Soup! Chicken Black Bean and Corn

Since last Thanksgiving, I have discovered how easy it is to make soup.  I am not a fan of wasting food and I started experimenting with the left over turkey.  Someone recommended I take the turkey, boil it in some water and viola!...turkey stock!  It's already seasoned so there is not much left to do but add your vegetables.  It made a lot of stock so I tried out different combinations...curry, cumin, potatoes, black beans.  Yum!  I put them in little glass containers and had lunch for a month!

Now I make a big batch of chicken stock for my soup base.  I am not a huge fan of the canned broth because of the sodium and most bullion have added gluten.  To make chicken stock, I use chicken breast with bone (or drumsticks which I had today), salt, pepper, carrots, celery and an onion.  I use a pot with a strainer insert so I can easily pull out the chicken and vegetables.  I puree the vegetables and put it in my soup so I don't waste anything!  (Note, it turns the stock into an orange color because of the carrots, so don't be alarmed if you try this.)

Here's one version of soup that I like.  I didn't have any canned tomatoes today otherwise it would be more of a stew.  This soup is chunky which is very filling for a one dish meal.  It's also a little spicy, but not too bad where it burns your mouth.  For someone as sensitive as my mom, you may not want to try this.

Chicken Black Bean and Corn
Chicken stock
Chicken breast or dumsticks
1/2 onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
4 russet potatoes cubed
3 carrots sliced
1 can black beans
1 can sweet corn
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Canola oil (Olive oil is fine too)

If you are using raw chicken breast, saute it in a pan with a little oil.  You don't want it to be completely cooked because it will cook more once you get all the ingredients cooking in the soup.  You want to at least get it started to help speed things up a bit.  If you made homemade stock, pull off the meat on the chicken and set it aside.

Saute the onion in a little oil until it becomes translucent and fragrant.  Add the garlic and cook for about a minute and constantly stir the mixture.  Add the potatoes and ladle in some broth to keep the potatoes from sticking to the pan.  Let it cook for about 2 minutes or so adding more broth if necessary.  Add the carrots and cover.  Let the vegetables cook for 2 minutes to soften in the heat.  Add the chicken and seasonings.  I don't measure how much seasoning I put in.  I have a heavy hand and I know the potatoes and chicken soak up a lot of the flavor.  I suggest starting out with 1 tablespoon each and you can always add more later.  Cover the mixture and let it cook for about 5 minutes, adding more broth if necessary.

Add the canned corn and beans and 4 cups of stock.  Add more stock if you like your soup to be more brothy.  Stir well and bring to a boil.  If you want to add more seasoning, add it now.  Cook until the potatoes are done. 

I let the soup cool and put them into mason jars.  I have a tiny freezer and these guys fit in there better than my tupperware.  I usually pull one out and let it defrost overnight or take one in the morning and leave it in my lunch bag.  I can then heat it up in another bowl.

I made a lot of chicken stock this time and had left overs.  I'll save this for tomorrow.  I'm thinking about making curry soup tomorrow...or hot pot!  I looooove hot pot!



Does anyone hate cleaning up as much as I do? :(

Arroz Caldo - Rice Soup

When I was young my dad always made this soup for me when I was sick.  It did not matter what my symptoms were, he would just make this soup.  When we moved to California and my parents were far away, I had to make this for myself.  It has chicken and ginger which boosts my immune system and I swear by a magic, speedy recovery.  Now my husband asks for this soup when he is sick.

Arroz Caldo - Rice Soup

1 chicken breast with bone
8 cups water
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 diced onion
1/8 cup thinly sliced ginger
1 cup sweet rice (you can use regular rice but it does not have the same thickening consistency)
1 juice of lemon
1/8 cup fish sauce

Create the stock by boiling the chicken in a pot with 8 cups of water and a dash of salt and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to a simmer and let the chicken cook for 30-45 minutes.  Pull out the chicken and let it cool.  When it's cool enough to handle, shred the meat with a fork.  Make sure the meat is well done, there should not be any pink.  Discard the chicken bones and set the meat aside.

In another pot, heat oil and saute onion for about a minute stirring frequently.  Add ginger to mixture and saute for another minute.  Add washed and rinsed rice to mixture and saute for a minute.  Add in the chicken. Pour chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir well and put the lid on the pot.  Bring the heat down to a simmer.  Let the soup simmer undisturbed for 30 minutes until the rice is done.  Add lemon juice, fish sauce, and pepper and let it simmer for another minute.

Note, the soup will continue to get thicker.  Before you heat it up in the microwave, you can always add a few tablespoons of water, lemon juice, and fish sauce.