Category Archives: SOUPS/STEWS

CHICKEN STEW WITH LEMON AND ROSEMARY

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8 chicken thighs, roughly 2 1/2 lbs (each thigh about 6 oz)

kosher salt, plus 1 tsp

freshly ground black pepper

1 tbs vegetable oil

3 tbs unsalted butter, softened

4 carrots, sliced into 1″ bias cut (about 1 1/2 cups)

4 ribs celery, cut into 1″ bias cut (about 1 1/ 2 cups)

2 sprigs rosemary

1 lemon, juiced

2 1/2 cups chicken broth, homemade OR low-sodium canned

3/4 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tbs flour

buttered noodles, accompaniment

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tbs butter in a dutch oven (12″ diameter) over medium-high heat. Lay half of the chicken pieces skin-side down in the skillet. Cook the chicken, until golden-brown on both sides, turning once, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the carrots and celery, and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the rosemary, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the lemon juice, and scrape up any browned bits that cling to the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the broth, onions, lemon zest, and 1 tsp salt and bring just to a boil.

Return the chicken skin-side up to the pot, taking care that the skin is just over the surface of the liquid, and then put the stew in the oven. Cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, tender, and lightly glazed and brown, about 40 minutes. Base the chicken occasionally in the last 20 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, use a fork to work the remaining 2 tbs butter into the 2 tbs flour to make a paste.

Remove the stew from the oven. Remove and discard the rosemary and arrange all the veggies and chicken (reserving the juices in the pan) in a serving dish/bowl. Place the dutch oven over medium heat and whisk the butter/flour mixture to the juices until dissolved. Bring to a boil an simmer until thickened. Pour sauce over the chicken and serve immediately over buttered noodles.

4 servings

 

TOMATO BASIL SOUP

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4 lbs tomatoes, halved across the hemisphere

2 tbs PLUS 2 tsp extra virgin oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 lg onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, sliced

4 c low-sodium veggie OR chicken stock

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbs butter

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c basil, sliced thinly

1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat the grill or grill pan over high heat to 400 degrees. Remove the tomato seeds; brush the tomato halves with 2 tbs of the olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Grill skin side down for 15-20 minutes or until slightly blackened.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tsp olive oil in a lg stockpot over med heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Pour in the stock, red pepper flakes, and grilled tomatoes.

Bring the stock to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Blend the soup in a blender or in the pot with a stick blender until it is the desired texture.

In the pot, season the blended soup with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the soup into eight bowls, top each serving with 1 tbs of sliced basil and 1 tbs of parmesan, and serve.

 

8 servings

CHICKEN STEW

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2 tbs olive oil

2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces

1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces

1 small onion, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2 oz) can chopped tomatoes

1 (14 oz) can low-salt chicken broth

1/2 c fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 tbs tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 chickens breasts with ribs (about 1 1/2 lbs total)

1 (15 oz can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)

 

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2 qt saucepan over med heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the veggies until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer gently, uncovered, until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. shred or cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with crusty bread.

4-6 servings

BETTER-FOR-YOU FRENCH ONION SOUP

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1 tbs olive oil

2 lg onions, sliced (about 5 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced, OR 1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4 tsp kosher salt OR coarse sea salt

1/2 c inexpensive red wine (such as cabernet)

4 c low-sodium beef broth

4 slices reduced-fat swiss cheese

Add the olive oil, onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt to a lg pot. Cook over med heat until the onions are caramelized to a deep brown color, 25-30 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Add the red wine and cook until it has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes.

Pour in the beef broth, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and then simmer for 10 minutes.

When ready to eat, turn on the broiler, place four small oven-safe bowls on a baking sheet, ladle the soup into each of the bowls, lay a slice of swiss cheese over each, and stick the baking sheet, in the oven until the cheese is nice and bubbly, 1-2 minutes.

4 servings 150 calories per serving

 

BETTER-FOR-YOU LOADED POTATO SOUP

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1 c chopped yellow onion (about 1 med onion)

4 cloves garlic, minced, OR 1 tsp  garlic powder

3 c cauliflower florets

1/2 c shredded carrots

1 lg potato, cubed (washed well, skin intact)

2 c low-sodium vegetable broth

3 tbs light OR reduced-fat cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Liberally coat a lg pot with nonstick cooking spray and warm over med heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Add more nonstick cooking spray if needed.

Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cauliflower, carrot, potato, vegetable broth, and 1 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it’s smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix vigorously with a spoon until the cram cheese is melted and well blended.

6 servings 94 calories per serving

STUFFED PEPPER SOUP

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2 lbs lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 c beef broth

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

2 c cooked rice

2 green bell peppers, chopped

1/4 c brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

In a lg stock pot over med heat, brown ground beef with onion and garlic until beef is no longer pink. Drain off fat and stir in remaining ingredients. Increase heat to med high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer 35-45 minutes.

serves 8-10

 

BEER CHILI

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2 lbs lean ground beef

1 c (2 stalks) chopped celery

1/2 c (1 med) chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (15-16 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (14 1/2 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs beef bouillon granules

1 tbs dried thyme, crushed

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 tsp black pepper

1 (12 oz) bottle lager-style beer

sour cream (optional)

shredded cheese (optional)

In a 4 or 5 qt dutch oven, cook ground beef, celery, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain off fat. Stir in kidney beans, tomato sauce, undrained stewed tomatoes, chili powder, bouillon granules, thyme, parsley flakes, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

Stir in beer. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes more. If desired, top each serving with sour cream and/or cheese.

Makes 6 servings

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

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1 c (1 lg) chopped green sweet pepper

1 (1 lg) c chopped onion

1 tbs cooking oil

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 med skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

1-2 fresh serrano chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped

2 (14 oz) cans chicken broth

1 c water

2 (14 1/2  oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

1 c (4 oz) shredded Monterey jack cheese

tortilla chips, broken

In a 4 qt dutch oven, cook sweet pepper and onion in hot oil over med-high heat about 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add chicken and chile peppers to dutch oven. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken, broth, water, undrained tomatoes, and undrained tomatoes and chiles to dutch oven. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Top servings with cheese and tortilla chips.

Makes 8 servings

WILD RICE SOUP

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3 (14 oz) cans beef OR chicken broth

2 c water

1 1/3 c uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained

2 med carrots, chopped

2 tbs dried minced onion\

2 cans condensed cream of chicken and/or potato soup

1 c chopped cooked ham (optional)

green onions, slivered (optional)

In a 5 or 6 qt Dutch oven, combine broth, water, uncooked rice, carrots, and dried onion. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 40-50 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in chicken soup and, if desired, ham; heat through. If desired, garnish servings with green onions.

6-8 servings

 

CROCKPOT UNSTUFFED CABBAGE SOUP

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5 c beef broth

1/2 head cabbage, chopped

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground breakfast sausage

1 onion, chopped

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 c quick-cooking barley

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp hot sauce

Put the cabbage in the crockpot (5 qt or larger) and set off to the side.

In a lg skillet over med heat, brown the meat with the onion, drain and put back in the skillet.

Pour the broth, tomatoes (undrained) and the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.

Combine well and use a spoon to ladle over the cabbage in the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. (Give it a good stir before serving).

8 servings