I Love Soup!

Seriously people.

Is there anything better than making a batch of soup on a cold winter day and having it for dinner, lunches and even some to freeze?  Yes, I am sure there is something better, but this is about soup!

I have already told you I am a terrible food photographer.  There was no way I was going to take a picture of a muddy brownish green lentil soup.  I can't take this criticism!  Oh, I know you would be kind, but you would be thinking it nonetheless.

One thing better than making soup on a cold winter day is being able to make it on a cold winter evening, right after work, and have it done in less than an hour.

Here are two delicious examples of that!

Before I get to these recipes, you do not have to be a cook to make these!  In my best Rachel Ray impersonation (sorry, can I pick someone else?  Not a big Rachel fan...) you can buy the onions already chopped, the celery, even the carrots!  I would strongly encourage you just to watch a couple of shows on the foodnetwork and in no time you will know how to chop these ingredients.

This first soup I have made twice.  Bean and Bacon soup is delicious.  Unless you are like my friends Erika and Gretchen who don't like beans, you too will enjoy this.  The first time I followed the directions to a T. The second time, I only altered it by adding 4 cups of chopped kale at the end of the cooking time and let it simmer for 5 more minutes or so.  So good!   I have to say, it had to be good for me to make it twice.  I spend so much time reading recipes on Tastespotting, that there are new recipes every week I want to make! Oh, one more deviation to mention (I am such a deviant, ha) was that I used unsalted chicken stock.  I monitor my sodium intake, along with all my other nutrients, vitamins and minerals via Nutrimirror.   Having done so for two years, I guess I am used to lower salt contents.  Between the bacon and canned beans, this had plenty of salt, even using the unsalted chicken stock.  Try it yourself!  Here are some delicious nutritional stats (with the kale):



This second soup I made for dinner last night, and as with most soups, was even better today.  Lentils cook up very quickly, thus making them a great last minute soup ingredient.  If you use a blender, ALWAYS vent the lid a little and cover it with a kitchen towel when blending a hot soup. Unless, of course, you like having a story to tell guests about how you ended up with that unique design on your ceiling.   Next time I will reduce the cajun seasoning because of...you guessed it...the sodium!  A little too salty!  I did not have a fresh tomato, but I did have unsalted diced tomato so I subbed that.  This makes a lot; you may want to consider cutting this recipe in half, or eat twice as much!  More stats for your approval:



Sorry Campbells, I just do not have a need for you in my life!

Have a great night, and eat your soup!

Kel