Soup's On!

I hope your weekend - and holidays - went well. One more holiday - New Year's - and the year will be over.

If you're like me, you could use something easy but satisfying for dinner. Soup fits the bill nicely. So...here are six soup recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

This comes from Florence Fabricant in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Florence wrote, “This simple, creamy (but not cream-laden) butternut squash soup gets greater depth of flavor from sherry that is stirred in with the stock. If you’d rather not use sherry or don’t have it on hand, omit it and use an additional 1/2 cup of stock; your soup will be less complex, but it will still have that rich, sweet squash flavor.” Yield: 8 servings; Time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

This was featured in “Adding to the Holiday Menu Without Risks” and can be viewed online here.

Note: The recipe originally called for “1 cup well-flavored chicken or vegetable stock”. I've omitted the chicken stock and left it at vegetable stock.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 1/2 cups peeled butternut squash in 2-inch cubes (about 2 squashes)

4 1/2 cups water

1 cup well-flavored vegetable stock

1/2 cup medium-dry sherry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Heat the oil in a heavy four-quart saucepan. Add the onions, reduce heat to low, and saute slowly until they are tender but not brown. Stir in the garlic.

Add the squash and water, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 40 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes, then puree in two batches in a food processor. Up to this point the soup can be prepared in advance, even refrigerated or frozen.

Return the puree to the saucepan and add the stock and the sherry. Reheat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese on each portion.

SWEET POTATO, CARAMELIZED ONION, AND APPLE CIDER SOUP

This yummy soup comes from Soup for Every Body by Joanna Pruess w/Lauren Braun via Publix’s GreenWise magazine (December 2005). 1 1/2 hours prep time (includes baking time); Serves 4-6

This recipe originally called for 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock. I've taken the chicken stock out, leaving it at vegetable stock.

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 C fresh apple cider

1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses plus 3 Tbsp water

2 C vegetable stock

salt and white pepper

2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1 Tbsp finely shredded fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool, then peel. While potatoes are baking, heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and adjust head to medium. Sauté until golden brown and very tender, about 20-25 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer onions, sweet potatoes, and apple cider to food processor. Puree until smooth.

Return puree to pan and stir in molasses and water. Add stock to the puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into heated bowls. Sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts and shredded sage leaves in center of each bowl and serve.

Per serving: 326 calories; 4 g protein; 59 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 9 g total fat (4 g sta., 2 g mono, 2 g poly); 346 mg sodium; Vitamin A, B6, Manganese, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), C, E, Pantothenic acid, Copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium

WEIGHT WATCHERS SLOW-COOKER SOUP
This came in a Weight Watchers’ email several years ago, with a points value of 0. I have no idea what the points value would be now, nor do I have a link to it.

10 oz baby spinach leaves

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium celery ribs, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 medium garlic clove, minced

4 C vegetable broth

28 oz canned diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed

Place all ingredients in slow cooker; cover & cook on high for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir, & serve. Yields about 1 C/serving.

Note: If you need the soup fast, simply add prepped ingredients in a large pot on stovetop. Bring to boil & then reduce heat to low; simmer, partly covered, about 10 minutes.

HOT AND SOUR SOUP

This is one of Publix's Aprons recipes. Makes 6 servings.

1/4 cup green onions (2 – 3 onions)

1 (28-ounce) can chop suey vegetables (drained)

4 1/4 cups water

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon miso paste

1/2 cup shredded carrots

2 teaspoons chili bean sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable base

1/4 cup Oriental salad dressing

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Wash onions and remove any wilted portions. Chop enough green onions into 1/4-inch pieces to measure 1/4 cup, including up to half of green tops. Discard tops or reserve for another use. Set aside.

Open can of vegetables and drain liquid by squeezing lid against vegetables. Set aside.

Place in large saucepan: 4 cups water, onions, vegetables, mushrooms, hoisin sauce, miso paste, carrots, bean sauce, vegetable base and salad dressing. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Place 1/4 cup water and cornstarch in 2-cup measuring cup. Stir together until creamy. When boiling, stir in cornstarch mixture. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Serve.

Calories 332kcal; Fat 11g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrate 45g; Fiber 6g; Protein 14g; Sodium 1954mg; Daily Values: Vitamin A 39%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 10%; Iron 16%

GULLA SUPPER SOUP

This comes from the Margaret Holmes Tomatoes, Okra & Corn cans.

Years ago, my better-half had changed pharmacies to one in a local Publix. At the time, the Publix we normally went to didn't have a pharmacy (it does now), so we went to another one that had a pharmacy. Of course, since it was laid out a little differently, so we had to look around to find what we'd planned to buy.

It was while exploring this new (to us) Publix that I stumbled across cans of Margaret Holmes Tomatoes, Okra & Corn. I wasn't familiar with the Margaret Holmes brand, but the word “okra” jumped out at me. My better-half had spent most of his life in the south (as he liked to tell people, “It took me six months to crawl from Detroit to Florida.”), and absolutely loved okra, as well as many other southern foods that I'd never really tried.

So, of course, I had to pick up a couple of cans of this, as well as the other ingredients to make this. It soon became an absolute favorite in our house. We tended to double the recipe. Give this a try – if you're like us, you won't regret it!

2 cans Margaret Holmes Tomatoes, Okra and Corn

1/2 stick butter

1 medium onion, peeled & chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 C green cabbage, chopped

1/2 C green pepper, seeded & chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Big pinch fresh thyme

Big pinch chopped parsley

1/2 C cooked rice

Melt butter in medium saucepan, add onions, celery, cabbage & green pep-per. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium high heat until vegetables are softened. Add tomatoes & juice; cook for about 10 more minutes.

Stir in seasonings & cooked rice. Bring back to simmer & cook for 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

FIVE BEAN SOUP

This is from Eden Foods. Serves 10. Prep Time 10 minutes. Cook Time 40 minutes.

2 Tbs Eden Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 C celery, diced

1/2 C carrots, diced

3 Tbs barley, rinsed

3 C water

1 can Eden Organic Pinto Beans

1 can Eden Organic Black Beans

1 can Eden Organic Kidney Beans

1 can Eden Organic Navy Beans

1 can Eden Organic Garbanzo Beams

1 C sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1 can Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes with Roasted Onion

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 1/2 tsp crushed bay leaf

1 tsp Eden Sea Salt – French Celtic

Heat oil in soup pot, sauté garlic & onion until onion is translucent. Add water, celery, carrot & barley, beans, corn, tomatoes & herbs. Add salt, cover & simmer 30 minutes. Serve.