The Great SOUP Challenge!

[Independent Gal]

My best friend is thinking about embarking on The Great Soup Challenge (I think she made this up, but I'm not sure!). Basically, the idea is that you make a different soup every day for a year.

That's 365 soups people! Actually, 366 if she does it this year.

So, how about helping her out? Post your favourite soup recipe and I'll pass them along.

ETA: her soon-to-be-FI doesn't eat ham, FYI, but I think they eat everything else.

 

[Ellen]

One of my all time faves.


Baked Potato Soup

2/3 c. butter (real), (5 1/3 tbsp. = 1/3 c.)
2/3 c. all purpose flour
7 c. milk (I use 2%)
4 med.-lrg. baking potatoes, cooked, peeled, cubed
4 green onions, sliced
12 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Melt butter in large pot. Stir in flour til smooth. Gradually add milk (I warm it first to speed cooking), stir til thickened. Add pot., onion, bacon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 min., stirring occassionally. Add remaining ingredients and stir til hot.

Not as good left over. Can be halved easily.

Serves 8-10. (2 1/2 quarts)

 

[baby monster]

Love this one. I''m a veg, so I omit the sausage and put some mesquite seasoning for a smoky flavor.

French Lentil Soup with Sausage
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups lentils (preferably French green)
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces smoked sausage, like kielbasa
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or to taste
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to moderate and cook, covered, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
While lentils are cooking, heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown sausage on all sides, about 5 minutes. Cool sausage slightly on a cutting board, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Add sausage to soup and stir in vinegar.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

 

[diamondfan]

I LOVE soup but think it might be tough to do this. I would be willing to be she gives up at some point soon! I think the challenge should be that you do not eat typical soups either. (no tomato or chicken noodle)...

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/21/2007 2:00:02 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

LOL, that is exactly what I was thinking.

That is a lot of soup. I could just see her FI hoping to not see another bowl after a month of soup eating.

That sounds hard to do. Plus she will have tons of soup she won't know what to do with. When I make soup it lasts more than 1 day. On Mara's Healthy Reciepe thread I posted some stew recipes that I am too lazy to copy over from page 5 here https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/wwt-healthier-recipes-thread-post-your-recipes-here.56169/

 

[Independent Gal]

Haha! Yes, she certainly is nuts. That is one of the reasons I love her so.

And just think, even if she wasn''t nuts before, after this little escapade, she''ll certainly have gone ''from soup to nuts''! (haha?)

She claims that she''s pretty sure she can do it for 50 days, but that after that she''s not sure. So far the weirdest one she''s come up with is ''watermelon-cumin soup''. Wow, sounds filling, huh?

I wonder if she has thought of the leftovers problem... hmmmm... I should bring this to her attention.

Thanks for the recipes guys! I''ll be passing them along.

 

[E B]

Here''s a link to the top 20 (highest rated) soups and stews on allrecipes.com...

Best Soup, Stew and Chili Recipes

 

[Independent Gal]

Awesome! Thanks Ebree.

And it occurs to me that Epicurious might be her new best friend! There''s got to be at least that many soup recipes on there.

 

[door knob solitaire]

The only way I could succeed is to make one soup on monday and by sunday I would have added an ingredient each day to change it.

You could start with 1 bean soup in one day and in 15 days build up to 15 bean!! (Yeah, I''am a looser). Look in about 60 days she is going to be open to all suggestions. Just wanted to load you up with a few!!

364 is alot of chopping and dicing and produce shopping...and well I would also get throw away bowls...and make sure I had a crock pot...other than that I have no further advice. But to once again emphasis the NUTTS part.

DKS

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/21/2007 8:13:13 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
The only way I could succeed is to make one soup on monday and by sunday I would have added an ingredient each day to change it.

You could start with 1 bean soup in one day and in 15 days build up to 15 bean!! (Yeah, I'am a looser). Look in about 60 days she is going to be open to all suggestions. Just wanted to load you up with a few!!

364 is alot of chopping and dicing and produce shopping...and well I would also get throw away bowls...and make sure I had a crock pot...other than that I have no further advice. But to once again emphasis the NUTTS part.

DKS

Keep us posted on all the soups she makes, IG.

 

[Kaleigh]

Indulge me here........... WHY??? I don''t get this?? Like what''s the advantage, point, benefit, etc....??

 

[somethingshiny]

Date: 10/21/2007 9:16:42 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Indulge me here........... WHY??? I don''t get this?? Like what''s the advantage, point, benefit, etc....??

That''s what I was wondering, too~

The only person I''ve known to eat near that much soup was my dad after he got dentures! All soup-all the time for about 6 months. Even he gave in to REAL food.


I would starve to death. Besides, chili, I don''t like soup. I don''t like my food mixed or soggy!

You could try local churches for recipes. A lot of our churches do cookbooks that are absolutely brimming with soggy mixed food!

 

[door knob solitaire]

A lot of our churches do cookbooks that are absolutely brimming with soggy mixed food

My chuckles were so severe I choked. Better post a warning next time!!

DKS

 

[monarch64]

Somethingshiny, another group who could take advantage is the newly braced (orthodontically), or people who''ve had oral surgery (wisdom teeth, etc.)...but still, 365 days of soup as a goal? Wowsers, I''m amazed.

Anywho, I like to just throw things in the blender with vegetable broth to make soups or purees...tomato, potato, french onion, cheddar n'' broccoli, mushroom, whatever. No specific recipes, just file this as the "throw it all in the blender" type soup, LOL! Add spices to please your particular palate and there you go.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/21/2007 9:16:42 PM
Author: Kaleigh

Indulge me here........... WHY??? I don''t get this?? Like what''s the advantage, point, benefit, etc....??

Exactly. In fact, it takes a food with a special quality, its ability to be pleasurable for days, and tries to make that very quality useless. My father makes a quantity of a great soup; keeps some in the refrigerator; freezes some; and the family eats it for weeks! His soups are very hearty, so they really last, too!

Deborah

 

[eks6426]

Wow, I thought I was doing pretty well making 2 different soups a week for the entire fall/winter/early spring. Definitely don''t think I could stand to EAT soup every day for a year.

Anyway, I have found allrecipes.com to be really useful for soup recipes (and for nearly all others). I''d recommend she try that.

Meanwhile, here''s some of my faves that are a bit different:

Super Spicy Squash Soup
Sauté 1 chopped onion & 2 chopped fresh jalapenos in a pan.
Add 1 (or 1 1/2) butternut squash, cubed
2 cans of vegetable broth
2 cans 14.5 oz plain or garlic style diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons garam marsala
1 can of soy beans, drained and rinsed

In a soup pot spritzed very lightly with olive oil (just enough so that the vegetables don''t stick), saute the onions and jalapenos until the onions are translucent. Add the butternut squash and saute a bit more. When I add the squash is when I normally add the garam marsala... generally I just sprinkle it in but my guess is that it is around 2 teaspoons.
Add the diced tomatoes and broth and bring to a soft boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes (until the squash is soft enough to blend smoothly but not mushy).
In a blender or food processor, puree between a cup and a half and two cups of the soup and add it back in to the pot to thicken it a bit.
Rinse the soy beans and add to the soup. Once the beans have heated through, it is ready to eat. As with most soups, it tends to be a bit better the next day heated back up.

Depending on the particular blend of garam marsala, I''ll sometimes add in extra cinnamon or just a touch of freshly ground black pepper. When I''m out of garam marsala, I''ll just use about half cinnamon, 1/4 corriander, 1/4 cumin and a dash of cloves, nutmeg, black pepper and asafoetida (all ground of course). Obviously, if you have a prefered brand of garam marsala, go with that. Otherwise, adjust the seasoning to your own preferences.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew


1 Cup Onions, Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced or Pressed
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
4 Cups Kale, Sliced
2 Cups Pineapple, Canned Crushed and untrained
1/2-Cup Peanut Butter
1 Tbsp. Tabasco or Hot Pepper Sauce
1/2 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
Taste of Salt
In a covered saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned.
While the onions sauté, wash the kale.
Remove the stems.
Stack the leaves on a cutting surface and slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices.
Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender.
Mix in the peanut butter, hot pepper sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add salt to taste.

You can use spinach instead of the kale but you may wish to use more as the spinach shrivels up considerably more than the kale does.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

My mom''s tortollini soup

chicken broth
fresh or frozen tortollini
parm cheese

bring chicken stock to a boil
add tortollini and cook until done
dish out and top with parm cheese

Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.

 

[Independent Gal]

Mmmm... great soups! I''m going to try some of these too.

In terms of the ''WHY!?!?!?'' I kind of get what you ladies are saying, although I''m pretty sure I could eat soup everyday for a year happily! I love soup! But as for "WHY?!?!" for my friend...

For some, it''s Everest. For her, it''s soup.

Because it''s there. That''s why.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/21/2007 2:00:02 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

lol I thought so too, but didn''t say, since she only asked for recipes, and not opinions on her friends state of mind.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 10/22/2007 2:27:55 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 10/21/2007 2:00:02 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

lol I thought so too, but didn''t say, since she only asked for recipes, and not opinions on her friends state of mind.

Me too. However, I heartily believe that a healthy dose of kookiness is a good thing. However, in this case, I think the healthy dose of kookiness is going to lead to a real overdose of soup.

 

[Independent Gal]

Three cheers for kookiness!

Three hundred sixty-six cheers for soup!

My friend is definitely kooky and I love her dearly for that and for many other things. She''s a novelist if that contextualizes it a bit. Kooky is part of her success.

I wonder if she''s actually going to go through with it.

I''ll let y''all know.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Date: 10/22/2007 2:27:55 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 10/21/2007 2:00:02 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

lol I thought so too, but didn''t say, since she only asked for recipes, and not opinions on her friends state of mind.

Ellen have you ever known me to just answer the question? I am gonna add some opinion or FACT/facts as in this case in every post I make. And apparently I am not making the 1 millionth post as that has already been done.

Indie just needs to keep DKS as her peep instead of the Soup Nazi.

(You VILL have soup and different soup and you VILL have it for an entire year. And you are going to VIKE it!!)

DKS

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/22/2007 4:43:27 PM
Author: door knob solitaire

Date: 10/22/2007 2:27:55 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 10/21/2007 2:00:02 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Ok Indie...no offense...but your friend is nutts.

DKS

lol I thought so too, but didn''t say, since she only asked for recipes, and not opinions on her friends state of mind.

Ellen have you ever known me to just answer the question? I am gonna add some opinion or FACT/facts as in this case in every post I make. And apparently I am not making the 1 millionth post as that has already been done.

Indie just needs to keep DKS as her peep instead of the Soup Nazi.

(You VILL have soup and different soup and you VILL have it for an entire year. And you are going to VIKE it!!)

DKS

Soup nazi.....now all I''m going to hear in my head tonight is, "No soup for you"!

Gotta love Seinfeld.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Yeah...but not so much his wife. I was all excited about spinach in my brownies...and squash in my mac and cheese...

Did you read the latest about her book? NO SOUP....er I mean BOOK ROYALITY FOR YOU!!

DKS

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/22/2007 8:10:47 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Yeah...but not so much his wife. I was all excited about spinach in my brownies...and squash in my mac and cheese...

Did you read the latest about her book? NO SOUP....er I mean BOOK ROYALITY FOR YOU!!

DKS

No, not THE latest, only the rumblings a few days ago.

*going to check it out*

 

[door knob solitaire]

Go to Google...type in her name and then click NEWS across the top. You have a lot to read and a few opinions to form.

Deceptively Divine???

DKS

the no royality comment I made, was my opinion...after reading the news what should happen.

 

[gingerBcookie]

I LOOOOVE soup, but I don''t think I''d ever undertake this challenge! The weather took a turn for the chilly today and hubby requested soup, so I tried this out tonight and it was a hit! I''ve been wanting to try to make Italian wedding soup forever so I jumped on it (my hubby is not a soup lover, so this was unusual). I am not a measuring kind of cook, I just add and taste, so I don''t have measurements, sorry. I gave estimates for 6 servings of the major stuff, but the seasonings I just throw it in by taste.

Italian Wedding Soup

1 small onion
1 snack pack baby carrots
1 pack sliced mushrooms
1/2 salad bag baby spinach or escarole
6 cups chicken broth (canned, vs boullion cubes, vs homemade)
3/4 lb lean ground meat (beef, turkey, pork)
salt
pepper
dried basil flakes
oregano powder
garlic powder
1/4 cup bread crumbs
parmasean cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup pasta (orzo, mini penne, shells, elbow)

1)finely dice onions
2)coin the carrots
3)lightly saute onions and carrots in a touch of olive oil in soup pan
4)add chicken broth
5)when it boils add sliced mushrooms
6)add meatballs (see below)
7)add pasta, simmer until al dente
add spinach
9)let the soup simmer for a few more minutes until spinach and meatballs are cooked (meatballs are done when they float)
10)serve with freshly grated parmasean and black pepper (my hubby likes to add some crushed red pepper flakes for a little kick)

meatballs
1)In a large mixing bowl, mix meat, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder, parmasean
2)Combine with bread crumbs and egg
3)Roll into nickel sized balls

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/22/2007 10:02:43 PM
Author: door knob solitaire
Go to Google...type in her name and then click NEWS across the top. You have a lot to read and a few opinions to form.

Deceptively Divine???

DKS

the no royality comment I made, was my opinion...after reading the news what should happen.

Hmmm, it would have been easier to give her the benefit of the doubt, were it not for the exact duplication of bizzare combinations....


Mr. Seinfeld was quoted as saying, “Let’s be realistic — my wife isn’t in this for the money or the publicity." He added, “I really don’t think we have another Watergate here."


No, I think that would be Foodgate Jer.

sorry for threadjack!!

 

[Sparkster]

Your friend is gonna have to make and freeze a lot of different types of stock to make this work!

When I make soup, it''s made in big pots so that we can freeze it. I find it difficult to just make enough for two serves. I mean, if I make minestrone for two, then this will only mean half an onion, one stick of celery, half a can of beans, quarter cabbage, etc. What do I do with the rest of everything unless I make soup again the next day with the left over ingredients.