Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 red pepper (roasted or pan fried until tender)
2-3 carrots
2 small zucchini
2 cans of diced tomatoes (w/oregano seasoning)
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of red wine
1 cup of cooked rice (brown or white)
1 lb of italian sausage (browned)
Italian Seasonings
Garlic powder
oregano
salt & pepper

Combine the roasted red pepper with the cans of tomatoes and red wine in a food processor and puree.  Meanwhile sautee the carrots for a few minutes in olive oil and add the chicken broth and zucchini. Add the pureed mixture and spices (to your taste) and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add the sausage during the last 5 minutes. Fill each individual bowl with a 1/4 cup of rice and pour soup over top. Serves 4-6

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

This soup typically uses eggs to thicken the broth. It's lightened up here by using fat-free cream of chicken soup, but to make it gluten-free, use the eggs!

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I usually just boil mine)
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 lemons (I use 1/4 cup of lemon juice, because I may or may not be lazy)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, pressed (I use 1 Tbl minced garlic from a can - again, the lazy)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat-free reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup (I use two)
3 cans (14 1/2 oz ea) 100% fat-free chicken broth (I use the equivalent amount of bouillon
cubes - no sodium!)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup uncooked long-grain white rice (I use 1 cup uncooked brown rice then cook it following
package directions before I add it to the soup)

1. Chop chicken, carrots and onion. Zest one lemon to measure 1 tsp zest. Finely snip zest. Juice lemons to measure 1/4 cup juice. Snip parsley; set aside.

2. Heat a 4qt pot over medium heat until hot. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, lemon zest, lemon juice, soup, chicken broth, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Stir in rice; reduce heat. Cover; simmer over low heat 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; stir parsley into soup just before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

page 35 of The Pampered Chef "It's good for you" cookbook.

Chili

Here is my basic recipe-- no real measurements, just to taste.

crushed tomatoes
diced tomatoes
ground beef
diced peppers
diced onions
beans (kidney, navy, garbanzo, black...whatever you want!)
cumin
chili powder
salt to taste

Brown beef together with peppers and onions. Drain fat. Combine in crockpot with the other ingredients. Cook on low all day. Serve with cornbread or corn chips, sour cream, cheese, etc...yum!

Cheesy Crockpot Potato and Corn Chowder

**Warning: this is not a healthy recipe due to Velveeta, but it's yummy!**

Ingredients:
2 T butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups broth
3 cups peeled and cubed potatos
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles (you can leave these out if you aren't crazy about chile peppers. They do add a lot of flavor!)
1 (2.5 ounce) package country-style gravy mix
2 cups milk
1 cup Velveeta, cubed

Directions:
Saute celery and onion in butter till lightly browned and tender. Add to crockpot with broth and potatos. Cook 4-5 hours on low. Add corn, chiles, milk, gravy mix and cheese. Stir well. Cook on high for one more hour. Enjoy with biscuits!

Beef Stew

1-2 lbs of stew meat
2-3 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp of garlic powder or 2 cloves of garlic finely diced
2 cups of water
2 beef buillion cubes
1 can of green beans
1-2 cups of baby carrots, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium russett potatoes, chopped
2-3 tsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp marjaram
1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf

Cut stew meat into bite sized pieces and coat with flour. Brown in EVOO, remove from pan, and drain on paper towels. Saute onion in left over oil for 5-6 mins (add more oil if neccessary), add garlic, cook for one addtl minute.

Meanwhile, boil buillion cubes in the water until dissolved and pour into crock pot. Add chopped potato, carrots, green beans (do not drain), tomato paste, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf.
Add browned stew meat, and sauted onions to the crock pot. Cook for 30 mins on high and then another 1-2 hours on low or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Salt and pepper to taste

submitted by reader, Jessica

Asian Noodle Bowl

2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used boneless pork chops and it worked very well)
2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup julienne-cut carrots - one inch long
1 1-inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 cups water
1 can (14 oz) 100% fat-free vegetable broth
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 package (3 oz) oriental-flavor ramen noodles

~ Dice chicken and thinly slice bok choy and green onions. Slice mushrooms. Cut carrot into julienne strips; cutstrips into 1-inch pieces. Peel and finely chop gingerroot and garlic.

~ Place mushrooms, carrots, gingerroot and garlic in a 4qt pot. Add water, broth, soy sauce and seasoning packet from ramen noodles; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, bok choy, onions and noodles. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

This was super delicious and pretty appetizing as a main dish. I served it just by itself. The pork tasted great, too!



from The Pampered Chef "It's good for you" cookbook

UMW Taco Soup

2 lbs. lean ground beef
medium onion; chopped
1 large can Ranch Style Black Beans
1 can Rotel tomatoes (you choose; original, mild, hot)
(2) 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes (chopped) including juices
1 can water (rinsed in/out of beans can to get all flavor)
1 can niblet yellow corn with juice
1 packet Ranch Style Dressing powder
1 packet taco seasoning

~ In a soup pot, brown meat; add onion until tender. Add in remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly and simmer for 30 minutes. Will be thick and hearty.

~ Serve with tortilla chips

submitted by reader Jamie

White Chicken Chili

8 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
4 cans great northern beans (white)
2 med onions-finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T veg oil
9 oz green chilies-chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups Monterey Jack cheese

Saute onion and garlic in veg oil until soft. Stir in chiles,and spices. Simmer 3 minutes. Add beans, broth and chicken. Simmer 30 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cheese 30 minutees before serving.

*For the amount I made, I doubled all the spices. I used 2 large onions, 5 cans of broth, 1 extra can of beans, a whole chicken plus 2 chicken breasts, and about 4 cups of cheese.

~ From the kitchen of a friend of Rachel B. :-)

Potato Soup

6-8 medium potatos, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 cubes bullion
salt and pepper
1- 12 ounce can evaporated milk
4 T. butter
parsley
cheese
bacon bits

Place potatoes, onion and celery in large pot. Cover with water. Add bullion and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender. Place mixture in blender or food processor (including the liquid; depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this in several batches). Pour into crockpot; add salt, pepper, milk and butter. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours until thickened. Add garnishes as desired.

This is a perfect way to warm up on a cold day!

Spicy Rotel Chicken Soup

This one is out of JD's recipe box.

1 large can of cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can corn
1 can rotel diced tomatoes
4 chicken breasts
garlic salt
red pepper flakes

~ Brown chicken in skillet with garlic salt.
~ Cut chicken into small pieces.
~ Mix all ingredients together in large pot.
~ Add cooked chicken and simmer until well blended.

Serve hot with blueberry muffins