It’s Soup Season

Today is the winter solstice and for me winter means soup season, although honestly, I’ll eat soup in any season. Soups warm the soul, brings comfort when getting through a cold, and offers a great way to get in lots of veggies at once.

A soup that has been in heavy rotation at our house for years now is Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili (pictured). Mexican is my favorite food so anything I can add lime juice, cilantro, and avocado to is right up my alley. It is also a great lighter alternative to a more traditional chili. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs this time and substituted another can of cannellini beans for the garbanzo beans. And the fact that you can throw everything in the slow cooker and come home to a fully cooked meal makes it a great option for this time of year when life can get totally crazy.

Another old favorite of mine is African Yam Soup. Lots of veggies, a little bit of heat, and topped with crushed peanuts for a little crunch.

Finally, I tried this recipe from the Southern Favorites magazine from October 19, 2009 (a part of The Taste of the South Magazine) this week. It’s really more like a stew. Lots of veggies and just the right amount of heat.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

By Virginia Hornbuckle

Yield:12

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cook: 1 hour

4 (1 pound) bone in chicken breasts, skin and excess fat removed

8 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 cups peeled, sliced carrots

2 cups chopped celery

2 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lowry’s

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

2 cups chicken stock

4 cups chopped new potatoes

1 (15.5 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

Place chicken in large stockpot. Add 8 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, approximately 30 minutes. Remove chicken from broth; set aside to cool. Strain broth and reserve.

Return stockpot to heat. Add olive oil.  Add garlic and onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, 6-7 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, seasoned salt, and Creole seasoning, stirring well to combine.

Add stock and reserved broth. Stir well. Add potatoes and bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until potatoes are fork tender.

While potatoes are cooking, remove chicken from bone, shredding into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to soup.

Add peas to soup and simmer for 3 minutes.