Embracing Him

Winter is here and it’s the perfect time to make soup. Though vegetable soups and chicken noodle soups are delicious, your soup repertoire doesn’t have to be limited to old favorites.

This bean soup is a family favorite. It’s thick, hearty, and filling. Once you add a side of cornbread and a green salad, you’ve got a fabulous meal that’s good for you and satisfying.

Hearty Bean Soup
1 (16 oz) package of dried navy beans
1/4 cup baking soda
7 cups chicken broth
1 smoked turkey wing or ham bone
1/4 cup onion, diced or 1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare the beans using the following method. Place beans in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a solid boil for 10 minutes. Remove pot from the heat (do not drain) and set in the sink. Add baking soda and stir until the foam completely disappears. (Do not worry if the foam is green.) Drain the beans and rinse well with cold water to remove the flavor of the baking soda.

Place beans back in the pot. Add chicken broth, turkey wing, onion, pepper, garlic powder, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until beans are soft.  If soup is becoming too thick, you may thin it by adding extra chicken broth. Be sure to remove the bay leaves before serving.

Photo: Courtesy of Roger Smith (Flickr)

A few weeks ago our family attended a Christmas potluck with friends from our church and our homeschool group. There were plenty of tasty dishes to enjoy, but my favorite part of the meal was a delicious salad. I fell in love with colorful ingredients and contrasting textures. In addition, the vinaigrette that dressed the salad was absolutely amazing!

While at the potluck, I tracked down the creator of the fabulous salad and asked if she would mind sharing the recipe. Andrea happily agreed to share the ingredients and I prepared the salad last night. It was just as good as I’d remembered and when I took it to my MOPS dinner meeting last night the ladies raved about it and ate all but a 1/4 cup! (I’ll be enjoying that little bit with my lunch today!)

Andrea suggests using a light olive oil as she finds the flavor of regular olive oil to be a bit too strong. If a light olive oil is not available, she recommends using 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

When preparing the salad myself, I found a single preparation of the vinaigrette was plenty to dress the salad. When dressing the salad, I recommend adding the vinaigrette a little at a time and tossing the salad in stages so as not to overdress it. Keep in mind that many people have nut allergies, so you may wish to serve the walnuts on the side. Consider varying the salad by using spinach instead of mixed greens and adding a cup or so of dried cranberries.

If you’re really into salad and you want to take yours to a new level, visit the Dole Salad Guy. He will introduce you to the tastes and textures of various salad mixes and provide you with salad recipes and salad pairings for you and your family to enjoy.

Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley

In a container combine all ingredients. Cover and shake until blended. Set aside for at least 45 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Shake again before serving.

Mixed Greens with Mandarins and Walnuts
1 bag mixed greens (16 ounce)
2 (15 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 small red onion, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the ingredients. Toss well to coat with the vinaigrette and serve.

Photo: Courtesy of The Gifted Photographer (Flickr)

The cooties came calling at the Thorpe house last week, so I decided to make a comforting batch of soup. I was in the mood for a thick and hearty soup, so I opted not to make the traditional chicken soup.

Instead, I made my first batch of Baked Potato Soup and it was absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this soup all winter long.

Many potato soup recipes instruct cooks to fry bacon and use those drippings in the soup. I wanted a more healthful recipe, so I omitted the frying of bacon and sauteed the minced garlic and onion in olive oil. The soup was very flavorful even without the additional fat. You can still satisfy your bacon craving by garnishing the soup with canned bacon bits or crumbled turkey bacon. However, if you’re a purist, feel free to fry up that bacon!

My potato cubes were large, so I smoothed them out and thickened the soup using my immersion blender (a handy kitchen gadget!). This made the soup more creamy, but still allowed a few potatoes to remain intact for texture.

JT felt the soup was a bit too peppery but I thought the proportion of pepper was the perfect. To make sure the soup isn’t too spicy consider starting with a 1/4 teaspoon pepper and add more to taste if necessary.

Baked Potato Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half (can use low fat or fat free)
bacon bits (for garnish)
shredded Cheddar cheese (for garnish)
2 green onions, diced (for garnish)

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until tender. Whisk in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth.

Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and half and half. Heat through but do not boil. Serve hot and garnish with bacon, cheese, and green onions.

If you’d like to see more fabulous recipes, visit Tuesdays at the Table and stop by Tempt My Tummy over at Blessed With Grace.

Photo: Courtesy of greg.turner (Flickr)