Fiesta Soup

Recently, I shared a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars.  While I was searching for recipes, I came across this soup recipe that sounded absolutely amazing.  I was able to give it a try, and it definitely lived up to my expectations!

Best of all, it's super easy!

It's not the prettiest picture, but I promise, the soup is fabulous!

Fiesta Soup
Ingredients

• 1/2 c. diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can of black beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 can of kidney beans (15 oz) drained and rinsed
• 1 can diced green chili peppers (4.5 oz)*
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)*
• 2 1/2 c. low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 1 c. frozen corn
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• sea salt (to taste)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2 in. cubes

*Do not drain

Take all of that stuff up there, chop it, open it, drain it, rinse it, measure it, and throw it all in your slow cooker.

Cook on low 6-8 hours.  (I ended up cooking mine for 7.)

1 cup serving: 91 calories, 7.5 g protein
2 cup serving: 181 calories, 15 g protein

The end.

What I like about this recipe:

There are a lot of ingredients, but that doesn't bother me at all since it all gets tossed in the slow cooker, and I don't have to worry about it until it's time to eat.  I will note that I did go out to stir it occasionally, but that was only because I was home, and I felt like it.

It's a slow cooker recipe.  Duh.

The flavor is amazing.  It's kind of similar to chili.

I DIDN'T HAVE TO COOK THE CHICKEN!!  I've mentioned recently that I just seem to have trouble with chicken recipes.  The pieces of chicken are small, and are being cooked for at least 6 hours, so they are cooked in all of that chicken broth and yummy goodness.  The chicken pieces were moist and flavorful, and I didn't feel compelled to pick them out and eat them first to get it out of the way!

What I don't like about this recipe:

The original recipe calls for cilantro.  While I know how much my friend, Kristin, loves cilantro, I'm not a fan.  So I just didn't use it.   

You can find the original recipe here.

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

I was on a soup kick last week.  (Hey, it's not really spring-like in PA yet!)  I made my creamy potato soup (again), and the next day I decided that broccoli cheese soup sounded good!

This recipe is super easy, and it literally came printed on a box of Velveeta cheese.

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients

• 1/4 c. chopped onion
• 2 T butter, divided
• 2 T flour
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 lb. (12 oz.) Velveeta cheese product, cut into cubes
• 1 pkg. (10-12 oz) frozen broccoli, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Cook and stir onion in 1 T. of butter in a saucepan on medium heat until the onion is tender.

2. Add the remaining butter and flour.  Cook for one minute or until hot and bubbly, stirring constantly.

3. Gradually add milk, stirring until well blended.  Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for one minute.

4. Add chunks of Velveeta cheese and pepper.

5. Cook until Velveeta is melted and soup is heated through, stirring occasionally.

And there you have it!

I'll be honest, friends, I know that Velveeta is NOT real cheese, and it's probably not the best thing for you.  It just melts so smoothly, and it tastes so good!  The recipe itself does actually mention using Velveeta Light (which is weird because it came on a box of the regular stuff), and I use nonfat milk to make mine.

Anyway, if you're looking for something warm and yummy on a chilly spring day, this is certainly worth a try! :)

Creamy Potato Soup

Oh my goodness!  Seriously, I've been so excited to share this potato soup recipe with all of you.  It. Is. So. Good.  SOOOOO GOOD!  Scott and I both loved it.  It took a little bit of time with all of the chopping I needed to do, but it was WELL worth it!

The original recipe came from Pinterest (where else??) You can see the pin below.



Here's my take.  I only had to make a few adjustments, and I had most of these things on hand.

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 5 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled & diced
• 3 medium celery stalks
• 4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 medium red potatoes, diced
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 cups (1 quart) heavy whipping cream

1. Get a 6-8 quart pot. 

2. Start chopping.  I began with the bacon so I could get it cooking while I chopped the other veggies.

3. While the bacon is cooking, chop up the onions, carrots, and celery.

4. When bacon is crisp, removed to paper towels to drain.

Mmmm....bacon.....

5. Throw your chopped veggies right into the bacon fat, and cook until the onions are translucent. 

6. While the veggies are cooking, peel and dice the Russet potatoes, and dice the red potatoes.

7. When the vegetables have finished cooking, throw the potatoes in the pot and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Add the flour and stir constantly over low heat until the flour has cooked and the mixture has thickened slightly (about 5-7 minutes).

Adding the flour

After cooking

9. Add chicken stock and bacon, and season with salt and pepper.

10. Over medium-high heat bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. 

11. Add the whipping cream and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Seriously, I beg you all to try this soup.  If you like potato soup, and you are looking for a warm, comforting food on a cold day, THIS IS YOUR SOUP!! :)

Please let me know if you try it!  I'd love to know what you think!