The easiest Chicken Tortilla Soup, Ever!

Have I mentioned I've been on a soup kick lately? Well I think with the cold weather, soup is the one comforting thing I crave to really warm me up, both body and soul! For my other cold weather soup creations you can check them out here and here.
So today on the menu and officially my new current favorite soup: Chicken Tortilla Soup. 
Not only is this delicious and soooo flavorful, but its honestly the EASIEST recipe ever. I kid you not, I made this in 5 minutes after work. And I'll tell you, after working 8 hours and coming home, going to the gym, and finally getting a chance to sit down -- cooking (as much as I love to do it) is not on my top priority list. But this soup is literally a 5 minute meal. Winning! And D liked it as well (and he typically doesn't like Mexican flavors/cuisine) so double winning!!

{ Chicken Tortilla Soup }

What You'll Need:

1 Box Organic Free Range Chicken Broth

1 Jar Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa

2 Cans Organic Black Beans

1 Cup Trader Joe's Frozen Roasted Organic Corn

1 Can of Premium White Chicken or 2 Boiled Organic Chicken Breasts (preferred)

Optional Garnishes (I personally like all of the following!)

Avocado

Cilantro

Mexican Blend Cheese 

Corn Tortilla Chips

Directions:

Combine all items in a large pot over medium heat. Stir well. When soup has reached desired temperature, ladle into a bowl and garnish with avocado, cilantro and cheese and broken up tortilla chips. 
See -- I told you how ridiculously easy this recipe is!!
 You can even make this soup more healthy by substituting raw black beans, raw corn and uncooked chicken into a crock pot and let it cook for the day (as opposed to the canned items) but again, the canned stuff was a lifesaver to make on a busy weekday : )

perfect for a rainy, chilly day.

Bon appetite friends!

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

xo Steph

also linking up with Because Shanna Said So

Soup Weather | Eggplant Ravioli Soup

As I've mentioned before, fall weekends for me are all about soup. There's nothing like making a big pot of soup on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon that warms you up better. Plus, you don't have to worry about cooking because it's ready to be heated up whenever. So once it's made its no muss no fuss. Just the way I like it. 

Last weekend I decided to try this Eggplant Ravioli Soup because I'm a huge fan of ravioli and well, eggplant parm is pretty bomb! So both in a soup seemed like a winning combo to me. The results were delicious - check out the recipe below!

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 eggplant, half of the skin peeled to make stripes in the flesh chopped into 1/4 inch cubes

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper

One 32 oz. container of chicken broth (I used organic and low sodium)

One 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

(I live with an Italian, so only Tutto Rosso or San Marzano will do!)

1 pound raviolini (mini ravioli -- and Celentanos is the best brand to get)

1 cup torn or sliced basil leaves

grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for topping

Directions:

1. In a medium soup pot, melt the butter with the EVOO over medium heat. Add the eggplant and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to boil. Add the raviolini and cook until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the basil.

2. Serve in soup bowls, topped with lots of extra cheese : )

it's that simple!

Served best with your favorite beer or glass of wine -- the perfect Sunday combo!

Also funny little sidebar: D doesn't like eggplant. He claims "it's a texture thing." Okkkkk. So when I made this soup I was hoping he wouldn't even notice. And in fact I was right! He took one look at the pot of the stove and said, "ohhh is that zucchini in there?" Mind you I didn't say yes, because that would be lying, so I just smiled and said "I hope you like this soup -- it took me forever to make."

In fact he did love the soup, and I waited until he finished his second heaping bowl to tell him that I guess he likes eggplant now ; )

Hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as D did!!

xo Steph

Soup Weather | Potato Leek Soup

With fall officially arriving, we've been experiencing some of those cold days where only soup will do the trick to take the chill out of your bones. Not to mention, soup on football Sundays are like the perfect combo - like peas and carrots, like mac and cheese! So make soup I did. I decided to whip up some potato leek soup, which is one of D's favorite childhood recipes. 

The recipe I used is his mother's family recipe (which is top secret) so I can't share it - but I found one online that is very similar, give or take a few tweaks -- so I feel ok sharing this. D likes it spicy, so I add LOTS of fresh black pepper, but you can season yours to take. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small leeks, about 1 pound
• 2 bay leaves
• 20 black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, diced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream ( I use cream)
• 2 tablespoons snipped chives

Directions

Trim the green portions of the leek and, using 2 of the largest and longest leaves, make a bouquet garni by folding the 2 leaves around the bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme. Tie into a package-shaped bundle with kitchen twine and set aside. (Alternately, tie 2 leek leaves, bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth.)

Using a sharp knife, halve the white part of the leek lengthwise and rinse well under cold running water to rid the leek of any sand. Slice thinly crosswise and set aside.

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped leeks and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the reserved bouquet garni, chicken stock, potatoes, salt and white pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are falling apart and the soup is very flavorful.

Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. (Alternately, if you own an immersion blender, puree the soup directly in the pot.) Stir in the creme fraiche and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve immediately, with some of the snipped chives sprinkled over the top of each bowl of soup.

Or if you're like me - serve with warm and crusty multi-grain bread. YUM-OOO.

And a nice cold beer. It is football Sunday after all.....

And speaking of beer, I always like trying different local or craft beers. Especially fun fruity or seasonal ones. And especially ones that have cute bottles and logos because I'm a sucker for nice design. I picked up a pack of Dogfish Head Tweason'ale -- that's right -- a special brew for in between the seasons, aka tweason. Which I think I love that word by the way, and plan on incorporating it into my everyday lingo. So the flavor of this one? Strawberries and buckwheat honey. The perfect combination bridging summer and fall. LOVE.

Anyone else been craving soup lately? 
I'm all about it right now!

xo Steph