Curry Chicken and Orzo Soup -- Rebecca Anderson

curry chicken and orzo soup

1 tablespoon veg. oil

1 lb. chicken breasts, diced

1 sm. yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 qt.(32-oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 cup apple juice

1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undefined

2 lg. Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

1/2 c. uncooked orzo

1/2 c. craisins

Heat oil in lg. saucepan over med. heat. Add the chicken, onion, garlic, bell pepper, curry powder, ginger, cayenne pepper and salt. Sauté until chicken is no longer pink and the onion is tender.

Stir in the chicken broth, apple juice and undrained tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then add apples, orzo and craisins. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is al dente. Serve.

Butternut Squash Soup -- Misha Bradford

Butternut Squash Soup

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled,

seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks (about 7 cups)

2 T. unsalted butter

1 leek, white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise, sliced thin,

and washed thoroughly (about 1 1/2 cups)

Salt and pepper

4 cups vegetable broth (Misha used chicken stock instead)

1-2 cups water

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

Pinch cayenne pepper

Sour cream

1. Place squash in bowl, cover, and microwave until paring knife glides easily through flesh, 14 to 18 minutes, stirring halfway through. Carefully trasfer squash to colander set in bowl (squash will be very hot) and drain for 5 minutes; reserve liquid.

2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add squash, leek, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until squash pieces begin to break down and brown fond forms in bottom of pot, 10 to 13 minutes.

3. Add 2 cups broth and scrape bottom of pot to loosen and dissolve fond. Add remaining 2 cups broth, reserved squash liquid, 1 cup water, thyme sprig, bay leaf, and cayenne. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are fully tender, 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to clean pot and bring to simmer, thinning with up to 1 cup water to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve with dollop of sour cream. (Soup can be made up to 2 days in advance.)

*** Misha roasted the squash instead of microwaving it.

Also instead of vegetable broth she used chicken stock.

She also made rosemary garlic bread croutons on top.

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder - Shirley Morris

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder -- Shirley Morris

1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 - 12.5 oz can of chicken

½ cup chopped onion or 1 tsp. of onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. butter

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup hot water

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cups half and half

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or 1 cup of Mozzarella

1 (15 oz.) can creamed corn

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies

¼ tsp. hot sauce (Tabasco)

1 bag tortilla chips

In large saucepan, brown chicken, onion, garlic, and butter. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and add to chicken. Then add cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until cheese melts. To make ahead - Pour into a freezer bag and freeze.

Italian Soup -- Enrichment Night - Bonnie Merci

Okay, so I am a slacker and I didn't go to enrichment night, but a sweet little birdie brought the recipes to me. I heard that the Italian Soup was really good so I will put it on the blog for all of you who like soup. Soup weather is upon us. There, I pronounced it, so commence the soup making!

Italian Soup - Bonnie Merci

1 lb. ground beef
small yellow onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
fresh mushroom pieces
1 or 1.5 large cans of tomato juice (or V8)
Macaroni noodles
sugar
salt
pepper
oregano
Italian seasoning
basil
parsley

Okay, so I didn't try this recipe out yet - but while I am typing it I am noticing there are no amounts for most of the ingredients. This is not how I cook. I cook like a scientist with precisely measured ingredients. So if anyone knows at least a round about estimation of how much I need of: mushrooms, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - I would love to know. Did they tell at enrichment when they were doing the demonstration? I don't even know to whom this recipe originated or I would call them. If you have this info please let me know so I can update the recipe.

Back to the instructions:
Brown beef in a little olive oil, with a small yellow onion and a couple of chopped cloves of garlic. Add the fresh mushroom pieces and cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the tomato juice (or V8.) Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni. Reduce heat and add sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and parsley - to taste. Let simmer until the macaroni is cooked.
This is a great crock pot recipe (I would like to know the instructions for making it in a crock pot. How long to cook? When do you add macaroni? Any ideas?)