Tag Archives: Soup

Fall Favorite – Indian Potato and Spinach Soup

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It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for another Fall Favorite! Today Erica is here sharing her recipe for an Indian Potato and Spinach soup that is sure to warm you on the coldest fall evening and paired with some fresh from the oven bread and a glass of your favorite drink dinner will be perfect. 

I hope that you’re enjoying this series and finding some delicious recipes to try out. Remember… if you’re interested in sharing one of your own fall favorite here just let me know.

Erica Voll is a freelance writer, blogger, marketing maven, content creator and social media consultant. She writes a parenting blog, No Sleep ’til College, and is co-founder of Girls’ Lunch Out. Erica rarely sleeps. Connect with Erica on Twitter,YouTube, Facebook, and Google+.

There are days when I think I might as well cook an elaborate meal, and throw it directly in the trash because inevitably, my kids and husband will hate it.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with “1” being “Ick, gross, I’m calling for take-out” and a “10” being “Make this again!” I’ve observed the following:

  • 30 seconds to throw chicken fingers in the oven + 5 minutes to heat up canned corn + 1 minute to scoop applesauce on a plate = 10
  • 60 minutes chopping, searing, boiling and simmering for a chicken dinner = 5
  • 90 minutes chopping, boiling, cleaning, clearing, plating, topping and serving pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes, fresh brussels sprouts = 1

Look, I am not a foodie. I do not “enjoy” cooking, nor do I enjoy the prep and clean-up that comes with cooking. But I the thought of Indian potato soup just kind of warmed my soul one chilly fall day…

So I thought I would take a chance and make it for my family.
So, this weekend, when I dared to bust out the Indian spices and create a pot of soup, I knew I was treading in dangerous waters. This conversation foreshadowed what happened…

“The kids will never eat that,” said my husband.

“How do you know??” I asked.

“Erica, the kids will not eat Indian food,” he replied.

Well, he was sort of right. My almost-4-year-old told me she didn’t like the way it smelled, and my 18-month-old ate it up. My husband hated it, and I loved it.

I loved it so much, in fact, I wanted to share the recipe with you.

Indian Potato Soup

Indian Potato Spinach Soup with Chicken

Serves: 1. Your family will hate it, and you will be forced to eat it for a week because you made it from scratch, damnit!

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp canola or corn oil
  • 2 medium size chicken breast halves, diced
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1/2 tsp caraway seeds ( I used sesame seeds since I didn’t have caraway seeds)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 TBSP curry powder
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 6 cups fat free chicken broth
  • 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes with juice
  • 3 cups coarsely chopped potatoes (about 2 large)
  • 1 10 ounce thawed spinach

Directions

  1. Over medium heat in large pot, combine oil, chicken, onion and caraway seeds. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is limp and browns (about 5 minutes)
  2. Add garlic and cook one minute longer.
  3. Stir in coriander, curry and cardamom, cook for additional 30 seconds.
  4. Stir in broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil.
  5. Adjust heat so it simmers.
  6. Cook until potatoes are tender
  7. Add spinach, tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes

Per cup: 187 cals 2.7 g fat, 15 g of protein

Sounds delicious, right?

Monday Menu – Cheddar Broccoli Soup

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broccoli-soup

I love soup! A lot! If I could I’d eat it a few times a week. But it can’t be the salty, processed soup from a can… nope, it must be the homemade kind. It bothers me that my husband hates soup though…. I’m not sure why I guess there is something wrong with him. Because it’s perfect for lunch or dinner and warms you no matter what.

I’d been planning on making broccoli soup for about a week or so now and never got around to it because I wanted to make sure that I had time to make some fresh bread to go with it or bread bowls if I was feeling ambitious. I waited until the weekend so I’d have lots of time and planned it so we’d have it after spending the afternoon outside getting family pictures taken (more on that insanity later). It’d warm us all up after playing outside in the cold!

Broccoli soup is pretty easy and isn’t something that has to sit on the stove and simmer all day. All you need is about an hour and a great recipe… one that I am going to share with you right now.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
  • a handful or so of shredded carrots or 1 medium carrot diced
  • 2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth.
cream & broth
Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
broccoli
Add the broccoli and carrot and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you’ll still have bits of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender… my favorite kitchen tool).
blending soup

Add the cheese to the soup and stir over medium heat until melted.

shredding the cheese cheese
Add up to 3/4 cup water or stock if the soup is too thick. Actually, this is perfect for bread bowls because it’s pretty thick and doesn’t soak through the walls of the bread to much and who doesn’t love bread!

What is your favorite soup? What about cheddar broccoli soup… like it, love it, or hate it?