul as the nights get colder!

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. Italian sausage, casing removed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. dried basil
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• (3) 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb. red potatoes, diced
• ½ package of frozen cut spinach, defrosted
• ¼ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat, if any.
3. Stir in garlic, onion, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes.
4. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Stir in chicken broth and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
6. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Stir in spinach, about 1-2 minutes.
8. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute
9. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
10. Serve immediately.

Modifications

• Original recipe called for spicy sausage – me and spicy is a hot night… my husband and spicy, not so much.  I went with regular Italian sausage (I won’t admit to the fact that the grocery store didn’t have it in stock anyway… really, I did it for my husband… I swear… oh, I did include the crushed red pepper.  I needed a LITTLE summin, and I actually thought it had a nice heat just as it was).
• The original recipe also called for 5 cups of chicken broth.  I had 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth and just used three, since I didn’t want to deal with measuring and saving anything over.  It doesn’t hurt anything.
• I also used regular potatoes and left the skins on… can’t tell the difference.
• I didn’t have fresh baby spinach, so I just used ½ a package of defrosted cut spinach.
• As I mentioned above, I took a small bowl tasting while I waited for my husband to come home.  I was waiting to add the spinach and cream since it says to serve immediately, and it tasted great without it, if you didn’t want to add the calories from the cream (according to the blog that I found this recipe, it’s only 330 calories per serving anyway).
• Personally, I didn’t think it needed any salt and pepper.

Adapted from the Damn Delicious blog

White Chicken/Turkey Chili

This winter just will not end… after a week of Jimmy and Catherine both being sick, I have been on pins and needles as I do whatever I can to ward it off.  Between Vitamin C and Zinc, after another cold day, I figured we needed a good hearty soup.  I looked on Pinterest for an idea of what I could do with the leftover rotisserie turkey that we had had the night before and I found this recipe.  Jimmy, not being a super spicy fan, actually said that this was an awesome dinner – it gave some spice but more in a throat warming kind of way, then in a mouth-on-fire way.  Turns out, nutritionally, other than the sodium, it’s really good for you too!  Can’t wait to have more for lunch with the leftovers!

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, shredded
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 2 oz. canned jalapenos, diced (with juice)
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 1 box (32 oz.) chicken broth
• 4 oz. chicken or turkey stock
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice (about half of 1 lime)
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• Kosher salt (to taste)
• Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot, sauté the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.
2. Once the onion is done, add chicken/turkey, beans, corn, canned jalapenos (with juice from can), and cumin to the large pot.
3. Stir to combine all of the ingredients and then add the chicken broth and stock.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to allow the broth to reduce.
5. Add salt and pepper (to taste) and juice from a half of lime.
6. Add ½ cup of chopped cilantro if you desire.
7. Leave simmering on stove until ready to serve.
8. Serve with sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded pepper jack cheese, avocado or tortilla chips. 

Makes (7) 1-Cup Servings

Nutritional Information:

Lasagna Soup

I have no idea what it is – the cold weather, the desire to make new foods, the fun of sharing with others, but whatever it is, I’m loving finding recipes and cooking lately.  I get so excited seeing all of the new recipes that get posted on Pinterest and Facebook.  This morning, I made a plan to go grocery shopping with my bestie, LaDawna.  We generally make a trek out to Wegmans at least once a month.  I pulled up all of the recipes that I wanted to consider making for this week and figured out my grocery list.  This recipe for Lasagna Soup had been left open on my desktop for at least the past week or two.  I was so excited to make this tonight that I didn’t care that I was making it at 9pm.  Jim had a bowl when it was done about an hour later, and thought it was very good, but he would have preferred less heat and no oregano; but the few bites I took, I’ll admit it – I loved it just as it was.  This is a great, hearty, flavorful soup for these bitterly cold days of January!

• ¾ lb. pasta
  (I used casserole macaroni; the original recipe used rotini)
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 16 oz. ground Italian sausage
  (I used mild Italian sausage and removed from the casing)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. red pepper flake
  (Increase or decrease based on your desire for heat.  I made with the ½ tsp. and my husband said his mouth was a little firey)
• 2 tsp. oregano
  (My husband requested that I omit next time, as he’s not a fan of oregano in general.  I, personally, didn’t mind it)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried basil or 1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth/stock
• (1) 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 heaping Tbsp. tomato paste
  
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large stock pot, heat the oil on medium heat and cook the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks.
2. Remove sausage from pan and set aside, draining any excess fat back into the stock pot.
3. Add the onion to the stock pot and sauté until translucent.
4. Add in the garlic, and stir for a minute or two.
5. Stir in the red pepper flake and allow to cook for a minute.
6. Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, uncooked pasta, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, and black pepper.  (The pasta will cook as the soup simmers.)
7. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low; add the cooked sausage back in and allow the soup to simmer for about 30 minutes.
   
8. Pre-heat your broiler on high.
   (I used my toaster oven)
9. Make the cheese topping by combining ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
10. To serve, spoon about 1-2 cups of soup in to oven safe bowls.
11. Spread some of the cheese mixture over the top and broil for a few minutes, or until the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
12. Keep a close eye on the bowls of soup as the cheese melts so that it doesn’t burn; carefully remove with oven mitts – the bowls will be extremely hot!

Serves about 6

Adapted from Center Cut Cook blog

http://centercutcook.com/lasagna-soup/

Chicken & Corn Chowder

After a 2-day snow storm with about 10" of snow and bitterly cold temperatures ranging from subzero to single digits, no one was in the mood to go out.  No one was in the mood to do much of anything, other than stay snuggled under blankets and think warm thoughts.  I saw this recipe on the Facebook page that I began subscribing to -- RecipeGirl.  This is such a delicious, hearty soup, and the best part -- it's healthy.  Although I'm not fully on the New Year's D-word bandwagon, it's nice to have an easy, oh-so-good recipe to try and get me hoisted up on it.

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ½ of 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can corn kernels
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 ½ cups shredded cooked chicken (or turkey)
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• Green onion, thinly sliced (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven set over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, celery, red pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the corn and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Place the flour in a medium bowl and slowly whisk in the milk until the mixture is smooth.
6. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the soup, along with the salt and pepper.
7. Cook, whisking frequently, until the soup is thickened, about 15 minutes.
8. Stir in the chicken, cheddar cheese and cayenne pepper.
9. Stir until the cheese is melted.
10. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Notes

Yields 6 Servings (1 ¼ cups each):  Calories 218.5 / Total Fat 6.6g / Saturated Fat 2.4g / Cholesterol 13.0mg / Sodium 844.3mg / Total Carbohydrates 25.2g / Fiber 1.7g / Sugars 9.0g / Protein 15.6g / WW (Old Points) 5 / WW (Points+) 6

Adapted from Cookin’ Canuck blog

Firehouse Chili

It's a snowy, snowy night and we were supposed to go to a holiday party.  Hearing the news making it sound like snowmageddon, we decided it was best to stay home; however, not having been prepared to stay home (and no desire to go out to the grocery stores along with the rest of the State of Massachusetts), I took to pinterest and found this recipe that used things I actually had in the cupboard and the freezer.  Served along with some casserole elbow macaroni, it proved to be a fabulous comfort food kind of dinner for a bitterly cold, snowy night.  Oh yeah, and spice-ay!  YUM!

• 1 onions, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 cloves mined garlic
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3 hot Italian sausages
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can diced tomatoes (plain)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 oz. chili seasoning mix (see recipe below)
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can yellow corn (or ½ bag of frozen yellow corn)
• Water, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. Sauté onions in dutch oven in butter until translucent.
2. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
3. Remove all but about ½ cup from the sauté pan and reserve for later use.
4. In same dutch oven, brown the sausage and ground beef with the ½ cup of onions, salt, and pepper flakes.
5. Once browned, add in reserved sautéed onions, canned tomatoes, and chili seasoning.
6. Add kidney beans and corn.
7. Simmer for at least 1 hour.
8. If a thinner chili is desired, add water as needed.
9. Serve with casserole elbows, or tortilla chips, with some cheddar cheese sprinkled on top and enjoy!

Adapted from Doughmesstic.com blog

Chili Seasoning Mix

• ¼ cup flour
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. white sugar
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a bowl, stir together flour, chili powder, red pepper, onion, garlic, sugar, cumin, parsley, salt, basil and pepper.
2. Store in an airtight container.
   
   Makes ¾ cup, but for the recipe above, use 3 oz.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

One of Catherine's favorite meals seem to be soup.  She'll eat soup hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner.  She loves going to Panera Bread.  Earlier last week she said she wanted us to make a bunch of soups.  I happened to get an e-mail from Panera that had this recipe, and figured it would be worth a try.  I made it on Saturday, and everyone who has tried it has given it a big thumbs up.

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced sodium fat free chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• 1 ½ cups milk
  (I used Hood Smart Milk)
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  (Original recipe calls for reduced fat cheese, but I did not have it)
• ½ tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
2. Drop cauliflower in boiling water and blanch for 2-4 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in the drained pot over medium heat.
4. Add onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
5. Add cauliflower, broth, half and half and milk, thyme, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender.
7. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot.
   (WARNING:  I did not have good luck with the blender method.  I don't know if it was too hot or if I put too much into the blender at one time, but the top of the blender tried to explode off, splashing hot soup around the kitchen and on me.  OUCH!  I would recommend using an immersion blender in the pot.)
8. Stir in the cheese and salt until the cheese melts and the soup is heated through.
   
   Serve with additional cauliflower florets for garnish, and hot pepper flakes for an added kick.

Serves 12-13 1-Cup Servings
Nutritional Data:
(click to enlarge image)