Spicy Coconut Curry Carrot Soup

I looked at a few carrot soup recipes before deciding to base it on a ginger-curry soup and make up the amounts myself. I'm happy to say that it turned out really well!  I think this is quite forgiving and easy to customize based on individual tastes.

I found it too sweet at first, because of the wonderful sweetness of carrots from the garden, so I added quite a bit of salt and threw in this magical red curry paste. This is what we use for our Thai curry stir-fry and it has been a favourite in our pantry for a while now. It comes in small expensive jars (or in a larger bag of paste from Superstore for something like a quarter of the price).

Sliced yellow onion

Diced garlic (4-6 cloves)
1 Tbsp coconut oil

Carrots (lots. Cut into rounds)

Approx 2/3 carton of chicken stock

2 tsp yellow curry

Sprig of rosemary

Sprig of thyme

1/2 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

Squirt of spicy red curry paste , to taste (be careful! It seems to get spicier as it cooks!)
1/2 cup coconut milk

Garnish with cilantro or basil

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the coconut oil, and place in the slow cooker with the carrots and chicken stock. Add the spices (except for the red curry paste) and let it cook down until everything is soft (likely a couple of hours on high). Take out the sprig herbs and use an immersion blender to puree the carrots, onions and garlic. Add the red curry paste a bit at a time, as well as the coconut milk.

Garnish with some cilantro, and serve with cheese biscuits (I use my super easy biscuit recipe and just add in some grated strong cheddar).

Enjoy!

Three-Cheese Tomato Orzo Soup

 

Aside from the cheese, I consider this soup to be a healthy meal option. It's quite quick and easy to make (half hour if everything is available), and is a huge hit at my house.

Start with:

• 1 diced yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot and brown the onions over medium heat - just a few minutes until they're tender and translucent.  Add the garlic and brown for another minute or two. 

Add (feel free to be flexible with amounts - this is just a guideline):

• 2 (28 oz) cans of whole or diced tomatoes - I use whole and cut them up a bit. They seem a bit more flavourful than the diced ones. Add the liquid from the can also.
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup fresh basil if available, or a couple of teaspoons of dried basil
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1-2 tsp sugar, to taste (if I use more yogurt because it needs to be used up, another tsp of sugar or so is helpful)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer until well-heated throughout, then blend with an immersion/stick blender. Add cheese as desired - I used a sharp vintage white cheddar (love Tillamook cheese!), a bit of parmesan and some Friulano cheese, a staple of my Italian grandmother-in-law's kitchen.  Probably about 1.5 cups of grated cheese. Add pre-cooked orzo pasta to add some weight to the soup if desired - I love this.  Serve with basic buttered biscuits and enjoy! 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Original recipe found here (Home is where the Holmans are), and many thanks!  This worked really well in my dutch oven. Again, my reason for re-posting is to ensure the recipe is never lost to me.

Photo of the finished soup found with my biscuit recipe here.  This is a wonderful spicy soup that doesn't really need a recipe unless you're like me and you can't cook worth anything.  Even I was able to modify based on what I had in my pantry and voila - tasty and cozy goodness!

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 skinless chicken breasts (I used equivalent in tenderloin strips)
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ancho chili powder (I used regular chili powder)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine above and cook over medium heat (likely 20-25 minutes) until chicken is cooked through - then remove chicken, shred it, and set it aside. Add the following ingredients to the stock:

• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4-6 jalapeno peppers, minced (yes you'll probably want at least 4!)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Simmer about half an hour until tomatoes are starting to fall apart. Add:

• 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 8 oz cotija cheese and 8 oz pepperjack cheese (I only had mozzarella and a bit of asiago, so make do with whatever you may have for cheese)

Put shredded chicken back into soup and cook 20 more minutes or until desired consistency.  If using a crock pot after the chicken is cooked, add everything but the chicken and cook on low at least 3 hours. Add the chicken back in a half hour before serving, and add:

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Enjoy with a bit of shredded cheese on top and baked biscuits on the side!