It’s Soup Season

Part of the fun of taking some time off from day-to-day food photos is that I have been able to do some batch cooking and not bore you all to death with repeatedly showing that I ate the same dinner three nights in a row.  I didn’t realize how exhausting and pricey it is trying to find something new and exciting to showcase every day.

One of my favourite things to make any time of year, but especially when the weather turns chilly is soup!  It’s warm, filling, delicious, and generally hard to bugger up.  It makes perfect lunches, easy dinners, and keeps my freezer stocked with a few varieties at a time.

Every week or two I think of a recipe to try out, aiming for at least six servings so I can eat some, share some, and freeze some.

So far this season I have tackled:

• My Own Easy Healthy Broccoli Soup
• Doukhobor Borscht from French Fries to Flax Seeds
• Tom Yum Soup from Chatelaine
• Turkey and Black Bean Chili

… And just this week I cooked up a new recipe using the leftovers from the roast chicken dinner we had on Sunday night.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup with Kale

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken stock (I made my own from the chicken carcass)
• 1 cup water
• 1 can fat free evaporated milk
• 2 cups cooked chicken meat (I got about one cup from our leftover chicken and cooked up a couple of chicken thighs to get the rest)
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups kale, stem and coarse ribs removed, torn into bite size pieces
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• drizzle of olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over med-high heat.  When heated add carrots, celery and onions.  Stir to coat and let cook a few minutes then add garlic and rosemary.  Continue stirring and cooking until garlic starts to brown.
2. Add chicken stock and water.  Bring to low boil and reduce to simmer until veggies become tender (al dente) … approximately 12 minutes.
3. Add chicken and rice, simmer until heated through.  Mix corn starch with 2 tbsp of water and combine well.  Add milk to soup, stir, then add corn starch mixture and return soup to a low boil, stirring regularly, until soup starts to thicken.
4. Reduce heat and add kale.  Cover and simmer until kale wilts.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

I ran this recipe through My Fitness Pal and it clocks in at a lovely 222 calories per serving, based on six servings.  My belly is happy, my freezer is happy, and Michael will be happy since there is enough for him too.  :)

What are your favourite soup recipes to batch cook?  I will need a new one for next week.