Creamy Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

I got this from a site called "Lovely Little Whimsey" and it is sooo goood.

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
serves 6 at about 230 calories per serving
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I roasted some from my garden)

1 14oz can tomato sauce

1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers (water packed)

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (didn't have any, used a big scoop of pesto instead)

1 cup half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, carrots and garlic in olive oil until tender, about 8 minutes.

Add in tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, broth and basil and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Add in cream and puree soup with an immersion blender or (very carefully) in a standing blender until smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with a toasty grilled cheese and salad... enjoy!

Pioneer Woman Chicken and Dumplings

This was recently posted on Pioneer Woman. Best comfort food ever in my Southern opinion. I will never make dumplings without cornmeal again. If you like chicken and dumplings, this will not disappoint.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 C. all-Purpose Flour
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used three large boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it was fine)
Salt and pepper
1/2 C. finely diced carrots (1 large or 2 small carrots)
1/2 C. finely diced celery (about 2 stalks)
1 medium onion finely diced
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric (not essential but suggested)
6 C. low sodium chicken broth
1/2 C. apple Cider (also not essential but suggested for a richer flavor)
1/2 C. heavy cream
Salt to taste

Dumplings

1 and 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1/2 C. yellow corn meal
1 heaping Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 and 1/2 C. half-and-half (whole milk or a mixture of milk and heavy cream works, too)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley (optional - I didn't use it and I didn't miss it)

Directions

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.

Melt butter and olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a plate. (The chicken will not be cooked through yet.)

In the same pot, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium-low heat until slightly softened. Stir in the thyme and tumeric. Add chicken broth and apple cider. Return chicken to the pot. Bring to a slight boil then turn down heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, make the dumplings. Sift together all the dry ingredients then add half-and-half. Stir gently til combine (it will be a little sticky). Set aside.

Remove the chicken from the pot and shred. Replace and add the heavy cream. Stir to combine.

Drop tablespoons (I went a little smaller) of dumpling mix into the simmering pot. (I ended up using only about 3/4 of the dumpling mixture). Cover pot halfway and simmer for 15 minutes.

Check seasonings. Add salt if needed (I found that it was needed, but not much). Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta Fagioli

A couple of people have asked for this recipe. I got the basic recipe from allrecipes.com, but have modified it a little. Enjoy.

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cans diced tomatoes
4 cans or 8 cups beef broth
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 can navy beans
1 can kidney beans
1 cup ditalini pasta

Brown meat and drain off excess fat. Add olive oil and vegetables and sautee 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth and spices. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer at least 1-2 hours. I will usually do this during Adam's nap and let it simmer until dinner, so don't worry about over cooking. About 1/2 hour before you're ready to eat, add beans and pasta. Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Sorry the picture's a little blurry, I need to figure out how to take better food pictures with my camera. I got the recipe for the dumplings from Pioneer Woman's post where she had people leave their favorite recipes in the comment section. I concocted the soup my self and it's delicious, if I do say so myself. And I do.

6 cups chicken broth (4-5 cans)
1 Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 red potato, cut into chunks (I leave the skin on)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 cup milk (optional)

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup ice water
dash of salt

Bring 6 cups of broth to boil in a large pot. Add in the chicken breast. While the breast is boiling chop the vegetables and add them to the pot. Add the salt and parsley as well. Let the mixture boil for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breast and shred, return chicken to the pot. Keep soup simmering while you make dumplings.

Use a pastry cutter or a fork to combine the flour, salt and shortening until small, pea-sized balls form. Add a little water at a time and mash with a fork until you have a tough dough. Roll out the dough and use a pizza cutter to cut it into 1"x1" squares. Bring soup back to a boil and add dumplings. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes. Add milk at the end of cooking for creamier soup.

Zucchini Soup

8 Zucchini and yellow squash
green onions
dill (to taste)
sour cream (about 1 cup)
cream cheese (8oz.)
6 chicken bullion cubes
3 C. Water

cook zucchini, dill and onions until tender. Add chicken broth (water and bullion), cream cheese, and sour cream. Blend in blender. Add back to pot and eat hot. This is actually a cold soup, but I don't like cold soup so we always eat it hot. It is also a recipe that I usually do by taste, but this is what we start with.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This recipe came from my mom's ward cookbook. It's easy and yummy too.

6 C. water
½ C. chopped onion
2 peeled, diced carrots
1-2 stocks broccoli
1 stick butter
3-4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/3 C. Flour
2 ½ C. milk
¾ C. grated cheddar cheese

Vegetable Mixture: In 6 cups of water, boil onion, carrots, and broccoli until soft. Set aside.

White Sauce: Melt 1 cube butter in large pan. Add ½ C. of water from vegetable mixture (if there is not any water remaining in the vegetable mixture add what is left plus chicken broth to equal ½ cup)Add 3-4 bouillon cubes. Whisk in 1/3 C flour; stir in 2 ½ C milk; bring to a boil and simmer until creamy.

Add grated cheddar cheese and vegetable mixture. (I strain out any remaining liquid in the vegetables).

I love that you don't have to puree it. Makes it easier for me to make and I like the chunkiness.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This recipe is a great next-day meal after having Rotisserie Chicken because you can use the meat and stock that were leftover. I found a basic recipe for this on allrecipes.com but have severely modified it, so I'm calling this one mine.

6-8 cups chicken stock
2 -3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 package long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
2 cups half and half or heavy cream (pick your poison)
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour olive oil into a large soup pot and add all vegetables. Sautee over medium-high heat for several minutes, until onions become translucent. Add stock and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil and add rice (save the seasoning packet for now). Cover and allow rice to cook for as long as the package says. While it is cooking, put butter into a small sauce pan over medium heat and allow it to melt. Add flour and seasoning packet to make a roux. Add your heavy cream and let it heat until it begins to thicken. Add cream mixture to soup and combine well. Let the soup cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.