thatsusanwilliams' Flu-Fighter Soup

I've had variations of this soup for years, and it is amazing when you are sick. It's great to have in constant supply during the winter months. My friend Susan shared this recipe via https://www.thatsusanwilliams.com/2016/10/flu-fighter-soup-chicken-soup/

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt & pepper
1 T. vegetable oil
3 carrots, peeled and chopped, medium
2 celery ribs, chopped medium
1 onion, minced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. dried thyme (or 2 t. fresh thyme, if you have it)
1/4 t. dried red pepper flakes
8 c. chicken broth (I used homemade)
2 bay leaves
1 c. dried wide egg noodles
3. c. greens (I used chard, kale and spinach)
1 T. lemon juice

Instructions
Dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet until just smoking. Brown chicken thighs well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly.
Add carrots, celery and onion to the skillet, and cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and red pepper chile flakes and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Stir in 1 c. chicken broth to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker.
Stir remaining 7 c. broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Place browned chicken thighs with any accumulated juices from their plate into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
About 15 minutes before you want to serve the soup, cook egg noodles in boiling salter water, according to package directions, undercooking them just slightly (by about 1 minute). Drain, and reserve.
Remove chicken thighs from slow cooker and place on cutting board to rest. Remove the bay leaves from the soup. After chicken has rested for about 5 minutes, shred it into bite sized pieces, and add it and the greens, the cooked noodles, and finally, the lemon juice to the slow cooker. Allow the greens to just wilt, and the chicken to warm back up. This will take about 3-5 minutes. Stir, taste, and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve.
By Susan Williams

Bean Pasta Soup Mix for gift giving

This recipe makes enough for six gift bags or jars of tasty bean and pasta soup mix.

Bean-Pasta Soup Mix

3/4 cup dried onion flakes
2 (1/2-ounce) jars dried celery flakes
1/2 cup dried parsley flakes
3 tablespoons dried basil leaves
3 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 (2 1/4) ounce jars beef-flavored bouillon granules
1 (16-ounce) package dried black-eyed peas
1 (16-ounce) package dried black beans
1 (16-ounce) package dried kidney beans
1 (16-ounce) package dried navy beans
1 (16-ounce) package small shell pasta, uncooked

1. Combine first 7 ingredients; divide evenly, and place in 6 airtight
   plastic bags. Add 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 teaspoon bouillon granules toeach bag. Label "Herb Mix" and seal.
2. Combine black-eyed peas and next 3 ingredients; divide evenly and place in 6 airtight plastic bags. Label "Bean Mix" and seal.
3. Place 1/3 cup pasta into 6 airtight plastic bags. Label "Pasta" and seal.
4. Place 1 bag herb mix, 1 bag bean mix, and 1 bag pasta in a gift container; repeat procedure with remaining bags.

Makes 6 (3-bag) gifts.

DIRECTIONS FOR GIFT RECIPE CARD:

1. Sort and wash bean mix; place in a Dutch oven. Cover with water 2-inches above beans; soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Combine beans, 3 quarts water, herb mix, 1 carrot, chopped, and 2/3 cup chopped cooked ham in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. Add 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained, and pasta; cook 15 to 20 minutes.

Note: To use the quick-soak method, place beans in a Dutch oven; cover
with water 2-inches above beans. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cover, and let stand 1 hour. Drain.

Chicken & Tortellini Florentine Soup

Chicken soup, made with rotisserie chicken stock, combined with veggies, cheese tortellini, herbs and spinach. This is delicious with fresh bread. I adapted it from several recipes

found online.

 

6-8 cups chicken stock (I used homemade rotisserie chicken stock)

 1/2 cup chopped onion

 1 tsp olive oil

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 pinch each sage, rosemary & thyme

 2 cups dried cheese tortellini

 2 cups frozen mixed veggies

2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

 

Heat olive oil in stock pot or dutch oven; saute onion until tender. Add stock, tomatoes, cheese, salt, pepper & seasonings. Bring to a boil and add tortellini - cook according to package directions, but stopping before it is fully cooked. Then add mixed veggies, chicken and spinach - heat through. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Chicken & Garlic Soup

It seems strange to be making up a new soup recipe nearing the end of April, in North Carolina - usually it's getting warm. But today was blustery and in the 50's, and I was cold. So, soup made with what we had on hand, and it is delicious!

Soup liquid:
1 package chicken - I used boneless, skinless thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
cover with water
3-4 cloves garlic
handful of carrots
1 stalk celery, with leaves if possible
pepper

Cook on medium until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and let cool; strain liquid and let fat rise to top. Shred chicken.

Meanwhile, prepare the remainder of the soup ingredients:
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
salt and pepper

Saute all of these in 1 tbsp. olive oil until tender; set aside. Place stock in soup pot, add veggies and deglaze pan with some of the stock. Grab garlic cloves from strained stock and add to soup.  Add more water and bouillon if needed (mine had cooked down pretty low). Simmer for ~15 minutes or until garlic is tender - at this point I mashed it up with my spoon into little bits.

Bring soup to a low boil, add 2 cups pasta of choice, and cook until just about tender. Add chicken, adjust salt and pepper to taste, and serve. I put a bowl of parmesan cheese on the table for people to add as desired.

*the broth in this soup is fantastic!*

Chloe's Virus Killing Soup

I originally heard about this soup from a fellow homeschooler - and it's been shared many, many times on the internet. It smells and tastes amazing, and I think it really does help fight viruses! I made a few adjustments, which I added in bold:

Chicken Broth
One chicken
Appx 15-30 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Tbs salt
3-4 Thyme sprigs
Cayenne pepper (to taste. I use about a tsp)
Fresh Rosemary sprigs (I use dried)
 Fresh ground pepper

Place chicken and other ingredients in a soup pot (I use my pressure cooker) and cover with water or chicken broth (I really like those boxes of organic chicken broth). Cook on stove top until chicken starts to fall apart. Remove from heat. Strain out chicken and stuff and set aside until cool enough to chop. Reserve broth for next step.

Making the Soup

You can use any or all of the following vegetables, or add your own favorites. Here’s what I do:
1 large onion (coarsely chopped or sliced)
1 fennel bulb (sliced thin)
1 leek (sliced thin)
4-6 stalks of celery (coarse chopped)
large red pepper (coarse chopped)
1/2 lb. carrots (coarse chopped)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 C good White Wine (if you don't use wine, I'm sure you could use water or more broth; I don't drink wine but I buy the little 4-packs of white wine for cooking)
salt and pepper

Place oil in bottom of large pot and heat. Add onion, fennel, celery, pepper and leek and sauté until onion is just transparent. Add wine and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Cover the vegetables with chicken broth (still reserving chicken off to the side)–add more broth from can or box if you don’t have enough broth from chicken and simmer veggies until just tender. **at this point I puree all the cooked garlic from the broth step and add it in- it makes it creamier, and adds a wonderful flavor.

Then add:
Frozen green beans
Frozen peas
zucchini
flat leaf parsley (chopped)
1-2 cans chopped tomatoes with juice
Allow to simmer for 30 minutes until flavors come together
Add chopped chicken, salt and pepper to taste.

No virus can withstand this soup.

You can also add cabbage with the end ingredients if you like (I do!), or any other veggies your family likes. Sometimes I’ll throw in whatever is in my veggie bin in addition to the above.
The next day add egg noodles and turn it into chicken noodle soup.

from: http://chloeofthemountain.com/chloes-virus-killing-soup/

Taco Soup & Crispy Baked Corn Tortilla Strips

This soup is fantastic, and then we made the tortilla strips and served them on top of the soup. I got it from For the Love of Grub - my additions are in bold:

Taco Soup:

1 – 1 ½ lbs. ground turkey or beef, browned
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning or 2T. homemade taco seasoning
1 can kidney beans * I omitted because I didn't have any
1 can black beans
small pkg. frozen corn
1-2 t. cumin
1-2 t. oregano
2 c. water or broth

I browned the ground beef with the onion and garlic, and drained the fat before adding it to the crockpot. Place all ingredients in crockpot and mix thoroughly. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Crispy Tortilla Strips

Corn tortillas, cut in strips
oil or PAM spray
cumin, taco seasoning, salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350*. Spread tortilla strips in single layer on cookie sheet; spray with PAM and sprinkle with spices. Bake until crispy, about 8-10 minutes, turning once during cooking.

These are best served hot, either on soup or just for munching.

Creamy Basil Tomato Soup

I adapted this from several recipes online - and it was a cold, rainy day, so this was perfect!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
18 fresh basil leaves, minced
1-2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Saute onions in olive oil until soft; add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add tomatoes and chicken broth, heat to boiling; cover and simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, heat through and serve. (If desired, puree in batches until smooth)

I sprinkled slices of Italian bread with mozzarella or swiss cheese and heat under the broiler - this was wonderful torn into pieces and dunked into the soup.

Chicken and Drop Dumpling Stew

This is from Eat at Home, one of my favorite recipe blogs - I added my changes in bold:

• 3 boxes chicken broth (or 6 cans) I used stock from a rotisserie chicken carcass
• 5-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning & a generous pinch of parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken, chopped

Dumplings:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot.  Add the vegetables and seasonings and bring back to a boil.

Mix up the dumplings.  Stir the flour, salt, and baking powder together.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork.  Stir in the milk to form a stiff dough.   Drop by spoonfuls in the boiling chicken broth.  Stir in the chicken and reduce the heat.  Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Chicken Stew

This turned out really good - it is adapted from this recipe from Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces (Or 1 1/2 tsp dried basil)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total) (Or 5-6 boneless, skinless thighs)
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans
• 3-4 small red skin potatoes, diced (peeled if you don't like skin)
• Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 15-20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the beans and potatoes to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. **I took out some of the soup at this point and pureed it in my blender, and then added it back in.**

Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Green and Red Tomato and White Corn Soup

I found this on allrecipes.com - our neighbor gave us a bag of green tomatoes, and Sunday afternoon I'm too tired to make Fried Green Tomatoes.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 3 cloves)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1-2 tsp dried oregano

4 green tomatoes, chopped

4 tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (I used more, and it was frozen white corn)

7 cups vegetable broth (I used 4 cups of chicken stock)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a stockpot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute until soft.
2. Stir in the cumin powder, oregano, tomatoes and corn. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in broth, reduce heat to low and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 182 | Total Fat: 7.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

White Chicken Chili

a friend made this for us just after we had our second daughter - it's been a favorite since. I especially love the tomatillos

30 oz canned white beans
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb chicken – cut into cubes
4 tomatillos – diced
1 pkg frozen white corn – 16oz
2 tsp. cumin
½ tsp oregano
1 can green chilies (4 oz)
1 ½ cup chicken broth
juice of 1 lime
½ cup chopped cilantro

Place beans and liquid in large pot over low heat. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion and garlic until golden. Add chicken and sauté until lightly browned. Stir chicken mixture into the bean pot along with tomatillos, corn, cumin, oregano, green chilies and chicken broth. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve with chopped red onion, grated Monterey Jack cheese, avocado.

Creamy Potato and Broccoli Soup

brown chopped onion in butter - I used about a cup of onions in 1 tbsp butter


add 2 chopped carrots, one clove garlic, minced, and at least 3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes, and enough water to cover - simmer until potatoes are tender. I mashed it all up pretty well at this stage.

mix at least 2 tbsp flour w/milk (about 1/2 cup), shake well, add to simmering liquid. I then added more milk, a cube of chicken bouillon, let it simmer, then added:

dried thyme, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

after it had simmered some more, I added in 2-3 cups raw broccoli, and let it simmer.

I added more salt and pepper, a bit of onion powder, and some more thyme at this point.

Simmer until potatoes and broccoli are tender. Sprinkle shredded cheese in each bowl (optional). You may need to add more water at the end.

Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese Tortellini Soup

-saute 1 medium chopped onion in olive oil, add 2 cloves chopped garlic


-separately, cook 1-2 chicken breasts in water (I did it in my pressure cooker, put frozen chicken breasts on top of sauteed onions)

-put onions, garlic, chicken stock in a pot - add 1-2 carrots, chopped, simmer until tender. I then added flour mixed w/a bit of milk to thicken

-add salt and pepper, thyme and rosemary to taste, simmer

-a little before serving, add 2-3 cups chopped broccoli and simmer until tender. I pureed at least 1/3 of soup and added back in; then simmered the cheese tortellini and added in chopped chicken

Ham, Tomato and White Bean Soup

Ham, Tomato and White Bean Soup
(we LOVE this soup! - it is wonderful in the winter)

 Ingredients


1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 tsp olive oil

1 28 oz. can diced or pureed tomatoes, undrained

2-4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 15 oz can cannelini or northern beans, drained

1 cup ham, diced

basil (dried or fresh), salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1.Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes and broth (use broth to bring soup to desired consistency; we like ours thick so I use 2 or 3 cups) - simmer ~15 minutes. Add beans, ham and seasoning - heat through.

Footnotes

This is really good with fresh homemade bread, and the leftovers taste even better, if you have any.

Aigo Bouido - Garlic Soup

This soup is perfect for a cold, rainy day. It's from a soup and bread cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon.

Ingredients:

•5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

•2 Large Onion -- Chopped
•8 Cloves Garlic -- Chopped
•1 Can Tomatoes -- Chopped
•5 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
•1/2 Teaspoon Sage
•1/2 Teaspoon Rosemary
•1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
•Salt And Pepper -- To Taste
•4 Ounces Gruyere Cheese -- Grated



Saute onions in oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add stock, all the herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with cheese. (or, sprinkle cheese and more garlic on slices of homemade bread and put under the broiler for a few minutes!)

**This is fantastic soup!