Tag Archives: soup

Italian Shrimp and Zucchini Soup

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I’m ending my zucchini week with shrimp soup, although zucchini is so versatile you could devote a month to it!

Italian soup


This shrimp and zucchini soup was new for me, but we both really liked it. At first I thought this soup looked a bit odd – with a whole head of escarole, a relative of lettuce, steamed into it. But I fiddled with the recipe to add some body and taste and it’s a keeper!

fennel bulb

The recipe is a takeoff of a soup listed in the Digest Diet Cookbook, put out this year by Readers Digest. However the original recipe was so bland, using only water and 1/4 tsp of salt, so I added broth, tomato paste and some spices to salvage it. Give this a taste. It’s still healthy and low in calories.

fennel

Tips: Cut the top off the fennel bulb and the very root end. If you want to save the tops for a stock pot, great. Now cut the bulb in half lengthwise and cut out the fibrous end of the bulb root. Then chop the rest into 1/2 inch pieces.

wilt onions, celery, fennel


Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb (Also called anise or sweet anise.)
1 onion
2 celery stalks
3 cloves garlic
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt
1 pound zucchini, cut into chunks
1 head escarole, coarsely chopped
5 cups broth
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes – juice and all
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp – uncooked
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz can tomato paste
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

add zucchini

escarole goes in

a hearty soup

Directions
Pour the oil into your large 5 or 6 quart pot.
Add the fennel, onion, celery and garlic with the marjoram, pepper flakes and salt.
Stir until veggies are softened – about 10 minutes.
Stir in the zucchini and escarole and cook until the lettuce is wilted- about 10 minutes.
Add the broth, tomato paste, garlic salt, pepper and tomatoes and simmer until veggies are tender – another 10 minutes.
Stir in the shrimp and beans and gently simmer until heated through. The shrimp should be a nice pink color.

The interesting assortment of vegetables, shrimp and beans make this a very satisfying soup. The addition of tomatoes and spices makes the Italian Shrimp and Zucchini Soup one to bookmark.

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Black Bean and Potato Soup

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potato and black bean soup

enjoy

I make a variety of vegetable soups, but usually forget to blog about them. They’re such a natural part of my day. Recently I was having a bit of a dizzy spell and a small voice inside of me said, “Make soup.” Probably my Grandmother Zola’s voice. She always told me that she loved to get a good ham bone or a chicken and make soup. I think the onions and garlic in the soup have great medicinal power. At any rate, after a bowl of soup I was able to go for a nice walk with no vertigo.

I don’t have many specific measures for much of this soup because it’s just a basic idea that you can change to make your own based on what you have in your fridge or freezer. But I’ll do my best to guide you.

bowl of soup


Ingredients
1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
2 -3 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery (more if you want)
1 cup chopped carrots
4 medium potatoes – I used Yukon Gold – scrubbed, peeled and cut into chunks
1 can – 15 oz – diced tomatoes with garlic
1 can – 15 oz – black beans drained and rinsed
6-8 cups water
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
2 bouillon cubes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot.
Add onions, peppers, garlic, celery and carrots and sauté for about five minutes.
Cover vegetables with water.
Add potatoes, and the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer about 15 minutes.
Taste to be sure the soup has a nice blend of flavors. Adjust if necessary.

Southwestern ingredients like black beans, corn and potatoes blend with Italian flavors like basil and oregano. The soup is hearty and can be served for lunch or dinner. A perfect vegetarian soup for a Friday in Lent or anytime.

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Chicken Noodle Soup

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hearty and colorful soup


I like soup with body, not tiny bits of chicken and slimy noodles like you get when you buy canned soup. This soup is great for dinner with crusty bread and a piece of fruit. Very simple. And it doesn’t take all day to make. You can make this in less than 30 minutes easily.

I generally get two pots started at the same time. In a smaller pot, I start boiling my chicken breasts; in the larger pot I start making the broth.

Zoe begs for soup


Zoe always smells the chicken cooking and starts begging for bits and pieces. I’m careful not to give her any onions, if I share some soup.

Then I start chopping vegetables. I love chopping vegetables. It’s such a simple task, but it feels relaxing. I don’t try to break any speed records, I just chop away.

However, if I’m in a hurry, I may use all frozen vegetables. I try to keep a variety of chopped onions, celery and peppers in baggies in the freezer. I buy them when there’s a great price at the store (or farmer’s market) and then wash, chop and freeze for future use. However, when I’m really in a rush, I sometimes use the commercial bags of “soup mixes” in the freezer section. They are generally onions celery and peppers. For this soup that may be all the veggies you want. However, you can also add carrots, green beans, corn, lima beans or others to ramp up the veggie content.

soup base and cream soup

suggested herbs


adding soup base


Ingredients
3 raw chicken breasts – boneless and skinless
6 – 8 quarts water (or chicken broth)

cut cooked chicken into chunks


Chicken bouillon or soup base to taste
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup (adds body to the broth)
1 small onion, chopped – or about ½ cup
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped red pepper
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ bag frozen carrots, green beans, combo
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme leaf
1 tsp parsley leaf
Black pepper
Extra wide noodles – about ½ of a one pound bag

extra wide egg noodles


frozen veggie options

chicken in every spoonful

Directions
• Put the raw chicken breasts in a medium size pan, cover with water and boil about 15 minutes.
• While chicken is cooking, fill a large pot about half way with water.
• Add cream soup and whisk to blend.
• Spoon in vegetables and herbs.
• Mix in bullion or chicken soup base when the soup is hot.
• Rinse chicken in cold water when it’s finished cooking. (Don’t overcook the chicken.)
• Cut chicken into bite sized chunks and add to soup.
• Drop in noodles and boil about ten minutes or until done.

Veggie Chili Soup

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"Soup's on!"


I like the traditional chili soup, but sometimes the heavy tomato sauce is a bit much. And then I always end up serving another green vegetable on a separate plate. But what if I could have the flavor of the chili soup with all the goodness of vegetables? I played around and came up with this recipe that we loved. Hope you do too.
This is very flexible. Add different vegetables to your taste. This is also a great way to use up partial bags of frozen veggies you may have in the freezer.

Makes about six servings.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
8 or so small (B-size) Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
6-8 cups water (or premade bullion)
2 TBS soup base or beef bullion
½ onion, diced (fresh or frozen)
½ cup raw barley (skip if you need gluten free)
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ cup green pepper, diced (fresh or frozen)
1 cup frozen peas (or green beans)
½ cup carrots (frozen, diced are fine)
½ cup corn
2 cans chili beans (Mrs. Grimes are my favs)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Salt and pepper to taste

bring soup to a boil


Directions
Brown the hamburger in a separate frying pan. Drain the fat and set aside.
Scrub the potatoes, then cut them into bite size chunks and put them in a large pot.
Cover potatoes with water. (Or broth. See Tip 1 below.) Heat on medium-high.
Add the soup base or bullion and mix into the hot water. Bring to a hard boil for about five minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes or more.

Tips
I use the Jamison soup base, which comes in beef or chicken flavors. However, you can use bouillon cubes or premade broth.
Remember, if you’re in a hurry, you can use the frozen bags of celery, onion and green pepper. There is also a mix of peas, corn and carrots that’s perfect for this.
Serve Veggie Chilli Soup with slices of hearty bread or corn bread. And fruit cup for dessert. Perfect.
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