SW: Sausage Tomato Lentil Soup

Er...stew, more like.

Today marks the halfway point, and I'm crossing my fingers that you are waking up every morning, looking forward to the moment you can direct your browser to this web address and peruse the latest soup offerings.

Another of my midwest discovery was lentils. I'm sure they exist in the southwest, but I never knew anyone who cooked with them. I mean, lentil enchiladas? Weird! However, I know plenty of people who cook with them here, and after having a fantastic sausage and lentil soup that I dreamed about for over a year, I finally decided to sit down and make my own. I did. It was tasty and more than a good idea. My husband, who does not like beans or lentils of any sort, eats this soup. Also, it's different than a “traditional” sausage and lentil soup as it uses ground sausage instead of whole and uses a lot a lot a lot of tomatoes. Nathan said “it's very flavorful.” He cites that as the reason he's willing to overlook the fact that it's loaded with lentils.

I think the crockpot was one of the greatest inventions to ever grace the planet, especially for busy moms/working folk. This recipe honors that invention! I should also mention that this soup is really really good the day after you cook it. In the past, I have added in celery the original recipe calls for, and that's super good too. If you want to add celery, shred/chop 1-2 stalks and add it in with everything else.

Sausage and Lentil Soup-Wednesday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground Italian sausage

• 1/2 large onion, with outside skin removed

• 2 cloves garlic sliced, or 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot

• 1 (16 ounce) package dry lentils, rinsed

• 8 cups water

• 1 tbsp. chicken base

• 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, add sausage over medium high heat and cook until browned.
   
2. In your crockpot, add the lentils, water, chicken base, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and carrots. Also add the bay leaves, parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil. I know I've said before that we aren't big onion fans, but keeping the onion uncut and in tact makes is oh-so-easy to pull out at the end.
   
3. Add the sausage to your crockpot, and cook until the lentils are tender, approximately 4 hours on high heat, 8 hours on low. Or, you could do it the Audrey way and put everything in a pot first thing in the morning, and let cook all day on low until you're ready to dine.
   
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
   
5. Yum!
   

SW: Chicken Tortilla Soup (Guest Post)

Brace yourself! Awesome incoming!

I'm so so so excited to tell you that this afternoon's edition is another guest post from a good friend of mine. And lucky for you, she's also from the southwest, so when she says she's giving you an authentic offering, you'd best believe her, then immediately rush out, buy the required ingredients, and prepare this soup. I present, Aliza's Chicken Tortilla Soup!

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Tortilla Soup-Tuesday

Recipe from Aliza!

This was originally a random recipe that I stumbled across online, but altered to make it more "authentic." It makes between 8 and 10 servings. Freezes well up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups of salsa (I prefer medium heat)

4 mined garlic cloves

1 small white onion, diced

~1/2 cup of skinless, roasted green chile, chopped (small can/jar if you don't store any)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (I try to find the biggest bunch possible)

1 1/2 tablespoons cumin

1 teasp. chili pepper

4 cup chicken broth (1 box)

1 teas. salt

1 teas. pepper

2 flour tortillas 

shredded cheese for topping

 

Directions:

1. Boil chicken in a med-large pot.

2. In separate pan, brown onions with garlic, cilantro, chile, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.

3. Once chicken is cooked (approx. 20 minutes), drain water, cut into chunks and place back into pot.

4. Add contents of pan, salsa, and broth and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, bake tortillas on cookie sheet (or straight on the shelves) at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until crispy. Break into small pieces or cut into strips.

6. After the soup has simmered, serve into bowls, then sprinkle tortilla pieces and cheese into each bowl.

7. Enjoy!

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Aliza is awesome! She has somehow harnessed the power to bend time, and her daily routine includes university coursework, wifery, photography, painting, home improvement/decorating, and—oh, did I mention?—mothering an adorable eighteen-month-old. Time-bending=amazing! Not only is she an avid soup lover, but I have it on good authority that she makes a mean latte. I know, I know, you'd think that Aliza can't be any more awesome, but you'd be wrong. She BLOGS here and here. Go read her stuff, and you'll see what I mean.

SW: Broccoli Cheddar Soup

One of my favorite things about our midwest town is the fact that there is a Panera Bread Company here. I love Panera. That was one of the perks of moving here. If the Panera people let me, I might try to live there. I love their pastries, I love their souffles, and I love love LOVE their soups. And my favorite is their Broccoli Cheddar Soup because a good BC soup is always amazing. While it doesn't taste exactly like Panera's, it was still super tasty and satisfying.

I think I inadvertently doubled the broccoli required because ours was very very broccoli-y, but I hadn't measured my broccoli by pound, and I don't have a food scale just yet (I know, heresy!) so I just used three crowns of broccoli. I also added more cheese, so really, the mods I made to this recipe were relatively slim. But after adding all that broccoli, extra cheese was very necessary.

Also, veggie-izing this recipe would be SUPER easy. Veggie broth, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup-Tuesday

Modified Recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
3 bunches fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste

12 ounces grated sharp cheddar

1. Saute onion in butter and set aside. Add the flour and melted butter to the pan and whisk over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently. At the four minute mark, slowly add the half-and-half, all the while continuing your frequent stirring. Repeat this process with the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the broccoli, carrots, and sauteed onions, and cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, another 20 minutes or so. Salt and pepper.
3. The soup should be thick at this point, so pour in SMALL batches into the blender and puree. I am a pro at pureeing hot liquids in my blender due to much trial and error, so if you have never done this before and don't know the proper protocol, ask someone! SMALL batches. No lid. You'll avoid burns!
4. Return the puree to the pot, and place over low heat. Add the grated cheese and stir until well blended. Serve. And serve in a bread bowl if you have some lying around because it will be simply tasty!
5. Yum!

And yes, later today, there will be another SUPER yummy guest post!

SW: Spicy Black Bean Soup (Guest Post!)

Vegetarian/Vegan Peeps:

I know that the majority of my recipes do not apply to you, and I try really hard to think up ways to modify my recipes for you, but I do not always succeed. I have heard of TVP and other similar replacement protein sources, but I do not know enough about them to suggest replacing pork tenderloin with them. So! Today's guest post edition is for YOU. I've eaten this soup twice, and both times it was the veggie rendition. It is SUPER tasty. Get ready, grab your spoon, and enjoy yourself thoroughly.

Love, Audrey

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Vegetarian Black Bean Soup-Monday

By Sarah at Saturday Sequins.

Hello, readers of the most excellent Audrey's blog! I'm excited to be a guest poster today and to share the recipe for my favorite soup.

This soup is vegetarian and vegan-friendly and, when made with the right ingredients, also gluten-free. I've never liked the idea of textured vegetable protein as a meat substitute, (what does that mean, anyway? Sounds too much like Soylent Green to me) so instead, I've mixed two healthy, delicious whole grains, millet and amaranth, which you can find in any health food store.

Also, note to carnivores: Yes, you can substitute lean ground beef for grains! I won't cry if you do. Just brown it in a skillet with a little olive oil before you add it. About 1 Lb should do.

What's in the soup:

2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/4 c onion (diced)
veggie broth (low sodium)
1/4 c millet
1/4 c amaranth
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 (15 oz) red kidney beans
1 can (28 oz, or 1 Lb) crushed tomatoes with basil (I like the Meijer Organics brand)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (I like the Eden Organic brand)
 2 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cumin
A dash or two of black pepper
A light sprinkle of Italian herb mix.
1 c frozen corn
1-2 large handfuls finely chopped fresh spinach (optional)

How to make the soup:

Pour olive oil into a large soup pot with garlic, onion, and about 1/4 c veggie broth. Put it on medium-low heat, or a little lower than that, until the onions become slightly translucent.
While this is going on, in a separate, smaller pot, add millet, amaranth, and 1 3/4 c water. Bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes. You might want to check it at the 15 minute mark and give it a stir -- in my experience, it almost always needs it!

While the grains cook, add about 1 c veggie broth, black beans, red kidney beans, crushed tomatoes with basil, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and 1/2 c water to rinse the rest of the tomatoes out of the cans.

Keep the large soup pot on medium low, and add chilli powder, cumin,  black pepper, and Italian herb mix.

When the grains are cooked, add 1 c to the soup pot, along with frozen corn and spinach (if you want-- again, there will be no crying if you decide not to). Let the soup cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, and it's ready to serve!

This recipe serves 6 to 8 people, depending on portion size and appetite. It goes very well with tortilla chips for dipping, or with a huge slice of cornbread. Or both.

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Okay, now go! Make! Devour!

About Sarah:

I am sad because you probably don't know Sarah. (I am also secretly happy because I don't want to share her with you.) Go to her blog, and you'll see why. Can you believe she makes all of that gorgeous jewelry? She does. Either that, or she has minions that produce it for her, and she takes the credit. But I'm guessing it's the former option because minions are expensive. When she's not making jewelry or writing soup blogs for me, Sarah hula hoops, writes both fiction and non-fiction, wears Halloween socks, and is the wife of Mr. Sequin. Keep in mind that if you try and steal her from me, I will cut you.

SW: Pumpkin Pork Chili

Welcome to Soup Week 2011 at Hot Pink Mama! I have been dreaming of fresh soup ideas since last year's bash, and I'm eager to share with you the five delicious recipes for this year's soiree! (And by five, I actually mean TEN!)

August 2011 marked the start of my third year of midwest life, and to honor that momentous occasion, I decided to learn how to make a “chili.” Being a desert girl, chilis are weird and exotic, but I was determined that I wasn't going to make any ol' chili. It would be a creative one! Unique! Exciting! Innovative! And when I found a recipe on the food network's website, I flipped. It was perfect! (Or, it would be, after I modified it.) It was seasonal, exciting, and promised to be an adventure, and I'm really hoping you're ready to take the plunge and go with me. I present:

Pumpkin and Pork Chili-Monday

Modified Recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into ½ inch cubes

• 1 12-ounce bottle Negro Modelo
• kosher salt
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin (about 1 3/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup veggie oil
• 1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 medium white onions, food processed to smithereens!
• 4 cloves garlic, food processed to smithereens!
• 1/8 cup New Mexican red chile powder***
• Lime wedges, for serving 

***You may not find this in your regular grocery store, meaning you'll have to check a specialty store, or even better, one of those little tiny Mexican grocery stores that are awesome! I can find it here with relative ease, so I'm hoping you can too. If you can't, use the chili powder of your choice, though you'll probably want to kick it up a notch, maybe as much as another 1/8 cup. 

1. In a large pot, toss together your pork, the beer, 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Simmer over medium heat, and because foam will form, skim that stuff off! Add half of the oregano, cover, and cook approximately 30 minutes.
2. While those ingredients are starting to get to know each other, combine 3 tablespoons of pumpkin and the sour cream in a bowl. Salt to taste, then cover and chill.
3. Heat up the veggie oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, poblano, onions, garlic, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Cook until translucent, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining oregano and the red chile powder, and cook another 5 minutes. Then add your remaining pumpkin, and cook another 5 after that.
4. Add the tomato mixture to the large pot and simmer with the pork until your pork is tender, give or take 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste, then serve the chili, topping with the pumpkin/sour cream mixture. Garnish with limes, and if you're feeling like it, add cheese, such as mozzarella or parmesan.
5. Yum!

Come back later today for my first guest post, a soup so yummy in your tummy that you'll swoon! (I can say this with confidence. I have DEVOURED this soup more than once.)

Soup Week 2011

I have tried tried TRIED to be patient and surprise you, but I can't hold back any longer! Not only will Soup Week 2011 feature five exciting recipes from yours truly, it will also feature recipes from guest bloggers! Friends, you will be up to your ears in soup, which sounds gross, but if you are a true soup fanatic, you will be ecstatic. Tune in Monday morning for the first of the soup recipe offerings. Last year, I gave you a preview of the recipes, but this year, I'm keeping the list close to my heart.

MONDAY! SOUP!!!!! (Because you'll need something "healthy" to eat with all that candy.)

coming soon...

The Second Annual Hot Pink Mama

October 31-November 4, 2011

Soup Recipes of Awesome

And some awesomeness I can't tell you about just yet!

Do I really have to tell you that you want to be here?

Because you do.