That sounds delicious too! If you're going to eat it hot over rice, do you leave the rice out when you mix the other things then?
I leave the rice out only because I want to make sure I'm only using the 1/2 c. of it and not more. The rice is included in the calorie approximation though!
This is a great recipe I made and stuffed right into the freezer during a soup making frenzy a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost the paper where I wrote down the number of servings I ended up with and the cost of ingredients (it is definitely budget). I'm making it again soon since it's quite yummy, and I'll update the missing information then!
Turkey and Squash Soup ? servings, 254 cal. per serving, $? per serving
2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned, and chopped*
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
5 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped (use less if you don't like strong garlic flavor)
5 c. chicken broth (I like low fat reduced sodium Swanson)
2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 in. cubes
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 lbs. uncooked skinless turkey breast meat, cut into 1 in. cubes
2 c. frozen whole yellow corn kernels, thawed
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste (I used just a touch of sea salt)
*Leeks need to be thoroughly cleaned, they are often filled with sand when you separate the leaves, and sand does not a tasty soup make! Try a Google search if this will be your first time handling leeks!
Place a large stock pot over medium heat. Add leeks, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook uncovered, stirring often, until they begin to soften and the garlic turns golden brown. If the vegetables stick to the pot, reduce the heat. You want them to "roast" to draw out flavor, adding liquid at this point would cause them to be steamed. Stir in broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to bring up the flavorful bits of garlic. Add squash, thyme, and cumin. Cover, and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the squash is tender. Add turkey, corn, lime juice, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt. Return the broth to a simmer and cook until turkey is cooked through.
A 2 c. serving, clocks in at around 254 calories a serving.
This is a very spicy soup, and actually gets better with freezing and rewarming! The broth is robust and flavorful, and the soup itself is colorful. At my workplace, anyone who filters through the lounge during my lunch never fails to comment that something smells really good.
I wouldn't change a thing! I think the spiciness from the garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes is what makes this soup great, so if you don't like a little bite with your bites, steer clear of this one!
Shopping tip: Regular turkey breast cutlets are normally out of my price range unless they are marked down to sell because the expiration date is approaching. What I do to get around this is to look for sales on the large whole or half turkey breasts intended for roasting (my last score was 5 lbs. of meat on a half breast for only $9). With a sharp knife, it's quite easy to separate the breast meat from the bone. There are some ligaments/tendons that run through the breast itself, but these are easy to see and again, with a sharp knife, easy to remove from the meat. Any leftover carcass I save in the freezer to use later to make stock (carcass + a pile of discarded vegetable peelings + simmered for a while + cooling + fat skimming = homemade stock for other soups)!
Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Chowder 3-5 large red peppers
*roast under broiler, turning every few minutes to get consistant blackening. once complete, place in a paper bag/covered dish and let rest 5-10 minutes. this will allow you to remove the outer portion of the skin easier.
1 medium onion chopped and sauteed in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot. after the onions turn translucent, add the red pepper cut into small pieces. you can easily add the remainder of the ingredients to your liking:
14 ounces of corn (frozen, canned, or creamed)
salt and pepper to taste
celery seed
cumin
chili powder
heat on medium low to combine the flavors. puree in a blender in batches or with inversion blender. i usually leave some of it not pureed for texture. just add water to achieve the consistancy you desire. for the creamiest version, use creamed corn - texture of cream without the fat. this recipe can be easily amended. if you don't have these spices on hand, not a problem... this soup has plenty of flavor as it is. this past week when i made it i also added some garbanzo flour - about 1/2cup (a dry hummus mix would work too) for additional protein. i have also added about a tablespoon of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers to give it a kick.
makes four portions and freezes well. you can easily double the recipe. i use whichever peppers are on sale at the farm market for the best deal.
6 servings of 325cal each, high protein and veggie too!
Sorry don't know costs, but it is pretty cheap!
rinse one can of lentils underwater. put in crock pot and smash with a potato masher, add:
2 diced onions
3 cubed zucchinis
1 cubed pepper (red is nice for colour, but i use green to keep cost down)
1 diced sweet potato
1 box low sodium chicken stock (approx 4 cups)
1 tbls curry paste (as hot as you like!)
1/4 cup (yes CUP) of ground corriander
1/4 cup ground coumin
lots black pepper
2 cans rinsed chick peas
cook in 1/2 covered crock pot until it is about the consistancy of chili (6-8 hours on medium depending on your pot - i often leave overnight on low)
Just wanted to post that I'd tried both the Chicken and Chard Pasta Fagioli and Baja Black Beans and Corn-both were excellent! I did end up with some swiss chard for the fagioli and ended up really liking it! (the only problem with that is that in my small town they don't sell swiss chard, only ended up with some cause we were an hour away and stopped at the store there...) I added quite a bit of spice to mine, and a little parm whenj it was done. Really good and even better the next day!
I made the Baja beans last night, used a yellow onion because the red one I had was so strong it was unuseable. I also used canned corn instead of frozen, it tastes better to me. I put it in the fridge overnight and warmed some up to serve over rice for lunch, it was great! Thanks for these recipies!
Southwestern Goulash 10 servings, 257 cal. per serving, $1.20 per serving
1 1/4 lbs. (20 oz.) of lean ground turkey
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (plus some extra leaves for garnish)
1 large sweet yellow onion, diced
32 oz. bag of frozen chopped green beans, thawed
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
8 oz. can tomato sauce
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. pasta of your choice (I like Barilla Plus Farfalle), cooked and drained
Cook up the pasta until it is almost done and drain. It will finish cooking with the other ingredients. Set aside for now.
In a medium stock pot, brown the ground turkey. If there is a lot of fat, drain most of it off before proceeding. Adjust heat to medium. Add the minced cilantro and onion. Cook until the onion becomes soft and opaque. At this point, throw in the remaining ingredients: green beans, corn, tomatoes, sauce, chilies, and seasonings. Mix well and bring to a nice bubbly simmer. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Fold in your pasta and continue to simmer an additional 2 or 3 minutes.
When I'm planning to freeze a bunch...I remove what will be frozen right after I add the pasta. By not finishing cooking the pasta all the way, it freezes better and finishes cooking when it is microwaved.
I portioned the goulash out into ten 1 1/2 c. servings, clocking in at around 257 calories a serving. I spent $12 on ingredients (already had dried spices on hand), so that's $1.20 per serving.
I've now made this goulash twice, and I love it...both because it's tasty and easy. The cumin and chilies add a nice kick, but I like to add extra hot sauce to mine as well as a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
Lazy Gołąbki 9 servings, 312 cal. per serving, less than $1 per serving
2 medium heads of green cabbage, cored and quartered
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, whole leaves only
1/2 large red onion, diced
5 c. chicken broth (I like Swanson fat free reduced sodium)
5 c. water
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
26 oz. can condensed tomato soup
1 1/4 lbs. (20 oz.) of lean ground turkey
1 1/4 c. long grain brown rice, uncooked (NOT AN INSTANT VARIETY)
salt to taste
In a large stock pot combine the cabbage, cilantro onion, broth, water, dried onion, red pepper, basil, parsley, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a rapid simmer, mixing occasionally to separate the cabbage leaves, and cook until cabbage is tender (you should be able to cut it with your mixing spoon). While you are waiting on the cabbage, brown the turkey, drain, and set aside. It will seem like there is a lot of liquid in the cabbage pot at this point, don't worry, we need it! Once the cabbage is tender, add in the condensed tomato soup, turkey, and rice. Use your spoon to push everything down into the liquid. If there isn't enough liquid to cover it, add more broth or water until things are just covered. Taste the liquid now, and add salt if desired. Bring the pot back up to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to a rapid simmer and cook until the rice is tender (will vary depending on the brand of rice you use, but whatever you do, don't use an instant rice...you want this to simmer at least another 30 minutes and the instant types of rice will turn to goo if cooked that long). The rice will absorb much of the extra liquid as it cooks.
I portioned the Gołąbki out into 9 2 c. servings, clocking in at around 312 calories a serving. I spent $8 on ingredients (already had dried spices on hand), so that's less than $1 per serving.
What can I say? This stuff reminds me of my childhood...straight up Polish comfort food! It's great with a dollop of sour cream.
I'm a cabbage fan, so the increased cabbage to meat ratio in this recipe is quite nice for me. If you like a lot of meat, you might want to go with 2.5 lbs. instead.
