Cauliflower Soup ~ SO Yummy!

Okay.  This is just about as good as it gets.

Comfort food at its finest.

Truly.  One yummy bite after the other.

Calvin proclaimed this to be his all-time favourite.

Cauliflower Soup ~ 

Is it time for soup where you live?

We've turned the heat on in our home,

and the rains have started.

It's time for soup!

Click here for the recipe.

You won't be sorry.  Promise.

Even if you don't like cauliflower ~

You'll like it anyway.  Give it a try and see.  :)

Many Blessings,

Camille

Janine's Autumn Chowder

Our niece *loves* this chowder!

Even on a hot day she has been known to request it!

And, once I tried it, I understood.

Really, I did! :)

I still prefer it in the Fall/Winter.

Something about it says that to me.

Maybe it's in its name? ;-)

It's what I served for supper one night last week.

(Actually two nights, since I made double).

One recipe serves 4 to 5 generously.

Another great thing about this chowder

is that it can be whipped up at nearly a moment's notice.

Thought to pot to table in under an hour.

How's that for a home-cooked meal?

Biscuits on the side would be nice,

but, this chowder delivers nicely

in the fill-you-up department.

Bonus!

Since I gleaned this recipe from my sister,

I've named it after her.

I don't know where it originally came from ~

If you do, please do tell so I can give

credit where credit is due.

And, it is due, believe me!  

~ Janine's Autumn Chowder ~

1 cup onion, diced

Olive oil for frying

3 cups new potatoes with skins on, diced

1 1/2 cup carrots, sliced

2 cups chicken stock ~
homemade, of course!  :)

3 cups frozen corn

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 tsp sea salt (omit if using stock from a cube)

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups milk

1/4 cup flour

8 slices of bacon, fried crisply for a topping.

Fry onion in oil in soup pot.

Add stock, potatoes and carrots.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer

about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Stir in milk, corn, pepper and salt.

Heat to simmer.  Do not boil.

Mix cheese and flour together in a bowl until cheese is coated.

Add to pot, stirring constantly.  

Stir until cheese is melted and soup is thickened.

Serve with crumbled bacon.  Y.U.M!

Enjoy!

With Love,

Camille

Got Quinoa?

Quinoa.
(Keen-wah)

A *new* grain that
is touted as a super food.
Even though it is technically
not a grain at all!

Have you tried it?

Quinoa is versatile
and so healthy for you!
There are many ways to prepare and serve it.
A bonus boost of nutrition is
promised each time you do. :)

It can be served as a side dish,
much like rice (and as easy to prepare) ~
Although, it is bland and
not my favourite way to eat it.
In fact, a bag of quinoa
sat in my pantry for ages while
I pondered what to do with it.

Solution.

I just got my hands on
this quinoa cookbook .
And I've already employed it.
I needed some ideas to incorporate
this food into our diet that would
please the taste buds.

One day for lunch last week
I whipped this soup up.
And it was a hit.

The only mistake I made was not
doubling the recipe.

~ Sweet Potato and Coconut Quinoa Soup ~

Slightly adapted from this cookbook ~

Quinoa 365 ~
The Everyday Superfood

2 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or Butter)
1/2 cup Onion ~ diced
1/2 cup Quinoa
3 cups Vegetable Stock
400 ml (1 2/3 cup) Coconut Milk
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp Chili powder

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes.
Dice into 2 to 3 inch pieces.
Boil 5 to 6 minutes to soften.
Drain and set aside.

In another pot,
fry the onion in the oil
over medium heat until translucent ~
Do not brown.
Add the quinoa to the pot
and fry for a few minutes until
it begins to smell slightly nutty.


Add the vegetable stock to the
pot with the onions and quinoa,
and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and cook
for about 15 minutes ~
until the quinoa is cooked.

Add the drained sweet potatoes to the pot.
Puree the mixture with a hand blender
or in a food processor.
Return to pot on low heat and add
in the spices and the coconut milk.

Stir to blend.
Thin with water or stock, if necessary.
Heat slowly.
Taste and correct seasonings.
Serve and enjoy.

This recipe made about 5 good-sized
bowls of soup.
Next time I will make double. :)

Happy Cooking!
Camille

Quick and Easy Thai Soup

Thai food is a favourite
in our home.
Since coconut milk is
often found in the recipes,
dessert is optional.

A good thing.

I gave this soup a
try last night.
And tonight, I made it again.
It is that good.
Rave reviews all around.

SO yummy!

I had roasted chicken
meat in the freezer.
Please tell me you have
some too?


Coconut milk
and thai curry paste
are necessary ingredients.
Run out and get them
if they are not already in
your pantry.

Now you are set!

Click Here
to find the original recipe.

The way I made it
is as follows.

First, I used roasted
and cut up chicken meat instead
of the tofu.
I am not a tofu-lovin' girl.
That's just me.
If you love tofu...go for it!

~ Creamy Thai Chicken Soup ~
(Doubled from the original)

2 Leeks ~
cleaned and finely chopped...
white part only
(You could also use a
medium-large sized onion)

1 Tbsp coconut oil for frying

1 Package Thai Curry Paste
(50g size) ~ Use two for more *kick* ~
I think I may just do that next time!


2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

6 cups chicken stock

2 cans coconut milk (400 ml size)

2 Tbsp Sugar ~
I use organic dehydrated cane juice


4 cups chopped roasted chicken meat

8 cups stir fry veggies ~ chopped into bite-sized pieces
(You could use the frozen variety, but I chose to use fresh.
My mix included mushrooms, broccoli, and sweet peppers)

Melt coconut oil (or other type of cooking oil)
in heavy pot and stir fry leeks, ginger,
and curry paste for a few minutes until the
leeks become limp.

Add chicken stock,
coconut milk, and sugar.
Bring to a boil.

Add chicken meat and veggies.
Return to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, covered,
until veggies are cooked ~
About ten minutes.

Taste and season with salt,
if necessary.

I served ours over a scoop of
rice in each bowl.
We ate it like soup with a spoon.
It would be lovely without the rice.
I served it that way to
make it go further.

With my children,
it was necessary. :)

ENJOY!

Blessings,
Camille

Pumpkin Leek Soup

This soup is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Easy to make.
Yummy to eat!

Comfort food at its finest.

I tried it for the first time last night.
What a treat! A *hit* all around!
I found this wonderful recipe in
this pretty book ~ A favourite that I only
pull out during the Christmas Season.



Be sure to use a sweet pumpkin
such as the "Sugar Pie" variety.

~ Pumpkin Leek Soup ~

Adapted from Mary Englebreit's
"Let the Merrymaking Begin ~
Christmas Volume One"

~ Serves 3 or 4 ~
I made a double recipe for the six of us...
Next time I will make FOUR times the recipe to have leftovers!

~ Ingredients ~

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Medium Leeks ~
white part only, rinsed well and thinly sliced

1 Small Onion ~ diced

4 Cups 1/2 inch diced sweet pumpkin (I used Sugar Pie) ~
about the size of a small non-regulation soccer ball.
LOL ~ is it obvious that there are boys in our home?

* Skin the pumpkin with a carrot peeler,
cut in half, scoop out stringy flesh and seeds.
Save the seeds to toast and discard the stringy flesh.

4 to 6 Cups Chicken Stock (I used 4)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 Cup toasted and coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds for garnish

* To toast ~ wash the seeds and place on a
parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Generously salt and place in a 350*F oven.

Check and stir after 10 minutes,
continue checking a stirring every 5 minutes thereafter until crunchy.
They will quickly go from "just right" to burnt, so do be careful!

~ Instructions ~

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and cook leeks
and onions until transparent and limp.

Add in the pumpkin and stir to coat with butter.

Pour the chicken stock over all until the pumpkin
is covered by about one inch.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes ~
until the pumpkin is very tender.

Use your immersion (hand) blender and puree directly in the pot.

If you do not have one of these handy contraptions,
hint that you would like one for Christmas (smile)
and proceed to blend until smooth in your blender.

Return to pot and adjust seasonings.
Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds
over each individual serving.

~ Y.U.M.M.Y. ~

Do Enjoy!
Blessings,
Camille

Easy Homemade Tomato Soup

Emma is learning to cook.
She loves to browse through recipe books...
especially her own!

"Christmas Fairy Cooking"
was the first cookbook she ever received.
She has thoroughly enjoyed kitchen-testing some of the
user-friendly recipes within it ~
with great results.

Now we have entered the zone of "real" cooking.
A sweet friend recently
gave her a "regular" cookbook.
She immediately began searching for something
to whip up in the kitchen.

One of the first things we tried was this recipe.
It's quick and easy!
Great for a last-minute lunch.
Just serve up with grilled cheese and you are set!


~ Easy Tomato Soup ~

Adapted from "Kids' Cookbook"
by James Mitchell

~ Ingredients ~

2 large onions, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
28 oz tin Diced Tomatoes
4 cups Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Sugar

~ Instructions ~

Fry onions in large pot with olive oil
until transparent.
Add remaining ingredients.
Bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered,
for 15 to 20 minutes.
Use stick blender in the pot to blend until smooth ~
Or transfer to blender on the counter and blend till smooth.
Season to taste.

Serves 4 generously.

ENJOY!

Crab Bisque

My Mum-in-Love and Emma and I
enjoyed time together at a little tea shop a few months ago.
It was a delightful day.

Mum and I ordered soup for lunch and it was YUMMY!
This little tea shop has British owners and I felt bold enough
to ask for the recipe.
Maybe it's because they know Mum and share her heritage.
Or maybe it's because I'm just bold.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter.

It all fell flat.

The man who created the soup was not there to
tell me his secrets.
The man's wife said that he likely wouldn't
be able to be much help anyway.
He doesn't write his recipes down and
"tweaks" them as he cooks.

What to do?

I was craving some of that soup.
I *googled* Crab Bisque...
I called my sister...
I looked in my recipe books...
but *the* recipe elluded me.

Out of desperation, the following recipe was created.
And now, I'm sharing it with all of you...
I do hope you enjoy it! :)

~ Camille's Crab Bisque ~

~ Ingredients ~

1/3 cup Butter
2 or 3 medium Leeks (white and light green part only)
4 large New Potatoes (red, white or yellow)
2 Red Bell Peppers
6 cups Water
2 Organic Vegetable cubes (stock)
2 tins of Crab Meat (drained)
2 cups Half and Half Cream
1 tsp Curry Powder
Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper ~ to taste

~ Method ~

Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
Add in the chopped leeks and toss and cook a few minutes.
Add in the chopped potatoes and red peppers and cook a few more minutes.
Add in the water, vegetable cubes and spices.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and simmer, partly covered,
for about 15 minutes ~ until the potatoes are softened.
Blend soup in a blender, or use a hand-held stick blender right in the pot,
to make the soup smooth.
Add in the drained crab meat and cream.
Stir and simmer another minute or two.
Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serves six generously.

ENJOY!

Update ~ Chicken Broth Questions/Answers

This post comes as a result of the questions left in the
comments section on yesterday's post.

If you do not have the ability to watch video on your computer,
the tutorial link I gave will not be helpful!
So, here in a nutshell are the instructions for the way I make broth.

~ Camille’s Chicken Broth ~

I get a 4 or 5 pound organic bird and I roast it
(I actually cook two of them) and we eat "roast chicken dinner"
the first night.

Then I strip off all the meat and put it in the fridge for the soup making day.
The carcass and skin and bones all get refrigerated until the next morning.
In the morning I take the carcass (skin, bones and all),
and put them in my stock pot.
I pour cold water to cover so that everything is under
the water by about an inch or so.
~ If you need to, you can add ice cubes to make it really cold,
because it's going to sit out for awhile.
I pour in a few tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar
and let it sit covered on the stove without the
heat for at least an hour.
(Apparently, this draws the calcium out of the bones).

After the hour is past,
roughly chop two large carrots,
a large onion and two or three stalk of celery.
(I use more for two chickens).
Add them into the pot.
Turn the heat on high and bring to a boil.
Skim off the foam that rises to the top.
Turn down the heat to keep at a very very gentle simmer...
barely, but still slowly simmering.
Continue to skim off foam until it is clear.

Now cover your pot with the lid cracked a bit to
allow steam to escape ~ Very Important.

Let simmer like this all day...
try for 12 hours.

At the end of the simmering time you can plunge a
whole head of parsley into the mix and let sit for a few minutes.
This adds more nutrients to your broth.

Strain all the chunks out through a fine mesh strainer and discard.
If you want really clear broth, use cheese cloth to line your strainer.
At this point many people "clarify" the broth by letting it cool
overnight in the fridge and then skim off the layer
of fat that rises to the top.
With the organic chickens I don't find there is much fat
(especially since I make the stock from a previously roasted bird),
and a little fat adds to the flavour.
I don't do this step, but you can ~ it's a personal choice.

Your stock is ready to be used!
I make soups like normal,
but this stock is not salty,
so more salt would be required than "normal"
if you are used to using cubes or powdered "stock".

For my friend at "Wanting What I Have" (and anyone else, including me)
who are wondering about canning broth ~
I asked my friend Christa, and this is what she kindly shared with me.
**Obviously, you will want to be safe while doing such a thing,
so researching it out is a good idea!
Here was her answer ~

"I process my chicken stock in a pressure canner for 25 minutes
at 10 pounds of pressure.
You CANNOT process chicken broth or stock in a water bath canner."

Thank you Christa for helping us out here! :)

Any other questions?
I do hope you all give it a try...it is SO good!
AND so good for you!

Blessings,
Camille

The Benefits of Stock

Homemade stock (chicken, beef, or fish)
is something I have been learning more about this past year.

Why did Grandma make broth?

Was there a purpose to it,
or was it something she just couldn't buy in cube form?
Maybe the answer is BOTH!

Last winter I made chicken broth faithfully ~
it was a staple in our diet.
I don't know whether it's by coincidence or not,
but we had the healthiest winter we can remember since having children!

Michelle at "She Looketh Well" posted an amazing video tutorial
on her blog to demonstrate the step-by-step method she uses to make stock.
I do mine in basically the same way and it is WONDERFUL!!
Just click on the link above to find her tutorial video.

Two of my favourite uses for this chicken stock are
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and
Tanya's Turkey Soup.
Yum Yum!

**Update ~ I answered questions that were asked
in the comments section in another post.
Find it by clicking here.

Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup

Is it still a bit chilly where you live?
If so, this is an easy and yummy soup to make ~ full of goodness and flavour!
Even if warmer weather is upon you, this soup
will not heat up your kitchen too much as it is quickly made and does not require all-day simmering.
You could even whip it up on the side burner of your BBQ and eat out of doors.
Whatever the case, I am sure you will enjoy it as much as we do!

13 cups Water
2 cups cut Green Beans (frozen)
2 cups kernel Corn (frozen)
4 small Red Potatoes, chopped
6 stalks Celery, diced
1 bunch Asparagus, diced
1 yellow Pepper, chopped
2 large Yellow Onions, diced
4 Carrots, thinly sliced
1 head of Broccoli, chopped
3 Tbsp. Oil (I use Olive)
2 Tbsp. Soya Sauce
6 cubes Vegetable Stock (I use organic, no MSG)
2 tsp. Salt (I omit ~ check to see if it's needed)
1 tsp. Dried Oregano leaves
4 dashes Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp. Honey
1 tsp. Garlic Powder

Heat oil in large pot and saute onion until softened.
Add all remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
(I usually keep the broccoli and asparagus out of the pot
until the last 5 minutes of cooking so they don't get overcooked).
Reduce heat and simmmer 20 minutes.
Remove 3 cups of the soup and puree ~
return to pot, stir and serve.
(I just stick my hand blender right in the pot and
blend until it looks about "right")

~ ENJOY! ~

Tanya's Turkey (or Chicken) Soup

This soup is super easy to make and yummy to eat!
It's hearty and satisfying.
The first time I ever had it the turkey wasn't even in it...and it was still good!
So good, in fact, that I requested the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Turkey (or Chicken) Soup

18 cups stock ~ you can make your own or use bouillon cubes
4 tsp salt ~ omit if using bouillon cubes and adjust to taste at the end of cooking time
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
28 oz tin diced tomatoes
¼ cup pearl barley

¼ cup brown lentils
2 Tbsp rice (I use brown)
¼ cup parsley flakes (or use 1 bunch fresh, chopped)
3 cups chopped turkey (or chicken)
1 cup soup noodles ~ I use small shell pasta

Method:

Put all ingredients into large pot (except the soup noodles) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for two to three hours, stirring occasionally ~

Add soup noodles for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

Cream Soup Alternatives

I found the recipes (reposted below) to use as a substitute for various canned condensed soups at this website.

There is no longer any need to buy canned tomato or mushroom soup to use in your recipes. What a great find...no MSG or any other scary ingredients! The one thing I would like to substitute with a healthier alternative is the white flour ~ Any suggestions?


Cream Soup Alternatives

For one can of cream of “whatever" soup use the following simple, four ingredient recipe:

Basic Cream Soup:

3 Tbsp Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chicken stock, water or milk

Instructions:

Melt butter in heavy saucepan. Blend flour and salt into saucepan while cooking and stirring until bubbly. Use a wire whisk to prevent lumps and stir in liquid ingredient choice slowly. Medium thick sauce is comparable to undiluted condensed soups and makes approximately the same amount as a 10 oz can.

Variations:

Cheese ~ Add ½ C grated sharp cheese and ¼ tsp mustard
Tomato ~ Use tomato juice for the liquid in the basic recipe and add a dash each of garlic powder or garlic salt, onion powder or onion salt, basil and oregano.
Mushroom ~ Saute ¼ C finely chopped mushrooms and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in the butter before adding the flour.
Celery ~ Saute ½ Cup finely chopped celery and 1 Tbsp finely chopped onion in butter before adding flour
Chicken ~ Use chicken broth or bouillon for half the liquid in the basic recipe. Add ¼ tsp poultry seasoning or sage, and diced cooked chicken if available.

It's very simple to "reconstitute" this to enjoy as a bowl of soup. Just stir in about 1 cup of liquid such as broth or milk (for a cream soup) after you have made the initial recipe. You may need a little more to ge the consistency you want. If you are going to use this in a recipe that calls for the condensed soup straight from a can you would skip this step.