Leek & Potato Soup

When Dave and I went to Ireland, one of my favorite meals included a delicious bowl of leek and potato soup. It was fresh, creamy and the perfect consistency. Ever since I've wanted to make a version at home and I've finally gotten around to it. And the timing is great for a beautiful and healthy green dish for St. Patrick's Day next week. This soup is simple to make and has very few ingredients but tons of flavor. I love the flavor leeks give to dishes, so a soup that celebrates the leek itself makes me very happy. This soup seems fancy but uses just a few ingredients and is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Beef and Barley Soup

It's definitely turned to fall this week. The leaves started to turn, then the cool weather, then the rain. Which means we're in one of my favorite cooking seasons! Bring on the crock pots and soup pots and fill them to the bring with chilis, stews and soups for hearty, heart-warming and deliciously cozy suppers. And this soup is one of our favorites for this season. It's wholesome, super tasty and can really fill you up without feeling heavy. The fresh vegetables are perfect and I must tell you--this recipe is what made me understand why good soup taste the way it does. The secret is leeks. Regular onion is great (and also in this recipe) but leeks just bring a whole other element and really set this dish apart from other homemade beef soups. Dave and I have been enjoying this recipe for five years and I've just become accustomed to doubling it. And we still fight over the leftovers.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

So we started January with a deep freeze, then last week we had a January thaw, and this week we're expected to dip down to frigid temperatures again. Guess it must be time for soup! We really enjoy stuffed peppers, but they do require some planning ahead, so when I found this soup recipe comprised of all the yummy parts of stuffed peppers, but deconstructed and quick to come together, I had to give it a try. This soup is delicious, hearty and flavorful. In about 45 minutes I had a tasty soup with beef, rice and lots of veggies that I served with crusty bread for a perfect meal on a cold night. Leftovers are perfect, to the point that Dave and I may have clamored to beat each other to claim them.

Southwest Winter Squash Soup

It's definitely soup season and since I've got a ton of winter squash, that's what's going in the soup pot.  Or in this case, the crock pot.  Unlike the acorn squash soup I made last month, this soup has a kick and some south of the border flavor.  In this soup, the acorn squash gives a bit of sweetness to start, then the chiles, pepper and chili powder come in at the end with a nice kick of heat that kind of sneaks up to say, "hi!"  I was actually surprised by the kick of heat, since I wasn't expecting it to be so pronounced, but it can be tempered with a bit of lime juice or some sour cream to cool things down.  The soup is very tasty and makes a lot--I brought in extra portions for some workers who enjoyed it for lunch--filling, but still light and definitely tasty.

Acorn Squash Soup

For two weeks in a row, we got cute little acorn squashes in our CSA.  While I've never cooked acorn squash before, I was really excited about it.  The possibilities included roasting them or stuffing them, but then Dave asked for just a simple soup.  Done!  I'm all about something that's simple.  And this soup is also delicious.  Rich, creamy and perfectly seasoned, this soup is filling and hearty without being heavy.  Savory seasonings help this soup feel less like a starter and more like a meal, which is how we had it, complete with rolls and salad.

Slow Cooker Corn Chowder

I love my grocery store because they are always sending me coupons so whenever I get a mailer from them, I'm sure to scan through it to see if they might be discounting a pantry staple or some other frequent used item for our home.  Recently they sent a flyer with some coupons that also included a recipe for this corn chowder.  I was intrigued by a few things.  First, it was made for the slow cooker and since it's getting cooler out, my slow cooker will be making even more frequent appearances for dinners.  Second, I had a ton of corn in the fridge as the farm kept loading our CSA box with more huge ears of corn every week.  And third, this recipe uses the naked corn cobs to flavor the soup, so it ends up with this deep, roasted corn flavor that is really delicious.  Corn chowder isn't something I otherwise would have thought to make with all those extra ears of corn, but I'm certainly glad my penny-pinching side scanned through that mailer because this dish is definitely tasty.

Minestrone Soup with Collard Greens

This light soup comes together pretty quick and has deep, rich flavor.  Perfect for a cold evening or a simple but satisfying lunch.  I ended up having this for lunch for a few days in a row and found that with a little bit of foccacia, my afternoon hunger cravings were mostly at bay.  This vegetarian soup would make a nice starter for a dinner party or even a simple lunch with friend when paired with some salad and crusty bread.  Clean, fresh flavors from the greens and tomato go nicely with the beans, and the whole thing is well seasoned and tasty.

Lentil Vegetable Soup

The weather has been warm for February, but it definitely still soup season.  So last month when we receive a bag of lentils in our CSA box, I thought soup would be a delicious way to use them.  This recipe makes a lot of a hearty but healthy soup, with lots of veggies.  The secret to this tasty recipe is the vinegar.  I was surprised at how just a little bit went a long way and gave a unique note in the broth without making it sour tasting.  This was perfect for lunches, satisfying and delicious.

Crock Pot Country Chicken (& Cream Soup Alternative)

This is comfort food.  Warm, cozy, hearty and lots of flavor.  All the veggies cook up so tender in the juices and there is so much flavor in that chicken.  Served over rice with lots of juice, the meat is so tender we didn't even use knives.  This was pretty quick to prepare for the crock pot, too.  Just some veggie prep, add the meat, seasoning and soup and your are good to go.  But I didn't just use a can of cream soup.  I found a dry mix that you can prepare in batches and then mix up as needed, removing all the preservatives and other question marks you might have about what really is in that can of soup.  So many crock pot meals require cream soups and I will consciously decide not to make them because sometimes I don't want processed food (it leaves me more room for the chocolate and butter-laden goodies I make here).  So consider this post a two-for-one: you'll get this lovely chicken and veggie dinner that is super simple as well as an easy homemade mix that you can substitute for cream of chicken soup in your favorite recipes.

Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Even though this winter has been mild, it's still gray and chilly in March, so a hot bowl of soup like this is exactly what hits the spot when it's rainy and not quite spring yet.  This soup is delicious, smooth and has a slight kick, but not super spicy.  Black bean soup can be ho-hum, but add in chicken, salsa and a bit of spice and you've got a lovely kick for a cool evening.  Plus you can really personalize it by dressing it up with your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips--whatever you like.

Of course, one of the main reasons I love this recipe is that it's another crock pot favorite.  Seriously, if you're not checking out Stephanie at Crockpot 365, you're missing a lot of easy and tasty meals for all kinds of occasions.  And if you don't have a crockpot (or use it very often), then what are you waiting for?  Dinner could be ready when you come home from work with very little effort on your part. Slight differences from Stephanie's recipe were to drop the mushrooms, canned beans rather than fresh and I used my immersion blender to make a smooth, creamy soup.  If you don't have an immersion blender, you could (carefully!) use a blender and blend the soup in batches.  I finished this soup with some chopped cilantro and shredded cheese and served it with a few tortilla chips on the side.  Delicious, easy and perfect for a cool, rainy evening to give a kick of flavor from warmer climates.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Mexican food and soup.  A veritable match made in heaven.  And this soup tastes just like the chicken enchilada soup from Chili's, which I love.  Cheesy and spicy, the flavors in this soup come together to warm you up from the inside out.  Dave and I had this for dinner and loved it, plus it was amazing for leftovers.  For a cold February night, this really hit the spot, with a smoky flavor in the chicken and nicely spiced from the jalapenos and seasonings.  Plus, any dish that allows me to eat tortilla chips for dinner is a winner in my book.

I'm obsessed with Pinterest recently (follow me!) and found this recipe from Homemade by Holman through a friend's pin.  Salivating, I printed the recipe right away knowing Dave would love it (ok, me too).  I made a small adjustment in using chicken tenders rather than chicken breast (what was on hand), used a red pepper rather than green pepper (again, on hand) and only 2 jalapenos instead of the 4-6 in the original recipe--and I'm so glad I made that adjustment.  We like our Mexican food with some heat, but any more jalapenos would have made this a two or three beer bowl of soup!  (Yes, the beer became the required beverage for this tasty dish.)  One other difference, again because of what was in my fridge, instead of cotija and pepperjack cheeses I included chipotle cheddar and colby jack.  Both were perfect options.  Enjoy this with a big bowl of tortilla chips and a nice cold beer.