3-4 Chicken Breasts, cut into large chunks
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Diced Tomatoes
4 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Orzo, uncooked
1 cup Parmesan, shredded
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
S&P to taste
Fresh Parsley, for Garnish

In a large pot, over medium high heat, cook chicken in the olive oil.
Remove chicken from pot, and set aside.
In same pot add diced onion and minced garlic; cook until the onion is soft, about 4-5 minutes
Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil.
Add the orzo and cook until the pasta is al dente, approximately. 8-10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the heavy cream and shredded parmesan, stirring until the cheese is completely melted.
Add chicken back to the pot, stirring to combine with the soup, heat through.
Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh parsley, pea shoots and a drizzle of sour cream.

Serves 4

I had some leftover Roast Beef but didn’t want to make a traditional Shepherd’s Pie; found this recipe over at Canadian Living  for a soup version and went with it.

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/shepherds_pie_soup.php

Bannock on the side was a delicious addition!

http://aysontespli.ca/?p=408 Bannock

I had a head of cabbage in the fridge that needed to be made into soup and seeing it was super cold on Sunday, Cabbage Roll Soup sounded pretty good! I have not made real Cabbage Rolls for about 30 years so I really couldn’t remember what ingredients were involved. Google to the rescue.
I needed to make it Vegetarian so I could eat it too, but by all means, head on over to annaOlson for the original recipe. I left out the bacon and the ground beef.

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
1 stalk Celery, diced
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
1 pkg Just Like Ground Round
2 cloves Garlic, minced
6 cups Green or Savoy Cabbage, diced
2 (28 oz) tins Diced Tomatoes
1 Green Pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups Vegetable Stock
1/4 cup Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
2 teaspoon Celery Salt
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 Brown Rice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Sour Cream, garnish

In a large, heavy-bottom soup pot heat olive oil over med-high heat.
Add and cook onion for about 3 minutes.
Stir in diced celery and carrot; cook for another 5 minutes.
Stir in Just Like Ground Round; and garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Stir in the cabbage and add the tomatoes, diced green pepper,  stock, vinegar, paprika, celery salt, bay leaves and rice.
Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.
Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the rice is fully cooked, about 40 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove the bay leaves and serve, garnished with a dollop of sour cream

* I grilled some chicken breasts, chopped one up and topped my husbands soup with it.

* I used my Food Processor to slice the celery, carrot and cabbage

* Next time I will add a Tablespoon or two of Tomato Paste

Another Meatless Monday inspired choice. It was a COLD and WET Monday that demanded a pot of hot soup. Luckily Two Peas & Their Pod were on the same page; their recipe for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup came through my feed at Ay Sontespli’s Kitchen and I think I had most of the ingredients in my pantry? Well, almost and that was good enough for me.

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 large Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed
1 each Red Pepper, Yellow Pepper, diced
4 cups Water
2 McCormick’s Vegetable Stock Cubes
1 can (796ml) Diced Tomatoes
1 can (440ml) Black Beans, rinsed
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 teaspoons Cumin, ground
Dash of Chili Flakes
1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped
3 Green Onions, chopped
Grated Cheddar Cheese, garnish

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over med-high heat.
Add onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in garlic and continue cooking for another couple of minutes.
Stir in sweet potato and chopped peppers, stirring to coat all; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add water, McCormick’s cubes, canned tomatoes, black beans, salt, pepper, chili powder, chili flakes and cumin; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer over med-low heat; cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Toss in cilantro, stir and serve.
Garnish with Shredded Cheddar Cheese and Chopped Green Onion