Cream of Artichoke Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 ribs celery chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine divided
4 cups of chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1- 14 oz can artichoke hearts drained and sliced
1- 4 ounce can sliced mushrooms drained
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (less for children)
3 tbs all purpose flour
1 cup cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion, carrots and celery in 1/4 cup of butter, add chicken broth, artichoke, mushrooms, bay leaf, thyme, oregano and cayenne. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. In a small skillet melt remaining 1/4 cup butter over low heat. Stir in flour and cook until mixture thickens. Stir into artichoke mixture. Slowly add cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened and heated through. 4-6 servings.

Titi Tere's Party Soup!

1 can white beans
1 can tomato soup
1 can beef consume
1 can sausage
1 large potato peeled and cut thin
2 carrots sliced thin

Put all the ingredients in a pot and cook on medium (or low for a longer time) heat until carrots and potatoes are soft. Enjoy!

Autumn Vegetable Stew

1 small butternut squash about 1 1/2 pound (750 g)
4 red boiling potatoes, about 2 lb (500 g)
1 green or red bell pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups roasted vegetable stock or low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups peeled seeded and chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash. Halve it length-wise, scrape out the seeds and then cut into 1 inch cubes. Cut the unpeeled potatoes into pieces about the same size. Halve the pepper through the stem, end and remove the stem, ribs and seeds. Cut into 1 inch squares. Set the vegetables aside.

In a large saucepan or a dutch oven over medium-low heat, warm the oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the squash, potatoes, stock or broth, tomatoes, corn, sage, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes to cook the potatoes and squash partially.

Stir in the bell pepper, raise the heat to medium and return to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender but not mushy when pierced with a knife, 10-15 minutes longer. Ladle into warmed shallow bowls and serve at once.

Serves 4

Per serving:
Calories 324
Protein 8 grams
Carbohydrates 61 grams
Total Fat 8 grams
Saturated Fat 1 gram
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 591 mg
Dietary Fiber 9 grams

Cream Cheese Chicken Soup

1 small onion
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 cans Swanson Chicken broth - 2 cups water with 2 bullion cubes
3 medium carrots sliced very thin
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 8oz pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese, cubed

In a large saucepan saute the onion in butter. Add broth, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add chicken, parsley, salt and pepper, heat through. Here is where I mixed as well as possible the cubed cream cheese with the milk to get it as smooth as possible. Might still have a few small lumps. I also used whatever small amount of the water that was left after the carrots were steamed. Combine with flour and add to the vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Reduce heat, cook and stir until all cheese is melted.

White Chicken Chili

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 TB olive oil
2 cans (15 oz. each) great northern white beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can (14 oz.) chicken broth
2 small cans diced green chilies
1 t. salt
1 t. oregano
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Saute onions and garlic powder in olive oil over med heat. Then add chicken. When chicken is thoroughly cooked add the beans, chilies, broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and dimmer for 30 minutes.

Just before serving remove from heat and stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Top with a handful of mozzarella cheese in each bowl.

May also be served with tortilla chips.

CROCK POT RECIPE:
Boil or brown your chicken with chicken seasoning, or cook on George Forman. Shred/ cube or freeze for later. Saute onions and garlic powder in large skillet. Add pre cooked chicken for a few minutes to add flavor or skip this step and dump it all in the Crock pot. Add all the rest of the seasonings and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Just before serving add sour cream and whipping cream.

Christina note:

This is super good! Great for dinner parties. You can never have enough!
Avrie did not like it because of the onions
Halle loved it.
Also tastes good with black beans

Chana Masala

Chana Masala
Adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe, which was adapted over here because much to my frustration, I own two Madhur Jaffrey books and this is in neither

This is an intensely spiced bright orange chana masala with a sourish bite that reminded of us the best restaurant versions we’ve tasted. I’m thrilled to finally have a good recipe for it at home.

The major changes I made were simplifying the addition of spices, adding more tomatoes and oh, the recipe calls for a tablespoon of amchoor powder, which I did not have. I looked it up and learned that it was dried unripe mango powder (which sounds so delicious to me, I’m buying it next time I go to Kalustyan’s, who also sells it online), which is clearly a sour flavor, so I upped the lemon juice i used instead. The dish had a nice sour snap at the end, so I will presume this is a good swap.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder (see note)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced) (see note; I used a whole lemon to swap for the amchoor powder)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long.

Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Soup with Chipotle and Toasted Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche
Adapted from Bon Appetit

We finished this soup, by the way. Every last serving. We never do that. It’s magic, I tell you.

A big note about cooking times: The original recipe says 6 hours. Mine were done at 2 hours 45 minutes. Do black beans vary wildly in cooking time? Do slow cookers vary wildly in cooking time? These are all pressing questions. Check your beans at 3 hours, and holler at me in the comments if your cooking time ends up being much longer.

Yields 6 main course servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium-size red onions, chopped
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 16-ounce package dried black beans
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles from a can (this gives it a solid kick, dial back if you are wary)
7 cups hot water (I just used very hot tap water)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until beginning to brown, about eight minutes. Add garlic and cumin; stir one minute. Transfer mixture to 6-quart slow cooker. Add beans and chipotles, then 7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 3 hours. [See note up top.]

Transfer two cups bean mixture to blender; puree until smooth. Return puree to remaining soup in slow cooker. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste; we found we needed more salt. Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of toasted cumin seed cream (below) over each bowl and serve.

Do ahead: This soup keeps great in the fridge, and even thickens a bit. In a good way!

Toasted Cumin Seed Crème Fraîche
Hacked from Bobby Flay

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
1 cup crema or crème fraîche (or make your own crema, make your own crème fraîche, or swap sour cream or yogurt, for a close-enough taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the cumin in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden brown. Place in spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind until coarse. Stir it into the creme and season with salt and pepper, to taste.