Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley or Rice

Our family loves barley, so I try to keep some on hand from the states, because I haven't found it here in the pearl barley form. But you could easily substitute a thick hearty rice like brown rice in this recipe and it would be just as delicious! This is great with biscuits or corn bread muffins! :)

Chicken Soup with Lentils and Barley

1 c. sliced onions

1/2 c. chopped red or green bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T. butter

3 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 t. dried basil

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. rosemary, crushed

1/4 t. pepper

1 1/2 c. chopped cooked chicken

1 1/2 c. sliced carrots (about 3)

1/2 c. barley or rice

3-4 tomatoes, chopped

In a Dutch oven, saute onions, bell peppers and garlic in butter till tender

Carefully stir in broth, water, lentils, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in the chicken, carrots, and uncooked barley or rice. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes more or just till carrots are tender. Add the undrained tomatoes, heat through. Serves about 6.

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

Don't let the seemingly long ingredient list intimidate you, it's a lot of spices. :)

Tex-Mex Chicken Soup

2 t. American chili powder

1/2 t. ground coriander

18 t. salt

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/8 t. ground red pepper (I use Indian chili powder)

1/8 t. black pepper

1 pound boned, skinned chicken breast

1 t. vegetable oil

1 1/2 c. vertically sliced onion

2/3 c. thinly sliced yellow bell pepper

2/3 c. thinly sliced red bell pepper

2/3 c. thinly sliced green bell pepper

2 c. chicken broth

2 c. water

1/2 c. green split peas

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. bottled salsa

1. T. fresh lime/lemon juice

3 10-inch tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch wide strips

3/4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Cut chicken into small bite size pieces. Combine spice mixture and chicken in a plastic bag, shaking to coat chicken pieces. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, cook until done.

Add onion and bell peppers to skillet and saute 3 minutes. Add chicken, broth, water, split peas, and 1/4 t. salt; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until peas are tender. Add salsa and lime juice, and simmer 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler/oven. Spread tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; lightly coat tortilla strips with cooking spray. * Broil tortilla strips 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring once.

Serve soup topped with tortilla strips and cheese. Serves 4-6.

Notes: You don't have to use all three colors of bell peppers. If you can only get green, that's just fine! You can also substitute homemade salsa for the bottled, though I think bottled salsa is pretty easy to find in most places.

Megan's Tortilla Soup

For a veg version of this, you can omit the chicken, or substitute with any kind of cooked bean.

Tortilla Soup

4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or 1 whole chicken cooked and picked

4 onions chopped

3-4 green peppers, chopped

6 tomatoes, chopped

Broth from cooking chicken + water and buillion cubes to make five cups

1 1/3 c. cream soup mix

2 boxes Brittannia Mexican mirchi cheese spread

1 box Brittannia processed cheddar, cubed

Melt 2 T. butter in Dutch oven. Fry onions and peppers. Add tomatoes, fry for a minute. Add broth and water/buillion and cream soup. Stir to mix. Add cheese and chicken and simmer till cheese is melted. Serve with cut up tortillas. Serves 8-10. We like leftovers of this. :)

Potato Soup

A rich, cheesy potato soup that will fill your belly quickly!

Potato Soup

8 baked potatoes, peeled and diced*

50 g. butter, or about 1/2 stick

2 boxes Amul cream (or 1 box cream, 1 cup milk)

1 onion, diced

3 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. flour

1 box (400g)Britannia Processed Cheddar, cut into very small cubes

Melt butter in dutch oven. Add onions and cook until soft. Combine flour and broth to make paste. Add to onions and cook till thick. Add other ingredients and heat through. Don’t boil.

*Most of the time I just peel, chop and boil the potatoes in water while cutting the onions and sauteeing them. Saves me time. But it does taste better with potatoes that have been baked. :)

Megan's Tomato Soup

It's finally getting beyond cool in our city and feeling a little chilly, cold even. I always love soups and stews during the winter, and since they're usually pretty quick and easy meals, I'd post a few recipes for our favorite soups.

When we lived in the states, a quick and easy lunch was a can of Campbell's tomato soup with grilled cheese. The Maggi/Knorr Tomato soup packets just don't quite meet the craving, so I created this tomato soup recipe, which we actually like better than the Campbell's. :)

Tomato Soup

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

two cups chicken broth

two boxes tomato puree

5-6 large tomatoes

1/2 t. basil

1 t. paprika

1/2 t. cumin

Tony’s

salt

1 box of Amul cream(small box)

Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle top with salt. Bake 15-20 or until skins start peeling back. Remove peels once cool. Pulse tomatoes in mixer till mostly smooth.

While tomatoes are baking, puree garlic and onions in a mixer until totally smooth, no clumps, adding water 1 t. at a time if necessary. Saute puree in butter till translucent. Add flour, 1 T at a time till pasty. Add paprika and combine. Add tomatoes to onion mixture. Add 1 t. paprika, 1/2 t. basil, 1/2 t. cumin, dash of Tony Chachere’s. Mix to combine. Slowly add boxed tomato puree and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Simmer for a few minutes until smooth. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and add box of cream, stirring to combine.