Light Veggie Soup with Tortellini

This soup is AMAZING!!! It is great comfort food on a cold winter night, and super nutritious with all the veggies incorporated. I found this recipe on eatingwell.com, which I like to check out every once in a while. They have great ideas, when I feel I need a little extra nutrtion in my day. I did substitute the recipe a little bit, by adding fresh onion and peppers, rather than using frozen. This only took about 30 minutes to whip up, so it was a great weeknight meal.

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup red onion, diced

1 cup green pepper, diced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 28 oz. can crushed tomato ( I found a can with basil added for extra flavor)

1 15 oz. can reduced sodium chicken or veggie broth (I used homemade)

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 tsp. dried basil

1 9 oz. package of fresh or frozen whole wheat tortellini (or ravioli)(cheese or meat)

2 cups zucchini, diced

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, water, and basil; bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add tortellini and cook for 3 minutes less than package directions. Add zucchini; return to a boil. Cook until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Season with fresh pepper.

Verdict: DELISH. We both added a little feta cheese to the top of our soup, which added a little tang. This soup will be added to our soup rotation. Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup- The fast Way!

I am so happy I re-subscribed to Cooking Light Magazine. I think I dog eared every page in the Jan. issue. They have recently reformatted the magazine, and I love what they did with it. First recipe I made was the 20 minute chicken noodle soup. Being 37 weeks pregnant, this is the new type of recipe I like, EASY! This soup tasted great, and it was even better the second day. The recipe calls for a rotisserie chicken, which is a double bonus, because now I have a freezer full of homemade broth.

2 cups water

1 (32 oz.) carton fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth ( used my moms homemade)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 medium carrot, chopped

6 oz. pasta (used whole wheat egg noodle)

2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie

2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine 2 cups water and chicken broth in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at high for 5 minutes.
2. While broth mixture heats, heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot.; saute 3 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add hot broth mixture and pasta; bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Stir in chicken; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley. Yield 6 serving.

Calories: 237 for 1 cup of soup!!

Cheddar Chicken Chowder

My hubby has pretty much taken over the cooking, and I think he enjoys it. He made this yummy soup the other night. We have made this a ton of times, and its definitely in the top 10 recipes we make. I'm also a big fan because its a Cooking Light recipe. Plus, we both agree it's better the second day!!

2 slices bacon

cooking spray

1 lb. skinned, boned chicken breast--cut into bite size pieces

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup diced red bell pepper

2 garlic cloves--minced

4 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth

1 3/4 cups diced peeled red potatoes

2 1/4 cups frozen whole-kernel corn

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

3/4 cup shredded cheddar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Cook bacon in a dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan. Crumble; set aside. Add chicken, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to bacon fat in pan; saute 5 minutes. Add broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add corn; stir well.
2. Place flour in a bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; add to soup. Cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Top with bacon.

I had to laugh when I was typing this out, because when we first made this recipe years ago, we didn't even know what a dutch oven was. How things have changed:)

Homemade Tomato Soup

This soup is so GOOD! I never want it out of a can again. This recipe took no time at all and it was so smooth and velvety. Next time I make this I'm going to do a double batch and freeze some. This yummy tomato soup recipe was found in this issue of Everyday FOOD by Martha Stewart.

1 T. Extra virgin olive oil

1 Large red onion, chopped

1 Garlic clove, chopped

salt and pepper

3 Large tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 Cup low sodium chicken or veggie broth

1/4 cup heavy cream (I use half and half)

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onion softens, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and increase heat to medium high. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to break down, 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Add broth and 1 cup water. Simmer until tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes. In batches(small batches, ask me how I know), puree soup in a blender. Return soup to pot and simmer 1 minute; stir in cream and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

**Side notes: Please blend in small batches, unless you want tomatoes all over your kitchen...it is not fun to clean up.

If you plan on freezing some, omit the cream....then stir in cream after thawing and reheating!

Summer Veggie Soup

Anyone else feel like I do and cannot eat one more hamburger or brat. My body is craving veggies, so you can imagine the boys were surprised to come home to a huge pot of veggie soup. I was already prepared for the, "where's the meat?" question. But it never came. Have they become veggie lovers? Not quite! But they each had a huge bowl. The one great thing about this recipe is that it makes quite a bit, so you can freeze leftovers. I scooped about 2 cups in freezer bags, and lay them flat in the freezer. They are gonna make great lunches in the next coupe weeks.

4 ears corn, husks and silk removed, corn cut off cob (or about 2 cups frozen corn)

2 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (14.5 oz. each) reduced sodium veggie or chicken broth

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

8 oz. green beans, cut into thirds

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup orzo (look for the whole wheat)

1. In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add broth and 2 cups of water; bring to a boil. Add zucchini, green beans, corn, tomatoes (with juice), and orzo; cook uncovered, until orzo is tender, 8 to 11 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

THE VERDICT: Quick and easy to throw together, and chock full of good summer produce. If freezing, thaw before you reheat it. ENJOY!!

Stick To Your Ribs Split Pea Soup

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living

2 T. canola oil

2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

6 cloves garlic, minced

7 oz. ham, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 tsp. salt

fresh pepper

2 tsp. dry thyme

2 tsp. dry parsley

1 bay leaf 

1 lb. split peas

8 cups water, plus more if needed

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.  Add garlic, ham and 1 tsp. salt, and cook for 3 minutes.  Add spices, split peas, and water.
2. Bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender and begin to fall apart, about 50 minutes.  Discard bay leaf.  Season with remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt.

The Verdict:  We all had 2 bowls!!  I served this with fresh baked egg bread, and it was perfect for the chilly rainy day we are having today.  Not only does this warm you from the inside out, it is very nutritious.  Only 360 calories a serving!  The original recipe called for fresh herbs tied in cheese cloth then removed at the end.  But once again the aerogarden is still not ready, and I didn't want to go out in the rain to get some.  The dry substituted fine.  Next time I will use fresh.