Spicy Sausage & Potato Soup

Tags

food, foodie, recipe, soup

In our house, autumn means football, hunting, and hot soup…

It took years of convincing, but my local grocery store finally carries turkey sausage (without animal casings). So, it seems like the perfect time to whip up a batch of my spicy sausage & potato soup. Many people make their sausage potato soup with kale, but Hubster isn’t a fan. Instead, I use baby spinach.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. hot Italian (turkey) sausage, 1 bag baby spinach, 5 large potatoes, 5 celery stalks, 4 carrots, 1/2 bunch of green onions, 1 quart vegetable stock (or enough to cover other ingredients), 1 pint heavy cream, 1 bay leaf, 1 Tbsp. crushed red peppers, fresh ground pink Himalayan salt, fresh cracked multi-color peppercorns

Directions:
Remove sausage from casings and brown meat in a skillet and drain when done. Chop celery, carrots, and green onions. Cut potatoes into chunks. Add all ingredients (except heavy cream) to crockpot and cover. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Remove about half the potatoes and bay leaf from the crockpot. Mash potatoes and return to crockpot. Add heavy cream, stir and allow to simmer for another 30 mins.

XOXO,
YoungWifey

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Tomato, Spinach & Basil Tortellini Soup

Tags

basil, dinner, food, foodie, lunch, recipe, soup, spinach, tomato, tortellini

While roasted cherry tomatoes and fresh picked basil may sound like July ingredients, my garden has continued to produce both. And this cold wet autumn weather calls for soup.

Tomato, Spinach & Basil Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes, 1/2 sweet onion (chopped), 1 c. fresh basil (chopped), 1 lb. tortellini (I used goat cheese), 1 qt. water, 2 c. spinach (chopped), 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
At the bottom of a stock pot, brown onions in olive oil. Add cherry tomatoes and slowly roast. Add vinegar, spinach and basil, stir until wilted. Pour water, salt & pepper into pot and bring to a boil. Add fresh tortellini and simmer for about 6 minutes. Serve hot!

Garnish with fresh basil and mozzarella pearls.

How is the weather where you live? What foods are you eating?

Shrimp & Udon Soup

Tags

food, foodie, recipe, shrimp, soup, udon

Yesterday, it was back to snow… I got caught in a snow squall on my drive home… (but next week brings hope of 60°+ weather again). Soup for dinner it was! And since I was lucky enough to get a fresh package of udon noodles, I couldn’t wait to make udon noodle soup.

Shrimp & Udon Soup

Ingredients:
1 package of fresh udon noodles, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger, 1 tsp. mince garlic, 12 pieces of shrimp, 4 c. vegetable stock, 2 Tbsp. miso paste, 2 scallions (sliced), 2 c. edamame beans, 10 stalks of baby corn, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Saute ginger and garlic in oil. Add miso, pepper, scallions and stock and bring to a boil. Add baby corn and edamame. Add shrimp and udon and boil for about 6 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and noodles are done. Serve hot!

Try adding/swapping various veggies: shiitake mushrooms, snow peas, mung beans, zucchini, etc…

Miso based soup two days in a row… now that I’ve had my fill, it needs to warm up again.

What are your weekend plans? 

Miso & Dumpling Soup

Tags

asian cooking, dumplings, food, foodie, miso, recipe, soup

Yesterday, the winter weather warmed and the winds calmed, promising a beautiful Spring. The willow trees now display an ethereal hint of color. I wore my sandals to work and  admired the bright sunny day from my classroom window. Then it turned grey and the rain started to pour. It was still warmer when I got home, but it was very wet. To take off the damp chill, dinner needed to be soup. Since I raided my mother’s stash of miso last month, miso soup it is!

Miso & Dumpling Soup

Ingredients: 4 c. water, 3 Tbsp. miso paste, 10-12 dumplings, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 2 scallions, 1 tsp. minced ginger, 1 tsp. mince garlic, 1/2 carrot (julienned), 12 stalks baby corn, sugar snap peas

Directions:
Warm oil and sauté ginger and garlic. Add dumplings and brown on the bottom. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat. Serve hot!

Add or swap in these delicious veggies: bok choy, cabbage, mung beans, mushrooms, snow peas, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, edamame, zucchini

And today it snowed again…
What has your weather been like?

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

Tags

chicken, food, foodie, recipe, soup, sugar snap peas, tortellini

With flurries, snow squalls and icy patches galore, soup is the only thing I want to eat now (poor Hubster). I just ate four bowls and now I’m settling in to write this newest blog post. For my fellow foodies, soup doesn’t even require a recipe, but that’s not true for everyone. And this recipe is really just another variation of chicken noodle soup if you will…

Chicken & Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 small diced onion, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 4 bay leaves, 2 qt. chicken or vegetable stock, 1 batch or package of cheese tortellini, 4 c. sugar snap peas, 2 carrots (cut into julienne strips), fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Directions: 
Brown onion & garlic in olive oil at the bottom of a stock pot. Add chicken to pot and remove once all sides are browned. Cut chicken into small cubes and return to the pot. Add bay leaves and stock and bring to a boil. Add chicken, carrots, salt and pepper and gently boil until chicken completely cooked. Add tortellini and sugar snap peas and simmer for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves and serve soup hot!

Now I’m ready to curl up in a blanket with a glass of wine, a chunk of dark chocolate and good book.

What is your favorite winter evening ritual?

Tomato & Dumpling Soup

Tags

dinner, dumpling, food, foodie, lunch, matzo ball, recipe, soup, tomato

Often when people refer to dumplings in soup, everyone has a different idea. Whether your ideal is rivels, gnocchi, homemade egg noodles or matzo balls, they’re all equally delicious! Tonight, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted tomato soup or matzo ball soup when I decided to combine them. Last time I made this with rivels, but dumplings? Genius!

Tomato & Dumpling Soup

Italian Matzo Ball Ingredients:
1 c. matzo meal, 4 eggs, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/4. grated Pecorino Romano cheese, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/2 tsp. basil, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of marjoram, pinch of sage, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Italian Matzo Ball Directions:
Mix all ingredients together well. Chill mixture in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Keeping hands wet, roll mixture into small balls. You can decide how large you want them, but keep in mind they will puff.

Tomato Soup Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 c. chopped onion, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 28 oz. canned of diced tomatoes, 1 c. vegetable stock, 2 c. milk, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Tomato Soup Directions: 
Brown onion in olive oil at the bottom of a stock pot. Add remaining ingredients except matzo balls and milk and bring to a boil. Pour soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and add matzo balls, cook until balls begin to float. Add milk until and stir until soup is well heated. Serve hot.

I dare to call these matzo balls, since I probably broke some Kosher rules. This soup is so filling, I wouldn’t have it any other way though! Maybe I should’ve taken some picture along the way to share. The final picture looks like meatballs in sauce, oops. But I like my soup thick and my matzo balls larger…

What warmed you up tonight? 

Sausage & Gnocchi Soup

Tags

carrot, dinner, food, foodie, gnocchi, lunch, recipe, sausage, soup, spinach, tomato

Today I have the urge to bake… and drink a mimosa. Yet I have no eggs, milk or juice in the house and I do not want to run out to the grocery store. I even looked through a few vegan cake recipes. What’s a young wifey to do? Make soup or course!… Then drink the champagne…

Sausage & Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:

olive oil, 1 lb. ground turkey sausage, 1/2 dice yellow onion, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 shredded carrot, 2 c. chopped spinach, 2 diced tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, 6 c. chicken or veggie stock, 1 batch of gnocchi, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh grated pecorino romano cheese

Directions:
At the bottom of a stock pot, sauté onion in olive oil. Add ground sausage and break into small pieces, cook until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add tomato paste, stock, carrot, tomatoes, and spinach to pot and bring to a boil. Allow gnocchi and simmer for about 4 minutes, or until gnocchi puff and begin to float. Top with fresh grated cheese and serve with hot focaccia bread.

Moral: If life doesn’t give you milk. eggs or juice, make soup! haha

I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend!
What’s on your stove/in your oven today?