SOUPS GALORE !!

Remember the Idli fair I posted few months ago!!:)) You could say I am on to soup fair today!!:) These days I am posting so many vegetarian dishes,my own kids and 'a blog kid' started complaining and suggesting that I should cook some non-veg for a change!!They are right!! Why not make both veg and non-veg soups!!Hope you are all going to like them too!! Yup!! I cooked all these for one dinner,but in small quantities! There will be no leftovers, guaranteed!!:D:D

My kids went to school yesterday grinning from ear to ear knowing that they are going to have soups for dinner!!I typed as fast as I could to put this up for the weekend for you!! Hope you make one of these soups this weekend! Below are 'Peas, Potato-sour cream Soup', 'Broccoli-cheddar soup''Chunky Chicken-Rice soup' and 'Taco Soup with Tortilla Chips'and one more soup 'Veg Chili soup with Jalapeno Corn bread'!Vegetarians, scroll down for veg.soups! These recipes are from 'Big Soups'and 'Taste of Home' books with my own additions ofcourse!!:)

 

I decided to make some veg and some non-veg dishes to keep every one happy!As you can see I made four soups and added one from my old post 'Veg Chili soup', so people who have missed it, can take a look again!! Vegetarians can skip meat and make all these soups and non-vegs can add any meat they like into these soups!! Isn't that a neat idea?! And they are all super easy too, one pot cooking!!Serve with some sandwiches and salads!!

I have not taken step by step pics this time since I am posting somany in a single post!!But follow the instruction I have given with your own twists to make these wonderful ,nutritious soups! As always, change or adjust the spices to your taste, add even more or different vegs or meat!!Cooking is not an precise art and tweakable unless you are baking!! Baking on the other hand,needs some skills I don't have and you have to use exact instructions for baking perfect breads or cakes!!Have fun!:)

Chunky Chicken-Rice Soup:

 

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter,saute`1/2 onion or leeks and Zucchini pieces until soft.Add 3 cups cubed chicken and 3 tbsp easy-cook rice,stir till chicken is white.
2. Add 2-3 cups of low-sodium chicken stock or water,depending on how thin you want your soup to be, and add 1 cup stewed tomatoes,.Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins.
3. Add 1 tbsp dry parsley ,few mint leaves,salt if needed,few chilli flakes or pepper and any herbs you like (Oregano,Thyme,Italian seasoning etc.,even 1/2 tsp BBQ rub mix!) to your taste,simmer. Splash a little hot sauce if you like!:)
4. Serve with garlic croutons or a big chunk of crusty bread. That's it!!

NOTE:For Indian variation of this soup, follow the same except skip all the herbs above and add 1tsp cumin seeds pd,1 tsp onion pd,1/2tsp garlic pd,pepper pd,some cilantro and mint leaves. Donot add any other spices like garam masala,cloves etc. Splash some hot sauce over it before serving if you like!

Taco Soup With Tortilla Chips:

 

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter,add 2 tsp plain flour,1/2 onion, 3 tbsp grated carrots,3 tbsp miced green pepper,1 Jalapeno minced,1 garlic,minced,soften.Add in 2-3 cups chicken, cubed or meat balls or 1 cup of ground beef,if you prefer,stir until white.
2. Add 1/2 to 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup water,1/2 cup canned kidney beans or pinto beans,1 tsp cumin powder,1/2 tsp cayenne or paprika for color,1 chicken or beef bouillon(optional)crumbled,cover and cook for 10-15mins.Take off the heat,add 1/2 tsp dry oregano,3 tbsp any mexican cheese like Monterey Jack!!
3. Garnish with cilantro,spring onion,Avocado , sour cream and serve with Tortilla chips ,or fried flour tortilla strips or Nacho Cheese Doritos.This soup very flavorful and spice lovers would love it!!Add more Texas Pete if you like!!

Chunky Potato-Sour Cream Soup:

  

1. Make Roux: Heat 1 tbsp butter, sprinkle 1 tbsp plain flour,stir.When golden,add 1/2 cup onion minced,1 cup milk , 1 cup water or veg. stock and whisk it to avoid lumps.You could add 1/4 cup frozen spinach,red chard or any greens at this time!!
2. Add 2-3 cups cooked or canned diced potatoes,1/2 cup frozen peas,1/2 tsp garlic powder,1 tbsp dry parsley,1 tbsp chives,salt and pepper to taste.cover and simmer on low heat until it starts to thicken.
3. Take out some hot milk broth in a bowl,add 3-4 tbsp sour cream and mix well to temper it and add this to the soup,simmer very gently on low heat.If the soup is thin, mix in some corn starch with water and add to the soup.
4. To serve,garnish with some fresh chives and some cheddar cheese on top!!Don't be fooled by the white color, this soup is YUM!!:))

Broccoli-Cheddar Cheese Soup:

 

1. ROUX: Heat 1 tbsp butter, sprinkle 1 tbsp flour.when golden,add 1 cup milk, 2 cups of water with 2 bouillon cubes of veg.stock,whisk and heat until dissolved.
2. Add 10oz or more bag of frozen chopped broccoli flowerettes,salt if needed, pepper,pinch of nutmeg pd(optional),1/2 tsp garlic pd,2 tsp dry parsley,1/2 tsp Thyme and let it simmer until soft.Add 2 tbsp sour cream if you like after whisking it with hot broth to avoid splitting in the soup.
3. Now,you can cool this soup a little and blend to a smooth or coarse liquid at this stage if you donot like the chunky texture of broccoli before adding the cheese or you can go ahead with the recipe if you like big pieces of Broccoli in your soup.
4. After blending, pour into a pan again,simmer for 5 mins.Take off the heat.
5. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups of finely shredded cheddar cheese,mix gently until it melts. Make sure soup is not very hot, cheese will become lumpy!!

Valveeta is usable too here,easy to mix without splitting but flavor will be very different!!It will taste like Tortilla Con Queso they serve in the restaurants!:)

Chunky Vegetable Chili:

  

For people who have not seen this soup when I posted few months ago, Please click here !!You can add meat balls or chicken to this soup to make it tastier and nutritious!!

NOTE: Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding or decreasing the liquid in all the soups.It's easier to add than to take out the liquids!
Use plain flour or corn starch mixed with water,add and simmer,to thicken the soup it's too thin!
When you add stock or Bouillon cubes, remember it has salt already! Add salt if required only at the end of cooking to make sure you don't spoil the soup with too much salt. If using just water instead of stock, you don't need to worry!!
Add any herbs or spices or cheeses you like to personalize!:))

Thank you for visiting me today ! Enjoy your families and my recipes !! Have a great soupy weekend!!:))