Crock Pot Tomato Soup

I’ve been getting into the crock pot lately. That whole fix it and forget it quality is a wonderful thing. As fall is finally arriving, I’m starting to get in the mood for soup, so I devised this simple tomato soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 28 oz cans of whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 Tbsps granulated white sugar
• 4 Tbsp beef stock (or in my case, leftover drippings from the pot roast I made last night, also in the crock pot)
• 4 oz. fat free cream cheese, cut into 1/2 ” chunks

Directions:

1. Add both cans of tomatoes, the onion, stock, and sugar to crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Using an immersion blender, carefully break up whatever is left of the tomatoes and blend until smooth.
3. Add the cream cheese and repeat blending process until creamy.
4. Garnish with fresh basil or thyme and a sprinkle of fresh grated parmesean cheese.
5. Fabulous with grilled cheese sandwiches or on it’s own.

The entire pot (which makes about 6 cups of soup, I think) is 705 calories and half a gram of fat. I think it works out to around 117.5 calories per 1 cup serving.

Zucchini Chowder

This is actually an adaptation of this recipe for cream of zucchini soup, but me being me, I had to try to lighten it up a bit and make it my own. The original recipe called for butter–I used extra virgin olive oil. It also called for 4 oz Monterey jack, which was delish, but I thought I might be able to obtain a creamier consistency (without using cream) by switching out to FF cream cheese and FF half an half in lieu of the milk. And as far as I’m concerned, garlic is onion’s right hand man, so I added that in.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, finely grated
• 2 medium carrots, finely grated
• 1 medium to large onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 oz. fat free cream cheese
• 1/2-1 cup fat free half and half (depending on how thick or thin you like your chowder/soup)
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Finely grate the zucchini, sprinkle with salt, and let drain in a colander for approximately half an hour.
2. Meanwhile, grate the carrots, dice the onion, and mince the garlic.
3. In a medium to large skillet (approximately 12″), coat the bottom with extra virgin olive oil and heat to medium high.
4. Add onion, carrots, zucchini, and garlic.
5. Sautee until veggies are slightly limp.
6. Sprinkle flour over the top and reduce heat to medium, stirring and mashing (it forms a sort of paste) as you cook for approximately 4-5 minutes.
7. Slowly add chicken stock a little at a time and stir to incorporate.
8. Reduce heat to medium low and add cubes of cream cheese. Stir until melted.
9. Slowly add half and half until desired thickness is reached. I happen to like really thick consistencies, so this turned out more as a chowder than a cream of zucchini soup.
10. Salt and pepper to taste.

Great served with a good crusty bread for dipping or also good alone.

Seriously Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Guess I’ve got chicken on the brain. I’ve also got the infamous Crud (that sort of ubiquitous allergy/sinus/cold thing everyone here has this time of year), so I decided to make up a batch of my famous homemade chicken noodle soup for myself. Normally this is reserved for taking to sick friends and family but after having a can of Campbell’s the other day and being massively disappointed, I decided I was worth making my soup for.

Ingredients:

• whole chicken or 3-4 chicken breasts and/or thighs, bone-in (to make stock–homemade is best, but store bought is acceptable–approximately 2 quarts, in which case you can just use boneless breasts and thighs to make it in a hurry)
• olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup of diced carrots (I usually just buy the crinkle cut ones in the freezer section)
• parsley (fresh or dried)
• thyme (1/8th tsp)
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• paprika
• cayenne pepper (the secret ingredient…the little bit of heat helps to decongest)
• 2 cups dry noodles of your choice (I prefer whole wheat rotini or No Yolks dumplins)

Instructions:

1. Boil chicken to make stock. Remove chicken to cool. Once cool, debone and dice or shred with a pair of forks.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add diced vegetables and garlic and cook over medium heat until onions and celery are translucent and carrots are starting to soften.
4. At this point you can continue on the stovetop or transfer to a crock pot.
5. To the vegetable mixture, add stock (approx. 2 quarts). Add the chicken.
6. Add herbs and spices and cover. If cooking on stovetop, simmer on low for 1 hour. If cooking in a crockpot, cook on low for 4 hours.
7. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Do not add until just before you’re ready to serve or they get mushy and fall apart in the soup.

I’ve always gotten rave reviews when I take this soup to sick friends and family, and I’ve turned quite a few of them into chicken soup snobs–once they had my soup they couldn’t go back to the canned stuff (though I’m sure a lot of that is that homemade soup in general is just a lot better than the canned stuff rather than any superior skill on my part). Bon appetite!

Taco Soup

As the weather cools down (yes, even in Mississippi), I always crave Mexican style dishes.  One of my family’s all time favorites is taco soup, which is actually a year round staple meal.  This is one of those recipes that’s great for crock pot cooking or can be made in about half an hour on the stove.  Freezes and reheats well, but there’s usually no leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
• 1 can condensed tomato soup (I like the Campbell’s Healthy Request)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can corn, undrained (or you can use frozen corn–about a cup and a half)
• 1 can black beans, undrained (or you can use black beans that you batch cooked yourself–also about a cup and a half to two cups)
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (I prefer Old El Paso)
• 1 tsp chipoltle chili powder if you can find it, but it’s fine without

Combine ingredients in slow cooker or on stovetop.  Add about 1 can’s worth of water if using stovetop or cooking for only half day in crock pot.  Add more water if you’re going to leave it all day on low.  Serve with sour cream, scallions, and shredded cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese.  Also good with corn chips if you’re not watching your waistline.

Spicy Corn Chowder

The weather has FINALLY started to cool down and that has me craving soups, stews, and chowders. This is one I created last winter that is a good warm you up meal for a cold day.

Ingredients:

• 1 can creamed corn (no sugar added if you can find it)
• 1 can whole kernel corn (no sugar added), drained
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and peppers, drained)
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3/4ths a can of evaporated skimmed milk
• 4 oz. fat free cream cheese in cubes
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 1/8 tsp. cumin

Directions:

1. Melt cubes of cream cheese in the stock over medium heat.
2. Add onion, tomatoes and peppers, corn, and creamed corn. Stir.
3. Add garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and pepper. Stir well.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and stir in 3/4ths a can of evaporated skimmed milk, slowly.

Serve with a slice of dense bread, like sourdough for a light lunch, or add a spinach salad for a full meal. Serves 4.