Category Archives: Soups

Turkey Chili


Turkey Chili

I know that there are lots of die-hard beef chili fans out there, but I just don’t happen to be one of them.  Somehow, along the way, I managed to train my tastebuds to prefer the flavor of turkey and veggie-based chili, almost exclusively.  This is likely a throwback from my days of not eating meat, where I had to figure out how to make a few cans of cheap ingredients taste good enough to make me forget about what I either couldn’t afford or wasn’t eating at the time (i.e., beef).  As it turns out, a big bowl (or two) of this stuff can make you feel full and feel good about what you are putting into your belly. 
 
As the air turns colder and colder, this is one that I’ll be turning to over and over again, not least of all because I almost always have the ingredients in my freezer and pantry.  If you live anywhere like Chicago, there are some days when you race from the office to the train/bus and from there to your front door and still feel like the chill has taken over your whole body; the last thing you want to do after work is make a trip to the grocery to pick up something for dinner.  On nights like that, I don’t even want to bother ordering take out, since I know my food will be cold by the time I get it! 
 
This is another recipe that I encourage you to make your own – feel free to add or omit ingredients, and by all means, use beef instead of turkey, if that is to your taste.  With some good crackers, a feel-good movie, and a nice, seasonal brew, this will make you feel like your living room is the snuggliest place on earth.  Keep warm!

Turkey Chili

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Feelin’ Good Soup!


If you are like me, nothing makes you feel better at the end of a rainy, dreary day than a bowl of chicken soup.  I really love a traditional, herb-y, vegetable-laden chicken noodle soup, but when I feel like I need a little boost to my immune system, I turn to more pungent flavors.  Having just started a new job, I feel like I am exposed to a whole new set of germs!  With all the talk of the flu and vaccines, I can’t help but feel like I need to do all I can to combat the forthcoming winter nasties.

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Roasted Vegetable Stock


Sorry I don’t have a pic of this one for you guys, but I haven’t had to make it in a long time.  I generally figure that, if I am going to go through the effort of making stock, I better make a bunch to freeze so that I’ll always have some around.  Vegetable stock is tricky to me, because it can come out tasting pretty bland and lifeless.  I’ve experimented a lot with it, and I find that garlic and herbs are really the best way to punch up the flavor.  Regarding tomatoes, I leave it up to you.  They can really overpower the flavor, if you are not careful, and if you are the kind of person who likes tomatoes in your soups, anyway, it may be best to leave them out of the stock.  That said, they really add an incredible richness in this roasted vegetable version.  For me, the roasting is really what brings out the great flavor of the vegetables; they brown and caramelize in the oven, and then lend that flavor to the stock when you cook it on top of the stove.  Like chef Anne Burrell says, “brown food tastes good!” 

With October upon us and the weekend coming up, I think it is probably a good time to start stocking up on stock.  This recipe is a good place to start, especially if you can make it to a farmer’s market this weekend for all of the ingredients.  In the end, it may seem like a waste to sap all of the flavor out of the vegetables and then throw them away, but remember that all of the remnants can be composted, so you’ll be contributing to the soil for next year’s crop of vegetables.  Plus, just think of all the amazing things you can make with this stock:  vegetarian minestrone, delicious risotto, and corn and bean chili!  A big batch will go a long way into the cold months, so make some up now and enjoy throughout the season!

Roasted Vegetable Stock