Lentil Soup with Lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, diced
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of chili powder. Cook and stir 2 minutes more until the spices are fragrant.
Stir in the chicken broth, lentils, and carrot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour half of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Do not puree all of the soup, leave it a little chunky.
Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.
Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.
Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

Zucchini Corn Chowder

3-4 ears or corn, uncooked & cut from cob. (or you can use frozen or canned corn)
2 tbsp. butter
3 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. finely chopped onion
3/4 c. finely diced bell pepper
1 clove garlic
2-3 diced medium red potatoes with skin on
1/4 c. diced ham or Canadian bacon
1/4 tsp. crushed dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp. crushed dried tarragon leaves (I didn't use this spice and the chowder was still delicious)
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
3 c. water
1 can undiluted evaporated milk (I didn't have this on hand and used 1% milk and maybe a little more flour to make the soup thick enough)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
Salt to taste

In heavy saucepan saute zucchini, onion, green pepper, garlic and potatoes in butter. Add corn, water and seasonings. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Blend together milk and flour until smooth. Add to corn mixture gradually; cook and stir until thickened. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Cream Soup Substitute

* A low cost, low-fat substitute for canned cream soups in casseroles or soups.*

2 cups dry milk powder
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup chicken bouillon or beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. dried basil (I've omitted this as I didn't have any on hand)
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. dried minced onion (optional. I used Epicure French onion dip mix for the onion flavor and to make up for omitting the basil)

Mix together and store in a covered container in refrigerator. To use combine 1 1/4 cups cold water with 1/3 cup of the mix in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Substitute this sauce for a 10 oz. can of condensed creamed soup. Add herbs such as thyme or dill or 1/4 cup minced fresh onion when preparing (optional).

This is also a good option for using if you are preparing a gluten-free meal as long as the bouillon is gluten-free!

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion large
1 pkg taco seasoning (I used 2 tsp. Epicure taco seasoning and 1 tsp. Epicure Louisiana Hot and Spicy Dip Mix)
1 can (19 oz.) white kidney beans
1 can (14 oz.) red kidney beans
1 tin kernel corn
1 can (28 oz.) tomato pieces
2 cups salsa
4 cups water
pinch of salt and pepper
1 pkg (1 oz.) Ranch dressing mix (I used 1 tbsp. Epicure Ranch dressing mix)

cheddar cheese
homemade yogurt or sour cream
tortilla chips

Brown ground beef in frying pan, add onion and taco seasoning. Transfer to large pot. Add remaining ingredients except cheese, chips and yogurt. Simmer half an hour. Serve, garnish with cheese, yogurt and crushed tortilla chips.

Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 links Italian pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups water
2 potatoes, cubed
2 cups sliced kale
1/3 cup heavy cream (I use 1 % milk and it works just fine)
1 tsp. Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix (optional)
2 large carrots

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, carrots, potatoes and dip mix; simmer 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

Potato Cheese Soup

6 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup carrots, shredded (I often cut the carrots into pieces and blend all of the soup to make it smooth)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 chicken flavoured bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large pot; add potatoes, carrots, onion, parsley, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Add water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl; place flour and 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk. Whisk to mix and set aside.

When the potatoes are cooked - don`t drain them. Push them to one side of the pot. Working over low heat; whisk the flour and milk mixture into potato broth. Cook, stirring, until broth thickens. Add remaining milk and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Then, if you wish, mash potatoes with potato masher or blend it with a hand blender. When ready to serve; you can garnish with cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, a bit more grated cheese or just as is.

Kale Potato Soup

1 large bunch kale (chopped)

Steam and set aside. (Don't cook it with the potatoes; the flavor will be too strong.)

1 tablespoon butter

1 large onion (I use 1/2 of quite a large onion)

1 tsp. garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic

Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and saute until golden. Add garlic and saute another minute.

2 large potatoes

2 cups hot water or broth (I use chicken broth)

Add to pot with the onion, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Remove half of the cooked potatoes; puree the rest with the cooking liquid and return to the soup pot. Return reserved potatoes and steamed kale to soup pot. (Puree everything if a smooth texture is desired. I puree the kale as well but leave some potato chunks as Kyle likes some chunks in his soup.)

3 cups water or broth

1/2 teaspoon salt (don't over salt, not much is needed with this soup)

pepper to taste

Add along with additional hot water or milk to preferred consistency. Heat gently until hot and serve. ( I like to add 1 cup of milk mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of flour to make a creamier soup)

Kale is a good source of calcium, beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C and iron.