Soup It's What's for Dinner

Ok, while I'm at it, I may as well share my latest obsession.

Soup.

I've been making all kinds of it lately.

This one has made many appearances since Halloween when I first tried it.  Here's my adaptation from Cooking Canuck:

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash & Quinoa Recipe

Yield: Serves 6

From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com

Ingredients

*When I doubled everything but squash- it made A LOT (filled my 8 qt dutch oven)!

• 1 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I didn’t have enough to double so I used costco 2 lb container + 1 ½ red peppers)
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 rotisserie chickens from costco)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (used one whole container roasted garlic from top foods-in fancy cheese section on the same wall as deli meat)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 can (14 oz) petite diced tomatoes (I used tomato sauce)
• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3/4 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives (I didn’t have enough to double)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used a handful of dried)
• I added couple pinches sea salt
• I added 2/3 the bag of sun dried tomatoes from trader joes 

Instructions

1. Steam the butternut squash until barely tender, about 10 minutes. Remove half of the squash pieces and set aside.
2. Steam the remaining squash until very tender, an additional 4 to 6 minutes. Mash this squash with the back of a fork. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
4. Add chicken thighs, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and allow to cool. Pour broth into a medium-sized bowl.
6. Return the saucepan to the stovetop and lower heat to medium. Add olive oil.
7. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is starting to turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and oregano. Cook, stirring, for 1 additional minute.
9. To the saucepan, add tomatoes, butternut squash pieces, mashed butternut squash. Stir to combine.
10. Stir in reserved chicken broth and quinoa. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa turns translucent, about 15 minutes.
11. Shred the chicken with your fingers or a fork.
12. Stir the chicken, olives and pepper into the stew and simmer, uncovered, to heat, about 5 minutes.
13. Stir in parsley and serve.

Another yummy one is from Amanda B (not my Mandy B but another Amanda B) for my crowd I doubled this recipe so there was enough for leftovers.  And if I were to cook this just for me, I'd fill it with mushrooms.  But if I did that no one in my house would eat any.

·         amanda b's wild rice soup recipe

wild rice soup

3 TBSP butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 box prepared uncle bens wild rice
1/2 cup minced ham
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
3 TBSP chopped slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup half and half or milk
2 TBSP cooking sherry (optional)

melt butter and cook onion until tender
blend in flour and add chicken broth
cook until it boils stirring the whole time
boil for a minute, add prepared rice, ham, carrots, salt and almonds
simmer about 5 minutes

blend in half and half

Another yummy one is from Barefoot Contessa's Italian Wedding Soup.  I remember having this type of soup at the Courthouse in Tacoma one day when I was pregnant with Sarina and never having it again.  So yummy- but if you make a lot for leftovers, pull out what you'll want to set aside so you can add fresh pasta on the reheat otherwise it's pretty gooey.  And since I'm the queen of short-cuts I used frozen prepared meatballs.  I made it for lunch Thanksgiving day.

And all of these go well with either Trader Joe's cornbread mix or this wonderful no knead bread from Frugal Living NW.  Which I have yet to prepare when it isn't a sticky icky mess but somehow it still tastes yummy and totally worth trying to manipulate a sticky blob.  In my 8 quart dutch oven the loaf is a bit flatter than I'd like- so try it in a smaller one if you can.