Another Cream Soup

If you put these things together...

1 pound beef smoked sausage, cubed
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1/2 a large yellow onion, diced small
1/2 a large (or one small) jalapeno pepper, deseeded, minced
2 stalks celery, diced small
1 carrot, grated or diced small
1/2 sweet/tart red apple, such as Gala or Braeburn, grated
1 quart water or chicken stock
1/4 cup blond roux
1 1/2 cup milk (I use 1% but you use whatever you have)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

... like this...

Brown the sausage in a tad of oil in a deep pot or dutch oven. When it just begins to brown, put in the onions, jalapeno, celery, carrot, and apple. When the onion and celery begin to get translucent add the water or stock and the potatoes. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and let simmer until the potatoes are fork tender.
While the potatoes cook make the roux in a small sauce pan. Let it cool in the pan until the potatoes are done.
When the potatoes are done, add the milk to the roux, a little bit at a time until it makes a thin slurry. Stirring constantly pour this slurry into the pot with the sausage and potatoes. Cook over med-lo heat until the broth is thickened to your liking. Finish with the black pepper.

...you get this...




Serve with a nice green salad and some crusty bread.


Enjoy.

Easy Taco Soup

This soup is what I make when the weather is cold, things are hectic and comfort food is needed. Also, it's just plain good and very quick to make. The sodium content looks high but remember this is for the full recipe. If it's a concern, use reduced sodium broth, tomatoes and corn. You can also drain and rinse the beans. For this particular one, I used pinto beans.

It's also a good vegetarian soup. Omit the meat and it's still very tasty. Need a little heat? Add a small can of chilies. The combinations are endless.

Easy Taco Soup

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 can beans (pinto, kidney, black)

2 cans chicken broth

1 package taco seasoning

1 pound ground beef (used bison for this one)

Brown ground beef in a large pan. Drain. Add remaining ingredients (don't drain cans). Heat thoroughly.

Nutritional information (for the entire pot of soup)

Calories 1843

Fat 16.5

Carbohydrates 103

Protein 130.5

Sodium 9090