i heart (veggie) soup

I never intended on taking a bloggy hiatus, but alas it was needed. It's been so fun doing 31 Days to an Artful Event, but I was ready to take a little break.

Last year, I posted every day of November, and it was such a fun way to celebrate last fall. I've been craving soup lately, so it seemed appropriate to leave you with a few great recipes for the weekend. Especially with how crazy our nights seem lately, soup is the perfect recipe to double or triple, and then just freeze the extra batches for a rainy day...or snowy...or windy...you get the picture.

All of these soups can be made vegetarian by just leaving out the meat, and they are still fabulous. Perfect for my family...a hearty meal, that's quick and easy...and everyone loves!

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One of my favorite things to eat in the fall is soup. Especially on Sundays. This year, I decided that every week I would make a different pot of soup or stew, as a small way (and cheap way) to enjoy the cooler weather.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Hearty Vegetable Soup

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 lg. onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp. ground cumin

2-3 tsp. italian spices

1 tsp. salt

1-2 tbsp. sugar

4 baking potatoes (diced)

2 carrots (sliced)

frozen peas, lima beans, corn (or whatever veggies you like)

46 oz. tomato juice

1 can beef broth

2 cups water

Heat olive oil over medium heat in your soup pot. Sauté your onion in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add garlic and spices. Cook until fragrant (couple minutes). Add rest of ingredients. Bring to boil, and then turn down to simmer on low for at least 45 min. (I have been known to let cook on low for several hours, and it just gets better!) Serve this with grilled cheese for a great meal!

Chili

(Many times I make this vegetarian friendly, and leave out the beef...still very yummy!)

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion (chopped)

2 cans kidney beans (drained)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato soup

1 pkt. chili seasoning

2 tbsp. chili powder

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

Fry your ground beef and onion together until beef is browned (10 min. on med heat). Drain excess grease. Add in diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili packet, tomato soup, salt, and sugar. Let simmer for 1 1/2 hrs. stirring often. Garnish with cheddar cheese and sour cream and serve over rice. Delicious on a cold winter day!

Quick Potato Chowder

2 stalks celery (diced)

3 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 14 oz. can chicken broth

*2 cups refrigerated diced potatoes with onions

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup half and half

4 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled

salt and pepper

*can use fresh potatoes and onions also. just add the sauté the onion with the celery, and cook your potatoes in boiling water until soft.

In a saucepan cook celery in hot butter over med heat until tender. Stir in flour until combined. Stir in broth; bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add potatoes; return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 15 min. or until tender. Slightly mash potatoes. Stir in milk, half and half, and bacon. Heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Black Bean and Corn Stew

4 tsp. olive oil

1 med. onion (chopped)

4 garlic cloves (minced)

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can diced tomatoes

*1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles

2 cups water

1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. frozen corn (10 oz.)

(*to make a more mild stew you can substitute a can of regular diced tomatoes)

In large saucepan heat oil over med. heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic and cumin, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant (another minute or so). Add beans, tomatoes, water, and salt to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low and simmer, until slightly thickened, about 20 min. Add corn to stew and allow to heat through. Garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve with heated tortillas or quesadillas.

Chicken Taco Soup

(probably my favorite and many times i leave out the chicken to have a vegetarian option for my hubs...it's still delicious!)

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney or chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (I sometimes do 2 cans of black and no chili)
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer OR chicken broth (I usually just do the broth, and it's wonderful)
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)
• 
  
• 1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
• 
  
• 2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

*ok, because i'm not a huge rule follower, i deviate from the shredding chicken step on this recipe, and just wait til the end, and then stir it around while it falls apart. it's delicious. i'm getting hungry.

Super cute blog Armommy has a great post about her menu a few weeks ago. I loved all her great recipes, not to mention how she displayed them for us!