Thursday, November 13, 2008

Soups and Stocks

Grilled Chicken and Lentil Soup (serves 4-6)

Ingredients

3 Grilled chicken breasts (about 5 oz each) chopped in small pieces
6 cups cooked lentil beans, drained
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 yellow onion chopped finely
2 oz fresh thyme
2 oz fresh oregano
1 cup canned tomato
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup roasted garlic
3 oz olive oil



Method


Heat olive oil in a medium size pot, then add all ingredients except the beans. When the liquid comes to a boil you can add the beans and reduce to simmer. Let cook, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes. (Add water if necessary. Should remain at a soupy consistency).


One option is to garish with toasted walnuts or I have even used warm goat cheese.



Always Cook with Love

If have any questions feel free to ask at nancyandsean@gmail.com!

Chef Sean

PS. If you want to make this vegetarian, use firm tofu, diced. If you are going to use the tofu I would saute or grill it before adding it to the soup, which should be added to each portion right before serving. This will keep a caramelized flavor to the tofu. A nice garnish for the vegetarian option would be raw bean sprouts.

Soups and Stocks

Black Bean Soup (serves 6-8)

Ingredients

3 cans black beans with juice
1 yellow onion (chopped finely)
2 green bell peppers (chopped finely)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 hand full cilantro ( chopped)
2 cups diced tomato
3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
Sour Cream for garnish

You may also want to have some corn chips on the side.

This soup can also be used as a sauce for filling for burritos, topping for enchiladas, or as a dip for the half time of the big game. (Go Notre Dame).

One suggestion is that you can add a variety of chilies to change the flavor of this dish. One would be Chipoltle chilies, I would recommend that you add approximately 3 oz for this recipe.

If using this for an appetizer, simply heat soup and pour over chips and add your favorite cheese and top with green onion.

Method

In a medium size pot add all ingredients except the beans. Let cook for about 5 minutes. remember to stir often. Add the beans and turn down the heat. Let simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes on low and serve.

Top the sour cream with a squeeze of lime for a refreshing flavor!

Always Cook With Love,

Chef Sean