Albondigas Soup

My husband's family makes the best Mexican food on earth, Imo, so I never try to make it for him. Yes, he complains but I just tell him, call your aunt, cousin, uncle, or Nino, have them make you something that I will only, in my attempt to replicate, destroy for both of us. Well today I decided to jump in with both feet and make the traditional meatball soup-Albondigas. I will say it turned out great, although not completely traditional in taste, it was a winner for the whole family (even the three kids). It tastes a little like meatball soup and tortilla soup together. Give it a shot, it makes enough to feed for a couple days.

Meatballs

2 lbs ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup uncooked rice (I used jasmine but use whatever you want)

2 tbls chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbl chopped fresh basil

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

In a large bowl combine ground turkey/beef, eggs and rice with your hands (always fun). Add rest of ingredients and combine until thoroughly mixed (use your hands again). Form meat mixture into 1" balls, arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate while preparing the soup.

Soup

3Tbl Olive Oil

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large white onion, chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

1 bunch of green onions, include green tops, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 large cans/boxes of chicken stock (35 oz each)

4 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 TBL fresh lemon juice

1 TBL fresh lime juice

1 tsp paprika

1 TBL cayenne pepper

2 TBL Kosher salt

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, not drained

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

sour cream

grated cheese

I a large stockpot over medium heat warm the oil and add the minced garlic. Stir about 1 min, dont let garlic burn. Add all three onions and the celery and saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are soften and sweet, about 10 minutes.

Add chicken broth, bouillon, water and just bring to a boil. Remove meatballs from the refrigerator. Turn soup down to a simmer and slowly add meatballs to soup, add carefully and only a few at a time. Return soup to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 more minutes. While meatballs are cooking, skim off any foam that floats on the surface with a spoon, discard.

Gently stir in lemon and lime juice, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Add beans, corn and tomatoes. Again, bring soup to a boil on high heat, reduce to simmer and simmer uncovered for about 5 more minutes.

Just before serving add fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and add sour cream and cheese. Great served with warm corn tortillas and lime wedges.

Original recipe courtesy of Bob Gelb (Nordstrom's friends and family cookbook)

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Chicken Tortellini Soup

 

The other night I decided to make chicken noodle soup with tortellini in place of egg noodles. I had seen some other tortellini soup recipes with more of an Italian twist, but I decided to just stick with my homemade chicken noodle soup recipe that I always use and love. My only change was the noodles. Everybody loved it! My daughter had 3 bowls that night. My husband even commented again on how much he liked the soup, the following day(that surprised me). I think this recipe is definitely heartier than regular chicken noodle soup, making it feel more suitable for an everyday meal. Enjoy!

 

Chicken pieces with bone in, skinned(I used 4 thighs, but it could have used a little more chicken)

1 cup carrots, sliced or baby carrots

1 cup sliced celery

Chicken boullion cubes(about 8 more or less depending on amount of water used)

water

Salt

Pepper

Frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini

Directions:

Put chicken and vegetable in a large stock pot. Fill pot with approx 10 cups of water. Add boullion cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Use approx. 1 cube per every cup of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove chicken from broth. Remove chicken from bones, cut up, discard bones and return chicken to pot. Bring soup back to a boil and add tortellini. Cook tortellini according to directions on packaging.

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Taco Soup

Sometimes I enjoy the prep work that goes along with making dinner...chopping potatoes, slicing carrots, sauteing onions.but then there are other nights, (well really most nights) when I just want to toss everything into a pot and be done. This recipe I have for taco soup is just that. Aside from browning your meat, all you have to do is dump everything into a slow cooker and let it cook. It's super easy to make and everyone in my family really likes it.

1 lb ground beef(you can also use shredded chicken)
1 11ozcan diced tomatoes with chiles(like Rotel),undrained
1 16oz can pinto beans
1 16oz can kidney beans
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 4oz can chiles
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning mix

DO NOT DRAIN CANS

Brown and drain ground beef. Put it into a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Do not drain cans. Cook on low for about 5 hours. You can also cook this soup on the stove. I simmered mine for about a 1/2 hour.

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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ok, so the picture is not good, but the soup tasted great. I made this soup a couple weeks ago. It was one of our ROTWs. It is a "light" recipe, but it is not lacking in flavor AT ALL. My entire family loved it, even my very picky husband and children. I did make a couple of changes to the recipe. I'll put those in Italic.

2	cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup with 30% less sodium
1	can (10 oz) Old El Paso® enchilada sauce(I used the next size up, I believe 14 oz)
2	cups milk
1	cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1	package (9 oz) frozen cooked southwestern-seasoned chicken breast strips, thawed, chopped (2 cups)(I could only find this in the lunch meat section, not frozen)
3/4	cup crushed tortilla chips

1.	In 3-quart saucepan, mix all ingredients except tortilla chips. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.
2.	Top individual servings with tortilla chips.

I also mixed in about 1/2 cup of salsa while the soup was heating up. 

Recipe courtesy of BettyCrocker.com







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Turkey Veggie Soup

My mother-in-law is ill right now with a cold. My father-in-law called to ask where he should get some soup for her and I thought, why buy when you can make? I made a turkey a couple days ago and still had leftover turkey so I created this soup with my left over veggies and turkey (both dark and white). It is perfect for these cold days of winter. I hope you enjoy it. Remember you can add anything you have in your kitchen. I have never loved making homemade stock so I used the pre-boxed kind.

2Tbl Olive Oil

1 medium onion diced

1 cup carrots, peeled and cubed

1 cup celery, washed and sliced thick

2 medium squash, washed and cut into cubes

32 oz. chicken or turkey stock

2 cups water

2 cubes poultry bullion cubes

2-3 cups of shredded turkey or chicken

1 cup of orzo pasta

salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven or large stock pot on medium heat add olive oil and heat until oil is hot. Add onion cook until almost tender. Add carrots and celery, cook for 1 min. Add pasta, cook for 1 min. Add squash, chicken stock, water and bullion cubes. Bring to boil then reduce to low. Add chicken or turkey and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste. Serve hot.

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Salsa Chicken Soup

Thursdays are busy nights for us. If I can remember...I always try and throw dinner in the slow cooker earlier that day so we can eat dinner that evening at a decent time. Today I decided to take a recipe given to me a couple weeks ago from a friend and combine it with some recipes I had found online. The original recipe given to me sounded great, but once again I was attempting to make do with what I had in the pantry. The result was a really delicious mexican style soup. Everyone loved it! I will definitely be making this again. Here's what I came up with. Ingredients: 3-4 pieces of chicken (I used boneless, frozen thighs) 2 cans of seasoned black beans, undrained 1 cup of salsa ( I used pace picante, medium) 1 small single serving size can V8 juice (smallest can they make) 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained 1 small can diced green chilies 3 chicken boulion cubes garlic powder, pepper, salt to taste(watch the salt. It's pretty tasty already) Directions: Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Put all of the ingredients in. Mix together. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About a 1/2 hour before eating, remove the chicken, shred and put back into the soup. Mix again. Garnish with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese (optional).

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