This is a super-easy and healthy soup; great as a side-dish to a Chinese meal or on it’s own. It’s so fast I’ve actually made it in the morning to take in my lunch to work! This is a completely invented recipe and there is lots of room to personalize it with your own favorite ingredients. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup by using meatless broth and won tons.

6 cups weak chicken broth (I use 6 cups of water and 2 boullion cubes)
1 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp black rice vinegar (Chinkiang)
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
12-16 frozen won tons
1 – 2 cups baby spinach, sliced or chopped
2 green onions, sliced

In a pot combine the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Heat to a rolling boil.

Add the frozen won tons to the pot and bring back to boiling. Simmer for twelve minutes, or until won tons are cooked through.

Right before serving, turn off the heat and add the baby spinach and green onion to the pot. This will wilt the greens so they are soft, but the taste of the greens won’t overpower the other flavors in the dish.

Makes 4-6 Servings

4 oz bacon, proscuitto, or salt pork, chopped finely
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs onions, sliced thin
5 cups chicken broth
12 oz tomatoes, canned, chopped
salt and pepper
2-4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
parmesan cheese

On medium-low heat in a large soup pot, heat the bacon until the fat starts to melt. Add the butter and olive oil (sometimes I cut back on the fat) and increase the heat to medium.

Add the onions and half-cover the pot with the lid. Cook for twenty minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown.

Add the chicken stock and tomatoes to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for thirty minutes.

Add 1 Tbsp of the fresh basil to the pot and stir to blend in. Serve the soup hot, garnish with the rest of the basil and parmesan cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Leftover Turkey, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup
6 servings

2-3 cups diced leftover turkey
6 cups chicken stock (or 4 cans chicken broth)
1 tsp. dried thyme or 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 onion, diced small
1/2 cup diced celery
2 T butter, divided
Vege-Sal or salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
8 oz. sliced white or brown mushrooms
8 oz. sliced Baby Bella or shitake mushrooms (not dried shitakes)
2 cups water
1 T Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (optional but recommended)
1 T soy sauce (or more if you do not have the mushroom base)
3 T flour
1 cup cooked wild rice or wild/brown rice mix
1 cup half and half or cream

Put stock or broth in soup pot with turkey and thyme and heat to low simmer. Melt 1/2 T butter in small frying pan and saute onion and celery 3-5 minutes. Add to soup pot with water, mushroom base, and soy sauce and simmer 15 minutes.

While soup simmers, saute mushrooms about 5 minutes in 1/2 T of butter. Add mushrooms to soup and simmer 15-20 minutes more. In same pan that mushrooms and veggies were cooked in, melt remaining 1 T butter. Wisk in flour and cook 2 minutes. One cup at a time, wisk 2 cups of soup liquid into the flour mixture and heat until mixture starts to thicken. Pour thickened mixture back into soup pot and stir to distribute.

Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. If mixture seems too thin, cook down for a few minutes. When soup has reached desired thickness, add wild rice and cook 2-3 minutes. Add half and half or cream, stir in and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Serve hot.

1-2 onions, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

4+ cups beef stock

1/2 lb barley

Saute onions and beef in butter. Add lots of stock. Cook as long as possible. 45 minutes before serving, add the barley and cook until soft. Add more stock if necessary.

One 9-oz package fresh cheese tortellini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp canola oil
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups chunky salsa
One 12-oz can tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Prepare the tortellini according to package directions. While the tortellini cooks, fry the onion, peppers, celery, and garlic in oil, stirring, in a large pot over medium heat until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 2-4 minutes.

Stir in the broth, salsa, tomato paste, and cumin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the tortellini and add to the saucepan. Simmer until heated through. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: 310 calories, 12g protein, 6g fat, 57g carbohydrates, 9mg cholesterol, 2345mg sodium, 5g fiber.

I usually make this on a Monday after serving a roast chicken dinner on Sunday. I’ll put the chicken carcass in the crockpot with an onion and a bay leaf, then top with water and cook on low all night. In the morning I have the broth I need for the chili!

1 lb Boneless skinless chicken (breast or thigh), cubed
1 c Dry great northern beans, sorted and rinsed
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 t Dry oregano
1/2 t Salt
1 can Condensed cream of chicken soup
5 c Water or broth
1 t Cumin
1/4 t Hot pepper sauce
1 can Chopped green chiles
sour cream and avocado for garnish

In slow cooker; combine chicken, beans, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, soup and water. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours. Just before serving; stir in cumin, hot pepper sauce, and chiles.

Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Nutrition info per serving: 280 cals, 10g fat, 700mg sodium, 27g carb, 5g fiber, 25g protein

1 Onion, chopped
2 Stalks celery, sliced
2 Carots, sliced
1 Pepper, chopped
1 Zucchini, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 cn Vegetable broth (14 1/2 oz.)
1 cn Crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
2 cn Kidney beans (15 oz)
Salt
Pepper
Cooked rice or noodles

Throw all ingredients except rice or pasta into crockpot. Stir.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high 4-5 hours.
Add rice or pasta at end and heat through.

1 Onion, chopped
2 Potatoes, cubed
2 Carrots, thinly sliced
1 Celery stalk, thinly sliced
14 oz Cooked pinto beans
28 oz Fat-free beef broth
2 Garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t Cumin seed
1/4 t Black pepper
1 t Mesquite smoke flavouring
1 T White wine vinegar
1/4 lb Chopped smoked sausage

Combine onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, beans, sausage, and broth in a
slow cooker. Stir in the cumin, pepper, smoke flavouring, and vinegar.
Cover and cook on high until the vegetables are tender; 3 1/2 – 5 hours.