Brazilian Black Bean Soup and Pao de Queijo

First up on this week's menu plan, Brazilian Black Bean Soup from my friend Julie's blog. This soup turned out so flavorful, and we really felt good about eating it since the ingredients are so healthy! Unfortunately, I am currently having computer issues, so I will go ahead and direct you to Julie's blog for Brazilian Black Bean Soup and Pao de Queijo.

Hopefully I am back up and running with the blog soon! Have a great weekend!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

One of the benefits of having a mom who grew up in Jamaica and lived all over the United States in her adult life is enjoying all the fabulous meals she learned how to cook along the way. For example, from her 6 years in Louisiana she became an expert in cooking Red Beans and Rice, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, and Crawfish Etouffee.

Those other recipes will make it to the blog someday, but today we are going to learn how to make Gumbo. Now, my dad jokes that pretty much any meat "makes the best Gumbo" to a native Louisianan. We're talking dove, turtle, miscellaneous roadkill - "Just eat around the tire tracks, honey!" Don't worry though, we will be making our gumbo with a little more orthodox meat: chicken and sausage.

A few notes before we get started:

1) My mom recommends using Andouille Sausage. If you can't find that, then spicy italian sausage (not ground) works great, too. If you have young children who can't handle spicy foods, use regular italian sausage, but you will need to add lots of creole seasoning (I recommend Tony Chachere's) to your bowl to compensate for the lack of spice in the sausage.

2) This is Cajun Gumbo, which starts with a dark roux. This means you should get the roux darker than what I have pictured. It was my first time preparing gumbo by myself and my mom says it should have been darker. It tasted great, but just wasn't quite as good as hers! My mom swears by cooking the roux in the microwave. You can do it on the stove in a skillet, but it takes twice as long and requires much more stirring that way.

3) Gumbo is even better on the second or third day. I'm not sure why this is, but since this recipe makes at least 8 servings, plan to have it on leftover night as well. You'll see what I mean!

4) Gumbo needs to cook in the pot for several hours after you prepare it, so plan ahead! If you work, this may be a better weekend meal, so adjust the menu plan accordingly.

printable recipe

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 lb Andouille sausage
3 onions
3 celery stalks
salt
cayenne pepper
creole seasoning (Tony Chachere's)
1/2 green pepper
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
4 green onions
2/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup flour
rice

Fill a stock pot with water and add the raw chicken, 1 sliced onion, 1 celery stalk with leaves, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for 45-60 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Strain out chicken and vegetables, placing chicken on a plate to cool and tossing out the veggies, but retaining the liquid. This liquid is your stock and should look like this picture.

While the stock is cooking, chop the remaining 2 onions, 2 stalks of celery and the green pepper and set aside.

Also mince the garlic, parley and chop the green onion and set aside in a separate bowl.

After the chicken cools a little, shred it with a fork.

To prepare the roux, combine 2/3 cup each of oil and flour in a large, microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on high for 6-8 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the mixture is brown: darker than golden but not dark brown. Darker than this picture, I chickened out right at 6 minutes, it should have gone for another minute or so, but your microwave may vary so watch it.

Add your chopped onion, celery and green peppers and microwave for 3 more minutes. The color in this picture is closer to what it should have looked like before I added the vegetables.

Add your garlic, parsley and green onion and microwave for 2 more minutes. At this point it should be dark brown, see how mine never quite got there? This is a classic example of "do as I say, not as I do."

Measure the stock in your stock pot. Add water so that there is 8 cups of liquid total. Once you have the correct amount of liquid, throw in 2 tsp salt, your vegetable roux, and the chicken.

Cut your sausage into 1/2" slices and cook in a skillet over medium heat until it is slightly browned and has given up its fat. This will keep your gumbo from getting too oily.

Add your sausage to the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 hours.










Serve over rice with extra Creole seasoning and gumbo filé seasoning (optional). We like to serve gumbo alongside a salad and buttered french bread.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 12.

Taco Soup

This is such a yummy, easy soup. Start it in the morning and no matter how busy your afternoon is, you'll have dinner waiting for you when you get home!

I got this recipe off of my friend Julie's blog, Real (Good) Cooking. The flavors are mild, making it very kid-friendly. If you don't have kiddos to worry about and like a bit of a kick, add a few drops of Tabasco.

printable recipe

Taco Soup

serves 4

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 packet of taco seasoning, or if you buy the big containers like I do, 2 rounded Tbsps

2 cans of diced tomatoes (with chiles if you have them)

1 can corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, and sour cream for garnish (optional)

Cook ground beef and onion together over medium-high heat until beef is browned and onion is translucent. Drain off fat.

Add half the packet of taco seasoning (or 1 rounded Tbsp) and 1/4 cup of water to the meat mixture. Cook and stir until seasoning is blended in and water is absorbed.

Place meat mixture in the bottom of your crock pot and add corn and juices, tomatoes and juices and the rinsed black bean. Sprinkle remainder of taco seasoning on top.

Add 1/2 cup of water (tomatoes will give off more juice while cooking) and stir.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I loved how my house smelled while this was cooking all day!

Serve with chips, shredded cheddar cheese, and a dollop of sour cream!

 This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 9.

 

Crock Pot Potato Soup

This is an awesome, easy potato soup, perfect for topping with cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, sour cream and chives. Just throw it into the crock pot and forget about it until half an hour before dinner time!

We served it with Dilly Bread.

printable recipe 

Crock Pot Potato Soup

serves 4

2.5 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2" chunks

1/2 onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 quart (4 cups) chicken broth

1 (8oz) package cream cheese

crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, chives, sour cream for garnish (optional)

Place peeled and chunked potatoes and place them in a crock pot. Add onion and garlic.

Sprinkle in the seasonings and pour in the broth.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).

Cut the cream cheese into pieces and add to crock pot. 

Replace lid and cook on high for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cream cheese is completely dissolved. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls.

Serve hot with toppings, if desired.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 9.

Spicy Tuscan Soup

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I could have lived off of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. I loved it so much. I still love it only now I don't have to beg my husband to take me to Olive Garden when the craving hits, because I just learned how to make it from scratch at home. It's easy! And oh so good.

I found this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen portion of The Pioneer Woman.

printable recipe

Spicy Tuscan Soup

serves 6

1 pound Spicy Breakfast Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage)
1 whole Medium Red Onion, Diced
2 slices Bacon, Diced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
3 whole Medium Potatoes
1 quart Warm Water
3 cubes Chicken Bouillon
¼ bunch Kale, Roughly Chopped
½ cup Heavy Cream
Salt And Pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot or Dutch Oven, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up as you cook it, until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.

Add diced onions and bacon to stock pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are clear.

Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices. Cut the slices in half again, unless using small potatoes. Add warm water, bouillon cubes and potatoes to the Dutch oven and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are almost done.

Add kale, cooked sausage and cream.

Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve hot with French Bread or Butter Rolls. I think this soup was just as good, if not better, the next day as leftovers! Even the kale stayed fresh tasting in the soup. Fantastic.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

This is meatless meal that will please kids and adults alike. I love making things from scratch, but sometimes it's great to have a meal that's just "semi-homemade" with the help of a few cans and pre-made ingredients. The end result definitely doesn't taste like it's from a can!

I adapted this recipe from one found in a Taste of Home magazine.

printable recipe

Tomato Tortellini Soup

serves 6-8

1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1 can (15 oz) vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups half-and-half cream 

1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus additional cheese for garnish

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large stockpot (5 quarts at least) combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. 

Drain tortelli and carefully add to soup.

Simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper as garnish, if desired.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 7.

  

Smoky Black Bean Soup

Look who cooked dinner for me a couple of nights ago? My awesome husband, Jared! He made his amazing black bean soup, adapted from a recipe on foodnetwork.com. It is a Southwestern-style soup that we garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese and scallions.

 
*Note: with most soup recipes I like to make extra for leftovers but the garlic and onion get pretty strong as this one sits. The recipe serves 3-4, so only double it if you have a crowd to feed!

Smoky Black Bean Soup

printable recipe

5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (like Rotel)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a handful of cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Chop the bacon.

At this point, your dog will run over to see what that amazing smell is. Or maybe that is just our dog.

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely.

Stir cilantro into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.

Serve with the garnishes.