Egg Drop and Wonton Soup

Quick, easy, and oh-so-delicious!

• 4 cups Water


• 1 1/1 Tbsp. Better Than Bouillion Organic Chicken Stock (paste)


• 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch


• Trader Joe's Thai Shrimp Goyoza (freezer section)


• 1-2 Eggs


• Green Onion


• Seasoning to your liking

Prepare your chicken broth from the stock. Once simmered, slowly add 1-1 1/2 Tbsp. of cornstarch, whisking quickly to keep from clumping. At a simmer, slowly add an egg or two, swirling with a knife to delicately distribute- do not stir! Drop in your goyoza/wontons, remove from heat, sprinkle with green onion and serve. Note: I also like some fresh ground pepper added to the broth while simmering, and sometimes hot sauce.

15+ Veggie Soup

Fall is here and soup is the perfect way to get those veggies in and keep the calories down. Here's one I made this weekend and just love.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (cold pressed)


• Trader Joe's Healthy 8 Chopped Veggie Mix (broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green bell pepper, radish, celery)


• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped


• 3 cloves garlic


• 1 can kidney beans


• 1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage or Trader Joe's broccoli slaw


• 1 container portobello mushrooms


• 1 large zucchini, chopped


• Frozen corn (roasted if you can find it)


• Frozen green beans


• 1 small can tomato paste


• 8 cups chicken stock, made with Better than Bouillon


• Thyme


• Parsley


• Fresh black pepper


• Red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large dutch oven pot, heat EVOO and add healthy veggie mix. Saute approximately 5 minutes, then add onion, garlic, mushroom, zucchini and black pepper (to your taste). You may be tempted, but do not add salt- the chicken stock is salty enough to achieve the right balance of flavor. Saute another 5 minutes, add cabbage/slaw and tomato paste. Turn heat down to low, add chicken stock and stir with ingredients until tomato paste and stock are blended. Once blended, bring to a simmer and add kidney beans, corn, and green beans. Simmer a couple of minutes, add thyme and parsley to your liking. Remove from heat. We eat this hot, but I love it as a cold leftover the next day as well. I top with freshly shaved parm and the hubs sprinkles a little french fried onions on his. Great way to "eat the rainbow" and get all of your veggie servings in!

Toscana Soup

Ah, a winter soup that is easy to make and fairly cheap. We made a pot tonight and my only wish was that we had a light snowfall and roaring fire to go with it. Below is the recipe; if you give it a try, let me know how you enjoy it. We use mild sausage since we have a little one who also enjoys this recipe.

• 1 package of 5 large sausage links- mild or hot, but not sweet.


• 6 sliced of bacon, chopped


• 3/4 c. diced onion (about 1 large onion)


• 1 large or 2 small cloves of garlic, pressed or minced


• 32+ oz. chicken broth (low-sodium is fine)


• 2 potatoes, cubed


• 1/3 to 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream


• Approximately 2 c. washed and shredded kale, removed from center stems

Bake 5 sausages in 350 oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. While sausage is cooking, dice the bacon and onion, and cube your potatoes (no need to peel, unless you prefer). In large stockpot or dutch oven placed on medium heat, cook bacon about halfway, then add onion. Continue cooking until onion is clear and bacon is cooked thoroughly. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add chicken broth and potatoes and simmer about 15 minutes. By now, you should be ready to remove the sausage from the oven. Slice each link in half vertically, then slice horizontally into 1/2 inch slices. As you simmer the potatoes, if your stock cooks down too much, reduce heat and add in some more chicken broth. Once potatoes are cooked, add sausage, cream, and washed/shredded kale. Simmer on low another 5 minutes, then serve.

While we do not use kale much, it is quite nutritious, packed with calcium, vitamin K, magnesium and beta carotene; it’s also easy to find and cheap! The stems are quite thick and woody, so I simply pull the leaves from the center stem and hand tear into the soup. I never use a full head or bunch in the soup, so I shred the remaining leaves the next day and sautee with some olive oil and garlic.