Butternut Squash and Kale Soup

butternut soup

This soup makes the perfect vegetable side dish—it’s packed with nutritious vegetables and healthy carbohydrates from the butternut squash and other veggies!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 cup

Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion, cut into wedges
4 cups cubed butternut squash (about 3/4-inch cubes)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried thyme
1 (14.5-oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water
3 cups chopped kale

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil and spread onion and squash over foil in a single layer. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and toss lightly to coat; then season with pepper and thyme. Place in oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and starting to brown. Note: Take vegetables out at least once in the middle of cooking to stir.

3. Combine roasted vegetables, chicken broth, and water in a large saucepan and use an immersion blender to blend ingredients together until smooth.

4. Heat blended soup over medium heat until heated through. Once heated through, stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes.

Choices/Exchanges:
1 Starch, 2 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 1/2 Fat

Basic Nutritional Values:
Calories 130
Calories from Fat 30
Total Fat 3.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Trans Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 75 mg
Potassium 740 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 4 g
Phosphorus 110 mg

About the Book: 
Diabetes Superfoods Cookbook and Meal Planner: Power-Packed Recipes and Meal Plans Designed to Help You Lose Weight and Manage Your Blood Glucose (American Diabetes Association, 2019, ISBN: 978-1-580-40679-6, $19.95) is available from major online booksellers.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

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As cold as it is outside here, let me tell you that there isn’t anything better than some good soup!  Or is there? Actually having that soup cook in the crock-pot all day long with no extra work from you makes it even better. I am very excited to share my Quick and Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe with you.

What You Need:

  • 3 Medium/Large Size Cans of Chicken (depending on how meaty you want it).
  • 1 Can of Green Chillies
  • 1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 Bag Frozen Corn
  • Black Beans Rinsed (I left these out)
  • 1 Packet Taco Seasoning
  • Chicken Broth (We’ll talk about the amount in a little bit)
  • Cream of Chicken Soup (Talk about how many cans in a bit)
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Turkey Soup

This recipe is really easy, and it’s great to use left over meat with it. I always make this after  a family dinner or, Thanksgiving, Christmas even. You take those left overs and the carved up turkey ( bones and fat and all)  boil it for a few hours with vegetables till all the meat falls off. Toss some beans in there, you have left over soup with whatever meat you had on hand. It makes a great hearty soup, my kids like to eat it in mugs after a rainy day .

soup

 

Ingredients

The remains of your turkey or chicken ( even Ham works) with bones, skins, fat, everything. No need to pick off the itty bites of extra meat, it’ll come off later. This is going to make the broth for the soup

2 cups of left over Turkey or Chicken or Ham

3 stalks celery chopped

1 large onions chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

2 large tomatoes chopped

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup both red and green peppers

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots.

1 bag of dried beans which have been soaked over night or 3 cans white northern beans ( rinse them)
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Country Chicken & Buttermilk Soup

 

This comforting chicken soup is filled with vegetables and uses nonfat buttermilk and fat-free chicken broth instead of a heavier cream base. It’s as satisfying as chicken and dumplings, with none of the guilt.

chicken soup

Makes 6 servings

Hands-on 35 min.

Total 1 hour, 5 min.

 

2 skinned and boned chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ lb.)

5 cups reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 Tbsp. butter

2 medium-size red potatoes, cut into wedges

1 celery rib, chopped

¼ large white onion, coarsely chopped

½ carrot, peeled and chopped

½ cup fresh or frozen green peas
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Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Bean Soup)

 

This peasant soup is based on inexpensive, hearty, substantial beans in broth thickened with pasta and is found throughout Italy. The texture of this soup ranges from thin and smooth if puréed to thick and hearty, almost stewlike, depending on region and taste. In this recipe, we use pancetta (pork belly that has been salt and air-cured like prosciutto) for its potent savory flavor and rich fat, but you may substitute more olive oil. Pasta e Fagioli is often made with tender- skinned cannellini (white kidney) beans or meaty borlotti (or Romano) beans. Better yet is to use fresh shelled beans such as cranberry beans (found in season at farmers’ markets and Asian groceries), which don’t need any soaking. You will need to start the soup one day ahead to soak the beans. This soup freezes well without the pasta. Add the pasta after reheating the soup.

inexpensive soups

 How To Make Pasta e Fagioli

Makes about 1 gallon (4 L), serves 8 to 12 Ingredients

½ pound (225 g) pancetta, chilled until firm

¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons (30 ml) for serving

1 small red onion, chopped

½ fennel bulb, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely diced

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic

2 cups (360 g) chopped plum tomatoes (canned or fresh)

6 cups (600 g) cooked cannellini beans (see “Cooking Dried Beans,” below)

2 quarts (2 L) Chicken or Vegetable Stock (page 9 or 14)

½ pound (225 g) ditalini or small dried pasta shells

2 cups (40 g) whole baby arugula or large arugula leaves shredded (if field-grown, wash the arugula thoroughly)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 ounces (55 g) each grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses

 

Baby arugula is prewashed and easy to use in this soup but larger field-grown arugula works as well. Just be sure to wash it thoroughly, changing the water if necessary. Slice larger leaves of arugula crosswise into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sections before adding to the soup.

1. Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice all around the outside as a cutting guide. Following the guide, slice off a piece of pancetta about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick, which will weigh about 1/2 pound (225 g).

2. Cut the pancetta into small cubes by first slicing into 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices. Then cut the slices into thick sticks.

3. Turn the sticks around so the ends are facing the knife. Cut the sticks into cubes.

4. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, lightly brown the pancetta in the olive oil over moderate heat.

5. Add the red onion, fennel, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.

6. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

7. Add the cooked beans, any bean cooking liquid, and the Chicken Stock and bring back to a boil.
[Read more…]

Thick’n Creamy Chicken Soup

 

This is a very creamy thick soup and full of comfort. I’ve had a rough week and it’s been mainly soups around here. Soups just speak comfort and this is a favorite one of mine. You can do this in the slow cooker if you wanted, make the roux in a pan and add it into the slow cooker with all the other ingredients then just have it cook all day long. Add in any left over vegetables you have on hand , you can easily throw in mushrooms which is pictured above. Also asparagus works wonderfully!

soup8

Ingredients for Thick’n Creamy Chicken Soup

2 quarts chicken broth or chicken base
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Enjoy some Soup! The Soupmaker’s Kitchen cookbook Review

 

I grew up in a large family, and we all know it’s not easy to shop or even cook for large families. We find ourselves eager and creative to put dinner together with what we have on hand. I have used this method after watching my mother do it when I was a child. One of my fondest memories was the soups she made, stews or gumbo. They were thick hearty and I really thought for the longest time she went out of her way to buy all this exotic food to create it all. Did she?

No. No my mother did what is shown in The Soupmaker’s Kitchen cookbook- a must for any family but I highly recommend it if you find yourself unsure of what you do with those left over scraps and items you don’t ‘have much of.  So you have a little of this and that, don’t think you can use it up? Wrong, don’t toss them, don’t ignore them –  Use them, all of them to make some wonderful soup! photo (1)

Green takes you through easy steps to stock up the pantry with items ( even small)  to create an entire heart warming soup with ease. Techniques on preparing, when you can sub frozen verses fresh and even how to make some flavors bursts are given throughout the book. Time savings tips, best used pots and other basic tools that will get you through soup season.
[Read more…]

Just Released! $1.50 off any jar of Better Than Bouillon

$1.50 off any jar of Better Than Bouillon

Active Date: [Read more…]