Spicy Black Bean Soup - Slow Cooker

This soup may not be the most appealing looking but it has so much flavour and is so good for you.  When traveling in the south black beans are a big staple in all the Mexican restaurants.   It can be made quite thick or thin.  Today I made it thinner by adding a higher ratio of stock to beans.  Also you will have to have a blender or food processor to finish properly.  A hand masher will not quite work.

Optional:
Long method is to start with black beans and soak them overnight in water.  Short version would be to purchase canned black beans.

In slow cooker combine the following:
4 slices of ham finely chopped
1/2 finely chopped sweet onion
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 large tomato skinned and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cans black beans drained and rinsed with water
6 cups Knorr Suisse chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream to top

Set on high and cook for 4 to 6 hours/low 6 to 8 hours.
Allow to cool completely - at least 1 to 2 hours.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.  You cannot blend if hot, the top will pop off your blender.
Pour in about 1/4 at a time and blend on ice setting.  Doesn't take long.  Gradually add more or remove blended soup to a serving bowl.  Once all the soup is blended then you can serve in soup bowl servings.  Microwave till heated through about 2 to 3 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.
Optional: thinner version, use 1/2 half the beans.

Pork or Chicken Wonton Soup

Smell the aroma of ginger and sesame oil and soya sauce????? .......  ahhh.....its so enticing you know the soup is going to be extremely flavourful!     I found this recipe in the Looney Spoons Cookbook called Crazy Plates.  I've made this one so much that the book automatically falls open to it since this page is a bit worn and splattered!  I have tweeked it just a bit by adding the Shanghai Bok Choy.  You can see the small leaves in the picture, the green is so dark in contrast to the white stalks.  
This soup is basically two steps - you get your broth simmering in the pot while you make the won tons and then drop them in to finish.
Broth in Large Soup Pot
Simmer on low to medium heat 8 cups water + 3 cubes of Knorr Chicken Bouillon 
Add 1/4 cup green onions chopped, use the greens too
Small bag of Shanghai Bok Choy with bottoms cut off to let the leaves loose, you can use the large Bok Choy chopped
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger root*

*Tip: My youngest taught me to keep my Gingerroot in the freezer and he was right, it will grate very easy.  I love this little 3" grater for this.

Wash hands well and wash kitchen counter off and dry before starting the wontons below.


Separate an egg white into a small bowl - this will be used to rim the edges of the wonton wrappers before you fill and seal them.

Package of Wontons found in the produce section.  You need only 1 half which is about 26.  Keep other half for other recipes or another batch of soup, good for about 1 month in fridge.  Lay out wonton wrappers on clean counter.

Wonton Filling: in medium size bowl
1 cup of ground chicken or ground pork
1/4 cup of minced green onions, use greens too
2 tsp reduced sodium soya sauce
1 tsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Mix above in a bowl and then using about 1 tsp drop in middle of each wonton wrapper.  You do not want to have too much filling as they will not fold well and keep sealed.  Using your fingers dip into the egg white and edge top and 1 side of the wonton.  Do each one, then wash your hands.  Now pick up each wrapper and seal into a triangle, squeezing shut.   The egg white acts like a glue!   Fold all triangles and then join the two points together and squeeze together making wonton.

 Now you are ready to drop all filled wontons into the soup and stir gently with slotted spoon.  Stirring keeps them from sticking together.   Keep on medium heat and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, keep to a low simmering boil.   This will make about 5 to 6 bowls of soup depending on how many wontons you put in each!     Serve piping hot.

Cream of Potato Soup

Soup is a staple in our house for lunch during the winter, every time the batch is empty within a few days I make a new one.  This soup is so delicious! You definitely need Bay Leave spice in case you don't keep it in the house.  By the way if you want to know anything about spices McCormick has a very cool site with a section called Enspicelopedia, everything you every wanted to know about any spice.  Did you know that  Enspicelopedia is a portmanteau word which is a blend of two words or morphemes into one new word!

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
2 leek or 1 large spanish onion - chopped 
1/2 pound bacon or ham - in snippets (i use a pair of kitchen scissors)
4 large potatoes cleaned and chopped into small cubes
Knorr Chicken Bouillon - 1 cup
1 whole bay leave, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme
2 1/2 tbsp flour


Heat butter(oil) in large pot and cook the onion and bacon.  Do not brown.  Add to the pot the potatoes, chicken stock and spices.  Cook over low heat till potatoes are tender, about 10 - 15 mins.  Mash with hand masher.  Mix the flour into the milk, with a whisk get rid of any lumps.  Pour milk into soup and heat to thicken. Ready to serve in about 10 minutes.  Try and find the bay leave and remove, it is a bit too pungent to eat. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top. 
 

Cream of Cauliflower or Broccoli Soup

Cauliflower

Broccoli

When you are walking through the produce section and you see Cauliflower or Broccoli on sale grab a head or bunch - make sure its nice and fresh, no blemishes.   Last week I got a cauliflower for $2 and i made this soup which makes about 4 large bowls.  With the rest  of the ingredients it would work out to less than $1 per  serving and so full of nutrients.  The whole recipe is made in the microwave - which makes it very quick.  Once again I use Knorr chicken bouillon - I love this stuff and keep it in the cupboard for so many soup and sauce recipes.


Ingredients:
6 tblsp butter (or heart smart margarine)
1/4 cup finely chopped mild or sweet onion (spanish works)
5 tblsp flour
1 cup chicken broth- i break one cube in half in a cup of water and microwave for 1 minute, stir to mix  - Knorr Bouillon 
2 cups milk - low fat
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg - this has the flavour that when other eat it they wonder what it is
1 head of cauliflower or broccoli 

Step 1 - in a large bowl add about 1/2 water and chop up the cauliflower or broccoli, cover with lid or plastic wrap and microwave till tender - might be 6 to 9 minutes - check after 6 minutes then heat again till fork easily pierce - then drain off water and mash with a hand masher or fork - does not have to be fine i leave it is small bits - (see my picture here)   set aside to add at the end

Step 2 -  Using your  large bowl you want to keep the soup in, a lid is handy to have on this bowl but not necessary you can use plastic wrap.
Put butter and onion in bowl with lid and microwave for 2 minutes. To prevent lumpiness make sure you now add 1 spoon of flour at a time.  Add and stir till smooth then add the next one till all 5 are blended, it will feel thick.   Now slowly while stirring with a big spoon add the cup of chicken broth.  Then the same with the milk - stir, pour, blend.    Then the liquid bowl goes back in the microwave for 5 minutes - then take out and stir to avoid lumps.  Then back in for another 4 minutes - stir again till smooth.  You will feel how the thickness loosens up and becomes creamy.   


Step 3 - Add the spices and stir.   Add the cauliflower or broccoli, stir.  Put back in the microwave for final heating of 4 minutes.   Remove and stir it is ready to eat!


To be decadent you can add grated cheese on top - cheddar or swiss or Monterrey jack - no restaurant soup will be this good!!!!  

Meatball Veggie Soup

What's in your veggie keeper today?  Pretty much anything can be cut up and go in the soup.  If you have just a bit of lean ground beef or veal you can make this soup.  The key to the broth base flavour is adding 2 cubes of Knorr Beef Bouillon.

Use either a Slow Cooker or make in a Soup Pot on the stove.  If you pick Slow Cooker then I would do step 1 in a pot on the stove and transfer to the slow cooker for the rest of the day.

Step 1 - Broth & Meatball Base
8 to 10 cups of water
2 cubes of Beef flavour Knorr Bouillon
using 1/2 lb of lean ground beef roll meat into small 1 inch size meatballs and drop in water
Over medium heat bring to boil, about 15 minutes.
At this point you can transfer to a Slow Cooker if you prefer.

Step 2 - What's in the veggie keeper?
best flavour comes from the Trinity - green pepper, onion, celery
chop up the 3 veggies (make sure you use the green leaves on the celery)
also peel and chop 1 large potato and 2 medium size carrots
If you have about 4 cups in total of chopped veggies then add to the soup pot.  You can mix any veggie for another, sometimes instead of potato I use corn either frozen or fresh, and also if I have a tomato sitting around i peel and chop and throw it in as well.  Depending on what you add and how much the soup always comes out a little different.
Add 1 can of condensed tomato soup.
Herbs to add, 1/2 tsp pepper, parsley and kosher salt.
On stove simmer for at least 1 hour or in slow cooker all day.

Step 3: 
Before serving from stove top - 1/2 hour needed to add 1 1/2 to 2  cups of small noodles, or broken up pasta to make spoon size.
Simmer till noodles are cooked but not mushy. 
Slow Cooker - 1/2 hour may be enough time if slow cooker has been on all day.  First time you make it allow another 15 minutes to make sure noodles are cooked before serving.

Step 4:
Serve with saltine crackers.  My husband loves to break his crackers into the soup, I like my crackers on the side with lots of butter!  This makes a hearty meal and warms you up in the winter.

Step 5:
Keep leftovers for reheating. I put into small bowls in fridge - either tupperware to take to work or for home.