Mexican Bean Burrito Soup

My husband loves my chili, and I appreciate his loyalty to one of my dishes, but sometimes I just want to shake it up with something different. Today I put together a soup that mixed a few recipes with my own twist and I came up with Mexican Bean Burrito Soup.

Mexican Bean Burrito Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 cup smooth taco sauce
32 ounces ready to serve beef broth
1 cup water
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. Adobo seasoning with cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 can Northern, pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can refried beans
3/4 cup uncooked instant brown or white rice
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips

Heat the oil in a soup/stock pot and saute the onion until soft. Add the ground chuck, breaking apart as it browns. When the meat is browned and no longer pink, add the beef broth, water, taco sauce, spices and beans. Mix with a wooden spoon, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-8 minutes, then add the rice. Cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes if it's brown instant rice. If it's white instant rice, remove from heat at that point and cover. Allow it to sit covered for up to ten minutes after removed from heat.

Serve in bowls with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips. Serves 6.

OPTIONS: If you want to leave out the meat, add another can of beans. This would also be good with shredded cooked pork or chicken in place of the ground beef. Sour cream and extra hot sauce could be served with it as well.

On OFL I shared more spicy soups:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/soups.html

~Brenda

Home Comfort Soups from 1948

Winter came down to our home one night quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,and we, we were children once again. ~Bill Morgan, Jr.

We just finished dinner, BBQ chicken and potato wedges, and I was thinking about soups again. I know, I'm a little odd, but winter makes me crave soups and chowders. I just found my copy of the Home Comfort Cook Book from 1948. It was published for Home Comfort Ranges and was originally "One dollar post paid". Don't we wish cookbooks cost that now:) This time period is great for finding recipes that use thrifty ingredients. I thought I'd share a few of the recipes.

Cream of Corn Soup

2 cups boiling water

2 cups canned cream style corn

1/2 cup chopped celery and leaves

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tbsp. chopped onions

2 cups milk

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

Add water to corn. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes with celery, parsley and onion. Melt butter, add flour and when well blended add milk slowly. Strain corn mixture and add to white sauce. Season, heat to boiling point and serve with sprinkling of additional parley on top of each soup plate. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.

Chicken Bisque

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup top milk *see note

1 cup cooked ground chicken

salt and paprika

Melt butter, blend in flour, add chicken stock gradually, then top milk and ground chicken. Season to taste. Heat well and serve-luscious preceding a salad main course at luncheon topped with whipped cream, sprinkled with paprika. Makes about 5 cups.

Note: Top milk is the milk that was "topped" from whole milk that still had the cream in it. You can use half and half or cream instead.

Onion Soup

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions

3/4 cup water

4 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. flour

6 cups stock (beef, chicken, vegetable)

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt

pepper

toast

grated cheese

Brown onions in butter. Stir in flour, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer covered for one hour. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven proof dishes. Cover top with toast sprinkled with cheese. Put in hot oven until cheese is melted. Serve at once. Makes 6 cups.

Notes: Toast can be Italian or French bread that's been sliced and lightly toasted. Sprinkle with Parmesan, Swiss or other cheese and heat under broiler.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 pound mushrooms

2 cups stock or water

1 small stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 sprigs parsley

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

2 cups cream

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Wash mushrooms, trim stems and cover with stock. Add celery, parsley, peeled carrots and onion. Simmer for 20 minutes. Drain vegetables, reserving stock and put through at food chopper (blender or food processor). Melt butter, add flour, and blend well. Add mushroom stock slowly and hot cream. Add the vegetables, season and serve. Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Check out this article from Mary Emma on winter chowders:

http://oldfashionedliving.com/chowders.html

~Brenda

Warm and Hearty Fall Soups

The days and nights are starting to cool off here in Michigan finally. I always think of baking and fixing soup when it cools off. They both make the house smell wonderful, and warm the body. Today I have a few soup recipes to try out this fall.

Potato Bacon Cheese Soup

Ingredients:
6 to 8 large baking potatoes
2 cups whole or 2% milk
4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup butter or margarine
8-12 strips bacon, cooked, drained
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
8 oz. (1 cup) Mexican Blend cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Bake or microwave potatoes until tender. Cool until you can handle, then peel. Mash or dice the potatoes for the soup. In a large pan, melt the butter, then mix in the flour by stirring it in to the melted butter. Cook this mixture on a medium heat for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the milk and broth until everything is dissolved and mixed smooth. Add the salt and pepper, potatoes, cooked and cheese. Crumble the bacon and mix in. Cook the soup until the cheese has melted and all is heated through. At the last minute, stir in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Barley and Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups split peas
6 cups water
2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth (4 cups)
1/3 cup minced sweet onion
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried, crushed thyme
1/2 cup barley
6 cups water
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups diced cooked ham

Drizzle a tiny bit of oil in a soup pot, and saute the onion til softened. Rinse the split peas. Place in a soup pot with the onions, adding 6 cups of water, chicken broth, seasonings, and garlic. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 to 1/2 hours or until peas are tender.

Meanwhile, combine the barley with 6 cups of water in a saucepan. Boil one minute, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1-1/2 hours or until most of the water has been absorbed. (You can also buy quick cooking barley and cook according to directions.)Drain the barley using a colander and add to the split peas. Stir in chopped carrots and the ham. Simmer 15 to 30 minutes longer until the carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 6 servings.

Beefy Mushroom Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground chuck
7-10 potatoes (peeled and cubed)
2 cans low sodium cream of mushroom soup
2 cans beef broth
1 16 oz. light sour cream
1 cup very thinly sliced and halved sweet onion

Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender. In a soup pot brown beef and onions. Drain fat. Add the cream of mushroom soup with the beef broth and heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream. Drain the potatoes and add to the soup pan as well. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

On OFL we have more hearty soup recipes here.

~Brenda

Friday's Recipes: Warming Soups

Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren't even there before. ~Mignon McLaughlin

I've been fixing soups and stews to take off the chill here in the Michigan. We had wind chills below 0 degrees this week! Try a few of these recipes for your family, and keep warm.

Slow Cooked Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds lean beef-cut into cubes
1 pound baby carrots
2 1/2 potatoes, cut in eighths
2 1/2 sweet onions, sliced thinly
1 (15 oz.) can Italian-style canned, tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tbsp. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, or 1 tsp. fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil or 1 tsp. fresh, minced

Brown the beef cubes in a large skillet, seasoning with salt and pepper lightly. Place a layer of the vegetables in the crock, and then a layer of the meat. Repeat until it's all layered. Mix the flour and the seasonings together. Sprinkle the mixture over each meat layer. Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce as well. After layering, pour stewed tomatoes over all,cover and cook on low 10-12 hours. NOTES: I also like to drizzle with herb vinegar in place of the Worcestershire sauce. A good way to prepare this is to cut all the meat and vegetables the night before-placing the vegetables in one plastic bag or bowl and the meat in another. In the morning you assemble and it cooks all day long. A great busy day meal! This could easily be doubled and served for a crowd,or used as leftovers for lunches! Serve with corn bread. I also blend up the tomatoes because my kids don't like "chunky" things in their food.

Southwestern Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of cubed ham
1 (16 1/2 ounce) can cream style corn
1 11 ounce can whole kernel corn
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 cup sour cream, lowfat is fine
1 cup milk, skim, 2% or whole

Combine ham, both kinds of corn and chilies. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture just comes to a boil. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and stir in the sour cream and milk. Cook 3-4 minutes longer until heated through, stirring occasionally. 6 servings.

Slow Cooked Italian Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 pound hot Italian sausage
1 cup sliced carrots or baby carrots
1 large diced potato
1 garlic clove minced
2 15 ounce cans beef broth
15 can cooked northern or navy beans
14 ounce can diced tomatoes (Italian style is nice)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 cup fresh green beans, cut into one inch pieces
Optional: 1 cup chopped cabbage or spinach
Parmesan Cheese

Brown the sausage, and at the end saute the garlic, careful not to scorch. Combine everything in the crockpot except the green beans and cabbage. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Add the beans, and the cabbage or chopped spinach and cook 30 minutes more. Serve with the Parmesan cheese in bowls. You can also boil some pasta according to instructions and spoon a small amount in the bottom of each bowl, then top with the soup.

On OFL we have more soup recipes to warm you up:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/soups.html