Spicy Tomato Soup

2 cans whole tomatoes in juice
1 large onion, chopped
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh jalepeno
2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 tsp. salt

Directions: Drain ONE can of tomatoes, then puree with other can WITH JUICE. Saute onion, garlic, jalepeno and ginger in olive oil in large pot. Add cumin and cook one minute. Stir in pureed tomatoes, broth, sugar and salt. Simmer stirring occasionally 20 minutes. Working in batches blend soup in blender (trust me....work in small batches, from previous experience large batches can create havoc on one's kitchen). ;) Haha! Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and crusty bread. Yum!!

Chicken tortellini soup

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 can fat free chicken broth
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1-2 cans of water
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
3/4 tsp basil and oregano each
1 pkg cheese tortellini
1 pkg frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix

In large saucepan combine all but vegetables and tortellini, bring to boil. Add last 2 ingredients, reduce heat, simmer until tender (about 20 minutes). Goes great with breadsticks.

Hearty Chili

We love this recipe with either ground beef or chicken. Easy and so good!

1 can black beans
1 can stewed tomatoes (or I use 8-10 oz medium salsa)
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 can white hominy, drained
1 can corn, drained
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed or 1 lb lean ground beef browned and drained
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp chili powder

Dump it all in and cook to boiling!

You could also add in onions, green peppers or jalapenos and top with cheese.

Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup

This is the best potato soup I've attempted to make! Perfect for a cold evening.

2 T butter
2 onions, diced
1/2 cup flour
1 pt. half and half
2 lb. peeled potatoes (about 3-4 large ones), boiled and diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 qt. chicken stock

Garnishes
Grated cheese
Bacon Bits
Chives

Saute onions in butter until transparent and tender. Add flour; stir; then add half & half slowly. Add chicken stock, spices, and potatoes. Serve with grated cheese, bacon bits, or green onion.

Quick Pumpkin Soup

This is a great quick dinner for a cold night.

1 can condensed cream of potato soup
1 1/4 C water
1 15 oz can pupking puree
2 T butter
1 C cream (I use 1% milk)
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t each of ginger, garlic powder, and sage
paprika and sour cream for garnish

In saucepan over medium heat combine potato soup, pumpkin, water, butter, and cream. Add seasonings and stir until blended. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, simmer 15 minutes.

6 servings

Lemony Turkey Rice Soup

I got this from allrecipes.com, submitted by Margarita Cuellar. I've always made it with chicken. Very yummy! I've also added sauteed garlic and veggies (like carrots and celery) to make it a meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 cups diced cooked turkey
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, combine 5-1/2 cups of broth, soup, rice, turkey and pepper. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth. Gradually stir into hot soup. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened and heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

Weeknight Favorites Theme

I asked some of my friends to submit their weeknight favorite recipes. I'm always looking for quick and easy dinner ideas, so here's a few of their favorites. Feel free to add to the list!!!

Laura

P.S. A couple of the recipes ended up in the older posts (I guess you can only fit so many on a page, so click on older posts at the bottom of the page) - trust me you don't want to miss out on these!

Weeknight Favorites: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Submitted by Marcia Seable

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded.
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
2 cans (14 oz. each) stewed tomatoes, chopped, with liquid
1 cup medium salsa
2 tablespoons dried cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin

Cook in crock-pot on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Cut corn tortilla into strips and bake at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes..

Serve soup with tortilla strips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Weeknight Favorites: Taco Soup

Submitted by Marcia Seable

1 pound ground beef, cooked
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 can diced or stewed tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasonings

Cook in crock-pot all day or at least 3-4 hours.
Serve with cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com - it's called "Tortilla Soup I," and it was submitted by Joelene Craver. It's REALLY good (and pretty healthy - lowfat, low carb - if you forego the tortilla strips)! Sorry I forgot to take any pictures of it, but if you look at it here there is a picture as well as nutritional info and serving sizes.

INGREDIENTS

• 9 cups chicken broth
• 6 cloves roasted garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken meat
• 1 lime, juiced
• 6 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into strips and toasted for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In heavy pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add garlic, tomatoes, chopped onion, jalapeno, and oregano to the stocks. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
2. Broil the sliced onions until soft and a little brown. Add broiled onions, chicken, lime juice to soup, and simmer till chicken is heated.
3. Place toasted tortilla strips in each bowl and pour soup over strips.

Laura's alterations: I LOVE the lime flavor, so in addition to the lime juice I sliced 1/2 an extra lime in quarters and let them simmer with the rest of the ingredients. I also added 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro. Instead of corn tortillas, I topped some flour tortillas with cheese and broiled them before slicing them into strips and topping the soup with them. I also topped the soup with low fat sour cream and guacamole.

Tortellini Soup

My uncle makes this, and Kiersten requested that I add it here, since I copied the recipe from him. Enjoy!

1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 large (30 oz) can whole tomatoes (I like to use the chopped tomatoes)
1 can great northern beans OR navy beans
1 box frozen chopped spinach
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried tortellini
fresh parsley (I guess I forgot to write the amount down on this--just add to taste)
Parmesan cheese

Saute onion and pepper in olive oil until just tender. Add tomatoes, beans, spinach, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, then add the tortellini and parsley. Cook until tortellini are tender. Serve w/ Parmesan.

Bacon, Leek, and Tomato Soup

Made this over the weekend. The portions are HUGE! We doubled the recipe, which would make 8 servings, but so far have fed 9 adults and 1 child with enough leftover to freeze for later.

This is from Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals 30 minute cookbook.

BLT Soup

4 (big) servings

6 slices lean, smoky, good quality bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 small celery ribs from the heart of the stalk, finely chopped
2 small to medium carrots
3 leeks, rough tops and roots trimmed
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper
3 medium starchy potatoes, such as Idaho, peeled
2 quarts chicken stock
1 14-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes, drained
A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Crusty bread, for dunking and mopping

Heat a medium soup pot or deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. To the hot pan add a drizzle of EVOO and the bacon. Cook the bacon until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining fat and add the chopped celery. While the celery cooks over medium heat, peel the carrots, then lay them flat on a cutting board. Hold each carrot at the root end and use the vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips. Chop the thin slices into small carrot bits or chips 1/2-inch wide. Add the chips the the celery and stir.

Cut the leeks lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch moons. Place the sliced leeks into a colander and run them under cold water, separating the layers to wash away all the trapped grit. When the leeks are clean, shake off the water and add to the celery and carrots. Stir the veggies together, add the bay leaf,and season with salt and pepper. While the leeks cook until wilted, 3-4 minutes, slice the potatoes.

Cut each potato into thirds crosswise. Stand each potato third upright and slice it thinly. The pieces will look like raw potato chips.

Add the stock to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the potatoes and tomatoes. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and starting to break up a bit. Add the reserved bacon and parsley and stir. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Serve immediately with the crusty bread.

Cream of Potato Soup

This is one of Eddie's favorites. It is slightly modified from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook version.

Cream of Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked or 1 3/4 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp snipped fresh dill or 1/4 tsp dried dillweed
1/8 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 cup milk, half-and-half, or light cream

1. In a blender container or food processor bowl, combine the cooked vegetable and 3/4 cup of the chicken broth. Cover and blend or process about 1 minute or till smooth. Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan melt margarine or butter. Stir in flour, seasonings, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir till slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook 1 minute more. Stir in vegetable mixture and remaining broth. Cook and stir till heated through. If necessary, stir in additional milk to make of desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Variations: I usually cook more potatoes than it calls for and only blend half of them and add the chunks at the end so that the soup has some potatoe chunks. I also usually end up adding more dried dill than it calls for too.

This is a great hearty meal on a cold day...which we seem to be having a lot of lately (cold days not hearty meals).

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Stew

This is my crock pot recipe of choice lately. It is thick and kind of stewey (not runny like taco soup) and if it's fat free unless you decide to top with cheese or sour cream. It's WAY easy too. The only work is chopping an onion, shredding chicken, and using a can opener.

1 onion, chopped (if your really lazy you could cheat and use dried onion)
1 (16 ounce) can red or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen or fresh - either is fine)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
tortilla chips (optional)

Stir first seven ingredients together in your crockpot. Lay chicken on top. Cook on low all day (7-8ish hours) or on high for half the day (3-4ish hours). Take the chicken out about 30 minutes before serving, shred, and stir back in. Top with cheese or sour cream if that's your thing and eat with chips.