Slovenian Mushroom Soup

Okay, it's been a while, and I have all these recipes that I need to add to this blog. Time to get started!

Apologies for this poor-quality picture. This mushroom soup contains wine, and whenever I cook with wine, the smell is so fantastic that I can't help but eat it as soon as possible! After making the mistake on day one, I told myself that on day two of the soup, I would take pictures. I took this one and then forgot to take another picture of it displayed nicely in a bowl because once again, the smell of the wine made me stop thinking and just devour the soup in front of me!

This soup is amazingly delicious, very simple/easy to make, and very healthy. It is everything that I love about soup. :) I LOVED the clear broth, the texture of the mushrooms, the wine added to the broth. YUM YUM YUM! I will make this soup again and again in my future. I hope you enjoy it too!

I found the recipe at oneperfectbite, a blog that I discovered and enjoy. I changed some things about it, but the recipes at that blog are def. worth checking out! For this soup, use any combo of mushrooms that you desire. I used 10 oz. of normal grocery store mushrooms and 4 oz. of shittake mushrooms and it was really good. Someday, when we move, I will join a foraging mushroom club and use wild mushrooms in the soup. Or, if you are blessed with a good grocery store nearby, you could try new/foreign mushrooms to open up new possibilities for your palette. :) This soup made 4 hearty servings which lasted for two meals with a slice of bread on the side.

Ingredients:
*5 tbsp. butter
*1 onion, chopped
*14 oz. mushrooms, sliced
*1 tbsp. flour
*2-4 cloves minced garlic
*2 red potatoes, cubed (with skin on)
*4 cups of vegetable broth
*1/2 cup of water
*spices (I used marjoram and thyme from the garden)
*1/2 cup of white wine
*salt to taste
*Sour cream (optional topping)

Directions:
1) Melt the butter and saute the onion until it is tender. Stir in the flour and garlic, stir constantly for 1 minute.

2) Stir in the mushrooms, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the broth, water, and spices of your choice.

3) Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 10 minutes. After this, add the potatoes. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the wine and salt to taste. Pour into bowls and serve with a spoonful of sour cream and a slice of your fave bread if interested. Enjoy!

Comments:

*You can use dried mushrooms if you want. Simply pour warm milk over them in a separate bowl for a few minutes, drain the milk and add the mushrooms to your soup. I used fresh mushrooms in mine this time.

*The original recipe used white potatoes, so if you have a preference for them, you can use them instead of red potatoes. Also, if you don't like potato skins, you can peel them for the soup. I really enjoyed the taste of red potatoes and their skins in this soup, but everyone has different tastes, so I wanted you to know of other options.

*There isn't much to say, really. This soup is easy to make and has only a few ingredients and tasted fantastic. It's hard to go wrong with a soup like this!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hmm...I just noticed that my last post was for Chicken Enchiladas as well. It must be a Fall Seasonal dish for me! :)

Anyway, I was trying to come up with a simple meal to eat before Thanksgiving, since I knew we would be stuffed full of fantastic meals for the holiday weekend. This soup is really easy and not very time consuming, so it was perfect for us. As teachers, we are particularly busy right before Thanksgiving, so this was a nice, simple, and light meal to eat before gorging on Thursday.

I think the thing that makes this soup fantastic is the many options of toppings. The soup itself is so simple that you can add any amount of toppings, and as you can see from my picture, I did not hesitate to go "topping-crazy".

What I loved: the creamy, simple soup combined with crunchy tortilla slices, avocados, a spicy jalapeno crunch, and sharp cheddar cheese. YUM!

Ingredients:
*2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on if you like a more broth-type soup...I used 4 cups)
*6 (6 inch) CORN tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
*1 can (10 oz.) green enchilada sauce
*1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
*10-15 oz. red enchilada sauce (if you add 4 cups of chicken broth, add 15 oz. sauce)
*1-3 tsp. cumin (depending on your taste desires)
*1-3 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on your taste desires)
*shredded chicken from rotisserie chicken OR 3 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1-1.5 cups half-in-half

Optional Topping Ideas:
*2-4 CORN tortillas, cut into strips, and fried in olive oil with a dash of salt until crispy (dry on paper towel)
*1 tomato, seeded and chopped
*1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
*1 avocado, seeded, peeled and chopped
*1 bunch of green onion, diced
*sharp cheddar shredded cheese
*spoonfuls of sour cream

Directions:
1) Combine the 2 cups of chicken broth and the 6 tortillas (cut up) to a large soup pot. Cook over medium heat until the strips soften (and almost dissolve) and the broth thickens. At this point, decide if the broth is too thick for your liking. If you like a thick soup, leave the way it is. If you like a more broth-based soup, add the other 2 cups of chicken broth.
2) Stir in the enchilada sauces, green chilies, and spices. Heat until combined on medium heat. Then add the chicken and half-in-half and heat through (be careful not to cook on high heat so you do not scald the half-in-half!) Taste and add more enchilada sauce or half-in-half to your preference.
3) When thoroughly heated, pour the soup into the bowls. Add your preferred toppings and enjoy! Serve with tortilla chips. Makes 4-6 servings.

Comments:
**The first day we ate this soup, I forgot to chop up the jalapeno. The soup tasted great without it, just a bit on the mild side. The next day, I remembered the jalapeno and it made the soup much spicier and also gave it a bit of a crunch that I really liked. Both ways were delicious, so it's up to you if you like spicy food or not.

**I used ALL of the toppings mentioned and I really think it's what makes this soup really delicious. So I highly recommend using all of the toppings. If you add different toppings and find it makes the soup taste good, please let me know what you use! I love trying new things.

*I used most of a rotisserie chicken for this soup. This really helped me save time. Seriously, I think by the time I chopped the toppings and warmed the soup, only 20 minutes went by, and I chop things VERY slowly. So this is really a quick meal that lasts a few days.

Minestrone Soup

Wow, I have not added recipes in a long time. I have been pretty busy, but I promise to get caught up soon on my recipes. I have a few more to add, so stay tuned in the next few days.

One reason I was too busy to post recipes was because I went Home to Michigan partly for a historical conference and partly to see family. Due to being busy socializing or learning, I ended up eating out every day. Since Paul and I do not eat out more than once a month, this was a bit too much for me. I came home feeling fat and craving fresh vegetables. So I searched through some potential recipes that I have wanted to try and found this Minestrone Soup at allrecipes.com. Other than a sprinkling of cheese, there is nothing but healthy stuff in this soup.

What I loved: There are SO many veggies in this soup! I felt so healthy and the colors were beautiful. :)


Ingredients:
*Olive oil
*1 onion, diced
*3 cloves of garlic, minced
*3 medium carrots, diced
*3 stalks of celery, diced
*2 yellow squash, diced
*6-8 cups of vegetable broth
*3 potatoes, skinned and diced
*Huge handful of spinach, cut into strips
*1 cup of orzo pasta
*1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes
*handful of fresh basil leaves, cut into strips or minced
*3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
*salt, pepper, spices of your choice, and extra parmesan for the topping

Directions:
1) Heat up oil in a large soup pot. Saute onion and garlic until tender.
2) Add the carrots, celery, and squash. Saute for approx. 5 minutes.
3) Add the broth, potatoes, spinach, pasta, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
4) Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes and pasta and tender.
5) Stir in basil and parmesan. Season to taste.
6) Pour into bowls and top with more spices and cheese. Enjoy!


Comments:
*I wrote 6-8 cups of broth because it depends how you like your soup. If you like it more stew-like, only use around 6 cups of broth. If you like a more clear, broth look, add 8 cups. I like my soup to be clear, so I added 8 cups.

*It's hard to say how much spinach to add. What I did was go for equal portions of all of the veggies. I put the carrots, celery and squash on one plate, potatoes on another plate, and spinach on a plate as well. With the display of veggies in front of me, I added enough spinach to make it a good balance with the rest of the veggies. Sorry I cannot be more exact.

*I think next time I make this soup, I will add more tomatoes. I might add one of those cans of diced tomatoes that have spices with it. If anyone does that, let me know what you think!

Vegetarian Soup

The other day, I had a killer headache that just would not go away. When I have these type of headaches, there is only one kind of food that I want: clear broth soups with a spicy kick. This soup was perfect for these needs.

In many ways, it is a "typical" vegetable soup, but it becomes unique with a spicy touch, avocado, and green chilies. I really liked this soup. It made so much soup, that I froze leftovers. The next time I am sick or have another one of my headaches, I will eat that leftover soup. It's also perfect for a gloomy, rainy day. Ahh, it was so satisfying. :)

Once again, I found this recipe at allrecipes.com but I changed it a bit and made it my own.

Vegetarian Soup

Ingredients:
*olive oil
*1 package (1 pound) frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix
*1-2 cloves garlic, minced
*cumin (1 tbsp, approx.)
*1 (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
*2 (4 ounce each) cans of diced green chilies, drained
*1-2 chipotle peppers with adobe sauce, chopped (add adobe sauce from can as well) (optional)
*4 cans (14 ounce each) vegetable broth
*1 can of corn, drained
*1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
*salt and pepper and cayenne pepper (added to your preference of taste)
*shredded cheddar cheese
*avocado, peeled, pitted, diced
*cilantro (optional)
*sour cream (optional)

Directions:
(1) Heat olive oil in large soup pan. Add stir fry mix, garlic and cumin until tender (approx. 5 minutes).
(2) Mix in tomatoes, chilies, chipotles (optional). Stir and heat. Add broth and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer about 30 minutes.
(3) Add corn and beans to soup, stir and heat until warm. Pour into bowls. Top with cheese, avocado, and cilantro (optional) and sour cream (optional). Enjoy!


Comments:
*If you want to make it with fresher ingredients, instead of the stir fry, use a few different colored peppers and an onion. The stir fry mix just cuts down on the time it takes to get the veggies tender.

*If you want to make it vegan, just don't add the cheese at the end. This is a very nutrition-packed meal for those vegans out there.

*I like to dip bread of any kind into this soup. Paul liked dipping tortilla chips. Go crazy! Be creative! And let me know what you prefer! :)

*If you want a spicier soup, add more green chilies, chipotles, cumin, and/or cayenne pepper. Alternatively, if you want it more mild, do the opposite.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ah yes, time for another soup recipe! :)

I have been craving simple soups with salads on the side lately. And this soup fit my desires perfectly, since there are only 6 ingredients! My stomach and mind have been SO happy since I made this soup! I don't think that I will ever be able to make Campbell's tomato soup in a can ever again after making this healthy soup!

Paul and I got our protein for the day by having spinach salad topped with hard boiled eggs, etc. After the salad, we ate this soup and they really go perfect together! This soup made enough for 8 servings and I was sad when we finally finished it off. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com but I changed some things to make it taste better (in my opinion).

What I love: The fresh taste, the creamy texture, the fresh basil, the crusty bread dipped into the amazing soup...mmm...

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:
*2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
*18-20 ounces of chicken broth
*18-ish fresh basil leaves, minced
*3 tsp. of sugar
*1.5 - 2 cups of whipping cream *OR* half and half
*6 tbsp. butter
*optional spices such as: pepper, paprika, salt, etc.

Directions:
1) In a large pot, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2) Add basil and sugar. Let it simmer for a few more minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted. Add spices of your choice.
3) Enjoy with salad (optional) and bread (optional)!

Comments:
*Make sure to really mince the basil! I chopped into long strips, but while eating the soup, I kept wishing that the basil had been minced into smaller pieces. I will be doing that in the future.

*Make sure to let the sugar simmer into the soup for more than a few minutes. The sugar stops the tomatoes from tasting too acidic. I made the mistake of adding the sugar and then adding the rest of the ingredients and then eating it. The first day, the soup was WAY too acidic tasting, and I didn't want to eat it anymore. The next day, the soup had "settled" and it was amazing from then on. So if your soup is tasting too acidic, let it simmer some more and think about adding some more sugar.

*The comments on allrecipes.com for this recipe suggested that if you use fresh canned tomatoes, the acidic taste isn't an issue. So if you use fresh canned tomatoes, you might not need to use as much sugar in your soup. Keep that in mind! (Note to self: grow my own tomatoes someday and then can them!)

*I think that the next time I make this soup, I will use one can of crushed tomatoes and one can of diced tomatoes so that my soup has more texture. If anyone does this, let me know if it tastes as good as I imagine!

Wisconsin Potato Cheese Soup

Paul and I have been sick for the last few days. We were both quite weak and had very little energy to make dinners, but we also knew that we needed something healthy and light in our system.

Together, we made this soup, which is an old recipe from my recipe box. I have no idea where it came from, but I have been making this soup since we got married.

With a broth-base and mild tasting potatoes, it felt good in our stomachs. It also makes 6-8 servings, so we didn't have to do anything but reheat soup during the duration of our sickness.

What I love: Of course, I love the cheesy broth of this soup. I also love how mild this soup is, because it is great to eat when ill! In addition, when we were first married, we had very little money, so I love how cheap it is to make this soup!

Ingredients:
*2 tbsp. butter/margerine
*2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
*1/2 onion, chopped
*6-7 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
*6 cups of chicken broth
*2 cups of milk
*salt
*pepper
*paprika
*2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
*4 oz. of velveeta (optional), cubed

Directions:
1) In a large soup pan, melt butter and saute celery and onion until tender.
2) Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, approximately 12 minutes.
3) Stir in milk and spices. Add the cheeses and heat only until melted.
4) Serve with bread and enjoy!

Comments:
*The original recipe wants you to use a blender after step #2 and blend the potato mixture. Then, return to the pot and then do step #3. We do not do this because we like chunks in our soup. If you are weird about texture, this is always an option!
*I don't have much else to say. This soup is easy to make, cheap to produce, and delicious just the way it is!

Smoky-Spicy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

The other day, I was daydreaming as usual. During my lovely daydreaming time, I realized that I rarely ever eat rice. I can't even remember the last time that I ate rice. It was possibly when Paul made his famous sushi...in October of last year! It's not that I necessarily HATE rice, it's just that rice is a bland, boring food and I like bold flavors in my meals. Anyway, rice is healthy and it is said that it helps people lose weight. This spiked my interest and I pored over many recipes to find a rice soup that actually had taste to it. :)

This is what I came up with. I combined multiple recipes of rice-based soups and "invented" this soup. It was delicious, but perhaps I went overboard on the spiciness of the soup. Next time, I will tame the spice a bit. In my instructions, I give a tamer version, and in the comments, I will explain what I did to make it EXTREMELY spicy, so that if you love spicy food, you can try it that way too. :)

What I love about this soup: it has a deceiving look of a bland, chicken and rice soup, but it had a smoky-type of spice to it that made it SO good! I also loved that it used pepper jack cheese, which I have never used in a recipe before! It really makes the soup perfect.

Ingredients:
*Olive oil
*1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
*1 clove of garlic, minced
*3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
*1 whole carrot, sliced (or 8-10 baby carrots, sliced)
*1 can (10.75oz) cream of chicken soup
*4 cups of chicken broth
*2-3 cups of wild rice, cooked
*2-3 cups of chicken, cooked and cubed/sliced
*chili powder (spice)
*cayenne pepper (spice)
*ground cumin (spice)
*1-2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
*3/4 - 1 cup half in half *OR* whipping cream *OR*milk
*3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
*cilantro sprigs for garnish
*half a can (4 oz) of green chilies
*1-2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (next to green chilies in mexican aisle)
*small spoonful of adobe sauce from chipotle peppers can

Directions:
1. In a large soup pan, heat oil on medium heat, saute onion, garlic, carrots, and celery for 8-10 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in soup and broth. Add rice and chicken (both cooked), spices, green chilies, chipotles, and most of the pepper jack cheese. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the cream and cilantro. Heat until warm. Pour into bowls and top with extra pepper jack cheese and some sprigs of cilantro. Serve with bread of choice. Makes about 6 servings.


Comments:
*I used part of a rotisserie chicken so that I didn't have to cook the chicken. I really love using these things since they cut out a lot of the boring parts of cooking!
*I used a whole bag (3 cups) of Uncle Ben's wild rice (see picture below) because it only took 90 seconds in the microwave to cook. Wow! I didn't know that rice could be done so quickly. I know, this shows how little I use rice in my meals. :)
*I had leftover asiago-cheese bread, so we used that with the meal. I am SO glad that I did! I don't know why, but the combination of this smoky-tasting soup and the tang of asiago bread was AMAZING! I will always use this kind of bread as a side with this soup now. I highly recommend it.
*I did not tell you how much spice to include b/c everyone's taste buds are different. I like a heavy dose of cayenne pepper and a light sprinkle of chili powder and cumin. But you might like one of the others better! Use the spices to YOUR tastes. Or even add new ones! (Just let me know what you add if it turns out really really good!) :)
*I also don't give exact measurements with a lot of the parts of this soup because everyone is different. I LOVE cheese, so I added lots of it. But maybe you do not love cheese like I do. Same thing with the cream-base. I poured in half-and-half until it seemed like a perfect amount. But what is perfect to me maybe not be perfect to you. These type of exact things aren't needed when cooking soup. It's probably one of the reasons that I love soup so much.
*Make sure to include at least one chipotle pepper, as this is what really makes the soup taste 'smoky'. I thought the soup was simply spicy, until after I added the cream part of the soup. Then, I tasted it again and it really tasted 'smoky-spicy'. Yum...
*What I did to make it super super spicy: I figured that since I love chipotle peppers and I have made a soup with them before, I could add three (like in my other soup: see Southwestern Soup) and it would taste amazing. What I discovered is that what works for one soup does NOT work for another. :) Three chipotles made this soup REALLY fire-hot! It was a good thing we had bread. Don't worry, though: if it happens that this soup is too spicy for you, just add more broth or cream-base to it to dampen the power of the spice.

Southwestern Soup

This is my favorite soup. I was so excited to share this recipe that I could not wait to take a picture of it. This is a picture of a similar soup, in fact, it's nearly identical to my soup (at least visually). Anyway, I promise to upload a real picture of my soup eventually. :)


At least once a month, I get a crazy craving for green chilies. Every time that happens, I make this soup. Also, I make this soup really spicy (you don't have to), so whenever I have sinus problems or one of us has a cold, I make this soup to encourage drainage and for a general healthy feeling.

I found this recipe years ago on allrecipes.com but I have changed it so much over the years, that I couldn't even find the original recipe again to give it proper credit!

What I like: the spiciness of the soup, the green chilies, the abundance of tomatoes, and the ease of making a visually-beautiful presentation of the soup every time I scoop it into bowls for dinner. It also makes 6-8 servings of soup, which is great for when we are busy with our jobs: I don't cook again for 3 days!

Southwestern Soup
Ingredients:
*1.5 cups of shredded chicken (cooked)
*4 cups of vegetable broth
*1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
*2 cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes
*1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
*1-2 chipotle peppers, chopped, from a can of chipotles in adobe sauce (next to green chilies at store) (optional)
*a small spoonful of adobe sauce from chipotle can (optional) 
*1 onion, chopped
*1 clove garlic, crushed
*1 tbsp. lime juice
*1 can (15 ounce) of black beans, drained and rinsed *1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
*1/2 tsp. cumin
*salt/pepper (to taste)
*1-2 avocado, diced
*cilantro 
*shredded cheddar cheese
*sour cream


Directions:
1) Cook in large soup pan: Chicken, broth, tomatoes, chilies, chipotles (optional), onion, garlic, lime juice, and black beans. Season with spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Taste and add more spices or more chipotles as needed. You can also add some shredded cheddar cheese to the soup at this time (optional).
2) Scoop into bowls. Make it look beautiful with a lovely topping-display of shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, and a few leaves of cilantro on each bowl of soup.
3) Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!


Comments:
*Some people don't like chipotles or really spicy soup. If that's you, just leave those peppers out and this soup is barely spicy at all. I, however, love spicy soup so much that I add 3 or more chipotles to this soup and lots of the adobe sauce. Yum!
*The longest part to making this meal is cooking the chicken beforehand. It took me a while to realize that I can save time by buying a rotisserie chicken at the store and use parts of the chicken for this soup. I then use the rest for other soups or meals throughout the week. So if you want to save time, I strongly recommend using one of those already cooked chickens!
*I love cilantro and I used to add extra to the soup as well as putting some on top. However, my husband had a nightmarish cilantro-farm experience as a child and despises the stuff. So now I just add some to the top of the soup, but if you don't have husbands with weird cilantro-phobias, adding extra cilantro to the soup makes it extra good (in my opinion)
*Don't leave out any of the toppings on the soup! The beauty and taste of avocado, cheese, sour cream, etc. is wonderfully balanced with the soup. It is seriously so wonderful to look at AND eat!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

My husband loves cauliflower and I love cheese. It seemed a no-brainer to me that I should try to find a soup with both of these ingredients. However, I was startled to find that most recipes with these two ingredients also had: sausage, a whole block of velveeta, or bacon.

The solution: I combined multiple recipes from allrecipes.com and read plenty of comments from these recipes and came up with my own soup. I am very satisfied with the results! :)


What I like: the vibrant colors of the veggies and the soothing taste of a wonderful broth. Yum!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
*4 cups of chicken broth
*One head of cauliflower, chopped
*3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
*One large carrot or 8-10 baby carrots, sliced
*1/2 onion (or if desired: one whole onion), sliced
*salt
*pepper
*thyme
*paprika (optional)
*1 - 1.5 cups of milk/half n half/heavy cream (your choice!)
*4 oz. velveeta (optional), cubed
*shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1) In a large soup pan, combine broth, cauliflower, celery, carrot, onion, and spices. Boil 5-10 minutes or until tender.
2) Add milk-base of your choice, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and velveeta (optional). Simmer on low heat until blended. Taste and add spices as necessary.
3) Pour into bowls, top with shredded cheese. Add additional paprika and pepper (if desired).
4) Enjoy with your fave bread! It makes approx. 4 servings.


Comments:
*The recipes usually insist that you blend all the ingredients in a blender after it has cooked and before eating it. However, Paul and I like to see the veggies in our soup, so we did not do this. I thought I would throw the suggestion out there for any of you who are weird about texture!

*Even though I do not like velveeta as a major part of my meals, I do admit that a tiny bit does come in handy. I added no more than 4 oz. of velveeta to this soup to make the broth a bit creamier. It also tastes fine without it.

*For some reason, I LOVE the smoky-sweet taste of paprika with cheese soups, so this is my own addition. No other recipes for this soup called for that, so trust me, I am sure the soup tastes fine without it. But if you are daring, I highly recommend adding the paprika! I adore it!

*Use whatever milk/cream base you like. Last time I made this, I used 1/2 cup of heavy cream (leftover from Aunt Peg's Chowder recipe earlier in the week) and 1/2 cup of lactose-free 2% milk. It was great! Another time, I used only "normal people" 2% milk, and that tasted fine too. It depends on how creamy and thick you want your soup. Or how healthy you want it.

*The longest part of making this meal is chopping the veggies. When I make it, I have help from my darling husband. We talk about our days and chop the veggies together. It makes the time go much quicker. After all, the actually cooking takes less than 20 minutes! I strongly recommend chopping veggies with someone else, though that is completely up to you. Maybe other people can chop veggies faster than I can... :)

One last picture:

Aunt Peg's Chowder

Aunt Peg's Chowder

I found this recipe at www.allrecipes.com and I quickly fell in love with it. I made it my own recipe by changing a few of the things, so the recipe mentioned below is my version. Feel free to visit the site and type in 'Aunt Peg's Chowder' if you want to see another version!

What I love: the broth is clear, and the vegetables are unique for a soup: garbanzo beans and zucchini are veggies that I have never used in a soup before! I also love that the broth is partly made of wine, and I love wine! Paul loved this soup so much, he kept talking about it many days after the meal. This soup fed us for two days (keep in mind, it's just me and my husband, but my husband eats LOTS of food!)
The recipe:

• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, with liquid
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup dry white wine...pinot grigio works best
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or more...eyeball it)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheese or mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• Sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion until tender and lightly browned.
2. In a large soup pot, mix onion, zucchini, garbanzo beans with liquid, tomatoes with liquid, wine, butter, garlic, basil, and bay leaf.
3. Cover, and simmer for 20-ish minutes. Uncover, stir, and continue 20 minutes.
4. Stir heavy cream and Romano cheese into the vegetable mixture, and continue cooking 10 minutes.
5. Pour into bowls. Top with shredded cheese and a dallop or two of sour cream (optional) 
6. Serve with french bread

**If you want it even healthier, instead of heavy cream, used half and half.
**I have an obsession with tomatoes, so I add plenty of them. If you don't care for them, leave out the can of diced tomatoes. As you add the veggies to the pot, think about what ratio of veggies you like to see! I like to see lots of red. :)
**Depending on your preference, use either mozzarella or sharp cheddar. I like to use sharp cheddar to give this soup a bit of zing. But it has a delightful, milder taste if you add mozzarella.
**Do NOT add the cheese to the soup while it is cooking! It becomes a rubbery mess (been there, done that...learn from my mistake!)
**Depending on your calorie intake or desires, you can add less than 1 cup of heavy cream. The original recipe called for 1/2 a cup, but I found it wasn't enough to satisfy me. Use your judgement on the color of the soup to decide how much to add!
**I found that eating this soup with the leftover wine as a beverage makes this a more romantic dinner. Just a suggestion, of course!