We are having a "soup day" at work?

Chicken Tortilla Soup...yum!

4½ hours 30 min prep

1 lb chicken, poached and shredded

1/4 cup poblano peppers, seeded & diced

1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, seeded & diced

1/4 cup serrano peppers, seeded & diced

1 cup onions, peeled & diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded & diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 lb corn tortillas, torn in squares

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with liquid

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 (4 ounce) can tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 gallon chicken broth

10 ounces frozen corn (optional)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (to taste)

2 avocados (optional)

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, Grated (optional)

1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, Grated (optional)

4 tortillas, sliced into 1/2-inch strips and baked until crispy (optional)

4 ounces sour cream (optional)

In a skillet, saute peppers, onions, poblanos, garlic and tortillas in olive oil for 5 minutes.

In 6 quart stock pot add the skillet contents, chicken broth, canned tomatoes and chicken.

Cook until vegetables are soft, tortillas are dissolved and the soup is slightly thickened. (4 hours on low, 2 hours on high in my crock pot).

Add cilantro and frozen corn and cook until corn is thawed (around 15 mins). You can also add water or chicken broth if the soup is too thick.

Top with crisp fried tortilla strips, shredded cheese, sour cream and avocado slices (to me the garnish makes this soup, I never make it without).

Vegetable soup is so easy to make, but with a few tricks you can make it ultra-fabulous!!

1lb. frozen mixed veggies

2- 30-32 oz. cans of diced tomatoes

1lb. ground beef

fresh cabbage and potatoes

Cook the frozen veggies in chicken stock til tender and well seasoned. While those are working, gently simmer the tomatoes with salt and pepper, maybe a dash of garlic. When the veggies are done, pour them, and the stock into the tomatoes. In a seperate pan, brown the ground beef, drain and add to the soup. To give this the true "homemade" touch, add diced potatoes and about 1/3 of a cabbage, shredded. Cook low until the potatoes are done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Not much work, but it is fantastic. The ground beef turns out to be sooooo tender, and it adds a wonderful element to the taste of the soup. Easy and a crowd pleaser!!

CORN CHOWDER WITH HAM

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 cup diced cooked peeled potatoes

1 cup diced fully cooked ham

2 cups fresh, frozen or canned sweet corn

1 cup cream-style corn

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

2 1/2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

top with crumbled bacon

In a heavy saucepan, cook the onion in butter until tender.

Add all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings (2 quarts)

CROCKPOT POTATO SOUP

8 cups coarsely chopped peeled potatoes

1 small onion, shopped

1/2 pound bacon, crisped, drained, and crumbled

1 (8-oz pkg.) cream cheese, softened

3 cans chicken broth

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a 4-qt. crock, stir together the potatoes, bacon and onion.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and the pepper. Add the mixture to the crock.

Cover and cook the soup on low heat for about 10 hours or on high heat for about 5 hours.

If you like, mash the potatoes slightly for a thicker consistency before serving.

Make some sort of chili or stew. Those seem to work fantastic in crock pots because the longer they cook, the more flavorful they become.

I also love to use the crock pot. You could definitly go with chilli, it always tastes so good.

Three bean turkey chili

1lb ground turkey

1small onion

1can(28oz.) diced tomatoes undrained

1can(15oz.) garbanzo beans rinsed and drained

1can(15oz.) kidney beans rinsed and drained

1can(15oz.) black beans rinsed and drained

1can(8oz.) tomato sauce

1can(4oz.)chopped green chilies

1to2 Tbs. chili powder

1. Cook turkey and onion in medium skillet over med-high heat, stirring to break up meat until turkey is no longer pink. Drain; place in slow cooker

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover;cook on high 6to8 hours.

Makes 6-8 servings

Sooo..easy

My family loves this one:

Mexican Meatball Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 3/4 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 small bay leaves

5 14 1/2-ounce cans beef broth

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

1/2 cup chunky tomato salsa (medium-hot)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 pound bulk pork sausage

6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1/4 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 3/4 cups onions, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaves; sauté 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes with juices, salsa and 1/4 cup cilantro; bring to boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ground beef, pork sausage, cornmeal, whole milk, egg, salt, pepper, cumin, then remaining 1 cup onions, 2 garlic cloves and 1/4 cup cilantro in medium bowl. Mix well. Shape meat mixture by generous tablespoonfuls into 1- to 1 1/4-inch balls. Add rice and meatballs to soup and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice and meatballs are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

CREOLE SLOW-COOKER GUMBO

1/2 lb. chicken breast halves without skin, cubed and browned

2 links andouille sausage, sliced

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

10 cups water

1 cup dry roux mix

2 tbls. Creole seasoning

Cooked white rice

Place chicken, sausage, shrimp, onion, peppers, water, roux

mix and Creole seasoning in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8

hours. Adjust seasoning with additional Creole seasoning, if needed.

Serve over rice.

You may need both for your daily intake i wood condition just as good as one another. Granta

Is dependent on the context really. Which is better as a snack - fruits to me. It's tastier and gives you that tad of sweetness. Which can be better as a snack if you are trying hard to minimize back on sugar and lose weight vegetables

A soup version of Beef Stew works wonders on a cold day. Just take cans of beef stew and add in some more fresh chopped vegetables (peas, carrots, potatoes) and some beef broth or add beef buillion and flavor to taste.