Creamy Chicken Potato Soup

1 pkg Bear Creek Cheddar Potato Soup Mix
2 chicken breasts, cooked, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup half and half
1 stick butter
1 cup cheddar cheese
Cumin (to taste)

In a large pot cook the soup mix according to package directions.  Stir in half & half, butter, and chicken.  Add a little cumin at a time to fit your own taste.  Stir in cheese.  Makes 8-10 servings.

Martha:  I had a package of Bear Creek Cheddar Potato and decided I wanted to try adding some chicken to it.  It was good but needed a little something more so I added the half and half, butter and ended up adding about 1/2 tsp. cumin.  This was a perfect taste preference for me.  And of course I added just a little more cheese to top it off.  The soup turned out creamy and so delicious! Perfect for any day.

Southwestern Quinoa Black Bean Chicken Soup

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. (4 oz.) Urbane Grain Quinoa Southwest Black Bean
2 qts. of water

Boil the two chicken breasts in the 2 qts. of water until done.  Remove chicken, allow to cool and shred.  Strain the chicken water/broth.  Return to the water/broth to the pot.  Bring to a boil and add the Quinoa Southwest Black Bean and chicken.  Cook until quiona is done, about 35-40 minutes.  Serves 6-8.

Martha:  When I worked up this dish I had no idea how it would come out.  I did as I always do and that is to Think With My Taste Buds.  Well, I'm here to tell you that this soup is delicious!  And it's healthy too.  Since I'm trying to eat gluten free, which the  Urban Quinoa Blends are, this dish worked perfectly into my diet.  I enjoyed it with my gluten free pretzels and had a perfectly delicious, healthy, filling meal.   This is a dish I'll be making often.

Carol:  Thanks so much for a sample of your new soup.  You know that we are always looking for delicious "white" dishes and this was superb because we love the Southwest seasonings, the healthiness of the quinoa and the lightness of the "white" chicken dish.  Using these ingredients in a soup is perfect for us because we tend to like the delicious flavors together with the ease of preparation and digestion and nutrients offered in this dish.  It tastes like some very trendy soups now found on restaurant menus and we like to think of ourselves as being right up to date.  This Southwest soup hits the spot!!!!

Sharon:  I wish I had been lucky enough to have a second bowl of this delicious dish!

Grilled Chicken Soup

3-4 med. potatoes, cut into cubes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 cup charcoal grilled chicken, chopped
corn starch
water
salt & pepper

In a large pot boil celery and onion in 2 cups of water until tender.  Add potatoes and enough water to cover (about 2 -3 more cups).  Cook until tender.  Add chicken, salt & pepper to taste.  Mix 1 Tbsp. corn starch with 1/4 cup of water.  Add to soup and bring to a boil to thicken.  Serves 6-8.

Martha:  I had cooked chicken breasts on a charcoal smoker the day before making this soup and had some left over.  When I tried to come up with a ideas to use this chicken I thought about soup.  Since celery takes longer to soften than potatoes, that is why I cooked it first, which worked perfectly.  The smoked flavor from the charcoal made this soup some of the best I've ever had.  Yes, you can make this with baked, boiled, and gas grilled but the smoky flavor is the best.

Broccoli Chicken Cheese Soup

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked & cut into bite size pieces
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
2 med. onions, chopped
5 Tbsp. butter or margarine
7 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Place broccoli in pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Let boil about 2 minutes or until tender crunchy.  Drain and set aside.  In a large sauce pan melt 3 Tbsp. of butter.  Add onions and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add 3 cups broth and oregano;  simmer 20 to 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  In another sauce pan melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter.  Stir in flour and cook until bubbly.  Stir in mustard and pepper.  Add to onion mixture and whisk until smooth.  Add remaining 4 cups of broth.  Heat to simmer, stirring frequently.  Add milk and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  Stir in broccoli and chicken.  Serves 8

Martha:  The original recipe came from a cookbook dating in the 90's.  I did, of course, make changes to fit my own taste.  The 1st change was the addition of the chicken.   That wasn't in the recipe.  The original recipe called for the onion mixture to be processed in a blender until smooth.  I omitted that.  I've made this change in other soup recipes and like having the bits of onion.  This soup turned out perfect.  I can't wait to make it again this winter.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1/2 cup brown & wild rice blend, uncooked
1 leek, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
1 celery stalk, chopped small
6 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

1 can Campbell's turkey gravy
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Cook rice according to package directions.  In a large sauce pan melt butter.  Add leek, carrots and celery.  Saute until tender.  Add water and bouillon cubes, chicken, gravy, rice, salt and pepper.  Cook 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water.  Stir into soup.  Cook on medium heat another 5 minutes allowing cornstarch to thicken.

Martha:  One of the restaurants I enjoy going to serves chicken and rice soup once a week.  I've always loved the slight thickness of the soup so decided to ask what they used.  I was told cornstarch.  That, along with the H. T. Trader brand of brown and wild rice blend that I love so dearly, prompted me to work up this recipe.  The rice has wheat and rye berries which give you a slight chew that is really good.  The turkey gravy was a thought to add more flavor, which it did.  And the cornstarch measurements above gave this the perfect thickness for my taste.  You can add less or more for your own taste or you can leave it out completely.  And for the chicken, you can use pre-cooked frozen, fresh cooked and even canned.  Whichever you happen to have on hand.  I used pre-cooked frozen.  This dish has so many flavors and textures that it's simply delicious with our without crackers.

Food Tester Carol:  The chicken noodle and chicken rice soup I grew up with turns out to have been a weak, watered down broth based soup, nothing like the whole hearted flavor in this soup.  The generous chicken pieces are intensified by the addition of the turkey gravy that deepens the flavor and creates a pleasing balance with the nutty flavors of the blended rice and grains, a heartier rendition of the previous neutral white rice or limp noodles that I always thought were added just to "stretch" the soup.  This chicken and blended rice soup is the "real deal!"

Chicken Bean Soup

1/2 lb. bag of dried soup beans
1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
2 chicken bouillons
salt & pepper to taste
Cumin to taste
water
onion
cabbage
carrots

Soak beans over night.  Cover the beans with water.  Add the bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and cook until beans are done.  Add more water as needed.  Add chicken, onion, cabbage and carrots.  The amount depends on your own taste.  Add about 1/4 tsp. of cumin.  Cook until veggies are done.  Taste.  Add more salt, pepper, and cumin as needed.

Martha:  This soup is so easy to make and it is truly made by Thinking With Your Taste Buds.  I put 1 medium onion, sliced and used a good bit of cabbage cut up into bite size pieces.  I'm not a cooked carrot fan so I only used 1 med. size cut up small.  As for the cumin - I ended up adding about 1/2 tsp. This was added during the last 10 minutes of cooking and by tasting the broth several times until I had it just right.  This is not only a tasty dish but a pretty healthy one too.