Tag: Soup & Stew
Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder
This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken and Corn Chowder is a delicious and easy fix-and-forget meal for busy weeknights!
My kids have been playing piano for a number of years now. We were blessed to have a teacher who came to our house weekly for six years, and I guess I never knew how good we had it in this convenient setup. I didn’t have to cart everyone off to someone else’s house one day after school, and got to prep dinner to the sounds of gradually improving classical tunes (also to the sounds of my kids not fighting with each other for an hour and a half because they were occupied with piano).
Now, however, our beloved piano teacher has taken a job as a computer programmer. (Sadly, teaching piano lessons isn’t the most lucrative career. I get it.) For several months, we’ve been trying to nail down lessons with a new teacher, to no avail. Finally, though, we’re locked in with someone I think is going to work out well–phew!
The only problem? She’s only available from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, RIGHT when I’d normally make dinner. So what do you do when your kids’ new piano teacher can only do lessons when you’d rather be home slicing and dicing so you can eat on time?
You Crock Pot it up, that’s what.
This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder saved the day this week when I knew I’d be indisposed in the early evening. With a little work in the afternoon, our family was able to come home to something warm and filling–and oh-so-tasty–for dinner.
The original recipe from Chelsea’s Messy Apron (the one that made me say, “YES, I MUST EAT THAT AT ALL COSTS”) had the enticing phrase “Mexican street corn” in its title–and yeah, I could see where you could kinda get a street corn vibe from this soup. But to me, it wasn’t so strong that this actually seemed like eating a bowl of street corn.
Even so, this was a darn delicious Mexican-flavored chowder my whole family loved! It’s got chicken for protein, black beans for fiber, and two types of corn for sweetness and crunch. You may think the single cup of chicken broth that goes into it won’t be enough, but don’t add more! You’ll be surprised at the end that there’s plenty of liquid.
The other great thing about this soup is that it has just enough spice from a bit of chili powder, cumin, and paprika. No one (not even my 8-year-old) said it was too spicy, which tells me it has just enough kick. I served it with my Perfect Cornbread Muffins and we were able to sit down to dinner by 7:00.
Now…which Crock Pot meal am I gonna make this week (and the next, and the next, and…)? Drop me your favorite slow cooker recipes in the comments!
Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder
This Crock Pot Mexican Chicken & Corn Chowder has it all: chicken, corn, black beans, a creamy, cheesy broth, and just enough spice!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time4 hrs
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c. chicken broth
- 2 14.75-oz. cans cream-style corn
- 1.5 c. frozen fire-roasted corn
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 4-oz. can diced green chilies
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1 c. grated Mexican blend cheese
- 1 c. half and half
- additional cheese, avocado, tortilla strips, etc. for serving
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add garlic, chicken broth, cream-style corn, frozen corn, black beans, chilies, chili powder, paprika, and cumin and stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken and shred, then return to the slow cooker. Add shredded cheese and half and half, stir, and re-cover. Heat an additional 15 minutes or until hot. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron.
Butternut Squash, Apple Cider, & White Cheddar Soup
According to my husband (and various news outlets) this October has been the rainiest on record here in Phoenix. And we are not mad about it. Rain, rain, do NOT go away! While I think I would get sick of overcast skies and waving windshield wipers if I lived somewhere like Portland, where it’s constant, I’m happy to soak it up while it lasts here in the desert. After all, rainy weather is SOUP weather, and who doesn’t love a warm-you-up-from-the-inside-out bowl of comfort? Especially when that bowl contains the magical mix of butternut squash, apple cider, and white cheddar?
Seriously, the combination in this delicious soup is like if someone held a contest for a meal that represents the Ultimate Flavors of Fall. Earthy with squash, rich with sharp white cheddar, with a hint of sweetness from the cider–oh, and did I mention pumpkin ale goes into the mix, too? Mm-hmm. Even my nine-year-old, who claims to hate butternut squash, grudgingly admitted this soup was goooooood. And unlike some soups that need to simmer for ages before they’re ready, this one doesn’t take long to cook. To make it extra quick and easy, start with a bag of pre-cut squash from the produce section of your grocery store. Rounded out with cheesy toast and a side salad, it’s the perfect dinner for a rainy day.
As for me, I’ll just be over here enjoying my soup weather as long as I can…
Butternut Squash, Apple Cider, & White Cheddar Soup
Cozy up to a bowl of this unique soup with the perfect blend of fall flavors!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time35 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 5 c. diced butternut squash
- 1 c. diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 12-oz. bottle pumpkin ale
- 1 c. apple cider
- 2 c. chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 c. extra-sharp white cheddar, grated
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large stock pot. Add butternut squash, onion, garlic, and salt. Saute until squash has softened slightly, about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin ale, apple cider, and broth. Simmer another 10-12 minutes or until squash is totally softened. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth. Whisk in white cheddar until melted, then stir in nutmeg.
Notes
Adapted from Cooking For Keeps.
Ham and White Bean Soup
Here’s a cooking question for the ages: is it possible to take a classic, tried and true recipe and improve upon it? Is there a quintessentially perfect basic blueberry muffin, for example, or pot roast, and is it a sacrilege to modify them? Or how about a ham and bean soup? As far as I know, Americans have been making ham and bean soup since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. (Or at least once they figured out how to not starve–go read Nathaniel Philbrick’s excellent book Mayflower for a lesson on how the Pilgrims were kind of boneheads when it came to agriculture.) Anyway, if not since Plymouth Rock, ham and bean soup has been an American staple at least since the 1980s–I know because there’s a recipe for it in my very own passed-down Better Homes and Gardens “Red and White” cookbook.
Which, come to find out, is now going for 90 bucks on the Internet. Sweet!
If a recipe is in the red and white cookbook, I consider it a classic. But to tell you the truth, last week when I read through the Ham and Bean Soup recipe in the BHG Bible, it just didn’t excite me. It used water instead of broth, had minimal seasonings, and called for dried navy beans when I wanted canned. The one thing that DID match my criteria was that it used a ham bone, which I had saved from our Christmas Ham-fest. Still, that wasn’t enough to give it the pizzazz I was hoping for, so I decided to tempt fate and tinker until I came up with something a bit more interesting. Adding chicken broth, carrots, dry mustard, and nutmeg gave this hearty soup enough flavor to eliminate the need for added salt–always a plus, if you ask me. And cutting out the dried bean soaking time got it from prep to table in under an hour. After two bites, my 7-year-old proclaimed it his new favorite soup of all time.
So, if I dare say it, I think our family has a new classic Ham and Bean Soup. Try it out and tell me if you feel the same.
Ham and White Bean Soup
A hearty soup to warm you from the inside out!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
- 6 carrots, diced
- 1 large onion
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ham bone
- 2 15-oz. cans great Northern beans, drained
- 2 c. chopped ham
- 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 c. chicken broth
- 4 c. water
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and ham bone and saute until vegetables have softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
- Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer at least 30 minutes.
- Remove ham bone and bay leaves and serve.
Notes
Kinda-sorta based on this recipe from Simply Sated.
Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup
This recipe is one of those with a name too long for my blog’s title box parameters. If I had my way, I would call it “Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese,” but that’s, like, more characters than you can even fit in a Twitter post. When you’re a food lover and recipe developer, though, it’s kind of like being in love–when you find a great recipe, you want to shout from the rooftops about all its wonderful qualities (and the various ingredients that give it its complex flavor profile). You don’t want to leave anything out. With this soup, I want to tell the world that it manages to be both creamy and chunky, that it beautifully blends the boldness of roasted red peppers with the subtler flavor of cauliflower, and that it’s a perfect bowl of healthy vegetarian comfort on a cold winter’s night. But my title box on the blog can only take so many words, so let’s just call it by the abbreviated name “Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup.” Think of it like that Fiona Apple album that everyone just calls When the Pawn, when the real title is:
“When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right.”
You’re welcome for that.
At any rate, this soup is a whole food recipe you can feel good about in the midst of this season of indulgence. Make it a meal by serving with a side of crusty bread. And when you taste the mix of roasted red pepper, cauliflower, onion, garlic, spices, and goat cheese, you’ll understand what I mean about acknowledging every ingredient. Feel free to shout from your rooftop!
Creamy Red Pepper Cauliflower Soup
This vegetarian soup is both healthy and hearty!
Servings: 4 as a main course
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers, sliced in half and seeds removed
- 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 qt. vegetable broth (or chicken, for non-vegetarian version)
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
- juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat broiler to high and place red peppers, cut side down, on a baking sheet about 4 inches from the broiler. Broil until skins are mostly blackened, checking frequently, about 5-7 minutes. Place in a sealed container and let steam for 20 minutes. Peel off skins and dice peppers.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast 20-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- Heat the other 1 Tbsp. in a stock pot over medium heat and saute the onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 minute. Add diced red peppers, roasted cauliflower, broth, paprika, and goat cheese and simmer 10 minutes.
- Puree to desired consistency with an immersion blender, stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Closet Cooking.
Ham and Potato Soup
I know people come to Arizona, especially in the winter, for all the sunshine. And yes, sunshine is great–good for your mood, you can do fun stuff outdoors, Vitamin D and all that jazz–and generally, I enjoy living in a place that boasts 300 days of sunshine a year. But having lived in the Phoenix area my whole life, I have a confession to make: sometimes I get sick of sunshine. Sometimes I feel like the Marvelous Mad Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone:
…minus the red splotches and the purple hair. I can remember one particular summer as a teenager opening my blinds every morning hoping for foul weather and going, “Oh. Sunshine again.” with the extreme contempt only a teenager can muster. I know, I know, people from the East Coast are coming for me with their torches and pitchforks right now. We all need a little variety in our lives, though, right? ….right?
So when a rainy day like today comes around like a magical weather unicorn, I try to savor it. (BTW, am I the only one who’s starting to get a little freaked out by that Madam Mim gif on endless repeat? Feel free to scroll it out of your screen.) This morning I had planned to finally go out and get myself a membership at a local yoga studio like a good new year’s resolver, but instead I found myself curled up on the couch wondering which kind of herbal tea to brew. It’s just that kind of stay-at-home rainy day.
A quick aside: truth be told, my guilt over not going to yoga got the better of me and I ended up doing this crazy 20-minute high intensity interval training Youtube video:
All I have to say is it left me like…
Anyway, if a rainy day doesn’t call for signing up for a yoga membership (or torturing yourself with cheerful bikini body Youtube workout instructors), it DOES call for soup. That we can all agree on. There’s a reason that old Campbell’s commercial where the snowman melting into a kid when he eats soup was such a classic:
Because soup is cozy and comforting, warming you up from the inside out–the gastronomical equivalent of a fleece blanket. If you don’t love soup on a chilly, rainy day, you may be a robot. So I have for you today one of our family’s favorite “fleece blanket” soups (no actual fleece involved). We have enjoyed this with crusty bread as a light dinner on more than one Christmas Eve, as well as numerous other chilly-day occasions. I suppose you could call it a chowder, with its creamy texture punctuated by chunks of ham and potato, dotted with pops of yellow corn. My 8-year-old, who typically turns up his nose at leftovers, literally jumped up and down with excitement when I offered him leftovers of this. The kid’s no dummy. This is an awesome soup.
And with that, I’m going to sit back and enjoy the rain a little bit longer and ponder what soup to make tonight.
Ham and Potato Soup
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
3 1/2 c. peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 c. celery, chopped
1/3 c. onion, diced
1 c. cooked ham, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
3 1/4 c. chicken broth
salt to taste
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 c. frozen corn
5 Tbsp. butter
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish, if desired
Directions:
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, combine potatoes, celery, onion, ham, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (The amount of salt will vary depending on how salty your broth is. I say err on the side of caution with the salt.) Add frozen corn and cook until heated through, another 3 minutes or so.
- In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Slowly add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Continue to cook and stir another 4-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick enough for a fork to leave a defined trail.
- Add milk mixture to broth mixture and cook until completely heated through. Garnish with shredded cheddar, if desired.
Serves 6 as a main dish, 8 as a first course.
