Recipe: Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

This soup is addictive! I made a big pot of it for my family, and it was gone within minutes, with everyone wishing they had more. Even though our bellies were full, we were all disappointed when the soup was gone. I actually made a second batch and put it in the fridge. (Everyone had soup for breakfast the next morning!) Now, every time I start chopping up carrots, my kids come running to ask "Are you making that delicious soup again??"

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

For 12 large bowls full, you will need:
1/2 lb. carrots, chopped
1/2 c. dried, diced onions
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 c. cooked, diced chicken
2 (10.5oz) cans cream of mushroom (or cream of celery) soup
water
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini (I used the tri-color variety)

Put chopped carrots and onions in a 5-quart pot, and add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Add chicken bouillon, garlic, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook on high 5-10 minutes, just until carrots are slightly tender. (Don't overcook! You don't want mushy carrots by the end of the process.)

Add cream soups, diced chicken, and enough water to fill the pot 2/3 full. Let simmer 10-15 minutes, to allow the flavors to develop.

Stir in pasta, and let cook 5-7 more minutes, until pasta has reached desired tenderness. Serve.

Crock Pot Gourmet: Minestrone

Five years ago, in November 2008, I flew out to Maryland the week before Thanksgiving to sign the final paperwork on our house. My husband was overseas with the Air Force, and the kids had school (I divided them between several friends, who graciously agreed to take care of things for me), which meant I was doing all of the house-buying stuff on my own, armed with a Power of Attorney and a whole lot of faith.

I flew into Baltimore on Monday morning, and arrived at my realtor's office ready to sign the paperwork for my house at 10am. But there was a problem with one of the loan forms, and the bank didn't want to accept my signature (even though I had both a General Power of Attorney and several specific Special Powers of Attorney to allow for any issue that might pop up). They insisted that we had to get the form signed by my husband and faxed back to us before we could proceed. Coordinating overseas, with a major time difference, meant that the closing would have to wait until Tuesday evening.

My flight back to California wasn't until Wednesday morning, but I didn't have a hotel reserved, because I'd planned to buy an air mattress and sleep in my new house - and get a head start on the painting, etc. that I wanted to do before we officially moved to Baltimore in January. I went to the library down the street from my new house, to check my email and research hotels in the area. And there was an email in my inbox from an old high school friend, who had moved to the Baltimore area and wanted to get together while I was in town. She ended up inviting me to stay with her, so I wouldn't have to spend the night alone, feeling sorry for myself in a lonely hotel room. And in return, I offered to make dinner for her. But she'd just had her braces tightened, and said she didn't feel up to eating anything more substantial than soup.

No problem! I can make soup! Stacy's favorite was Minestrone, so I created this easy recipe for her. Now, every time I feel like life is beating me senseless, I make a big pot of Minestrone and remember the night when a dear friend reminded me that I was loved.

Stacy's Minestrone

(The original recipe was cooked on the stovetop*, but it easily converts to Crock Pot cooking.)

You will need:

2 (46oz.) cans vegetable juice (like V8)

2 (15oz.) cans dark red kidney beans (or approximately 3-4 c. cooked beans)

1 (15oz.) can diced tomatoes

1/2 large onion, diced

4 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 lb. green beans, cut into 1-inch sections

large handful dried oregano

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. rosemary

1/2 c. shell pasta (uncooked)

Place celery, onion, green beans, and carrots in the bottom of your 7-quart Crock Pot. 

 Add tomatoes, kidney beans, and vegetable juice.

Stir in oregano, rosemary and garlic powder.

 If desired, for extra flavor, chop the celery leaves (from the center of a bunch of celery) and add to the soup. (I always do this, because the celery leaves complement the oregano and rosemary deliciously.)

 Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, until vegetables are tender. 30-45 minutes before serving, stir in 1/2 c. pasta. (You don't want to add pasta too soon, or it will get mushy.)

*Note: I like to make this in my Crock Pot, because I can put it in first thing in the morning and forget about it all day long, until just before I'm ready to eat. But if you don't have a Crock Pot, you can make this recipe on your stove instead. Simply put all ingredients (except the pasta) into a large pot and simmer until veggies are tender. (Make sure to stir frequently, as the tomato base will burn if left unattended for too long.) 6-8 minutes before serving, stir in the pasta and cook until tender. Serve as-is or topped with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

**Note 2: For Gluten-free diets, omit the pasta. And for my vegan friends, this soup is delicious without topping it with Parmesan cheese. :)

Crock Pot Gourmet: Chili with Pumpkin and Cranberries

One year ago today, I had a Twitter conversation with Summer Heacock (@fizzygrrl), Emily McKeon (@ERMcKeon) and my now-agent, Jessica Sinsheimer (@jsinsheim) that kind of changed my life in a way I didn't expect. We were talking about food, and favorite pumpkin recipes (because pumpkin is the best ingredient ever and November requires creative pumpkin recipes). I mentioned my Crock Pot Pumpkin Souffle, and Summer, Emily and Jessica told me that I should be sharing my delicious recipes with the world. So the next day (one year ago tomorrow), I posted my first Crock Pot Gourmet recipes for Meatball Stew and Pumpkin Souffle. And the response has been overwhelming. In the past year, I've posted many other delicious Crock Pot creations, as well as some favorite recipes that can be cooked without a Crock Pot. Today, I'm celebrating this delicious anniversary with a mouthwatering Pumpkin Cranberry Chili.

 

 You will need:

2 lb. dry beans (or 8-15oz. cans of beans)

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 Tbsp. baking cocoa

1 large can pumpkin

1-5oz pkg of Craisins

2-15oz. cans diced tomatoes (I like the kind that have green chiles in them)

1 large onion, diced

I prefer to use dry beans when making chili for two reasons. First, I control all of the seasoning. I don't have to worry about my dish being over-salted, etc. And second, it's much cheaper. But if you aren't comfortable cooking with dry beans, or you don't have the time for these first steps, canned beans work just fine, and you'll still get a healthy, delicious dinner.

Wash your dry beans, and cover them with water. (The water should come up at least 2 inches above the top of the beans. You want them to stay submerged even after they've begun to expand.) Soak them overnight (or for at least 4-5 hours). I like to place the beans (still in the colander I used to rinse them) into a very large silver mixing bowl (or a clean and sanitized sink, if I'm using my mixing bowl for something else) filled with cold water.

 

When the beans have finished soaking (they'll probably be 2-3 times the size they were when you started), drain the water and rinse them thoroughly. (Soaking the beans in the colander makes it super-easy to do this.) Draining off the water you soaked the beans in and rinsing them before cooking makes the finished product less likely to cause gas. (Also, the more you include beans in your diet, the less likely they'll bother your tummy.)

Place the beans into your 7-quart Crock Pot (if you have a 3 or 4-quart Crock Pot, you can easily cut the recipe in half) with fresh, cool water. (Fill the crock until the beans are covered with 1/2 to 1-inch of water.)

 Add your cocoa, salt, garlic powder and chili powder.

 Cook on high for approximately 4 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours), until beans are tender.

 

The beans will continue to expand as they cook, and will look something like this:

 Add the tomatoes, Craisins, onion and pumpkin. 

You could, if desired, cook the onion with the dry beans in the first step, but DO NOT try to cut corners and add the tomatoes and Craisins early. If you add acidic ingredients to dry beans, you can cook them for hours and hours, and they will not get tender. If you're putting this chili together before work, and you won't be home during the day to add the acidic ingredients at around lunchtime, you can cook the beans overnight on low, so they'll be ready in the morning, or you can use canned beans (in which case, you would add the seasonings to the beans at the same time that you add the remaining ingredients).
 

I like to stir in the onion, Craisins and tomatoes first, then carefully stir in the pumpkin. (The extra juice from the tomatoes makes it easier to stir in the pumpkin.)

Continue to cook, on low, for 4-5 hours, or longer. Now that you've added the tomatoes and cranberries, you don't have to worry about the beans getting any mushier as they cook, so you can easily keep the chili simmering all day long, and the flavors will simply continue to meld together.

 Serve as-is (my favorite), or top with your favorite chili toppings (cheese, sour cream, corn chips...) 

We like to use the leftover chili the next day for things like Chili Omelettes and Chili Cheese Fries or served over the top of spaghetti noodles for a delicious Chili Sketti.

Crock Pot Gourmet: Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup is one of our favorite cool-weather meals, but it certainly doesn't photograph well. My daughter pointed out to me a few weeks ago (as she was begging me to put this soup on our week's menu) that "Everyone I know who has ever tried split pea soup didn't want to even taste it at first, because it doesn't look like it will be good, but once they tried it, it became their favorite soup." I almost didn't post my super-simple, three-ingredient split pea soup recipe, because I couldn't figure out how to make it look appetizing in pictures, but it's simply too good not to share!

 

 

You will need:

 

2 lb. green split peas

1 lb. carrots

1 medium onion

salt (to taste)

 

Chop the carrots into small pieces. Or, for a less-chunky soup, grate the carrots.

 

Chop the onion.

 

Place carrots and onions into the bottom of a 7-quart crock pot.

 

 

Wash split peas.

 

Add peas to crock pot. Sprinkle with salt, to taste.

 

Fill with water. (Leave an 1 1/2 to 2 inches at the top, to avoid boil-overs.)

 

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until soup reaches desired consistency.

 

Many people cook split pea soup with a ham bone in it, for flavor, but this is totally not necessary (the split peas, carrots and onions together are rich in flavor), and fishing a ham bone out of the finished soup is messy. But you're welcome to add ham to the soup as it cooks, if desired.

 

For my family of carnivores, I sometimes provide crumbled bacon at the table. They can sprinkle it into their soup bowls, as desired.