My Favorite Tortilla Soup

From Rachael Ray

Why-the-Chicken-Crossed-the-Road

Santa Fe-Tastic Tortilla Soup

6 servings
Cooktime: 25 minutes

• Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling
• 3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted
• 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded (or pre-roasted red peppers)
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
• 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
• 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 to 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (medium to hot heat level), chopped — available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section of market
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, 28 ounces
• 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
• 3 cups chicken stock, available in re-sealable paper containers on soup aisle
• 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup non-fat sour cream

Optional garnishes:

• 1/4 red raw onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
• 1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high. Drizzle oil on corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5 minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.
2. While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7 minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.
3. Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

Nutritional Information

354 calories
12 g fat
27 g protein
28 g carbs
7 g fiber

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 pound cubed cooked ham (try turkey ham for a lower fat option)
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Directions

1. Pour 2 cans of the black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, and sherry vinegar. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir in the ham, and heat through before serving.

Winter soup weather

OK, so I know that I have a broad palate when it comes to vegetables: I love them ALL. As a bonus, I can get my husband to eat most of them, too. And two of the vegetables I’ve fallen in love with are two that many people are unfamiliar with and are perhaps even scared of. I mean fennel and kale.

For those that don’t know, fennel (also called anise) is a licorice-scented bulb with a few fronds. Look to the left. Kale is a leafy green, firmer and more flavorful than spinach, pictured below. Both are healthy (especially the kale, ladies!) and in the recipe I’m going to give you, both are absolutely delicious.

Seriously. I don’t know what culinary mind came up with this strange combination of ingredients (it’s a little like bit like Italian Wedding Soup, but also not), but it’s a real favorite around my house in the fall and winter months.

Besides offering a good amount of muscle-building protein, the dish might help you get beyond your fear of vegetables. Really. After all, life is short and you wouldn’t want to miss out on the experience of fennel, would you? I thought not.

Turkey Sausage and Pasta Soup
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage (sweet or hot), casing removed and shaped into 1-nch diameter meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 bulb fresh fennel, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
3 14.5-ounce cans reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup water
1 15-ounce can white beans (Great Northern or cannellini are fine), drained and rinsed
2 cups of uncooked wheat pasta (bows, penne or elbow work great)
2 cups chopped kale
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Form turkey meatballs. Heat oil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add meatballs and cook three minutes, shaking the pot and moving the turkey to brown all sides. Odd onion, fennel garlic and spices and stir to combine. Pour in broth and water, and bring to a boil.

Add pasta to boiling pot and cook until about two minutes away from desired doneness. Pour in beans and add kale, then cover pot and cook until pasta is tender. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Nutritional information:
Calories: 353
Fat: 8 grams
Carbs: 47 grams
Protein: 24 grams
Fiber: 8 grams

Adapted from a recipe I got in the March 2004 Self magazine, which you can see here.

Fall eating with pumpkins

No, they’re not just for fattening pies or breads. Pumpkins are a sweet, vitamin-packed vegetable with lots of fiber and flavor, and if you’ve never experimented with the tasty gourd in the kitchen, you’re really missing out. Don’t know where to start? Try one of the soups below, the first one sweet and the second one spicy…

… and keep reading to the end to find the pumpkin’s best-kept secret!

Healthy Pumpkin Soup
Serves 2 (add a side salad or whole wheat bread to make a more filling meal)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-2.5 lbs. pumpkin flesh, chopped
1 carrot
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cups low-fat chicken stock or vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
1 cup skim milk powder

1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and gently cook onion without browning, for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add pumpkin, carrot and rosemary and cook,stirring for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add stock and bay leaves.
4. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Remove any rosemary stalks and bay leaves.
6. Place a third of the soup in the blender with a third of the skim milk powder and puree.
7. Pour into a large bowl.
8. Repeat with the remaining soup and milk powder and pour the whole lot back into the saucepan, heat through and serve.

Calories: 249
Fat: 8 g
Carbs: 38 g
Protein: 11 g
Fiber: 4 g

Spicy Chicken-and-Pumpkin Stew
Serves 10 (1 cup stew and 1/2 cup rice = 1 serving)

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 cups sliced onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups cubed peeled fresh pumpkin or other winter squash (such as acorn)
1 cup water
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

1, Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the chicken, and sauté for 8 minutes or until browned. Remove the chicken from pan. Repeat procedure with 1 teaspoon oil and remaining chicken; set aside.

2, Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through garlic); sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, water, and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Return chicken to pan; cook 10 minutes or until heated. Stir in cilantro; serve over rice.

Calories: 267
Fat: 4.7g
Protein: 19.3g
Carbs: 36.4g
Fiber: 2.6g

And the best part of cooking with pumpkins? THE SEEDS! Wash the guck off those seeds, let them dry and preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Coat the seeds with cooking spray (I have an olive oil mister) and your choice of spices: cinnamon and sugar, salt and pepper, curry powder and cayenne pepper. You’ll be amazed at what a satisfying and protein-packed snack those little seeds make. One ounce (about 85 seeds!) has only 126 calories and 5 g of protein.

Happy Fall eating, everyone!