Cream Based Soup

When you don't have cream of chicken or any cream condensed soup for that matter this recipe is an excellent substitute. I found it from Southern Food.com and it's a yummy substitute!!!! I bet it would be a great start to any cream based soup.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup low-fat or fat free milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.

Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups.
This cream soup base can be varied by using vegetable broth, sauteéd chopped celery, celery seed, or sauteéd chopped mushrooms. Add herbs and or seasonings, as desired.

Paula Dean's Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

 I wanted to make sure that I had this recipe. It's my favorite Butternut Squash Soup and I was afraid the Food Network would take it off their website. So here is this fabulous soup. Serves 4. Takes aprox. 15 minutes for prep and 40 minutes to cook. Enjoy!!

2 pounds butternut squash, halved, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups diced onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 (13 3/4-ounce) cans chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup light cream or heavy cream
Sour cream, for garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine squash, onion, carrots, broth and salt. Simmer, uncovered, until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes. Puree soup in a blender or food processor with the butter. Whisk cream into soup. Serve in wide, shallow bowls with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/creamy-squash-soup-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

3 Bean Chili

1 lb ground beef
1/2 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 15.5oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15.5oz can great northern beans, drained
1 15.5oz can black beans, drained
2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
3 Tbs. BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Rays)
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
grated parmesan cheese
sour cream

Brown your beef in a skillet, drain fat, add the onion and garlic. In a separate pot add the beans, tomatoes, BBQ sauce, oregano. Add your beef and bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream. You can also cook this in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours or 4 hours on high. 

Quick Bean Soup

1 lb. sausage, cooked
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, italian style (if you dont' have italian style, I add a 1/2 tsp of oregano)
6 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cup macaroni

Add everything in pot except beans. Bring to boil and cook until noodles are done- aprox. 10 minutes. Add beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

You can also cook in a crock pot on low starting at noon. I add everything except the noodles. 30-45 minutes prior to serving add noodles.

My kids love this recipe too. Its one of our favorite soups. It kind of has a taste of minestrone. YUM!!

Ghost Chili

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbs. oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
2 cans great northern beans, drained
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp white pepper (or black)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute chicken, onion, and garlic until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, chilies, spices, and enough chicken broth to just cover the chili. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Then add milk and sour cream. Heat through and serve with a sprinkle of white cheese. If the chili is more like soup, add extra cheese to the pot to desired thickness.

You can also cook in a crock pot for half the day on low. 30 minutes prior to serving add milk and sour cream. My family LOVE this recipe. It's one of our favorites when it's cold outside.