I'm lagging a bit behind in posting my newly tested recipes! I'm getting quite a build-up waiting to be talked about!
Earlier this week, we tried Baked Potato Soup from Smitten Kitchen
I'm not sure that I would call it "baked potato" but more of a "Potato Leek" but what's in a name, eh? The soup was great!!! I love potato soup, whether it be a loaded baked potato or more of a potato leek. You just can't go wrong with a bowl of potato-ey goodness! Using chicken broth instead of loading it with heavy cream made it seem a little healthier, which is always good.
The recipe was easy to make, and I did it in less time than the recipe recommended. I only simmered the garlic for about 20-25 minutes. Well, maybe I didn't quite simmer it, but had it on a bit of a boil. Then I didn't really watch the time when I added the potatoes, I just coked them until they were good and tender.
Next time, I think I'd add in the crumbled bacon during the cooking of the soup to get a more bacon-infused soup.
The verdict: Great soup!! Definitely a keeper that I will make again and again.
Good morning reader! I hope you had a fantastic weekend!
Today I have to send a shout out to Gina at Skinny Taste. Her site is awesome, it's full of nice, healthy recipes. I find myself drooling over the possibilities!!
Last week I made her Broccoli Cheddar and Potato Soup and it was delish!
Coming up in our menu plan for the next two weeks, I have her Crockpot Santa Fe Chicken and I can't wait to try it! It's going to be my Chipotle-esqe at home easy meal.
The great thing about the site is that Gina gives you NI (if you follow her recipe) and even includes Weight Watchers Points and Points Plus values! Woohoo! For anyone following Weight Watchers, this is a must read!!
Finally! I've gotten a chance to make the Broccoli Cheddar and Potato soup from Gina's Skinny Recipes.
I didn't quite follow the recipe- I omitted the onions, celery and garlic. I don't always use onion and celery and I was simply out of garlic and didn't realize it until I went to make the soup. I used about double the potatoes and broccoli, so I also doubled (or more) the amount of milk I used and added about a cup of water as well. I added the water because I was out of chicken broth and figured that was fine, since I already used the 2 1/2 c of chicken broth the recipe called for. Due to nearly doubling the soup, I also added a bit more cheese than the recipe calls for, but I didn't double the amount of cheese - I used 2 extra slices of american and maybe 1/2 c extra shredded cheddar.
The vedict? This soup was great! Definitely a keeper. Next time, I'll add a bit more potatoes, since we really enjoy potatoes and most of the potatoes in this soup got blended by my immersion blender.
About a month ago, I added a new recipe for Cheddar Potato Chower that was an absolute disaster for me due to some technical difficulties (ahem, misreading the recipe). I LOVE potato soup, so the recipe was begging for redemption and I gave it another go.
Cheddar Potato Chowder
Ingredients:
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups diced unpeeled red potatoes
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cubed fully cooked lean ham
Directions:
- In a dutch oven, combine first 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, place flour in a large saucepan; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until melted. Stir the cheese sauce into undrained vegetables until combined.
Notes/Changes:
I didn't have any ham on hand, so I skipped it. We also left out the chopped onion since we don't really care for onions in our house. I also only used half the amount of cheese because I didn't realize that I was nearly out of shredded cheese!
Review:
It didn't live up to the ridiculously high expectations that I had for it. I love potato soup, could eat it daily I love it so much. I just don't have a recipe for one yet. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't what I wanted. Derek commented that it didn't have enough potato flavor, and I could agree with that. I only used half the amount of cheese since I forgot to get more, and that may have added a little to the disappointment. There's leftovers from dinner, and I will eat them because it was good, just not great. I have some ideas for changing the recipe a bit, but I am going to continue my potato soup recipe quest.
I've decided that I'm going to try one new or very old (not used in a year or so) recipe each week to add some variety to our normal eating "routines". I really want to change it up and introduce new foods and flavors to our palette. This week, I'm going to try a soup recipe passed along to me by a friend. I LOVE black bean soup. I had gotten this recipe and also found another online that I wanted to try, but this one had chicken in it and that wins Derek's vote.
Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
--1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
--1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup frozen corn
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
Directions:
- You will need a crock pot – 4qt or larger.
- Soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.
- Add to the crockpot. Put in the chicken, and add the broth and salsa. Pour in the corn and mushrooms, and add the cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.
- If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.
- If you'd like to thicken the broth, you can use your immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving.
Notes/Changes:
- I soaked the beans overnight
- I didn't add the mushrooms since we don't really eat them
- I used the sour cream as a garnish and didn't mix it into the whole pot
Review:
This was a pretty good soup, and very easy to prepare. It wasn't exactly a "black bean" soup as I had imagined- but it makes sense since it used salsa in it. It had a nice, taco-esque taste with the chicken and salsa incorporated. I'd make it again.
