Egyptian Lentil Soup

A simple, nutritional and flavorful soup.  Takes 15-20 minutes (or less) to prepare.

If I've bought fresh tomatoes that I know I won't use before going bad, I throw them in the freezer while still fresh.  When it comes time to make this soup, it's easy to pull one out of the freezer without having to make a trip to the grocery store.

2 cups dried, hulled split lentils (any color but -- I use green which is the easiest to find)
2 quarts chicken stock, (I use Swanson's low sodium)
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium tomato, quartered
2 teaspoons garlic, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt to taste
black pepper, freshly ground
lemon, cut into wedges

Wash the lentils in a large sieve or colander set under cold running water, until the water runs clear.

In a heavy 4 to 5 quart saucepan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Add the lentils, onion, tomato and garlic, reduce the heat to low, and simmer partially covered for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Puree the soup until any leftover chunks of onion or tomato have been incorporated.  I use a stick-blender & puree it right in the pot -- leaving some of the lentils whole for texture. Stir in the cumin, salt and pepper, and taste for seasoning.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls.  If desired, squeeze the juice of the wedge into the soup.

Elegant Orange Jello Salad

I suppose it speaks to my Midwestern roots that I love jello salads. This orange fluff salad was my mother's favorite -- she named it.  It's made with mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, and cool whip. On the recipe card for this one, my mother had a note --  "a hit with everyone!" 

serves 8 to 10 

1 1/2 cups water
1 - small box of orange jello
1 - 12 oz. Cool Whip
1 large can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 - (15 oz.) cans of mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup sweet flaked coconut (optional)
1 cup mini marshmallows (optional)

Directions:

Start with 3/4 cups of hot water in a liquid measuring cup.  Add jello and stir until dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to make 1-1/2 cups.

The jello is still in liquid form but will start to thicken as the ice cools the mixture.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cool whip, then the jello mixture.  With a whisk, stir until combined.  Next, stir in the pineapple & coconut.
Finally, add the mandarin oranges & marshmallows folding in gently so as to not break up the oranges.

Chill for at least half an hour.

Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice Soup

This is our favorite cold weather soup.
The wild rice can be made before-hand.  Don't get a blend, get the 100% wild rice.
Make the whole bag of rice (it's small) then freeze the leftovers. One bag made 2 batches of soup and it is so easy to make with the pre-prepared rice. 

½ cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup carrots, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken broth (I use Swanson's low-sodium)
2 cups COOKED wild rice
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (I use the white meat from a Rotisserie chicken from the supermarket
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups of milk (I have used 1 cup light cream/1 cup 1.5%, alternately I have used 2 cups whole milk) 
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, corn, chicken and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add flour and stir well. Transfer mixture to large pot. Over medium heat, gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until all has been added. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the rice, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper and almonds. Allow to heat through and then pour in the half-and-half. Let simmer 1 to 1 ½ hours. Be careful not to let the soup come to a boil or it won't thicken properly - let it simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.

Tomato Bisque

Perfect for a cold and rainy day.

Serves 8
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
2 TBL olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 cans diced tomatos or fresh equivalent
3 TBL tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth (I use Swansons low sodium)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 cup cream - heavy or light. You can also use whole milk.

Heat 1/2 cup of the butter & the oil together in a large saucepan. 

Add the onion, thyme, salt & pepper; cook until the onion is wilted. Add the tomatoes & the tomato paste; stir to blend. Simmer 10 minutes. 

Add broth & simmer, stirring frequently for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat & cool.

Puree the mixture ensuring that all large chunks are incorporated.  I use a stick-blender right in the same pan but alternatively you could use a blender or food processor. Strain the mixture through a metal colander (this will allow a certain amount of texture to remain). It is important that the mixture is cooled before the next step of adding the cream or the cream will 'cook' and the texture will be off.

Add sugar & cream to the strained mixture & simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with a grilled cheese sandwich. My favorite is cheddar & provolone on unseeded Rye or sourdough. 

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons

I adapted this from a recipe I found on Epicurious.  It is simple dinner on it's own with a salad and crusty bread or as a first course.

1/4 cup plus 2 T butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves
6 cups Chicken Broth
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash
(I have also used buttercup squash for this with excellent results)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/4 cup whole milk, light cream or heavy cream - depending on your tolerance for fat in your diet and preference for texture.
2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree soup either in batches using a blender or all at once using an immersion blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made ahead.

Gruyere Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage