Archive for the ‘SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI’ Category
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is from a Pioneer brand country gravy packet and it is easy and really good. For this recipe you can use the gravy packet stated or make the shortcut and use that. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 packet country gravy, Pioneer brand, or Shortcut
- 1 package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked per instructions on package, (10-12 oz / 283-340 g)
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, (8 oz / 226 g)
- 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon onion, finely minced, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the gravy packet per the instructions on the packet. Cook the broccoli per the instruction on the package, normally just steamed in the bag in the microwave then drained.
- Stir in the cheese until mixed in. Stir in the onion if using that.
- Stir in the cooked and drained broccoli. Heat the soup to warm the broccoli through. For a thinner soup, just stir in milk to your desired consistency.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Homemade Country Gravy Mix.
White Chicken Chili II
This is my Go-To white chicken chili! Easy to put together and common ingredients. Feel free to use cooked from dry beans instead of canned. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 cans Great Northern Beans, drained, (15 oz / 425 g cans), Shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
- 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 1â…” cups milk
- 1 can green chilies, chopped, drained, (4 oz / 113 g)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, or 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- sour cream, optional, for serving
- oyster crackers, optional, for serving
Instructions
- To a large pot, add the beans, chicken, soup, and chilies and give the mixture a stir.
- Add the milk, cilantro, onion and garlic powders, cumin, and oregano, stir together and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Stir occasionally and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve, top with sour cream or oyster crackers as desired, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving. If using beans cooked from dry, which is a cost saver for you, use 6-7 cups of cooked beans.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Great Northern Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Meatball Stew II
This is an excellent stew. Quick and easy. This version of the stew will use some canned items in place of fresh and will not use a slow cooker. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 680 grams frozen Italian meatballs, (24 oz), Shortcut
- 2 cans sliced potatoes, drained, rinsed, (425 g / 15 oz each)
- 1 can sliced carrots, drained, (425 g / 15 oz)
- 1 can green beans, drained, (425 g / 15 oz)
- 1 onion, halved, sliced
- 1 can tomato sauce, (15 oz / 425 g), Shortcut
- 3 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ cup beef broth, cold
Instructions
- To a large pot, add the tomato sauce, 3 cups of broth, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir together to mix. Put pot on medium high heat.
- Add the meatballs, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and onion to the pot and mix together.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let stew simmer for 40 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Stir together the flour and the ½ cup broth in a measuring cup. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the stew. Heat to a boil then reduce to a simmer to thicken the stew.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Â Tomato Sauce, Italian Meatballs.
Variant: 1. Use chicken broth in place of beef broth. 2. Add 1 can sliced and drained mushrooms (4 oz / 113 g) or fresh sliced mushrooms.
White Bean Soup with Meatballs
Sounds like an excellent soup, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
- 1 medium oinion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 340 grams frozen Italian meatballs, thawed, (12 oz)
- 1 cup carrot, julienned
- 4 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder, (1 quart)
- 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, (15 oz / 425 g can)
- 8 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, then add the garlic and black pepper, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the meatballs, carrot, and chicken broth and give a stir. Heat to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the beans and spinach, give everything a stir and heat to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer until the spinach is wilted.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Use beef broth in place of chicken broth.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Swedish Yellow Split Pea Soup (Ärtsoppa)
This is a delicious way to use yellow split peas. Very tasty.
Ingredients
- 250 grams yellow split peas, (9 oz)
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, cubed
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard, (optional)
- 1 tablespoon dried dill, or 3 tablespoons fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the split peas and place in a container. Add water to cover by an inch and set aside to soak for 6 to 8 hours. After soaking the peas, drain them and set them aside while you begin.
- In a pot, heat the oil then add the onion and cook until softened and turning translucent. Add the carrot, garlic, and fennel. Saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add the peas, bay leaf, mustard (if using), and vegetable broth. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 35-45 minutes and stir occasionally to prevent the peas from sticking to the bottom. Cook until the peas are tender. Stir in the dill, lemon juice, and more broth if the if the soup is too thick. Taste and season with black pepper and salt as desired.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
"Canned" Stew
Not the ready made 'stew' in a can but a stew made from canned beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas.
Ingredients
- 2 cans beef, (680 g / 1½ lb each)
- 1 can sliced potatoes, drained, (425 g / 15 oz)
- 1 can sliced carrots, (425 g / 15 oz)
- 1 can peas, (425 g / 15 oz)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons dried parsley
- salt and pepper, as desired, to taste
Instructions
- Open and empty the contents of the beef cans into a medium size pot and put on medium heat. Break up the beef and let it heat through.
- Open and drain the carrots and peas and add to the pot. Open, drain, and rinse the potatoes and drain again. Cut the potato slices in and add those to the pot.
- Season with the paprika, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to blend.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Sausage Soup
This recipe is from a recipe booklet from a sausage maker in the 80's, and it does sound good, on my to make and taste list.
Ingredients
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup celery, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium potato, diced
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 250 grams Kielbasa sausage, (8 oz)
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
- 250 grams sauerkraut, (8 oz)
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
Instructions
- In a pot, add the broths, onion, celery, bell pepper, and potato. Place on high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Mix together the cornstarch and cold water, stir that into the soup, and bring the soup to a boil while stirring, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the soup thickens.
- While the soup is simmering, cut the sausage into quarters lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces.
- Add the sausage, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, cream, and milk to the soup and stir everything together. Heat on a low simmer until heated through, do not let the soup boil.
- When it is hot, remove from heat, stir in the white pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with spring onion. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Adapted from a sausage company recipe booklet.
"Canned" Chili
The title comes from the use of canned items, even the meat, which is both convenient and low cost depending on where one is. And this is versatile as well.
Ingredients
- olive oil, as needed
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can ground pork, or beef, drained, (750 g / 1½ lb)
- 1 packet chili seasoning mix
- 1 quart tomato juice, (4 cups)
- 3 cans dark red kidney beans, drained, (425 g / 15 oz each)
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large pot. When hot, add the onion. Cook until softened and translucent.
- Add the meat and chop up with your spatula. Heat through and cook until lightly browned, turning occasionally.
- Add the chili seasoning mix and stir that into the meat.
- Add the tomato juice and beans, stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
- Serve with oyster crackers if desired, enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving in the US, Fair to High Cost in Thailand. The juice costs about $2 and the spice packet 50 cents, for 6 servings, this is about 42 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. In place of Dark Red Kidney Beans, use Light Red, Pinto, Black, or a combination of the different types.Â
Asian Rice Noodle Soup
Generic name as this does not pertain to any Asian country, rather this is a type of soup made all over Asia in various ways, this soup is just one way, and the bonus is, you can add anything you like to this soup. This recipe assumes you have hard boiled eggs on hand already, if not there is shortcuts listed.
Ingredients
- 220 grams dry flat rice noodles, (about 8 oz)
- 3 quarts water
- 2 tablespoons pork seasoning powder
- 300 grams fresh Shiitake mushrooms, (about 10 oz)
- 150 grams fresh white crab mushrooms, (about 5 oz)
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped, or 3-4 chives
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- salt and white pepper, as desired
- 4 hard boiled eggs, Shortcuts
- 8 Arabiki sausages
Instructions
- First thing we are going to do make the stock. Add 2 quarts of water to a medium sized pot and stir in the pork flavoring and bring to a simmer. While that is coming up to a simmer, lay the Arabiki sausages on a cutting board and prick each sausage with a fork along the length of each sausage, this prevents them from bursting open and releases some of the fat to also flavor the stock.
- After the water comes to a simmer, add the sausage. Simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Set the sausage aside.
- While the sausage is simmering, prep the remaining ingredients. For the Shiitake mushrooms, I used a Japanese cutting technique called Sogigiri, which is an angle slicing cut - remove the stems, quickly rinse the caps, place the caps stem side down, then slice each cap at a 45 degree angle, the purpose of this is to give a large surface area to provide even cooking. For the White Crab mushrooms, simple cut the root section off, quickly rinse, then chop the bundle into 3 sections.
- After the sausage comes out of the pot, another quart of water, bring the stock to a boil and add the garlic and ginger slices. Boil for about 3-5 minutes then add the rice noodles and reduce the heat slightly as they will foam up. I used flat rice noodles, these are not known as wide noodles, just flat, wide rice noodles can be 1/2 to 1 inch wide and those are normally bought fresh, not dry.
- When the noodle are about half cooked, you will see them expand in width and thickness, go ahead and add the mushrooms.
- When the noodles are tender, stir in the spring onion or chives and simmer for another 2 minutes then remove from heat.
- Cut the Arabiki sausages in half at an angle, and slice the eggs in half lengthwise.
- Ladle soup into bowls, place 4 sausage pieces on the side (2 links), and place 2 pieces of egg, cut side up, on the side as well. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Steamed Eggs (Rice Cooker), Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
My own creation from seeing hundreds of soups made. Lee Thayer, Thailand.
Chicken & Rice Noodle Soup
Asian soups are very easy to prepare and I come up with this soup on a whim. Not only is it good, the family loved it! And it is healthy.
Ingredients
- 1 quart bean broth, (4 cups)
- 1 quart water
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 package baby corn, chopped, about 8-9 ears
- 1 package fresh Shimeji mushrooms, roots removed, separated
- 2-3 spring onions, chopped 1/2 inch pieces, white and green
- 1-2 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 package dry wide rice noodles, 220 gram package
- white pepper, as desired
- hard boiled eggs, as needed, for serving, 1 per bowl
- fried wonton skins, for garnish, as desired
Instructions
- This is the rice noodle brand I used for this, Chuan Chim brand, blue pack, which is the wide noodles. This is a Thai product available at Tesco. Excellent noodles.
- Heat the broth and water in a pot until boiling, add the chicken and reduce heat to a simmer. Skim any foam from the broth.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes then add the carrot and corn. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the carrot is just tender.
- Add the rice noodles. The noodles are white in the package, when you add them to the hot broth, first they will look like spaghetti, give the noodles a stir to get them separated.
- As the noodles cook, they will swell, turn white again, and they take on the flavor of the broth. Continue to simmer until the noodles are just barely tender.
- Add the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro, simmer until the noodles are tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- The completed soup, the noodles are tender and flavorful, the chicken is tender and juicy. Perfect.
- Ladle soup into bowls, add a hard boiled egg, sliced in half, yolks up, and add 2-3 fried wonton skins on the side of the soup as garnish as desired, serve hot. Enjoy.
Notes
The noodles are 35 Baht for a pack of 220 grams, the chicken is 57 Baht/kilo, for 2 breasts I will say 50 Baht max. For 4 servings this is about 70 cents per serving.
Created on a whim using common soup making principles in Thailand, Lee Thayer.
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