Soup's On: Asian Seafood Soup

For previous bowls of soup in my series of Soup's On, click:

Soup's On: Mamma Leone's Chicken Soup

Soup's On: Tuscan Spinach, Bean & Sausage Soup

“Soup is to the meal, what the hostess' smile of welcome is to the party. A prelude to the goodness to come.” ~ Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)

I am excited for the weekend!!!! It's my Dad's birthday so I'm cooking my parents a big special dinner with some of his favorite foods. I can't wait to show you the menu next week & if all goes well, there will be 4 new recipes to share!!!!!!

Until then...I made this soup Monday evening for dinner & continued to have it the next 3 days for lunch! Since I've made a life change by going on the treadmill on my lunch hour, leaving my evenings free for family time, this healthy but filling soup was exactly what I wanted & needed. Not only was my frequent seafood urge met but so was my desire for pasta, but without the guilt, since I used whole grain spaghetti. I really enjoyed this!

 

ASIAN SEAFOOD SOUP from EatingWell.com

{ Click Here to Print Recipe }

1 tsp canola oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups thinly sliced Napa (Chinese) cabbage
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
6 oz small shrimp, peeled & deveined
6 oz bay or sea scallops
3 tblsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tblsp rice-wine vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
8 oz Chinese wheat noodles, or linguine
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
*See notes for additional ingredients

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic & stir until golden, about 1 minute. Add cabbage & 1/4 cup of the broth.

Bring to a simmer & cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 1 minute. Add the remaining broth, shrimp, scallops, soy sauce & vinegar. Return to a simmer & cook until the shrimp & scallops are opaque in the center, about 1 minute. This is where I added the chili garlic sauce & some red pepper flakes.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water just until tender, 2 to 5 minutes. If using linguine, cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander & divide among 4 large soup bowls.

Ladle the soup over the noodles & sprinkle with scallions.

 

{ Food for Thought }

While this was simmering I took a taste & thought it needed something. I added a couple of swirls of Asian garlic chili sauce, as well as some red pepper flakes. The chili sauce added the flavor it needed along with a hint of sweetness to bring it all together. It was like night & day so I highly recommend this. I also used whole grain spaghetti to keep this healthy. Have all your ingredients ready so that the shrimp & scallops do not overcook. Take this off the heat as soon as it's done.

This will give you about 6 good bowls of soup. At first I was concerned about my noodles soaking up too much liquid if I added them to the leftover soup. I took a chance anyway & it was more than fine. I had this as lunch for 3 days straight & it tasted as good as the day before. I only recommend adding the scallions right before serving.

{ Have a Great Weekend Everyone }

Soup's On: Tuscan Spinach, Bean & Sausage

For the 1st bowl of 12 in the series of Soup's On, click:

Soup's On: Mama Leone's Chicken Soup

“Good manners: The noise you don't make when you're eating soup.” ~ Bennett Cerf, humorist, publisher

This soup was easy to make for a weeknight meal after a long day of work. And it was not only hearty but fairly healthy! I looked at a few sausage packages to compare calories & fat & the one below was what I went with. Next time I will try the freshly prepared chicken sausage but they didn't have any available.

TUSCAN SPINACH, BEAN & SAUSAGE SOUP

{ Click Here to Print Recipe }

1 link hot Italian-style turkey sausage
1 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 14 oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz frozen cut-leaf spinach or fresh
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tblsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring sausage & 1/4 inch water to a simmer in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until water evaporates, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to cook until the sausage is browned on all sides, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board; when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

Combine the sausage, beans, broth, garlic, spinach & marjoram in a medium saucepan.

Cover & cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in cheese just before serving.

{ Food for Thought }

I used the fresh spinach I had on hand instead of frozen & just added it in along with the broth & garlic. You can substitute any kind of sausage you prefer from the many variations on the market. Just be sure to look at the calories if you want to keep this soup healthy. I opted for a chicken sausage because it was half the fat of the turkey sausage freshly prepared at my grocer.

Although better than the traditional, the turkey sausage was still very high in cals & fat. 

And if you can't make soup to keep warm, blanket yourself with one tired little boy & one sweet large bulldog.

 {  Linking Deliciously to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  }

Soup's On: Mamma Leone's Chicken Soup

Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to leave you when you are impoverished & stretches its resources to give a hearty sustenance & cheer? Who warms you in the winter & cools you in the summer? Yet who also is capable of doing honor to your richest table & impressing your most demanding guests? Soup does its loyal best, no matter what undignified conditions are imposed upon it. You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor & sick, do you?  ~ Judith Martin (Miss Manners)

It's finally cold here in FL & I need a change, a reason to commit to a delicious project. So, welcome to the 1st bowl of Soup's On.

In the weeks of Winter to come, I will be posting 12 delicious, heart warming soups that will not only feed  you but soothe you from the inside out.

This first one is very special. It's Chronicle of a Mommy's Dad's favorite soup. It originated from a popular 1906 NY (my hometown) restaurant called Mamma Leone's in the theatre district. It's no longer open but one of their coveted recipes was this Italian soup. A deli in Oregon was serving it up one day to Kacey's Dad. He loved it so much they told him he could find it online. He did & has been making it ever since.

What I LOVE most about this soup, aside from it being delicious, is that it tastes like it would be bad for you with all the lovely creaminess, but it's not. The fat free evaporated milk & flour make it thick & creamy without the guilt. I dined on this for 3 days straight. And I wasn't even a soup person. Until now!!!!

MAMMA LEONE'S CHICKEN SOUP

{ Click Here for Printable Recipe }

1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp kosher salt plus extra for chicken breasts
1/2 tsp black pepper plus extra for chicken breasts
1 tblsp vegetable oil
4 tsp butter
1 medium onion diced
3 stalks celery diced
1 tblsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 heaping tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 cup all purpose flour plus 2 tblsp
8 cups fat free chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup fat free evaporated milk

2 cups thinly sliced spinach

Preheat oven to 375. Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper to taste & place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven & cool. Dice & set aside.

While chicken is cooking, heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add butter & melt. Sauté the onions & celery until translucent, about 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, tarragon, oregano, paprika & remaining 2 tsps salt & ½ tsp pepper.

Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Add the flour & stir until well combined. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth & bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes & evaporated milk. Reduce heat & simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken & simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in spinach just before you’re ready to serve.

{ Food for Thought }

I don’t recommend substituting regular paprika for the sweet Hungarian as it really contributes to the overall taste of this soup. I loved the diced tomatoes in this & recommend increasing by 50% but no more than that. I also shredded my chicken out of personal preference. Lastly, I left the baby spinach whole & didn’t bother slicing it.

A little tip: to keep the top layer from becoming gelatinous while in the fridge, place a piece of saran wrap directly on top of the soup before covering as you normally would. This also works on gravies, puddings, etc.