Category Archives: Soups

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup Recipe

This is such an easy Black Bean Soup recipe that you can whip it up in 10 minutes and have a great, filling meal on Meatless Mondays.

All you need is:

2 cans organic black beans
1/4 medium onion, diced
2 organic mini sweet peppers – one diced, one sliced for garnish
1 tablespoon olive oil
dash or two of cumin powder, chili powder, Adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon lime juice
sliced green onion tops, cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, sour cream, sliced jalapenos (for garnish)

Saute onion and diced sweet peppers in olive oil until onions are clear.  Add the canned black beans, spices, garlic and lime juice.  Simmer on low heat 15 minutes.  Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with shredded cheese, green onions, jalapenos or sour cream.

Serve with homemade baked corn tortilla chips.

If you like my recipes, be a sweetie pie and share on Facebook,
Like my page “I Love To Cook” and Pin these yummy recipes on Pinterest.  🙂

Sharon Springfield

Sharon Springfield  

Sharon Springfield on PinterestSharon Springfield on FacebookFollow Me On Google+

http://sharonspringfield.com/images/cooking-blog-logo.jpghttp://sharonspringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/youtube-150x150.jpg

 

Powered by Wordpress Plugins - Get the full version!

Black Bean Soup Recipe

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

1 pound hash brown potatoes, southern style (one-half bag Ore Ida frozen – or cube up fresh potatoes)
48 oz. chicken broth
2 – 15 oz can creamed corn
1 – 15 oz can whole kernel corn
3 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1 – 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup (or homemade cream of chicken soup mix, prepared)
1 chicken bouillon cube
salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients (except bacon) in a large pot, bring to boil.  Reduce heat, simmer, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes.  Using immersion blender, puree the soup for about a minute.  Sprinkle bacon on top of each bowl of corn chowder.

Serves 10

If you like my recipes, be a sweetie pie and share on Facebook,
Like my page “I Love To Cook” and Pin these yummy recipes on Pinterest.  🙂

Sharon Springfield

Sharon Springfield  

Sharon Springfield on PinterestSharon Springfield on FacebookFollow Me On Google+

http://sharonspringfield.com/images/cooking-blog-logo.jpghttp://sharonspringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/youtube-150x150.jpg

 

Powered by Wordpress Plugins - Get the full version!

Corn Chowder

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

 Broccoli Cheese Soup

This creamy, cheesy broccoli soup tastes just like Panera’s Broccoli Cheese soup.  It’s so easy to make and is filling enough to be a meal in itself.  Serve with a baguette or your favorite rolls.

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli***
1 cup carrot, julienned
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

***Cut off the florets from head of broccoli. Peel tough skin off the stem, discard. Dice tender part of stem.

Sauté onion in butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half. Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender. Return to heat and add cheese.

*To make this Vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

4 Servings

Pin It!  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/280278776784020231/

If you like my recipes, be a sweetie pie and share on Facebook,
Like my page “I Love To Cook” and Pin these yummy recipes on Pinterest.  🙂

Sharon Springfield

Sharon Springfield  

Sharon Springfield on PinterestSharon Springfield on FacebookFollow Me On Google+

http://sharonspringfield.com/images/cooking-blog-logo.jpghttp://sharonspringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/youtube-150x150.jpg

 

Powered by Wordpress Plugins - Get the full version!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumplings

 

Chicken and Dumplings is my most requested meal from my kids.  It takes some work to make this recipe, but it is absolutely worth it.  There are shortcuts you can take to speed it up a bit but the results won’t be the same.  You get out of something what you put into it.  So take your time some Sunday afternoon to make this old classic recipe: Chicken and Dumplings.

To make this recipe, you will need a big pot, large enough to fit a whole chicken.  You will also need a rolling pin to roll out the dumplings.  To mix and knead the dumpling dough, I use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer and a dough hook.  If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you are going to have a bit more manual labor involved.  Get a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer, you will thank me a million times over, trust me.  They are an awesome tool and I LOVE mine!

KitchenAid Artisan® 5QT Mixer KSM150PS-Blue Willow Blue Willow

Ingredients for Chicken & Dumplings:

A Chicken – Giblets removed and thrown away
water
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. sage
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
32 oz. carton of chicken broth
all purpose flour

Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 8-qt. StockpotPlace the chicken* into a large stock pot.  (Mine is just like this one.)  Add enough water to cover the chicken.  Add the bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked and is falling apart.  Remove the chicken to a bowl and allow to cool enough that you can handle it.

*If you don’t want to use a whole chicken, you could substitute boneless chicken breasts or thighs.  Your broth won’t be as flavorful so you would want to add some chicken bouillon or stock base and use less salt.

While the chicken cools, make the dumplings.

Put 2 cups of flour in the bowl of your stand mixer.  Add 1 cup chicken broth to the bowl.  With the dough hook attachment, stir until the flour and broth form a ball.  Add additional flour if your dough is too sticky.  You want it to form a ball and it will pull itself off the sides of the bowl.  Pick up the dumpling dough ball and sprinkle a light dusting of flour over the entire surface.

Clean a 2 foot area of your kitchen counter where you will roll out your dumplings.  (I’m a germophobe so I usually use Clorox wipes and wipe the counters with a clean wet wash cloth and dry thoroughly.)

Dust the counter with some flour and also dust your rolling pin and use your hand to spread the flour over the entire rolling pin surface.  Roll out the dumpling dough into a rectangular shape to a thickness of approximately 1/4″.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1 1/2″ strips and cut again crosswise to make squares.  Dust lightly with more flour.  (This helps to thicken the broth.)

Once the chicken is a safe temperature to handle, remove the chicken meat from the bones.  Remove any icky parts like veins, gristle, etc.  Cut the chicken meat into bite sized chunks.

Strain the broth through a strainer and clean the stock pot out to get rid of the bathtub-like ring from boiling the chicken.  Return the broth and the chicken to the pot.  Add the carton of chicken broth and remaining seasonings and taste the broth, adding more salt & pepper if needed.  Bring to a boil.

Add the dumplings a few at a time to the boiling broth, stirring so that they don’t get clumped together.  Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked all the way through.  To test this, cut a dumpling in half and see if it looks rubbery inside.  If it’s white all the way through, it’s done.

If you want your soup to be thicker, you can whisk together 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup of half & half or milk, making sure you get all the lumps out.  Add this to the chicken & dumplings and stir until the soup is thickened.  Another option is to add a couple cans of cream of chicken soup or my homemade cream of chicken soup mix.

Ladle into soup bowls and prepare to be complimented.  🙂

I know you will enjoy this Chicken & Dumplings recipe.  Trust me that it is worth every bit of work that goes into making it.

Pin it!  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/280278776783980358/

If you like my recipes, be a sweetie pie and share on Facebook,
Like my page “I Love To Cook” and Pin these yummy recipes on Pinterest.  🙂

Sharon Springfield

Sharon Springfield  

Sharon Springfield on PinterestSharon Springfield on FacebookFollow Me On Google+

http://sharonspringfield.com/images/cooking-blog-logo.jpghttp://sharonspringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/youtube-150x150.jpg

 

Powered by Wordpress Plugins - Get the full version!

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

 

Homemade Cream Of Chicken Soup Mix

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Mix

 

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Mix

Forget  the canned soups, now you can make your own homemade cream of chicken soup mix.  Just keep the powdered soup mix in an airtight container and whenever your recipe calls for Cream of chicken soup, just scoop out some of your homemade soup mix and quickly mix up just the right amount for your recipe. It’s less expensive than buying the canned soups and tastes great!

Cream of Chicken Soup Mix

 

Cream of Chicken Soup Mix Recipe:

1 cup non-fat dried milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup bouillon granules (if using cubes, crush into powder)
4 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container, such as a Mason jar.  Keep in your pantry until ready to use.

To use, mix 1/3 cup of the soup mix with 1 1/4 cup water.  Cook until thickened.

For extra creamy, use half & half instead of the water and stir in 1 tablespoon butter after you’ve thickened it.

*You can do this in the microwave.  Whisk water and mix into a glass mixing bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, whisking every 30 – 45 seconds or until it’s thickened.

Try different flavors by switching the chicken bouillon for beef or other flavors.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Mix

 

Sharon Springfield

Sharon Springfield

 Sharon Springfield on Facebookhttp://sharonspringfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/youtube-150x150.jpgSharon Springfield on Pinteresthttp://sharonspringfield.com/images/cooking-blog-logo.jpg