19 January 2022
Savory soups are wonderful in the winter because they leave us warm and satisfied. They are filled with nutritious veggies to boost the immune system. There are thin soups based on a clear broth or stock and thick soups like a chowder. If you find your soup turning out thinner than you like, you can thicken it by adding a slurry of cornstarch and water or even leftover mashed potatoes.
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken
- Water to more than cover
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, with leaves, minced
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 (15 ounce) can sweet corn
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup barley or rice
Directions:
Using a food processor, grate 2 carrots, 1 onion, and all of the celery. Add to stock pot and cover chicken with water. Place the remaining carrots and onions that were not grated, bouillon cubes and red bell pepper into the pot. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then simmer for one hour.
Add barley and continue to cook for another hour or add rice and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add sweet corn. Can be served immediately or refrigerated or frozen for later use.
Black Bean Soup
You can also start with dried black beans, about ½ cup or 4 ounces. Start them in cold water and bring to a boil and then remove from the heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Return to boiling point and simmer for about 2 hours or until the beans are tender. Don’t boil or the beans will burst.
When using canned beans, use the water to rinse the can and include that in your pot. There is still a lot of fiber in the residue.
Ingredients:
- 2 cans black beans
- 3 cups water
- 1 ham bone Optional
- 1 medium carrot, sliced (about ½ cup)
- 1 medium stalk celery, chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- ½ small dried hot pepper, crumbled or 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 small bay leaf
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Add all the ingredients and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove the bay leaf, and ham bone if you used it, and use an infusion blender or stand blender to puree to the desired consistency. Add diced ham if desired and return to the heat to warm through.
Serve with lemon slices, shredded hard boiled eggs, and/or diced red onion as toppings.
