Greek Vegetable Bean Soup

The ingredients here are pretty traditional for a veggie bean soup, but the addition of lemon and olive oil to the broth takes this dish to another level — one the Greeks call Fasolada.

I found the recipe in a Costco member magazine and made 3 big batches all at once, so that I could share it with two other families.

And that's how I ended up tweaking the recipe. Because when I got to making the pot for my house, I ran out of a few things.

The end result is a delicious lunch or dinner. You'll have amazing leftovers or enough to freeze for a second meal.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Greek Vegetable Bean Soup
Inspired by this recipe from Costco

3 cans white beans (like Northern), rinsed and drained
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium-large white onions, diced
4 celery stalks with leaves, diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into half moons
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
24 ounces diced tomatoes, with juice
6 cups water
1 large lemon, cut in half
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Crumbled feta cheese for topping

Place a stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add drained beans, tomatoes, water, olive oil, halved lemon and salt and pepper to pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add lemon juice and parsley.

Ladle into bowls and top with feta cheese. Serve with a chunk of crusty bread.

Butternut & Bean Soup with Couscous

There's nothing like a good soup to help you forget the troubles of your day.

I've made this one – from the January issue of Good Housekeeping magazine – a few times now. It's somehow light and filling. And the leftovers taste even better since the flavors get a chance to develop. (If your family is 2 kids and 2 adults, you'll probably have leftovers.)

Only one of my boys liked this, but since my husband keeps talking about eating more beans for dinner, the kids are determined not to.

The mix-in calls for couscous, but I think quinoa would work just as well.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Butternut & Bean Soup with Couscous
Inspired by this Good Housekeeping recipe

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 15 ounce can white beans (like Northern) drained and rinsed
1 15 ounce can chick peans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup raw couscous (or quinoa)
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
2 green onions, sliced

Cut the squash to separate the neck from the base. Reserve base for another use. Peel neck of butternut squash and chop into 1/2 inch cubes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add squash and cover. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven, add onion and 1 tablespoon oil and cover. Cook for 6 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, thyme and squash. Bring to a boil.

Using a fork, mash the white beans and add to the soup. Add the chick peas and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

Prepare the couscous or quinoa according to package directions. Fluff with fork and gently stir in pistachios, cilantro, apricots and green onions.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with couscous mix-in.

Turkey & White Bean Chili

This soup is cozy, slightly spicy and easy enough to make on a weeknight.

Plus, it's got beans. My husband is on a mission to eat more legumes, much to the horror of my children.

One of my boys did taste this chili and said it was pretty good. But he still cooked himself mac & cheese instead.

Fine by me. The turkey and lime in this dish are super tasty, so I'm enjoying the leftovers.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Turkey & White Bean Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups diced yellow onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 cups chopped cooked turkey
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from 1 medium/large lime)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, 8-10 minutes.

Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano. Stir and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds.) Add beans and stir. Then add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes

Remove 2 cups of the bean mixture and puree in a blender or food processor. Return bean soup to pot and add turkey. Cook until heated through.

Add tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 5 minutes more. Dish up into bowls and top with more cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Soup

I am loving my slow cooker these days because life is busy and much to my boys' chagrin, I don't want to eat take-out for every meal.

We eat a lot of chili at our house, and this chicken version is a nice change of pace.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Soup

Inspired by the Kitchn

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 4-ounce cans diced green chili peppers

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 bay leaves

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

For serving: Chopped cilantro and green onions, lime wedges, shredded cheese or sour cream

Combine the onions, celery, green chili peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, coriander, oregano and bay leaves in a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Stir to combine. Nestle the chicken into the vegetables. Pour the chicken stock on top.

Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook for 6 hours on low. 

About 1 hour before the end of cooking, remove the lid of the slow cooker and add the beans. Taste and add more salt or other seasonings as desired. 

Replace the lid and continue cooking.

Remove chicken to a plate and use 2 forks to shred into bite-sized pieces. Remove bay leaves. Stir the chicken back into the soup.

Serve with shredded cheese, wedges of lime, chopped cilantro, and sour cream. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Cioppino (Seafood Soup)

Cioppino is an Italian seafood soup that originated in San Francisco. I love to eat it but had never prepared the meal myself – until this past weekend.

I wish I hadn't waited so long. The dish is easy to cook and you can vary the fish and shellfish based on your preferences or what's fresh (or on special).

I fell in love with this soup about eight years ago, after trying it through a meal service. Even though I grew up Italian, I'd never had it before. Fast forward to 2017. With my parents visiting on a Friday in Lent, it was the perfect recipe to try out.

The timing was good, too. What could be better than a steaming bowl of fragrant soup and a hunk of crusty bread on a blustery, snow-flurry-filled March day?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cioppino
Adapted from this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 large shallots, diced
1 large fennel bulb, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in their juice
1 1/2 cups Chardonnay
5 cups fish stock
2 bays leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 pound mussels, scrubbed to remove sand
1 pound clams, scrubbed to remove sand
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound halibut, skin removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound salmon, skin removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Fresh parsley, chopped

*A note about choosing your fish/shellfish: Vary the fish and shellfish as you like. For example, if your kids love shrimp, add more and leave out the salmon. Grocer only sell mussels in 2-pound bags? Go for it! Prefer crab over shrimp? Make a swap!

Heat the oil in the largest pot you own over medium-high heat. Add the onion, shallots, fennel and salt and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables are translucent.

Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and tomato paste and stir a few times while cooking another 2 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes and juice, the wine, fish stock and bay leaves.

Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Uncover the pot and add the clams and mussels. Let them cook until some of the shells start to open, between 5 and 10 minutes. Stir the soup, then add the shrimp and fish. Cook until the shrimp are pink and the fish is firm. Gently stir the soup again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Discard any clams and mussels that did not open.

Serve soup in large bowls and sprinkle with fresh parsley and shaved Parmesan (optional). Be sure to have plenty of crusty French or Italian bread on hand to sop up the fragrant broth. A glass of Pinot Noir is perfect with this dinner, too!

Slow Cooker 15-Bean Soup with Sausage and Spinach

For dinner in the winter, I'm satisfied with a warm bowl of beans. Growing up we'd often have beans and cornbread. Not fancy beans — just thrown in the crockpot with water or broth, a diced up onion,  that "ham" flavoring packet and maybe a leftover ham bone. And it was good. This is better, healthier even thanks to the spinach. In fact, I've made these beans twice in recent weeks and am officially declaring it my official, go-to, wintertime bean recipe.

The recipe is adapted from a favorite line of cookbooks: America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution. I made a few tweaks. For starters, I omitted the mushrooms (just sounds unappealing to me to cook mushrooms and beans together for 9 or so hours). I increased the amount of sausage from 8 ounces to 9-12 ounces (for easier math) as sausage typically comes in 12-ounce, 4-link packs. Likewise, I upped the spinach by an ounce, because the baby spinach I buy comes in a 5-ounce clamshell container. Lastly, the second time I made it, I used a 4-ounce container of chicken broth and the 2 cups of vegetable broth leftover in my fridge. Why open another container of chicken broth?

Anyhow, if you are craving an easy dinner that takes the edge off the winter chill, try this out. Tweak it; make it your own.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: A great thing to serve with this: my Family Cornbread.

Slow Cooker 15-Bean Soup with Sausage and Spinach
Adapted from Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution

9-12 ounces (3-4 links) hot or sweet Italian chicken sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
8 ounce bag of 15-bean soup mix, flavoring packet(s) discarded
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
Black pepper to taste
5 ounces (5 cups) baby spinach

Microwave sausage, onion, garlic, thyme and pepper flakes in bowl until onion is softened (about 5 minutes), stirring halfway through. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth, water, beans, bay leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add black pepper — to taste — now or later, if desired. Cover and cook on low until beans are tender — 9 to 11 hours on low or 6 to 8 hours on high.

Discard bay leaves. Stir in spinach and let sit until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Asian Chicken & Corn Chowder

Every time I go to Costco, I snag a rotisserie chicken. They are so good, so easy, and so cheap. I find the biggest chicken I can and wedge it into my SUV-sized cart between the behemoth pack of paper towels and enough Goldfish to survive a week of toddler tantrums. And I rely on that chicken to make fast paninis after work, Curry Chicken Salad, and Fried Rice when I can't wait for take-out.

Last time I had a Costco bird in my fridge, I whipped up Asian Chicken & Corn Chowder inspired by the Penzey's Spices catalog. It's my new favorite speedy meal, and it's perfect for these chilly January nights. It's even hearty enough to count as an official dinner in the eyes of the husband. No side sandwich needed.

The ingredients may seem like a strange combo (sesame oil and ginger with creamed corn??), but trust me on this one. It's awesome. The creamed corn adds richness and a subtle sweetness that complements the Asian flavors of the soup.

Next time you grab a rotisserie chicken (or if you have leftovers of Amy's Roasted Chicken), give this soup a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Asian Chicken & Corn Chowder
Adapted from Penzey's

2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cups cooked chopped chicken
1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped OR 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups* low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper
Extra sesame oil, for serving
Chili flakes, for serving

Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium-high. Add chicken and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate any browned bits into the broth. Stir in creamed corn and corn kernels. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Slowly make a figure eight stirring motion in the soup with a fork. While you're stirring, very slowly pour the beaten egg into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the soup with a drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkle of chili flakes.

*If your soup is a little too thick, feel free to add a little more broth at the end.

French Onion Soup

On New Year's Eve, I like a food theme. I think that's because after our traditional Thanksgiving (turkey and all the fixings) and Christmas (rib roast) dinners I need a little culinary whimsy — a little je ne sais quoi.

We've done Chinese with homemade crab rangoon. We've done fondue with homemade cheese fondue. We've had make-your-own pizzas. This year's NYE theme was French with French Onion Soup, Chicken and Mushrooms in a White Wine Sauce and for entertainment, An American in Paris on DVD. The soup tasted just as decadent — though not quite as salty (I always use low-sodium broth) as the kind ordered up in restaurants. Everything was magnifique!

Happy 2017, mes amis!

XOXO,
Amy

French Onion Soup
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups sliced onions (about 4 medium-sized onions)
48 ounces beef broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Nutmeg — hefty pinch or two
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices French bread (with extra for leftovers)
4 slices provolone cheese (with extra for leftovers)
2 slices Swiss cheese (with extra for leftovers)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (with extra for leftovers)

Melt butter with olive oil in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do NOT brown onions.

Add beef broth, sherry, nutmeg and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat oven broiler.

Place oven-safe bowls on a cookie sheet and ladle soup into each. Place one slice of bread on top of each bowl of soup. (Bread may be broken into pieces if preferred.) Now add the cheeses. Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, half a slice of Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Place cookie sheet with bowls into preheated oven and broil until cheese bubbles and browns slightly. Serve and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage and Kale

My friend Kristi is a fellow busy, hard-working mama who strives to always get a hot dinner on the table. And — like me — when there's no time or energy to cook, take-out, short-cuts and leftovers work, too. But we always try and we love to share recipes and compare cooking notes. Kristi recently texted me a recipe for a butternut squash soup from a blog called The Lemon Bowl.

I made Kristi's new fave soup with a few tweaks. She suggested a dash of sage and I decided to use a little more squash. I also couldn't find Italian turkey sausage, so I used regular. Anyhow, it tasted souper (see what I did there?!) good, especially on a cold winter day.

XOXO,
Amy

Butternut Squash Soup with Sausage and Kale
3 links of uncooked Italian sausage — spicy or sweet, turkey or regular — removed from casings
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups butternut squash peeled and cut into half-inch cubes
4 cups kale, roughly chopped
14 ounce can of cannelini beans, drained and rised
Dash of ground or fresh sage
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to garnish — optional

Spray inside of large pot with non-stick spray and heat pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pot. Brown sausage for 7-8 minutes, using spoon to break meat into bite-sized pieces. Don't be afraid of the sausage getting brown, because the more it carmelizes the tastier your soup.

Add garlic, onion and red pepper to pot and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until onions and peppers are tender, about 5-6 minutes.

When sausage is nicely browned and veggies are tender, add broth to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Raise heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Add in the squash and cook until softened, about 20 minutes.

Five minutes before serving, add kale and beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan if you like, which I did.

Katrina's Gazpacho

A few weeks ago my boys and I took a trip to New York to visit family and friends. It's been a few years since I was last in my old stomping grounds and it was nice to see how some things have changed – or not.

We took a trip into Queens to see two of my friends from high school and their families. Anne and Katrina are the kinds of friends I know I'll have for life. We spent our formative teen years together. Even if many months go by between visits, we easily pick up where we left off whenever we do see each other.

My boys were super excited to see how people live in the city. They couldn't imagine living in an apartment. They were pleasantly surprised by Katrina's Jackson Heights home, complete with a large outdoor courtyard that provided plenty of room to play — you guessed it — baseball.

Katrina went all out and made a delicious lunch, including this amazing gazpacho. People, this is one of the best things I've eaten. The cold soup is more like summer in a drink and it is just perfect for a hot day.

Lucky for me, one of my boys didn't want his serving so of course I couldn't let it go to waste! Katrina kindly shared her recipe. She started with this New York Times version and tweaked it to her liking. I made it as soon as we were back in Peoria. I was going to bring it to a gathering of girlfriends, but the husband and I slurped it down ourselves instead.

I think the key to making this recipe work is good tomatoes, preferably homegrown or locally farm grown. It's perfect for a midday meal, dinner or a snack.

Katrina's version was less pulpy than mine. I think this is because she used a small mesh strainer to painstakingly remove all of the solids from the soup. I used a larger non-mesh strainer. It definitely removed a lot of the solids, but some still made it into the final product.  If you have a mesh strainer or cheese cloth, I recommend one of those methods.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Katrina's Gazpacho

2 pounds of  ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

1 cucumber (about 8 inches long) peeled and cut into chunks 

1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into chunks

1 or 2 garlic cloves

1 long, light green pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large pieces (Adjust your choice based on your preferred spice level: Try an Anaheim or cubanelle. I used a Hungarian wax pepper.)

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 to 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Add tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and pepper to a blender or food processor (you may need to work in batches.) Blend at high speed until very smooth, between 2 and 5 minutes. Stop blending and scrape down the sides as needed.

Add vinegar and salt and continue to blend. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture should become an orange or pink color. It should transform into a smooth texture like a salad dressing. If the mixture is watery, add more oil until it achieves a creamy consistency.

Strain mixture into a large bowl to remove solids. Use a rubber spatula to push the liquid through. Discard solids. 

Pour gazpacho into a large pitcher (glass is preferred) and cover top with plastic wrap. Chill overnight (or for at least 6 hours.) Pour into cups or bowls and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Gazpacho is great for sharing with friends.

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup

The spring has been touch-and-go here in Seattle. One day is 80 and sunny, and the next is 55 with drizzle. On one such grey day, I had a hankering for soup. I've been meaning to make tomato soup for infinity, so I seized the opportunity. I was also hoping that making one last batch of soup would jinx the weather into turning warm again. Today's forecast is 79 and sunny, so I think it worked. You're welcome, Seattle.

Next time the sun creeps behind the clouds, pull your slow cooker out of its summer hibernation and make a batch of this Slow Cooker Tomato Soup.

Let's get (slow!) cooking!
Erin

Slow Cooker Tomato Soup
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

2 tablespoons butter
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
1 onion, minced
1 cup chopped carrots
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup half and half
Pepper
Chopped basil for garnish, optional

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add drained tomatoes, onion, carrots, brown sugar, tomato paste, and salt. Saute until softened and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Place tomato mixture into the slow cooker with reserved tomato juice, an additional 2 cups broth, and bay leaves. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until tomatoes start to break down.

Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in the regular blender. Stir in half and half and remaining 1 cup broth if desired, depending on how thick you like your soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with basil.

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Fish Stew

I've been trying to find new, easy ways to cook fish, so the slow cooker naturally comes to mind. Readers, this is my new favorite easy-to-do fish dish. I love the mix of seasonings -- garam masala, paprika, cayenne pepper for heat and saffron for mellow.

Your kitchen will smell like a combo North African, Italian and Spanish restaurant. Your husband, who is supposed to be eating more fish and watching his cholesterol, will tell you this stew is merely OK. But you won't care. He's wrong and besides that means easy leftover lunches for you.

XOXO,
Amy

Slow Cooker Mediterranean Fish Stew
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution

2 onions, chopped fine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 (13-15 ounces each) cans artichoke hearts, with artichokes cut in half length-wise so that juice runs out; then pat with paper towels or clean dish towel so they are less wet
2 cups chicken broth (I prefer reduced sodium)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (I prefer no salt added)
1/4 cup dry white wine
Pinch of saffron
1 1/2 pounds cod fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (optional)

Microwave onions, tomato paste, garam masala, paprika, cayenne and olive oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add in rest of ingredients in list, down to and including the saffron. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-5 hours.

When time is up on the slow cooker, your kitchen will smell amazing. Add in fish and olives and cook on high until cod falls apart when gently prodded with a fork -- about 30-35 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Vegetable Bean Soup

In an effort to ignore the dreary spring rains outside, I'm making vegetable soup to brighten things up inside.

It's a meal I used to make all the time, and I'd forgotten how forgiving a vegetable soup can be, especially when you just start tossing in whatever vegetables are in the fridge. All you need is some good stock or broth and a big pot. Add a few spices and dinner is served.

This time around I added a bunch of mixed dried beans, to give the soup a bit of heartiness.

Mangia! Mangia!

Andrea

Vegetable Bean Soup

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large shallot, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

1/2 of a large red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 stalks celery, diced

1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (I used a bag of baby carrots and cut each piece in thirds)

2 yellow bell peppers diced

10-12 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced

1 1/2 cups mixed dried beans, cleaned and prepared according to package directions (mine was a blend of beans, peas and lentils)

3-4 large rainbow chard (or substitute kale) leaves, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Italian parsley, roughly chopped

In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt butter and heat oil over a medium high flame.

Add shallot and onion and cook, stirring frequently until shallot becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir, cook for 1 minute. 

Add celery, carrots and bell pepper and cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add 8 cups of stock, and scrape bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add salt and pepper, tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil.

Let boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover pot with lid and simmer for 90 minutes or more. Check soup after 1 hour. If it has become too thick, add more broth or stock, 1 cup at a time. Return to a boil, then back to a simmer to continue cooking until beans are tender and no longer tough.

Add chard or kale and stir until greens are wilted. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley. Serve with a chunk of crusty bread.

Turkey & Wild Rice Stew

Spring has definitely arrived in central Illinois, but we're still in that on-again, off-again pattern. Chilly, rainy days make me crave soup or stew, so I whipped this up for dinner using items already on hand.

I had turkey broth in the freezer, but you can easily substitute store bought or homemade chicken stock, chicken broth or vegetable broth.

The wild rice in this meal is special. Friends who traveled to Minnesota for a hunting trip brought it back for me. Minnesota Broken Rice grows naturally in fresh water. It's chewy with a nutty flavor. This rice is a bit tougher than brown rice and I've had trouble cooking it to the right consistency on its own. But it worked perfectly in this stew, staying al dente during the long simmering time. Rest assured, regular wild rice from the grocery store will work just as well in this main dish.

I'm calling this a stew because it was a bit thicker than I intended, but you can add more broth for a more soup-like consistency.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Turkey & Wild Rice Stew
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 7 carrots, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 ribs celery, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 large onion, diced
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 tablespoons flour
4 to 6 cups (or more) turkey broth (or chicken or vegetable stock or broth)
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup wild rice
2 1/2 cups chopped, cooked turkey or chicken
1/2 cup half & half or 1/2 cup milk combined with 1 tablespoon flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

In a stock pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

Add the garlic and cook 3 to 5 more minutes, just until the garlic starts to brown.

Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant.

Add the flour and cook while stirring constantly, until the flour is browned and fully combined with the vegetables.

Pour in the turkey broth, bay leaves and soy sauce. Scrap up any browned bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add wild rice, stir and then let simmer for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Add turkey, salt and pepper. Stir in half & half or milk and cook until slightly thickened. Add more broth if you want to thin out the liquid.

Serve garnished with fresh parsley or cilantro.

A note about leftovers: The stew may thicken even more in the fridge, but reheating it will return the dish to a more stew or soup-like meal. And you can always add a little more broth!

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Spring has arrived in the pacific northwest! With the flowers growing taller, I'm ready to pack away the casseroles and pot roasts of winter and serve up something a little lighter. But it's not quite salad season yet; even when the sun is shining, the evenings have a little chill.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup is the perfect dinnertime solution to my spring fever. Full of chicken and veggies, it fills you up without feeling too heavy. And just a drizzle of half and half adds creamy indulgence. Make a double batch so you can warm some up for lunch the next day.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

P.S. Think that bread in the photo looks delicious? It is. Check out my Even Better Irish Soda Bread post for the recipe!

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Adapted from Damn Delicious
Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
5 carrots, chopped into soup-sized pieces
2 ribs celery, chopped into soup-sized pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped into soup-sized pieces (I like the onion pieces smaller.)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup flour
3 - 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup half & half
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and cook for about 3 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add butter to now-empty pot. Once butter is melted, add onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Saute until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 8 minutes.

Stir in thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly stir in 3 cups of broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate any browned bits. Add bay leaf and return chicken to the pot. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook until slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in another 1 cup broth if you want your soup more liquid-y. Stir in half and half and cook for another minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Roasted Carrot & Chinese Five Spice Soup

If you've never tried Chinese Five Spice, spring is a great time to experiment. The blend of anise, cinnamon, star anise, clover and ginger is the perfect pair for roasted carrots and other root veggies or potatoes.

These carrots make a nice side dish for chicken, ham or grilled steak.

Alas, my boys are not big fans of roasted vegetables, so we usually have leftovers – which I look forward to. This way I get to make soup. I always have some chicken stock on hand, so making soup is a quick way to get lunch or dinner on the table.

The simple formula of vegetable + stock + spices works like a charm with many different vegetables (butternut squash, acorn squash, potatoes, carrots) or veggie combos (sweet potato and carrot.) Be sure to have fun with the spices. Nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice is nice with squash; a little curry or cumin or ginger goes well with carrots. Give it a try and let us know what you come up with.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Roasted Carrot & Chinese Five Spice Soup

1 pound carrots (baby or whole) peeled and cut into 1-inch or 2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 of a large onion, cut into chunks
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice, divided
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread all vegetables on cookie sheet. Drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables in oil and spices.

Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, tossing every 20 minutes or so. Cook until the carrots are soft all the way through when pierced with a fork.

Remove from oven and let cool.

If you have an immersion blender, place the vegetables in a large pot. Add 1 1/3 cups of stock. You can also use a regular blender, but you may need to blend the vegetables and stock in batches. Blend until smooth.

Taste soup mixture. Add additional Chinese Five Spice, salt and pepper as you like. If soup is too thick, blend in more stock, adding 1/3 cup at a time.

Once you obtain the consistency and seasoning that you prefer, heat the soup in a pot on the stovetop, or in a microwave-safe bowl.

Enjoy as is or with a side of toasted pita or other bread.

Pressure Cooker Potato Soup

I'm trying to perfect my mom's soupy potatoes -- that's what she calls this dish. It's a work in progress and a goal I don't think I will ever quite achieve. Some things just taste better when someone else prepares them for you. Like Mom's soup and tuna salad. Like my husband's vodka gimlet.

Anyhow, in this rendition of soupy potatoes, I use the pressure cooker, so I get to enjoy my soup right away. I also added pancetta for a little more flavor. It hit the spot. My husband and our two daughters enjoyed it with the girls asking for it in the next day's lunch -- and that's quite the achievement, let me tell you.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: This isn't the first of Mom's soups I've done in the pressure cooker. Check out my Midwestern Vegetable-Beef Soup.

Pressure Cooker Potato Soup

4 ounces pancetta
2 medium to large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (or oregano)
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
5 pounds potatoes (russet, Yukon gold, red), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee pancetta, onion, thyme and parsley inside pressure cooker for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Deglaze inside of pressure cooker with some of the broth, scraping pan of crunchy bits of onion and pancetta. Add potatoes and remaining broth. Cook under high pressure for six minutes and do a quick release when time is up.

Note: You could cut the ingredients in half. I like to make a lot so we can eat soup for days and share with our neighbors.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

A while back a friend on Facebook posted about preparing cabbage rolls. While I wanted to make them, too, there are just way to many steps involved for a cabbage dish I wasn't sure anyone in my family but myself would appreciate.

Flash forward to a couple weeks ago, a friend on Facebook posted a link to unstuffed cabbage rolls. Genius. Now, we're talking. I whipped up these unstuffed cabbage rolls, adding red wine vinegar to the original recipe.

The verdict: we loved this meal. Well, Jeff, Penny and I did and we ate it for two dinners in a row. I couldn't believe it. The husband is not a big fan of cabbage or eating the same dinner back-to-back. Lucy, however, couldn't get past the mere sight of cabbage in her bowl.

Next time I might add a dash of paprika in keeping with the Eastern European heritage of the dish. You could easily add rice, provided you added more water along with it.

Next time you are searching for old school style comfort food, I hope you think of unstuffed cabbage rolls. I certainly will.

XOXO,
Amy

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
Serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small to medium-sized cabbage, chopped, making sure to remove the hard stem that runs up the middle
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) no salt added diced tomatoes, not drained
1 can (8 ounces) added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until beef is no longer pink and onion is tender.

Add garlic and continue cooking for one minute.

Unless your skillet is big enough to accommodate all the other ingredients, transfer the beef mixture to a large pot or stock pot before adding the other ingredients.

Add the cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Cooking Chicken 3 Ways on Fox 46's Good Day Charlotte

Consider the following post a bit of a #humblebrag.

We at Hot Dinner Happy Home have been grinning ear to ear and virtual high-fiving all weekend. You see, Charlotte's Fox affiliate asked Amy to come on Good Day Charlotte and demonstrate a recipe in a "What's Your Dish?" segment that features local food bloggers. Ever the overachiever, Amy opted to show three recipes: her signature Amy's Roasted Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken Stock and Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. 

(VIDEO): What's Your Dish? Amy George Makes Roasted Chicken

Our favorite line in the three-and-a-half  minute segment: "Do not fear the whole chicken." As Erin put it in one of many group texts between your three Bringers of Hot Dinner: "That's our message on HDHH. Just get in the kitchen  and don't be afraid! BRAVO!"

Thank you, dear readers, for keeping up with our culinary adventures and indulging us as we say, "Yay, us!"

XOXO,

Erin, Andrea & Amy

PS: Amy's family -- husband, Jeff,  and daughters,  Lucy and Penny -- tagged along for moral support. The girls even  got to be in a promo spot in which the anchor said they were studying up to come back and cook with Mom! A good day in Charlotte, indeed!

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

A friend tried my roasted chicken recipe and afterward she made chicken stock in her slow cooker. She told me that once I tried it I would never make stock on the stove top again.

So, the last time I roasted a chicken, I put the frame in the slow cooker overnight along with all the necessary ingredients and when I got up in the morning...voila chicken stock! My friend was right. I will never again make chicken stock any other way.

So, then, I took that chicken stock -- all eight cups -- and made a double batch of my pressure cooker chicken noodle soup.

The dreaded Fall cold has swept through the George house, so this soup will have us all feeling better in no time -- and there's enough to freeze! BTW, both the soup and the stock by itself freeze nicely.

XOXO,
Amy

PS: No slow cooker? Check out how to make chicken stock the old fashioned way in Andrea's post "Chicken Stock & Chicken Tortellini Soup."

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Frame of one roasted chicken
Two carrots, peeled
Two celery stalks
1 medium to large onion, peeled and quartered
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pierced with a knife but left whole
1 bay leaf
Fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand), tied into a bouquet with kitchen twine if you have it

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and fill to top with water. Set to low for eight hours.

Remove chicken frame and all the solid ingredients. Pour stock into containers, using a mesh strainer to catch all the small bits and pieces. Place stock in refrigerator. I recommend not using the stock right away but letting it cool in the fridge so that you can remove the light layer of congealed fat that forms at the top of the broth. After you do that, use the broth in your favorite soup or recipe or freeze for later.