Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

At Thanksgiving a family friend asked if I had a wild rice soup recipe. I didn't but it has been on my to do list for a while. So after the holiday I started experimenting. I wanted to use leeks instead of onions, but the first time I tried to make it I could not find them. I used onion instead. I also wanted to use a box wild rice blend. The first pot was delicious but the wild rice blend was not "wild" enough. The first attempt was so good. Dear sister loved it. But I really wanted to try it with leeks and more wild rice. The second time I was able to find leeks and a "wilder" rice blend. I really couldn't tell much difference. So if you can't find leeks don't worry about it. I suggest finding a rice blend with as much wild rice as possible. It will just have more texture and chew the more wild rice there is in the blend. This may not be the healthiest of soup recipes but it is really, really, creamy and tasty. So worth the calories! I think the decadence of butter and half & half makes it very filling. I love the mushrooms, leeks and the wild chewy rice too. A great twist on chicken soup. I am so glad I finally tried making this soup. I will definitely make it over and over again. I can't wait to try it with leftover turkey one day.

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 leeks, chopped and rinsed thoroughly (or 2 small onions)       

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1 dash red pepper flakes

1-1/2 tsp. Italian Herb Rub

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups unsalted chicken stock

1 cooked chicken breast, diced

1 (4.3 oz.) box long grain and wild rice mix (save seasoning for another use)

1 cup half and half

Directions

In a Dutch oven, saute the carrot, celery and leeks(white and pale green parts) in butter for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and peppers. Add garlic, mushrooms and Italian herb rub continue to cook until mushrooms begin to brown and soften. Stir in the flour until blended. Continue to stir constantly until no longer smells like flour. Gradually add broth, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, return to a boil. Add the rice; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is cooked. Add half and half and continue to cook until warm through. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary and serve.

Notes: Try to find a rice mix with more wild rice or use 1/2 cup of royal blend wild rice blend.

Wild Rice Blend and "Wilder" Rice Blend

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Here is another veggie soup to warm you. This recipe is my low carb, low fat version of peasant soup. My favorite person in the world and his family makes a peasant soup with potatoes, leeks and other veggies including spinach. It is absolutely delicious but has a lot of butter and cream. I decided to make it using cauliflower instead of potatoes. I also added chicken broth and eliminated most of the butter and cream. Here I garnished with cream but I find it delicious without. This is a great starter soup. It makes a lot, I love having it around for a warm snack. I love the fresh vegetable flavor and the white pepper. The white pepper is another unique flavor my soup has in common with peasant soup. Delicious!

Cream of Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 quarts, Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 Leeks, cleaned and sliced

1 onion, chopped

2 medium heads of Cauliflower, chopped

1 Carrot, peeled and chopped

1 Celery rib, chopped

4 cups low sodium, fat free Chicken Broth

Water to cover

2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp White Pepper, or to taste

3 Tbsp. of light Butter

2 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions

Cover first five ingredients with chicken broth and water. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Chop spinach. Add butter and spinach to veggies. Blend with a stick blender until creamy but so that you still see bits of spinach. You can use a blender too, just blend in batches. Serve hot, but it is not bad cold.

Nutritional Information per serving*: Calories 90.4, Total Fat 2.3 g, Saturated Fat 0.8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g, Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g, Cholesterol 1.9 mg, Sodium 565 mg, Potassium 569.3 mg, Total Carbohydrate 14.4 g, Dietary Fiber 5.0 g, Sugars 2.6 g, Protein 5.3 g.

WW P+ 2

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
It's Your Life: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Many years ago I discovered Tyler Florence's Chicken Stock recipe. I saw him on an episode of Food 911. He taught a college student how to make chicken stock and how to make three different soups with the chicken and the stock. I have made all three recipes, some several times. They are all very delicious. Below is a link to each of the recipes and a mini review. You can use his stock to make any of them or make your own recipe like I did Sunday.

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

This has to be my favorite. I love everything about it. 

It is so delicious! I love the tomato and jalapenos in the broth. 

I have made this recipe three or four times.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This soup is comfort food at its best. One of the best chicken noodle soup 

recipes I have ever made. I have made it more than once.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

This soup is very good, but I have only made it once. 

I had a hard time finding kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass.

Sunday I used the stock to re-create a Greek soup I had at a local restaurant. Yeero Yeero is the fanciest drive-thru restaurant you will ever come across. They turned an old Short Stop into a very unique dining experience. You can go inside and enjoy their formal dining room or drive-thru. For such a small place they sure have a big Greek menu. You can get all the standard Greek items but they are all uniquely Yeero Yeero. They serve a soup called Lemon Chicken Vegetable it is twist on avgolemono soup. It is a delicious chicken soup loaded with vegetables and lemon flavor. It its perfect if you are feeling under the weather. My sister has a friend that will drive-thru and pick some up any time she or her daughter is sick. 

My version of this soup starts with making Tyler's stock. He uses a turnip in the stock. If you haven't tried it you should. It really adds something to the flavor. The stock is unsalted but very flavorful. So when you see a tablespoon of salt later in the recipe don't be alarmed. After the stock cooked and I removed the chicken. Then I removed all the other solids and strained the stock through cheese cloth so the broth is clear. I sauteed all the veggies I could identify in Yeero's soup; leeks, carrots, celery, potato and zucchini. I did add one more, a yellow squash. I like lots of veggies and this one definitely adds sunny color. This soup really comes together fast once the stock has been made. So you could easily make it with a rotisserie chicken and boxed stock if you are short on time. The only tricky part is tempering the eggs. Really it is not difficult you just need to whisk the hot stock in very slowly. We want to warm the eggs slowly. If you dump the hot stock in you will end up with egg drop soup. Not attractive. I love how this egg, lemon and stock mixture turns the soup a creamy pale yellow. It looks like cream has been added but it is actually more protein. One other thing if you are persnickety about rice, you may want to cook it separately. You can add it when adding the chicken or add it to each serving. The rice does continue to absorb the soup and can be get mushy if cooked to long. If you plan this as a make ahead meal definitely add the rice and egg mixture just before you serve it. If you like lemon pepper chicken you are really going to love this soup.

Lemon Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Makes 4 quarts; Serves 8

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 leek, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 potato, chopped

1 zucchini, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

1 recipe of Tyler Florence’s Chicken Stock (approx. 11 cups)*

1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

1-1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp Cavendars Greek Seasoning

1/2 cup rice, uncooked

2 cup chicken, precooked and shredded

2 eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions

Sauté leek, carrots, celery, potato, zucchini and squash in olive oil until vegetables begin to soften. Add chicken stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Remove 1 cup of stock and set aside. Add rice and reduce heat to a simmer. When rice begins to cook add chicken. Meanwhile beat two eggs and lemon juice in a medium bowl until well combined. Slowly add broth to the lemon and egg whisking the whole time. When chicken is heated through add the lemon, egg and broth mixture. Reduce heat to low, do not boil. Let it cook until flavors combine. About 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings, adjust if necessary and serve.

Note: You can use stock from a box, be sure to adjust the salt amount accordingly.

Linking to:

My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays

My Mixing Spoon: Random Recipe Roundup

The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Kansas and Link Party
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Call Me PMc: Saturday Dishes - Soups
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Food of the World Greece

Green Vegetable Medley

This has been an Easter tradition for many years now. Sometimes we call it "Spring Mix". It is amazing how great this blend of vegetables tastes. They are just seasoned with a little butter, salt, black pepper and red pepper. How simple is that? I suggest every time you see pretty asparagus you make this dish. It is really that good. The original recipe called for mature spinach leaves torn and only 4 oz of fresh peas. We find it hard to find fresh peas so we adapted the recipe a little. We use frozen peas and baby spinach, which is always available. This dish is definitely not just for Easter.

Green Vegetable Medley
Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch thin asparagus, ends trimmed if tough

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 small leek, dark-green leaves trimmed, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about 1 cup)

1 (5 - 6 oz) bag baby spinach

10 oz frozen green peas

Pinch freshly ground pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes

Directions

Place sliced leeks in a large bowl of water to let any sand settle to the bottom.

Fill a twelve inch skillet with about one inch of cold water. Place over high heat; bring to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add asparagus and simmer until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet, and transfer to serving plate. Season with a little salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Pour off water from skillet.

Return skillet to heat, and melt butter. Remove leeks from the surface of the water and add to the skillet. Cook until just tender, about 2 minutes. Add spinach and peas, season with salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes; cook until spinach is wilted and peas are tender, about 3 minutes. Turn the vegetables out of the skillet over asparagus, and serve immediately.

Easter Dinner Plate

shown with Baked Ham and

Two Potato Salad with Sour Cream

Linking to:
Buns in My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Easter Foods

Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill

I made Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill last night. I found the recipe on Pinterest, it had been posted from Real Simple magazine. It was very good! The parsnip and dill were the true stars of this soup. The only thing I would do differently is I would puree half of the soup in the blender as the recipe said or puree the whole pot. I used a stick blender to puree half and it sort of beat up the other veggies. It would be prettier if I had followed the directions. One more thing in the photo I saw on Real Simple, the soup was much lighter in color. I used a dark vegetable stock and my soup was darker than the photo. If you know of a lighter stock I suggest using it in this recipe.

By the way, I am working on getting those Christmas recipes posted. So stay tuned.

Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill

Source: Real Simple

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced into half-moons

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces

1 large bulb fennel, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces

5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 small baguette, split horizontally

2 ounces grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese (1⁄2 cup)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, parsnips, fennel, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer half the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the bread, cut-side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Cut into pieces.

Sprinkle the soup with the dill and serve with the cheese toast.

Tip: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Information: Calories 477; Fat 13g; Sat Fat 5g; Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 914mg; Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 70g; Sugar 8g; Fiber 8g; Iron 5mg; Calcium 249mg

Cauliflower Leek Soup

This cream soup is so good. It is another recipe I got off of the Weight Watchers message boards years ago. If you like cauliflower you will love it plain. If you long for baked potato soup load it up with the optional garnishes. It tastes just like baked potato soup without any guilt. I photographed it with the garnishes. It looked a little undressed plain.

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower Leek Soup

Serves 8

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 small leeks, cleaned and cut into rings

4 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp light butter

1 small onion, chopped

Salt and white pepper, to taste

Heat butter in pot, add in onions and leeks. Heat until tender, but not browned. Add in cauliflower and broth. Simmer, covered until cauliflower is cooked [about 15 min]. Puree in the pot with an immersion or stick blender. Or pulse soup in a blender in two or three batches, until smooth. Return to pan and season with salt and white pepper.

WW Points Plus: 1

Optional Garnishes: 2% cheddar cheese, light sour cream, bacon bits, and chives.

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky