Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

Ingredients for Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup

• 1 small package frozen chopped broccoli
• 1 onion, chopped
• Stems from one head of broccoli (they may be leftover from the Chicken Cordon Bleu)
• 1 large can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
• 1 can of evaporated skim milk
• 1 can of chicken or vegetable broth
• ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
• Fresh baguette or sourdough bread.

How to Make Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
Steam the broccoli stems and the onion in the microwave till tender.
Place the chopped broccoli, the cooked onion and stems, and the broth in the blender.
Blend until mostly smooth.
Put the blended ingredients in a soup pot.
Add the 3 cans of soup and the can of evaporated skim milk.
Heat through till warm. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
Serve with a fresh baguette or sourdough bread.
It disappears fast!

Photo/Virtual Ern on Flickr

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

French Onion Soup

This is a quick and simple version of the traditional French Onion Soup which takes hours to make. It’s hearty enough for a meal. Serve it with a dinner salad.

Ingredients for French Onion Soup:

• 4 cups of beef broth
• ½ cup of white wine
• 4 large sweet onions, sliced
• 4 slices of thick sourdough bread, toasted
• 4 slices of Provolone or Swiss cheese
• 2 cups of spring salad mix
• ½ cucumber sliced
• 1 tomato, cut
• Salad dressing of your choice

Toss together the salad ingredients and place in the refrigerator until dinner is ready.
Cook the onions in ½ cup of the broth until tender. Allow the broth to cook down and brown the onions, about ten minutes.
Divide the onions into four oven-safe bowls.
Mix the remaining broth and wine and heat.
Pour the warm broth mixture over the onions.
Top with a slice of toast and a slice of cheese.
Place under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese.
Nosh on the cheesy soup with a salad.

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Ranch Style Potato Leek Soup

Mixed Green Salad
Crusty French Bread in the Bread Machine

Potato leek soup is a popular winter soup because it is filling and tasty. This recipe takes things a bit further by adding ranch flavor to the mix.

Soup ingredients:

• 6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 leeks, washed and chopped (include the green parts)
• 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of evaporated skim milk
• 1 package of ranch style dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon salt

Bread ingredients:

• Flour
• Butter
• Yeast

Salad ingredients:

• Red leaf lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• 1 hard boiled egg, chopped
• ¼ cup of grated cheese, any kind
• 1 tomato, sliced
• ½ cucumber, sliced

In the morning:
Place the potatoes, leeks, broth, milk, ranch style dressing mix, and salt in the crockpot.
Stir together and cook on low 8-10 hours.
Put the ingredients for the bread in the bread machine. Set to the delay bake option.

In the afternoon:
Prepare the salad.
Remove the bread from the machine and allow it to cool a few minutes.
Smash the potatoes and leek with a potato masher before serving.

My family enjoys grated cheese on top of the soup.

Photo/Penguincake on Flickr

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Find more recipes and menus with the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner.

Yellow Split Pea Soup

Dinner Salad and Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:
1 package of yellow split peas (16 oz.)
4 cups of water
1 cup of baby carrots, peeled
1 onion, chopped
1 can of creamed corn
1 cup of ham, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
Salad ingredients:
½ head of lettuce
1 tomato, sliced
½ cucumber, sliced

Preparation in the morning:
Place all the soup ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Use a potato masher to mash the carrots if you don’t want whole carrots in the soup.

In the afternoon:
Toss the lettuce, tomato, and cucumber to make a salad.
Serve the soup with the salad and sourdough bread spread with herb butter.

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More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches

Creamy Tomato Soup

This is a nice fall dinner that cooks up quickly. Also, did you know that today is National Eggplant Day? I'm not sure who thinks up these days, but since I love eggplant, I'll go along with it. This is a way to use up the last of the eggplant that is still be in the markets. It uses the Orowheat Sandwich Thins which are a new whole wheat or multi-grain bun that is thinner than a regular sandwich bun.

Ingredients:

Orowheat Sandwich Thins
1 eggplant, peeled and sliced
4 slices of provolone cheese
Dijon style mustard
Tomato soup from the deli department
½ cup of half and half
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Heat the soup over medium heat in a saucepan.
Stir in the half and half and keep warm while cooking the sandwiches.
Spray the plates of a George Foreman Grill with cooking spray.
Grill the sliced eggplant on an indoor grill for one minute.
Spread the mustard on the Orowheat Sandwich Thins.
Remove the eggplant.
Stack the eggplant and provolone cheese between two slices of sandwich thins.
Grill the sandwich for another minute, until the cheese melts and the grill marks appear on the bread.
Serve the sandwiches with a cup of soup. Garnish the soup with grated Parmesan cheese.



Photo credit for eggplants: Kevin Connors

Creamy Tortellini Soup with Chicken

This recipe cooks up quick so that you don’t have to worry about working hard to fix a meal when you get home in the evening. Just stir together a few ingredients and dish it up!

Ingredients:
4 cups of water
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 chopped yellow sweet onion
1 clove of garlic chopped, or 1 tsp crushed garlic
½ tsp of dried basil or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped basil
½ tsp dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh chopped oregano
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
4 cups of chopped spinach
1 package of frozen cheese tortellini (14 ounce size)
2 cups of chopped chicken or turkey (this is a great way to use leftovers)
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup of half and half

Preparation:
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker except the half and half and the cornstarch.
Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
Add the tortellini and cook for another 10 minutes.
Stir the half and half into the cornstarch.
Add the mixture to the pot. Stir and let it thicken for about 5 minutes.
Serve the soup with parmesan on top, if you like.

Hearty Minestrone Soup

Warm Homemade Bread

This soup tastes best when it’s made in the slow cooker because the low heat gives it plenty of time for the flavors to blend. If you would rather cook it on the stove, plan on letting it simmer for about one hour. The second day it’s even more delicious.

If you’re choosing vegetarian dishes, this one qualifies. If you prefer meat in your soup, you can add a can of chopped chicken breast.

Ingredients:
1 can navy beans
1 can pink kidney beans
½ cup sliced carrots
½ cup chopped celery
1 chopped yellow onion
1 cup of chopped green beans, zucchini, or both
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
2 cans of vegetable broth
2 cups of water
1 cup of rotini pasta
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley and fresh grated Parmesan cheese for a garnish

Preparation:
Place all the ingredients except the pasta in the slow cooker or in a stock pot on the stove.
Do not drain the canned beans.
Cook on low heat for 8 hours in the slow cooker, or 45 minutes at medium heat on the stove.
Add the pasta to the soup. Cook until al dente. In the slow cooker, this is about 30 minutes. On the stove, it should take about 10 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top with parsley and parmesan.

This soup is so hearty that it is a complete meal all by itself.

Italian Wedding Soup with a Twist

Today was a day of wild winds, wild rains, and wild falling tree branches. A huge storm swept California, dropping several inches of rain and ushering in the first cold weather of the season. It was a perfect day to huddle inside and keep a warm cup of tea in your hand.

Except for people who had to go out to work or take care of necessary business.

I came home from work and decided to make an Italian wedding soup. My iteration of this popular soup takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 10 more minutes to cook with the pasta in it. The twist is that I used Italian sausage instead of meatballs. It was tasty and delicious.

Here is my Italian Wedding Soup recipe. I posted it at Examiner.com.

Chicken Pozole Soup

Warm Yellow Corn Tortillas
Pico de Gallo




This is a version of the classic pozole made in the crock pot. If you have chicken left over from last night’s Roasted Chicken with Orzo, this is a perfect way to use up the leftovers. Throw it together in the morning, and come home to a nice warm dinner. If you have time, make the Pico de Gallo the night before, or that morning, so the flavors have more time to blend.

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken
4 cups of chicken broth
4 green onions, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 jar of green chilis
2 cans of hominy, including the liquid
1 cup of chopped cilantro
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp Mexican oregano, ground
2 Tbsp cumin, ground
2 tsp salt

In the morning:
Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

In the afternoon:
Make the Pico de Gallo if you haven’t done so already.
Warm the corn tortillas over a gas flame or in the microwave.
Serve the soup with tortillas. Garnish the soup with the Pico de Gallo.

Pumpkin Soup

Grilled Turkey Sausage with Vegetables
Pumpernickel Bread



Ingredients:
1 can (16 oz.) of pumpkin puree (The kind that already has the pumpkin pie spices in it.)
1 can evaporated milk
3 cups of chicken broth
1 lb turkey sausage
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, sliced
½ cup of mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp real butter

Preparation:
Stir together the pumpkin, milk, and chicken broth in a saucepan. Warm over low heat.
Cook the turkey sausage in a skillet. Remove the sausage.
Cook the vegetables in the butter until tender. Add the sausage back to the pan to keep warm.
Serve the sausages on the pumpernickel bread, topped with the sautéed vegetables.
Serve the pumpkin soup with the sandwiches.

I have another version of a 10 minute pumpkin soup recipe on my Easy Meals Examiner.com page.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup
Hot Crusty Homemade Bread

Another quick and easy hot dinner designed for nights that are beginning to get cool. This tastes great with wheat bread or herb bread.

Ingredients:
1 large package frozen chopped broccoli (about 3 cups) (You may also use fresh.)
¼ cup of celery, chopped finely
¼ cup of shredded carrots
¼ cup onion, chopped finely
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of milk
½ cup of half and half
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup of any flavor shredded cheese (This is a great use for any leftover cheese.)
Flour and yeast for bread

In the morning:
Set up the bread machine to delay bake the bread. Have the bread ready 15 minutes before the soup.

In the afternoon:
Chop the vegetables to a fine grind in an electric chopper or food processor.
Put the vegetables in a pan with the broth.
Cook 10 minutes over a slow simmer, until the vegetables are tender.
Take the bread out of the machine and let it rest till the soup is ready.
Add the milk, reserving ¼ cup back for later.
Stir in the salt and pepper, and cook over medium low heat, just until the milk is warm.
Mix the reserved ¼ cup of milk and the cornstarch. Whisk till smooth.
Pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Add the cheese and continue to cook and stir until it is melted.
Serve with the hot bread.

Note: This is a basic recipe that can be used with many vegetables besides broccoli. Try experimenting with winter squash, cauliflower, or other winter vegetables.