Mexican Rice Soup

I cheated. I admit it, I buy industrial sized taco seasoning as its cheaper and easier to grab it at Costco than concoct my own from scratch. It is definitely way cheaper than buying those little packets of taco seasoning from the grocery store. Prolly wouldn't be that difficult, but what the heck sometimes it has to be about convenience.

The soup itself is inspired by a chicken and rice soup I had years ago as a starter at a Mexican joint in old Tuscon AZ. The addition of the corn was my idea to add some sweetness to calm the otherwise spicy-ish soup. Worked quite well if I say so myself.

Mexican Rice Soup

• 1 yellow onion finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper diced
• 1 T garlic minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 C mixed rice (white, brown, wild or substitute all white)
• 2 14 oz cans chicken broth
• 3 T taco seasoning
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• 12 oz cooked chicken diced
• 8 oz frozen corn

Add olive oil to coat the bottom of a stock pot over medium-low heat. Cook onion and bell pepper and 1/4 t salt, saute until onions are caramelized. Add rice and garlic, cook 1 minute stirring constantly so as to not burn the garlic.

Add chicken, broth, taco seasoning and black pepper to the pot. Increase heat and bring to boil. Test seasoning and add more salt if needed. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour covered until rice is cooked through. Add corn at end and stir in until thawed and heated through, should take only a minute or two. (You don't want to over cook the corn so it looses its tender crisp texture).

Butternut and Red Pepper Soup

In continuance of my living in a healthier way goal for the New Year here is another version of my tried and true Butternut Squash soup. Just enough zing and extra sweetness to make this variation stand on its own as its own recipe. This is one that tastes as good if not a bit better on the second day.

After a whiz in the blender there isn't much left to do with this soup except bring to a simmer and let it cook away for another 10-15 minutes or so to let the flavors really blend together. Swapping out vegetable stock for the chicken broth would also turn this into a "vegan delight". You would never know from its creamy texture that it is in fact lacking cream which makes this a very heart healthy soup and great for any reduced calorie dieting. Adding in a salad and some garlic bread rounds out the soup to be a complete meal.

The secret if there is one is allowing the onions and red pepper to caramelize together so you get the full sweetness off of both to stand out in the soup without the raw onion or pepper bite. It takes a good 10-15 minutes over med-low heat to achieve the caramelization but it is worth it in the final product.

Butternut and Red Pepper Soup

• 1 medium butternut squash - large dice
• 1 yellow onion coarse diced
• 1 red bell pepper coarse diced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 t ground ginger
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 2 14oz cans chicken broth

In microwave safe dish with a lid add the butternut squash and micro cook 15 minutes or until the squash is soft. (I use a 1200 watt nuker so you will need to adjust time to match your machine).

Place onions and bell pepper in large stock pot with just enough evoo to coat the bottom of the pan. Add about 1/4 t salt and cook slowly, stirring often until caramelized about 10-15 minutes.

Add the onion and bell pepper with about 1/3 of the cooked squash with 1 can chicken broth and blend until pureed. Add to stock pot. Repeat with remaining squash and can of broth. Add ginger and cayenne pepper. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to warm soup through and meld the flavors. Serve hot as an appetizer or with bread and salad for a full meal.

Thanks for all the visits...

The stats only tell me that what I cook, and sometimes invent are a hit with a few people as time progresses. The most common search is "Potica" which was the subject of a single post. A labor intensive process in making a traditional slovene treat. I think I'll twist it up a bit and add in a recipe for an easier "Apple Potica" and "Blueberry Potica" if I can decipher down the photocopy of my grandmothers recipe.

Thai Corn Chowder

This recipe is a great one for something fast with minimal steps. Not quite stupid easy and does make a bit of a mess as you need the blender and its just one more thing that needs to be washed. Not a pain in the backside kind of mess, just extra clean up but well worth it.

I use the already minced lemon grass, but the dried stuff can be used just as well. I think the minced in the tube just has a bit more of a lemon back note that is easier to detect and adds a fresher grassiness to the dish that is absent in the dried. Not everyone can easily find the already minced, including me, so the dried is a good enough substitute.

Thai Corn Chowder

• 2 16 oz bags frozen corn - thawed
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 1 onion diced
• 1 red jalapeno pepper thinly sliced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 2 T lemon grass puree (or equal dried)
• 2 T cilantro finely chopped
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste

Lightly coat bottom of pan with olive oil and sweat the onions until translucent. Add onion to blender with 1 can broth, 1 bag of corn and cilantro. Process until nearly smooth.

Add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan, add lemon grass, jalapeno slices and garlic. Cook over low heat 30 seconds until the garlic is just starting to turn clear. Stir constantly so as to not burn the garlic. Add the corn puree, cayenne and remaining bag of corn to the pan. Increase heat and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Add remaining broth to thin to consistency you like in a chowder. (Starch content of the corn varies so you may need the entire can to get it to the right consistency). Test for salt and pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes until heated through.

Vegetable Beef and Noodle Soup

Soups are the indicated food option for a chilly winter night. I know, whining here but to us in So Cal the 50's are a chilly day its just how we are wired. Regardless of your definition of "Chilly" this soup hits the right spot when you want a light but fulfilling comfort food dinner. Add in a salad or bread and its complete.

Also, this soup is a great way to sneak in some of the less used vegetables, like rutabaga into the family diet. Sneak as in its got a mild but distinctive flavor that adds that little something extra to the soup but you don't have to tell them you did it. Do a nice small dice and no one is the wiser that it isn't a bit of some other veg that they actually do it. Its a Machiavellian approach to cooking, tell them only what they need to know and let the rest just happen. Works for me as I rarely get busted for sneaking something new in on them while getting to eat a veg I happen to like like the oft maligned rutabaga.

Vegetable Beef and Noodle Soup

• 1 lb sirloin or top round - sliced into small bite sized strips
• 1 large white onion - diced
• 2 carrots - sliced
• 2 stalks celery-sliced
• 1 rutabaga - fine diced
• 8 oz button mushroom, sliced
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 28 oz cans beef broth
• 3 c wide egg noodles
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Prep all the meat and vegetables. Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a large stock pot. Heat over medium high heat and add beef. Stir fry until well browned. Add vegetables and cook until onion is translucent. Add dried herbs and broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots and rutabaga are tender crisp. Add egg noodles and cook 8-10 minutes until soft. Serve hot with fresh cracked pepper or a dash of hot sauce.

Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

Sometimes I just have to cook and come up with something that his healthy and comforting that suit my tastes at the moment. Kids can fend for themselves if they can't get into what I was yearning for. That's what left overs are for.

I picked up a trick from Ina Garten on a show she did last week using lentils. Pour boiling water on them and just let them soak for a half hour to soften them up. Doing that you don't have to simmer your soup that long and turn the veggies and stuff into mush along with softening the lentils.

This soup is similar to one I did a week ago except I stepped up the heat and spices a bit by using spicy Italian sausage along with red pepper flakes. Just enough to make it a different soup, of course adding in Kale gets you tons of beta carotene, vitamin K and some powerful antioxidants into your system making a basic soup extra healthy. That's a good thing and a postive step towards living healthy.


Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage
• 1 bunch kale -coarse chopped (about 8 cups)
• 2 28 oz cans chicken broth
• 1 cup lentils -pre-soaked 30 min in boiling water.
• 1 onion -coarse chopped
• 2 carrots -sliced
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T parsley
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove sausage from casing and fry until well browned. Add onion and carrot. Reduce heat and saute until onion are clear. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan.

Add spices, lentils and canned broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until carrots are tender crisp. Add kale, cook 5 minutes until wilted with the ribs still tender crisp. Serve with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.

Happy New Year Foodies and Followers

You can't start the New Year off without wishing everyone the joy, prosperity and peace for the New Year, and in this Decade, so there you go my wish for you.

My house it includes a nice brunch and watching the Rose Parade, often going down to check out the floats after it is all done and over with (parade end is about 5 miles from where I sit at the moment). This year isn't much different, 'cept I've been lazy and instead of float viewing up close and personal it will be about taking down Christmas.

For those of you who haven't tried mimosa's yet, I'd strongly suggest you do so. Its a 50/50 mix of orange juice and champagne. Forget the champagne and go for Proseco the Italian version. A much better sparkling wine in my book than traditional champagne. Not as dry and mixes better with the orange juice or peach nectar than the champagne does. Something to do with the soil and climate makes it a bit sweeter and blendable with the juices. Just a little fyi...and it is cheaper than traditional champagne by a lot.

Happy New Year all!