orange chicken and rice soup

mix together my love of making soup, a sick husband needing nourishment, and leftover orange rosemary chicken (below) and you have the perfect storm for a yummy kitchen adventure.  this is what i came up with:

Orange Chicken and Rice Soup
prep time: 20 mins  cook time: 30-40mins
serves 4

3 pieces leftover orange and rosemary chicken (chopped into bite-sized pieces) and any leftover juices/sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (i'd leave it out next time)
2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/3 - 1/2 cup rice
6 cups soup stock - i used vegetable, chicken would probably be better
a splash of extra orange juice if you want it to taste more "orangey" (i added more than a splash and it was a bit of orange overload, so be careful)
pepper to taste

chop and saute the onion, garlic, ginger, and vegetables in a little olive oil for a couple minutes.
combine everything in a large soup pot.  bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  simmer til the rice and veggies are cooked through.

yum.  it feels good to be eating somewhat well again.  :)

mom's cheddar smokey soup

i came home from a ladies retreat last week to find my husband had been living on root beer and sausages (or at least that's what it looked like from what was/wasn't in the fridge).  he had two sausages left and the minute i saw them i started craving this soup.  so we had some for dinner the other night and have some packed away in the post-baby-freezer-stash (and i still want more!).  sooo good.

i'm pretty sure there's no way to categorize this as "healthy", but dang it's easy, cheap, and comforting.  this is a recipe my mom made up a while ago and i've started making a couple times a year.  a glamorous pork n' beans, if you will (which makes it a hit at potluck!).  enjoy at your own risk.  :)


Mom's Cheddar Smokey Soup
prep time: 5 mins  cook time: 30mins
serves 4

2 cheddar smokey sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 cans deep browned beans - kudos if you make your own - i want to try that one of these days...
1 can diced tomatoes
1-2 cloves garlic, minced

add all the ingredients to a big ol pot.  bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or so, stirring frequently (the beans can burn stick to the bottom pretty quick).  you can serve it over rice if you want to stretch it a bit (or just double the recipe like we do!)

yum!  someday we'll have to make this when we're camping; it really feels like the kind of thing that would be enhanced by a campfire and a starlit evening...

turkey barley soup

mmmm, my house smells a little like christmas.

we're going away for the next two weeks, and i've been frantically cooking and freezing food we can take with us so we don't get trapped eating out for two weeks straight!  i've also been trying to use up all the bits and pieces of vegetables so we don't leave anything behind to spoil.  so the other day i made turkey stock from the other half of the christmas turkey bones that have been taking up space in my freezer, and today i'm turning that stock into turkey barley soup.  i made some of this at christmas too and, though simple, it has been a wonderful comfort food to pull out of the freezer over the last month.  i'm looking forward to having some more!


Turkey Barley Soup
prep time: 30mins  cook time:  45mins
serves 4-6

3-4 cups turkey stock
2-3 cups water
1/2 cup barley, rinsed well
1 cup leftover turkey, diced - i had closer to 2 cups, so our soup will be a bit more meaty!
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1/2 cup snow peas, diced - add whatever vegetable you want here - this was just what we had on hand.  mushrooms are especially good with barley!
sprinkle of rosemary
sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 tsp or less olive oil

in a soup pot, saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil with rosemary and sea salt until the vegetables are softened.  add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the barley and vegetables are tender.  enjoy!


How to make Turkey or Chicken Stock:

8 cups of water
1 turkey or chicken carcass (or 1/2 if it's really big)
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 medium carrots, chopped
2-3 medium stalks of celery, chopped
2 leeks, white parts only, rinsed well and chopped - i didn't have any this time, but they're good
1/2 tsp each rosemary and thyme - or some poultry seasoning, or whatever you like
1 bay leaf
a few whole peppercorns
a sprinkle of sea salt

add all the ingredients to a large stock pot and mix well.  bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  cook on low for 2 hours or until the bones fall apart easily.

strain the stock into a large bowl and put in the fridge overnight.  the next morning, skim the layer of fat off the top.

once the bones cool, remove any meat and set aside for future soup making adventures.

for the super-frugal:  separate the cooked vegetables from the bones and blend them in a blender or with a hand blender.  add a bit of the stock until you get a consistency you like.  grate some cheese over top and enjoy a small bowl of vegetable soup!

homemade vegetable soup

i'm embarrassed at how long it's been since i've posted to this blog... but when i look at my life since july i don't feel quite so bad.  in the past three months we've been to new mexico, pennsylvania, maryland, and ontario.  and at least half of that time was blessed with morning sickness to boot - eating food has been enough of a challenge, let alone writing about it!  but we're home again now and i think i'm regaining my appetite (speaking in faith here).  this weekend at least has been a hit in the kitchen, so maybe it's time to start sharing again!

my sweet husband woke up stuffy and miserable this morning, so i wanted to make some comfort food with enough good stuff in it to hopefully help him feel better.  vegetable soup it is.  i totally made up this recipe and was amazed how well it turned out - we both had two bowls full.  i especially loved that i didn't have to go out for any special ingredients.  unfortunately i wasn't writing anything down as i made it and i'm not much into measuring so... everything below is a best estimate.  it's pretty basic though, i think you could easily tweak it to suit your taste.


Homemade Vegetable Soup - serves 6-8
prep time: 10-20 mins  cook time: 45-60 mins

1 small onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - diced
1 cup carrots - chopped (i used baby carrots, use whatever you have/like)
1 cup celery hearts and leaves - chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup frozen or cooked fresh spinach
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with liquid (without salt, if possible)
1 19oz can 6 bean mix (not the flavoured bean salad kind, just straight up beans) - rinsed well
1/2 cup barley - rinsed well
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (homemade, if you have it)
2 cups water (i also added about 1/2 cup of the leftover cooking liquid from blanching sundried tomatoes yesterday - you could add any leftover cooking liquid you have on hand, or none at all.  but if you add a significant amount, cut back on the water)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp marjoram (not sure why i added this... it smelled good at the time)
2 tsp basil - i used dried, fresh would be delicious
1 tsp parsley - ditto above
2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more if you like more spice
pepper to taste

saute the onion and garlic together in the olive oil.
combine the soup stock, water (+ any other liquid), sauteed onions and garlic, canned tomatoes, barley, and spices.  simmer on low heat for about 20 mins.
add carrots, celery, and beans.  bring to a boil, simmer until the vegetables and barley are cooked.
add broccoli and spinach at the end and simmer until it's heated through.

we had our soup with some grated mozarella cheese and lots of crackers but i bet it would be delicious with some fresh whole grain bread.  i'm hoping all the vegetables and the little bit of kick from the red pepper flakes will fight off any sicknesses trying to brew in our house!  regardless, the beans and barley make it a bit more of a complete meal than your standard out-of-a-can veggie soup.  yum.

let me know if you make it and what you think would make it better!

red lentil and spinach soup

i love making soup!  it's one of my favourite things to cook.  i love all the different tastes blending together in one spoonfull.  and i love how wonderful my house smells when there's a pot simmering on the stove.

i pulled a serving of this soup out of the freezer tonight and quickly remembered how tasty it was.  red lentils cook quicker than regular lentils, and have a different texture - something i didn't know when i bought a huge bag of them and attempted to use them in "regular lentil" recipes (fail).  now that i'm on to them, i'm always looking for ways to cook them up, and this soup has been my most successful attempt to date.

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup - serves 6-8

prep time: 15mins   cook time: 30-45mins

adapted from: Quick Healthy Meals

1 tbsp vegetable oil - i used olive oil, just because
4 green onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium potato, scrubbed and dice
1 tbsp tomato paste - try to find some without added salt
1 tsp curry powder - mild, thank you very much, but whatever floats your curry boat
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock - i make and freeze my own and plan to post that someday!
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils - rinse them well under cold water
2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed - i used about 1 cup frozen - much quicker

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the green onions, carrots, and potato.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
Stir in the tomato paste and curry powder.  Add the stock, water and lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat,  cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and chop the spinach (or skip this step entirely if you're using frozen).  If the lentils are tender, add the spinach.  Stir to mix and serve (if using frozen, heat thoroughly, then serve).


YUM!  so tasty.  something made this soup a little sweet, which was a delightful surprise.  it freezes and reheats well and is absolutely wonderful with a fresh piece of multi grain bread.

any other red lentil lovers out there?  i need some more recipes to try!