Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup

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.

Simple Lentil Chili Recipe

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.

Peppers and Black Bean Soup

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!

Roasted Red Pepper and White Bean Soup

"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.

Great Lunch Ideas You Can Take To Work

Debbie K., a Simple Daily Recipes email subscriber, emailed me the other day.
She said,

"I'd really like some great lunch ideas that I can take to work maybe heat up in the microwave, things that can be made before hand that are hopefully tasty and healthy."

HERE'S WHAT I'VE COOKED UP BEFORE

• Minestrone with Pasta and Beans
• Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup
• No Heartburn Beef Chili
• Very Delicious Cream of Zucchini Soup
• Red Bean Tortilla Soup
• Butternut Chicken Stew
• Organic Italian Soup
• REAL Chicken Chili

Jo’s White Chili

This one is for those nights when you're in a big hurry.....

3 maybe 4 ingredient White Chili

• 1 can Northern Beans
• 1 jar Salsa (mild, medium or my favorite, Hot)
• 1 pound ground turkey, browned

Mix together and enjoy...
If you do like it thinner, add a can of chicken broth

yummy good!

From a loyal Simple Daily Recipes reader
Jo K., Michigan

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

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.

Red Bean Tortilla Soup

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!

Bean Soup with Salsa Verde

Warn the kids and ask hubby to sleep in the spare room tonight.
This simple, yet spicy soup is loaded with musical beans and takes no time at all to bring together.  Serve it up with fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese & handful of tortilla chips and you're ready to chow down!

If you have loved ones with sensitive taste buds, substitute the poblano pepper with a green bell pepper.

BEAN SOUP WITH SALSA VERDE

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz.) can fat-free refried beans
• 1 (8 oz.) jar salsa verde or 2 c. of your own green chili salsa
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Juice of 1 lime
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Sour cream
• Your favorite shredded cheese
• tortillas chips

In a large pot or Dutch oven, saute the onion and poblano in the oil until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, all the beans, salsa and chicken stock.  Stir gently to blend in the refried beans.

The refried beans really thicken the soup.  You can leave them out if you prefer a broth type soup.

Add cumin, oregano and chili powder.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the juice of 1 lime.  Simmer about 10 minutes until warmed through. Serve with fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese and chips on the side.

NOW FOR LAUGH FROM FRANCIE

For years! I begged my husband to get a dog.  After all, I reasoned, he'd have someone to point the blame on when the room was less than fresh.  He had always pointed the finger at our small cat, but I called him out because based on the sounds I heard.   If our cat had been the culprit, she would have hit the wall at a force of Mach 5!

So, he broke down and got the dog.  But here's the funny thing.  The dog is worse than my husband...much, MUCH worse.  We happened to adopt the one dog from the shelter whose gastric emissions put my world-champion husband's to shame.

Still, the dog does come in handy for hubby who happens to get gas when he eats most any vegetable. Beans, particularly, are his digestive mortal enemy.

If my husband were James Bond, beans would be Dr. No.
And yet, he loves this soup.  I love it too, because it's cheap, healthy and made in 15 minutes with pantry ingredients.

Francie
FranticHomecook.com

Very Delicious Cream of Zucchini Soup

DO NOT PASS UP THIS SOUP RECIPE! If you enjoy the flavors of zucchini and broccoli, then you must make this soup for yourself.  Even if you're the only one in your family that will it eat, make it anyway.

I've been looking at this recipe for quite some time now.  Always ending with the thought, "I'm the only one who'd eat this one."  So the other day, I had two large zucchini and a few sprigs of broccolini hanging out in the frig and I decided to go for it.

BOY! I was completely surprised by the fresh green flavor of this soup.  It's light & creamy, the zucchini is subtle.  It's TOTALLY HEALTHY and very satisfying.  It was SO GOOD, I wanted to jump up from the table and run it to my girlfriend's house and share with her.

I honestly thought, 'everyone who loves their veggies, needs to treat themselves to this soup.'

THIS IS ALL IT TAKES

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 pounds zucchini, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup nonfat half-and-half (Land O Lakes makes nonfat)
• salt & freshly ground pepper

Serves 4-6

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frquently, until softened but not brown.

Add the zucchini and Italian seasonings, with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.

Pour in the water and bring to a boil, stirring.  Lower the heat, half cover the pan and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Process the soup in a blender until smooth, then press through a sieve/mesh strainer into a clean pan.
Using a rubber spatula, keep working the soup through the strainer until most all of it has passed through.  This REALLY gives this soup it's delicate texture.  Don't skip this step. I noticed it removed the large bits of spice and pieces the blender missed.

Add two-thirds of the cream and stir over low heat until hot, but not boiling.  Check the consistency and add more cream if the soup is too thick.  Taste for seasoning, then pour into bowls.

You're ready to eat!

Extra bits:
In the first soup photo, you'll see I added crumbled feta cheese to my bowl.  It was good, but the feta over powered the subtle taste of the zucchini.  The second day I ate the soup, I left the cheese out and simple enjoyed the soup.

REAL Chicken Chili

Saturday, I drove into Dallas with my girlfriend to spend 2 hours in our favorite foodie mart. I had a blast stickin' my nose in the spice jars and exploring new aromas.  I came home with a GREAT assortment of dried herbs and spices without breaking the bank.  It's amazing how inexpensive spices really are when you're not having to buy the bottle every time.

One of my favorite spices is New Mexico Chili Pepper Powder.  It makes the stuff we buy off the grocer's shelf smell like sweaty armpits. I kid you not.  New Mexico Chili Pepper Powder is smokey without being harsh.  I can't call it sweet, but it's definitely smoooth.  It's doesn't carry much heat, which is great for sensitive taste buds, but it has a plenty of flavor.

So this morning, I wanted chili for lunch but all I had was a chicken breast.  I wondered if I could pull off a REAL CHILI full of body using chicken.  I wasn't in the mood for a Tex-Mex Chicken soup calling itself chili.  I wanted real chili with a smokey tomato based and lots of beans.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, quartered

• 1 (15 oz) can garlic & onion diced tomatoes
• 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 tablespoons New Mexico Chili Pepper Powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 2 cups hot chicken broth

Using a large pot over medium heat, cook the onion, celery, garlic until soften.  Next, add in the canned tomatoes, chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper.  Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.  Finally, stir in the tomato paste, beans and chicken broth, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

You're ready to chow down!

This made enough for five healthy bowls of chili.  I'm wishing now I had doubled the recipe so Charlie & I could eat it for lunch the next few days.  It's definitely one I would store up in the freezer to have on hand for those crazy busy days.

Simple and Spicy Bean Soup

This soup was born from the leftovers of the frig and freezer.  Meals like these can be the best we ever make for our families.  It took no time at all to toss together, aside from defrosting the extra beans I had stored in the freezer.

I think what made this soup SOOO Good, was the fact that I used my Simple Spicy Salsa.  It's made with Food Club's Diced Tomatoes with Chipotle Peppers and cilantro .  I've been making it for quite a few months and my friends & family are totally hooked on the stuff.  BwaHahahaa!

Anyhoo, if you don't have that brand of tomatoes with chipotle peppers.  It's not the end of the world, but I don't know of any other brand of tomatoes producing the same flavor, so you'll have to experiment with other spicy tomatoes.

LET ME JUST TELL YOU HOW TO MAKE THE SOUP

• 2 cups mashed Northern Beans
• 2 cups Pinto Beans, partly mashed
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or oil
• 1 cup Simple Spicy Salsa
• chicken broth, enough to thin soup if needed

Drain AND RESERVE the liquid from the beans.  Go ahead and mash the Northern beans pretty well, then toss in the pinto beans and partly mash them.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion until it has softened.  Add the mashed beans and the reserved liquid.  Stir together and cook until beans are heated through over medium heat.  If it's too thick, add a little chicken stock or water, BUT NOT TOO MUCH.  Keep in mind that you'll be adding salsa to the soup and that will loosen it up.  Add the Simple Spicy Salsa.  Depending on how spicy you like your food, you can add more.

Continue to simmer over medium low heat for 10, maybe 15 minutes.  Just long enough to bring all the flavors together and get everything heated through. Stir occasionally.

If you have selective eaters, then cut the spiciness with unseasoned tomatoes to help loosen the soup.  All the flavor that lifts this soup comes from the seasoned tomatoes and cilantro.  So you'll want to taste as you go.

Charlie loved it and took it for lunch the next day. It's pretty creamy tasting, I never felt the urge to add cheese.  I did however, have a handful of tortilla chips on the side.

Try it out. Let me know what seasoned tomatoes you used and how it turned out for you.  I'm not finished working with this bean soup.  I want to keep it very simple to prepare with plenty of flavor.  If you come up with something, I want to know about it.

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