Creamy Reuben Soup

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Patty's Day countdown is on!   

It has to be one of my favorite food holidays, 

as I attempt to Americanize an Irish dish that holds a special place in my heart. 

I love all of the complimentary and contrasting flavors of a Reuben;

creamy, tart and tangy with some nutty cheesiness and meatiness,

slathered between two slices of rye.  

Why not bring all of those flavors together in a slightly different delivery, 

which is much less messy! 

Enter:

Creamy Reuben Soup

The  2# corned beef brisket cooked in the crock pot all day until it was perfectly tender

and then set aside until needed. 

Nothing says "Irish food "like leeks do,

they look like giant scallions and have a nice mild onion flavor. 

One leek was sliced up and added to the dutch oven with 2 tbsp butter, 

1 tbsp minced garlic and 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

for an initial browning.

Next 1/4 cup flour (I used soy) was added to start the build the body of the soup. 

Six cups of broth were added, 

I used chicken but I suppose beef would have been a logical choice.

Logic escaped me, apparently.  

The corned beef was chopped/shredded, 

yielding about 2 cups. 

The beef and 2 cups of cabbage were added…

now the soup is really starting to come together! 

Final addition, 

was 3 cubed potatoes, 

because it really isn't Irish if there aren't potatoes in it! 

Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, 

or until the potatoes are fully cooked. 

Finish with 1 cup of whole milk 

And it is ready to be served! 

Top with some shredded Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing and serve with Rye bread. 

Even my non-Swiss-cheese-fan husband 

couldn't deny that this was a pretty amazing combination! 

RECIPE:

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

2# corned beef brisket or 2 cups of cooked corned beef

One leek - sliced

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup flour

6 cups of broth

2 cups of shredded cabbage

3 potatoes - cubed

1 cup of whole milk

Shredded Swiss cheese

Thousand Island dressing

Rye bread

Directions:

• Cook brisket according to package. 
• Brown leek, garlic and crushed red pepper in melted butter over medium heat. 
• Next add flour and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes before adding broth. 
• Next add the corned beef, cabbage and potato, cover and simmer until potato is done. 
• Add 1 cup of milk. 
• Top with cheese and dressing and serve with bread, for the full Reuben effect. 

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup in a Slow Cooker

Here we are at the heart of winter…

would love just a bit more snow to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors,

but if I can't give you that or a warm beach vacation somewhere,

at least I can provide some meal ideas 

which is slow-cooker-easy and oh-soooo-good! 

The inspiration for this soup was found on 

Creme de la Crumb

and of course, I changed things up as I went.  

This was made in a slow cooker, 

(because I love to throw everything in one pot in the morning

and feel like I've slaved over it all day)

but could certainly be converted to stove top

by cooking the chicken, 

adding the veggies and simmering to your heart's content.

It certainly doesn't look very pretty getting started, 

but in this vessel you will find

2 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth (I always tend toward thicker soups)

1 can of enchilada sauce

2 cans of black beans (no need to drain for a dish like this)

1 can of green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes. 

When I got home from work, after 8 hours on low and 

added 16 oz of thawed frozen corn,

it looked something like this. 

Took the chicken breasts out for shredding.

That's a lot of shredded chicken from just 2 breasts. 

While shredding the chicken,

8 oz of low fat cream cheese was added

for the beloved creaminess it brings!

By the time the chicken was returned to the soup,

the cream cheese was melting away. 

And, within minutes, 

the soup was rip-roaring, ready to go! 

Served with some diced avocado and a dash of chili powder,

this soup was gone in no time! 

Wish I would have made a double batch!

**Famous last words!**

RECIPE:

Prep Time: 10 minutes at the beginning and 10 minutes at the end

Cook Time: 8-10 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth 

1 can of enchilada sauce

2 cans of black beans

1 can of green chilies

1 can of diced tomatoes

16 oz of thawed frozen corn

8 oz of low fat cream cheese

*Garnish

Diced avocado 

Chili powder

Directions:

• Place chicken, broth, sauce, beans, chilies and tomatoes into pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. 
• Remove chicken breasts and shred. 
• Add corn and cream cheese, stir to melt and incorporate. 
• Return chicken to soup and combine well. 
• Serve with avocado. 

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup with Sweet Potato

Hooray for December and all of the wonderful things that come along with it!  

The excitement of Christmas is alive in our house and 

I'm so thankful that so far

 (I know, it is still early!)

I am able to fend off being overwhelmed and just take a deep breath, 

add another item to my to do list and 

savor the joy that comes with each holiday activity.  

As we bounce from the tree to the lights, 

from the cookies to the decorations,

from the cards to the gifts…

there isn't much time left for cooking, 

so I'll try to help you out and

keep the meal ideas coming!  

This hearty, creamy chicken soup was a huge hit, 

the contrasting flavors and textures of the rice and sweet potatoes,

really hit the spot!  

It was even requested for deer camp, 

so I guess that means it is man-approved.  

First things first…

1# of chicken was cut into cubes, 

seasoned with 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning and

sautéed over medium heat in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil.

When the chicken was cooked thoroughly,

1 cup of white n wild rice blend

along with 1-2 cups of cubed sweet potatoes 

were added to the stock pot.  

Four cups of chicken broth 

were added and brought to a boil,

simmered for about 20 minutes

while the rice and potatoes softened.  

To be honest, 

you could stop right here and you would have a fabulous soup

in about 30 minutes. 

My family doesn't get creamy stuff very often, 

so when I offered to thicken this up, 

they didn't think twice. 

So, to make the roux, 

2 tbsp of butter were melted 

and 1/4 cup of flour was whisked together.

(I used soy, but you can use all-purpose, if you prefer)

One half cup of milk is also added. 

Whisk continuously over medium-low heat

until the protein in the soy flour is denatured, or cooked, 

and thickens to nearly a paste.

Add it to the stock pot,

when the rice and sweet potatoes are cooked.

Stir it all up and

there you have a nice creamy base for your soup. 

RECIPE:

Cook Time : 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1# of chicken 

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

1 cup of White n Wild rice blend (any kind of rice will work just fine!)

1-2 cups of cubed sweet potatoes 

4 cups of chicken broth 

2 tbsp of butter 

1/4 cup of flour (I used soy, but all-purpose would work too!)

1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

• Heat 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil over medium heat. 
• Add cubed chicken and cook until no more pink. 
• Add rice, sweet potatoes and chicken broth. 
• Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. 
• To make the roux, melt butter and whisk in flour. 
• Then add milk and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to a paste. 
• Add the roux to the soup. 
• Stir and serve! 

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing over Taco Salads

Lately, I've been a big fan of whipping up my own dips, sauces and dressings.

I much prefer knowing exactly what is in my condiments as well as the freedom to tweak any flavor profile towards my preference or try some new crazy combinations because ...why not, what do I have to lose?

So, after deciding on taco salads for dinner earlier this week, I decided to mix up a fresh dressing that would pull together all of the perfect flavors to compliment the salad.

This Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing was the perfect topping to bring together all of the delicious flavors and textures of the taco salad.  The key components in the dressing, sour cream, garlic, chili powder, lime and cilantro were a perfect little bundle of taco dressing joy!

The dressing would also pair very well with Chicken Quesadillas (I know, because we had them yesterday) as well as the Shrimp Tacos, just to name a few!

So, to get this party started, begin with about a cup of sour cream, add the juice from half of a fresh squeezed lime, or slightly less, as I ended up adding some (1 tsp) sugar to balance out some of the tartness from the juice.  Then, add a 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, as the desire was for this concoction to be pourable, more like a dressing than a dip.

Before setting the blender on high, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, a teaspoon of chili powder (goes a long way!), a teaspoon of salt and a 1/2 cup of roughly chopped cilantro were also added.

This was the perfect occasion for a taco salad bar…put all the toppings out there and let everyone choose for themselves.

My salad started with tortilla chips…Doritos, to be exact.  I think my kids were wondering what had gotten into me or it if was some kind of holiday, as I never buy Doritos…don't worry, the bag was devoured before the meal was over.

Next, a bed of lettuce and then taco seasoned ground turkey.  Since we had steaks the night before, I wanted to switch things up a bit, I generally try to serve a variety of protein-sources throughout the week.

Top with chopped onions and tomatoes, an assortment of shredded cheeses, and, of course, the Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, stir and enjoy!

RECIPE for Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup of sour cream
Juice from half of a fresh squeezed lime or slightly less
1 tsp sugar (to taste)
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 teaspoon of chili powder 
1 teaspoon of salt 
1/2 cup of roughly chopped cilantro

Directions:
Add all of the ingredients to the blender and set to high until well blended, smooth and pourable.  

RECIPE for Taco Salad

Ingredients:
Tortilla Chips of choice
Lettuce of choice
Taco seasoned ground turkey
Shredded Cheeses of your choice
Onion- chopped
Tomato - chopped
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Directions:
Layer into bowl, toss and enjoy!