Mexican Tortilla Soup

My brother and sister-in-law showed me this soup, and since the sent a picture of their bowls, I couldn't stop thinking about making it.  It doesn't include tortillas, and that is the one thing I hate about tortilla soup, so I knew I had to make it asap. So this afternoon I got to work making it.  Other than having to chop a bunch of veggies very small, it comes together very easily. I was skeptical about using 3-4 jalapenos, so I used 2 instead and it wasn't overly spicy, so I think next time I will go for 3 or 4.  It was really tasty, and a perfect light but tasty and filling soup!

Mexican Tortilla Soup (without tortillas)
From: Tasebook
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook time 35 min

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Toppings: avocado (sliced), shredded cheese, cilantro (chopped), sour cream

Directions:
1. Bring broth to boil in a large saucepan over medium heat; keep warm

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and garlic and cook until the chicken is nicely browned, 5-6 min.

3. Add cooked chicken, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes and jalapenos to the stock. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Add the salt and black pepper to taste.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with sliced avocado, cheese, cilantro, and a spoonful of sour cream.

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup

When Bill was sick last week, he was eating a lot of soup.  While he didn't mind eating the canned soup, I wanted to make something a little healthier and more hearty.  I found this recipe with a quick search and it looked pretty simple to make.  It was quite simple and was outstanding!  It was very flavorful, while still not being too exotic of flavors for someone who is sick.  It was very hearty and I think will now be my new go to for when we are sick (or sometimes even when we aren't)!

Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
From: Two Peas and Their Pod
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 celery rips, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
1 cup of water
1 cup long grain white rice
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts
kosher salt and freshly ground blank pepper

Directions:
1. Place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.  Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf.  Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until vegetables are softened and not browned.

2. Pour in the chicken broth and water - bring the liquid to a boil.

3. Add in the rice and chicken, season with salt and pepper.

4. Cook on medium-low heat until the rice is tender- about 30 minutes.  Serve Hot.

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

My friend Jorie made this soup for our small group a couple weeks ago and it hit the spot on a cool fall day.  So I got the recipe from her and gave it a shot.  My cream cheese took a lot longer to melt than I thought (I even used the regular as directed, not low fat), so next time I will try bringing the cream cheese to room temperature before adding it instead of straight from the fridge.  Everyone really liked it, but I do have to say that the toppings really make the soup, so make sure you have some!

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup
From: Jorie Meyer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6-8 hrs
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 30 oz bag of frozen, shredded hash browns
3 14oz cans of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 pkg cream cheese (do not use fat free, it won't melt)

Directions:
1. In a crock pot, combine everything except for the cream cheese.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

2. About an hour before serving stir and add the cream cheese and turn to high until thoroughly melted (it will melt faster if it is already softened and not straight out of the fridge).

3.  Serve with shredded cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, and green onions.

Mexican Two Bean Chicken Chili

Yes, I know it is almost may, but here in Chicago it is unfortunately still cold, which means, chili weather.  My friend Kathy from church made us this chili a while back and we liked it so much (probably because of the southwest flavors) that I had to ask for the recipe.  I made it again and it was very easy and hit the spot.  I think I'll even make this in the summertime occasionally.  She served it with cornbread which I really liked (dipped it right in the chili), but you could serve it with tortilla chips too if you wanted.

Mexican Two Bean Chicken Chili
From: Kathy Munson
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14oz) cans chicken broth
1 (16oz) jar thick and chunky salsa
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
Optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro
Serve with: tortilla chips or corn bread

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Serve with Tortilla chips or corn bread, and top with desired toppings.

Green Chile Chicken and Lime Soup

When Bill and I both had bad colds a few weeks back I made this recipe because I wanted a chicken and broth soup, and we all know I can't resist a Mexican twist on a recipe.  This turned out really flavorful, however, quite spicy.  I'm not sure what exactly made it so spicy, but next time I might use mild Rotel, or maybe only 1 can of diced green chilies.  This was even better the next day (as most soups are) and it was quite easy to make considering I used a rotisserie chicken.

Green Chile Chicken and Lime Soup
From: Debbi Does Dinner
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cartons of chicken broth or 64 oz.
2 cans Rotel
1 can diced tomatoes
2  4oz cans of diced green chillies
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and peper to taste
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Heat Olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions and cook for about 5 min.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

2. Stir in Chicken broth, tomatoes, green chilies, cooked chicken, lime juice and seasonings.  Cook for 5 minutes, taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.  Right before serving, add chopped cilantro.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili

It is winter here in Chicago and even though we have had hardly any snow so far and the temps have been higher than normal, it still means it is crock pot weather for me.  Southwest flavor + Chili + Crock pot = Must make.  This has all the ingredients I love and turned out fantastic.  The quinoa cooked up just right while leaving a chili consistency that is very hearty plus the added bonus that it really only takes 10 min to prepare!   We had this for dinner and so many leftovers I ate them for several days after.   There is something to be said for a warm hearty soup/chili in the middle of winter that warms your bones and your heart.

***Please ignore the taco sauce, as I purchased it for another recipe but it somehow managed to find it's way into this picture.  In fact, imagine it to be another can of black beans that I not only forgot in the picture but forgot to put in the chili.***

Slow Cooker Quinoa Chicken Chili
From: Sweet Treats and More
Prep Time: 5-10 min
Cook Time:  5-7 hrs

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 (16 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) corn, drained
2 1/2 - 3 cups chicken stock
2 large chicken breasts
1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp chili powder

Instructions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper

2. Place everything in a 6 qt slow cooker and cook for 5-7 hours on low.

3. Remove chicken, shred it and return to slow cooker.  Keep warm until ready to serve.  Garnish with Cheese and/or sour cream.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

When my mom came to visit she was just getting over being sick so I wanted to make her some soup, but wanted it to be ready when I got home because she would already be there and probably be hungry.  I've seen a lot of crock pot chili recipes, but wanted something lighter.  When I saw this recipe for Minestrone Soup, I knew it would be perfect.  I didn't have vegetable juice, but did have some tomato juice so I used that instead and I think it turned out pretty good! Not perfect, but considering I spent all of 15 minutes chopping and putting it together, I'd say it was a success!

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup
From: Smashed Peas and Carrots
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 6-8 hours

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
 1 1/2 cup vegetable juice (like V8)
14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undtrained
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
1 can cannellini beans
1 tsp dry parsley
salt and Peper
1/3 cup dry ditalini pasta or other small pasta noodle

Directions: 
1.  Prep all vegetables.  Place everything in crock pot except the pasta and stir well to combine.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6.

2. Add Ditalini Pasta and stir well.  Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes before serving.

Cauliflower Soup

I wanted to try this Cauliflower Soup when I saw it posted on the Pioneer woman.  It looked like a cozy creamy soup - similar to cream of broccoli or something.  It was good, and made A LOT, but it probably would have been a bit thicker if I had used whole milk as directed instead of skim.  It was time consuming and definitely NOT a weeknight type of soup but the actual work of doing it was not difficult.  It is definitely good for a cold fall/winter weekend.

Cauliflower Soup
From: Pioneer Woman
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min

Ingredients:
1 Stick Butter, divided
1/2 Onion, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced (I did a bunch of small carrots instead of one large)
1 - 1/2 Cauliflower Heads (roughly chopped)
2 Tbsp Parsley chopped (fresh or dried)
2 quarts chicken broth
6 Tbsp flour
2 cups Whole Milk (I used Skim because that's what we had)
1 cup half & half
2 - 4 tsp salt, to taste
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

Directions:
1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 Tbsp butter.  Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

2. Add carrots and celery and cook an additional couple minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

3. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, pour in chicken broth.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer

4. In a medium saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp butter.  Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine.  Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

5. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half and half.  Add mixture to the simmering soup.  allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

5.  Just before serving place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen.  Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream.  Pour in remaining soup and stir.  Serve immediately.

Fresh Corn Soup

I love Corn.  I love corn on the cob, off the cob, creamed corn, corn chowder, corn dip, corn salad... anything you can think of that involves corn.  This one appealed to me because it said it was a creamy corn soup using fresh corn, and no dairy.  So I gave it a shot.  I even doubled the recipe anticipating it would be good and I would want to freeze some of it to save for the winter when I crave fresh corn things.

And it was good.  Great in fact.  It is think and creamy, but not like a dairy cream soup if that makes any sense.  One thing to note though.. it takes a while to make. Most soups need to simmer for a while, but this one seemed to have a lot of hands on time rather than get it all ready and just let it simmer.  I'm glad I made a double batch because I think this is a once a year type of recipe because of the hands on time involved.  This definitely isn't a weeknight quick and easy meal, but it IS worth it.

***I forgot to take a picture of ingredients - pretty much all veggies :) ***

No Dairy Creamy Fresh Corn Soup
From: We are not Martha
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:
5-6 large ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked
Kosher salt
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 medium red potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
Fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 jalapeno, chopped (not in original recipe, I added it)
Optional Garnish: chopped tomato, sour cream, basil


Directions:
1. Cut corn off cob into a large bowl.  Don't cut to close to the cob.

2. In a separate bowl take the cobs you just cut kernels off and scrape as much off the cob as you can, extracting all the "milk" and solids possible.  I used the back of a butter knife and it worked really well.

3. Break cobs in half and put them in a pot with 6 cups of water and 1 tsp salt.  bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium low, cover, and simmer for about 30 min.

4. Once done cooking, throw away cobs, but save liquids in a separate bowl and set aside.

5. Put the pot back over medium-high heat and add oil.  Saute onion in the oil for about 3 minutes, until translucent. Then add garlic and cook for another minute.

6.  Turn heat down to medium and add celery (I also added 1/2 a jalapeno chopped at this point).  Cover the pot and continue to cook, making sure to stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, until vegetables soften.

7.  Add the potatoes, pepper, and cayenne.  Stir.  Pour in corn stock.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and lower heat to medium low.  Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, unitl vegetables are softened enough to puree.

8.  Add all of the corn kernels except 1 cup. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

9. Puree the soup using immersion blender. Taste it.  Add more salt or pepper if needed. 

10. Add the rest of the corn and the corn 'milk.'  Simmer for another 5 minutes.

11.  Serve warm with as many toppings as you choose (I added chopped tomatoes, basil, and sour cream, and one night even added chunks of avocado. 

Coconut Shrimp Soup

This is a recipe I saw on Ashley's blog a while back and it looked really interesting.  I didn't have any grits in the house which is what she used so I tried to use Polenta.  I do NOT suggest Polenta for this.  It was ok, but I think would have been a lot better with any of her 3 suggestions (grits, rice, or quinoa).  Next time I make it I think I will try quinoa instead. The soup was good though, just shouldn't have put it on Polenta - that's what I get for trying to modify!

Coconut Shrimp Soup
From: Ashley's Cooking Adventures

Ingredients:
1 lb Shrimp, cleaned and thawed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 2 limes
4 Tbsp cilantro, minced
4 servings of prepared grits, rice, or quinoa (if desired)

Directions:
1. Cook Grits, rice, or quinoa as directed.

2. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add in shrimp, tomatoes, and coconut milk and raise the heat up to high.  Shake in red chili flakes and stir.  Bring to a simmer for 3 minutes

4. Plate grits or other grain of choice in a bowl.  drizzle lime juice over the top of the shrimp soup and pour over the grits.  Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

 

The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup

This is another recipe from Hungry girl that my sister-in-law introduced me to.  I was skeptical at first because it includes a can of pumpkin, but it turns out that it is a perfect hint to the soup.  This soup is super easy and is quite tasty (man do I need to get some more adjectives besides tasty, yummy, and delicious!). It is great for the cool winter months slowly starting to descend on us her in Chicago - plus, in my book you can't go wrong with anything with a hint of Mexican!

The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup
From: Hungry Girl

Ingredients:
3 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion
3 cups green enchilada sauce
1 can 15oz can pure pumpkin
10oz cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped and shredded
1 cup frozen corn
optional toppings: shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, crushed baked tortilla chips

Directions:
1. In a large pot, bring broth to a low boil on the stove. Add celery and onion, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender.

2. Stir in enchilada sauce and pumpkin.  Once soup returns to a low boil, add chicken and corn, and mix well.  Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, until soup is heated throughout.

3. Add a dash or more hot sauce if desired.  Serve and, if you like, top with shredded cheese and/or crushed chips

 

Black Bean Soup

I love black beans but had never made black bean soup.  I finally made this one I saw on Ashley's blog and it was so good, I could eat it every day (or at least once a week).  It was so simple, that I just might.  I didn't even need anything with it - although Bill had a sandwich with it.

Black Bean Soup
From: Ashley
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (I used a small can of green chiles because I didn't have a jalapeno)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne
2 (15oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic and cook until soft, about five minutes.  Stir in chili powder, cumin, and cayenne.

2. Add beans and broth and simmer for fifteen minutes.

3. Use hand blender to puree soup about halfway (or remove 1 1/2 cups of the soup and puree in a blender then return to pot.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in lime juice.  Ladle into individual bowls and add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with Tortilla chips.

Butternut Squash Soup

I love fall soups so I knew I had to try this recipe when my Cooks Illustrated came this fall.  At first I was a little skeptical about microwaving the squash instead of roasting it, but the soup turned out soooo good (and faster than roasting it)!  It had fantastic flavor and made a big pot of creamy goodness even though didn't have any cream or milk. I only wish my pictures were better of it.  I guess that is as good as it gets when I take pictures of my food in my kitchen with no windows, at night, with a point and shoot camera that my dog recently chewed up!  But believe me, this soup is fantastic!

- The first few times I made it I served with a dollop of sour cream.  but I've since stopped doing it, I don't think it is needed since the soup is rich, creamy, and delicious all on its own.

 
Butternut Squash Soup
From: Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pound butternut squash (about one whole squash) peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 Tbsp butter
1 leek, white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
4 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups water
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
sour cream

Directions:
1. Place squash in bowl, cover, and microwave until paring knife glides easily through flesh, 14-18 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Carefully transfer squash to colander set in bowl (squash will be very hot) and drain for 5 minutes; reserve liquid.

2. Melt butter in dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add squash, leek, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until squash pieces begin to break down and brown fond forms in bottom of pot, 10-13 minutes.

3. Add 2 cups broth and scrape bottom of pot to loosen and dissolve fond.  Add remaining 2 cups broth, reserve squash liquid, 1 cup water, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and cayenne.  Increase heat to high and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are fully tender, 6-7 minutes.

4. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs.  Working in batches, process soup blender until smooth 1- 2 minutes (or use your immersion blender like I did). Return soup to pot and bring to simmer, thinning with up to 1 cup water to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Roasted Tomato Soup

My Mother-in-law has a lot of tomato plants which have been producing a LOT of tomatoes this year and she has been kindly sharing them with me so I have been trying a lot of different tomato recipes.  I also received an immersion blender from my Mom for my birthday - so the logical thing to make is tomato soup!  I looked at a couple recipes, but didn't love any of them, so just kind of did my own thing.  I really liked how it turned out and will definitely make it again. It was great with grilled cheese on a cool late summer/early fall evening.  
 

Roasted Tomato Soup
From: Elizabeth

Ingredients:
3 lbs of Tomatoes (I used a mixture of beefsteak and cherry)
3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/4 cup onions, sliced
5-6 sprigs fresh Thyme
1/2 - 1 tsp Italian seasonings
5-6 leaves fresh basil
5-6 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tomatoes in half (or quarters if they are large) and squeeze out some of the seeds.  Lay out on cookie sheet with cut side up. Place garlic and onion slices in between the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, thyme and Italian seasonings.

2. Roast tomatoes for 30 minutes, removing the garlic around 20 minutes if getting soft. After 30 minutes place tomatoes and garlic (after unpeeling) in a large pot.  Add chicken broth and blend tomato mixture into the broth with immersion blender.  I made mine quite smooth but next time might try it with leaving some tomato chunks in.  If you don't have an immersion blender you can use the food processor before adding the tomatoes to the pot.

3. Heat soup and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in basil and cream and turn off heat.

Asparagus Soup

 

I love asparagus in the spring and I like to make this soup at least once during asparagus season.  This time it was a little more thin than normal, but still absolutely delicious.

You may have noticed I haven't been posting as much - although some of you probably don't think I post much anyway or didn't even notice! There are several reasons for this.  One, I'm in between laptops right now. Two, I'm very busy lately (as usually at this time of year), and three I am going to try to spend less time on the computer when I'm not at work.  So I will probably posting less at least for a while.

Asparagus Soup
From: Joan DeWilde
Ingredients: 
1 1/2 c. chopped leeks (about 3)

2 lbs asparagus - cleaned and cut up, tips separate
3 cans chicken broth
1 c. half & half
2 Tbs butter
Lemon

Directions:
1. Saute leeks in butter until translucent, add asparagus (except tips) and broth.

2. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Blanch tips in boiling water for 1 minute and cool, reserving water.

3. Puree simmered ingredients in blender or with electric hand blender.  Add 1 c. half & half and heat.  May add reserved water to blender or after to desired consistency.  Give a good squeeze of lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste.


4. When serving sprinkle reserved tips on top of bowl.

Stoplight Corn Chowder

I seem to be on a Soup kick!  I guess with winter winding down, I realized there were a lot of soup recipes I have wanted to try and post.  I always love a good corn chowder and was really excited when Ashley posted this one from Food and Whine.  It was really easy and I really liked the flavor and consistency. I like that it included beans and left out potatoes, I also liked the red, yellow, and green (stoplight!) colors.

Stoplight Corn Chowder
From Ashley's cooking adventures

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups corn
1 can navy beans
2 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes
3 Tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
optional for garnish: crushed tortilla chips,cilantro, sliced green onions

Directions:
1. In the bottom of a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add pepper and onions and saute until softened (about 5 minutes). Stir in corn.

2. Crumble bouillon over pepper and corn mixture.  Sprinkle flour atop peppers.  Whisk in milk.

3. Stir over medium heat until chowder begins to thicken (about 10 min).  Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.  Garnish if desired before serving.

Lentil Soup

I love soup and this lentil soup is so hearty and delicious. I got this recipe from my Sister-in-law Olga, and it is pretty similar to what her Mom makes - which I also like but don't have the recipe for.  I changed it up a little bit, mainly because I didn't have everything in the house, but still think it turned out great! 

Lentil Soup
From: Olga

Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
6 1/2 cups stock or water
2 onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 large carrots, chopped
6 oz lean ham
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
salt and pepper
9oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp ground allspice
chopped scallions or chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Directions:
1. Place the lentils and stock in a large pan and let soak for 1-2 hours

2. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, ham, tomatoes, and bay leaves and season to taste.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and let simmer for 1 hour, or until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes and ham are tender.

4. Discard the bay leaves. If desired, remove some of the ham and process soup in blender until smooth.  I usually do not blend it though.  Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, and add the vinegar and allspice and add the reserved chopped ham.  Simmer gently for an additional 5-10 minutes.  Garnish with scallions and serve.