Sunday, January 15, 2017

Carolyn Westbrook: Soup's On Sunday

This time of year it can be so cold and dreary. My Soup's on Sunday are an easy and delicious way to warm up a cold Sunday afternoon. This is one of my family's favorites and it is easy to make. Soup's on.
 
Chicken Tortilla Soup
 
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large container of chicken broth
1 can of diced tomatoes and green chilies
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of Cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 fresh jalapeno deveined and seeded, then minced.
1 yellow squash diced
1 zucchini diced
1 large can of diced tomatoes
2 carrots diced
1 large onion diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of minced cilantro
1 avocado sliced
¼ cup of mozzarella cheese
 
Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large stock pot. Salt and pepper chicken and place in pot on medium heat. Add fresh garlic. Cook chicken until almost done. Add onion, carrots, jalapeno, add spices and cook until vegetables are soft. Add chicken broth, tomatoes and green chilies, and tomatoes. Add squash. Simmer soup for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add half of the chopped cilantro and stir. Serve in a bowl topped with a tablespoon of cheese, a slice of avocado and the remainder of the chopped cilantro.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Carolyn Westbrook: Soup's On Sunday

Here we are another year, a new year. After working on my new cooking/entertaining book last year, it made me think about my Soup's On Sunday, and maybe it was a good time to bring it back. Since it is freezing cold, I am always ready for a bowl of soup. I was out until late yesterday evening. I wasn't up for cooking an elaborate dinner, but I wanted something warm and home-cooked. Here's the deal, it doesn't take long to get something delicious cooked up in no time. Sometimes I even forget that. When the kids were little, I used to always make what we call Cowboy Stew, which is really a hamburger vegetable soup that is absolutely delicious. I threw this together in 25 minutes and you can too. Seriously. You need to try this one and you will probably have most of these ingredients in the house.

1.5 lbs. of lean hamburger meat
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons of oil
1 large onion diced
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 package of mixed vegis ( I use different ones, but usually the corn, carrots and peas or green beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon of tomato bouillon
1 large container of beef broth

Keep in mind, whenever you make this you don't have to have the tomato bouillon, you could substitute tomato paste or you can use different vegis, if it means saving a trip to the store.

Put oil in large stock pot on medium heat. Place meat in pot and cook. Drain if necessary. You can leave a little oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook until tender. Add spices and combine. Add tomatoes and tomato bouillon and stir. Add beef broth and mixed vegetables. Stir and combine until soup is simmering and vegis are hot. Let simmer for at least 10- 15 minutes before serving. After is simmers and allowed to  sit it ensures that all the flavors are enriched in the soup.

I made hot garlic bread to serve with it and if you like, you can top with some cheese of your choice...YUM!