Soups, Stews, and Chowders

Spicy Pulled Pork and White Bean Soup

Published on by Kait Nolan

I’m pretty regularly playing around in my kitchen and developing new recipes.  I’ve got a whole Evernote Notebook devoted to ideas–stuff to convert to gluten or dairy free or just “ooo, this might be good”.  Usually I have a bit of lead time such that I’ve got a few recipes in the hopper, as it were, to post while I’m working on new things.  This weekend I ran out.   Not of ideas, never that, but just stuff that I’d already refined and taken pics of (kind of a requirement for food blogging).  Whoops.  So this spicy pulled pork and white bean soup was my “what can I fix that’s fast and easy” concept that happened to come together quickly and very deliciously.  Soups are often like that, which is one of the things I love about them.  In any event, this was quite tasty.  You could dress it with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips (which is usually the default with any mexi-themed dish in our house), but it’s perfectly flavorful without them.  Serves 4.

spicy pulled pork and white bean soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb pulled pork (pick some up from your local barbeque place or make your own)
  • 2 anaheim chilis (or poblano peppers–groceries often seem to get these confused), seeded with ribs removed, diced
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked salt (or sea salt if you don’t have the smoked)
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • olive oil
Directions:
  1. Drizzle some olive oil in a dutch oven and heat over medium.
  2. Add the onions and chilis and saute until they start to brown a bit and the onions are going translucent.  If you want to do this in the crock pot, now’s the time to transfer everything.
  3. Add the chicken stock, pork, garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne papper.
  4. Simmer for approximately half an hour (or 4 hours on low in the crock pot)
  5. Add the beans and simmer for another 10-15 minutes (or a half hour in the crock pot).

 

 

Spicy Pulled Pork and White Bean Soup
 
Save Print
I'm pretty regularly playing around in my kitchen and developing new recipes. I've got a whole Evernote Notebook devoted to ideas--stuff to convert to gluten or dairy free or just "ooo, this might be good". Usually I have a bit of lead time such that I've got a few recipes in the hopper, as it were, to post while I'm working on new things. This weekend I ran out. Not of ideas, never that, but just stuff that I'd already refined and taken pics of (kind of a requirement for food blogging). Whoops. So this spicy pulled pork and white bean soup was my "what can I fix that's fast and easy" concept that happened to come together quickly and very deliciously. Soups are often like that, which is one of the things I love about them. In any event, this was quite tasty. You could dress it with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips (which is usually the default with any mexi-themed dish in our house), but it's perfectly flavorful without them. Serves 4.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup/Stews/Chowders
Cuisine: Gluten and Dairy Free
Ingredients
  • 1 lb pulled pork (pick some up from your local barbeque place or
  • make your own
  • )
  • 2 anaheim chilis (or poblano peppers--groceries often seem to get these confused), seeded with ribs removed, diced
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp garlic
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked salt (or sea salt if you don't have the smoked)
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Drizzle some olive oil in a dutch oven and heat over medium.
  2. Add the onions and chilis and saute until they start to brown a bit and the onions are going translucent. If you want to do this in the crock pot, now's the time to transfer everything.
  3. Add the chicken stock, pork, garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne papper.
  4. Simmer for approximately half an hour (or 4 hours on low in the crock pot)
  5. Add the beans and simmer for another 10-15 minutes (or a half hour in the crock pot).

Perfect Potato Soup

Published on by Kait Nolan

As soon as cool weather hits, I start thinking soup.  It’s easy, warm, and filling.  I didn’t actually make this batch for us, but for some neighbors who recently had a baby (welcome Carter!).  This makes a massive batch and is easily frozen, so it makes a GREAT food to take to others.

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds russet potatoes
  • 2 sweet onions
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can evaporated skim milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsps parsley

Directions:

  1. Peel and rough chop your potatoes.
  2. Peel and rough chop your onions.
  3. Add potatoes and onions to a large stock pot with the chicken stock and water.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking on medium low for about half an hour or until potatoes start to break down.
  5. Using a potato masher, break up the big chunks and cook for another 15 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Add the evaporated milk, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  8. Using an immersion blender, CAREFULLY blend until smooth.
  9. Serve with your choice of toppings (bacon, cheese, sour cream, chives).

 

 

Perfect Potato Soup
 
Save Print
As soon as cool weather hits, I start thinking soup.  It's easy, warm, and filling.  I didn't actually make this batch for us, but for some neighbors who recently had a baby (welcome Carter!).  This makes a massive batch and is easily frozen, so it makes a GREAT food to take to others.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup/Stews/Chowders
Cuisine: Gluten free
Ingredients
  • 5 pounds russet potatoes
  • 2 sweet onions
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can evaporated skim milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsps parsley
Instructions
  1. Peel and rough chop your potatoes.
  2. Peel and rough chop your onions.
  3. Add potatoes and onions to a large stock pot with the chicken stock and water.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking on medium low for about half an hour or until potatoes start to break down.
  5. Using a potato masher, break up the big chunks and cook for another 15 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Add the evaporated milk, parsley, salt, and pepper.
  8. Using an immersion blender, CAREFULLY blend until smooth.
  9. Serve with your choice of toppings (bacon, cheese, sour cream, chives).

Mix It Up Monday: Sausage, Pepper, and Cannellini Bean Stew

Published on by Kait Nolan

I decided to make an effort to start incorporating a few meals a week that are not carb heavy.  This is a challenge for my meat and potatoes self.  I have a hard time thinking of meals that don’t include pasta, rice, potatoes, or a bread, so I turned to Kalyn’s Kitchen, where I always found fabulous options for South Beach friendly meals back when I was trying that.  This stew was filling and totally delicious (although hubs said it would be better with a grilled cheese, as that is a legal requirement for soup).  I didn’t bother calculating the nutrition info, but it uses turkey sausage and a metric ton of veggies, so it can’t be bad.  Serves 4.

Chili Con Carne

Published on by Kait Nolan

I rarely make my own chili from scratch.  This might be considered shameful by some foodies, but frankly, I really just love the Carroll Shelby mix from the grocery store.  But I decided that I just had to try making chili with BACON because bacon makes everything better.  This wound up being kind of a kitchen sink dish and the end result was AWESOME because, you know, BACON.  Makes 4 servings at 648 calories and 26 grams of fat.

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices applewood smoked bacon
  • 2 lb 90% lean ground beef
  • 2 cups black beans, rinsed
  • 14 oz. diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbs ancho chili powder
  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tbs cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano (mexican if you can find it)
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2.5 cups beef broth
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 chipotle chili in adobo, minced
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup masa flour

Directions:

1. Cut your bacon into a cold skillet.

2. Cook until properly crispy and brown over medium heat.

3. Remove with a slotted spoon to some paper towels to drain and reserve your grease.

4. Add the ground beef and brown over medium high.  You want some good caramelization.

5. Drain and set aside.

6. Add a tablespoon of the grease back to the skillet and heat.

7. Add the onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper and cook for a couple of minutes, until onion is soft.

8. In a large dutch oven, add the cooked onion, pepper, garlic, beef, bacon, can of tomatoes, juice of lime, all the spices, the beef broth, sugar and beans (reserve the masa).

9. Bring to a simmer and cover,   Cook for 1 hour.

10. Mix the masa flour with enough water to make a sort of runny paste.

11. Remove the top, add the masa mixture and stir until well combined.

12. Simmer another 10-15 minutes, until thickened.

 Printable version.

Gluten Free Friday: Chicken and Dumplings

Published on by Kait Nolan

This is not my mama’s chicken n’ dumplins.  Hers is made with Bisquick dumplins and no matter how many times I try, I can’t seem to make it the same.  And of course now with the gluten thing, hubby couldn’t eat it anyway.  Since I have been sick and am responsible for making my own comfort food, I opted to try to make my own gluten free chicken and dumplins.  This doesn’t have the pretty, rolled out dumplings–it’s a very rustic drop in dumpling, but all in all it came out remarkably well considering the total experimentation.  Makes  4 servings at 764 calories and 20.5 grams of fat.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Chicken breasts — boned and skinned, cut into chunks
  • 4 chicken thighs boneless
  • 12 oz mirepoix
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 3/4 cup brown rice flour
  • 3/4 cup  white rice flour
  • 3/4 cup potato starch
  • 1/4 cup tapioca starch
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 egg

Directions:

1. Carefully trim off any remaining skin or fat from your chicken.

2. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

3. Add chicken, stock, mirepoix, water, kosher salt, pepper, and thyme to the crock pot.

4. Cook on high for 4 hours.

5. Whisk remaining dry ingredients together.

6. Mix the buttermilk, butter (let it cool a bit first), and egg white together.  Add to the dry.

7. Mix until just combined.

8. Drop in large teaspoons full into the crock pot.

9. Cover with a dish towel, then cover with the top of the crock pot for 15-20 minutes or until dumpings have doubled in size and toothpicks inserted in the center come out clean.

Printable version.

Chicken and Brown Rice Soup

Published on by Kait Nolan

I’ve been on vacation and am only just now caught up with everything enough to get back to blogging about what we’ve been eating.  Hubs is getting a cold or sinus infection or something, so soup was the name of the game.  Except of course we’re a gluten free household, so it’s chicken and rice rather than chicken noodle.  This is one of those soups that you have to work to keep from being bland.  You use the ingredients to build layers of flavor, subtly stacking one atop the other for a lovely, rich blend that will attack your cold where it counts.  Serves 2-3 (depending on how hungry you are).

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into bit sized pieces
  • 1 cup brown rice, raw
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 10 oz mirepoix
  • 1 tbs minced garlic
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 4 cups water

Directions:

  1. Heat your oil over medium high heat.
  2. Add your chicken, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Saute until the chicken is no longer pink.
  3. Add the mirepoix and garlic and saute until softened.
  4. Add the wine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until reduced by half, about ten minutes.
  5. Add the water and simmer for about half an hour.
  6. Add the rice and thyme, simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Printable version.

Black-Eyed Pea Chili

Published on by Kait Nolan

Black-eyed peas are just not one of my favorite things.  I’m a Mississippi girl so I prefer purple hull peas.  But black-eyed peas are the thing for New Year’s fare, so I had to do something with them.  A few years ago at a New Year’s party I had some black-eyed pea chili.  I have no idea what recipe she used, so I made up my own.  It’s hearty and healthy, making 4 servings at 433 calories and 9 grams of fat.  Adding some sour cream, cheese, and corn chips and you’ve got a meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb black-eyed peas, raw
  • 1 lb turkey sausage, browned and rinsed
  • 1 can rotel, undrained
  • 1 tbs minced garlic
  • 1 tbs dried onion
  • 1 tbs oregano
  • 1.5 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 32 oz. beef broth

Directions:
1. Soak your black-eyed peas overnight.  Drain and rinse, and soak again while you prep everything else.
2. Brown and rinse your sausage, then add to the crock pot.
3. Add the rotel, garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.
4. Drain and rinse the peas again, then add to the crock pot.
5. Add the beef stock and stir until well combined.
6. Cook on high for 6 hours.

Printable version.

Beef Barley and Mushroom Soup

Published on by Kait Nolan

Fall is in the air.  I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.  Autumn is my favorite time of year because it’s time to bust out the crock pot for flavorful soups and stews.  Beef barley is one of hubby’s faves, so it seemed like the thing to kick off the season.  This is a crock pot recipe that requires virtually no thought.  Love that kind.  Makes 4 servings at 400 calories and 8 grams of fat.

Ingredients:

  • 1.25 lbs beef stew meat
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 40 oz beef broth
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1.5 cups carrot, chunked
  • 1 tbs garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 cup barley (quick cook)
  • 6 oz. mushrooms sliced
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp  fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a good non stick or cast iron skillet.
2. Add the meat and allow to brown thoroughly on all sides until you get a good caramelization.
3. Add the meat, broth, carrots, onion, garlic, wine, parsley, salt, pepper, and tomato paste to your crock pot.  Stir well.
4. Cook on high for approximately 4 hours or low for 8.
5. Add the barley and mushrooms and cook for an additional 30-60 minutes or until barley is cooked through.

Printable version.

Tex Mex Chicken Corn Chowder

Published on by Kait Nolan

I’d never heard of using corn cobs to make stock before, but a coworker from corn country told me her grandmother did this religiously–even ears that you’d actually EATEN off of (it gets boiled! she said).  So I decided to try it for corn chowder.  The results were surprising.  And me being me, I had to make yet ANOTHER variation on chicken corn chowder.   Makes 4 servings at 407.71 calories and 7.65g of fat.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion coarse chopped
  • 4 ears corn on the cob
  • 1 carrot, chunked
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1 can cream corn
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 can tex mex style tomatoes
  • 2 Chicken breasts — boned and skinned, cut into chunks
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cilantro
  • 1/2 tbs kosher salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika

Directions:
1. Slice the corn kernels off of all four ears.  The best way I’ve found of doing this is to stick the stalk end into the hold of a bundt pan.  It holds it steady and catches all the kernels.
2. Place the ears into a large stock pot with 4 cups of water.
3. Add the carrots and the rough cut onion.
4. Add the salt, thyme, and peppercorns.
5. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
6. Carefully strain the stock.  You’ll be amazed…this looks just as rich as chicken stock, though of course a much different flavor.
7. Return the stock to your pot.
8. Add the diced chicken and bring back up to a simmer.
9. In a separate skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
10. Add the minced onion and corn kernals and saute until just starting to brown.
11. Add the corn and onion mixture to the stock pot.
12. Add the canned tomatoes and creamed corn.
13. Add the cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and cilantro.
14. Simmer for half an hour or until chicken is tender.
15. Serve garnished with sour cream.

Printable version.

Chicken Soup In A Flash

Published on by Kait Nolan

Chicken soup.  Classic comfort food.  It’s the thing I always want when I’m sick.  But here’s the thing.  When you’re the wife or the mom or the primary food preparer in the house…there’s nobody to make YOU chicken noodle soup.  And you know…Campbell’s just really doesn’t do it.  So here’s a quick and dirty recipe for a mostly homemade chicken noodle soup–with a few shortcuts that’ll allow you to have GOOD homemade chicken soup, even if you’re sick as a dog.  Makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 quarts of good chicken stock (this could be home prepared if you tend to keep it on hand or store-bought–I like Kitchen Basics)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 rotisserie chicken
  • 1 package of frozen mirepoix (this is a fabulous short cut…you’ll find these with the frozen veggies–a mix of onion, celery, and carrots)
  • 2 cups noodles of choice (Tinkyada brown rice elbows are good for gluten free, I like No Yolks dumplings for regular)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • parsley
  • fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Debone your chicken and shred.  If you’re into it, save the bones to make your own stock later.
  2. Add everything but the noodles and simmer in a large stock pot for approximately 20 minutes.
  3. Add the noodles and simmer until soft, according to package directions.
  4. Serve it up with your favorite bread or crackers.

Printable version.