Chicken Noodle Soup

During the winter my family always makes noodles from scratch, it's a tradition. It's a lot of extra work, but the flavor is so worth the labor. We still had some ready to cook and I wanted to make something that would really feature the noodles: chicken noodle soup (from scratch!).

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons EVOO
1/2 white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery ribs, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 cup of chicken (shredded or chopped)
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped (don't substitute dried parsley in this recipe, the fresh stuff really makes it great)
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon thyme


8 ounces of noodles (homemade or from the store)

Get Cookin'
Add everything except for the noodles into the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until dinner time. About 30 minutes before eating, add in noodles, if store bought. If using homemade noodles, add the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Soup

This is a favorite around my dorm! It's easy, cheap and pretty healthy. Thanks to 365 Days of Crockpotting for this recipe! 

Ingredients:

--1 pound chicken (can still be frozen)
--1 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--1 cup sliced mushrooms ( I used canned ones)
--1 cup frozen corn
--1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
-- avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)

Get cookin'

Throw everything except the sour cream, avocado and cilantro into the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. If you'd like to thicken the broth use an immersible blender to blend a bit of the beans and chicken. If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.

Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with cilantro and avocado slices.

Mulligatawny Soup

Last semester the dining hall served mulligatawny soup for dinner one day--I was skeptic, but tried it. It was amazing, and I've been looking for a recipe to recreate it. Stephanie O'dea at A Year of Slowcooking has the winning recipe for mulligatawny soup! 

I thought this was fitting for the first day of fall. The leaves don't change color in Arizona, but a girl can live vicariously through NY pictures!

photo from here

The name is weird and the ingredients may sound weird, but it is superb! Give it a try, please!
 

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup peeled and chopped apple
1 cup chopped carrots
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried minced onion flake
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons curry
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup long grain white rice (to add later)

Get Cookin'

Put the chicken thighs into the bottom of the crockpot--add apple, carrots, tomatoes (juice, too), onion flakes, and raisins,lemon juice, spices, and broth.

Stir to mix the spices.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. 

Turn to high and stir in the uncooked rice about an hour before serving. 

Taco Soup

This is an easy, filling soup perfect for chilly weather. It's made from ingredients that are pantry staples so you shouldn't have to go to the store. I usually don't use the meat that is listed as optional. The beans are plenty of protein. Thanks to http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/original-taco-soup-crockpot-recipe.html for the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning (if you are gluten free, stick to McCormick)
1 packet ranch dressing mix (make sure there isn't hidden gluten, I went with Hidden Valley)
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment

Get Cookin'


Put the meat in the crockpot if you're using it. Sprinkle the seasoning packets on top. Drain and rinse the beans, add the entire contents of the tomato and corn cans. Sir.

Cook on high for 8-10 hours.

The longer it cooks the better. Stir well, serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

Beef Stew

This is the first beef I've cooked all school year! Before you ask if I'm going vegetarian--heck no, I'm not. It's just that when I visit my family and Jesse's family every weekend I typically eat beef at least once, maybe even twice. As a result, I haven't felt inclined to make any of my own beef for just 'lil old me. Tuesday I decided it was time for some beef, in the crockpot. I've never made beef stew before, but with the help of Coyote Country Seasoning Co. it turned out delicious!





1 pack of Coyote Country Seasoning Company's "beefy stew soup"
1 can of mushrooms, drained
handful of baby carrots
1 onion, chopped
1 can baby potatoes, drained
1 pound of steak, cut into cubes
4 c water

Get Cookin'

Place everything in crockpot and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-5. The seasoning package called for 6 cups of water, but I thought it was too much, just so you know. Remember, stews and soups taste better the longer they cook, so try to opt for cooking it on the low setting.

Hot and Sour Soup

Another winning recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking. This really wasn't filling enough for a meal, but maybe adding some fried rice on the side or some other delicious Asian dish. The original recipe used water and chicken broth, but I think it needed a bit more flavor.

1 cup cubed firm tofu
4 cups chicken broth
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2T soy sauce
1t sesame oil
2T rice wine vinegar
1/2t red pepper flakes
green onion for garnish

Add everything except the green onion. Cook on low for 7-9 hours or high 4-5 hours.
When finished, add green onion on top.