Cooking Group ~ Kelley Miller's Easy Tortellini and Spinach Soup

Easy Tortellini and Spinach Soup

A hot bowl of soup on these cold fall and winter nights served with some fresh bread really hits the spot. I love soup!  Don't you?  You know I LOVE trying new recipes...so I was so excited to try Kelley's soup today!  And it's a hit!  It is super fast, easy and delicious so I know you'll love it too!  You can add some cooked chicken to this soup if desired.  If you are adding chicken, add a little extra chicken broth as well. This recipe will serve six.

1 tablespoon butter, or olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 (14 ounce cans) chicken broth

9 ounce package cheese tortellini

course salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

14 ounce can stewed tomatoes (favorite: Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes)

1/2 bunch fresh stemmed spinach

handful fresh basil, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, garnish

Melt butter in large pot.  Saute garlic in butter over medium heat for a minute.  Stir in broth and tortellini.  Bring to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, spinach and basil.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.  Now how easy was that?

Here are all of the ingredients measured and bagged for cooking group.

Roasted Asparagus Soup

Roasted Asparagus Soup

Years ago I whipped up an asparagus soup with some left over sautéed asparagus.  My husband never let me forget how delicious it was and has been asking me to make more ever since.  These days, I roast practically all my vegetables, so I've made this soup with roasted asparagus, onions and garlic.  It's a really easy way to get amazing flavor out of your vegetables! The other night, I finally created an asparagus soup recipe that is equally as good as the one he remembers, and surprisingly a few of the kids enjoyed it!  Even if one of them said after eating it, "Can we just have spaghetti tomorrow night?"  This recipe will serve about 6 people.  Serve with some nice crusty bread.  

2 bunches asparagus, soaked in water to loosen grit

1 onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic

½ cup butter

3 teaspoons chicken or vegetable bouillon granules or 3 cubes

½ teaspoons sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups half and half or milk or cream more if needed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a baking sheet toss asparagus, onion and garlic cloves in some olive oil and a little salt and fresh ground pepper.  Roast for 12-15 minutes until browned and tender.  Cool for a minute puree asparagus mixture in food processor or blender until smooth.  In large pot, melt butter.  Add asparagus mixture and simmer a few minutes.  Add half and half, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper.  Thin with more milk if needed to reach desired consistency and adjust seasoning.  I’ll add another teaspoon of bouillon granules if more seasoning is needed.  As always, if your soup needs thickening...( make a roux with 1/2 cup melted butter and 10 tablespoons flour) and stir the roux into the soup. Serve hot with some crusty bread.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I absolutely LOVE roasted cauliflower.  The roasting process adds amazing flavor - I could eat it all the time, yes even as a snack!  My children all love it too.  I know kids aren't supposed to love vegetables, but I am convinced that's because they are all too familiar with soggy, overcooked vegetables, lacking all of their natural sweetness and flavor.  I wanted to make a soup using the roasted cauliflower that we all love so much.  I tried to get a photo of the first batch of soup, but my family ate it up so quickly, I never got the chance!  After another batch of soup, I was able to snap a shot.  I hope you enjoy this delicious soup!   

2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or use water and bouillon granules)

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

milk or half and half for thinning soup

Toss cauliflower florets, chopped onion and garlic cloves with a little olive oil and salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Place roasted vegetables in a large pot and add broth.  Simmer for 45 minutes.  Blend soup until smooth with a stick blender or puree soup in blender in small batches.  Fill blender only 1/4 full with hot soup.  Place a kitchen towel over the top of blender and puree. Pour soup puree into another large pot and continue with remaining batches.   If needed, thin soup with 2 cups milk or half and half, or more if needed.  If soup is too thin add a roux ( melt 1/2 cup butter and stir in 10 tablespoons flour) and whisk into soup.  Thin as needed to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with a dusting of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh ground pepper. Serve hot with some crusty bread.

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder with Cornbread Muffins

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder with Cornbread Muffins

Soup season is not over yet!  I've been craving this soup for at least a week now...so it's about time I made it!  I was inspired by a soup we ate at a great restaurant in Park City, Utah.  I love using fresh corn in this recipe in the summertime, but you can use frozen corn all year long, just as easily.  I added the sweet potatoes on a whim and ended up loving the combination of colors and flavors!  This recipe is so easy, fresh and delicious!  For variation, sauté some lump crab meat in butter and stir it in just before serving.  Serves six.

¼ cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small 1/2 inch cubes

2 red, orange or green bell peppers, finely chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

handful fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and basil chopped or substitute some dried

1 ¼ teaspoons fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 ears fresh corn, corn cut off cob or 1 lb. frozen corn

5 teaspoons chicken or vegetable bouillon

4 cups water

¼ cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

½-1 cup half and half or heavy cream

1-2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated

Garnish with:
Crumbled bacon 
chopped avocado

In large pot, place olive oil and heat to a shimmer.   Add chopped onion, potatoes, red pepper, garlic, fresh and dried herbs and corn.  Sauté until onions are soft, maybe 10-20 minutes.  Add chicken or vegetable broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Melt butter and stir in flour.  Add to chowder and stir until smooth.  Simmer a few minutes until chowder thickens.  Add half and half.  Turn heat to low and stir in cheese.  Season with a little salt and lots of fresh ground pepper. Thin soup as needed with a little milk or chicken broth. Garnish with crumbled bacon and/or fresh chopped avocado.  Serve hot with Cornbread Muffins.

               

                             Cornbread Muffins                                

2/3 cup cornmeal

1 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tin. Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Add oil and milk and stir until just combined. Spoon into well greased muffin tins and fill almost to the top.  Sprinkle a little grated cheese and/or chopped green peppers (canned is fine), if desired on top.  Bake for 18 minutes. Carefully turn tin over and remove muffins immediately. Serve hot with Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder.

Easy Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup

 Cafe Rio Tortilla Soup

Many of you already know and love Cafe Rio...we were so excited to get one here in Maryland recently!  I loved the bowl of tortilla soup I had there the other day.  It was fun to see how they put it together.  I created this recipe after being inspired by Cafe Rio's chicken tortilla soup.  This soup is made with a clear chicken broth, differing from the tomato based Santa Fe Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Both are great soups, just different!  This soup is pretty fast and I really like using the fresh chopped tomatoes and guacamole in this soup, it adds a lot of fresh flavor.  Having everyone assemble their own bowl of tortilla soup makes for a fun and interactive meal!  

Chicken Marinade:
½ cup honey

¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled from bones and shredded, bones and skin reserved

Chicken Stock:

bones and skin from rotisserie chicken

4 quarts water

16 teaspoons chicken bouillon

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 large onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1 bay leaf

fresh ground pepper

Soup:

marinated chicken

3-4 chopped tomatoes

Colby jack cheese, grated

8-16 ounces guacamole

Tortilla strips or chips

fresh cilantro 

lime slices

Marinate chicken and refrigerate until ready to heat and use in soup.  Add bones to large pot.  Add 4 quarts water and remaining broth ingredients. Simmer for 45 minutes.  Have the tomatoes, cheese, guacamole, chips, cilantro and lime slices in separate bowls adjacent to the hot chicken stock.   Heat chicken and add a portion chicken to bottom of individual soup bowls. Top with a spoonful of chopped tomatoes, some shredded Colby jack cheese, then add a spoonful of guacamole.  Fill up the bowl with chicken stock and top with tortilla strips, some sprigs of fresh cilantro and a slice of lime.  Enjoy!

Vietnamese Pho

Vietnamese Pho

If you haven't eaten Vietnamese before...now is the time!  Pho is our absolute favorite Vietnamese dish, not to mention an all around favorite.  It's got a funny name but it's just so good.  I love the crunchy vegetables and the flavorful spiced broth. It makes you feel so healthy and warm!   I love how Pho is assembled.  My husband explained  after observing how he was served a noodle soup in Thailand, that the cooked noodles are placed in the bowl and then the fresh vegetables, broth goes over the top.  This method ensures that your vegetables are fresh and crunchy while the noodles soft and the hot broth comforting.  It's just such a great combination.  Perfect for cold winter nights!  You can easily make this a vegetarian Pho by omitting the sausage and adding a extra firm tofu with the fresh vegetables for a nice variation.  The Vietnamese serve Pho in a huge bowl, so my husband and I like to share a bowl when we go out.  I like to serve this in the bowls my brother sends me from Japan, it livens up the already beautiful soup for a Asian presentation!

Broth:

1 pound ground sausage 

1 onion, quartered

14 cups water

14 teaspoons beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon 

1/4 cup fish sauce

4 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into thin rounds

1 stick cinnamon

4 star anise pods

6 whole cloves

1 teaspoon black pepper corns

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Roll sausage into 1 inch round meatballs.  Place in large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring a few times throughout.  Drain meatballs and rinse well with running water.  Wash residue out of pot and return meatballs to pot.  Place remaining ingredients in pot with meatballs and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.  Strain broth.  You may reserve the meatballs if desired and discard remaining solids.  If you desire an even clearer broth, strain broth again through cheese.  Season broth with a little extra sugar and salt. Return meatballs to broth and bring to a simmer.

Soup:

8 ounces rice noodles or bean thread noodles, thinnest possible

1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms

1/4 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

1-2 cups broccoli and cauliflower florets
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1-2 cup fresh bean sprouts

bunch fresh cilantro

handful fresh basil

1 lime, quartered

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

Hoisin Sauce

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Turn heat off under noodles.  Have all of your vegetables cut and set aside in bowls.  To assemble a bowl of Pho, place some drained noodles in bottom of an individual bowl.  Add a big pinch of carrots, mushrooms, Napa cabbage and green onions to the noodles.  Now, ladle some simmering broth over the vegetables.  Let sit a minute of two to cool down a bit and cook the vegetables a tiny bit. Top with a generous handful of bean sprouts, fresh cilantro and fresh basil.  Serve with fresh lime and add Siriacha Chili Sauce and Hoisin Sauce as desired to individual portions of Pho.  Enjoy Pho with chop sticks and a big Asian spoon for an authentic flair.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup

Need something warm and deliciously healthy this time of year?  Look no farther.  This Black Bean Soup is so flavorful and healthy, not to mention economical!  To my surprise, even the kids loved it.  It's a perfect dish to use the end of your ham as well.  This recipe will serve about 6 people, but I like to double it so we have enough for dinner the next night as well. You can serve this with a great salad and some tortilla chips on the side.

1 pound dried black beans

1 bay leaf

1 ham bone or 1/2 pound chopped ham or sausage

1 teaspoon oregano

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

12 green onions

1 tablespoon oregano

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 avocado chopped for garnish

Rinse beans under cold water and place in a medium pot. Cover with water by 3 inches.  Add bay leaf and oregano and ham bone, ham or sausage.  Bring to a boil over medium heat .  Reduce heat to low and  and simmer, adding more water if necessary to keep beans covered.  Simmer for 2 hours with lid on.  In large skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onions, green onions, garlic and cumin until onions are soft, about 15-20 minutes.  Season onion mixture with salt and pepper while onions saute.  When beans are cooked, remove ham bone and bay leaf.  Stir in onion mixture.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped avocado,green onions and or cilantro if desired.  

Santa Fe Chicken Tortilla Soup

Santa Fe Chicken Tortilla Soup

My sister-in–law Sara, lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico for a number of years, and that's where this soup entered her repertoire.  She shared a version of this recipe with me and it has become one of our favorites.  Sour cream, avocado, cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips are A MUST to adorn this fabulous soup.  I always omit the jalapeno peppers when making this for my children, but if you like it HOT go ahead and use them!  I love using a rotisserie chicken for this recipe because it makes the preparation so much easier.  

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and discarded, diced (optional) 

8 ounces canned green chilies and liquid

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 carrots, peeled chopped

4 celery sticks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and diced

2 cups beef broth

3 cups chicken broth

28 ounces crushed tomatoes or 3 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes ground in food processor

15 ounces can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon Tabasco (optional)

1 lime, juiced

Garnishes:

grated cheddar cheese

sliced avocado

sour cream

tortilla chips, crushed

fresh lime, quartered

In large pot, sauté jalapeno, green chilies, onion, carrots, celery and garlic in olive oil for 20 minutes or until soft.   Add remaining ingredients and simmer 20-40 minutes. Stir in lime juice just before serving and garnish with favorite toppings.

White Potato Soup

White Potato Soup

Soups really are a family favorite of ours.  They are the perfect comfort food, serving our family healthy, delicious food at a minimum cost and effort.  I love making enough soup to feed us at least two meals.  My sister-in-law, Cynthia taught me how to make this simple potato soup that she learned to make in Germany.  I love the fact that all you need are some onions, potatoes, Swiss cheese and some staples to make a delicious and healthy light supper.  I love serving this with a favorite salad and some crusty homemade bread.

2 white, yellow or sweet onions, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 cups chopped peeled potato

4 cups water

4 teaspoons chicken or vegetable bouillon

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups Swiss cheese, grated

                             

In large pot, sauté onions in olive oil until tender.  Add potatoes, water, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.  Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in flour.   Add roux to soup and stir until thickened.  Add milk and cheese and stir until cheese is melted and soup reaches desired temperature and consistency. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Serve with plenty of crusty bread.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

This soup is one of our very favorites, yes the kids all love it too.  It is has so much flavor and just makes you feel so good!  This is so delicious with some crusty baguettes or the soft buttery holiday roll too.  Add a salad and you have one amazing meal!  I started with a recipe my friend Tammy Shinner gave me years ago and have been making this ever since!  Enjoy!

3 cups peeled, whole tomatoes with juice, canned or fresh

1/8 cup canola oil or olive oil

1 cup celery, finely chopped

1 cup carrots, finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ bay leaf

4 cups chicken broth

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2-3 cups half and half, depending on desired consistency

1 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese

Puree tomatoes and juice in blender and set aside. In large pot, heat oil and sauté carrots, celery, onion, basil, oregano and bay leaf for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add tomatoes and chicken broth and simmer for 15 minutes. While soup simmers, prepare the roux.  Melt butter and stir in flour until smooth. Stir roux into soup and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in half and half.  Bring soup to desired temperature and garnish individual servings with a few croutons and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.  Serve with plenty of crusty bread. If needed, thin pot of soup with more half and half, milk, chicken or vegetable broth to reach desired consistency.

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque

 Vegetables ready to be roasted

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque 

We are busy getting ready for family coming into town for Thanksgiving!  I prepared this bisque to enjoy the night before the big day.  My friend Holly Johnson does a "Favorite Things Party" every January.  Friends come bringing a favorite appetizer or dessert along with the recipe to share.  Guests also bring a short complied "favorites" list from last year.  Every year I would go home with great ideas and inspiration to be a better person and wife and mother plus lots of new favorite recipes.  I received a version of this recipe at Holly's “Favorite Things” party a few years ago.  After I made it, it instantly became one of my own “favorite things!"  I love serving this with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and plenty of crusty bread. 

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4-6 cups chicken broth
½ cup cream or half and half
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

handful of fresh sage or basil, minced

Place all of the vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and roast at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  In large pot melt butter and sauté roasted vegetables 5 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken broth, honey and sage. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Puree soup with stick blender until smooth.  Or puree the soup in small batches in a blender.  Be sure not to fill the blender more than 1/4 full to prevent hot soup blowing out the lid.  Return soup to pot and add cream and salt and pepper to taste. If bisque is too thick add more chicken broth and or cream to reach desired consistency. Garnish with sage leaves and grated Parmesan, or feta cheese if desired.