Soups

A great way to start the winter, or feed a cold. There is nothing like a nice warm home-made bowl of chicken soup when you are not feeling well or want to just warm the soul! My kids love this home-made soup. Not so much the making of the chicken part but the eating part! 

I just served this as the main dish along with some fresh out of the oven (unbelievably simple to make) Crusty Rustic Bread and some fresh garlic butter. To make the garlic butter I just combine 1 small clove of crushed garlic with 1/4 cup softened butter then season it with salt and fresh ground black pepper. It's a simple and amazing dinner that everyone will love. Enjoy!

While tomato soup recipes often call for tomatoes in myriad forms (fresh, roasted, canned, pasted, sun-dried, pureed or chopped, just to name a few), this soup intentionally highlights the gorgeous, perfectly-ripe tomatoes that currently grace our local markets. The last of the late summer crop are arguably the best tomatoes of the year (perhaps second only to the long awaited first bite in June). The heat truly brings out the sweetness of this often under-appreciated fruit. And in this recipe, the tomato is the star, giving the soup and flavor a brightness that off-season or canned tomatoes just can’t beat.

Yummy for a winter night.

Preheat oven to 350ºF
2lb butternut squash, roasted
2 tsp oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic - roasted till soft
3 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Tbsp frozen, grated ginger
½ Tbsp curry powder
½ tsp cumin
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup apple juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
½ cup non-fat plain yogurt (optional)

Cut butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds and bake for 45-60 minutes. When cool, remove rind and coarsely chop flesh. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat, add onions and sauté until softened. Add garlic and apples and sauté until apples are soft. Add ginger, curry powder and cumin and cook for 2 minutes. Add squash, chicken broth and apple juice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30- 40 minutes. Puree mixture with blender, return to pot and heat through. Adjust seasoning to taste. Swirl a dollop of plain yogurt on top of each bowl when serving.

1 small beet, cut in ½ or ¼
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
7 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
Cook in large pot for 15 minutes.

4 tablespoon butter
1 chopped onion
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 small head green cabbage, shredded
Fry onion in butter. Add tomatoes and cabbage. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add to the rest of the vegetables and cook until cabbage is done. Remove cooked beets as they will not be fully cooked. Optional:  Add cream or sour cream.

Variations:
Add ground beef to recipe.
Use cooked beets and leave in soup.