Oh the joy of discovering excellent recipes!  My heart is full with happiness and my stomach cannot wait to taste this nurturing soup again.  I wish I could claim full credit, but I cannot.  This is the fine work of Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen.  The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup.

It serves 6 to 8, easy.  I enjoyed it twice in one day last weekend, it's so smooth and satisfying. It's called creamless AND creamy because the recipe does not call for heavy cream or half-n-half.  The creamy texture comes from using 3 slices of sandwich bread.  I kid you not, it's the secret ingredient to its success.  My family didn't have a clue; they didn't even ask.  They just slurped it down as they groaned over their bowls.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium onion , chopped medium (about 1 cup)
• 3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
• Pinch hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes packed in juice
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3 large slices good-quality sandwich bread , crusts removed, torn into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Using potato masher, mash until no pieces bigger than 2 inches remain. Stir in sugar and bread; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer half of soup to blender. Add 1 tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil. Rinse out Dutch oven and return soup to pot. Stir in chicken broth and brandy (if using). Return soup to boil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve soup in individual bowls. Sprinkle each portion with pepper and chives and drizzle with olive oil.

If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step.

The original recipe is called Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup, published September 1, 2008, from Cook's Illustrated.com.

MY COOKING NOTES:

• I wanted to use my very favorite canned tomatoes, San Marzano whole plum tomatoes.  They're sweet with the right level of acidity for soups and sauces.  They cost more than the average can of whole tomatoes, but they're worth it when I need a tomato sauce to stand alone.  I use the other brand tomatoes for chilis and salsas.  Taste them for yourself and you'll know where I'm coming from.
• I saved the pinch of red pepper flakes as the last seasoning before serving the grown ups.  I was afraid the heat would be noticeable to the kiddos.  I wanted them to love this soup and didn't need reasons for them not to like it.
• I skipped the brandy.  No one in my family has ever tasted it.  I don't keep it on hand.  So, I figured no one would know it was missing. Right?
• I didn't have onion chives, but I did have garlic chives from the herb garden.  They were perfect.
• I used my immersion blender to puree the tomato-bread mixture.  Then I passed it through a mesh strainer before adding the broth.  This removed the seeds and stray bits of tomato skins, along with taking the soup to the next smoothest texture.  It makes all the big difference in making the soup feel creamy in the mouth.  It's worth it when I take the extra 3 minutes to strain the soup.
• Next time, I'm doubling the recipe so I can freeze servings for make-ahead-lunches.  Since there's no dairy involved, this recipe is sure to hold up for future meals.

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A NEW WINNER WITH THE FAMILY, Sausage and Bean Stew got raving reviews!

Family demands it to be in our monthly rotations of family favorites. Use your favorite sausage for this stew, spicy or mild, either will work. Since I have young ones, I went with a mild pork sausage.

HERE'S ALL THERE'S TO IT

• 1 pound sausage, cut in 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon oil or bacon dripping
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (14 oz) or 2 cups kidney or pinto beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can (14 oz) or 2 cups garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup salsa, medium or mild, you decide
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

In large pot or dutch-oven, brown sausage in oil over medium heat. You may have to cook half the amount at one time.  The less crowded the faster the meat will brown.  Remove the meat from the pan and set aside on a plate. Drain fat, leaving a tablespoons worth to soften the onion and garlic over medium low heat for 7 to 10 minutes.

Return sausage to pan.  Add rest of ingredients, cover and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, stir occasionally.  Cornbread makes a great side to this stew.

Serves 4 to 6 folks.

Per serving:  Protein - 27 g, Fat - 26 g, Carbohydrates - 44 g, Calories - 511, Dietary Fiber - 12 g.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This simple soup recipe made for a nice addition to our weekly dinner menu.  The kiddos didn't like it, but four grown ups chowed down until they could eat no more.  So colorful, so fresh tasting, light on the calories, and loaded with filling ingredients.  I served this soup with a side of hot baked French bread and leftover Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained or rinsed or 2 cups homecooked
• 1 teaspoon dried sage

• 1/2 cup uncooked macaroni
• 1 cup blanched spinach, or frozen spinach thawed, then chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or dutch-oven, cook onion and garlic over medium low heat until onion is transparent.  Add tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes or so, until tomatoes start to break down.  Add broth, beans, sage.

Increase heat to medium high to bring broth to a boil.  Add macaroni then REDUCE HEAT to simmer 7 minutes.  Add spinach and simmer 5 more minutes, until spinach is heated through and pasta is cooked.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 5 to 6 folks.

COOK'S NOTES

• I pressure cooked a bag of garbanzo beans in 30 minutes, then used the extra bean broth for the vegetable broth. I was still left them 2 1/2 cups of garbanzo beans with broth for reserve.  I'm ready for another chickpea recipe.
• I keep frozen blanched spinach in 2 cup portions in the freezer for recipes like this.  So all I had to do was thaw the spinach and chop it up.
• Even though this was a light tasting soup, I wanted it to have a thicker tomato consistency. It's probably just a mood I'm in right now.  I'm thinking of pureeing the tomatoes, next time, before adding them to the pot.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Of all the simple lentil recipes I have tried, this one is fast becoming my favorite way to eat lentils.  My newest friend from Virginia, Cheryl B., brought this soup over last week for our lunch together.  The kids chowed down!

Cheryl was sweet enough to leave extra lentil chili behind for me to photograph and enjoy.  And I certainly did just that. ;D

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon. minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen carrots (I use about 4 cups of fresh sliced carrots)
• 1 (16 oz.) pkg. lentils (any color is fine but red looks the nicest)
• 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste (can substitute stewed, diced, or chopped tomatoes)
• 6 cups water
• 14 oz. water
• 3 teaspoon beef bouillion
• 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• grated cheese to top (mexican, cheddar, or just be creative)

Cook oil, garlic, onion, and carrots 10 minutes on med. high, until looking a bit brown.
Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and bring to a boil.  Then lower heat to simmer for 35-40 minutes, un-covered.  Add more seasonings to taste.  Serve with grated cheese on top.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

When you barely have time to prepare something good to eat, make a batch of peppers and black bean soup.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 (14 ounce) cans black beans
• 2 tablespoons butter or oil
• 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed or minced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon New Mexico Chile Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Hot Spanish Paprika (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• smoked cheddar for topping

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, warm the black beans with their liquid.

In a saute pan oven medium heat, heat butter or oil, add all the vegetables and spices.  Stir fry the vegetables until they become tender.  Add the cooked vegetables to the hot black beans, stir and allow to cook up to 10 minutes.  You're Ready to Eat!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 onion, if you like onion
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 packet of Williams Chili Seasoning, hot or mild whichever you like

In a skillet, brown meat with chopped onions. In a pot, put browned meat, tomatoes, one can tomato sauce, and chili seasoning. I like my chili juicy so I add water to my liken. Give it a taste to make sure you have enough tomato sauce and add more if you want.  Bring to a boil and it is ready to eat. Enjoy!
Here is a Taco Soup Recipe and it is a really good substitute for chili.

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 oz) whole kernel corn
• 1 (14.5 oz) pinto beans
• 1 (14.5 oz) rotel tomatoes
• onion to taste
• one or two packets taco seasoning depends on your taste. I use two.
• one packet ranch dressing mix or two if you like

Brown meat with onions in skillet then put all ingredients in pot except dressing mix. May need to add some water. Bring to a boil turn heat off and add dressing mix. Let set few minutes and serve.

Tom G.
Sulphur Springs, Texas

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

"This is a SIMPLE SOUP, completely dependent on the quality of the broth." That's what the cookbook says and I couldn't agree more.  I followed the recipe, but then again, I didn't follow it.  The original recipe called for canned ingredients.  I had to take the home cooked approach.  For you, I'll write the original recipe, THEN I'll tell you what I did.  You pick the one that fits your needs best. Okay?  Okay. Let's COOK!

Recipe from 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains
Serves 4 to 6 servings

• 6 cups high-quality chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 store-bought or homemade roasted red bell peppers, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned cannellini or other white beans
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 basil leaves, cut in shreds

Heat the broth to simmering.  Add the bell pepper strips and cooked white beans.  Heat through.  Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.  Pour into soup bowls.  Sprinkle the basil leaves on top.  Serve hot.

Here's the Home Cooked Method

• 2 cups dried Northern White Beans
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• water

Put all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and cover with 2 inches of water.  By cover I mean from the top of the beans to the water surface, should measure 2 inches.  Do NOT measure from the bottom of the pressure cooker; that will not be enough water.  Moving on.

Secure lid and lock, put the pressure regulator on top, set heat to medium high.  When pressure regulator begins to chatter, turn heat down to medium-low and set cooking timer for 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 450ºF.

• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt & fresh ground pepper

Place the chopped pepper on cookie sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Toss with hands to evenly coat the peppers.  Season with a pinch of salt & pepper.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

(I had Spinach Bread dough in the frig; so I quickly shaped up a loaf for dinner and let it rise while the peppers roasted.  I already had the pizza stone in the oven so it would be hot too when the peppers finished.)

Finally, I had

• 4 cups of homemade chicken broth in the freezer
• fresh basil from the garden

I defrosted the frozen broth in the microwave, then went out to pick the basil.

When the peppers were finish roasting, I slid the bread onto the pizza stone, set the timer for 30 minutes, then removed the peppers from the cookie sheet and set them aside in a medium saucepan.

When the bean timer went off, I removed the pressure cooker from the heat.  And allowed it to cool down on it's own accord.

I poured the cold chicken broth into the saucepan with the peppers and heated it up over medium heat.  When the pressure dropped on the pressure cooker, about 10 minutes later, I carefully removed the lid and scooped out 2 cups of cooked beans.  I was careful to avoid the bay leaf. Added the cooked beans to the hot broth.  Tasted for salt and pepper.  Poured into soup bowls and topped with shredded basil.

The bread timer went off at that same time!  We had a steaming hot loaf of spinach bread on the side. It was very good to dip into this brothy soup.  Any bread would have worked, really.

There.  That was our dinner last night.  All fresh, made at home in about an hour.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Mouth watering and full of fresh flavors, this soup was an instant winner with the family.  My son loved the soft chunky tomatoes and rice; I loved the fresh cilantro and chickpeas - OH it was ALL GOOD!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (14 oz) can cooked chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups home cooked chickpeas
• 3 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion until soften.  Add garlic, chickpeas, water, cooked rice, tomatoes, paste,  and dried parsley.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in chopped cilantro, season with salt & fresh pepper to taste.  Remove from heat, let stand for about 7 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors.  Soup will thicken up, too.  You're ready to eat!

Tastes wonderful with fresh baked bread on the side.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 fresh jalapenos, stemmed and seeded
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 2 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes
• 8 cups heavy cream
• 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mince the jalapenos and set aside.  In a large heavy saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat.  Add the jalapenos, onion and garlic and saute, stirring, until vegetables are softened (not browned).

Remove from heat and stir in the avocado, tomatoes and cream.  Reduce heat to medium low and return to heat, watching and stirring so the cream does not separate.  Bring the soup slowly back to a simmer and cook for about 35 to 45 minutes to reduce to one third.  Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent scorching.

Season with salt and pepper.  Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, reserving some for garnish.  Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

___________________________________________________________

Grady Spears is a Texas chef. He has several cookbooks, among them A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos and Reata Legendary Texas Cooking

This soup recipe is served at Grady Spears' Reata restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas.  The Reata, which was on the top floor of the Bank One Tower, was closed after the 37-story building was heavily damaged by a tornado in 2000.  The Reata Restaurant is now located in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Eating Chicken Tortilla Soup with red beans and without the chicken was  just as filling & delicious.  It's more likely I'll make this bean version more often.

This recipe is pretty much the same as the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.  Only this recipe calls for a couple of cups of  cooked red beans.  Whether you cook the beans yourself or open up the can, it's totally up to you.  I can't call it "vegetarian" because I used chicken stock.  Of course, vegetable stock would work too, I just didn't have any on hand at the time.

Quite honestly, most of the time I'm working with what's on hand rather than planned meals.  Sure, I have a generally idea.  When it comes to grocery shopping, I keep the standard vegetables fresh and keep a variety of legumes on hand.  Lately, I'm only buying meats when I have a planned meal in mind.  Anyhoo, let's get this soup on.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small red or orange bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic & onions
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
• 1 whole green chili, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked red beans

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat, add onions, celery, and carrots then cook until vegetables soften, 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook for up to 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes with their juices, green chili, cilantro, salt and pepper.  Cut the tortillas into 1/2 inch strips and add to the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Add the cooked red beans and check the level of salt & pepper.  Allow the red beans to heat through a few minutes.  Then, YOU'RE READY TO CHOW DOWN!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.