crockpot soup, times two

Crockpots, soup and cold weather.  All things that go hand in hand.  What happens when you take one of them away?

Tuesday was such a beautiful and sunny day.  February is technically supposed to be winter, but I’ll take these spring like days anytime I can get them.

On this sunny day Jacob, Hunter, Joe and I all went to Marine Park and played around a bit at the play ground before setting out for a long walk along the river.

Hunter had the best time swinging for his first time.  He smiled and clapped his hands together.  We both loved pushing him.

He didn’t seem as excited about the slide… kind of no reaction.  The swing was where the fun was at.  After the long walk, it ended with a few drops – typical Washington fashion.

When we arrived back home I wish I could say I had a warm meal waiting for us in the crockpot, but I didn’t.  I didn’t plan that far ahead in the morning.

BUT, with a few minutes in the morning, YOU could have one of these yummy soups waiting for you at the end of the day.

Cold weather not required.

Crockpot Southwestern Beef Stew
from taste of home

The picante sauce give the beef stew a little different flavor from your average beef stew.  A good change though!  We really liked this along with crusty bread and kale chips…. mmm kale chips.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 4 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup cold water

Directions

1. Place beef, picante sauce, potatoes, carrots, onion, chili powder, salt and cumin in a crockpot.
2. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.
3. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until gravy is thickened.

 

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup
adapted from  chef in training

Super easy and super yummy!  This recipe makes a ton of soup.  We ate it two nights in a row then I froze the rest, which filled 2 quart jars.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1.5  cups frozen corn
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 1-2 cups of water
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chile powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except the chicken in a crockpot.   Put chicken breasts on top of mixture and make sure they’re at least partly submerged in liquid. Cook on high 6-7 hours or low 8-9 hours. Before serving remove the chicken breasts from soup and shred, if needed, (sometimes they’ll just fall apart on their own, but sometimes they need some help). Return chicken to crockpot, stir to combine.
2. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese – or quesadillas like I did.

** Both recipes were made a couple weeks ago, so while I did get to enjoy them, it just wasn’t on that sunny day.

Do you enjoy soup in all weather, or just when it’s colder?  What’s the weather like in your area?

Heather