Mexican Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Fill a large pot full of either homemade or your favorite brand of chicken stock. Then add chopped cabbage, potato, turnip, carrots, onions and garlic, enough to make the soup very chunky. Add a cup of your favorite salsa and a teaspoon of cumin. Add a cup of pre-cooked, white chicken meat and two chorizo sausages. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, but not mushy. Good served with cornbread.

Chilled Indian Eggplant Soup

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

1large round eggplant
2 large fresh tomatoes
1medium onion
1 large bell pepper
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar olive oil
1 tablespoon Garam Masala
salt, pepper and fresh cilantro

Skin & chop eggplant. Chop pepper and onion. Saute chopped veggies in olive oil. Add Balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp Garam Masala. Puree all cooked ingredients plus tomatoes in blender. Chill. Top with cilantro.

Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Soup

After you make turkey broth, you can add in leftover mashed potatoes or even sweet potato casserole, depending on how much sugar you put in. You can make it savory by adding chopped, sauteed onions and spices like curry or garam masala. Add some chopped up turkey meat. Top with chopped cilantro. It makes a delicious soup meal.

Winter White Soup
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 shallots, chopped
* 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, minced
* 3 green onions, chopped
* 1/3 small head cauliflower, chopped
* 1 small parsnip, chopped
* 10 small button mushrooms, chopped
* 1 pear – peeled, cored and diced
* 1/2 cup cannellini beans
* 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
* 3/4 cup Chardonnay wine
* 6 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
* 1/3 cup heavy cream
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cauliflower, parsnip, and mushrooms, and cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. Add the pear, beans, mustard, and dill, and stir just until heated, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in the wine and thyme, and turn up the heat to high. Boil, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half and is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Stir in cream, and, if needed, thin with additional chicken broth; serve hot. You may wish to serve this soup the next day. It will improve in taste with time.

Hearty Turkey Soup with Parsley Dumplings

Ingredients

* 1 picked over turkey carcass
* 12 cups water
* 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
* 5 carrots
* 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 cube chicken bouillon
* 1 bay leaf
* 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 small rutabaga, cubed
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds cooked turkey, cubed
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 2 slices white bread, quartered
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup milk
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Combine turkey carcass, water, 1 cup celery, 2 carrots, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, thyme, bouillon, and bay leaf in large 4 quart stockpot. Bring to boiling. Lower heat, and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Strain stock, and discard solids. Skim off fat using ladle or fat separator. Pick meat off bones when cooled. Reserve meat.
2. Combine 6 tablespoons flour and 1/2 cup milk in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake to combine. Pour stock into pot. Bring to simmering. Strain flour mixture through sieve into stock, stirring.
3. Slice remaining 3 carrots. Add rutabaga, ground pepper, remaining 1/2 cup celery, and sliced carrots. Simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
4. While the soup is simmering, prepare the dumplings. Combine parsley and bread in processor; whirl until medium size crumbs. Add 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; process just until combined. Add 1/2 cup milk and butter; process using on-off pulses just until blended.
5. Drop mounded tablespoons of dumpling mixture into simmering soup. Place cover on pot. Cook for 12 minutes, or until dumplings are dry in center. Add turkey meat; cook 3 minutes, or until heated through.