Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

I've made this recipe twice since I found it and I love it.

In ( ) are all the changes I made based on likes or what I had on hand and it still came out delicious. 
The next time I make it I'll try to remember to take a picture.

from:   Food Network

Level: Easy
Total: 50 min
Active: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings

Broccoli Soup

I got this recipe from Once Upon a Chef, click here to see the recipe.

However, this is how I made it so that it was very non fattening and still delicious.

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Soup

from here

This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream — just veggies, broth, and a hint of Parmesan puréed to silky perfection.

Tuscan Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Tuscan Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1/2 tsp  Wegmans Tuscan Seasoning Shak'r **
1 Tbsp  Wegmans Pure Olive Oil
2 pkgs (12 oz each)  Food You Feel Good About Cleaned & Cut Cauliflower Florets
Salt and pepper to taste
1 carton (32 oz)  Food You Feel Good About Vegetable Culinary Stock
Italian Classics Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Cheese Shop), for garnish


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add Tuscan seasoning and olive oil to large bowl; mix to combine. Add cauliflower florets; toss to coat.

Arrange cauliflower in single layer on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roast 35-45 min, turning halfway through, until browned and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add roasted cauliflower and vegetable stock to stockpot. Bring to a boil on HIGH; reduce heat to LOW; simmer 5-8 min until cauliflower is soft.

Puree soup to desired texture; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with grated cheese.

from Wegmans

** I didn't have the seasoning but I found this recipe and made my own

Tuscan Seasoning
2/3 cup oregano
6 Tbsp kosher salt
5 Tbsp paprika
4 Tbsp ground fennel
4 Tbsp garlic powder
3 1/2 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp sugar

Note:  I made 1/4 of the seasoning recipe and it made a lot.  I didn't have fennel so I left it out and roughly did the 1/4 of each ingredient and it came out fine.  The cauliflower was so good we had to have lots of samples.  Good thing I had a huge cauliflower.

Chicken Curry Soup

I made this soup today using leftover chicken breasts from store bought roasted chicken.  I added it during the last 10 minutes of cooking time druing Step 2.

Chicken Curry Soup

6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each

Active Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
    1 tablespoon canola oil
    1 large onion, chopped
    4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
    3 slices fresh ginger, peeled and lightly crushed
    3 tablespoons curry powder, preferably Madras
    1/2 cup white rice
    2 bone-in chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), skinned and trimmed
    4 cups Homemade Chicken Broth, (recipe follows) or reduced-sodium chicken broth
    3 cups water
    1 vine-ripened tomato, seeded and chopped
    Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
    Lemon juice, to taste
    Finely chopped fresh cilantro, or chives for garnish

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger; stirring occasionally to prevent browning, cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add curry powder and rice; cook for 5 minutes longer.
2. Add chicken, broth and water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium. Simmer, stirring frequently, just until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate to cool. 
3. Puree soup in batches in a food processor until smooth, adding water as needed for a creamy texture. Return soup to cleaned pot and heat again to a simmer.
4. Shred the chicken into small strips and add to the soup along with tomato; cook 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Just before serving, stir in lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro or chives.

Nutrition

Per serving: 197 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 37 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 2 g fiber; 176 mg sodium; 271 mg potassium.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_curry_soup.html

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was looking for Chicken Tortilla soup recipes and found all these, but then I got the recipe from Patti that she made for Super Bowl and that's the one I'm going to make today which happens to be the one from allrecipes listed below.  The recipe as written on this page has my adaptation of that recipe.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-tortilla-soup-i/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/mexican-tortilla-chicken-soup-recipe/index.html
http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/chicken-tortilla-soup-ii-4627

Spicy Mulligatawny Soup

When I was talking to Laura today about a recipe she was going to make for a guy, it reminded me of the first meal I made for Larry after we met.  It was our first date after our meeting and I actually invited him over after I got out of work to:
1) take a walk
2) have dinner
3) watch the presidential debate with me

It was 2004 but I don't remember who was debating  (just looked it up - Bush vs Kerry).  Originally I wasn't even going to see him that night because I had on my calendar to watch the debate.  I remember it was a Wednesday.  Monday I had a Women for Winesense meeting, Tuesday I had to clean and cook so Wednesday was our first "real date."

When we met for the first time on Sunday, at a coffee shop near his house, Larry invited me back to his house right from there.  It really impressed me that he could invite me on the spot.  I would have to spend hours straightening up first.  I did go, although I could hear Laura in the background telling me I shouldn't and if I did I should definitely be driving my own car, which I didn't.

Getting back to the basics, this is the recipe I made, with a salad which obviously won his heart.  I got the recipe from Patsy but it is originally Ann's mother's recipe.  I need to make it again sometime soon.

Black Bean Soup

On occasion, I like to cook.  One of those times is when I'm listening to a good book because it's easy to cook and listen.  I also have to be under no pressure to have anything done by a certain time or for company.  It just has to be a relaxing, enjoyable experience.
I like to make soups and desserts and today was a soup day.  It was a little chilly so it seemed like a perfect soup day.   The other day Audrey asked me if I had a Black Bean soup recipe and I remembered the one I got from Ann a number of years ago after I had it at one of her multi-soup dinners.  Last winter I bought a case (6 pack) of Black Beans but never made the soup so I just had to get some of the fresh ingredients to go with it and I did that after Yoga this morning.

I sort of doubled the recipe, sort of because I only had 7 cans of beans, not 8 and I only used one can of corn.  If I'm going to create a mess and spend the time cooking, I believe in making enough for lots of leftovers.  We had it for dinner tonight and I froze the 6 quarts that were left.

Black Bean Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 pinch black pepper 4 cups vegetable broth 4 (15 ounce) cans black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes.
3. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cans of beans, and corn.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. In a food processor or blender, process remaining 2 cans beans and tomatoes until smooth.
7. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.