Fire Roasted Tomato Black Bean Soup

All this valentines stuff gets me a little relationship reminiscent.

So I decided to open up my Nathan Box.  Do other couples do this?  I assumed so until I spoke with a friend at work the other day who seemed surprised by my little collection of all things Nathan- love notes, football tickets, a random rock, birthday cards.  It's tempting to say the idea was all mine (my older sister had a boyfriend when she was in high school and I distinctly remember a flower-covered box containing all things Tim), however, I'm pretty sure Nathan was the one who got the ball rolling to preserve our love mementos (he was the uber mushy one in our first few months together- [this is a good thing!].  and yes, Nathan has his own box for me, too.)

As I browsed through old Chinese takeout fortunes (he who loves you will follow you) and handmade coupons (Car Wash- only 20 kisses *limited time only),  I came across a thoughtful bookmark he had left between two pages of a novel I was reading: And then the heroic Nathan, God of Love, rescued the most beautiful Princess in the history of the world!  And they lived happily ever after.  The End.  I also had to laugh at the Valentine envelope with the label It took 1,000 kisses to seal this envelope.  And the note that read I love your toosh.  and toes and nose and arms and teeth and hair and how you talk!  I love you.

And yes, I was sweetly greeted Friday afternoon with flowers and chocolates, but even after this month of love is over it's always nice for the random acts of affection.  Like with this soup.  Nathan loves this soup. It's slightly spicy and super easy and so delicious and has been requested so often over the last month that I make sure to always have a can of beans on hand.  And while it's not exactly something you can keep in a box, it's just another way to say I love you.

Fire Roasted Tomato Black Bean Soup

Serves 2 (with leftovers)

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 of a yellow onion, chopped
pinch of salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste

Heat oil in medium pot over medium-high heat.  Add onion with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Stir in chicken broth, black beans, tomatoes and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in lime juice and salt, if necessary (I often add about 1/4 teaspoon). Puree about two-thirds of soup using an immersion blender or in batches using a blender or food processor.  Let simmer in pot until ready to serve.

Chelsea Original :)

Cheesy Chicken Corn Chowder

This is by no means a sexy soup.

But it got cold so I made it and I ate it and I loved it so now I share it.  Yup it got real cold.  Cold enough to put me in the mood for a little pre-Christmas-in-Colorado boot shopping.  Too bad I spotted these and now I find myself daydreaming about owning them but I just can't justify the price when a) I live in Texas where b) there's no snow so I'd basically c) look like a fool.  No sexy mountain boots for me.

Once old man winter kicks in though, I make a lot of soup (and I wear a lot of sweatpants.  and I drink a lot of chai).  Usually my soup consists of whatever I've got lying around the house: a can of diced tomatoes, the remains of a green bell, a handful of onion, a dash of cumin, a pinch of salt.  I just pull stuff out of the fridge, off the spice rack, and bam!  soup du jour.  Then I eat my non-sexy soup in my non-sexy sweats while I browse sexy boots.            

Cheesy Chicken Corn Chowder

Serves 2

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup frozen corn kernels

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Melt butter in medium-sized pot over medium-high heat on the stove.  Add onion and garlic and sprinkle with pepper; cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add corn and cook another minute.  Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat.  Stir in chicken broth and milk and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly thickened.  Add chicken and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted and blended.  Add salt to taste, if necessary.  

Chelsea Original :) 

Mom's Classic Chili

Can last weekend be every weekend?

It would involve: kissing monkeys, fuzzy navels, bakery breakfasts, wooden play sets, lego duplos, picture-taking, gift-giving, hug-receiving.  Margaritas, cloudless skies, byowine, video-watching*, story-sharing, trip-planning.  Thus was the weekend of a very welcome (and very overdue) visit from four of the loveliest people I know: my two parents, my favorite older sis, and my adorable nephew, Ben.  It was a full house for roughly 48 hours (+1, thank you daylight savings!), and it was wonderful.

We went to the zoo, we built our own tacos, we feasted on Italian cuisine.  We discussed Thanksgiving 2013 (Tulsa here I come! ps I'm making pie), we discussed Christmas 2013 (Colorado, here we come! ps I'm making cookies). 

But before we did any of this, we ate chili.  My mom's chili.  But I made it.  She had given the recipe to me years ago, which I had chicken-scratched on a piece of notebook paper, and I finally took it out from my arsenal of soup recipes to make for the ones I love.  It was a hit (by everyone except Ben, who decided to feast on macaroni and apples- no hard feelings though.  That boy could ram his new bike into my car and then trek it through my newly planted pansies and I would still love him to bits and pieces) and paired nicely with my go-to cornbread- the perfect way to celebrate both the arrival of the beautiful fall weather, and the arrival of my beautiful family.

*{see video here}

Mom's Classic Chili

Serves 4-5 (serves a family)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground chuck beef

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1 (28-ounce) can italian whole tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups water

2 teaspoons salt, or as needed

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or as needed

Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Sauté until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add chuck and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cloves, basil, oregano, and cumin.  Stir 2 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, crushing with back of spoon, tomato paste, and water. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Adapted from my mom :)

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

So Lent.

Yeahhhh....that thing you do this time of year.  That put-down-that-soda, spit-out-that-chocolate thing.  Well, I've sorta kinda never told you all what I'm doing (yes, in addition to my 26-by-27 and my new years resolutions- this is getting out of control, I know).  To be perfectly honest, I never really intended to do anything.  I gave up Dr. Pepper one year, I think I gave up chocolate another year (maybe? dunno.), it usually involved giving up something.  Well, I'm sorry, but my single soda a week just isn't that big of a threat and my absurd sweet tooth isn't going to handle 40 days without sugar, so yeah, like I said...wasn't planning on being a participant.

But on Ash Wednesday night, I had a revelation (no pun intended).  My plan of choice: eat more fruits and veggies.  Two per day, to be exact (my goals have to be measureable- it's the perfectionist in me).  Now here's where I admit that I never eat fruits and veggies.  Unless they come in the form of salsa or dotted in soups, their existence in nil.  It's not something I'm proud of.

That changes now (uh, technically 23 day ago), and I'm eating them in their purest form.  Not banana bread, not strawberry cake.  Ketchup doesn't count either.  Apple slices and melon cubes.  I'm now a participant!  Hallelujah! 

[ps this soup is awesome.  no, it's really awesome, i've just talked your ear off, but make it.  it's zesty and awesome.  and veggie-ful]

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Serves 2

1 pound roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 40 minutes.

In a large stockpot, heat the other 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, italian seasoning and broth. Stir in the oven roasted tomatoes. Cook for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the stockpot, or transfer soup to a food processor or blender to blend. The soup should be smooth, with a few tomato chunks. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve warm.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod.

Barbeque Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Today is bonus day!

Sorry, this is not a monetary bonus.  Bonus as in, I'm sharing a recipe and some Bits and Bites!  How lucky for you!

Bonus number one:  this soup.  Amazing.  I made it last year and was sure to whip it up again this winter so I could share it with the invisible people who visit my blog.  (If there are any of you out there.  ps comments are always welcome!  Otherwise, I will continue to assume I am simply talking to myself.  Which I tend to do more than I'd care to admit, so that's really nothing new.)

But like I said before, this soup is amazing.  It's got a lot going on with bacon, onions, corn, red bell, and bbq shrimp; the flavor is definitely not a-lacking.  Oh, and now that I've had the honor of making it twice, I've fine-tuned the details to make it taste even better!

Stay tuned after the recipe for bonus number two: bits and bites links!

Barbeque Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Serves 2 to 4

2 slices of bacon
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons flour
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 (15.25 ounce) can sweet corn kernels, drained
1 cup of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 ounces of raw peeled and deveined shrimp (I actually used the small frozen, cooked shrimp)*
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
Dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the bacon slices and cook until crispy and golden brown. Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel.

Add onions and peppers to the pot with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Whisk in the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes or until flour becomes golden in color and smells a bit nutty. Add chicken stock, potatoes, and corn. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, heat olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to saucepan with barbeque sauce, tossing to coat until heated through.

Once soup has slightly thickened and the potatoes have started to break down, stir in milk. Add more broth and/or milk if you desire a thinner consistency.  Add 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and a dash of cayenne and dump the entire bbq sauce/shrimp mixture into soup pot.  Season according to your tastes. Serve in bowls topped with the crumbled bacon. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week.

*I have made this once with "small"-sized shrimp and once with "medium"-sized shrimp and preferred the smaller size.

Adapted from How Sweet It Is.



Bits and Bites BONUS!

1.  15 Food Blogger Trends of 2012 That Need To Go.  Very funny article.

2.  Super Bowl Cupcakes using Easter Eggs!  Crazy cute!

3.  Make your own sugar hearts.  I heart pink.

4.  Waldorf Salad Cupcakes.  Weird!

5.  Arty McGoo.  Has some seriously mad cookie decorating skills.  You need to see this.

6.  Dorito Oreo Popcorn.  Great minds think alike!

7.  Homemade American Cheese.  The store-bought stuff isn't even made from actual cheese!  That's just sad.

8.  Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies.  Um..yum.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Mmmmmm noodle soup....

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup, that is.

Eating out, I have had a few too many bowls of chicken noodle soup that are "eh, whatever...this is boring", but I occasionally come across a bowl that is worthy of declaring "I must recreate this at home!"  For example, has anyone had Panera's?  They decided to change their chicken noodle soup a year or two ago and the new version just doesn't cut it for me.  I loved  their old one.  It was a "recreate at home" bowl, but their new one?  Ugh.  Don't fix it if it ain't broke, Panera.  Bad move.

Anywho, I recreated.  And this soup is gooood.  Warm and salty with thick noodles and tender veggies.  I like to let my noodles boil for quite a while so they get extra soft and extra thick (I know, any well-seasoned chef would frown at this as I let them go well past the al dente point).  In addition, you can make it as brothy or as...unbrothy? as you'd like (some places like to basically just give you a bowl of broth containing a few noodles and about three pieces of carrot sprinkled in with a single chunk of chicken for good measure.  Again, not gonna cut it.  I didn't order some hibachi soup people!)  But at home, I was able to up the ante and make it more to my liking. Oh, and since I'm on a roll of giving out my chicken noodle two cents worth, here's one more:  make it, eat it, and freeze the leftovers for a quick and easy meal in the future!  Genius.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

Makes about 8 cups worth, depending on how much broth you choose to add

2 cups egg noodles, uncooked

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

4-6 cups chicken broth

3/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon herbs de provence (italian seasoning would work too)

1 cup cooked, roasted chicken, shredded or chopped

Bring a small pot of water to a boil on the stove.  Add noodles and cook until soft.

In separate, larger stockpot or Dutch oven, heat 4 cups broth.  Once it comes to a slight boil, add onion and celery and simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Add carrots and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add cooked pasta, pepper, herbs, and chicken.  Cook until heated through adding more broth if necessary.

Adapted from my friend, Maria.

Buffalo Turkey Chili

Let's talk turkey.

Afterall, it is officially November.  The month that just so happens to center around a big, fat turkey.  The month where the hustle and bustle begin.  The month where maybe, just mayyyybe, the cold weather will finally set in (yea, it's 90 here today).  The month where Christmas trees will go up, pies will be made, and holiday travel plans will be arranged.  Yea....it's gonna be a busy month.

So in the midst of all that craziness, tuck this recipe away in your arsenal to pull out for a quick, easy, and delicious meal on a cold and busy night.  Ok that last sentence didn't do this chili justice.  Let me tell you just how good this chili is.  It is sooo good, that while eating it for dinner, Nathan actually stopped mid-bite to say "wow, this is good".  This NEVER happens people.  The majority of the time while eating dinner I will eventually prompt "how is it?" for fear that he is simply avoiding commenting on what he deems to be a disgusting meal and secretly forcing it down his throat.  So to get a non-prompted, mid-bite compliment is earth shattering.  (p.s. he also text me the next day at work asking if we had any leftover.  Big. Fat. No.  We polished that sucker off.)

Buffalo Turkey Chili

Serves 2 (easily doubled)

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 tablespoon oil

1/2 onion, diced

1/4 cup celery, sliced

1/4 cup carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup beer or chicken broth

1/2 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Pinch cayenne

1/4 cup hot sauce (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Crumbled blue cheese. cheddar cheese, and cilantro, for topping

Cook the turkey in a large pan over medium heat and set aside.  Heat the oil in the pan, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  Add the beer or broth and deglaze the pan.  Add turkey, tomatoes, paprika, oregano, cayenne and hot sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.  Serve topped with crumbled blue cheese, cheddar, and cilantro to taste.

Adapted from Closet Cooking.

Spicy Spanish Turkey Meatball Stew

I just couldn't help myself...

Yes, I realize every food blog out there is kicking off October with something involving pumpkin puree (oh and don't you worry, I've got a few up my sleeve as well), but I figured I would start things off a little different.  With soup.  Well, stew actually, but that's just a technicality. 

Let me be honest:  we're obsessed with soup in this house.  Nathan and I spent a good chunk of our college days feasting on grilled cheese sandwiches dredged in tomato soup (remember the mean grilled cheese that Nathan makes?).  And it was a pretty rainy weekend down here in Texas putting me in the mood to flip open that new food network magazine lying on the coffee table that just so happens to feature a bowl of tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons on the cover (this issue was made for us!).  So straight to the soups I searched...leading me to this little gem of a stew.  I already had everything on hand (even had some ground turkey thawing for potential barbecue burgers Sunday night, but plans changed for that turkey). 

This is the perfect meal for the upcoming cold nights- hot and spicy warming you all the way through.  (I may have said "whew! spicy!" a few times during this meal).  Delicious served with fresh bread to sop up the juices left in the bowl and to help mellow out the heat :)

Spicy Spanish Turkey Meatball Stew

Serves 2 (heartily) or 3 (reasonably)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch kosher salt and ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 cup sliced small carrots

1 14-ounce can low-sodium diced fire-roasted tomatoes

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup frozen kernel corn

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl.

Add the paprika and carrots to the remaining onion mixture in the skillet and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and corn; bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the ground turkey, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the bowl with the reserved onion mixture and mix with your hands. Form the turkey mixture into 8 meatballs. Place the meatballs in the skillet with the sauce and simmer, turning once, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Serve with cilantro.

Adapted from Food Network.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ok, now I realize summer is practically here, but Nathan and I are BIG soup people so consider this a warning that I may periodically be posting soup recipes despite the extreme heat.

I first made us a black bean soup a couple of months ago and, as a result, Nathan has consistently asked me if we are having black bean soup just about every week since.  I finally honored his wish, but with a different recipe and this one is worthy of sharing and urging you to make at home (the first one was good, but this one is awesome).  Loaded with onions, carrots, bell pepper, garlic, tomato and jalapeno, this soup has a lot going on and is incredibly full of flavor.  Feel free to adapt the level of spice to suit your tastes but don't let it stop you from making this soup!


Spicy Black Bean Soup Recipe

This served the two of us

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red or orange bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
half a jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel), drained
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Garnish: sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped bell peppers, shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips, diced avocados

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook for 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper, carrot, garlic and jalapeno, and continue cooking another 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add remaining eight ingredients (chicken broth through cayenne), and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let soup simmer for at least 10 minutes.

You can either serve this soup as is, or use an immersion blender or a traditional blender (I pureed a little over half of the soup) to puree the soup.  Serve warm, and garnish with suggested ingredients if desired.

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven. 
 

Roasted Garlic and Chicken Soup

Yes, I made soup.

I know, I know.  Soup is about to fall off the radar for a few months and become obsolete as temperatures begin to rise into the 90's and, inevitably, here in the south, the 110's...
I figured I would be storing this recipe away until fall, however we actually had some cooler days this past week (70's is cooler!) so I took the opportunity to make this before it was too late. 

You can never have too much garlic and this soup proves it.  It is loaded with both roasted and raw garlic and contains a good dose of onion, so I wouldn't suggest making this for a first date (unless you make something minty for dessert). 

Roasted Garlic and Chicken Soup

This served the two of us, plus a little leftover.

2 heads roasted garlic 

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium onion, sliced

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (optional)

salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Once garlic has cooled, squeeze between fingertips to release cloves. Transfer cloves to small bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and thyme and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add roasted garlic and raw garlic cloves and cook 3 minutes.

Add chicken stock; cover and simmer until garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add parmesan and stir until melted.  Stir in lemon juice, shredded chicken and milk or cream, and bring to simmer. Season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Adapted from Beantown Baker.