Easy Hamburger Soup

Although the idea of a slow cooker is a good idea, it requires too much forethought for my life most days.  Instead, the Dutch oven has come to my rescue over and over because I can crank the heat and cook supper in the nick of time.  Here's my latest favorite soup that uses up all those extra veggies you don't know what to do with that are sitting in the fridge (or freezer).

It's very forgiving, so use whatever you have in whatever quantities you have.

Easy Hamburger Soup

In your Dutch oven, brown and break up into small pieces:

2-3 lbs. ground beef/meat (mine is usually still in the frozen state when I start)

1 onion, finely chopped

When that is browned, add 6-8 cups of beef broth/bone broth, keeping heat on med/high.

Then add vegetables of choice.  Our kids love it with just a bag of frozen peas added (which I do for a quick lunch, as it's so easy using leftover ground beef).  For supper I usually add many more vegetables to make it into a full meal.  Add the ones that take longest to cook first and the green leafy ones right at the end.

-cut green beans or peas

-fresh chopped tomatoes

-finely chopped cabbage

-bell peppers

-frozen vegetables of any sort

-celery

-carrots

-cauliflower (fresh or frozen)

-beets or potatoes are even good

-chard or spinach sliced finely (I even pulse it up in my blender sometimes so the kids eat it easier and add it right at the very end to retain the most nutrients.

If you're fighting infection, add a few cloves of chopped up garlic right at the end to keep the most infection fighting components intact.  You can also add herbs/spices such as basil, oregano, parsley, thyme for more seasoning.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Seafood Chowder

This is another family favorite.  It's my aunt Becky's recipe and she can be found at many Kurtti family functions in the kitchen stirring a big pot of it.

Seafood Chowder

1 med. onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 T. oil/butter
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 large cans evaporated milk
3 cans minced clams with juice
3-4 fillets white fish, cut into bite size pieces
1 lb. precooked shrimp
1 small pkg. smoked salmon
2 t. salt
pepper to taste
2 T. flour
1 t. dill weed or sprigs of fresh dill
water

Sauté onion and celery in oil until transparent.  Add potatoes and clams (including juice), salt and pepper.  Add water just to cover.  Bring to boil and simmer about 10 min. until potatoes are al dente.  Add evaporated milk and white fish.  Simmer 10 min.  Remove some liquid and thicken with the flour.  Return thickened liquid to chowder and simmer 5 more minutes.  Add shrimp and smoked salmon and allow to heat thoroughly.  Add more salt if needed.  Stir in dill.  Serves 10.  This recipe was adapted from Grandma Kurtti's original clam chowder recipe that she made in high school home economics, I've substituted smoked salmon for bacon.
(Kurtti Family cookbook page 32)

This would also be good with scallops and/or crab added to it too/instead of other fish.

Curried Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine as I was wanting more uses for lentils.  The red lentils have a much different flavor than brown ones, and I really love them.  I use dried cranberries in place of cherries since I usually have them in the house.  I've also used garam masala spice mix rather than the curry powder and that flavor is excellent too.  You can also just buzz the soup with an immersion blender rather than straining it.  It's fine without doing that too.

Curried Lentil Soup with Dried Cherries and Cilantro

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger (from a 2-inch piece)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped (4 tablespoons)
• 2 carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• Coarse salt
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems, plus 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, shallot, and carrots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 4 cups water, and the lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils and carrots are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour 2 cups soup through a fine sieve into a bowl, reserving solids. Puree strained liquid with remaining soup in a blender until smooth. Reheat after blending. Stir in reserved solids.
3. Reserving some for garnish, stir cherries and cilantro stems into soup, and ladle into bowls. Swirl in remaining 1/4 cup coconut milk, and garnish with cherries and cilantro leaves.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   http://www.marthastewart.com/1050570/curried-red-lentil-soup-dried-cherries-and-cilantro

Black Bean Chili recipe

I got this recipe from my friend Jocelyn many years ago when times were better.  What I like about it is that it doesn't have a tomato base, as so many soups do.  I do like tomato based soups, it just seems that there are so many of them that it gets rather tedious.  This makes a huge pot, enough for 2-3 meals for our family of 7.

2 1/2 c. dry black beans (or one bag)

1/2 c. dry white/navy beans

2 bay leaves

3 c. brown rice/wild rice mixture

1-2 cans diced green chiles

1 - 8oz. bottle mild red taco sauce

3 c. bell peppers, diced (whichever color you like)

2 onions, diced

1/2 garlic bulb, diced/minced

Cover beans with water in your biggest stockpot (or 10 qt. or so)  and soak overnight.  Drain, rinse and add new water.  Cover beans 2 inches higher of water (can also use bone broth/stock) and add bay leaves.  Simmer 1-2 hours on low or until beans are getting soft.   Fish out bay leaves and toss, adding rice.  Keep simmering (about 1 more hour or until rice is cooked) and add the rest of the ingredients and heat thoroughly.  Add more water if it gets too thick.  Serve with cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.  You can also use canned beans, and would likely use about 4 cans of black and 1 can of white.  It's pretty forgiving so you can add or subtract quite a lot if you want. 

Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

Although I'm fully aware of how healthy squash is, I don't really care for it.  At all.  But, don't tell my kids that!  But, I keep trying to like it.  This soup makes it taste good, even for me who doesn't like it.  It also keeps the squash in chunks rather than pureeing it like as most squash soup recipes do.  

Back about 8 years ago, Greg and I went on a rare date to a fancy restaurant.  Someone was watching our kid and we were going to enjoy a quiet dinner.  It was a very rainy, wet night in Astoria which is quite possibly the rainiest town in North America.  It was quite a fancy place, and a soup appetizer sounded appealing.  Hot soup with bread on a cold night...bliss!  Wrong.  When the waitress brought it out, it turns out they failed to mention that it was chilled squash soup.  Whatever the chef was thinking to serve such an item in the depths of winter, I have no idea.  It was one of those places that would have been highly offended if we had suggested to microwave it for a minute or two.  So, we choked it down.  I liken it to slurping baby food.  Neither of us can handle blended soups of any sort to this day.

But, this soup isn't like that.  It's full of textures and flavors which are just delicious.  I got this one from my friend Donna as well, and she got it from her sister-in-law who got it from who knows...

Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

3 small cans of chicken broth (or one carton)

4 cups butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes

1 T. minced garlic

1 large can diced tomato w/ diced green chilies

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

Sour cream

Lime juice

Cilantro

Bring chicken broth, squash and garlic to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat and add chicken and canned tomatoes.  Cook until squash is tender.  Serve with sour cream, lime juice and cilantro.

I've also added a can of black beans and that is good too.

Nadine's Corny Cluck Soup

It must be the week for chowders.  Here's another favorite from my late Aunt Nadine Kurtti.  It's also in the Kurtti cookbook (my favorite cookbook,  in case you hadn't noticed yet!)  This one uses ingredients you will usually have on hand too.  I like that!

Nadine's Corny Cluck Soup

2 T. butter

6 cremini mushrooms, sliced (I just use white ones), you can even leave out if you're not a mushroom fan

1 med. red or yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 T. flour

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

approx. 14 oz. chicken broth

2 c. half & half

2 pkg. frozen white sweet corn

approx. 2 c. cooked chicken, chunked

In saucepan, melt butter (Dutch oven if you have one).  Add onions first, then mushrooms, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 min.  With wire whisk, whisk in flour, salt and pepper, cook, stirring until bubbly.  Stir in broth and 1/2 & 1/2; heat to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat, add corn and chicken, heat through.  Makes about 8 servings.  For variation, you can also add red potatoes after liquid step, letting them cook before adding corn and chicken.

PS.  If you haven't guessed, I use stock pictures for these soups.  Like I have the time or talent to take good ones myself!

Salmon Cheddar Chowder

This is another easy one.  And it's delicious.  It can also be found in our Kurtti cookbook (from Susie Staudinger, pg. 21) if you have it.  I make this fairly often.

Salmon Cheddar Chowder

2 c. diced onion
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 c. water
1 c. diced celery
2 c. diced potatoes
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. dill weed
1/4 t. pepper
1 pint canned salmon with juices
2 c. milk
10 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter.  Blend in flour.  Add water, celery, potatoes, salt, dill, pepper and simmer about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add salmon, milk and cheese and heat through on low so cheese does not curdle.  Serve.

Basic Green Soup

This soup was published in Reader's Digest magazine.  It's super healthy and fairly easy too.  Add more rice if you like.  Change up the veggies if you like.

Here's the article: The Soup that Changed my Life
Here's the recipe:  (I tried to copy/paste it, but it wouldn't format properly for me)
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/basic_green_soup.html

Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder

This is one of those fast ones that you can throw together at the last minute.  Super good and our family gobbles it up.  I think it came from a Better Homes magazine years ago, but can't recall.  It's also in the Kurtti Family Cookbook for those of you who have that.  You can use homemade stock instead of the water/bouillon if you like.  Salt as desired.

Broccoli-Cheddar Chowder

1 cup water

1 medium carrot, diced (I always add a few more)

1 (10oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix

3 c. milk (alternate fine)

1/4 c. flour

1/2 t. chicken bouillon

1/4 t. pepper

3 c. shredded cheddar cheese or mixture of kinds

In a pan (Dutch oven), bring water to boiling and add carrots and frozen vegetables.  Cook covered for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Do not drain.  In a small bowl, stir 1 c. milk into the flour and add to the vegetables in pan.  Add remaining milk, bouillon and pepper (and salt if needed).  Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Cook 1 more minute.  Add cheese, stirring until melted.  Serve with homemade bread.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

This a super easy, but fabulous soup.  Lots of flavor and even better with some crusty, homemade bread.  I combined a recipe from our Kurtti family cookbook  (Hungarian Mushroom Soup by Rich and Julie Schaaff) and one that I found in the book Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth.  This soup works really well in a Dutch oven so that you can brown the mushrooms really good, which adds to the flavor.  Dairy free milks and alternate thickeners work fine too.  This is the only mushroom recipe my picky kids will eat because I chop the mushrooms really small.

Homemade Mushroom Soup

2 lbs. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, or chopped finely in a food processor
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 T. butter
2 T. paprika (the smoked kind is better if you can find it, WinCo has a spicy one in their bulk section that is great too- just use a pinch if using the spicy!)
1 tsp. dill
1 T. balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
1 c. milk with 2 T. flour whisked in
sour cream to garnish

Saute mushrooms and onions together with butter in your Dutch oven until browned.  This will take a while to get all the moisture out of the mushrooms.  Add paprika, dill and vinegar and stir on med/high heat.  Add broth and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add milk/flour mixture and simmer just until thickened.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you like and your sourdough crusty bread.

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

This is one of those fabulous recipes that once you have it, you just have to keep making it.  And if you made it for company, they'll be asking for the recipe for sure.  I got it from my friend Donna who got it from her sister-in-law Brenda who got it from....I've passed it on to many people and today am passing it on to you.  Even if you haven't experienced curry before, or haven't liked it in the past, you will love this.

As with all of my soups, I always double the vegetables.  Lots and lots of carrots.  I also grate them rather than chopping into matchsticks just because it's faster.  This one is gluten-free and dairy free and is good with quinoa instead of the rice too.  Use canned chicken if you want.  Use uncooked rice if you want, just simmer a bit longer.  It's all okay.  It'll be good no matter what.  Well, almost no matter what.  Too much curry paste can ruin it.  Or if you buy another brand and it's way spicier than the usual, that can cause a spice dilemma as well.  So, add a dab, stir and taste.  Repeat.

Chicken Coconut Curry Soup

What you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped – except for a few matchsticks for garnish

1/2 onion,  chopped finely

1 red bell pepper, chopped finely – except for a few thinly sliced pieces for garnish

1 cup cooked chicken meat, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

2 tablespoons red curry paste (if you like it less spicy, just use 1 tablespoon)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

13.5 oz can Asian coconut milk or cream (unsweetened)

21 oz chicken broth (roughly 1.5 cans of Swansons brand)

Optional:  2 tablespoons fish sauce and a few sprigs of cilantro

Note:  Reserve some of the coconut milk, carrots, and red bell pepper (and cilantro) for optional garnish.

Directions:

In a medium  sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and cook chopped onions, carrots, and red bell pepper for approximately 5 minutes.  Add curry paste, brown sugar, chicken, rice, and fish sauce stirring and sauteing everything until curry paste is completely incorporated (approx. 2-3 minutes).  Pour chicken broth and coconut milk into the pan and give it a good stir for a half minute.  Reduce heat to medium and allow the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with a spoonful of coconut milk added on top with a few matchstick carrots and a slice of red bell pepper for garnish. Enjoy!

Full recipe: http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/01/chicken-coconut-curry-soup/

Savory Borscht

 Yummy fall soups.  Coming up.  Right now.  

I just love making soups (if you didn't already know that).  There is something about it that's very satisfying in a way that cooking other things isn't.  Some people love baking, but me, I'll stick with soups.  Last winter my goal was to eat more veggies, so it send me experimenting with new ones and ways to use them.  I bought some beets and then had to figure out what to do with them.  We tried them roasted (in the oven with a cover on the pan) and enjoyed them alot that way.  But then I remembered borscht.  That yummy Russian soup that was cheap, nourishing and uber-healthy.

My sister-in-law Reidun gave me her recipe, so I tried that.  It was good, but it needed something more.  I googled it and found a recipe from a lady from Azerbaijan which looked fabulous.  But a ton of work.  I think I'll pass.  I then got information from my sister Rebecca, who had got a recipe from an extended family member (Svetlana, who is from Russia) who is an excellent soup maker apparently, which gave me some good tips too.  I then tried to put it all together to make an easy, yet delicious soup.  (here's the Classic Russian Borscht from Azerbaijan recipe)

Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition.  They cleanse the liver and blood (and we could all use a bit of that), are high in minerals and fiber and lots of other vitamins too.  They help fight cancer and tumors and can be stored for a long time, which makes them a great year-round vegetable.  They also have some carbohydrates in them, so will give energy if it's low.   15 great reasons to eat beets

Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable to get acquainted with too.  It's good for many of the same reasons that beets are, but their nutritional values are a bit different.  Great for livers, cleansing, vitamins and minerals.   20 Best Benefits Of Cabbages For Skin, Hair And Health

Parsnips are another new one for us.  They look like a carrot, but taste very different.  Mild in some ways, spicy in others.  Tasty for sure!  (We like them roasted in the oven as well.) All three of these mentioned veggies are high in fiber, and cleanse the body as well as promote weight loss and prevent cancer.  We could all use more of that!  Health Benefits of Parsnips

Here's the recipe I came up with.  It still takes a bit of work (grating veggies mostly, which I hire out to our eldest), but is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day and the next, so making a big pot is highly recommended.  I usually make it in my Dutch oven so that I can brown the meat and get more flavor out of it.  But a slow cooker works too.  The Russian lady's recipe has you make the broth the day before, but if you simmer your roast all day first, you'll get a lovely broth (with all it's health benefits).  She also tells you to chill it and not even eat it on the day you make it, but to reheat the next day. (I can't seem to do that after smelling that awesome smell all day!)  The measurements are very easy to increase or decrease, which is another great reason I love making (any kind of) soup.  Just use what you have and it'll be fine!

Savory Borscht
1 pot roast with a bone in it (the bone adds minerals and flavor)
4-6 medium beets, grated
4-6 carrots, grated
2-4 parsnips, grated
1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped
4-6 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 onions, finely chopped
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper (about 1 tsp. of each)
lemon juice (optional)
beef bouillon (1 cube/tsp. per cup of juices)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced 
 3-5 T. fresh or 3 T. dried parsley
sour cream (dollop in each bowl)

To make in Dutch oven, sear meat on high heat until browned on all sides.  You can do this either on the stove top or in the oven (400-500*F for about 15 min in oven).   Turn down heat (350*F) and put the lid on it, then bake as you normally would for a pot roast until falling-apart tender.   This could take all day, depending on how big your roast is.  Add bay leaves, salt and pepper the roast well before you get it baking.

While you're baking/simmering your roast, you'll want to prep your veggies.  Onions and celery can be chopped by hand or with a food processor.  Add them to the roast and let them cook all day too.  You should end up with lots of juices simmering in with your roast, and that will be the base for your soup. 

Saute the onions and celery if you want a more flavor, not necessary though.

Near the end of your roast cooking time (last hour), you can add the bouillon and garlic and your root veggies and put the lid back on and simmer them all together (move Dutch oven from the oven to the stove at this point).  Grate your beets, carrots and parsnips (using a food processor or crank hand grater).  I do not recommend grating these by hand, as it may take all day.  You'll have about 8-10 cups of grated veggies when you're done.  (Save 1 handful of beets to add at the very end for color, as the beets will lose much of their color while they're simmering.)  About 1/2 hour before serving, add your shredded cabbage.  Then about 15 min. before serving, remove the roast from the pot and let it sit on a plate/cutting board until it's cool enough to shred and then put it back in the pot, and you're going to add that last handful of beets and parsley and finish simmering it up.

Enlist your strong 8 year old son to do the grating, with the meat simmering nearby.

At this point, you'll taste and see what it needs (if anything).  It should be a nice even combination of sweet with a hint of sour.  If it tastes too sweet, you can add the lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. at a time.  You may need more bouillon, garlic, salt, or pepper.  Celery salt and dill are good too.

Other things you can add:  potatoes (add with cabbage), apple (add with root veggies), turnips or rutabagas would be good too.  You could use a different kind of meat if you like (I've even used ground beef, but the texture was not great), but a slow roasting one is best.  Add more broth if you want it "soupier", leave the lid off if you want it less watery.  It's all good!

Dollop sour cream onto each bowl before serving.

Starting the roast in the morning in the slow cooker.

(To make in the slow cooker, just simmer your meat on low all day, and then start the veggies (beets, parsnips, carrots) cooking about an hour before mealtime, and follow the rest of the times accordingly.)

Enjoy! (we didn't have any sour cream tonight, so went without)

So that's it.  Greg actually craves this soup alot.  He thinks it's something in the nutrition of it that his body needs, since he feels much better when he has some.  We always serve this just by itself, but you could add some bread if you need to.

Savory Italian Stew

vory Italian Stew RecipeI'm going to share my new favorite stew. Our pastor's wife brought it last fall when Isaac was born and thankfully shared the recipe with me. Easy peasy and delicious to boot. You can substitute regular cooked pasta (spirals work great) if you're not into tortellini. Or do gluten-free.  Or skip completely.  It's all good!

75

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage (hot if you like)
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up (or fresh chopped up)
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce (good without too if you don't want tomato flavor)
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini (or dry boiled until cooked)
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (or dry)
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• more veggies as desired

Directions

• In a large saucepan (Dutch oven if you have one) cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
• Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrot, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
• Gently stir in the tortellini, zucchini, green pepper and parsley. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until tortellini is tender. Serve with cheese. Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts).
• • Prep: 15 min. Cook: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6-8 Servings
  http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Savory-Italian-Stew

Baked Potato Soup recipe (mostly non-dairy)

I made this soup a couple weeks ago, and it turned out awesome!! Since we're trying to limit dairy, I wanted something that would use little-to-none, rather than many cups of milk to make it creamy. I ended up adding a cup of whole milk at the end just to get the right consistency, but it would have tasted just as good with none. The kids are drinking raw goat milk these days, but it's pretty expensive, so I try to give it to them in more metered doses rather than using a whole jug up in soup! I also did it in my new Dutch oven that I got for Christmas. I love, love, love that thing!












8 baking potatoes (preferably organic, as you eat the skins)
1 head cauliflower
2-3 stalks of kale, chopped finely (optional)
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 cup milk/cream
1/2 pack of bacon (1/2 lb, I think)
3-4 c. broth (chicken, beef or veggie)
3 green onions or handful of chives
shredded cheese
sour cream

Bake your potatoes in the oven in their skins (no foil) after scrubbing clean. (About an hour at 350*F). Set aside to cool slightly (so you can handle them). While they are baking, fry your bacon in the Dutch oven. Remove from pan and drain most of the drippings. In the remaining bacon drippings, saute 1/2 onion until translucent. (med heat) Add broth and bring to a boil. Chop your cauliflower coarsely and add to boiling broth. While the cauliflower is cooking, slice your potatoes open and scoop out the flesh. Collect it all to add back into the soup. When cauliflower is almost done, add your potatoes. Simmer and then add kale 5 minutes before serving. Right before serving, either mash up any chunks with an immersion blender or potato masher (depending if you want the soup chunky or smooth). Add milk or cream to get it to the consistency you like. While the soup is simmering, chop your potato skins into bite size pieces and put on a baking sheet and place back in the oven to crisp up. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with potato skins, bacon bits, green onions, cheese and sour cream according to your likings.

We've been trying to get more veggies in our diet, and kale is one of the ones I've been adding to soups and then blending it. I like it because it's packed with vitamins (especially vitamin K), and doesn't get mushy like some other greens do. I add it so it's in there just long enough to soften it slightly before serving.