Potsticker Soup

This is one of my new favorite soups to make - it's so easy, and we always have the ingredients on hand (thanks to Costco, I've always got a lot of chicken broth in the fridge and bags of potstickers and edamame in the freezer).  I've made it a few times since discovering the recipe (and have tweaked the original quite a bit) and each time, we all have seconds.  Even Ben.

Potsticker Soup

Ingredients:

32 - 64 oz. low sodium chicken broth (depending on how brothy you want your soup - I usually use about 1 1/2 boxes, or 48 oz.)

1 2" piece ginger, peeled and minced

16 oz. frozen potstickers

8 oz. sliced mushrooms (we just use regular mushrooms, but you can use Shiitake if you really want)

1 14 oz. bag frozen edamame, prepared according to package (don't forget to remove from the pod!)

Soy sauce, to taste

Sliced scallions, for garnish

Assembly:
In a large pot (I love using my stock pot for this), bring the chicken broth and ginger to a boil.

Add the potstickers and carrots, simmering until the carrots are tender (about 10 minutes).

Add the mushrooms and edamame - cook until warmed through (just a few minutes).  Stir in soy sauce, and top with scallions before serving.

Sausage and Corn Chowder

I love soup.  Love it.  I never really used to make it at home, but now that I've found a few soup recipes that are really good and really easy, I've been making it more.  That, and the weather is frigid, so soup really hits the spot this time of year.

I think I saw this recipe on a message board somewhere, but I didn't really keep track of where.  Whoops.  I've made several changes to that recipe, so it's kind of turned into a Leanne original anyway.  It's quickly becoming one of my favorite things to make and eat. 

Sausage and Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

Tube Jimmy Dean pork sausage with sage (the sage makes the dish - get the one with sage!)

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic

1 can creamed corn

16 oz. frozen corn

5-6 medium sized diced potatoes (you can use any kind of potatoes - red, Russet, whatever...you can also skin them if you want)

2 C water

Flour

1 bay leaf

1 can evaporated milk

Black pepper

Hot sauce (optional)

Assembly:

In a large soup pot (I like to use my stock pot), drizzle some olive oil.  Saute onion and garlic until onion is soft.

Add the pork sausage and brown.  Add in your diced potatoes, can of creamed corn and bag of frozen corn.  Mix a bit of flour into your 2 C water to thicken it, and pour into the pot.  (Add more flour to pot if you still want it a bit thicker.) 

Add in bay leaf and bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until potatoes are soft.

Add one can evaporated milk and stir well.  Cook until heated through.  Remove bay leaf.

Serve with black pepper and hot sauce, and maybe some warm crusty bread on the side.

Baked Potato Soup

Panera used to have really good Baked Potato Soup, but I don't think they have it anymore...or they don't have it when we're there.  Either way, we miss it, so when I found a recipe for Baked Potato Soup, I knew we had to try it.

It's not a match to Panera's, but it's pretty dang good.  In fact, it might be better than Panera's version.  Take that, Panera!

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes (I used 8 small/medium sized ones)

4 tbsp. butter

1/2 C flour, divided

6 C milk (original recipe calls for 2% - I only had skim and whole, so I used 3 C skim and 3 C whole...it worked out well)

2 tsp. salt

Black pepper, to taste

3/4 C sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 C green onions, chopped (or more, if you like green onions, like we do)

1/2 C low fat sour cream

For topping:

Crumbled bacon

Green onions

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar

Assembly:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes & prick them several times with a fork.  Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake for one hour.  Remove them from the oven and let them sit until you can handle them; scoop out insides into a bowl.  (I left part of the skins on, which is why I washed the potatoes, but you can discard the skins if you want.)  Break up the potatoes until they are in small chunks (I used a fork.  It was fun.  You could also use a food processor, if you have one).

In a large stock pot, melt the butter.  Add 1/4 C of the flour and whisk into the butter.  Whisk consistently until the butter/flour mixture is a golden brown.  Whisk in the milk and the rest of the flour.  Cook until thick and bubbly.  Mix in the potato chunks, salt, pepper and cheese.  Stir until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat, add the green onions and sour cream.

Top with sour cream, green onions, crumbled bacon & shredded cheddar cheese.  Serve immediately.

This will make a ton, so you'll have leftovers, but they won't last long.  At least not around me.