Garlic Lentil Soup

Years ago I did a post on some lentil soup that I had made. Well now there is a new lentil soup in this house and the best thing about it is it taste just like the one I enjoyed as a kid at my daycare. Tomas also loves this soup as well because of the garlic. It is very quick and easy to make which is why i have made it twice within a couple of weeks. I know I will be making this soup in the near future. Especially since there is never any leftovers when I do make it. 

Ingredients

1 package of bacon

1 cup lentils

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon chopped bay leaves 

Directions

Cook 4 strips of bacon and set aside for cooking in the soup. Chop the rest of the bacon into small pieces and cook and set aside for topping on the soup. In a pot add lentils, garlic, chicken broth, onion powder, bay leaves, and cooked strips of bacon. Cook on med high heat until lentils are soft. Serve and top with bacon pieces and homemade croutons and some bread on the side. Enjoy :) 

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Cheddar Potato Soup

Yesterday, while on the phone with my mom, she was telling me how she was cleaning up her cupboards by making meals with whatever ingredients she had on hand. She ended up making peach cobbler and potato soup. So that got me to thinking, I should make dinner with what I had in the house. Unfortunately I did not have time to make peach cobbler like she did, but I did make potato soup. I made a different soup then my mom, which you can see hers on her blog, I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com but i did make some changes. When I made the cheddar potato soup I got carried with the cheese and added way more then it called for, but Tomas said he liked it that way. I will definitely be making this soup again, especially if I have potatoes that need to be used up.

Cheddar Potato Soup
6 medium potatoes, cubed
2 cube chicken bouillon
2 cup water
2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Cooked chopped bacon , optional

In a large stock pot add potatoes, chicken bouillon, water and parsley flakes. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until potatoes become tender.In a separate bowl mix flour and milk. Once it is well blended, add to soup mixture and cook until soup becomes thick. Stir in cheese and simmer until cheese is melted. Top with bacon and cheese and enjoy :)

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Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro Pesto is now the most important ingredient in my Pesto Bean Soup. Tomas would always add cilantro to his pesto bean soup, so that gave me the idea to add cilantro pesto to the soup instead of basil pesto. It turned out to be the best thing to do to that soup because it taste even better. Also Tomas is extremely satisfied about the change to the soup. So now the soup will have cilantro pesto in it for now on.

I found the recipe for cilantro pesto from all recipes, but instead of following the recipe that someone posted on there I followed what one of the reviewers did instead. Well I hope you enjoy the cilantro pesto as much as we did.

Cilantro Pesto

1 bunch fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
6 Tbsp olive oil

Place all ingredients into food processor or blender and blend.

PS: If you add this to the Pesto Bean soup, then add half of the pesto and then save the rest for the next time.

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Pesto Bean Soup

This has to be one of the best soups i have made, and Tomas agrees with me. It has a nice kick to it and lots of flavor. One of the things that he likes most is that it has no meat in it. I originally found this recipe in the Foodnetwork magazine, but I made quite a few changes. First off I doubled the recipe, besides when it came to the beans which I only added 3 cans, 2 cans of cannellini beans and one can of red kidney beans. Next I omitted the olives and celery, because I don't like either of those ingredients. When it came to the red pepper flakes I just about dumped a lot in since we love the spice. Now if you don't like the changes I made then you can always follow the original from Food Network if you like. Well anyways, I hope you love the soup as much as we did.

Pesto Bean Soup

Saute 1 head of sliced garlic cloves and 1 or more tablespoons of red pepper flakes in a pot with olive oil. Add 2 cans drained cannellini beans and 1 can drained red kidney beans and add 2 cups water; simmer until thick, 8 minutes. Stir in 6 tablespoons pesto ( I bought pre-made pesto at the grocery store) and 4 tablespoons grated parmesan.

Add 6 cups chicken broth. Cook 15 minutes. Stir in 1 diced roasted red bell peppers. Serve and enjoy.

To roast a bell pepper:

Using a pastry brush, brush vegetable oil over the bell pepper, making sure it is fully covered. Place the pepper on a baking sheet and place on the top rack in the oven and broil them. Using tongs, turn the pepper over as it blackens. Once blacked a little on each side, place in a container and cover for 15 minutes. Take the pepper out and pull the stem out. Dice up and set aside until ready to place in the soup.

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Pasta Fagioli

Last night for dinner I wanted to make this delicious soup that I saw in this months issue of Food Network Magazine, but when I went to the store to pick up the ingredients I soon realized that I couldn't find some of the ingredients and the ones I did find were a little costy. Since that dinner plan went down the drain I had to quickly think of something else. I began to read recipes on the back of some of the products at the store, but I was still having no luck. Then I saw a website listed on the back of a package. So I pulled out my phone and looked up the website called Barilla. I decided to look up soups and the first one that came up was one that looked exactly like the soup I was originally going to make but cheaper. So I grabbed the ingredients I needed and gave the recipe a try. I changed the recipe a lot to accommodate to my taste, therefore the recipe provided below is how I made it. Since I changed the recipe I also had to change the name of it as well. So if you want the original recipe then click this link to go to Barilla.com :)

Pasta Fagioli

1 1/2 cup pasta shells

4 medium carrots sliced

4 cloves garlic

32 oz chicken broth

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans of Italian style tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Add carrots and garlic to a large stockpot and saute for a few minutes or until tender. Add broth and beans; heat to a simmer. Stir in tomatoes, pasta shells, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, pepper and salt. Boil 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining parsley and 1/2 cup cheese. Serve with some cheese on top and enjoy. :)

This is the picture Tomas took with the garlic cheesy bread we had with it in the background

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Lentil Soup

I was first introduced to lentil soup at the day care that I went to when I was a child. I absolutely loved that soup and still think about it to this day. My mom has tried recreating it, as well as myself, and every time it does not taste the same as the one that my daycare would make. Don't get me wrong, the soups that my mom made were great and the one I just made was really good too, but there was something about their lentil soup that is making me crave it to this day. I try to tell myself that my taste palate has changed since I was younger and that the lentil soups I eat today probably taste the same. But not matter how much convincing I do, I still think that lentil soup was the best soup ever.

Even though this lentil soup I made is not the same as my childhood, it is still pretty good. Everyone at my house loved it so much that there was not even a drop left in the pan, as a matter of fact there want even a single lentil left in the pot. I got this recipe of the back of the bag of Market Pantry Lentils from Target and I made a few changes to accommodate our taste. So I will provide the revised recipe below. I crinkled cut the vegetables for presentation purposes, but you don't have to do the same if you don't choose to. Well I hope you enjoy this tasty soup. Enjoy :)

Lentil Soup
3 cans chicken broth
3 cups water
1 cup lentils
3 medium carrots, diced
5 red potatoes, cubed
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons Herbs De Provence, or Italian Seasoning
1 kielbasa sliced



Slice the kielbasa and place in a 10-inch skillet. Saute until they are a little browned; set aside. Add everything, besides the kielbasa into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the kielbasa and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

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Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

I have been searching for a tasty chicken tortilla soup that has a kick for a while now. After a long search I finally found one that my boyfriend Tomas approves of. This recipe is Tyler Florence’s recipe, but I doubled it and changed a few other things for our liking.

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 jalapenos, seeded and minced
3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 quarts chicken stock
1 can black beans
2 ears of fresh grilled corn or 1 can of corn drained
Salt and pepper to taste
Canola oil for frying
2 flour tortillas cut into strips
Shredded cheese, optional
Sliced avocado optional

Place stockpot over medium heat and coat with the 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add garlic, jalapenos, tomatoes, and diced onion or onion powder. Cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, heat up some canola oil over medium heat. When the oil is ready add the tortilla strips a little at a time. Remove to paper towel lined plate and season with salt.
When soup is done dish out the soup into bowls and garnish with the chips, cheese or whatever your heart desires and enjoy

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