
Kitchen Focus
I love soup. Nothing is more effective in helping take away a chill. It seems to warm you from the inside out and even my toes seem toastier after a piping hot bowl. And when it comes to soup, it's not hard to make me smile. I love everything from pumpkin bisque to chicken noodle soup to french onion soup. I even love the traditional accompaniments to soup -- various breads and salads. So you'll find it no surprise that this month's topic is devoted to soup, soup, beautiful soup!!!
Instead of diving into a variety of traditional soup recipes, I thought I'd take us off the beaten path to look at a few recipes that are among my favorite and really offer a splendid variety for this time of the year. What's even better is that each can be made in about 30 minutes ... that means that soup is no longer something that needs to simmer for hours. It can be a mid-week meal!

Mushroom-Pepper Soup
- 8 oz. mushrooms -- choose your favorite variety or, better yet, use a variety
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic -- minced
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 T. butter
- 3 (14 oz.) cans beef broth
- 1 T. teriyaki sauce -- choose your favorite variety
Slice the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and dice the red pepper. Sauté the mushrooms, pepper and garlic over medium-high heat in the olive oil. Near the end of the cooking, add the butter and mix to flavor the vegetables. Add the beef broth and teriyaki sauce and heat to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes before serving.
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Log in to post comments

Chicken & Veggi Soup
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. dried Italian herbs
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts -- cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1/2 red onion -- coarsely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper -- diced
- 1 c. sliced carrots
- 2/3 c. short-cut green beans
- 2 (14 oz.) cans chicken broth
- 2 c. spicy tomato juice
- 1 (15.8 oz.) can white beans -- rinsed and drained
- 2 green onions -- sliced
Mix the first four ingredients. Set aside. Sauté the chicken in the olive oil. Add the prepared vegetables and the reserved seasonings. Mix to coat with the spices and sauté until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broth and tomato juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the beans and the green onions and warm through. Serve hot.
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Log in to post comments

Mushroom-Chive Bisque
- 2 (14 oz.) cans vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 c. chopped fresh chives
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 (12 oz.) can fat free evaporated skim milk
- 2 cloves garlic -- minced
- 2 shallots -- minced
- 8 oz. mushrooms -- sliced
- 1 T. olive oil
In a deep pan, combine the vegetable broth, chives, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes or until the chives are soft. Add the evaporated skim milk. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it has a homogeneous consistency and is pale green in color.
Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms in the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Before serving, add the sautéed vegetables to the broth and mix to combine. Warm thoroughly and garnish with fresh chives, if desired.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Log in to post comments
- Log in to post comments