Leftover BBQ and Veggie Tray Soup

 Hello all!! It has been a while since my last post, but  I had a BBQ grillout with some friends on Sunday and had some leftovers. I was actually shocked at how delicious this turned out.....I expected it to just be a next day meal that was meh...but EVERYONE loved it!!! So I had to put it on here! 

This is going to be an inexact recipe but here goes

Leftover Veggie Tray included:

Broccoli

Snap Peas

Baby Carrots

Red Bell Peppers

Celery

I also had about 1/2 sweet onion and 1/2 purple onion leftover as well

I put all my veggies in a food processor and chopped until a fine mince

All together I had roughly 3 cups of minced veggies

Put those all in a large pot

Add

1 can each, cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and cream of celery soups

3 cans of water (I considered using  chicken broth but I thought it might end up too salty, perhaps milk might be a good addition too, but I stuck with water)

Mix well and allow to simmer 1 hour

Add an 8 oz brick of softened cream cheese, stir and melt

I also added 6 slices smokehouse cheddar and allowed that to melt

Simmer until the cheese is all melted and the veggies are very tender

I chopped up grilled 4 hot dogs I had and about 4 slices of bacon too and threw that in at the end and heated through.

You can add garlic, salt and pepper to taste too

Topped with some croutons made in my airfryer from leftover hot dog buns and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

 I found a Cream of Zucchini Soup recipe and it looked fantastic.....but I forgot to bookmark it and could not find it again, but then I thought about my Cream of Greens soup and thought I could totally modify it with Zukes.......and it a was a TOTAL hit!  No process pics but it is pretty simple.

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB avocado oil

2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters

2 lbs zucchini, unpeeled and sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk (I used 2%)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic and cook until tender and fragrant.

Add potatoes, zucchini and broth.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes and zukes are very tender.

With an immersion blender (or in a regular blender in batches) process until completely smooth. 

Add milk cream, seasonings  and sour cream and process again until smooth.

Heat through and serve with a topper of parmesan cheese!

I did a side of Texas Toast too!

Pumpkin Apple Soup

It is pumpkin season!! Yummy fall flavors for this blustery day.












4 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
2 large apples, cored and quartered
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups stock or broth *
4 cups water
1 package onion soup mix (store bought or homemade)
Pepper to taste
Chives to taste
(you can add more salt if you want, but the broth and soup mixes are salty enough for me)

*I used beef for a richer flavor, you can use chicken or veggie broth if you like



Combine puree, garlic, apples, potatoes, broth and water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until potatoes and apples are very tender.

Use and immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender in batches and puree until smooth.

Add soup mix, pepper and chives. Simmer 10 minutes more.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Pressure Cooker Creamy Banana Squash Soup

I got a Farberware 7-in-1 Pressure cooker and have been playing around with it, but so far only followed other recipes. My friend came over and gave me some beautiful banana squash so I thought I would use it for my 1st experimental recipe to see what I can do. I did some searches and modifying to come up with this and I think it turned out very well!

If you don't have a pressure cooker, no worries, you can do it stovetop- just cover over medium heat until the squash is very tender.







2 TB butter
3 cloves garlic
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 lbs Banana Squash, peeled and cubed
1 good sized granny smith (or other tart apple) , cored and diced
1 medium sweet potato (white flesh is my preference), peeled and diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 TB dried basil
1 TB dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste

2 cups milk, half and half or heavy cream *depending on your creaminess desires, you could use a combo blend of fat content or whatever you like, I used whole milk.


Set your pot to saute, add butter, onion and garlic and cook until they are tender and fragrant.

Add squash, apple, sweet potato, and seasonings.











Set pot to Soup/Stew setting and set the timer to 20 minutes, close pot and GO.















When it is done, do the quick release.











 Use an immersion blender or transfer it to a high speed blender in batches to puree to smooth.

Stir in milk/cream slowly. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve!

Creamy Swiss and Cauliflower Soup

I was planning to make some kind of potato chowder with leftover mashed potatoes but when I went
to retrieve them, I discovered my husband packed them in his lunch.....so after digging through the fridge and some pondering, I started throwing things in the slow cooker. What came out was DELICIOUS!!! My kids even powered through 3 bowls each! No process photos as it was not a planned blogging recipe.






1 large head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 stalks celery, (hearts with leaves if possible), chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour (or 1/4 cup potato starch for gluten free)
2 cups milk
8 oz swiss cheese, shredded


2 cups diced chicken
6 slices thick cut bacon, cooked crisp and diced
salt and pepper to taste


In a 6 qt slow cooker place cauliflower, bell pepper, celery, carrots, onion, garlic and chicken broth.

Set to low for 4-6 hours until the veggies are very tender.
Transfer to blender(or use a handheld if you have it!) and process until all the veggies are pureed and pour back into slow cooker.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter, add flour and whisk until smooth (if using potato starch, whisk it into cold milk)

Whisk in milk, stirring and heating until thickened.

Add Swiss cheese and stir to melt completely.

Fold cheese sauce into the pureed veggie mixture and stir well.

Add chicken and bacon, season to taste.

Allow to simmer on low for 30-60 minutes more.

Top with croutons(I put some dried pepper blend on mine too,for some extra kick) and serve with crusty garlic bread , enjoy!

Italian Tortellini Soup

I recently got a free package of Rana Cheese Tortellini to try so I decided to put it to good use with a delicious soup.









1lb ground pork
1 TB balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper(for mild, double for hot!)
1/4 tsp fennel
1/4 tsp oregano
salt to taste

1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
1lb roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (approx, 1-14.5 oz can, undrained)
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 small zucchini, diced

4 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 TB fresh basil, minced (1 tsp dried)
10 oz cheese filled tortellini
Fresh cracked black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Mozzarella or Parmesan for sprinkling


Mix first 12  ingredients(pork-salt) together and allow to mingle for at least 30 minutes.

In a large deep pot crumble and cook the pork sausage with the sweet onions and garlic.












When the pork is cooked through add next 6 ingredients(chicken broth-zucchini)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.







Add last 4 ingredients and simmer 10 minutes more.











Serve it up into bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Creamy Apple and Chicken Soup

Still using up my big box of apples!!














3 TB butter
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
3 medium apples, chopped
1 red potato, chopped
1 qt chicken stock
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup white wine

12 oz evaporated milk

1lb ground chicken*
1/2 bunch kale, veins removed and chopped into bite sized pieces
2 large carrots
salt and pepper to taste



In a large stock pot melt butter over medium heat, add onion, apple and potato. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent.










Add stock, wine and apple juice.













Simmer 15 minutes until the apple and potatoes are very tender

Transfer to a high speed blender or food processor, add evaporated milk and blend until very smooth.














In the stock pot over medium high heat, crumble and cook the chicken until no pink remains.
*Pre-cooked shredded chicken would be great as well(if not better!)









Add kale and carrots along with the apple puree.

Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are tender.

Season to taste.

Mexican Cream of Tomato Soup

I wanted something to pair with my Mexican Chicken Waffle Sandwiches....what goes better with a good sandwich than tomato soup? So I took that and ran with it!









2 cups peeled diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB special dark baking cocoa
1 TB chili powder
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk or heavy cream (heavy cream is much better but milk is fine to make it lower fat)

Combine all ingredients except baking soda and milk in a saucepan, set over medium heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the tomatoes, onion and bell peppers are tender.








Run an immersion blender through it to a puree.

Add in  baking soda then pour in  milk or heavy cream.








 Stir well and serve with a sprinkling of cilantro.

Apple Ale Pork Stew

Thunder and Lightening and rain pouring down. Sounds like a good night for stew!







2lbs boneless pork, sliced into bite sized chunks
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion
3-4 good sized carrots, diced
2 medium apples,seeded and diced(peeled if you like)
3 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
2 cups green beans
1 cup corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
24oz  Redd's or Angry Orchard Apple Ale*
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 TB brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
* you can sub apple juice if you like


red pepper flakes to taste


In a large deep pan heat olive oil, add pork slices and salt and pepper








 cook until the outsides are all white.










In the slow cooker add the cooked meat and remaining ingredients,











Cook set to low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-6.


Serve with red peppers flakes to taste.

Cheesy Ham and Potato Soup

My 9 year old loves Cheesy Ham and Scalloped Potatoes so I thought I would try to make a soup that would be similar to that.






1/4 cup butter
1 large carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery,  chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion,  chopped
2 TB cornstarch
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
3 cups chicken broth
12 oz beer*, (IPA's work well, but you can experiment with your beer flavor preference)
4 medium russet potatoes, (peel and chop 2, set the other 2 aside)
12 oz ham, cubed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 small head broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces**
salt and pepper to taste
*If you are gluten free you can use a gluten free beer, or sub with more chicken broth
**I added the broccoli because I felt it needed some more color. My kids LOVE broccoli so it wasn't an issue but it can be an overpowering flavor. The soup is fantastic without it too. Peas would be a great milder alternative if you like.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the carrot, celery, garlic and onion. Cook 4-5 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent.









Whisk cornstarch into evaporated milk and add it to the pot along with the broth and beer. Stir well.
Bring to a boil, add the first 2 peeled and chopped potatoes.

Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender.






Run an immersion blender through the mixture or you can work in batches in a regular blender(careful its HOT!!!) until it is smooth. (You can hand mash if you like, it just may not be as smooth)








Peel and chop the remaining potatoes into bite sized pieces
Add cheese to the pot and stir until fully melted, then add ham, potatoes and broccoli.








Add salt and pepper as desired. Simmer 15-20 minutes more until the potatoes and broccoli is tender. You can adjust the thickness with more chicken broth if you like.

Turnip and Kale Chowder

It is rainy and chilly today, ok so it was in the morning , by afternoon it was sunny but WINDY....
I decided to make a nice warm chowder for dinner. I had my ham bone from Easter so I threw that in too.... Omit the ham and use veggie broth for a vegetarian dish! I served with a Side of Cracked Pepper and Parmesan Bread Sticks(I made them gluten free)






2 TB butter
2 lbs turnips
1/2 lb red potatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
8 cups broth(chicken or veggie)
meaty ham bone(if using)

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and grated
2 cups kale, coarsely chopped
1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1 cup lowfat milk
1 TB cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 TB dried parsley
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste


Peel and chop 1 1/2 lbs of the turnips and the red potatoes.

In a large pot over medium heat melt butter, add turnips, potatoes, garlic and onion. Turn to coat with butter, cook for a few moments until it gets fragrant and the veggies start to brown.








Add broth and ham bone. Cover and simmer for 45-60  minutes until the veggies are very tender.










Remove ham bone, set aside to cool.

Remove from heat and with a handheld immersion blender puree the vegetables and broth( transfer to a regular blender if you don't have a hand held, but you will need to work in batches)

Return to puree to the heat.

When the ham bone is cool, remove as much meat as you can and return it to the soup, discard the bone.









Peel and grate your remaining 1/2 lb turnips. Add those plus the carrots, corn and kale to the soup.

Whisk cornstarch and baking soda into cold milk and add to the soup along with the seasonings. Stir gently.





Simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender and it is slightly thickened.

Copycat Tournament of Kings Dragon's Blood Soup

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Vegas recently and while there we took in the Tournament of Kings Show at Excalibur Hotel.....(If you are going I highly recommend this show!!!)
Dinner is served during the show and with it came some extremely tasty Dragon's Blood Soup (tomato soup). I knew I needed to find this and make it! I came across several copycat recipes some seemed so plain Jane and others seemed completely off....I decided to have a crack at it and combined a few ideas......I think it comes pretty close!





8 medium roma tomatoes, cored , quartered and de-seeded
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
2 TB fresh sweet basil (2 tsp dried)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp paprika
sea salt and pepper to taste





Foil line and oil a baking pan(rimmed!) with olive oil and preheat oven to 400

Place tomatoes, skin side down on one half of the pan, the  onions, peppers and garlic  on the other, drizzle with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.









Bake for about 45 minutes until the onion begins to caramelize(check to make sure the onions arent getting over brown, turn gently as needed....when the garlic is golden and soft you can pull them out.)

When the veggies are done, peel the garlic and pour all the veggies and add the basil into a blender or food processor(you can do this with a hand blender in a big bowl if you have one)

Blend veggies well adding the broth and processing until very smooth.





Pour into a deep pan, add the half and half, baking soda and paprika, stir and heat through adding salt and pepper as desired.


Serve hot with a sprinkling of dried basil and pepper