Kale & White Bean Soup

 

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large carrots, diced
1 celery, diced
2 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, stemmed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 can organic diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4-5 cups chicken broth, vegetable stock, or water
1-2 fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon paprika
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot on a medium-high heat.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and saute them until they turn translucent.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Add kale, diced tomatoes, broth or water, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper to taste and bring them to a boil.  Then add Cannellini beans to the boiling mixture.  Reduce the the heat to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve Warm.  Enjoy!

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Beef Chili

(this photo does not look nice..something is wrong with my camera :-( Don't worry-next time I will put up a better one!)

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

1 pound lean ground beef

2 teaspoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 medium red onion, diced

1-2 carrots, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

2 16 oz. cans of organic diced tomatoes, no salt added

2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon red chili powder (more or less depending on your taste)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

sea salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

1-2 green chilies

2 15 oz. cans of organic tomato sauce

1 16 oz. kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 16 oz. black beans, drained and rinsed

1 16 oz. pinto beans, drained and rinsed

shredded sharp cheddar for topping

Directions:

Heat EVOO in a large non-stick skillet over medium, add ground beef and cook for 3-4  minutes, stirring occasionally, then transfer cooked beef to the crockpot.  Add onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, and beans to the crockpot.  Add all spices and vinegar, stir and cook on low.  Cook all day, stirring, throughout the day if you can.  Take out the bay leaf, ladle chili into individual bowls, top with shredded cheddar cheese or any cheese of your choice and serve with cornbread.  Enjoy!

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Vegetarian Chili

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 carrot, diced

1-2 celery stalk, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 jalapeno (optional), diced

1 bay leaf

2 (14.5 oz.) cans organic diced tomato no salt added

1 (15 oz.) can of organic tomato sauce

3 (15 oz.) cans of organic chili beans (kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans), drained and rinsed

1/2-1 cup vegetable broth

sea salt & freshly cracked pepper to taste

1 tablespoon red chili powder (more or less depending on your taste)

1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons cumin powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

any cheese of your choice for garnish

cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish

scallions, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Heat EVOO in a Dutch oven or large non-stick stockpot (make sure it is oven-safe) over medium, add onion, carrot, celery, and jalapeno (optional).  Saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding bay leaf, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, and chili beans. Add sea salt & freshly cracked pepper and all spices (from red chili powder to sugar) and stir.  Either cook covered on low heat on the stovetop for 30-45 minutes longer, on low in a crock pot, or at 250 degrees in the oven, to allow the flavors to blend.  Cook all day stirring throughout the day if you can.  Take out the bay leaf, ladle chili into individual bowls, garnish with any cheese of your choice, cilantro leaves, and scallions. Enjoy!

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Chicken Tortilla Soup with Crisp Tortillas

Inspired by Food Network

2-3 tablespoons EVOO (Extra virgin Olive Oil)

1 cup yellow onions, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1-2 green chili pepper, seeded and chopped (if you want it more spicy, add more)

1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 medium tomato (See note)

1/4 cup salsa (See note)

5-6 cups chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn

2-3 cups shredded chicken
spice mix(paprika, salt, garlic powder, freshly black pepper, red chili powder, dried oregano, dried thyme) to taste

squeeze of fresh lime juice
shredded light Mexican blend cheese for topping

cilantro for topping 

Corn Tortilla Strips
4-5 corn tortillas
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the baking sheet with EVOO.  Brush each side of all the tortillas & stack tortillas and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips.  Spread strips across the baking sheet, then season with salt.  Bake in the oven until crisp and lightly browned (make sure to watch them carefully, because they burn easily).  Set aside.

Directions:

In a large stock pot, heat the EVOO on medium high heat.  Add the onions and celery and saute them until they turn translucent.  Add garlic, green chili pepper, cumin, and coriander and stir for one minute.  Add the fresh tomato and salsa and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, corn, and add all the spice mix and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for an hour to allow the flavors to come together.  Add shredded cooked chicken and simmer for 15-30 minutes.  Re-season the soup, if needed.  Ladle soup into bowls. Add some  tortilla strips, lime juice, a sprinkle of cheese and cilantro. Enjoy! 

Note: A 15-ounce canned of crushed tomato with juice(no added salt) is preferable, but I did not have it in my pantry, so I used a fresh tomato and salsa combined instead.

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Fresh Roasted Tomato Soup

Adapted from for the Love of Cooking

Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

1-28 ounce whole tomatoes with basil, no salt added

2 tablespoons E.V.O.O. (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced into thin slivers

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Strain tomatoes from juice, reserving juice for later.  Spray cooking spray over a tinfoil lined baking sheet.  Add tomatoes, drizzle E.V.O.O. over the top along with the Italian seasoning and the salt and pepper to taste.  Slide the garlic slivers into the tomatoes, they will roast and soften inside as well as infuse the tomatoes with their flavor.  Place in oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes.  Don't over-roast or they will dry.

Soup

1 TBS E.V.O.O. (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of chicken broth

1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoons sugar

1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup of fat free milk or 2% milk

Directions: 
Heat 1 TBS of E.V.O.O. in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add onion, carrot and celery and cook until tender.  Add garlic and stir for 30-45 seconds before adding chicken broth, reserved tomato juice from canned tomatoes, bay leaf, sugar, balsamic vinegar and roasted tomatoes.  Cook over medium low heat for 2-3 hours.

In a separate bowl, add milk.  Slowly spoon a little bit of soup mixture into milk to warm(don't pour cold milk into the soup, because it will curdle).  Once the bowl of milk is warm, add it to the soup.  Remove the bay leaf and use a food processor to puree until the soup is the desired consistency. Add salt or black pepper, if needed–adjusting to your taste.  Serve hot with a salad, crackers, rustic bread of your choice, or grilled cheese(your preference type).  Enjoy!

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