Bean with Ham Soup

A classic soup.. so classically easy to make. I remember having this when I was a kid, so my mom was the first person I called when I had a leftover ham bone. And when she told me the recipe, I asked "Is that it??" Nothing fancy, just simple flavors in a hearty winter dish. Perfect for all the cold weather we've been having!

1 lb Navy beans

1 ham bone
1/2 C shredded carrots
1/2 C diced onion
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

Cook the beans according to the directions on the package (both the overnight soak or the quick soak work just fine). Once the beans are cooked and rinsed, in a large pot, combine all of the ingredients with six cups of water. Simmer for two hours before serving.

This soup is excellent re-heated and can easily be frozen for later use.

Taco Soup

This is one of my absolute favorite one-pot winter meals. I can't remember where my mom got this recipe, but I love to make it. This is my first batch for this cold season, but I'm sure it won't be the last!

1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 46 oz. container of Spicy and Hot V8
1 16 oz. can of Brook's Chili Hot Beans
12 oz. tomato paste
16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
tortilla chips
cheese

In a large skillet, cook the ground turkey with the onions.

In a separate very large pot, combine half of the V8 with the tomato paste, using a whisk to incorporate the paste. Once you have a good mix of those two ingredients, dump in the remaining V8, beans, mixed veggies and taco seasoning. Add in the turkey mixture when fully cooked.

Bring to a simmer before serving.

Top with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

WW Points per Serving: 5 for 1 1/2 C, without cheese and tortilla chips

Chicken Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup

I admit I was a bit skeptical of making this soup. I have seen many variations of it and couldn't believe that a soup without a creamy base would really satisfy me since we all know how addicted I am to cheese and dairy products. So, I was super excited when I tasted this as it was simmering and was overwhelmed by how fantastic it is! I loosely followed Jenn's recipe, from Cooking in the Heartland.

1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, undrained
48 oz. chicken stock
4 al fresco chicken sausage
1 bell pepper, diced
1 leek, whites and light green, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 small white potatoes, COOKED
small bunch kale
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika

Chop the defrosted, fully cooked chicken sausage lengthwise and then into chunks.

In a large pot, sautee the bell pepper and leeks with the olive oil and garlic. Sautee for 4-5 minutes or until transluscent.

Add the chicken stock and beans to the pot. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken sausage and potatoes. Add the cumin and paprika.

Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, very roughly chop the kale, removing any tough stems.

Add the kale to the pot. Don't worry... it will wilt and meld perfectly with the rest of the soup.

When the kale is fully wilted, pull from the heat and serve. Gosh, this is perfect for a cold evening!!

Turkey and Corn Chowder

With the weather cooling down and the wind gusting, I have been dying to make some soup. I pulled out some leftover turkey breast and corn "off" the cob that I had from corn season out of the freezer. I used Paula Deen's Chef Jack's Corn Chowder recipe as a guide, but I modified it majorly. Hello!?!?!? Two sticks of butter!??!?! Ridiculous...

1 Tbsp Brummel and Brown yogurt spread
1 small onion, diced
15-20 baby carrots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups white corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 C cooked, diced turkey breast
3 cups chicken stock
1 C fat free half and half
1 C 1/2% Milk
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 C COLD water
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in the soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the corn and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the half-and-half and milk and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch with COLD water. Slowly add the mixture until the soup thickens (you may not need all of it to thicken the soup).

Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste, right before serving.

This soup really hit the spot. It was thick and full of flavor. We'll definitely be making this again!

WW Points per serving (1/6th of the recipe): 3 points

French Onion Soup

Last Christmas, my parents got Matt a cookbook called "Cheese, Please: The cheese lover's ultimate recipe collection." One of our favorite recipes HAS to be the French Onion Soup. It's made with chicken broth instead of beef and I really like the flavor a lot better. And of course, the gruyere cheese is a wonderful complement.

1/4 C butter - we use about 1 Tbsp
2 large onions, sliced
2 tsp flour
4 cups chicken stock – depending on the size of the onions, you may want to add more stock
1/4 C dry white wine
5 oz Gruyere or Emmental cheese, grated
Approximately 1/3 to 1/2 sourdough (or French) baguette, sliced into rounds
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the onions and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. They must be browned to give the soup a good color.

Stir in the flour and continue to cook until the flour turns a sandy color.

Pour in the stock and wine and bring to a boil, stirring. Season, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler. Lightly toast the bread. TIP: Watch the bread carefully to avoid burning. Remove from oven and divide the cheese among the pieces of bread. Return to the broiler and heat until the cheese is bubbling.

Pour the soup and place the bread on top. Don’t be afraid to let the bread soak up the soup. It all adds to the flavor.

Tomato Basil Soup with Parmesan Herb Croutons

Today is National Homemade Soup Day! To celebrate this fantastically-yummy holiday, Matt and I made tomato basil soup, from WW Book 6 of the Momentum Plan, Keep on Tracking.

I will say that this soup was not the easiest thing to make. I started a fight with the food processor when, as I was pureeing the tomatoes, it exploded hot red liquid from the top. Apparently, the darn thing doesn't have a good, solid seal.

I thought the blender might make a better friend. Au contraire mon frere! The first batch in the blender went well, but I must not have put the lid on tight enough for the second batch, because it, too, sprayed hot red liquid all over the counter. At that point, I was ready to chuck the blender/food processor across the room. Thankfully, Matt was nearby with paper towels to clean up the mess.

In the end, here's what I learned:
1.) The soup was delicious, so the effort was worth it
2.) I totally need an immersion blender

Tomato Basil Soup
Cooking spray
2 medium leeks, chopped (white parts only)
8 medium ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and chopped (about 3 pounds)
1 tsp dry thyme
1 bay leaf
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste

The first step is an extra one that I will add the next time I make this soup...

Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop the tomatoes in and boil for 1 minute. Immediately drain the tomatoes and dunk in ice cold water. Once the tomatoes are blanched, remove the skins.

OK, back to the original recipe...

Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and set pan over medium heat. Add leeks and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until the tomatoes break down, about 5 minutes.

Add broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and remove bay leaf.

Puree tomato mixture in saucepan using an immersion blender. Or, working in batches, puree tomato mixture in a blender until smooth (be careful not to splatter hot liquid). That's what the actual recipe says... Oh, how this recipe mocks me!

Return puree to saucepan and set pan over low heat. Add milk and simmer 1 minute to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in basil, reserving a tad for a garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the basil and Parmesan Herb Croutons (recipe below).

WW Points Per Serving (a whopping 1 and a half cups worth!): 2 Points

Parmesan Herb Croutons
Day old french baguette
Olive Oil
Handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese (I'm sure the Kraft container stuff would work great, too)
Various herbs (I used oregano, basil and thyme this thyme... I mean, time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the baguette into generous-sized cubes and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs. Toss the cubes to coat them well. Sprinkle them with the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Beef Stew with Root Vegetables

After Christmas dinner, my mom gave me the leftover prime rib, which I promptly threw in our freezer. I have been contemplating what kind of soup to make with it... beef with barley? Regular beef stew? I was perusing some blogs today and came across a few recipes from Simply Recipes that I modified a bit. I used the recipes Lamb Shank Stew with Root Vegetables and Irish Beef Stew as inspiration.

Ingredients:
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 parsnips, peeled and cut
2 carrots, peeled and cut
1/2 white onion, cut into large pieces
4 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup Guiness beer
4 oz. tomato paste (2/3 of the small can)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tsp/ dried thyme
Apx. 2 lbs. cubed, cooked prime rib. You can also substitute any kind of stewing beef.

Combine all ingredients, except for the beef, in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours. After 4 hours, add in the prime rib. It has to be added towards the end because it is so tender and will fall apart if you add it at the beginning. Cook on low for an additional hour. If you are using stewing beef, you will need to brown the meat at the beginning and then add to the stew when you add all of the other ingredients to the slow cooker.

This turned out savory and slightly sweet. The root vegetables softened nicely, but maintained their shape and texture. I served it with an Asiago and Dill bread that I will blog about later.