Top Five Favorite Soup Recipes!

We had a great time in the Treehouse Kitchen this weekend trying out the recipes that were submitted. Just a few little facts that you may like to know about: We received a total of 22 recipes. Quite a few of them were subitted by nonbloggers. Overall there were 4 chilis, 3 chicken, 8 vegetarian, and the rest were cream based soups. We have listed our favorite recipes below in no special order. I think you will find the soups chosen to be very flavorful and not at all difficult to make which is exactly how we like it at the Treehouse. Thanks to all who stuck around for soup week and also to those who participated! Please don't forget to check out the websites below. Enjoy!


Curried Carrot Soup With Apples

http://www.doriegreenspan.com/

Ingredients:
1 lb. carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 thick strip orange peel
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper
For serving, optional:
Low-fat sour cream
Chopped chives

Directions:
Mix vegetables with the oil in a large pot over low heat. Cover and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until soft. Stir in the curry powder, season with salt, and add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper; puree soup. Serve with a dollop of low-fat sour cream and chives, if desired.
Serves 6. Per serving: 120 calories, 21g carbs, 5g protein, 2.5g fat, no cholesterol.



Cauliflower Soup

http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 stick Butter
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature


Directions:
In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown. Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine. Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary. Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir. Serve immediately.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

http://www.smittenkitchen.com/
Ingredients: (Yields 9 cups)
Three 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans (about 4 1/2 cups), rinsed and drained
1 cup drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced shallot
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
4 cups beef broth
16-ounce can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1/2 pound cooked ham, cut into 1/8-inch dice
3 to 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

Directions:
In a food processor coarsely puree beans and tomatoes. In a 6-quart heavy kettle cook onion, shallot, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean puree. Stir in broth, pumpkin, and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Just before serving, add ham and vinegar and simmer soup, stirring, until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper. Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds

Sweet Onion & Bread Soup
http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/?p=5262#more-5262

Ingredients:
8 oz sourdough bread (or any other dense, dark bread)
3 large sweet onions
3 large garlic cloves (or 5 medium ones)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup milk
3 oz butter

Directions:
Cube the bread. I didn’t remove the crusts, but feel free to. Peel the onions. Cut them in half and slice them. Slices shouldn’t be too thin. Grate the garlic. I’m using chicken bouillon cubes for this, but I’m sure vegetable cubes will work fine as well. Heat half the butter in a skillet, toss the bread cubes in there and cook until crispy and brown. At the same time heat the remaining butter in a different pan and cook the onions, garlic and a tsp fresh or dried thyme for 20 to 30 minutes. Get yourself a cup of milk. And as soon as the bread cubes are all brown and crispy… …pour the milk all over them and turn off the heat. The bread will soak up all the milk. Pour the chicken broth in with the onions. Add the bread cubes and gently simmer the soup for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in pretty bowls, garnished with a dollop sour cream and grilled cheese sandwiches on the side. Rich, warm, slightly sweet and savory all at the same time.

Creamy Asparagus Soup with Morel Mushrooms and Ramps

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/search/label/Soup

Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)
1/2 tablespoon oil
2 ramps (cleaned and chopped)
1 pound asparagus (cleaned and trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 handful morel mushrooms
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken stock or dashi)
pepper to taste
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon miso

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the ramps and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the asparagus, morel mushrooms, cover with the vegetable broth and season with pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the cottage cheese and milk.
6. Puree the the soup to the desired consistency.
7. Return the pan to the stove and bring to a boil.
8. Remove from heat and mix in the miso.