Slow Cooker White Turkey Chili

Slow cookers are a busy person's best friend and chili in the slow cooker is a favorite. This is especially great during the summer because slow cookers emit very little heat, unlike the stove top or oven. This white ground turkey version is full of flavor and gets a little extra kick topped with fried green onions.

Slow Cooker White Turkey Chili
Hands-On Time: 20min
Ready In: 4h 20min
Yield: 4 - 6

Ingredients

4 tablespoon oil, (divided)
1 pound ground turkey
1 small onion chopped
1 small green pepper chopped
1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles drained
2 can cannellini beans (drained)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 small bunch green onions
sour cream for garnish

Directions

1. Cook ground turkey, onion and green pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until turkey is no longer pink and vegetables begin to soften -- about 10 minutes. Drain well.
2. Stir in green chiles, beans and seasonings until well blended.
3. Pour into a slow cooker and lid tightly. Cook on LOW setting for 4 hours.
4. Slice green onions thinly (white and green parts) and cook in remaining 2 Tablespoons oil until crisp and just beginning to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread on paper toweling to drain.
5. Serve chili topped with sour cream and fried green onions.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

One of the most-loved soup and sandwich combos of all time is tomato soup and grilled cheese. In this recipe, I've combined the two in one bowl, and the result is spectacular. The cheese is even gooier and the toasted bread soaks up all that tomato-ey goodness.

You can use whatever tomato soup you like, and the bread and cheese could be anything, as well. My favorite is rye with Swiss, but the kids like white bread and cheddar. Go with what you love! I also make grilled cheese using garlic butter - oh my let me tell you, it just takes it to another level.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 to 2 quarts tomato soup (this depends on how much you will eat - recipe below)
12 slices bread
Butter as needed - about 6 tablespoons
6-12 slices of cheese (again, this depends on what you like and how cheesy you want your croutons)

Directions:

1. Butter all slices of bread on one side only.
2. Lay bread slices, buttered side down, in a hot frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat.
3. Add cheese on top of the unbuttered sides of bread.
4. Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up this time.
5. Cook for several minutes until the bread on the bottom starts toasting to a golden brown. Turn over and continue cooking until cheese is melted and both sides of sandwich are toasted well.
6. Cool sandwiches slightly and cut into small squares about 1/2 inch each. Drop over hot tomato soup.


Tomato Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
1 medium onion - chopped
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes (I prefer San Marzano)
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
1/2 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed pot heat oil or butter over medium-high heat until melted.
2. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent - don't brown.
3. Add tomatoes with juice and break up with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour in stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Blend soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
6. Add cream and stir well - season to taste with salt and pepper.

Colorado Style Chile Verde

This was made for Super Bowl 50, and originally posted on Cooking with Anne. This is a regional specialty with many variations. This version was so good, we've had it several times since the original development!

Colorado Style Chile Verde
Serves 8

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded pork shoulder (see recipe for Carolina Pulled Pork Barbecue)
1 large onion chopped
3 cups Hatch green chiles roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
8 cups chicken stock
1 can roasted and peeled tomatillos - pureed
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large heavy bottomed pot, cook onion in oil until translucent.
2. Add pork, chiles, garlic and tomatillos. Stir well.
3. Add stock and seasonings. Simmer for 45 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Serve with flour tortillas.

Sopa de Albondigas

Sopa de Albondigas

Meatballs are an American favorite, but put into this soup, they're a delicious Mexican tradition. Mint is what makes them so tasty, but if you don't like that, oregano is a great substitute. Make sure to use very lean ground beef as these are cooked right in the broth and you don't want a lot of grease to contend with.

Sopa de Albondigas

Sopa de Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Ready In: 50 minutes
Serves: 6
Price Per Serving: $1.80

Ingredients:

1 pound 90% lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/3 cup raw white rice
2 teaspoons crushed dried mint
2 teaspoons crushed dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 medium yellow onion - chopped
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic - minced
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups beef stock
1 cup tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 cups fresh green beans cut in 1-inch lengths
1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano


Directions:

1. Mix together ground beef, egg, rice, mint, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and set aside.
2. In a large stock pot heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion, garlic and carrots. Cook and stir until onion is translucent.
3. Pour in stocks and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Once stock is boiling, drop in meatballs and turn heat down so soup is simmering. Cook for 15 minutes.
4. Add green beans and cook for another 15 minutes. Add chiles and oregano and cook another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dole Garden Soups

As a soup lover and a soup blogger I'm not much of a boxed or canned soup eater. That being said, Dole just developed garden soups that come in a box that I actually really like.

First of all, Dole knows produce. I've bought their salad greens and kits for years and this seems a natural progression for them. Dole Garden Soups are fresher than you'd expect from something that comes from a box. The full line is preservative free, MSG free, low in fat and calories, vegetarian, gluten-free, cholesterol free, non-GMO and is a good source of fiber. DOLE even uses an innovative, gentle cooking method to protect and preserve the fresh flavors, vibrant colors and smooth textures that you expect in a delicious bowl of soup. They also make killer bases for all sorts of soup experiments and wonderfulness, which is exactly what I did.


The soups come in 5 delicious flavors (so far):

Carrot Ginger
Roasted Garlic Tomato Basil
Southwestern Black Bean and Corn
Sweet Corn
Tomato Vegetable

Visit the site for recipe ideas, a video, where to buy AND a coupon! Click here: https://dole.com/gardensoup

I was given Carrot Ginger and Sweet Corn to try and I added some savory components of my own to come up with two beautiful soups. They were absolutely perfect and I know I'll keep some of these soups on-hand for days when time is tight (isn't that always with 7 kids?).

Curried Carrot and Ginger Soup with Butternut Squash

The first soup is a sweet and spicy affair topped with a cooling cilantro lime cream and curried squash seeds.

Curried Carrot and Ginger Soup with Butternut Squash
Serves 4

1 box Dole Carrot and Ginger Soup
1 cup roasted butternut squash* purée
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder

Topping:

1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
Pinch Kosher salt
(stir together and set aside in refrigerator until needed)

Curried Squash Seeds**:

Squash seeds (about 1/2 cup)
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon hot curry powder
Pinch salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat toast 1 teaspoon hot curry powder - stirring constantly - until fragrant and beginning to darken - this takes about 1 to 2 minutes but can burn quickly so keep and eye on it. Set aside 1/2 a teaspoon of powder for the seeds.
2. Pour in soup and whisk in butternut squash. Heat through - about 3 to 5 minutes and ladle into bowls.
3. Top with cilantro lime cream and curried squash seeds. Serve hot.

*To roast the squash, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds and insides. Clean off seeds and set aside to use as a soup garnish. Set squash cut side down on a greased baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. When soft remove skin and use as desired.

**To make curried squash seeds. take the clean seeds and dry well. Spray lightly with cooking spray to coat and toss with toasted curry powder. Sprinkle with salt and spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F until seeds begin to pop - about 25 minutes. Stir once during cooking time.

Sweet Corn Soup with Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon

The second soup is sweet and savory swirled with roasted tomatoes, bacon and chives - topped with sour cream and extra garnishes.

Sweet Corn Soup with Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon
Serves 4

1 box Dole Sweet Corn Soup
4 slices turkey bacon - cooked crisp
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
2 large tomatoes - roasted, peeled and chopped*

1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon chopped chives
1 Tablespoon chopped crispy turkey bacon and
1 Tablespoon finely chopped roasted tomato

1. Pour soup into a small saucepan and heat through according to package directions.
2. Stir in chives, bacon and tomato. Heat for another 2 minutes.
3. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, chives, bacon and tomato before serving.

*To roast tomatoes, cut in half and set on a greased baking sheet. Roast at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until caramelized. When cool remove skins and chop finely. Use as desired.


Disclaimer: I received Dole Garden Soups for free - this in no way influences my review. 

Creamy Hatch Green Chile Soup

Creamy Hatch Green Chile Soup

When it comes to soups I can honestly say I love winging it. I like to look into the refrigerator and cupboards and see what I have on-hand that can be whipped up into a delicious soup. It was a little bit that way with this one.

I had just made several recipes for the Super Bowl using Hatch green chiles from The Hatch Chile Store and I had all manner of beautiful ingredients leftover, so I thought I'd mix them up into something delicious. This is that soup.

Creamy, spicy and flavorful, on a day like today (it's snowing for the umpteenth time here in Bethlehem, Pa) it warms you in more than one way. You can use olive oil in place of the butter and swap out low fat sour cream and cheese, as well, but the flavor will be altered slightly. You can also use vegetable stock instead of chicken, but again, the flavor will be a little different.

Creamy Hatch Green Chile Soup

Printable Recipe

Serves 6

Ready In: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1 cup cup sliced green onions, white and green parts

1 cup  Hot Frozen Chopped Hatch Green Chiles - thawed 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken stock

1 Tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro

1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Mexican crema or regular sour cream

Directions:

1. In a heavy bottomed soup pot, melt butter over very low heat - you don't want it to brown.

2. Add all peppers and onions and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until vegetables are very soft but not browned. Stir often and keep an eye on them.

3. Stir in flour until well blended. 

4. Slowly pour in stock, whisking all the while. Cook until thickened, about 10 more minutes.

5. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

6. Stir in cheese, cilantro and crema and whisk until well blended and smooth. Top with sliced green onion and more chopped cilantro if desired.

Daniel East's Classic Turkey Noodle Soup

Packed-Out Turkey Noodle Soup

If there is one thing I know for sure about Daniel East, it's the fact that he can pack out a soup better than anyone. There is no such thing as a "soupy" soup with this guy. If you recall The Soup that I posted a couple years ago, that was Dan's creation as well, so I know this one will be just as awesome.

Soup Before Reducing

Almost everyone has leftovers this time of year and this is one of the tastiest ways I can think of to use them up. What I really like about this is that the noodles are cooked and set aside and the soup is ladled over them. Brilliant! No more mushy over-cooked noodles.

I love that I get these recipes ready-to-go and all typed up for me - with photos to boot! Give this a try and see what you think!

Daniel East's Classic Turkey Noodle Soup

1 lb egg noodles
1 gallon turkey stock
1 quart water
1 lb cut white meat turkey
1/2 lb cut dark meat turkey
2 cups chopped carrots
2 large white potatoes (washed, skin on cubed)
2 sweet white onions rough chopped
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped okra
1 c sweet peas
1 c sweet corn cut from cob
1 c chopped string beans
1 c organic barley
1c sliced button mushrooms - optional 
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp Stevia in the Raw or Sugar in the Raw (Not Truvia!)
1/4 c sea salt
1/4 c black pepper
2 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp fresh or dry dill weed
1 tbsp fresh or dry basil

Cook noodles separately and set aside. 

Combine everything else but herbs and corn starch. Bring to a boil stirring often. 

Reduce heat to strong simmer to cook barley and reduce mixture for approx 90 min stirring often until barley expands and all veggies are tender. 

Fork mix/whisk corn starch in 1/4 c water until dissolved and add to soup. Stir mixture well throughout soup. Add herbs. Continue at low simmer for 30 min. 

Place noodles in serving bowl and pour soup over them. Serve with torn rustic bread or baguette.


Copyright ©2013 Daniel M. East. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
http://www.danieleast.net