Spicy Avocado Cucumber Soup

Experimenting is great in cooking, because no matter what you do it can never really go wrong. While on my cruise in Europe, I enjoyed many chilled soups they had on the ship. When I got home, I figured it would be a great idea to come up with my own chilled soups. Here’s what I came up with:

Spicy Avocado Cucumber Soup
Serves 4

2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
4 avocados
1 green onion, chopped
2 tsp thai green curry paste
pinch of salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp gullah spice (found locally in South Carolina)
1 green onion, chopped (for garnish)
1/2 cucumber, chopped (for garnish)

Prep avocados, cucumbers, and green onion and place them in the food processor. Blend until it is a smooth puree. Then remaining ingredients. Blend again and serve with garnishes.

Chicken and Dumplings

I made this recipe so I could make a huge pot of it and take some over to a friend who is sick. Chicken and dumplings has to be one of my favorite comfort foods of all times. I love how creamy and simple it is, yet it still tastes wonderful. Hope you enjoy it too!

Chicken and Dumplings
Serves 8
1 whole chicken, roasted
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
4 tbsp flour
2 quart chicken broth
2 box dumplings
4 tbsp parsley

1. Cut up roasted chicken. 2. Place a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. 3. Add oil, butter, onion, carrots, and bay leaf and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 4. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Add flour to pan and cook two minutes. 5. Stir in broth. 6. Drop in dumplings. Cover pot and let cook 8-10 minutes. 7. Add in parsley and stir. 8. Serve.

Grandma’s Baked Potato Soup

Today was the first day it got actually cold here, (if you think sixty degrees is cold) so I decided to make my Grandma’s baked potato soup. She actually doesn’t like it, she thought it was so gross, so she poured it down the sink. But, it took me a few times to perfect it so i think my grandma gave up too easily. This soup is so creamy with chunks of potatoes, and of course all the other good stuff. I could eat three bowls of this soup if it wasn’t so bad for you. The recipe calls for 12 slices of bacon! But I only use eight, it takes out some of the sodium and cholesterol without taking out the great taste. Sorry I don’t think I can give away this recipe though, it’s too good!

French Onion Soup

Love French Onion Soup but don’t love the feeling you have after eating it? I found a french onion soup on a fitness website that I thought sounded good and pretty close to the original. I am making this soup for my family and my aunt who came to town! We have all been craving french onion soup but not one full of calories. Plus you don’t want to have a huge dinner when you’re about to go to the corn maze! We are excited to go get ourselves trapped in the corn maze, drink apple cider, and visit the little goats and chickens. Gotta love the fall!

Ingredients
10 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4-8 slices (about 3/4-inch thick) whole-wheat baguette
1/4 cup port wine or sherry
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ounces Gruyere cheese (for a frugal budget, you can use swiss, or a combo of parm and cheddar)