Happy 2015! Did you make a new year’s resolution? I try to come up with something easy every year so hopefully I don’t end up doing it only for a month or so. This year I hope to limit the amount of time I spend looking at my phone/tablet at the end of the day. It’s always fun to keep up with social media, the news and emails, but I know I spend too much time on those things and I want to spend more of that time with my family. I hope you enjoy these soup and chili recipes. Thank you to our cooks who share their special recipes for us to share with our readers. Submit your recipes here and check us out on Facebook for updates throughout the month.
Mary Tyler Spivey is a graduate of Huntingdon College
where she studied history and French but she also has a
passion for great food.
Contact her at [email protected].
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Cook of the month: Carissa Pittman, Age 12, Joe Wheeler EMC
Harvest Delight Soup
- 2 pounds carrots
- 7 cups vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup powdered milk (use powder only; do not add water)
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 1/4 cups corn
- 1/2 cup celery
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Dash of thyme
Cut the green beans and celery. Peel and slice the carrots, and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into about ¾-inch pieces. Steam the carrots and potatoes. Prepare the vegetable stock. When carrots are finished steaming, put them on a cutting board. With a fork, mash the carrots well. In a blender, blend the mashed carrots until smooth. Pour the mashed carrots into a pot. Add the vegetable stock and stir. Stir the milk powder and cornstarch into the soup. Add the green beans, corn, celery, and potatoes. Add the pepper and thyme; mix well. Place the soup on the stove on medium heat until thoroughly heated. Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Garnish with whole wheat Club Crackers if desired.
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Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 5 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup brown rice
- 4 15 oz. cans black-eyed peas with liquid
- 1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 pound sausage, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion, pepper, and celery until tender. Pour in the chicken broth, and mix in rice, black-eyed peas with liquid, diced tomatoes and green chilies, diced tomatoes, sausage and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, or until rice is tender. Add water if soup is too thick.
Cynthia Rodgers, Southern Pine EC
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Chicken and Dumplings
- 3 quarts of water
- 3-4 large chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 can cream of chicken
- 1 large can evaporated milk
- ½ stick of butter
- 12 large flour tortillas torn into pieces (some small and some big pieces)
Boil chicken until done and tender. Take chicken out of water; let cool and shred chicken. Put last four ingredients into water and bring to a boil. Put pieces of tortillas into boiling water, stirring often, careful to not let stick. Add shredded chicken. Add water for thinner soup or more tortillas for thicker soup. If you let it sit, it will be better.
Donna Gilliam, Tombigbee EC
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Chicken Corn Chowder
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 8-oz. package sliced mushrooms
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 14.5-oz. cans chicken broth (99 percent fat free)
- 1 16-oz. package frozen shoepeg corn or a can of shoepeg corn
- 2 cups cooked chicken breasts (or rotisserie chicken from the store)
- 1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup orzo (found in pasta section) or use instant rice
- Several fresh rosemary leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon sugar or sugar substitute
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or cornstarch
Melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat; add mushrooms and onion, sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add chicken broth and all other ingredients except milk and flour. Simmer 10 minutes or until orzo is tender. Stir together milk and flour (or cornstarch) in a small bowl until well blended. Gradually stir into chowder and simmer 5 minutes.
Earnestine Pace, North Alabama EC
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Easy Peasy Cheesy Potato Soup
- 4 cups diced peeled potatoes
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery (optional)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can of water or milk
- 1 can green peas (drained)
- ½ pound Velveeta cheese
Cover potatoes and onions with water and boil until tender. Add remaining ingredients and mix. For thicker soup, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1/4 cup water or milk and add to soup mixture. Enjoy with cornbread or corn chips!
Mary F. Haga, Arab EC
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Shrimp Bisque
1 can cream of mushroom soup- 2 cans cream of potato soup
- 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 pint half and half
- 4 oz. cream cheese
- 1 pound shrimp
- ½ teaspoon to 1 teaspoon red pepper
- Tony Chachere’s seasoning salt, to taste
- Scallions as desired
Put all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for four hours.
Terasa Driggers, Joe Wheeler EMC
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8 Can Taco Soup
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 15.25 oz. can sweet corn, drained
- 1 12.5 oz. can white chicken breast, drained*
- 1 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
- 1 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce
- 1 14 oz. can chicken broth
- 1 packet taco seasoning
* I use shredded rotisserie chicken for a meatier soup.
Mix all ingredients together in a large pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, cilantro or red onions.
Dotty Thomas, Baldwin EMC
