Spicy Lime Avocado Soup

Spicy Lime Avocado Soup

Recipe by: SerenaBloom

"My husband tried to tell me not to submit this recipe... he doesn't want the whole world to know about it, but I say share what you have! Serve with warm tortilla chips and a nice large mojito. Top with sour cream or creme fraiche if desired."

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large white onion, chopped, divided

3 limes, juiced

1 cup chopped cilantro, divided

2 jalapeno peppers, halved and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups water

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken bouillon powder

3 large firm-ripe avocados, cut into chunks

1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco, or to taste

Directions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add chicken; boil until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 7 minutes. Drain.

Run cool water over chicken to speed cooling process. Shred or finely slice chicken.

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion, lime juice, 1/2 cup cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and garlic until onion is slightly greenish in color, about 5 minutes.

Combine 4 cups water and bouillon powder in a small bowl. Pour into the pot. Let cook until just heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir chicken into the pot.

Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top with remaining 1/2 onion, 1/2 cup cilantro, avocado, and queso fresco.

Cook's Note:

Substitute Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese for the queso fresco if preferred.

Slow Cooker Chinese Hot and Sour Soup

Slow Cooker Chinese Hot and Sour Soup makes it super easy to make your American Chinese restaurant favorite at home.

8 cups 2 quarts chicken broth

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup canned bamboo shoot strips

8 oz mushrooms sliced

1 tablespoon crushed fresh ginger

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1 square firm tofu cubed

1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sliced green onions

To Make

Pour chicken broth into a 5 to 8 quart slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, ginger, sriracha, white pepper, sugar and tofu.

Cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or high 3-4 hours.

Stir in cilantro and green onions just before serving. Serve hot.

French Onion Soup Gratinee

Recipe by: Jersey Tomato

 "About as good as it gets! This is the version of French Onion Soup that people seek when they go to restaurants. I have been making it for 30 years and it never fails to please. It makes an exquisite presentation, too!”

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 large red onions, thinly sliced

2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced

1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 sprigs fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 thick slices French or Italian bread

8 slices Gruyere or Swiss cheese slices, room temperature

1/2 cup shredded Asiago or mozzarella cheese, room temperature

4 pinches paprika

To Make

Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in salt, red onions and sweet onions. Cook 35 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.

Mix chicken broth, beef broth, red wine and Worcestershire sauce into pot. Bundle the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf with twine and place in pot. Simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the herbs. Reduce the heat to low, mix in vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep over low heat to stay hot while you prepare the bread.

Preheat oven broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and broil 3 minutes, turning once, until well toasted on both sides. Remove from heat; do not turn off broiler.

Arrange 4 large oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, 2 slice Gruyere cheese and 1/4 of the Asiago or mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a little bit of paprika over the top of each one.

Broil 5 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will cascade over the sides of the crock and form a beautifully melted crusty seal. Serve immediately!

Florentine Tomato Soup

Florentine Tomato Soup

Recipe by: Morris

“Green pepper, basil and diced tomatoes are simmered with garlic and bouillon, then combined with spinach in this easy recipe”

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped green

 bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion1 clove garlic, minced

1  (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1  (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

To Make

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, water, basil, bouillon and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in spinach and cook 5 to 7 minutes more.Soup

Recipe by: Morris:

“Green pepper, basil and diced tomatoes are simmered with garlic and bouillon, then combined with spinach in this easy recipe”

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped green

 bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion1 clove garlic, minced

1  (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1  (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

To Make

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook bell pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in tomatoes, water, basil, bouillon and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in spinach and cook 5 to 7 minutes more.

Wonton Soup

Wonton Soup

Recipe by: MARBALET

“A simple, light 'Chinese dumpling' classic ...whether in soup or fried, wontons will always bring you that mysteriously delicious taste of the Far East ...! Garnish with fresh scallions."

1/2 pound boneless pork loin, coarsely chopped

2 ounces are peeled shrimp, finely chopped

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped gree n onion

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger root

24 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers

3 cups chicken stock

1/8 cup finely chopped green onion

To Make

FOR FILLING:

In a large bowl, combine pork, shrimp, sugar, wine, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon chopped green onion and ginger. Blend well, and let stand for 25 to 30 minutes.

Place about one teaspoon of the filling at the center of each wonton skin. Moisten all 4 edges of wonton wrapper with water, then pull the top corner down to the bottom, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press edges firmly to make a seal. Bring left and right corners together above the filling. Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten with water and press together. 

Continue until all wrappers are used.

FOR SOUP: 

Bring the chicken stock to a rolling boil. Drop wontons in, and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped green onion, and serve.

Footnotes

Uncooked wontons will keep in freezer for a good 2 months if well wrapped. Thaw before frying, but they can be boiled straight from frozen and cooked 2 minutes longer.)

TO FRY: Heat 2 to 3 cups of oil in a wok until hot. Deep-fry wontons in batches until golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Drain. Serve with dipping sauce or duck sauce, also called plum sauce.

Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup

Recipe by Suzy9725

INGREDIENTS 

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)

1⁄2 cup chopped zucchini

1⁄2 cup frozen cut Italian cut green beans

1⁄4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)

4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note ( Do not use chicken broth!*)

2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1⁄2 cup carrot (julienned or shredded)

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil

1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups hot water

4 cups fresh Baby Spinach

1⁄2 cup small shell pasta

To Make

DIRECTIONS

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.

Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup

Recipe and Photography Credit

Elise Bauer SimplyRecipes

You can use canned beans (use a good quality brand, I recommend S&W or Bush's) or you can cook dry beans.

If starting with dry beans, soak about 3/4 cup of dry beans overnight in cold water (or pour boiling water over the beans and soak for 1 hour). Drain. Cover with a couple inches of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an hour, or until tender enough to eat. Then drain and use in this recipe as directed.

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup chopped carrot

3/4 cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of fresh thyme or a teaspoon of dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

1 yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 cups sliced savoy or curly cabbage

1 zucchini, cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 medium fresh ripe tomatoes (romas if available), cored, peeled, chopped

6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian version)

1 15-ounce can of cannellini or great northern white beans, drained (about 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish

To Make

1 Sauté onions, carrots, celery, garlic in olive oil: Heat oil in a 4 to 5 quart thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

2 Add herbs, potato, vegetables, stock: Add the bay leaf, thyme, fennel seeds. Add the potato, cabbage, zucchini, and tomatoes. Add the chicken stock.

3 Simmer until vegetables are cooked through: Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.

4 Add beans, parsley, salt, pepper: Add the beans and parsley to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 is more minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.

Serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.