Monday, September 14, 2009

Soup

The new birthday lunchbox and thermos are a hit. Katherine has had soup for lunch every day so far. Her favorite kind is homemade chicken and stars, but we're going to need to branch out. What is your family's favorite soup recipe?

Homemade Chicken and Stars Soup from Comfort Foodsby Rachael Ray
(This cookbook is also the source of PicklesandDimes' favorite Chicken and Dumplings--back before Rachael started calling everything "stoup." *shudder*)

2 quarts chicken broth (sometimes I use dairy-free bouillon)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or leftover chicken)
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup pastina pasta
ground pepper to taste (I use white pepper so the kids can't see it.)

Heat 1 quart broth to boiling, add chicken and bay leaf to pot and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Add vegetables to pot when you finish chopping each of them. Remove chicken after 8 minutes and place on cutting board to cool. (If using cooked chicken, I add it at the end.)

Add the second quart of broth to your pot and bring liquid to a boil. Add pasta and cook 6 minutes. Remove soup pot from heat. Dice chicken and add to soup. Season soup with pepper to taste. If soup is too thick, add up to 2 cups of water to achieve desired consistency.

This soup has converted several children to celery and/or carrot and/or onion eating. I'm just saying.

19 comments:

  1. I was the exact same way. I rarely, if ever, wanted a sandwich for lunch - so I always had a wrap or pita or a thermos.

    I honestly love every soup! If she likes tomatoes you could do a creamy veggie one! Maybe like a brunswich stew w/ shredded chicken in there? When I was little I loooved soups with little mini meatballs in there too! :)

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  2. Rachel Ray has a cauliflower soup that's to DIE for--unfortunately, I'm the only one in my family who thinks so! No one else is a big soup eater!

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  3. Here you go. (I know you will make your dairy changes as necessary!)

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/cauliflower-soup-and-garlic-and-cheese-sourdough-dippers-recipe/index.html

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  4. I LOVE black bean soup. Because I like easy things, I make it with refried beans, salsa, and veggie stock. So good with toast.

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  5. Mmmm. I love a good soup recipe. I'm going to try the cauliflower one too. My daughter loves to take soup for lunch too.

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  6. Seriously, the one thing keeping me from collapsing into a hysterial heap about the thought of another long, drawn-out winter is the fact that I can eat soup every day. I.Love.Soup.

    Especially chicken dumpling. It is my absolute favorite.

    But besides that, I love any kind of beef chili.

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  7. Mmmmmmmmm soup. Thanks for the recipe!

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  8. Tortilla soup. So, so good. And chips! Who doesn't love chips with their soup? Mmmm.

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  9. Where do you get dairy free boullion? What brand is it. I've been searching & haven't come up with anything.

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  10. Leah--I buy the generic store brand (Flavorite, etc.) They are usually dairy free.

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  11. Canned chicken soup kind of grosses me out (the pieces of chicken are just the WRONG color...) so I may have to try this when winter strikes. I have an Italian barley soup recipe that is pretty easy - would you guys eat that?

    You can email me for the recipe:
    kelseyjane(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  12. Oh, we are soup addicts! Lately we have been into the Tomato Thai soup I just posted (can omit the fish sauce for a kid-friendlier taste) and a Chicken and Barley soup - recipe to be posted soon.

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  13. The cauliflower soup recipe looks good, but what can you substitute for the milk? My son is allergic to dairy and soy. Would rice milk, or coconut milk work there? I have tried the chicken soup recipe and it IS delicious.

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  14. Mandy--I bet either of those milks would work well, depending on the flavor you want. Or you could use all chicken broth, instead. It would probably be a different consistency but still yummy.

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  15. i'll definitely try the recipe, my kids LOVE soup for lunch in their little thermoses...

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  16. It converts children to scary veggies? Rachel Ray, you are amazing.

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  17. The recipe sounds great. We are potato soup fans in my house. A copycat Bob Evans potato soup to be exact.

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  18. I LOVE soup. It started because I was working in hospitals and a cup of soup was the best thing on the menu in terms of cost vs fillingness (especially if I crammed my pockets full of crackers). I have decided that I am now on the lookout for easy, delicious soup recipes. This one sounds num.

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