10 Comfort Food Soups

A mix of 10 comforting, healthy, and satisfying soups to enjoy this winter.

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Winter is for enjoying comfort food.  There something so satisfying about a hot bowl soup and piece of crusty bread for your lunch or dinner, sitting in front of a fireplace or in candlelight!

Both MGG and I LOVE a good bowl of soup.  We also like variety in our soups with various flavors from Italian, Mexican to good 'ole American.  We also like to protein in our soups and often use beef or chicken, but we also love a good vegetarian soup as well.  Today I'm bringing you 10 delicious soups to make this winter.

Most of them are very healthy with a few splurges thrown in for an occasional treat!

Enjoy!

10 COMFORT FOOD SOUPS

Italian Style Roasted Chicken and Orzo Soup

Greek Style Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup

Slow Cooker: Mexican Vegetable and Quinoa Soup

Easy Minestrone 

Chicken Enchiladas Soup 

Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Beef Burgundy Stew

Rustic Beef Stew

Healthier Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

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For quick weeknight dinners we eat a lot of Chinese food.

Stir frys that I make using beef or chicken and whatever vegetable I have on hand.  It's soooo much better than takeout and done in a flash.

But there are times when we go out to dinner and just crave a good Chinese meal.  MGG loves Orange Chicken.  To tell the truth I love it too, but tend not to eat it as much due to the large amount of sugar in the sauce.  So I set out to make a healthier version at home, using less sugar so that it isn't as calorie ridden, and using the "slow cooker"!!

HEALTHIER SLOW COOKER ORANGE CHICKEN

Now I want to state that doing this on the stove only takes about 20 minutes.  So why use the slow cooker?  There are just some days that I am so busy that it is late when we eat, and I really don't want to stand over the stove and cook. 

Days where I work all day, I can through this in the slow cooker when I get home, wait for MGG to get home, then we're off to the gym.  When we are ready to eat after we get back and shower etc....a hot meal is ready for us.  I LOVE THAT!  Seriously, when I don't want to cook, he's lucky I don't just throw a salad his way and call it a day!

The slow cooker gives me an option to have a hot dinner when I really need it.  So cooking on high for 2 hours is perfect for me.  Or need be on low for 4 during the weekend when I'm running errands.

I used my favorite multi-purpose Breville Risotto Plus Maker.  I love it because it sautés, steams, slow cooks, and makes risotto...yum!  It really has been my go to slow cooker this past year and I can't recommend it enough.

So try this Healthier Slow Cooker Orange Chicken soon.  You'll love the flavor and won't miss the deep fried fat, nor the extra sugar.  I promise.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Note:  If you have a slow cooker with a sauté option, use that to brown the cornstarched chicken instead of a separate skillet.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken



3 thin Cut Boneless Chicken Breasts, chopped into 1" pieces
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup reduced sugar orange marmalade
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper


In a small bowl mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, salt and pepper.

On a plate add the cornstarch and the chicken tossing to coat. Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil to heat. Add the chicken and quickly brown all sides, about 4 minutes. (You don't need to cook the chicken, only brown it.)

Add the chicken to the slow cooker.  In a small bowl mix the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, marmalade, salt and pepper.

Add the mixture over the chicken.  Cook on low 4 hours or on high 2-3 hours.  Serve over hot cooked rice.


adapted from The Recipe Critic

Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins

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My love of muffins runs way back to my childhood in which mom would make the best muffins on the weekend.  I mastered that recipe at an early age and still use it today.

As I got older muffins still played a major roll in my breakfast repertoire.  I remember two specific muffins that I can't seem to forget.  I used to work in the MGM Plaza and they had a small coffee shop that everyone frequented before work, or on break.  Along with the coffee, as many Starbuck's and Coffee Bean's do today, they had pastries for purchase as well.  The main item here were big bakery style muffins.

BAKERY STYLE BANANA NUT MUFFINS

So I frequented this coffee house A LOT..and always got a muffin for breakfast.  My two favorite muffins were a Cranberry Walnut muffin and a Banana Nut muffin.  Man was I in heaven anytime I ate one of those muffins.  Moist as can be, and the flavor was heaven.

So being wintery here over the weekend (rain, yea!) I decided it was time to try and re-create one of those muffins.  First up was the Banana Nut version.   Some deep memory recall was in order to get the flavor just right and I do say I hit it on the head!

Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins are moist and full of spice and earthy walnuts.  They are big beautiful muffins that will make your home smell wonderful as the aroma fills the kitchen.  MGG certainly came running when he smelled these and immediately asked "What smells so good...and will it go with my coffee?"  Haha!  Of course these wonderful muffins go well with coffee, or tea, or milk. 

Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a snack these are the great warming winter muffin to enjoy. 

I hope you try these soon and enjoy them as much as I did.  Enjoy!


Kitchen Note:  I had enough batter to make 6 regular sized muffins that I filled to the top so they would turn out large, and about 5 or 6 mini muffins on the side.  If you make minis with the leftovers be sure to adjust the cooking time down for those items.





Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins

Yield:  6 large muffins, plus some batter leftover to fill 1-2 more, or 5 minis

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 large egg
1/2 c 2% milk
1/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mash the banana.  Add the egg, milk, and oil.  Mix together using a spatula to completely incorporate.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the walnuts, leaving a few back to place on the tops of the muffins.

Using a scoop, add batter to the individual muffin tins.  Add the remaining walnuts on the tops of each muffin.  Bake 18-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin.  Serve warm or at room temperature.