Yummy Soup Recipes

I thought I would share some great soup recipes I tried.

Russian Mushroom & Potato Soup
5 T butter
2 leeks, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
6 cups chicken broth
2 t dried dill weed
2 t salt
1/8 t ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 pounds potatoes, peeled & diced
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup flour

Directions:
1. Melt 3 T butter in large saucepan over med. heat. Mix in leeks, carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Pour in broth. Season with dill, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Mix in potatoes, cover, and cook 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender but firm. Remove and discard bay leaf.
2. Melt the remaining butter (2T) in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Stir into soup.
3. In a small bowl, mix the half-and-half and flour until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken.

Notes: I added a little garlic with the veggies. If you don't want to splurge for leeks, use some onion instead. AND, if you cook with wine, it was really good when we added white wine to the mushrooms while they cooked. I didn't do it the time I made it by myself and it was still perfectly delicious. You can also use various types of shrooms. I used plain old button mushrooms when I did it. Mmmm. Yield: 12 servings

Spicy Coconut Chicken Soup - from Cooking Light, March
This recipe is actually supposed to be Spicy Coconut Shrimp Soup, but I made chicken instead and liked it that way. So easy, so good.

3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used more)
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 T light brown sugar
1/2 t grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 t red curry paste (you can use more for more heat)
1 cup light coconut milk
1 lb. chicken, cooked and cut into pieces (or 1 lb shrimp, peeled/deveined)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T thinly sliced fresh basil
2 T fresh lime juice (or more!)

Combine first 6 ingredients in large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk; cook 2 minutes or until hot. Stir in the chicken (or add shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done). Remove pan from heat; stir in onions, basil, and juice. Yield: 4 servings